'Even if it's true, you shouldn't ask me so many rhetorical questions at once.'
Ai lowered her head, picked up a pastry from the table, and ate it with milk.
She secretly rolled her eyes at Hiko in her heart.
Hiko waited for a while, and seeing that Ai was still silent, he said, "Now you understand, right?"
"Yes, yes, everything you said is right." Ai didn't want to get entangled with Hiko on this issue anymore.
Hiko heard Ai's perfunctory attitude and gave up on analyzing the facts with her, focusing on the pastries and orange juice in front of him.
"Ha~ah~"
He quickly finished the pastries and orange juice, and as soon as he finished eating, he couldn't help but yawn.
His body was very tired.
"Where are you planning to go tonight? Aren't you going back to sleep soon?" Ai seized the moment Hiko yawned and asked him.
Hiko rested his elbow on the table with one hand, propping his chin in his palm, and replied, "I'm just yawning, I'm not really sleepy. As for the destination, you'll know later."
"Still saying you're not sleepy? You've been yawning frequently since just now, which means your body is already very tired and needs a lot of rest." Ai urged Hiko to go back to sleep.
'Could it be that it's still unavoidable?'
Hiko heard Ai's words, looked at her for a while, and then continued, "Even if you say that, it'll be hard for me to fall asleep after I go back."
He was lying, not wanting to be sent back just like that.
"If you can't sleep, take sleeping pills." Ai directly offered a hardcore solution.
"That stuff is so dangerous." Hiko shook his head, rejecting the proposal, and hinted, "Quite a few people die from taking sleeping pills."
Ai felt that Hiko was talking as if she were harming him. "Isn't it just asking you to sleep? Why are you being so delicate and unwilling?"
"No, that's not it. I'm happy that you care about me." Hiko heard Ai's reply and felt that her mood seemed to have worsened.
"Since you're happy, then go to sleep now. You don't even have to wait to go back."
Ai said with prior planning, "At this time, it's also rush hour, and the train will definitely be crowded. You might as well sleep now, and I'll call you later."
"Just like after the live yesterday, I called you to leave."
Hiko propped his chin on the table with both hands, looking at Ai, who seemed to have prepared her words long ago. "But this isn't a good place to sleep. If you insist on sleeping with me, why not go to a hotel? Or an inn?"
"Going there would cost extra money... that's not good..." Ai panicked a little when she heard Hiko's proposal but quickly composed herself and continued, "Besides, we're still minors. We don't even have the qualifications to enter."
"But I can't sleep here either." Hiko saw Ai's flustered expression and found it very interesting, so he continued, "Only resting in bed is the best rest, isn't it?"
Ai felt that Hiko was deliberately trying to tease her when he said that, so she replied, "The performance yesterday was so noisy, yet you could sleep like a pig. It's so quiet here today, so why can't you sleep?"
Hiko heard Ai's analogy and felt that she was calling him a pig.
He argued, "Concerts aren't noisy; that's sleep-inducing music."
"But that doesn't change the fact that you slept as soundly as a dead pig." Ai seized this point to mock Hiko.
Hiko was forced to recall the details of last night. He remembered that after he woke up, he saw Ai blushing and felt she looked shy at the time, so he brought up the matter again: "Since you mentioned last night, I remember that when I woke up yesterday, your face seemed very red."
As he spoke, he deliberately asked in a concerned tone, "Were you sick last night? Are you better now?"
Ai couldn't help but feel embarrassed and ashamed when she heard Hiko ask about last night in a concerned tone.
'Why did I let him lean on my shoulder to sleep last night!'
'I was considering helping him fall asleep here, but he brought up old matters again, making me feel shy. I can't be as impulsive as last night again tonight.'
'Otherwise, he'll bring it up again next time, and it feels so shameful…' Ai briefly regretted it in her heart, then discarded the idea of letting Hiko use her lap as a pillow.
Thinking that she couldn't not thank him for his concern, she could only give an awkward but polite smile and replied, "I already said it was just too hot last night. I wasn't sick..."
"It wasn't hot last night." Hiko saw Ai's ill-timed smile and felt she might be embarrassed, so he didn't dwell on it and changed the subject, asking, "What kind of style did you choose for your custom performance outfits today with the others?"
"The styles are basically dresses, but the tailor asked us to choose the style and brand for customization. However, I didn't quite understand what the tailor said, so I just chose cute rabbits as accessories."
Ai saw Hiko asking her about the performance outfits, so she talked incessantly. "After we chose the style, the tailor asked us to add her contact information, saying she would take photos of each step for us to confirm. Her service attitude was quite good, but..."
She deliberately paused here and slowly took a sip of milk.
Hiko saw Ai deliberately not saying anything and slowly drinking her beverage, feeling that she wanted him to ask, so he cooperated by showing a curious expression and asked, "But what?"
"But the customization fee is too expensive!" Ai complained. "100,000 yen! She even said that this was already a discounted price out of consideration for the President."
Hiko heard Ai complaining about the price and remembered the price of Western-style uniforms he had heard others mention before, so he said, "Customization is definitely more expensive, but this price is indeed discounted. After all, a set of branded Western-style school uniforms costs over 100,000 yen."
"Those school uniforms are that expensive?" Ai asked curiously. As soon as she finished asking, she realized, why did Hiko know about the price of uniforms? And from his tone, it didn't seem like he had just accidentally found out, so she pressed, "Why do you know so much?"
"I don't know why they're expensive, but I heard Kento say that it's a big brand sold by a school uniform chain store," Hiko replied.
"Who's Kento? The school uniforms you're talking about, you're not referring to women's school uniforms, are you?" Ai keenly detected the hidden information in Hiko's words.
"Ah, Kento is one of my friends. That's right. How come your little head is so sharp this time?" Hiko looked at Ai with some surprise.
Kento indeed spoke of women's school uniforms, but it was Tetsuya who brought up the topic.
Ai was about to be happy after getting a positive answer, but his latter half of the sentence implied her head wasn't good. However, considering their academic comparison, she could only curse in a low voice, "Damn it! Idiot!"
'If you don't annoy me, you can't speak, can you?'
Ai felt that every time she chatted with Hiko, he would always subtly or overtly criticize her.
Hiko saw Ai's lips move but couldn't hear her voice, so he asked, "What did you say? I can't hear you."
"Hmph." Ai responded with a nasal sound, turning her head to look elsewhere.
"We've rested enough; it's time to go to the place we're scouting today." Hiko saw Ai avoiding him and decided to go to the next performance venue they had decided to scout last night.
After he finished speaking, he looked at Ai.
"Dame (No)..." Ai refused.
She remembered her original intention; if she really went out with him, he would probably stay up late again tonight.
She took a deep breath to adjust her mindset and said sweetly, "I still want to rest a bit longer."
Hiko heard the coquettish voice beside his ear and gave up the idea of leaving.
Having known Ai for so long, this was the first time he heard her act spoiled.
'It's great.'
Hiko's face showed a happy smile, and he replied, "Alright then, you rest a bit longer."
'Ah... I said it… He might use this against me next time.'
'Forget it, since it's already like this, I might as well go all out.'
Ai was led by Hiko's rhythm, feeling a little anguish in her heart, but quickly adjusted her mindset.
She patted the chair next to her and said, "Come sit here."
"What for?" Hiko looked at Ai curiously.
"Just come when I tell you to!" Ai said in a strong tone, pointing to the chair next to her.
"Just now you..." Hiko originally wanted to say, 'Just now you were still acting spoiled with me; how did your attitude change so suddenly?' but seeing her slightly red cheeks, he changed his words and replied, "I'm coming over."
After he finished speaking, he stood up from his seat and walked to the chair next to Ai, sitting down.
"Close your eyes." Ai continued to instruct.
Hiko was a little confused about what Ai wanted to do, but he didn't ask and simply closed his eyes as she requested.
Then he heard the sound of a chair moving, and after a while, he felt a small hand from Ai's direction reach over and embrace his head. Then he felt a force pressing him down diagonally.
Hiko felt confused and opened one eye slit to observe the environment in front of him.
He didn't see anyone else.
'I hope this isn't one of her pranks.'
Hiko, with hope for Ai, controlled his body to fall with the force.
Soon he fell onto a place that was slightly elastic, yet somewhat soft.
He then knew where he was lying.
'The second time's the charm.'
'I can't let this good opportunity go to waste like last time.'
"Don't open your eyes!" Ai's voice came from above.
"Mm." Hiko responded, then tried to adjust his body to make his lying posture more comfortable.
Ai felt Hiko's movement, resisting the urge to push him off the chair, and endured with tense nerves.
She knew he was just adjusting his posture to face upwards, not turning his face downwards like last time.
"What are you doing?" Hiko asked after adjusting his posture.
"Mm mm mm mm~..." Ai hummed a lullaby softly, like she was taking care of a child.
'Is she lulling me to sleep?' Hiko didn't ask the question aloud but instead crossed his hands in front of him, relaxed his mind, and tried to fall asleep.
Not long after relaxing, Hiko's breathing became even.
Ai keenly noticed a change in the weight on her lap and knew that Hiko had fallen into a deep sleep.
"Honestly."
Ai sighed, looking down at Hiko's handsome face as he slept deeply.
'I really don't know if I owe you, or if you owe me... You help me normally, but you often anger me.'
After confirming that Hiko was completely asleep, she tried to lift his body with her hands. As soon as she lifted him a little, Hiko twisted his body, forcing her to give up the idea of moving him off her.
'This guy...'
Ai watched for a while, felt bored, and then lowered her head to rest on the table in front of her, closing her eyes to try and rest for a moment.
"Hmm?"
Hiko's consciousness gradually cleared. As soon as he opened his eyes, he felt it was dark. When his vision became a little clearer, he noticed the slightly bulging shirt.
'Huh? She fell asleep too?'
When Hiko saw the scene in front of him, he knew that Ai had also fallen asleep just now, and she was sleeping more soundly than him.
He just didn't know when she fell asleep.
Hiko carefully tried to get up from Ai, avoiding any sudden movements that might wake her.
He quickly moved away from her.
Hiko sat up straight and habitually pulled out his phone from his pocket to check the time.
The time displayed was:
21:56
They had arrived at the café from the idol group concert around six o'clock.
'I actually slept for so long. My throat is a bit dry.'
Hiko assessed his physical condition and came to a conclusion.
He needed to get her a drink to rehydrate.
Hiko thought for a moment, then walked to the counter and ordered two glasses of milk.
While ordering, he felt a surprised look from the shop assistant.
'Did Ai and I sleep here for too long?'
After ordering, Hiko walked back to his seat, looking down at his clothes.
Presumably, the shop assistant recognized him from his attire as one of the customers who had stayed in the shop for a long time.
The shop assistant quickly brought over the two glasses of milk.
Seeing that Ai was still sleeping with her head on the table, the shop assistant placed them down gently.
Hiko smiled and nodded at the shop assistant. After she left, he gently pushed Ai's arm, which was resting on the table, and called out, "Ai, wake up, Ai, wake up..."
"Mmm~ hmm~" Ai was roused from her sleep by Hiko, but her consciousness hadn't fully cleared. Her eyes were half-closed as she looked at Hiko, who had woken her. "What is it?"
"It's ten o'clock. We should get ready to go home." Hiko told Ai the current time, then took out his phone, lit up the screen, and showed her the time displayed. He then pointed to the milk next to her and said, "This glass of milk is yours."
Ai was still a bit groggy, but when she saw the time 10:03 displayed on the bright phone screen, her consciousness quickly cleared.
"Let's go home quickly..." Before Ai could finish her sentence, Hiko's phone rang.
She saw the caller ID with "Miyako" as the contact name.
"Answer the phone quickly!" Ai urged Hiko.
Hiko felt that Ai was a bit nervous at this moment, like a child who had done something wrong, so he comforted her, "Don't be nervous."
Only then did he turn the phone back and see the display.
"I thought it was someone else."
Hiko gave Ai a "don't worry" expression, then answered the call.
"Hello, is this Hiko?" The person on the other end of the line asked after connecting.
"Yes, it's me, Miyako-san. What's up?" Hiko replied.
"It's nothing much; I just wanted to ask where you are," Miyako asked after confirming that Hiko was the one who answered the phone.
Hiko knew the reason for Miyako's call. Although she didn't ask directly, she was inquiring about his location, thereby subtly asking if Ai was with him.
So he directly answered her concern: "Ai is right next to me now. Today, she and I went to Shibuya for a field study."
"So you two went to Shibuya today too." Miyako sighed and continued, "It seems I need to get Ai a phone. Otherwise, she's always out so late without any messages, and I worry about her."
When Hiko heard Miyako say this, he wasn't sure what she was thinking, but he wanted to be involved in this matter, so he said, "Then tomorrow, she and I will go buy a phone."
"That would be too much trouble for you." Miyako said it was trouble, but she tacitly approved of his actions.
"No trouble at all, no trouble. Just consider it a small repayment for the tutoring you've given me during this time." Hiko dealt with the distant tone of Miyako, guessing that the President was by her side at the moment.
"Since Ai is with you, you two should go home quickly. It's already ten o'clock at night, and Ai usually sleeps by this time," Miyako urged over the phone.
"We're already on our way back," Hiko lied.
"Okay, then I'll hang up," Miyako replied after hearing the answer.
Then, just before Miyako hung up, Hiko heard Ichigo's voice, "Don't hang up! There's something else I need to tell them!"
However, the phone emitted a beeping sound.
The call ended.
"What did you two talk about? Who are you going to accompany?" Ai had been listening in, but she couldn't hear the voice on the other end of the phone, so she could only ask Hiko.
"Nothing much. Miyako just said she wanted to get you a phone, but she's busy, so she asked me to go with you to buy it." Hiko changed the information slightly.
"Is that so..." Ai replied with a downcast expression.
Hiko had expected Ai to be happy about getting a phone, but instead, her expression was dim, and she looked unhappy.
He immediately thought of her having been abandoned by her mother in the past, and this time, as her nominal guardian's wife, Miyako could also be considered her mother.
From his previous reply, it sounded as if Miyako was unwilling to accompany her to buy a phone.
Naturally, she associated it with something bad.
Hiko understood the reason and said to Ai, "Miyako is too busy with work; that's why..."
As he spoke, he saw Ai's face worsen.
Then he remembered that Miyako didn't have much work. If she wanted to, she could always make time to accompany Ai.
But she didn't. As a cohabitant, Ai probably knew that Miyako was idle, so when he said that, her expression worsened.
Hiko felt that if he continued, she might cry, so he said, "It's not because Miyako dislikes you; it's because that woman is especially lazy."
"She's so virtuous; how could she be lazy?" Ai was deceived by the virtuous image Miyako presented, feeling that Miyako just didn't like her, which was why she was unwilling to accompany her.
Hiko knew this was thanks to Miyako's management.
"Miyako really doesn't dislike you!" Hiko gave an example. "Look at these past two days; at this time, hasn't she called you?"
"That's because of the President; she only calls me because of him." Ai thought of Miyako's virtuous image, her first reaction being that it was for her husband's reputation, and she had no choice but to call her.
After all, if Miyako neglected her duties and didn't know where she was, Ichigo would probably blame Miyako, which is why Miyako would endure her dislike and call her.
'She's overthinking it again…' Hiko heard Ai's words and felt that she had already prejudged that Miyako disliked her.
"You're..." Hiko originally wanted Ai to recall their interactions, but he didn't know if Miyako would consider Ai and thus reveal her true personality.
He had to change his words again and say, "Don't overthink it; she definitely doesn't dislike you."
Ai shook her head, no longer arguing with Hiko, and picked up the milk in front of her to drink.
'Forget it, I'll tell Miyako about this; otherwise, Ai might become withdrawn.'
Seeing that Ai wasn't arguing with him, Hiko decided to call Miyako when they parted ways and ask her to accompany Ai to buy a phone tomorrow.
As they had to rush home, the two quickly finished their drinks, left the café, and returned to Shibuya Station to catch a train.
Since it was already quite late, the train they boarded was relatively empty and not crowded this time.
They traveled in silence. Hiko saw Ai back to her residence before leaving.
Once Ai was no longer by his side, he dialed Miyako's number.
"Hmm... Hiko? What is it? Uh..." Miyako's situation on the other end seemed very bad.
"It's about you asking me to accompany Ai to buy a phone tomorrow. I think it would be better if you took her," Hiko said directly to Miyako.
"Cough cough... Didn't we just agree that you would take her?" Miyako felt strange and asked with concern, "Haven't you two been inseparable lately? Why don't you want such a good opportunity? Did you two have a fight?"
"No fight. Is there no one next to you right now?" Hiko was worried that Ai might be listening next to Miyako after returning home.
"There's no one next to me. I'm in my own room right now," Miyako immediately replied. "Go on."
"You know that Ai was adopted from an orphanage, right?"
"Yes."
"Just now, when I told her that you asked me to accompany her to buy a phone tomorrow, her happy mood suddenly became very downcast." Hiko was unsure of Miyako's understanding of Ai, so he asked again, "Do you know why Ai was in an orphanage?"
"I don't know. Ichigo never told me, and Ai never mentioned it to me," Miyako replied honestly. "Are the two things related?"
As expected, she doesn't know. Hiko did not answer Miyako's question but instead told her the fact that Ai had been abandoned by her mother.
"So Ai is that pitiful. I know why you want me to accompany her. I'll pay attention in the future," Miyako said, agreeing.
"So you're agreeing to spend more time with her?" Although Hiko felt the fact was already confirmed, he still asked an extra question.
"Yes, I'll adjust my schedule tomorrow to accompany her," Miyako replied.
"Then I'll hang up?" Hiko, seeing that his goal was achieved, intended to end the call.
"Wait a minute!" Miyako quickly called out to stop him.
"Is there anything else?" Hiko asked curiously.