By the time Sakiko finally finished sorting and organizing the accumulated tasks at the bookstore, Kikukawa Yuu gave her an early lunch break on purpose, saying that Oga could help out with assisting customers for a while.
Since she didn't want Mutsumi to wait too long, Sakiko hesitated briefly but ultimately bowed slightly to express her gratitude to Manager Yuu and Oga-senpai, accepting this extra thirty-minute break. She also promised that for her next shift, she would arrive early at the bookstore to help Oga as a way to return the favor.
So, when Sakiko took off her apron uniform and hurried to VA-11 HALL-A, the scene that greeted her was unexpected—Mutsumi, who always maintained a cold and distant demeanor with others, was sitting closely with Kikukawa Kyo, the two of them sharing a single wired earphone, listening intently to something together.
Had it just been a matter of them sitting close, Sakiko wouldn't have been so surprised. The real shock was that, although Mutsumi still had her usual blank expression, her face was clearly tinged with an unnatural flush, and if one looked closely, she was even swaying her body slightly.
Wait a second—what happened in just this one hour that I was away? How did their relationship suddenly become this close? When Mutsumi first arrived at the bookstore and was led in by Kikukawa Kyo, the two of them barely interacted and seemed practically like strangers.
Sakiko couldn't help but recall her own experience. While she was ultimately grateful for all the help Kyo had given her, the process had been… quite "calculating." She had practically been lured into every single trap Kyo set up, and the worst part was—she had no choice but to go along with it…
Could it be that Mutsumi fell into her trap too?!
The more Sakiko thought about it, the more likely it seemed. A naive, clueless kid like Mutsumi (?) running into someone like Kikukawa Kyo—whose mouth was full of honeyed words, who shamelessly got physically close to others at the drop of a hat, and who was basically a siren lurking beneath the water's surface—Mutsumi wouldn't even get the chance to hear the song before she'd already been lured right in.
At first, Sakiko had only quickened her pace because she didn't want Mutsumi to wait too long, but now, urgency filled her steps for an entirely different reason.
It's one thing to go after me, but how dare she target innocent, pure-hearted Mutsumi as well—desuwa!
However, when Sakiko actually reached the two of them, she forced herself to slow down. Before Kyo could notice her, she deliberately tensed her expression, making sure not to let Kyo see any hint of her inner turmoil.
"Kyo, Mutsumi, what are you two listening to?"
"Oh, you're fast. My sister let you off early for lunch?" Kikukawa Kyo only now realized that Sakiko had entered the store. Although she only had one earbud in, the sound of metal music was far too intense, making it hard to notice someone approaching.
In fact, she had only brought the earphones out after Izumo complained that the music was too loud. Originally, she had intended to let Mutsumi listen to it alone—since she wasn't particularly into metal music herself—but after Mutsumi took the earphone, she had handed one of the earbuds back to Kyo, as if she really wanted them to listen together. So, Kyo had gone along with it.
For the record, Kikukawa Kyo could listen to just about any genre, but she personally leaned more toward funk and jazz, which had stronger rhythmic elements.
Kyo took off her own earbud and stopped Mutsumi, who had just noticed Sakiko's arrival, from doing the same. "Mutsumi, finish listening to this song first. In the meantime, I'll get Sakiko a drink, and by the time you're done, we can talk about what you guys needed."
As she spoke, Kyo, right in front of Sakiko, gently placed her own earbud into Mutsumi's other ear.
It was common knowledge that when two people sat side by side sharing a wired earphone, they would typically wear the earbud in the ear closest to the other person.
So, when Kyo went to help Mutsumi put in the earphone, she had to extend her arm, reaching across the front of Mutsumi. In the process, her fingertips lightly brushed against Mutsumi's nose, making Mutsumi inhale softly—but she didn't lean back to avoid the touch.
Kyo's scent wasn't that of laundry detergent.
It was mango—subtly sweet, likely picked up while making drinks.
Beyond that, there were other faint traces of scent, elusive yet distinct—the rich aroma of coffee, the fresh fragrance of tea leaves, the creamy scent of milk… Each one carried the essence of Kyo's craft as a mixologist.
When Kyo's hand finally reached Mutsumi's ear, her elbow was positioned right in front of Mutsumi's face. The curve of her arm was just perfect, as if it was naturally shaped to cradle someone's head…
"Don't move around too much—I can't see your ear from this angle."
Unfortunately for Mutsumi, before she could instinctively react, Kikukawa Kyo had already noticed the slight movement of her head and gave her a gentle reminder. "If you keep moving, I won't be able to put the earphone in properly."
Mutsumi hesitated before obediently keeping her head still, remaining in Kyo's loose embrace without daring to shift.
Kyo held the earphone between her thumb and index finger while spreading the other three fingers apart, using them like a guide stick as she lightly traced along the curve of Mutsumi's ear.
Kyo's hand is so cold… like it was just soaked in ice water…
That cool sensation quickly glided halfway around Mutsumi's ear, and the faint brush of Kyo's fingernail left a slight tickling feeling. But Mutsumi was well-behaved—she held back and didn't move.
Kyo was swift and precise; the moment she found the right spot, she placed the earphone snugly in Mutsumi's ear.
"Hehe~" After securing the earphone, Kyo playfully patted Mutsumi's head. Mutsumi made no attempt to resist, letting Kyo ruffle her hair at will.
"So, what exactly are you two up to?" Sakiko, having witnessed the entire process, asked in a gentle tone.
As expected, Kikukawa Kyo really had no sense of embarrassment when it came to physical contact! Did she seriously not think that these kinds of actions were way too intimate?
Since when did her best friend and her contract partner get so close…?
"We're picking out songs that could work as background music for VA-11 HALL-A. Mutsumi seems to really like a few of them."
Kyo responded as casually as ever, completely unfazed. That refreshing smile of hers was the kind she could probably show to just about anyone.
"So, what would you like to drink, Sakiko? Mutsumi's is on me, so your employee perks are still valid. You can pick anything you want."
"…A glass of plain water, thanks." Sakiko let out a sigh, closing her eyes before unenthusiastically ordering something even more boring than canned soda.
"Ehh—"
Kyo's expression instantly dropped, as if she had just suffered a major blow.
"Just a glass of plain water. No ice needed."
Meanwhile, on the other side, the two were still engaged in a rather one-sided debate. Mutsumi, wearing the earphones that were blasting metal music, couldn't hear a single word of their conversation. But since they seemed to be having fun, she simply focused back on the chaotic energy of the music, letting her head start to sway again.
---
T/N:
"Mm. If you've read this far, I suppose you're at least a little invested."
"If you want to support the translator, there's a Patreon here: patreon.com/wisetl. It's optional—think of it as tossing a few extra coins on the counter. Early chapters are just a bonus side-effect of that support."
"This place also has its own strange currency… Powerstones. For every 100 Powerstones the story gets, you'll receive 1 bonus chapter. 100ps = 1 chp, 200ps = 2 chp, 300ps = 3 chp… you can do the math."
"If you'd rather talk than throw money or stones, there's a Discord: discord.gg/wisetl. Go there if you want to complain, theorize, or poke the translator for more updates. Just don't expect me to mediate your arguments."
Say thank you to Maomao guys