In Yuutenji Nyamu's eyes, chasing after popularity and fame by any means was nothing to be ashamed of. She had her own goals and a family that needed her support. No matter what, she had to earn enough money.
This fierce determination supported a sixteen-year-old girl who struggled alone in the abyss-like metropolis of Tokyo. One misstep and she would be swallowed by the city, so she could only fight with everything she had.
But that same determination also made her unable to calmly wait for Togawa Sakiko's promise to be fulfilled. Restless and impatient, she chose her own way to force the band into setting off a blast of publicity. Yet, things did not go as she had hoped.
Haru had put a stop to all her band activities, and her "Nyamuchi" account barely drew any attention.
On top of that, her place in the band was so easily replaced that she was gradually turning into a dispensable figure.
Perhaps she should just cut her ties with Ave Mujica. Go back to managing her endless account properly, or slink back to Geijutsu Academy with her head hung like a beaten dog. That was probably what she should do.
"…"
But she could not accept it.
Yuutenji Nyamu curled up in a corner, frowning slightly. On the small round table in front of her sat the bento boxes Haru had brought for lunch. They were neatly stacked together, each one completely emptied without a single grain of rice left inside.
Yesterday, after cooking her lunch at her place, he had gone so far as to bring dinner too. Then today, he had casually dropped off another meal for lunch, and now it was nearly time for dinner again.
Why?
At most, he was just a colleague. Yet he helped her entirely of his own accord. He had always acted lukewarm toward her, even when filming videos for her it had been only because she pressured him into it.
If the band needed a drummer, couldn't they just get another professional to fill in if he refused?
There was no reason for Haru to come seeking heart-to-hearts with her. Even less to personally cook for her and fix her messy diet. Though he always excused it as the help of a "friend," the word was nothing but flimsy justification for what he did.
And yet...
"…Seven o'clock."
She stared at the time on her phone. A faint shadow passed across her pale pink eyes.
Ave Mujica's training would be wrapping up by now, and she still had not gone. She just stayed holed up in her apartment like some shut-in, pounding on her drum kit as if venting her frustration.
"He probably won't come tonight."
That made sense.
As the band's manager, Haru had to oversee three groups. Ave Mujica's next tour was right around the corner. His workload was already packed beyond scheduling, and sometimes he even had to accompany members of the other bands.
He had already cooked three meals for her. Why would he make the extra effort to bring another bento?
Nyamu bit her lip, dragging her weary body as she tore open a package of instant ramen. When the hot water released the artificial scent of the seasoning packet, she found herself frowning.
Slurp~
"Cough, cough…"
Eating too quickly, she nearly choked. Tears welled at the corners of her eyes, and her cheeks flushed red. It took a long moment for her to recover, but when she tried to swallow another mouthful, the noodles stuck in her throat like wax.
It had tasted fine before, so why did it feel so tasteless now?
Unwilling to believe it, Nyamu forced another bite, but the greasy flavor only made her frown deeper. The memory of the fresh tomatoes and cucumbers from the vegetable side dish at lunch made the ramen almost unbearable in comparison.
"This is all Haru's fault! How am I supposed to eat ramen after this!"
With a sulky pout, she pushed the instant noodles aside. After three meals of Haru's homemade cooking, it was almost impossible to go back to instant food.
Was this his plan all along? What a vicious trick.
Her eyes wandered to the drum set nearby, the thought of beating out her frustration tempting her. But her stomach growled loudly, pulling her gaze back toward the ramen.
"…Guess I'll just go out for dinner tonight."
Still clutching her grumbling stomach, Nyamu stood up. But just as she reached the entrance, the doorbell rang, making her flinch. She froze for a moment, then almost instinctively checked the camera at her door.
A boy with long black hair framing his handsome face stood outside. He wore a teasing smile as he waved the bento box in front of the camera, as if showing it off deliberately.
"…"
Nyamu went rigid, pressing her lips together without realizing it.
…
"Sorry to intrude."
Wearing a knit cardigan and unwinding the scarf around his neck, Haru glanced at Nyamu, who stood beside him with one hand on her hip. With a shrug, he stepped into the entryway, lit by the cool light outside.
The moment he entered the room, his eyes fell on the steaming cup of instant ramen on the table. The faint smile on his face shifted into something more complicated. He turned to look at Nyamu, who quickly averted her eyes with a guilty expression. He understood immediately.
He sighed.
"…Didn't I already tell you? Even if you eat out, stop eating this junk."
Nyamu pouted and said nothing.
Seeing this, Haru only sighed again. At least she had not thrown back her usual "none of your business." Maybe that was what people meant by not biting the hand that feeds you.
"Today I had to prepare important matters for Ave Mujica's next tour, so I stayed at the office much longer than planned. Then something else delayed me on the way here… That's why I came later than usual."
"…Doesn't matter to me."
Nyamu's gaze drifted toward the corner of her bookshelf. For some reason, her dejected mood began to lift. She took the bento from his hands, raised her eyebrows at its weight.
"This much?"
"Do you expect me not to eat? I've been working until now and haven't had dinner either."
Haru rolled his eyes and spoke with faint irritation, shaking two cans of coffee he had brought with him. He glanced toward the little round table and asked casually,
"Mind if I sit?"
"…Do what you want."
For Nyamu, this was the third meal he had brought her, but the first time they would eat together. Sharing the cramped table made the space feel tight, yet she found herself unable to hide her faint anticipation.
Why did it feel strangely pleasant?
Had she really been captured by this guy's cooking? After just a few meals, even her appetite had been reshaped to his hand.
"Haah!"
Nyamu dug in greedily, scooping up mouthful after mouthful. But the more she ate, the redder her eyes became. Haru noticed her strangeness but said nothing.
Part of why he helped this stubborn cat was because of his responsibility as a manager. Part of it was for Ave Mujica's sake. And the last part, perhaps, was something personal.
"…"
As a friend, all Haru could do was help within his means, and besides, he felt this woman was somewhat similar to himself.
But today, Haru had not once brought up the subject of Ave Mujica. That seemed to make Yuutenji Nyamu a little uneasy. She could not resist lifting her pink eyes to meet his, her voice carrying a faint smile.
"So you're not nagging me about Ave Mujica today. Given up already?"
What an ungrateful way to take kindness.
"My fried chicken?!"
Expressionless, Haru picked up a piece of fried chicken from the bento. Nyamu had just reached out with her chopsticks, and her eyes widened in disbelief. Her lovely face twisted with frustration, her gaze tinged with blame.
"You really are childish, aren't you?"
"And you have the nerve to call me childish, when you're huffing over a single piece of fried chicken."
Haru only shrugged, answering casually and straightforwardly. "Besides, I never intended to force you into drumming for Ave Mujica, so where's this idea of me giving up coming from?"
"I've never had any intention of forcing anyone, nor do I want to interfere with choices they've already made. I respect others' decisions deeply, unless..."
"Unless what?"
Nyamu raised her brows, a flicker of curiosity flashing in her eyes.
"Nothing."
Haru waved it away with a flick of his chopsticks, but that only made her feel like a cat clawing at her chest. She endured it in silence, and in the end she just let out a small huff and buried her head in her rice.
Of course, he would not interfere with anyone's choice.
If the day came when Haru truly wanted to interfere, it would mean the other person had become like a certain dumb pink-haired girl to him, someone he could never let go of, someone worth moving forward for no matter what.
"Whether you continue as Ave Mujica's drummer is up to you. But unless you hand me a resignation letter, as the band's manager I'll still be responsible for you."
"And of course, even if you quit, you'll still be welcome to come freeload as a friend."
Haru tossed out those words as he finished his rice, then rose slowly, gathering up the empty bento boxes. Without bothering about Nyamu's silence, he skillfully wrapped the hand-knit scarf from Miss Soyo around his neck.
"Tomorrow's Ave Mujica training will probably run longer. I'll likely arrive late. If you can't wait, just eat outside and call it material for your Nyamu-chan restaurant channel. If Miss Nyamu really intends to give up on the band, at the very least, you should get your channel running again."
As his words fell, he opened her apartment door.
Nyamu, still hunched over her food, suddenly felt her throat choke on the warm grains of rice. Her vision blurred as anxiety, inferiority, and the panic of losing followers all surged at once like a bursting dam.
Sniffling awkwardly, her voice trembled as she spoke.
"If it were you, wouldn't you want to run away too?"
Her sudden words stopped Haru in his tracks at the door. He hesitated for two seconds, then raised his brows slightly, his gaze calm as he looked ahead.
"Of course not."
"For anyone, running away is natural. But it's only a temporary measure. In the end, you still have to face things head-on. Even from the beginning, I never thought about running away."
"Otherwise, I'd have taken the manager's teasing and gone off to be a host already."
His playful words reached the girl's ears, followed by the soft click of the iron door closing. Nyamu sat alone at the small round table, staring blankly at the half-empty bottle of KISS Coffee.
Silence stretched.
"He's definitely underestimating me!"
Nyamu snapped her head up, grinding her teeth as she glared toward the door where Haru had left. Just thinking of his face made her restless, yet no matter what, she could not summon up the old hatred she once held.
Maybe it was because he had always treated her so indifferently before. Now that he showed even the slightest kindness, it felt like such a drastic change. The contrast left her scratching her head in frustration.
"Is he hitting on me?! Otherwise how do I explain his sudden gentle attitude? Who in their right mind brings meal after meal like this? And now he's ruined me so I can't eat anything else…"
"Is Haru seriously trying to seduce me?!"
Her breathing grew rough and fast, her beautiful face, praised even by Togawa Sakiko, flushed red. She shook her head wildly like she had lost her mind, until finally she slammed her forehead onto the table.
She used to think Togawa Sakiko was insane for falling for Haru, a guy who looked like a scumbag at first glance.
Now she understood.
It had to be because she had spent too long around Ave Mujica, and Sakiko's dumb rich-girl brain had infected her too. Now she was acting strangely as well.
"This is infuriating…"
She could not swallow this breath!