After Hiko completed the payment, he asked the vendor to lift the large bag and place it in his arms. The oversized bag of taiyaki nearly reached his neck.
"I'm not sure how many people the company has in total. I've been there a few times and saw quite a lot, but I don't know the exact number. So, it's safer to buy more," Hiko replied with an uncertain tone.
But this was a lie.
He had already been to Ichigo-Pro and knew exactly how many employees there were. The reason he said this was because he had a small plan in mind.
However, before he could carry it out, Hiko noticed that Ai was only holding the sealed bag of taiyaki. She hadn't even taken one out to eat.
He immediately felt he had miscalculated. Next time, he shouldn't let the shop seal the food he wanted her to eat.
With no other choice, Hiko walked ahead, carrying the oversized bag of taiyaki, and said, "Ai, the bag of taiyaki I gave you is meant to be eaten now. You can open the packaging and enjoy it."
When she didn't react, he added, "You're a contracted artist with Ichigo-Pro, and I'm the president's nephew. Roughly speaking, that makes me your future boss. Just think of it as my treat. Taiyaki doesn't taste good once it's cold, so eat it while it's warm."
"Taiyaki... thank you." Ai hesitated for a moment before opening the seal and taking out an individually wrapped piece.
She carefully peeled back the last layer of packaging, brought the taiyaki to her lips, and gently bit off a small piece of crispy crust along with the moist, sweet red bean filling.
"Mmm~ Hmph~ Mmm~ Hmph~"
The inside was still piping hot, forcing Ai to blow softly to cool down the filling after it entered her mouth. The saliva softened the crust, helping reduce the heat of the filling.
"So impatient."
Carrying the large bag, Hiko heard her exhaling and turned back. He immediately thought of a cat's tongue, sensitive to heat.
"Mmm~"
After a moment, Ai swallowed the bite and said indistinctly, "Mmm… it's not… you rushed me. The crust wasn't hot, but the filling was."
"Of course the filling is hot, it's freshly baked," Hiko replied.
Then he saw her face light up with a smile, her eyes sparkling with satisfaction as she enjoyed the taste.
Hiko was surprised. Ai really was this easily satisfied. But then again, she was still young, only twelve. She was starved for love and often lied, but she wasn't without emotions. At her age, she still wanted to love and to be loved.
"Then you just told me to eat it while it's hot!" Ai felt he had teased her and spoke with a hint of anger.
But the irritation faded quickly. She blew on the taiyaki again, pursed her lips to test the temperature, then took another small bite. The crispy crust mixed with the sweet, sticky red bean filling, filling her mouth with fragrance.
Her expression once again turned to one of pure enjoyment.
Hiko wanted to take a picture of this moment. Right now, she didn't even know what kind of smile was sincere or what kind of smile was the most charming. But he decided against it. It was better not to ruin the atmosphere with the shutter sound.
In Japan, after an incident where secretly taken photos won awards in competitions, phones were required to have their shutter sounds permanently enabled to prevent hidden photography.
There would be other opportunities in the future. There was no need to rush.
So he simply kept walking, occasionally glancing back at Ai as she savored the taiyaki, his own face showing longing.
Ai, too focused on eating, didn't notice his glances until she was finished.
When she finally caught him looking, she thought maybe crumbs were stuck to her lips. She touched them with her finger, found nothing, and asked curiously, "Hiko-kun, why do you keep looking back at me?"
Hiko looked back at her again, then lowered his gaze to the bag of taiyaki in her hands. He didn't say what he was thinking, that he wanted one himself. Instead, he remembered the saying that "girls are more observant" and decided to see if Ai could read his intentions.
Sure enough, she followed his gaze, noticed the bag, then glanced back at him. His eyes flicked up to hers, then down again at the taiyaki.
Ai caught the hint. "Does Hiko-kun want some taiyaki?"
He nodded.
"Why didn't you just say so? Are you trying to perform a pantomime?"
Hiko shook his head. He had originally thought of typing on his phone, but both hands were full with the giant bag, leaving him no choice but to speak. "No, I just wanted to see if you could figure it out without me saying anything."
"Eh? We've only known each other for two days, haven't we?"
She suddenly realized, two days, yet it already felt much longer. "You're testing our tacit understanding after only two days?"
At the same time, she remembered what he had said earlier, that a first visit required a gift, and that he "didn't know" how many people were at the company. But taiyaki wasn't exactly an appropriate gift.
"The length of time doesn't matter," Hiko replied casually. "And didn't that little test just prove we already have good tacit understanding?"
"Your intentions were too obvious. Anyone could tell," Ai said coldly, out of habit. But as soon as the words left her lips, she regretted them. The atmosphere had been so good, yet she'd used words that created distance.
Sensing her resistance, Hiko spoke flatly, "Ah, I really want to eat taiyaki. I'm holding this huge bag, but I can't eat any. Who will help me?"
He looked straight at Ai. When she still didn't move, he had to continue, "I really wish there was an Idol, as brilliant as the stars, who could help a poor soul like me, trapped with useless hands~"