Sure enough, what he saw through the peephole was a fully disguised Hoshino Ai.
"...This is a little scary, Ai."
Chihaya Tetsuya couldn't help but complain as he opened the door.
"I won't ask how you found out where I live, but you should have at least given me a heads-up, right?"
"I wanted to give you a surprise!"
Ai said as she took off her hat and mask.
Then, as she stepped into his apartment, her gaze immediately locked onto the clothes drying on the balcony—
"...Oh my? It looks like you went out a couple of days ago, Tetsuya. And those over there... must be Chihaya Anon's clothes, right?"
Ai narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Tetsuya, I want to see you in that outfit too."
"Hiss..."
He couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.
From the stalking she'd mentioned before, to deducing his address from Anon's social media photos, and now to getting jealous out of thin air just from the clothes on his balcony... he was starting to think Ai shouldn't be an idol, but a detective.
"It's just a very normal casual outfit. Nothing special at all."
"The same clothes look completely different on different people!"
Ai didn't seem to plan on giving up so easily.
"Besides, as a designer, your standards for clothes are way too high! In reality, your fashion sense is already better than a lot of the entertainers I've met!"
"Better than an entertainer's..."
Hearing this praise, Tetsuya subconsciously thought Ai was just mindlessly flattering him. However, when he saw her incredibly serious expression, he couldn't help but remember what Misumi Uika had told him just a moment ago.
...
"Fine, I'll wear it for you later..."
"Yay! I love you!"
"..."
The confession was so natural that he didn't even have time to react. And Ai didn't seem to think she had said anything special, simply looking around this familiar yet strange place with curiosity.
"Wow, what a great place, full of temptation everywhere!"
"Are you really supposed to use those words to describe someone else's home..."
"Because it's the truth! Look, a sofa big enough for one person to lie on, a table at just the right height, and these thin curtains that let in just the right amount of light but don't let you see anything. Ah, and if you look closely, the bathroom even has a bathtub... it's just filled with 'opportunities' everywhere!"
"??? What is she talking about?"
He had no idea what Ai was so amazed by.
These were all very standard features of a rental apartment. Why was she branding them with such a bizarre adjective as "full of temptation"?
"Hee hee, it's okay if you don't understand now. I'll teach you slowly in the future."
Faced with his confusion, Ai just gave a mysterious smile.
"More importantly... Tetsuya, do you know why I came to see you this time?"
"...Because you haven't seen me in a few days and you missed me?"
"That's one of the reasons, of course, but it's not that simple!"
Ai said as she walked over to the sofa and sat right where he had just been sitting.
"I came with good news this time!"
Tetsuya, who was brewing tea with the tea set Soyo had brought, couldn't help but ask with curiosity:
"What good news?"
"For this year's [TGC], there's a good chance I'll be chosen for the [First Look]!"
"...Eh!?"
He nearly dropped the teapot in his hands.
The so-called [First Look] referred to the opening model who is the first to appear in a fashion show. This model not only sets the tone for the entire show but also serves to warm up the crowd.
Normally, the FL position is given to A-list entertainers or professional fashion models, not directly to idols. The reason for this was simple: limitations in popularity and professional skill. So, for Ai, an idol, to become a candidate for the [First Look] meant that her popularity and ability had been recognized by the event organizers.
"And according to my manager, they seem to want me to wear the first performance outfit you made for me for the [First Look]! That way, you'll have one less outfit to prepare!"
Ai looked at him with a very proud smile.
"How about it? It's good news, right?"
"Mhm, it's definitely good news."
The exposure and buzz generated by the [First Look] were second only to the final, grand finale spot, which was usually reserved for the most skilled fashion models to deliver a magnificent closing. So, in a way, the [First Look] was already the most precious position Ai could have secured for him.
"Thank you, Ai. You really are an indispensable source of strength for me."
"You're welcome. I've said it before, everything I have belongs to you. This little thing is nothing to speak of."
Ai said in an incredibly casual tone.
"Speaking of which, aside from my 'FL'... I actually heard another piece of news. Because this year's [TGC] clashes with [New York Fashion Week], a lot of top fashion models have given up on the [TGC] auditions to participate in New York... I wonder if it will affect the ratings."
"It probably won't."
Tetsuya came over to her side with a tray.
"The audience for [TGC] is mostly made up of amateurs and casual viewers. Their level of attention and recognition for fashion models is far less than for celebrities and stars. And the audience that is genuinely interested in high-end fashion doesn't pay much attention to [TGC] anyway. So there won't be any significant difference in the ratings."
"I see~"
Ai nodded, then picked up a teacup from the tray—
"...Hehe."
"...? What's wrong?"
"It's nothing..."
Ai chuckled to herself as she sipped the black tea in her cup.
"As I thought, Tetsuya is just not cut out for this kind of work."
"What do you mean? Did I make it taste bad?"
Tetsuya picked up his own cup with a suspicious look and tasted his masterpiece.
The next second—
"Eh, wait... why is it so astringent?!"
He was aghast.
"The way Soyo brewed it didn't taste like this at all! Eh? What happened? Did I do something wrong?!"
"Soyo...?"
The name that slipped out of his mouth instantly caught Ai's attention.
She remembered that name. At [RiNG] that day, it was she who had easily resolved the test Ai had set for her with that amazing outfit...
Come to think of it, both the tea set he just used and this black tea he's hardly ever touched are clear signs of Nagasaki Soyo's influence on him.
I knew she was a clever one not to be underestimated, but I didn't think she would have infiltrated his daily life to this extent in less than a month.
"Ai, um... sorry. I'll just get you a soda or something..."
Meanwhile, Tetsuya, who had fully realized his mistake, said with an embarrassed expression:
"Let's just set this tea aside for now... I have something important I want to talk to you about, too."
"?"
Hearing this, Ai immediately stopped her high-speed train of thought and looked at him with curiosity.
"What is it?"
"Ahem, this might sound a little strange, but this question is quite important to me right now..."
He first cleared his throat, then asked with great seriousness:
"If you were to rate me from a completely objective perspective... what score would you give me?"