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Chapter 312: Let’s Use It Tonight!
🕑 Added 2025-04-27 09:20:04 +0000 UTCIjichi Nijika had made her feelings perfectly clear.
And Minami wasn't the kind of person who stood still and left everything to the girl.
No longer hesitating. After bringing Nijika back to STARRY, he turned to her older sister, Ijichi Seika, and confessed everything.
He and Nijika were already inseparable.
Saying they liked each other would be no exaggeration at all.
He also didn't hold back, telling Seika outright that he wanted to bring Nijika home with him to spend the New Year in his hometown.
"You want to take Nijika to your hometown in Akita for New Year's?"
Ijichi Seika blinked, clearly surprised.
She hadn't expected that after just an hour or so of chasing after her sister, Minami's stance had shifted so dramatically.
She was visibly caught off guard.
But when she saw Nijika reaching out to hold Minami's hand, her expression shifted to one of realization.
"Ayaa~ well, well..."
At that moment, PA-san, who had just arrived for her shift, hadn't even had time to settle in before hearing this explosive news.
Her elegant, mature face couldn't help but twitch with amusement.
Because—what had she just heard?
Minami wanted to take Nijika out to the countryside for New Year's?
Wasn't that basically stealing Nijika away from Ijichi Seika?
And as someone who had worked with Seika for the last seven or eight years.
PA-san knew exactly what kind of siscon she was.
Taking Nijika away?
Even imagining that sounded like a death wish.
PA-san was already preparing to step in and gently talk some sense into Minami when—
"That's fine."
Before she could even speak, Ijichi Seika nodded slightly.
"Eh?"
PA-san froze.
She had not expected that answer.
The words she'd prepared, caught in her throat.
She turned to stare at Seika in disbelief.
This... this didn't make sense...
This siscon of an older sister...
This Ijichi Seika, who would get worried even if she didn't see Ijichi Nijika for just half a day.
Actually agreed to let Minami take her sister away?
Unbelievable.
It was truly unbelievable.
"Sis..."
Even Nijika herself seemed shocked at how smoothly things had gone.
Because even though Seika always acted like she didn't restrict her much.
In reality, she was constantly watching over her.
Back in middle school, Nijika had almost gotten into a full-blown fight with her just over staying the night at a female classmate's house.
She'd fully expected something similar this time.
Yet now, Seika had nodded her approval without even hesitating.
It was...
The blonde girl was left speechless for a moment.
Meanwhile, beside her, Minami spoke up:
"Thank you, Sister Seika."
"..."
Seika.
Hearing Minami so smoothly call her "Sister Seika".
She couldn't help but glare at him.
Just earlier he'd been all stiff, calling her "Manager".
Now that he got her approval, it was suddenly "Sister Seika", huh?
This black-haired brat was just shamelessly climbing the ladder.
Seika was at a loss for words at how easily he flipped the switch.
Still, she didn't forget to add a few conditions:
"Minami, there's something you should know. Even though I said yes, I'm still not completely at ease with just the two of you going to Akita."
She paused briefly before continuing:
"So I'm going too. But don't worry—I'll just treat it like a trip. I won't get in your way."
"Understood."
Minami nodded.
Her request was perfectly reasonable.
After all, Seika was Nijika's legal guardian.
It made sense that she wouldn't feel comfortable letting her sister travel alone with a boy.
He readily agreed.
And just then—
PA-san, who had been silent until now, leaned in, clearly intrigued.
"Eh~? Manager, you're going to Akita for a trip? I've got nothing planned for New Year's either, why don't you bring me along? Think of it as a little reward for your loyal employee!"
"PA... you little opportunist..."
Seika shot her a look.
But in the end, she didn't say no because truthfully, Traveling to Akita alone, even with Minami and Nijika there, would've been a little lonely.
Better to have PA along for company.
At least she wouldn't end up sitting in a hot spring all by herself.
Of course, they would need to discuss the travel details more thoroughly later.
Seika planned to sit down with PA after work to go over everything.
But right at that moment—
"Eh?! Senpai's going to Akita for a trip?! How could you not invite me too?! Don't tell me you don't love me anymore?!"
A dramatic voice stretched across the room.
And in barged a lively figure with purple hair:
Hiroi Kikuri.
Thanks to having quit drinking for a while now, and freeloading meals from Minami almost daily—
Kikuri looked much healthier these days.
At least she didn't have those dark circles or unhealthy flushes from overdrinking anymore.
But her brash personality?
Completely unchanged.
The moment she came in, she launched herself at Ijichi Seika, clinging to her like a koala:
"Take me too, pleeease, Seika-senpai! I'm begging you! This is a once-in-a-lifetime request!"
"Kikuri, you idiot! Get off me!"
"No way! If I let go, my free meal ticket—uh, I mean, senpai will run away!"
And just like that—
The "unreliable adults" started roughhousing.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Minami and Nijika slipped away from STARRY.
Because if Kikuri noticed them, she would definitely latch onto Minami next, demanding he fund her entire trip like a walking wallet.
And while Minami could afford it, dealing with Kikuri was like opening a floodgate: once you said yes once, it would never end.
To avoid being trapped as her permanent sponsor, Minami decisively chose to flee, leaving Seika to deal with the mess.
After escaping for now, Minami and Nijika headed back to his apartment to discuss the detailed plans for their trip to Akita.
And between serious planning and casual chatting.
Time flew by.
By the time Nijika finally left Minami's room.
He glanced at his phone.
"It's already past ten..."
He couldn't help but think:
When you're in love, it's amazing how endless the conversations can be.
That was exactly how it was with him and Nijika.
They had started out simply trying to finalize the meeting time and place for their trip to Akita and somehow ended up talking about all sorts of things:
What summer festivals Minami's hometown had, what kind of souvenirs would be appropriate to bring when visiting his family...
The conversation wandered all over the place and before they knew it—
It was already this late.
In the end, worried that she might disturb Minami's sleep, Ijichi Nijika reluctantly said goodnight and left.
Of course, It wasn't like there were no results from their long talk.
"Heart of Love..."
Minami lifted his head and pulled up the simulation screen.
On the pale blue interface—
A new line of text appeared, standing out boldly:
System Notification: Host has collected Maiden's Heart of Love (Devotion).
"Devotion, huh..."
Minami nodded slightly at the attribute of this latest Love Heart.
It was a fitting match for Nijika.
After all, she's the leader of Kessoku Band.
In the anime, she was nicknamed the "Great Angel of Shimokitazawa."
And in the comments section, there were even wild nicknames for her like "Nijika Mama."
Kind, gentle. Selfless, considerate.
There were no better words to describe Ijichi Nijika.
So then—
"What should I do next..."
Minami closed the simulation screen.
With Nijika now confirmed to be traveling with him to Akita, he could check her off the list for now.
That left only four people whose Heart of Love he hadn't yet collected:
The duo of Chisato Nishikigi and Takina Inoue from LycoReco—
And the pink-haired pair, Hitori Gotoh and Satou Matsuzaka.
Honestly.
Among these four, Minami was leaning toward targeting Chisato and Takina first.
After all, they were practically glued to each other.
Wherever Chisato went, Takina would follow.
If he could get Chisato on board, Takina would inevitably come along too.
Thinking that, Minami reached for his phone, planning to message Chisato and Takina on LINE.
But just as he was scrolling to find their names—
His phone's call screen suddenly popped up.
"Hm?"
The sudden call caught his attention.
What struck him as odd—
Was that the caller wasn't saved in his contacts; it was just a bare string of numbers.
Which meant...
Whoever was calling him at this hour wasn't one of the girls or his family.
It made him even more curious.
After all, It was already past ten at night.
Who would be calling him now?
Thinking for a moment, he reached out and accepted the call.
"Hello?"
He spoke—
Then waited for a response from the other end.
And then—
"Ah! It's Minami-oniichan! It's really Minami-oniichan!"
A young, childish voice rang out excitedly from the phone.
The innocent, soft voice of a child—
And the way she affectionately called him "Minami-oniichan."
Minami only had to think for a moment to figure out who it was.
"Is that you, Futari?"
Yes.
The only one who would call him "Minami-oniichan" was the little girl he'd met briefly during the School Festival, Gotoh Futari.
"Mhm! It's Futari!"
From the other end of the phone, Futari's voice was bursting with excitement, as if thrilled that Minami had recognized her.
She rushed on, her childish voice sweet and clear:
"Hey, Minami-oniichan, when are you coming over to play? Did you forget about me?"
"Uh..."
Minami let out a small cough, feeling a little guilty.
Honestly, he hadn't thought about Futari at all these past few weeks.
He'd just been too busy.
Juggling the emotional well-being of all the simulation targets. Running simulations for Satou Matsuzaka to help with her emotional disorder and on top of that, preparing for his final exams.
All that combined had left him completely overwhelmed.
Luckily, Futari was still just a kid.
After asking her question, she didn't press the issue. Instead, she excitedly moved on to another topic while Minami was still coughing, searching for something to say.
"Oh, oh, and guess what, Minami-oniichan! I have a secret to tell you! Lately, my sister's been printing out tons and tons of pictures of you—like, so many, she's covering the whole room!"
"And she always smiles at them like an idiot and says stuff like, 'I'm gonna use this one tonight,' and..."
Hiss—
"Use this one tonight"...?
Wait.
Gotoh-san.
What exactly are you planning to do with my photo?
Minami was struck speechless by this sudden bombshell and from the sound of it. Futari wasn't finished yet.
But before she could keep talking, a panicked voice exploded from the other end of the line:
"N-Futari! What did you tell M-Minami while I was in the bathroom?!"
"Huh? Nothing! I just told him about how you smile at his pictures like an idiot."
Futari answered innocently.
"Y-You traitor! Futari, you little traitor!"
"But it's true, isn't it, Sis?"
"Give me that phone!!"
You could clearly hear Gotoh Hitori's desperate panic.
"No way! I barely got to talk to Minami-oniichan!"
Futari stubbornly refused.
"I'm gonna get mad, you know!!"
"If you do, I'll tell Minami-oniichan everything else you've done!"
A flurry of coughs and frantic whispering.
It sounded like after some desperate negotiation, Gotoh Hitori finally managed to wrestle control of the phone back.
"H-Hello...?"
Came her shy, embarrassed voice.
"Um... Minami... about what Futari said just now—she's just a little kid, you know? You don't have to take anything she said seriously, okay?"
"..."
Minami.
"Just a kid's nonsense..."?
Was she talking about the part where she was supposedly doing something with his photo?
Minami really, really wanted to roast the blushing pink-haired girl on the other end of the line.
Because honestly, the way she said it just made her sound even more guilty!
But after a moment's hesitation.
Considering their relationship, Minami decided to let it go for now and simply steer the conversation back on track.
"Hitori, it's pretty late. What did you call me for?"
He asked directly.
Because yeah, It was already past ten o'clock and he was seriously curious.
Why had Gotoh Hitori suddenly decided to call him this late at night?
