“Phew—today was a huge help! I’ll make sure to transfer the payment later!”
“No, thank you as well.”
“Thanks.”
The photoshoot had finished, and we were currently in the guest room, relaxing and drinking tea.
Even though it was winter, we had been shooting for several hours without a break, so my body felt flushed. The cold tea was just right.
“When will those photos be posted?”
“They’ll be on the website tomorrow, but I’ve already put them on SNS. Four shots: the ring, necklace, bracelet, and earrings. Man, it’s only been about two hours since they went up, but I’ve never seen a reaction like this before.”
When Ishite-dera-senpai opened her SNS on her laptop, the photos we took and the advertisements were indeed posted there.
Maybe they had been edited a bit, as the backgrounds were blurred or glowing.
Still, they looked significantly better than what we had seen in person.
Furthermore, they had been shared tens of thousands of times in just two hours. Even now, the numbers kept climbing every time the page was refreshed... It felt pretty good to watch.
“We’re already getting a ton of reservations, I’m so glad I asked you two. Let’s keep this relationship going for a long time!”
“Are you going to keep asking us?”
“Of course, right? After all, my thread is vermilion. I make sure not to let opportunities involving human networks like this slip away.”
Heh, so this person is vermilion too. There are more vermilion threads than I thought.
Well, at 4.5 percent of the population, it’s a plausible number.
Ishite-dera-senpai closed her laptop, then clapped her hands as if remembering something, and handed me a small paper bag that had been sitting next to the sofa.
“Oh, and Sanada-kun. This is that thing we talked about.”
“Thank you. But are you sure? I thought it was a bit of an unreasonable request.”
“Don’t worry about it! In fact, if this much is enough to get us this many reservations, it’s a bargain!”
It helps when she puts it that way.
As I received the paper bag from Ishite-dera-senpai, Riran, who was sitting next to me, tilted her head.
“Akito, what’s that? A product from the shop?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“Mu, what’s with that? Are you trying to say it’s a secret from me?”
Ah, crap. She’s pouting a bit.
Pouting Riran is cute too, so I’d like to keep watching her like this, but my conscience would eventually start to wear down...
“Ryuya asked me for it. That’s all.”
“Oh, I see. What a relief...”
“Relief for what?”
“I thought you were going to give it to someone who wasn’t me. Since you were keeping it a secret.”
“As if I’d do that, you dummy.”
Giving jewelry to anyone other than Riran is practically impossible.
When I flicked Riran’s forehead with my finger, she glared at me with an annoyed face.
“What do you mean 'dummy', calling me a dummy.”
“I called you a dummy because you don’t understand how much I like you, Riran.”
“Ha? I’m the one who likes Akito more.”
“No, no, I’m the one who likes Riran more.”
“I’ve liked you for such a long, long time. I like you more.”
“Love isn’t about time, it’s about density. I definitely like you more.”
“............”
“You want to go?”
“You want to do this?”
We both stood up at the same time, glaring at each other.
Alright, I get it. I’ll make this girl understand just how much I love her. ...Making her 'understand' sounds a bit erotic.
No, that’s not it. I’ll properly engrave my feelings into Riran. And through her sense of shame, I’ll make her surrender.
Conversely, Riran is probably thinking the same thing.
In that case, no matter what Riran says, I won’t change my expression; I’ll just calmly whisper words of love. That’s the only way.
A mysterious tension drifted between us.
And then—
“You two, what kind of stupid thing are you doing?”
“”Ah.””
...I forgot Ishite-dera-senpai was here.
We snapped back to our senses instantly. Clearing our throats, we sat back down on the sofa.
“Man, I just saw something great. So this is the rumored lovers' spat of Ginkgo High’s strongest couple.”
“Rumors?”
“Yeah. Your bickering is quite the topic of conversation. I heard you hadn’t been seen doing it lately, but wow, seeing the real thing is incredible. It makes me feel embarrassed.”
Ishite-dera-senpai scratched her blushing cheek and let out a laugh.
A-Are we really that much of a rumor...?
Yikes, that’s way too embarrassing.
“I understand very well that you two get along great. You really do love each other.”
“Yes. I love Akito more.”
“I like Riran more.”
“”...Huh?””
“Hey, go home and do that lovers' spat on top of a bed.”