Animania: Everyone Loves Me

The space of the bedroom was extremely quiet, as if even time had stagnated.

Kaito truly hadn't expected… PA-san specially left him behind, unexpectedly to tell him this kind of thing.

'Manager Seika likes me?'

Until now, Kaito had never considered this possibility.

It wasn't that he lacked self-confidence, it was simply because, despite having known each other for so long, the number of exchanges between them wasn't actually that many.

Saying they weren't familiar would be too exaggerated, but saying they were close… also wasn't very realistic.

The manager's attitude toward him always maintained the boundaries that normal friends should have, seemingly more out of consideration for her younger sister, that she would show him concern.

Moreover, ultimately, all of this was just one-sided words from PA-san.

Perhaps, she might have misunderstood Seika?

Without concrete evidence, this kind of rumor was merely chasing shadows, not very credible.

In contrast, Kaito still trusted his own judgment more, 'The manager possibly liked me, but the manager liking me is not very likely.'

However, he didn't completely deny PA's words either, just nodded, planning to observe a bit more, "I understand."

After a pause, he added, "PA-san, is there anything else you want to say?"

"Eh?", This time, it was the sound engineer young lady's turn to be stunned.

'Hearing such explosive news, don't you have even a little special reaction?'

'That kind of tone like "Have you eaten yet", what the heck is that supposed to mean?'

Although there was no evidence, PA-san wasn't spouting nonsense with these words.

Even if the tsundere manager had already tried her best to hide her emotions, occasionally still using Nijika as an excuse to hypnotize herself, but she wasn't a professional actor. Her acting skills were terrible.

It might be enough to fool outsiders, but don't even talk about fooling her bestie… probably even Nijika herself had noticed her sister's little feelings, just chose not to say anything.

Staring at the beautiful boy in front of her whose expression was as usual and whose attitude was so calm it was abnormal, PA hesitated for a moment but couldn't suppress the curiosity in her heart, "Can I ask, you… what exactly is your view of Seika?"

Kaito pondered for two seconds, 'View… if I have to say it, a large-sized Nijika?'

'After all, the sisters' appearances are 99% similar, the only difference being hairstyle, the manager has waist-length yellow hair, while Nijika has a side ponytail.'

Even their figures looked like they were carved from the same mold.

If one day the manager tied her long hair into a ponytail and put on her sister's uniform to act as Nijika, it would probably feel completely natural.

Just that in terms of personality, there was still a huge flaw.

The manager always wore a world-weary face, while Nijika was far more sunny and lively in comparison.

Shaking his head, cutting off those messy thoughts, Kaito thought for a moment, then said, "Probably… friends, I guess?"

This answer didn't surprise PA.

But she still couldn't help silently mourning for Seika, 'Got handed the friend card, how tragic.'

However… The sound engineer young lady sighed, somewhat disheartened.

She herself, seemingly, wasn't much stronger than Seika.

———

[STARRY Live House]

Sitting behind the counter, the tsundere manager who had long since zoned out, turned her head the moment she heard footsteps at the staircase.

"PA talked to you… what did she say?", She tried her best to make her tone sound casual.

Kaito didn't stop walking, but didn't answer immediately either, just sat down next to the manager.

This gesture instead made Ijichi Seika even more nervous, her heart pounding nonstop, 'Could it be that PA said something about my dark past?'

"A-Anyway…", The tsundere manager coughed, trying her best to put on the appearance of a mature, reliable adult, and said solemnly, "No matter what PA said, I suggest you'd better not believe it, a-after all, she can be quite mean-spirited sometimes…"

This time Kaito didn't stay silent, just nodded, "I understand."

Only then did Seika breathe a sigh of relief.

'Now… even if PA really has secretly spilled my dark past, the credibility should drop a bit, not enough to be relied on.'

The clock on the wall was still ticking round and round, time had already reached 4:30 in the afternoon.

It was almost business hours, Nijika and Bocchi were organizing things in the storage room, PA was resting in the apartment, so currently, only she and Kaito were near the counter.

Although it was a rare moment alone, Seika felt it was a little strange.

Not that she disliked it, just that at such a close distance observing that face seemingly carved meticulously by the gods, it was a bit too much for her heart.

'Also…'

'He really… smells nice.'

Not the industrialized fragrance from body wash or aromatherapy, but a more natural, fresher, addictive scent.

Like a forest after rain, faintly mixed with the coolness of crushed mint leaves, making one just want to get a little closer, even closer.

'Ijichi Seika! Just what are you fantasizing about?'

'In front of you is the boy your younger sister likes! Aren't you supposed to be helping Nijika pursue her happiness?'

In that moment of nearly losing control of her rational mind, the tsundere manager awoke as if from a dream, her burning siscon soul igniting, using immense willpower to pull herself back to reality.

To prevent her moral compass from collapsing, and to avoid doing something that would betray her sister, Seika originally planned to find an excuse to leave, but before she could speak, a few young schoolgirls came down the stairs.

"I heard today there's a SIDEROS band performance, is it here?"

"Let's just go in and ask first, Miki hurry up, I can't wait anymore."

"Don't rush like that Aiko, watch your step on the stairs."

"Yeah yeah, Ayaka you're so naggy."

The girl called "Aiko" waved her hand dismissively, still laughing and joking with her friend, "I won't stumble over something like thi—AH!"

Her foot slipped, and the sudden sense of weightlessness made the girl let out a sharp scream. Her whole body was about to fall forward, eyes already shut instinctively.

But…

She waited a long time, yet the pain she imagined never came.

Instead, from her waist came a strange warmth.

Aiko opened her eyes in a daze, looking at the unfamiliar beautiful boy just inches from her face, her whole body seemed frozen.

She had seen countless idol faces meticulously groomed in makeup mirrors, but had never seen someone whose every eyelash flutter and curve seemed mathematically perfect.

"When going down stairs, be more careful," Kaito didn't mind the girl's stunned gaze, which was so blatant it was almost offensive. Seeing that she could stand on her own, he immediately let go, returned to the bar, and sat down next to the manager.

That lingering warmth at her waist vanished just like that, making Aiko feel a bit disappointed.

But once she came back to her senses, she immediately blushed and stepped forward to thank him, her words full of "I owe you so much I must repay you with my body" implications.

The two friends behind her were the same, stammering as they expressed a desire to exchange contact info.

A certain tsundere manager who was completely ignored: "..."

Three cute JKs in the prime of youth, all surrounding her soon-to-be brother-in-law.

And Nijika was still in the storage room organizing stuff, unable to finish anytime soon.

Ijichi Seika's expression changed as she gritted her teeth.

'At this point, for the sake of my sister's happiness.'

'It seems, I have no choice but to take action myself.'

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