At the same time, Ai Hoshino realized she had walked straight into Lin Ye's trap.
This was absolutely deliberate. He was provoking her on purpose.
Making jealousy rise up in her.
It was infuriating.
Lin-kun really was the worst. With her, he had a wicked streak a mile wide, and he loved to bully her.
Ai Hoshino sulked, thoroughly displeased — and yet she also felt that being treated this way was Lin Ye's way of caring for her, of cherishing her. A man with no interest in a girl at all would never treat her like this.
And so, in the end, her sulking turned into quiet delight.
"So? Do you want them or not?"
Lin Ye asked again. He wanted to see whether the girl would accept or refuse.
Under his prodding and his gaze, Ai Hoshino looked away and said slowly, "Lin-kun can decide."
She still hadn't answered him directly. Instead she'd handed the decision back to him.
That way, if Lin Ye said yes, she'd take them; if he said no, she wouldn't. Her will followed his, rather than coming from herself.
Lin Ye saw through that instantly, of course.
Which made things simple. "Is that so? Then we won't get them. Saves me some money, conveniently enough."
That reason, however, hit the sales clerk where it hurt.
She needed them to spend! Only if they spent did she get her commission, and only then would next month's paycheck be a little fatter.
"Miss, an opportunity like this doesn't come twice — the gentleman is being so generous, you mustn't let it pass. He treats you so, so well."
She heaped on the praise, working her persuasion.
After all, this customer didn't buy one or two items at a time.
He'd bought that much for the other girl — so for this one, who obviously looked like his girlfriend, surely it had to be four or five pieces, if not more!
That was the clerk's reasoning.
Money, all of it money.
She had to talk them into it.
And Ai Hoshino's contrary streak had been thoroughly awakened.
Save money?
If he wanted to save money, he shouldn't be saving it on her — he should start with Sayaka Maizono. Sayaka had all those clothes and she had nothing. And the reason was to save money, of all things.
How could Ai Hoshino possibly accept that?
She absolutely couldn't.
So.
She had to have the clothes, and Lin Ye had to buy them. Not because she wanted clothes, but because she wanted to reclaim her pride — her standing and her worth in Lin Ye's heart.
"Let's go, Ai-chan."
Lin Ye took Ai-chan by the wrist, ready to lead her out.
Ai Hoshino stayed rooted where she stood. She let out a slow breath and said, "I want that skirt. And that one… and that one…"
She listed off a great many things, without pausing once.
And the count came to exactly one more item than Sayaka Maizono's.
Sayaka had been counting.
She was sure of it.
She knew Ai-senpai was sulking. Of course, loving clothes was perfectly normal too, but most of it was pure sulking.
Not that she could say anything about it.
After accepting so many beautiful clothes, what right did she have?
All she could do was find some way to repay him properly.
Which brought her back to tonight — the white stockings.
She'd have to prepare carefully tonight, and make sure Mr. Lin was pleased and happy.
Her thoughts even strayed to that kind of thing, though she was certain that was out of the question.
That kind of thing was only for lovers.
She and Mr. Lin weren't lovers.
And Ai-senpai surely wouldn't let her go that far with Mr. Lin either.
The sales clerk was over the moon.
Commission, all of it commission.
Next month's pay was going to be beautiful.
She could go on a shopping spree of her own then and indulge herself for once.
Before long, the clerk finished wrapping everything in a haze of excitement, and Lin Ye swiped his card to settle the bill.
"Here you are."
The clerk handed the bank card back to him with the utmost deference.
But by feel alone, Lin Ye noticed the slip of paper pressed beneath it.
Her contact number, obviously.
This clerk had nerve.
She knew that if she did nothing, she and Lin Ye would never cross paths again. This bit of courage was an investment in a long-term future.
Even if Lin Ye never called, she lost nothing at all.
For her it was a pure upside with no downside, requiring only that small sliver of courage.
Besides, if Lin Ye didn't respond, the cost of that courage was practically nothing — and if he did, she'd hit the jackpot.
Whatever happened, so long as Lin Ye responded, the clerk knew she'd come out enormously ahead.
Lin Ye left the store with bag after bag hanging from both hands.
The night had grown late.
The wind blew colder now.
Tokyo's night was still bustling and bright, pedestrians streaming past in both directions.
And thanks to everything Lin Ye was carrying, more than a few curious glances came his way.
He was used to it by now.
Nothing worth paying attention to.
A taxi rolled to a stop. Lin Ye lowered the bags into the trunk.
He took the front passenger seat.
The two girls sat in the back.
The car started up and drove slowly toward their destination.
Not a hotel.
That's right. Tonight they were going to Ai Hoshino's apartment.
An apartment that was rather nice in every respect.
If Lin Ye hadn't rented it for her, Ai Hoshino would never have brought herself to live somewhere of that caliber.
When they arrived and Sayaka Maizono looked up at the building, she was stunned.
She lived at home, but her family's place was fairly far out and the house wasn't anything special. Ai-chan's apartment, on the other hand, was almost absurdly nice.
Sayaka Maizono's envy deepened another notch.
She wanted this too!
She wanted to live in an apartment of this class, to enjoy a sweet life with a lover of her own.
Even if Lin Ye and Ai-senpai weren't lovers yet, she felt their relationship was already all but there — you could honestly just call it a relationship, minus the formal label.
And she suspected Ai-senpai didn't even need that label.
All Sayaka Maizono had left was envy.
When they stepped inside and she took in the elegant interior, that envy turned sour and welled up in her chest.
She even found herself wondering: if she'd met Lin-kun sooner, would she be receiving this kind of treatment too?
The moment the thought surfaced again, Sayaka Maizono reined it in with cold reason. Her sense of morals told her such thoughts were wrong — badly wrong. She shouldn't be thinking that way at all.
Lin Ye set all the clothes down beside the living room sofa.
This was actually his first time here.
He'd asked Haruno to find this apartment for him.
Haruno had handled it well.
"How's living here?"
"It's… it's really nice. There's even a guest room, which is honestly a bit of a waste for someone like me."
But thinking that Lin Ye might come to Tokyo, might come back to see her, she decided having a guest room was rather nice after all.
No, wait — if Lin Ye came to Tokyo, came here, there'd be no need for him to use the guest room at all. He could sleep in her room.
That was Ai Hoshino's honest, private opinion.
"It's not a waste. If a friend comes over to hang out, they can stay the night."
"Mm, mm, mm."
Ai Hoshino nodded hard. "Um… the rent must be really expensive, right?"
"It's fine. A rich lady's footing the bill."
Ai Hoshino: ???
Sayaka Maizono: ???
Both girls arrived at the same conclusion: was Lin Ye being kept by some wealthy woman?
But if he were, how could that woman possibly allow him to be out consorting with other girls?
It had to be a joke.
Ai Hoshino's thoughts quickly went to the Strange Game. Lin Ye must have saved some wealthy woman during a Strange Game, which was why money was no object for him.
She'd assumed the money was what he'd earned himself, but apparently she'd been wrong.
Never mind. Wherever the money came from, all she had to do was be herself.
If Lin-kun wanted to spend it on her, she'd accept it with an easy heart.
Sayaka Maizono, knowing nothing, was very curious about who this wealthy woman might be — but on reflection she doubted Lin Ye would tell her, and asking wouldn't get her an answer either. So she let it go, deciding it had nothing to do with her.
If anyone had the standing to ask, it wasn't her. It was Ai-senpai.
Sayaka Maizono drifted quietly out onto the balcony and looked out at Tokyo's night view.
The scenery was lovely. It was a pleasure just to look at.
Taking in Tokyo at night from a luxury apartment really did feel like something else entirely.
Someday she was going to live in a place like this too, and savor a life like this properly.
Sayaka Maizono made that resolution in silence.
Ai Hoshino came up beside her and patted her lightly. "Sayaka, stay over here tonight, okay? There's a guest room."
"Okay."
She agreed — then a question occurred to her.
"If I take the guest room, where does Mr. Lin sleep?"
"That's… he can take the sofa. Lin-kun can sleep on the sofa, he won't mind."
Lin Ye had no objection.
Of course, he knew perfectly well he wouldn't be reduced to the sofa tonight.
But since Ai Hoshino had said it, he'd play along out of consideration for a girl's embarrassment. He'd give her that much face and not say anything to shame her.
"Um… maybe I should take the sofa?"
Sayaka Maizono offered hesitantly.
"No need, let Lin-kun have it."
"Then… how about I sleep with Ai-senpai and Mr. Lin takes the guest room?"
At that suggestion, Ai Hoshino was so exasperated she nearly laughed.
She honestly couldn't tell whether Sayaka Maizono was doing it on purpose or was completely serious.
Looking into Sayaka's guileless, questioning eyes, she decided the girl truly had no idea — no understanding of that side of things whatsoever.
"No need. Just take the guest room and rest easy. Lin-kun will sleep in the guest room."
Since Ai Hoshino insisted a third time, Sayaka Maizono could only accept it.
But in the end.
What was she supposed to do now?
Was the next order of business the black stockings and white stockings?
That was one thing Sayaka Maizono hadn't forgotten. She didn't dare forget.
She'd come here to wear white stockings for Lin-kun to admire.
It was a promise to Ai-senpai — and now there was the matter of repaying all those clothes as well.
"So… Senpai, what do we do next…"
Seeing Sayaka Maizono trembling with nerves, Ai Hoshino laughed. She pinched Sayaka's cheek again and said, "We take a bath, obviously. What on earth is Sayaka imagining? Something naughty, maybe?"
"N-no, no, nothing of the sort, I wasn't, I absolutely was not thinking anything naughty, not even a little!"
Sayaka Maizono shook her head so hard she might as well have been a rattle-drum.
Lin Ye nearly laughed watching her.
These two. Well, it wasn't really his business. He'd let the girls sort it out themselves.
"Well then, let's go."
"Uh, Senpai, we're… together?"
"Is that a problem? Unless Sayaka would rather go in with Lin-kun?"
Having said it, Ai Hoshino pouted and glared. "That's not allowed. That's my exclusive privilege, and I'm certainly not giving Sayaka a shot at it."
"I don't want it!"
Sayaka Maizono raised her voice to make her position and principles clear once more.
"Then let's go."
The two girls headed for the bathroom.
At the door, though, Ai Hoshino stopped abruptly and asked, "Lin-kun, if you want to peek…"
"…you're allowed to."
She said it with a wink, her cheeks faintly pink.
"Uh, that… that's not okay at all!"
Sayaka Maizono objected first. She could not accept being peeked at.
"Sayaka doesn't want to be peeked at?"
"Mm-mm-mm. Not even by Mr. Lin."
"Good, then no peeking. Lin-kun, you understand, right? No peeking," Ai Hoshino stressed.
But how to put it — the words carried a heavy layer of suggestion.
"Fine, I won't peek. I'll watch openly and aboveboard."
Lin Ye said it straight out.
Sayaka Maizono flinched as if struck. A moment ago she'd relaxed, thinking there was nothing to worry about — Lin Ye had agreed, so he wouldn't peek. And then he turned around and declared he'd come watch in the open. What was she supposed to do with that?
She no longer knew whether to go into the bathroom or not.
"Come on, Sayaka. It's nothing if Lin Ye gets a look. If anything, you're the one coming out ahead."
A whole cluster of question marks bloomed in Sayaka Maizono's head. She didn't understand at all.
How had this become her coming out ahead? Wasn't Lin Ye clearly the one taking advantage of her?
Thinking that, Sayaka Maizono nonetheless followed Ai Hoshino into the bathroom.
A rustle of fabric — the two of them shed their outer clothes.
Lin Ye restrained himself and didn't use perspective to look.
There was genuinely no need.
If he had to resort to perspective, he'd rather just watch the two of them going about ordinary daily life — those postures were more real, more alluring.
If Lin Ye wanted to look, he could simply open the door and walk in.
Ai Hoshino wouldn't mind, and the Sayaka Maizono of right now had no ground on which to refuse him. Faced with him walking in, the most she'd do was cover certain places in bashful panic and eventually beg him, mortified, to step out. Nothing more than that.
That image, that scene — Lin Ye found himself unexpectedly interested. He was a little curious. A little tempted to see it.
Water hissed and splashed.
Warm water ran without pause. Steam drifted through the bathroom in a thin haze.
Laughter rang out, bright and pleasant to hear.
"Sayaka's skin is so soft!"
"And this part has so much bounce."
"It feels so good to squeeze. Lin-kun would definitely love it."
There was Ai Hoshino's admiring envy, and Sayaka Maizono's bashful protests as she covered her chest.
She'd never imagined that Ai Hoshino's true private self was such a Pervert.
"Senpai, your skin is great too!"
"Skin this fair — Mr. Lin would definitely love it."
"And here, you could absolutely let Mr. Lin knead it. Then it'd get bigger."
Sayaka Maizono fired back with a little mischief of her own, voicing her feelings with force.
Outside, Lin Ye listened to the girls' delighted laughter, and certain scenes played themselves out in his mind.
He knew Ai Hoshino was doing this on purpose.
Which meant that afterward, he'd have to punish her properly — make this girl understand what she should and shouldn't be doing.
That sort of thing came with a price.
Lin Ye collected himself and walked over to the window to take in the night view.
Tokyo at night.
Tonight he was at Ai-chan's place. Tomorrow he'd go meet Mai at the spot they'd arranged.
Mai this weekend was bound to be fiercer than ever.
The provocation from Yukino Yukinoshita would inevitably have sharpened Mai's sense of crisis, driving her to more drastic measures.
And what he had to do was simple enough: just be himself.
Click…
Ai Hoshino had finished washing. She came out in a bathrobe, toweling her hair, and walked over to Lin Ye's side.
"What's Lin-kun thinking about?"
she asked, curious.
"You definitely don't want to know."
"I want to know."
"I was thinking about Mai. Mai's in this city too."
Ai Hoshino's whole mood curdled at once.
Indeed — she really, truly had not wanted to hear about Mai Sakurajima.
To her, Mai Sakurajima was her greatest rival. From the very night she met Lin Ye, she'd known Mai Sakurajima existed, and known that Mai Sakurajima was the Goddess in Lin Ye's heart.
Compared to Mai Sakurajima, she, Ai Hoshino, really didn't amount to anything at all.
"Um… Miss Mai has been very busy lately! So Lin-kun shouldn't be in such a rush to miss her. There'll be time later."
Thinking of Mai Sakurajima — that girl was gentle, beautiful, with wonderful poise.
But how to put it.
Ai Hoshino really didn't want Lin Ye and Mai Sakurajima getting too close.
She was afraid that one day she'd hear the catastrophic news that Lin Ye and Mai Sakurajima were together.
Lately she exchanged messages with Mai Sakurajima now and then, and every day Mai Sakurajima reached out to her first. Every time, her heart was in her throat, every time she was terrified — dreading the day Mai would suddenly inform her that she and Lin Ye were officially dating.
If that ever happened.
She was afraid her composure wouldn't hold.
Whatever the case, it ought to be her first, shouldn't it?
That was the thought lodged in Ai Hoshino's mind.
"There'll be time. Mai should be pretty free these next couple of days."
Something knotted in Ai Hoshino's chest. It suddenly occurred to her that Lin Ye's trip to Tokyo this time might well be for Mai Sakurajima's sake.
That visiting her was just an afterthought.
If that was the truth, it was too heartbreaking to bear.
So Ai Hoshino decided to end the topic and hurry Lin Ye off to his bath.
"Lin-kun, go take your bath, hurry up and get in the bathroom!"
She pushed him toward the bathroom.
If she listened to any more of this, today's good mood would be gone.
Ai Hoshino could feel it coming, so she cut it off in time.
Tonight she was going to enjoy this moment of happiness and not go digging up things to upset herself.
Lin Ye stepped into the bathroom.
Behind him came Ai Hoshino's voice.
"Lin-kun, I'll leave a change of clothes outside the door!"
After moving into this apartment, she'd bought quite a lot of men's clothing — including underwear and socks and other intimate items.
Because she believed that sooner or later Lin Ye would come here, would spend the night here.
And that day had finally arrived.
"Sure."
Lin Ye walked into the bathroom.
The damp room was filled with a faint fragrance — lavender body wash — and threaded through it was another light, delicate scent.
Not the chemical note of perfume, but a scent that belonged to the girls themselves.
Very nice.
Lin Ye breathed it in and savored the comfort of the moment.
Water rushed down.
The warm spray soaked his body, his skin damp and warm, the sensation deeply relaxing.
Honestly, it felt wonderful.
Lin Ye liked showering, and liked soaking in a tub.
This tub wasn't large, but it was big enough.
Meanwhile, outside.
Ai Hoshino and Sayaka Maizono had finished bathing and moved on to drying their hair. Girls' hair was long; it took a good while with a hairdryer.
The dryer hummed away.
Sayaka Maizono was drying Ai Hoshino's hair.
"Senpai's hair is really lovely. I'm so envious."
Soft and silky, wonderful to touch.
Sayaka Maizono even gave Ai Hoshino's little head a stroke. That felt quite nice as well, and it made her heart flutter with fondness.
If she were a boy, she'd absolutely pursue Ai-senpai, absolutely dote on her, make Ai-senpai her girlfriend and one day her wife.
Marriage, children — several of them. Only that would do justice to having Ai-senpai for a wife.
"Sayaka, your hair is lovely too. It feels great to touch!"
Ai Hoshino ran her fingers through it, savoring the sensation, and found it very nice indeed.
Truthfully, Sayaka Maizono was the only junior Ai Hoshino looked after this way.
The other juniors were either too cheeky to show any respect, or they lacked that genuine love for being an idol. Sayaka was different.
So Ai Hoshino went out of her way to take care of Sayaka day to day.
"Senpai." "Sayaka."
Their eyes met and neither looked away.
A moment later they both burst out laughing and glanced aside.
As companions, as members of the same idol group, this sort of thing was old hat by now.
"Senpai, could you tell me how you and Mr. Lin met?"
The words had barely landed before Ai Hoshino turned and eyed her warily. "Sayaka, why are you asking about that?"
"Uh…"
Caught off guard by her senior's sudden guardedness, Sayaka froze.
"J-just curious, that's all."
"Oh? You're sure it's just curiosity? Not some naughty little plan?"
She kept up that wary attitude.
Which made Sayaka Maizono realize Ai Hoshino wasn't joking. She was serious. She really did want something.
"Wh-what? Of course not! How could I have any naughty ideas? Senpai is the closest, dearest senior I have — the best person in my life outside my parents and family. How could I possibly have bad thoughts about you?"
Sayaka Maizono declared her position immediately.
Ai Hoshino's expression didn't change much. She simply went on, "Are you sure you haven't developed ideas about Lin-kun?"
"Ugh…"
A small whimper escaped Sayaka Maizono. She'd known her senior would think that.
Mr. Lin had been so good to her today, so good that she'd started doubting herself, wondering whether Lin Ye was after something. Those clothes really were terribly expensive.
"Lin-kun swept you off your feet, didn't he? All those outfits, one after another, and Sayaka fell completely. No girl could hold out against an offensive like that. I understand. I really do understand."
Understand my foot!
She didn't understand at all.
And she didn't want that kind of understanding from her senior.
"It's not like that, it isn't. If Senpai really minds, if you really have doubts about me, then… here. Senpai and I are about the same size, so I'll give all these clothes to you. Mr. Lin bought them anyway, and honestly it's hard for me to accept them."
Sayaka Maizono said it without a shred of hesitation.
She loved the clothes, but if they were going to cause a misunderstanding, she'd rather not have them.
She believed that one day she'd be able to earn clothes like that with her own strength.
She had that confidence.
Sayaka Maizono was full of faith in her own future.
Ai Hoshino was somewhat taken aback by her resolve.
No girl disliked pretty clothes, especially not that many of them.
And she herself wouldn't have the nerve to accept clothes Lin Ye had given someone else. Even if Lin Ye said it was fine, even if Sayaka was willing, she truly couldn't do it.
"No, no. If I laid a finger on something Lin-kun gave you, he'd definitely dislike me for it. And I refuse to be disliked by Lin-kun."
Ai Hoshino shook her head and refused outright.
To her, Lin Ye's regard was what mattered. Clothes were secondary. His feelings for her were the crucial thing.
"Senpai, I'm serious. I'm giving them all to you. Mr. Lin and I aren't in any kind of close relationship — I don't deserve these clothes. Take them for me, please. It'd make me feel better."
But Ai Hoshino refused again, and even took the initiative to argue the other way. "Sayaka, you keep them."
"No."
"I don't suspect you anymore. Isn't that good enough?"
That line made Sayaka Maizono realize her senior had already backed down.
"But Senpai still minds, doesn't she? I… honestly, I don't know why Mr. Lin is being so good to me either. I've been wondering whether he's after something."
She let out what was really on her mind.
It was the truth.
She'd been suspicious all along. When a man treated her that well, it was hard not to think in that direction.
"Senpai, do you think Mr. Lin might…"
She'd finally said the thing she shouldn't have said. To dispel Ai Hoshino's suspicions, she had no choice. As for whether it would earn her senior's resentment and disgust — that was another matter.
At the very least, she had to stop her senior from suspecting she had designs on Lin Ye. Only then could their relationship stay as warm as ever.
Once suspicion took root, Sayaka Maizono felt her future as an idol would become miserable — she'd be targeted by her senior.
That kind of targeting, that kind of bullying, was something she never wanted to experience again.
"Sayaka is this pretty, so of course Lin-kun has ideas about you!"
Contrary to Sayaka Maizono's expectations, Ai Hoshino admitted it flat out, as though it were hardly worth treating as an issue at all.
After a brief blank moment, Sayaka Maizono thought it over and decided that did fit her senior's personality and style.
If Senpai truly minded that much, if she truly didn't want Lin Ye having too much contact with her, then she wouldn't have asked her to wear white stockings as a favor. That request was plainly out of line.
But why?
Why would Senpai do that?
If Senpai liked Mr. Lin, shouldn't she be doing everything she could to keep him away from other women?
Was Senpai's heart really that magnanimous? She'd even allow Mr. Lin contact with other women?
Allow intimate behavior, even?
An ordinary person wouldn't go that far, surely.
Unless…
Sayaka Maizono thought of the word mistress.
Only if Senpai were Lin Ye's mistress would she be this tolerant — tolerant enough to suggest she do something so ambiguous.
That was a rough situation.
If that were the case, it meant Senpai's relationship with Lin Ye had hit a dead end — that Senpai was in danger of being cast aside, and that was why she'd resort to this method, using her to reawaken Lin Ye's desire and need for her.
Things were getting more complicated by the minute.
Sayaka Maizono truly didn't know what to do.
Whether to go through with it or not.
But faced with her senior's request, she really couldn't refuse — not to mention all those clothes Lin Ye had given her. Her defenses had already been breached, shot clean through.
She could no longer refuse with any firmness.
"Senpai, how could I ever compare to you? I'm definitely not as charming as Ai-senpai!"
"That's not true. And even if it were, men always want what's new. Right now Sayaka is more attractive to Lin-kun than I am. I mean that sincerely."
You mean it sincerely — and I have no idea what to do with that!
Sayaka Maizono's head ached more by the second. She was at a complete loss.
"It's different. I don't have those kinds of feelings for Mr. Lin, but Senpai loves him deeply. That's what makes it different. With feelings and without feelings — those are two completely different things."
Exchanges with feeling behind them were the exchanges that mattered.
That was how Sayaka Maizono saw it.
An exchange without feeling, purely physical, meant almost nothing.
She believed Lin Ye was absolutely not the kind of man who simply coveted pretty girls' bodies. Mr. Lin had to be the kind of man who pursued love.
"Well, men are men. They eat what's in the bowl while eyeing what's in the pot. Sayaka is so pretty, Lin-kun definitely has ideas — he'd love a taste. How about tonight—"
"Senpai, stop saying such nonsense! If you keep this up, I'm going to get angry."
Sayaka Maizono put on an angry face, glaring to convey her indignation and her resolve.
She didn't want Ai Hoshino to end up with regrets — not in the slightest. Even if Ai-senpai were serious, even if she were genuinely willing, Sayaka wouldn't accept it.
"I really do mean it! I could lend you my room to play in — hahaha—"
Ai Hoshino said it with a laugh.
For her, it wasn't an unspeakable thing at all.
In private settings like this she could say any number of bold things — she just worried Sayaka Maizono couldn't handle them.
"Senpai, I don't want to. I'm serious too."
"Boring. I honestly wanted to see Sayaka say yes. Then the two of us would be as close as blood sisters."
Sayaka Maizono mulled that over for a moment and caught her meaning.
She really couldn't make sense of it. Was Ai-senpai actually willing?
So, unable to hold back any longer, she asked, "Senpai, are you… really willing?"
"Of course."
"But I don't get it. You like Mr. Lin — shouldn't you want to keep him all to yourself? Instead you're practically marketing him to other people."
"I do like him."
That made no sense at all!
"It's just more fun this way!"
That answer convinced Sayaka Maizono her senior was simply fond of teasing and messing with her.
"No, really. Of course I want Lin-kun all to myself, but how do I put it — that's not possible. I understand that perfectly well."
"Why?"
Sayaka Maizono asked before she could think better of it.
"Because there's another girl Lin-kun likes," she said.
"Huh? Who?"
But Sayaka Maizono figured the question was pointless. Whoever Lin Ye liked, she surely wouldn't know her — and even if she did, it would have nothing to do with her.
She couldn't do anything for her senior, couldn't offer any help.
"You know her."
That stopped Sayaka Maizono cold.
She actually knew her?
Good grief.
What was going on?
She ran through the possibilities and settled her attention on the other members of the idol group.
Because only then would Senpai come to her, ask for her help, want to team up with her.
That was Sayaka Maizono's reasoning.
Could it be Mi-chan?
But Mi-chan hadn't shown the slightest sign of anything unusual. Maybe it was unrequited?
That would explain why Mi-chan had no idea.
"Oh dear, Sayaka, you really are slow."
"What do you mean? I can guess too. Mi-chan — it's Mi-chan, isn't it?"
Sayaka Maizono declared.
She had considerable confidence in this guess.
In her eyes, after Ai Hoshino, Mi-chan was the prettiest of them all.
That swaying figure of hers really did draw the eye.
"You're aiming too high."
One sentence, and Sayaka Maizono was shut down.
She'd guessed wrong.
"It's you, Sayaka."
Sayaka Maizono froze where she sat.
Her?
She did know herself, obviously, but — no, that couldn't be right!
"There's no way Mr. Lin likes me. Senpai, you must have it wrong."
Yet deep down she was, in fact, a little pleased. Yes — she was a little pleased.
It was Lin Ye's acknowledgment of her appeal. To be liked by an excellent man was a validation of her charm as a woman. Even though she had no romantic feelings for Lin Ye and no particular designs on him—
still—
that alone made her understand how much Lin Ye cared about her.
But things that couldn't be admitted couldn't be admitted.
And they certainly couldn't be accepted. She refused to let her senior misunderstand.
"Sayaka is so adorable — how could he not like her?"
Sayaka Maizono only shook her head harder.
"Besides, just think about how good Lin Ye was to you today. Buying you all those clothes — it was all to win your favor!"
That… was true enough.
Her regard for Lin Ye really had been climbing by leaps and bounds. It was only because of her senior that a voice deep inside kept telling her not to read into it, not to entertain any stray thoughts.
She and Mr. Lin could be friends.
But absolutely nothing more than friends.
Never mind harboring any notion of formally dating him.
As for anything beyond that, it went without saying.
Marriage? That was something she wouldn't even dare imagine.
How could a man like Mr. Lin ever marry someone like her?
Ai-senpai stood ahead of her in line.
"And he wants to see your white stockings, you know. Do you think that was my idea? Lin Ye actually asked me to help arrange it — he wanted you to show Lin-kun your white stockings."
"Ugh, ugh… then I won't wear them. I won't wear them, I won't show Mr. Lin."
She stated her position at once, making it clear she stood on Ai Hoshino's side no matter what.
Between Ai Hoshino and Lin Ye, she chose Ai Hoshino first.
"That won't do. You can't go back on a promise."
"But—"
"No buts. If you refuse, I'll be very angry."
"Ugh…"
"Good. You have to wear them. You absolutely have to."
Under that kind of pressure, Sayaka Maizono nodded helplessly in agreement.
What else could she do?
Her senior had put it like that. What choice did she have?
Besides, she'd agreed to it in the first place. If she backed out now, she really wouldn't know how to face either her senior or Lin Ye.
A promise made was a promise to be kept properly. That was a matter of character.
Breaking one's word, in Sayaka Maizono's view, was an appalling thing to do. She would never do it.
"I understand, Senpai. I'll wear them. But there's one thing I want to tell you."
With a very serious expression, Sayaka Maizono said, "Even if Lin-kun likes me, even if he has ideas about me, I won't say yes. No matter how good Mr. Lin is to me, I'll never be willing. I will never do anything that wrongs you, Senpai."
She was making a vow — showing Ai-senpai her resolve and her will, letting her senior know what kind of person she was so she could set her mind at ease.
"Even if Lin-kun is willing to make you a star? Still no?"
Seeing Sayaka Maizono about to speak, Ai Hoshino raised a hand to stop her. "Do you know the reason the agency doesn't forbid me from dating anymore?"
Of course she knew. She'd heard the rumors.
It was because of Lin Ye.
"Lin-kun has already bought out the agency."
In that moment, the gossip Sayaka Maizono had heard was confirmed.
"I never imagined Lin-kun would go that far. I was so moved. I was so happy. Lin Ye has the power to take an unknown little idol and turn her into a star. Doesn't that tempt you, Sayaka?"
Of course it tempted her.
But—
Sayaka Maizono intended to rely on her own strength.
"Senpai, I admit I'm tempted. But I'd rather rise on my own strength — become a top idol, a shining, beloved idol, without leaning on anyone else's power."
Ai Hoshino had once thought exactly the same way.
And only she knew how brutally hard that road was.
If her agency hadn't been decent, she suspected she'd have fallen victim to the casting couch long ago.
She had seen the real face of this industry. She truly didn't believe she could stay pure and untouched forever and still become the most dazzling idol of them all.
That had been Ai Hoshino's thinking back then.
…
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