The high-rise building in Roppongi. The 53rd floor here is the hotel's suite level, inaccessible to regular guests. After parting ways with Ohno-san in the lobby, I descended to this floor, gripping the room key I'd been given.
"Excuse... my intrusion..."
As I cautiously entered the room using the provided key, a breathtaking view assaulted my eyes.
"Ugh... wow..."
The view from 200 meters above ground was completely different. Though the rain unfortunately limited visibility, the hazy panorama of the entire city was unbelievably magical.
"The night view would be even more impressive. The rain should stop in about an hour, so look forward to that."
"Really? I can't wait... wait, huh?!"
When I turned around, a woman in a dress was sitting on the sofa. Though dressed in subdued colors that made her look like anyone, her overflowing aura was extraordinary. She wore large sunglasses, but... wait? This woman... I've seen her somewhere before...
"You're the Genius Gene Holder? I heard you just turned eighteen, but you really do look like a child."
"Eh, ah, there was someone here..."
"No no, let me ask you this—why did you think no one would be here? Do you know what you're supposed to do here?"
"Ah, yes. Sorry... I'm Kido Chifumi, the seed distributor. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too."
With that, she removed her sunglasses.
"Wha—?!"
These past few weeks, my life had been full of surprises. But all those surprises were instantly blown away.
Kawakami Yua! The woman before me is Kawakami Yua!
"Should I... introduce myself? You're way too shocked. Ohno-san really didn't tell you I was the recipient, did he?"
"K-Kawakami Yua?! The Kawakami Yua?! Wait, for real?"
"For real. I'm not some lookalike or anything."
"Wh-why, how, what?"
"Why? Because I want to have a genius child, obviously. And making that wish come true is your job, right?"
"Ah, yes. That's... that's right."
Since getting involved with Ohno-san and the others, I thought I'd gotten pretty used to women, but standing before me now was a top actress—someone at the absolute pinnacle of womanhood.
I couldn't even look at her properly. I had no idea what to say. I couldn't even get my voice to work.
"Hey, are you okay? Let's calm down first... here, sit on the sofa."
Yua-san pointed to the long sofa she was sitting on. I replied with a "Y-yes..." and perched myself on the very edge, pressing my right side into the armrest.
"Then I'll scoot over to the other side. It's easier to talk with some distance at first."
"Y-yes. Sorry for making you accommodate me."
Sitting side by side with Yua-san gave me a bit of breathing room. Just not having her directly in front of me made a huge difference in my tension.
"Chifumi-kun, I heard this is your first time doing this job? Sorry about that. Having someone like me as your first."
"N-no, not at all. Absolutely not. It's just... I was already nervous enough, and I had no idea you were the recipient, so I got even more nervous..."
"How sad. I'm the kind of woman who makes people unnecessarily nervous when they first meet me."
"That's not... you're a star, so it can't be helped."
"A star, huh... That's why the only ones who approach me without hesitation are the no-good types. The genuinely good people are too considerate and hold back, so they never talk to me. Sometimes I think I shouldn't have become a celebrity."
"Is that so... That sounds tough. I don't know much about you, Yua-san, but, uh, I know that drama—'I Want to Love Until the Earth Crumbles.' My friend's a huge fan, and all the girls in class watch it too..."
At this, Yua-san burst out laughing.
"'Kudakoi,' 'I Want to Love Until the Earth Crumbles,' right? If it were 'torokeru,' it'd be the hilariously dumb title 'Torokoi.'"
"Ah, sorry. To be honest, I haven't actually watched it yet, but I'll definitely stream it when I get home today."
"It's fine. You don't have to. Honestly, what kind of title is 'I Want to Love Until the Earth Crumbles' anyway? If the earth crumbles, love would be the last thing on anyone's mind."
"Y-yeah. I thought so too. But, Yua-san, do you not like that drama much?"
"It's not that I hate it, but that role didn't have to be me, you know? The story barely exists—it's just sparkly girls and boys running around on screen. It's unavoidable when you're young, but getting those kinds of roles even now... it's kind of depressing. I've been studying acting all this time, but my skills still can't surpass my looks... It's really disheartening."
Huh, Yua-san has her struggles too. Even a superstar has worries like these.
"But there are tons of people who are happy just seeing you, Yua-san. My friend says watching 'Kudakoi' makes him happy, so he insists I watch it."
"Thanks. But enough about me—tell me about yourself."
"Eh, me? I'm just... a boring guy. Why would you want to hear about me...?"
"Listen, I'm about to have your child. When that child grows up and asks, 'Hey, what was Papa like?' I want to have something to tell them. And ideally, I'd like to end with 'Your papa was a really good person.' So don't go calling yourself a 'boring guy' so easily."
That hit me hard. She's serious. Because she genuinely wants a child, she scolded me for putting myself down—the man who would be that child's father. At the very least, Yua-san is trying to engage with me as a person. So I have to respond to that sincerity honestly.
"Right. I'm sorry. I'll do my best. I won't call myself a boring guy anymore."
"Good answer. You're not boring at all. Ohno-san said you're 'serious but really interesting.' He wouldn't have spoken so passionately about you if you were boring."
"Really? That demon (Ohno-san) said that?"
"Yep. You're lucky to have someone like that by your side. I heard you're not a virgin—was your first time with that person?"
Yua-san grinned mischievously.
"No no no, not at all! I'd never do that with him. For one thing, he's in a position where he can't do that kind of thing with me!"
"Mmm, I know. I was just teasing you like Ohno-san advised."
Yua-san giggled. That Ohno-san really doesn't say anything useful.
"Alright then, tell me your real story. Who was your first time with?"
"Eh?"
Thanks to Yua-san, my tension had completely melted away. I told her everything—how Nanami confessed to me, our first time, how she disappeared, everything that had happened.
"...I see. I'm worried about Nanami-chan too."
"Yeah. But Ohno-san and the others are helping, so I'll definitely find her someday."
"I see. That's good. I'll ask around with people who might know something. If you don't mind, could you send me some photos? Videos too, if you have any."
What a kind person.
Moved, I sent her the few photos and videos of Nanami I had on my phone.
"Huh, so this girl is Nanami-chan? She's super cute. Her voice, her mannerisms—everything's adorable. When I was 18, I was already in showbiz, so I was oddly jaded. I envy that innocent vibe~"
"Come on, Yua-san, you're not jaded at all. You're still incredibly cute."
Maybe because we were looking at my phone screen together, the distance between us had shrunk considerably.
At some point, our foreheads touched. That became the catalyst—Yua-san and I naturally pressed our lips together. Though our tongues didn't intertwine, it was a gentle kiss, sharing each other's warmth.
"Hey... shall we move to the bed?"