After paying, Hiro Saitou asked the merchant to help him carry the massive bag. He hugged it to his chest—the seabream yakisaki inside stacked so high it nearly reached his chin.
"I'm not sure how many people work at the company," he said vaguely. "I've been a few times and seen a lot, but I don't know the exact number. Better safe than sorry."
But that was a lie.
He'd been to Berry Pro enough to know exactly how many employees there were.
The excuse? Just a small part of his plan.
Then he noticed something.
Ai Hoshino was holding only a small bag—with just one seabream yakisaki inside. She hadn't even taken a bite.
Hiro Saitou frowned. Next time, he thought, don't let the clerk pack the thing she actually wants to eat.
Still carrying the oversized bag, he walked ahead and said, "Ai, the big bag's for you. Eat as much as you want while it's hot."
She stayed silent.
So he added, "You're a signed idol at Berry Pro now. I'm the president's nephew—basically your future boss. So you'd better treat me well. Besides, sea bream tastes awful once it gets cold!"
"Yakiniku, huh... Thanks," Ai said, her voice hesitant. She unwrapped one of the pastries and carefully peeled back the last layer of paper.
"Well then... itadakimasu~"
She took a bite. The skin was crispy, the inside warm and filled with sweet red bean paste.
"Hmm~ hoo~ mm~ whew~"
The seabream was fresh out of the oven. Ai blew softly on it, puffing out her cheeks like a little kitten trying to cool down hot food.
She looked adorable.
"Hmm~"
She slowed, finally swallowing the gooey filling and crust together.
"It's too hot… You rushed me. The skin's fine, but the inside's burning," she grumbled with a slight pout.
Hiro chuckled. "It's supposed to be hot, Ai. That's how you know it's fresh."
But then—he saw it.
A genuine smile spread across her lips. Her eyes lit up with joy.
So Ai could still smile like that.
She was twelve. Still a child. Still learning what it meant to love and be loved. Still hiding behind little lies.
But that didn't mean she had no feelings.
She was full of them.
And right now, this simple snack made her shine.
Hiro remembered what the president had once told him during scouting:
"She's still young. Give her something real—something she can believe in."
"Then just enjoy it while it's hot!" he said, repeating it aloud, watching her blow gently again before taking another bite.
The filling had cooled slightly. She closed her eyes, savoring the sweet bean paste melting into the flaky pastry.
She looked... content.
He wanted to take a picture.
But her smile—he didn't know if it was the real one or one of her crafted, practiced ones.
Better not ruin it with a shutter click.
(Phones in Japan can't mute the shutter sound. It's a legal requirement—to stop people from taking sneaky photos.)
There'd be other chances.
He kept walking, glancing back now and then. Ai still nibbled slowly, focused on her food.
He was jealous.
Ai, lost in the moment, didn't notice his stares—until she finished.
She looked up, saw him looking back again, and tilted her head suspiciously.
Was there something on her face?
She made a little fist, stuck out her index finger, and touched her lips—no crumbs.
"Hiro-kun," she said cautiously, "why do you keep looking back at me?"
Hiro glanced at her, then down at the seabream bag in his arms.
He didn't say, "I want one."
But he thought it loudly.
Ai followed his gaze, looked at the bag, then back at him… then back at the pastries.
She figured it out.
"Hiro-kun, you want some seabream yakisaki, don't you?"
He nodded.
Ai smiled. "Why didn't you just say so? You doing a silent performance or something?"
"My hands are full," Hiro said, shrugging. "I was testing our connection. Thought you'd read my mind."
"Huh? We've known each other, like… two days," Ai said, wide-eyed. "You're already testing 'tacit understanding'?"
She paused, replaying his earlier words in her head.
The part about "bringing gifts when visiting"…
The fact that he'd "been there but didn't know how many people"...
Seabream yakisaki was nice, sure. But it wasn't a real gift.
She narrowed her eyes.
"No matter how long we've known each other, wasn't it obvious what you wanted?" she asked flatly.
Her tone had turned cool again, the distance creeping back.
Immediately, she regretted it.
The mood had been so nice.
Sensing her hesitation, Hiro jumped in before things could turn awkward.
"Okay, I confess—I want to eat some. But I'm holding this giant bag, and I can't exactly feed myself. Won't someone help me?"
He looked at Ai hopefully.
She didn't move.
So he pressed again.
"I'm counting on an idol as radiant as the stars to help this poor man… whose hands are tragically out of commission."