"You received a total of three phones today," Hiko replied after a moment's thought.
He deliberately phrased his answer as "received" rather than "she bought three."
Because he felt that Miyako and Ichigo might have bought phones for Ai, answering this way also prevented her from playing word games with him. Even if she had received multiple phones, she might still say she only bought one.
Or perhaps, if he guessed one, she would answer multiple.
"Why did you guess that number?" Ai was very surprised to hear Hiko accurately state three phones. Miyako seemed to have bought her the phone on a whim, not as if it had been prearranged.
"Did I guess correctly?" Hiko understood when he heard Hoshino Ai's surprised tone.
"What was your reason for choosing that number? Tell me, and I'll tell you the answer," Ai wanted to hear Hiko's reasoning.
"You asked me to guess how many phones you received today, so it probably wasn't just one. And when I guessed it was a new number just now, your tone was very relaxed, so I felt you had at least one other phone number. Therefore, I guessed you had three phones," Hiko explained.
"That's not right. Didn't you guess I only had two numbers? Why did you say three phones instead of two? How did you guess three?" Ai still couldn't understand Saito Hiko's explanation.
"Because I felt one was impossible, so two was possible, but I estimated that even if I guessed, it would be wrong, so I chose to guess three," Hiko replied.
"So you were actually using the process of elimination, right?" Ai finally understood his reasoning after hearing Hiko say that.
"So I guessed correctly, didn't I, Ai?" Hiko asked, pretending not to know the answer.
"Yes, you guessed correctly," Ai replied.
"So I was also the first person you actively contacted after you got the phone, right?" Hiko asked, seizing the opportunity.
"You guessed everything correctly," Ai answered straightforwardly. As she spoke, she noticed Miyako looking at her. "What are you two doing? You're both staring at me."
"Ai, who are you talking to?" Miyako asked Ai with a sad expression. Although she had probably guessed who was on the other end from Ai's conversation.
"It's Hiko-kun," Ai replied truthfully.
Ichigo heard Ai talking to Hiko and asked, "Ai, have you and Hiko decided where to hold the performance yet?"
"Not yet," Ai replied, shaking her head.
"Do you need me to help you choose?" Ichigo asked.
Ai saw Ichigo voluntarily bring it up. She wasn't sure of Hiko's plans, but she felt that if she left the venue choice to him, he would definitely choose a crowded place.
She felt that the bigger the stage, the greater the pressure, and she wanted to start with a smaller one. But Hiko had already decided that the minimum would be a hall venue, so she wanted to choose one of that size with the fewest people.
So she asked Ichigo, "Then, President, do you have any recommendations for a performance venue for around a thousand people?"
Ichigo thought for a moment and replied, "For a performance venue of that size, I know there are several good ones here in Shinjuku."
"Hiko-kun, about that... I want to talk to you about something," Ai said into the phone.
"I refuse," Hiko said before Ai could even finish speaking. He had been listening to the sounds coming from the phone, and from her question, he roughly guessed that she wanted to entrust Ichigo with the choice.
He wanted to find the venue with Ai, enjoying the process, rather than just quickly getting a result.
If it was just about the result, then he wouldn't need to go on-site inspections with Ai.
Building a relationship, the key was persistence.
"I haven't even said anything yet, why are you refusing?" Ai was puzzled by Hiko's response.
"I'm not deaf. I heard your conversation with my uncle just now. There's no need to trouble him to find a venue," Hiko found an excuse to refuse.
Ai repeated Hiko's answer to Ichigo beside her.
"No trouble, no trouble at all, I'd even be happy to help you choose," Ichigo replied without thinking.
Ichigo knew that Hiko's recent efforts were because of Ai. He had been quite resentful of Hiko during this period, so upon learning that he could cause Hiko trouble, he made this choice without hesitation.
Ai relayed Ichigo's answer and added, "Ichigo said so..."
Hiko silently made a mental note against Ichigo. The pretense couldn't be used anymore.
He thought for a moment and then said, "Alright... you win... I'll tell you what I'm thinking. The on-site inspection is just an excuse to fool others. My real intention is to spend more time with you."
Hiko said to Ai in a sincere tone, "If it weren't for that reason, I would have decided this matter a long time ago."
Ai felt joy in her heart upon hearing Hiko's words and said with a smile, "Since you said so, then we won't trouble Ichigo."
As she spoke, she bowed slightly to Ichigo in apology.
Ichigo saw Ai apologize to him and quickly waved his hand, signaling her not to worry.
"How much longer are you two lovebirds going to talk on the phone?" Miyako said resentfully.
She had finally convinced Hiko not to interfere too much, but he had no intention of breaking contact with Ai, and even chatted with her on the phone.
'Phone bills are expensive! And I just said I'd cover Ai's phone bill until university... I really want to take back what I said…'
"He and I are not a couple!" Ai heard Miyako treating them as a pair and reflexively raised her voice.
Hiko heard Ai's words and guessed that either Ichigo or Miyako had teased her. To spare her embarrassment, he proactively said, "You're still out shopping with Miyako, so I won't disturb you two. I hope you have a fun day today, I won't bother you anymore."
Before hanging up, he casually asked, "Was it Ichigo who teased you?"
"It was Miyako!" Ai immediately replied upon hearing Hiko's question.
Hiko had thought it would be Ichigo who teased her, but he was surprised that it was Miyako instead. He was puzzled by this and said to Ai, "Is Miyako still watching you? Has she done anything strange since she brought you there? If you have time, tell me every move she's made since you arrived."
"She's still watching me... Why do you ask? Let me think..." Ai answered Hiko's question, then walked away from Miyako and Ichigo, keeping a distance where neither of them could hear, and quietly told Hiko every move she had just seen Miyako make.