"But I'm not an idol yet…" Ai mumbled in very soft voice. "I'm just an ordinary person…"
"Ai~" Hiko, seeing her still unmoving, tried for the third time. "Taiyaki gets unpalatable once it's cold, so please help me."
"Why don't you just set them down, take one out, and eat it yourself?" Ai hesitated, feeling that feeding someone was far too embarrassing, and rejected his request.
"They're really heavy, and once I put them down, picking them back up will be hard," Hiko said expectantly. "Please, help me."
Ai turned her head away, refusing to look at him.
Was it really impossible to get closer this way? If it didn't work, then so be it.
Rejected again, Hiko said regretfully, "Alright."
After speaking, he continued forward at the same pace as before, neither speeding up nor showing any anger, despite being turned down.
The goal wasn't achieved, and he couldn't help feeling disappointed.
Ai noticed he wasn't pressuring her anymore and let out a quiet sigh of relief. But then she also realized how considerate he was being toward her.
She should at least make a small effort to grant such a small request.
Ai found a way to cushion the shyness in her heart, took a deep breath to suppress the embarrassment she expected from feeding, and pulled a taiyaki from the bag.
Hiko had only walked a dozen steps when Ai came running after him with a fish-shaped pastry, pinching the tail between her fingers as the head was pushed toward his face.
The moment he saw her, Hiko instantly understood. He opened his mouth wide, and Ai, hand trembling slightly, hesitated before slowly placing the taiyaki inside.
He bit down, and juice immediately spilled from the center.
It splattered onto Ai's small hand.
After biting off the head, Hiko leaned back slightly to chew and swallow.
"Why does this taiyaki have such a strange cheese flavor?!" he complained once he'd swallowed.
Seeing that he could speak again, Ai put the taiyaki back into his mouth.
The almost forced feeding felt strange to him.
But he quickly finished the taiyaki she offered.
Once it was done, Ai quickly withdrew her hand, pulled a tissue from her clothes to wipe her fingers, and said, "You've eaten the taiyaki. Are you satisfied now?"
"Ai, wipe the corners of my mouth too," Hiko said, pushing his luck. "It feels really uncomfortable around here."
He leaned closer, tilted his chin up, and waited.
"Why are you like a child, getting food everywhere?" Ai sighed helplessly, taking a folded tissue and preparing to wipe his mouth.
"I am still a child," Hiko replied righteously.
Ai froze for a moment, then quickly dabbed the tissue against his lips, pulled her hand back, and hurried ahead.
"Wait for me."
Hiko was puzzled. Why was she suddenly angry?
Was the phrase "still a child" really that powerful?
He jogged to catch up, but the bulky taiyaki bag slowed him down. Walking had only been tiring, running while carrying it with both hands was exhausting.
He trailed behind, barely managing not to be left behind.
But Ai, noticing he couldn't keep up, stopped walking.
When he got close, she started walking again.
Hiko's stamina drained quickly, and soon he had no choice but to stop and rest.
Ai saw Hiko stop, looking like he was resting. She hesitated for a moment, then walked back toward him.
"I'll help you carry it," she said, reaching for the bag.
"Then I'll trouble you." Hiko accepted at once, carrying so much alone was far too tiring. If he'd walked slower, he wouldn't have used up so much energy.
"You're so weak," Ai remarked as she lifted one side of the bag.
"You!" Hiko was exasperated. "Why don't you try running with it for a while?"
"I refuse," Ai replied immediately. "I'm not a 'child' who overestimates herself and acts tough."
She was retaliating.
Hiko caught the way she deliberately emphasized "child."
So he asked, "Are you angry?"
"Children should learn to be tolerant," Ai answered calmly this time. She didn't run off, she simply stood beside him, waiting quietly.
"Let's go." After resting for a minute, Hiko picked up the bag's corner and motioned for Ai to walk with him.
Together, carrying it side by side, they made their way to Ichigo-Pro's office.
"Thank you for your hard work. These are gifts. She's a newly signed idol and also my classmate. I'll trouble you to take good care of her," Hiko said as they entered, distributing the comfort items among the staff.
Ai, watching him hand them out, wanted to head directly to the dance studio for guidance and training. "Since you're still distributing gifts, I'll go to the studio first," she said.
"That won't do. You have to come with me," Hiko refused.
He had planned to use this chance to show her around the company and let everyone get to know her. Perhaps this wasn't ideal, but it would let people in the company know that Ai was not just an ordinary new employee and it would make her presence known.
"Why?" Ai asked, puzzled.
"You'll be working with them in the future, so you should get to know them now. Giving them comfort items will also help them remember you," Hiko explained.
Ai still felt uneasy. "It doesn't seem right, they're bought with your money. I'll wait until I get my salary and buy them something myself."
That wouldn't do.
"If you can build connections now, work will be smoother later. An idol's salary really isn't much. You'll also need to train for a long time before performing on stage, until then, you won't have any income,"Hiko's attitude was firm, and he presented his arguments.
"But not everyone likes sweets, right?" Ai asked in confusion.
"These are comfort items, just a little perk," Hiko made an excuse to humor the young girl. "Who doesn't like something free?"
Even if some people didn't like sweets, they were still comfort items. And no Japanese could openly reject a kind gesture.