The sun was shining brightly, not a cloud in the sky.
As February rolled in, the chill in Shinjuku had softened. It was lunchtime, and the streets were buzzing with office workers rushing to grab a bite and students who hadn't brought their own lunches.
Under the curious gazes of passersby, a flashy red convertible Porsche pulled up in front of Heavy Artillery Music Restaurant.
"Seriously, isn't your car a bit too attention-grabbing?"
Feeling the weight of the stares around him, Tetsu Fuyukawa stepped out of the car, straightening his shirt collar.
On the other side, completely unfazed by the eyes lingering on her white-stockinged legs, Mitei Miyano swapped her flats for high heels, shot him a look, and said, "You're one to talk. Your BMW 5 Series cost way more than my car, didn't it? Come on, quit yapping and follow me." With a proud toss of her chin, she strode toward the restaurant, her sharp heels clicking against the pavement.
This girl's mouth is getting bolder by the day.
Watching Mitei's confident sway, Tetsu's lips curved into a faint smile. Sure, Mitei was getting sassier with him, but it was amusing how she never snapped like that at anyone else. Clearly, it was her way of hiding her embarrassment.
Without overthinking it, he followed her lead and stepped into Heavy Artillery Music Restaurant.
The vibe was similar to his last visit. Guided by a waiter, Tetsu was hit with the spicy, unmistakable aroma of hotpot as soon as they entered. But unlike last time, maybe because it was noon, the band on stage wasn't the usual heavy metal crew. Instead, a group of girls in JK uniforms were bouncing around, singing bubbly, upbeat songs.
Honestly, the clash of spicy Sichuan hotpot and their sugary pop tunes gave Tetsu a weird sense of dissonance.
Maybe noticing his odd expression—or maybe misreading it—the male waiter grinned and winked. "You're in luck today, sir. Those girls on stage are alternates for the SEB48 idol group—you know, the one with Mai Saito from Surrounded by Beauties. Their group's super hot right now. I heard the game producer, Mr. Fuyukawa, even said he's picking someone from their group for his next project! So, how about it, bro? Get a membership card with us, and I'll hook you up with their autographs."
…What the heck?
Does your boss know you're hustling customers like this?
The waiter's shameless pitch, capped with a sleazy "you know what I mean" grin, left Tetsu dumbfounded. Mitei, walking ahead, was laughing so hard her waist was trembling.
To his credit, the waiter's brain clearly worked differently. Thinking Mitei was choking on the spicy fumes, he rushed to grab water. But one icy, amused glare from her, and he scampered off like a scared puppy.
"What is wrong with guys these days?"
Settling at a table near the stage, Mitei sipped her water, rolling her eyes.
Her expression was kind of cute. Tetsu took the menu from a waitress and chuckled. "Can't blame him. Japan's economy isn't great—guy's just trying to boost his numbers."
"Yeah, well, that approach is gonna backfire," Mitei scoffed, unimpressed. "Pushing a membership card before the customer even sits down? Zero marketing sense. I bet he's fired within a month."
"Alright, alright, let's not get hung up on it."
Seeing her exasperated eye-roll, Tetsu grinned and glanced around. "So, when's your friend showing up?"
"Oh, she's already here. Said she's in the bathr—Hey! Futaba! Over here!"
Waving her phone, Mitei's face lit up with a warm, genuine smile she'd never show at the office. Following her gaze, Tetsu turned and froze.
Standing behind the sofa was a tiny girl, barely over five feet, dressed in a fluffy pink bunny-eared jacket and milky-white thigh-high socks, her twin tails bouncing.
Kanna?
For a split second, Tetsu thought of the adorably stoic Kanna, but then—
"Why're you rushing me?! I was in the bathroom, okay?!"
The little loli turned into a fire-breathing dragon. Ignoring Tetsu's presence, the girl named Futaba pounced on Mitei with all the ferocity of a tiny beast. The result?
Hug-the-girl takedown!
Under the stunned gazes of Tetsu and nearby diners, Mitei, a judo black belt, grabbed Futaba's arm, pulled her into a bear hug, and—smack!
"Hey, hey, hey! Miyano, you crazy woman! This is a restaurant! I'm gonna repor—"
Smack!
Tetsu was utterly floored by the sight of a grown woman spanking a loli.
A long moment later…
"Hello, Mr. Fuyukawa. I'm Futaba Koyama, ten—"
Cough!
After her spanking, Futaba's earlier fire was gone. She bowed politely to Tetsu, but her scatterbrained nature nearly derailed her introduction. Mitei's "malicious" cough snapped her back, and, trembling at the memory of her defeat, Futaba clasped her hands and bowed again.
"Hello, Mr. Fuyukawa. I'm Futaba Koyama, MIT grad in Computer and Information Science, and I run Futaba's Super Awesome Studio. Nice to meet you."
…I'm done.
Her polite introduction left Tetsu speechless, but this time it was more shock than disbelief.
MIT grad?!
And Futaba's Super Awesome Studio? The name was super chuunibyou, but the studio had made waves in Japan's gaming scene. Despite being new, they'd handled major outsourcing projects flawlessly, even catching the eye of industry giant SATE, who'd tried—and failed—to recruit them.
A big player just walked in!
No hesitation—Tetsu stood and greeted her formally. Seeing his serious demeanor, Mitei let out a giggle, her charming eyes rolling. "Relax, no need to be so formal with her. She's my junior from school and my neighbor. One of us."
Junior?
Tetsu blinked. Mitei graduated from Tokyo University, and Futaba from MIT? So… master's? PhD? And she wasn't that young?
His mind raced, but his thoughts were soon confirmed.
"Ugh, hotpot's great, but the oil always splatters on my clothes," Futaba muttered as she sat down, peeling off her bunny jacket. Then—crash!
In Tetsu's near-stunned gaze, Futaba, now in a loose light-blue sweater, revealed a chest so massive it knocked over the table's dishes, outdoing even Sayoko and Mitei!
"Futaba! Watch it!"
Jacket-off table-quake!
Jiggly!
Tetsu was beyond done. The surrounding diners and a waiter holding a tray were equally gobsmacked.
Dishes clattered to the floor, followed by the waiter's tray.
"Sorry, sorry! I'll clean it up right away!"
The aisle was a mess in seconds.
---
Much later, as the chaos settled and the yin-yang hotpot bubbled, Tetsu, in his white shirt, dipped some tripe into the spicy broth. Glancing at Futaba, who was slurping glass noodles noisily, he raised an eyebrow at Mitei. "So, you want her studio to take on this outsourcing job?"
Mitei, also in a white shirt with her sleeves rolled up, a jade bracelet on her wrist, nodded as she dipped some lamb. "She's got the skills. You've probably heard of her rep."
"I have, but her team's pretty small, right? You know I want this game done fast, and I don't want to juggle too many outsourcing teams."
Getting serious, Tetsu frowned. Futaba's studio had a solid reputation, but it was small. He didn't want to drag out Sekiro's production, and coordinating multiple teams could lead to issues.
The prime example? Ubisoft, the "Rosemary's eyes widened. "You little—! How dare you!"
Her face flushed red, her voice cracking with shock at the "and another one?!" But she kept it low, her anger muffled by the stage performance.
Vixen.
Futaba, who'd been engrossed in a mobile game, looked up, squinting at Sunflower. Maybe she was nearsighted, maybe the music was too loud, or maybe, with the business talk done, she just didn't care. She gave a goofy smile and went back to her game.
"…"
Futaba was unfazed, but Mitei's eyebrows shot up at the "vixen" jab. The warmth in her demeanor vanished, replaced by her sharp, icy black-rose vibe. Crossing her legs, she said coolly, "Watch your mouth, kid. You can eat whatever, but words? Choose 'em wisely."
"Pfft, whatever!"
Fuming, Sunflower plopped onto the sofa, grabbing Tetsu's arm and glaring at Mitei. "Last time was a coincidence, but this? No way! I see through you, lady. You're up to no good! I'm not letting you near Uncle! Uncle, stay away from this oba-san! Sayoko's waiting for you to have dinner!"
Oba-san…
First "vixen," now "old lady."
Mitei's perfectly arched brows twitched, but her lips curled into a playful smirk when she saw Sunflower clinging to Tetsu's arm. "Up to no good? Sounds like someone's just using Sayoko as an excuse to make her move."
Critical hit!
The table fell silent, the air thick with tension.
"!!!"
Tetsu could feel Sunflower's arm stiffen through his shirt. After a beat, her face beet-red, she let go like she'd been shocked, stammering, "D-Don't talk nonsense, you old hag! I'd never like a stinky old man like him!"
"Who knows?"
Mitei, reveling in Sunflower's meltdown, leaned in with a cat-playing-with-a-mouse glint in her eye. Under Sunflower's furious stare and the shocked gazes of nearby diners, she slid over to Tetsu's other side, half-leaning against him, her breath warm on his shoulder as she purred, "You don't like this kind of guy? Well, I sure do. Hey, Uncle~ this little girl's not into you. Why not have some fun with me?"
Gulp—
Left with a pure high school girl, right with a sultry mature woman.
The men at nearby tables stared, eyes wide, swallowing hard with envy.
Then—
"I'll fight you!!!"
In front of everyone's stunned eyes, Sunflower, red-faced with fury, climbed onto Tetsu's lap, grabbed his face, and planted a fierce kiss on him.
The restaurant froze. Diners, waiters, everyone—stunned. The only sounds were the bubbling hotpot, the singer's farewell from the stage, Futaba's giggles at her game, and the collective gulp of onlookers.
After a long moment, their lips parted, breaths heavy.
Still straddling Tetsu, Sunflower's eyes shimmered with a mix of passion and embarrassment. She started to speak, but—
["Next up, please welcome the Sistar girl group and Miss Sunflower Izumi!"]
The host's voice broke the spell. Sunflower's dazed look faded, her clear eyes filling with shyness under the crowd's stares. But after a brief struggle, she leaned in, kissed Tetsu's cheek, and whispered, "Don't you dare get cozy with that woman while I'm on stage!"
With that, she shot Mitei a death glare, slung her guitar over her shoulder, and hurried to the stage.
The restaurant buzzed with whispers as the scene spread like wildfire. Under the spotlight, Sunflower fidgeted nervously but caught Tetsu's warm, smiling gaze. She glared back, then steadied herself, gripped the mic, and bowed to the crowd.
"We'll be performing Akemi Ishii's JOY. Hope you enjoy it."
"She seems to see you as her rock," Mitei said, back in her seat, legs crossed, a teasing smile on her face.
Tetsu, eyes on the stage, smiled softly. "That's my luck."
"Tch, save that sweet-talk for the kids," Mitei quipped, her heart skipping a beat at his tender side. Sipping her water, she added, "What about Sayoko-chan? Those two seem… close."
"Getting straight to the point, huh?"
Tetsu raised an eyebrow. Mitei grinned. "Scared to answer? I've always found it odd. With your charm, skills, and, let's be honest, your playboy streak, you could've swept up half the cast back then. So why…?"
Before she could finish, Tetsu lit a cigarette, glancing at the smoking area sign. Meeting her sharp eyes, he smirked. "Not scared. Yeah, I'm a flirt, no denying it. But I'm not some stallion chasing every skirt. Not every woman does it for me. But when I meet one I really like…"
He turned to watch Sunflower sing, his gaze softening. "I'm not letting her slip away."
"…Tch, cocky guy."