This kind of rejection script had become almost instinctive for him, causing several enthusiastic OL big sisters to leave in disappointment.
Should he say he was lucky? Though he couldn't avoid being hit on, at least he hadn't encountered any especially persistent guests, the kind who'd pretend not to understand even when rejected.
After a little while, the bands scheduled to perform tonight began to appear one after another. With a "snap," the exhibition hall dimmed, and only the colorful glow sticks emitted faint light in the dark. Music started playing.
Usually, this was the most leisurely time during Fanstars' operations. The guests were all focused on the show, and almost no one came to buy drinks, just the right time for the employees to slack off a bit.
Tonight was no exception. Only the lead singer girl on stage was a bit confused, 'Why are the fans, who should be watching seriously, constantly glancing toward the ticket gate? Even forgot to wave their glow sticks. Is there something strange over there? It can't be that my singing is so bad that even the fans can't bear it, right?'
At the same time, behind the drink counter.
"Fi-Finally free"
After handling the last customer, the pink-haired girl felt as if she had received a great pardon. She flopped down on the cold floor in a duck-sit posture. Before she could catch her breath, she met a pair of shining golden eyes.
"Ryou Ryou-san?", The little social-anxious girl got startled, and couldn't help but ask in a soft voice, "Is is there something?"
"Ahem! It's not really anything big," Yamada Ryou cleared her throat and leaned in, "I just wanted to ask, between you and boyfriend-kun have you ever done, ahem?"
'What do you mean by 'Ahem'?'
Gotou Hitori's face turned red at her sudden gossipy question, but after hesitating for a moment, still weakly nodded her head.
"What did it feel like? Was it painful? Or exhausting?", This question wasn't just to set up the next part, Gremlin Ryou was genuinely curious.
Although she had read plenty of doujins, that was all theoretical, 'Nothing beats an actual interview with a firsthand participant, right?'
Unfortunately, this time, little Bocchi's pretty face turned completely red and she refused to answer no matter what. In a panic, she only managed to blurt out one thing, "President is amazing," before turning into a wooden doll.
Ryou couldn't keep pushing, and though a bit regretful, she still picked up something sharp from that "amazing" evaluation.
'At the very least there's no need to worry about boyfriend-kun's physical capabilities.'
She blinked and said with a straight face, "In that case, have you ever considered"
"Having a few more helpers?"
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Chapter 222: I Say Victory Is Already DecidedYou Dare to Question It, Eldragon?
"Hel-hel-hel helper?"
Not only Bocchi was stunned, even Kita and Nijika nearby were dumbfounded upon hearing Ryou's straightforward words, their eyes wide open, shocked by her bluntness.
'For such a sensitive topic shouldn't it at least be phrased a bit more tactfully?'
'This is way too fastball to the face, isn't it, hey!'
"Alright, then let me put it another way," Ryou cleared her throat and said seriously, "Bocchi-chan, would you be interested in having more teammates for the relay race?"
Good news: it was indeed more tactful.
Bad news: only a little more tactful.
Nijika couldn't help but cover her face, 'This kind of utterly ridiculous request, no normal girl would ever agree to, right?'
'Even if Bocchi-chan is easygoing, she'd definitely get mad wait, why are you hesitating? And what's with that tempted expression on your face?'
Ryou's assessment of people was, in a way, spot-on.
Gotou Hitori did indeed have a personality that was easily satisfied, and, lacked strong possessiveness.
Before she officially started dating Senpai, her biggest wish was to become Senpai's pet. If he patted her head a few times occasionally, that would be enough to make her happy for a whole day.
If it were another girl who heard Ryou's proposal, she'd probably get angry, ["I thought we were friends and you want to sleep with my boyfriend?"]
Cutting off a bull-headed best friend wouldn't be surprising at all.
But Bocchi wouldn't think that way at all.
Firstly, because she wasn't greedy, and never had the idea of monopolizing her Kaito-sama. No matter how many girlfriends Kaito-sama had, as long as she still had a place, that was enough.
Secondly, because she was influenced by a certain Miura.
The power of example is infinite.
As an unquestionable forerunner, Miura Yumiko had displayed generosity and the spirit of sharing, like a shooting star flashing across the night sky, leaving a deep mark in little Bocchi's heart.
Although she didn't go so far as to develop any strange fetishes when it came to this sort of thing, she was indeed more open-minded.
Moreover, Ryou's proposal provided Gotou Hitori with a new way of thinking.
She didn't want to be separated from everyone in the Kessoku Band, so, 'As long as we all became one family, we can stay together forever, right?'
"Bu-but", After thinking for a long time, the conflicted Bocchi still weakly said, "I still want to ask Miura-san's opinion"
After all, she was only able to date Kaito thanks to the Yumiko's help.
Even though that sounds pretty useless. Little Bocchi really treated Miura as a benefactor-like figure, having completely lost the dignity of a certain Kaito in the band.
Though maybe that dignity never existed in the first place?
After simply recounting the process of how she started dating Kaito with extra emphasis on Miura-san's involvement, Gotou Hitori finally murmured, "S-so that's what h appened"
'Ah, this!', Gremlin Ryou tilted her head, slightly surprised.
Due to their time together in Hoori Town, she'd gotten along decently with Yumiko, and they were kind of friends.
She had thought Bocchi was the one who took the lead, but didn't expect it was actually with someone else's help?
But that also seemed reasonable. After all, with Bocchi's personality, without anyone helping, she didn't seem like someone who could muster up the courage to go on the offensive.
Boyfriend-kun also didn't seem like the type to actively pursue girls. If neither side initiated anything, then the role of the third party who broke the ice became crucial.
It's just Ryou really hadn't expected
'That Miura-san would have such a unique preference?'
Though she, like Yumiko, had plans for "sharing a boyfriend," people have different constitutions.
The reason Yumiko might act like that was not only because she couldn't handle it alone, but also because it satisfied her XP system.
Whereas Ryou just wanted everyone in the band to find happiness. "Sharing" was just a means to that end, not the purpose itself. She didn't have any fetish like that inherently.
'However', The blue-haired girl pinched her chin, 'This actually isn't a bad thing?'
At least, now that she knew a new player wanted to join the game, there likely wouldn't be much resistance from Yumiko.
'The only remaining issue is boyfriend-kun.'
However, for Ryou, that wasn't a problem at all. If there's one thing she's not short on, it's ideas. This is the confidence a dozen youth-training handbooks gave her.
'Victory is already decided.'
'The [Paradise Plan] will once again be great.'
The three-hour work shift passed by in a flash.
Seeing that it was finally time to clock out, temporary ticket-checker Kaito didn't delay too long. After saying goodbye to Nijika and the others, he left with the little social anxiety girl.
Speaking of which, this was his first time walking Hitori home after they started dating.
He didn't do anything strange during the walk. Just held hands, hugged her briefly under a streetlamp, and gave the socially anxious girl a kiss on the cheek.
All small and restrained gestures. But they still made the girl show a satisfied expression, like a pink, fluffy hamster.
So cute it made you want to squish her.
After bidding farewell to the clingy little social-anxious girl, the time was just about ten in the evening.
Since the train ride earlier took nearly two hours, and to save time on the return trip, Kaito didn't take the train again. He didn't want to keep the two younger sisters at home waiting.
[Three Minutes Later]
"I'm home," After changing shoes at the entrance, he walked into the living room like usual.
And was instantly tackled by a green headbutt.
"Welcome home! Onii-chan!"
Mortis looked up with her big sparkling eyes, like a cat or dog welcoming its owner home. It wouldn't be strange if she stuck out her tongue and licked his face next.
Seeing that face exactly identical to Mutsumi's, whenever Kaito was met with such enthusiastic actions, he couldn't help but mentally substitute her as Mutsumi. It gave him a strange sense of contrast.
Though, it's not that he disliked it. Thinking this, he casually patted little Mortis's head, making the girl show a satisfied expression like a purring cat.
"Onii-chan, welcome home," Mutsumi, now wearing pajamas, followed right behind. Compared to Mortis, her personality was more reserved. Though she was also happy to see her brother, she only revealed a faint smile.
"Did I keep you waiting long?", Kaito didn't neglect the well-behaved Mutsumi. He stepped forward and smoothed out her slightly messy hair, "Sorry, I came home a little late today."
"I don't mind," Mutsumi gently shook her head, hesitated a little, then still asked, "Onii-chan, did you go on a date?"
Kaito nodded slightly and didn't deny it.
"What's a date?", Mortis curiously interjected. She hadn't been born for long, and was indeed lacking in basic knowledge.
Kaito didn't think too much and, with the mindset of a responsible father educating his daughter, explained, "It's when people who are close make plans to meet up and do things that help build intimacy, that's called a date."
"Then", Mortis blinked her sparkling big eyes, filled with innocence, "Can I go on a date with Onii-chan too? I want to get close to Onii-chan!"
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Chapter 223: Mortis's Thousand-Layer Trap
'Go on a date with me?'
Kaito smiled slightly.
He didn't take it seriously, only assumed it was the childish words of a little kid. After all, with Mortis not even a full month old, she truly was an immature child.
"Dating is something that only people of the opposite sex who like each other can do. Mortis, do you understand?"
Mortis shook her head very innocently, looking at him with a face full of confusion.
"But, I'm a girl, and Onii-chan is a boy. I really like Onii-chan too Could it be that Onii-chan doesn't like me?"
"Of the opposite sex who like each other", since the condition of "opposite sex", was already met, then the problem could only lie in the, "like each other" part.
A girl's face is like the rainy season in late spring, changing at a moment's notice.
Though Mortis was just a newborn baby, she instinctively knew this skill without a teacher. Her small mouth quivered, and tears started welling up, giving off a vibe like "if you say you don't like me, I'll cry right now."
"Of course I really like Mortis. I also really like Mutsumi. But this kind of like is different from the like between the opposite sex," Kaito cleared his throat. Explaining knowledge about relationships between the sexes to a daughter going through puberty might be every father's greatest headache.
Normally, this kind of job was done by the mother, but currently, in this home, there was clearly no female figure suitable to serve as a "mother." He couldn't possibly ask Mori Minami, right?
Even if he truly had that idea, it wouldn't be timely. Being a famous actress, she was often flying all over the world, and there was no guarantee she was even in Japan right now.
"What's different about it?", Mortis tilted her head, half-kneeling on the sofa, her small body leaning forward slightly, showing a look of thirst for knowledge like an eager student.
"The like between the opposite sex has many characteristics. For example. Seeing them makes you feel happy, you work hard to make them happy, you don't want to see them get hurt, and most importantly, you want to be with them forever."
Kaito's view of love was relatively simple and basically aligned with the general public's definition of "liking" as a feeling.
"So does Onii-chan feel unhappy when looking at me?", Mortis looked a bit disappointed, like a frostbitten little egg.
"Of course not."
"Then that means you feel happy, right?"
The little girl who just looked completely disheartened suddenly lifted her head, her bright golden eyes practically glowing.
Kaito was silent for two seconds but still subtly nodded.
"Yes."
Mortis pushed her advantage, "Then, after looking at me, does Onii-chan want to make me happy? Would you want me to get hurt?"
These two questions were clearly answered, he couldn't possibly say, "No," or "I would."
Moreover, deep down, he truly did wish for Mortis and Mutsumi to be happy every day and was willing to protect them from the harms of the outside world.
"Then here comes the last question!"
The light in Mortis's pupils grew even brighter. She held up two slender pale index fingers, crossing them at her chest, and said very seriously, "Onii-chan, will you get tired of me in the future and plan to leave me?"
This was a very tactful question, containing a bit of the girl's small scheming.
She didn't ask, "Does Onii-chan want to be with me forever?" but rather, "Will you get tired of me?"
Facing those bright sparkling eyes, the slender and graceful girl resembled a tsundere matcha-colored Scottish Fold cat. One that wouldn't let others touch her even when tempted with a dried fish snack, but only showed her soft, white belly to you.
Who could possibly answer "get tired of you" to that?
This time, Kaito's silence lasted even longer, seemingly long enough for white hair to grow.
But Mortis showed no impatience at all. Just looked at him with wide eyes, waiting expectantly for an answer.
