CH 19

Act 1 - The Hungry Idol Part

5-5 

"――――Kiddin', that's just a joke." (Mia)

Sensing my stunned look, Mia pulled away from me and gave me a mischievous wink.

"Are you disappointed?" (Mia)

"Huuh...... I'm rather relieved. I don't think I could just get away with it if you were seriously in love with me." (Rintaro)

"You know me well, don't you. I'm surprisingly cunning, so I will use every trick I can think of to make it impossible for you to get away." (Mia)

I don't think that's surprising.

For the time being, I'm too tired to make a retort, so I'll just ignore it.

"In the first place, if we were to get involved in a romantic relationship, we'd be severely criticized by some of our fans. And if we were to have a secret relationship, the risk would be even greater." (Mia)

"......You and I are a lot alike, aren't we?" (Rintaro)

"Oh, I'm flattered." (Mia)

I can relate to the way she thinks more about the loss when it is discovered than the benefits of getting close to an idol.

After all, I'm afraid that the current moment will be destroyed.

"......Then, I guess I should be taking my leave. It is said that staying up late is the natural enemy of your skin." (Mia)

"I see. Be careful on the way then――――it's not that far, though." (Rintaro)

"Fufu, you're right. Do you want me to help you clean up?" (Mia)

"Don't worry, I'll do everything. I have to do everything related to the kitchen I use." (Rintaro)

"You're pretty stoic, arent you. Then I'll take your word for it. Thank you for the delicious feast today." (Mia)

Mia grabbed her luggage and walked out of the room as she waved her hands.

Now, before I clean up, I have to wake up those two sleeping girls.

I went to the bedroom and approached the bed where Rei and Kanon were sleeping.

(Kanon...... your sleeping position is just too terrible.)

I let out a sigh when I saw Kanon putting her foot on Rei's body.

I shook both of them by the shoulders to wake them up.

"Hey, you two. Get up and go back to your rooms." (Rintaro)

"M...... mmm ...... what? Is it morning already?" (Kanon)

"It's midnight. Just go back and you can take another sleep." (Rintaro)

"Yea...... I will." (Kanon)

Kanon got up sluggishly and staggered out of the room.

I could hear her bumping against the wall in places, but she seemed to have made it to the corridor outside.

I'm worried, so I'll just check the hallway later. She might have collapsed.

"You too, Rei." (Rintaro)

"...... Mmm." (Rei)

Unlike Kanon, Rei got up straightforwardly, took one look at me, and then left the room.

And so I was left alone in my room.

I took the dishes of paella, soup, and spareribs and headed for the sink.

I soaked the oily dishes in warm water and scrubbed them with a sponge and dishwashing detergent, starting with the easiest ones.

After a few minutes of immersing myself in washing the dishes, I suddenly had a strange feeling.

"That Rei...... she went back quite straightforward, didn't she."

It was only when I put it into words that I realized what the strange feeling was.

Right, Rei was not staggering after getting up.

Normally, she would be as sleepy and terrible as Kanon, but today her steps were steady.

(Well, I guess that doesn't really matter, does it?)

I guess she hadn't been down for long, and it wasn't even a proper sleep for her.

I didn't think much more about it and just finished washing the dishes in silence.

◇◆◇

The buzzing of the crowd and the elegant music struck my ears.

I looked down at my feet and saw a pair of very small shoes.

I see, this is a dream huh.

This outfit was from my elementary school days. It was not something I could wear now that I'm in high school.

You know, sometimes you have the kind of dream that you know is a dream.

The scenery was blurred and distorted.

The place where I was standing now was familiar to me.

It was the venue of a social gathering of a large company.

As I recall, I had followed my father, who had accepted an invitation from another company.

[Oh, is he Shidou-san's son?]

[Yes, he's smart for his age, and I plan to have him take over our company eventually.]

Next to me, my father was talking to a man I didn't know.

Both of their faces were somewhat hazy, so I couldn't see them clearly.

[And is she ――――-san's?]

[Yes, she's my proud daughter.]

Not only the scenery, but even a part of their conversation was blurred.

Maybe that's because my memories of this event are so vague.

[Here, "Rei". Come and say hello.]

The girl called "Rei" appeared in front of me and my father.

She had beautiful blond hair and blue eyes.

She was probably about the same age as me. And she looked as cute as a doll.

[I'm ――"Rei". A pleasure to meet you.]

I was vaguely familiar with the face of the girl in front of me.

But when I tried to correlate my memory with it, the haze thickened and stopped me from thinking any further.

"Father, she's very cute."

That was what my mouth said, regardless of my intentions.

I hadn't seen my father in a while, and I was a little excited. The way I said it reminded me of that somehow.

[You're right. If she's this cute at her age, I'm sure she'll grow up to be a woman that any man can't even look away in ten years.]

[Hahaha, how about getting her engaged to Shidou-san's son then?]

[It's not a bad suggestion. I shall consider it.]

He gently pushed my back and brought me closer to "Rei".

[I have to talk about business with him for a while. You two can go play together.]

"Okay!"

I approached Rei and took her hand.

"Let's go!"

[...... Y-yesh.]

I walked through the venue with her hand in mine, looking somewhat confused.

As the venue was full of executives from top companies, there was a wide array of high-class buffet-style food.

I took a plate of food that I thought was good and offered it to her.

"This cake is really good, do you want to try it?"

[A......]

"Rei" took the plate with the cake from me, but she just stared at it and didn't even touch it.

"Do you not like it, by any chance?"

[N-no...... I do not, but my father said I shouldn't eat sweets because they cause cavities.]

"It's such a waste. Although, there are so many delicious foods to eat......."

[――――But.]

"Do you want to eat it, "Rei"-chan? Or, do you not want to?"

In response to my question, "Rei" frowned as if she was troubled.

After thinking for a while, she finally opened her mouth.

[I want...... to.]

"Then, let's just eat it in secret."

I looked around to make sure no one was watching.

Then I crouched down around the table and turned up the tablecloth.

"Here, come here."

[Y-yes.]

We both hide under the table.

It was a children-size space that no adult could enter.

I was excited to see such a place, and handed her the plate of cake again.

"After eating something sweet, brush your teeth properly. If you do so, you won't get cavities."

[Is that right......?]

"No worries. Trust me."

When "Rei" looked into my eyes, she seemed to have made up her mind and put the cake in her mouth.

At that moment, her expression became so radiant that I felt dazzled looking at her.

[Delicious......!]

"Right? Wait here, I'll bring you some more."

From then on, I brought all kinds of sweets for her until our fathers found out.

Why did I even do that————Ah, that's right. It was because I wanted to see more of the smile on "Rei"'s face when she ate something delicious.

After all, when people eat good food, they have a pretty smile on their faces.

Yes, this was it.

This was the first time I learned such an obvious fact.