After I finished the club activity, it was already in the evening, and the sky was beginning to darken.

I went to an open-air cafe where our meeting would be. There was an Ichika waiting in her casual clothes. She was wearing a black blouse without sleeves and denim jeans. She was carrying a deep blue colored jacket in her hand.

"Sorry, I kept you waiting," I said to her.

"Don't worry, I also just got here." She said while waving her hands. Her clear eyes stared at me as she commented on my unusual attire. "You look different."

This time, my outfit was a suit that looked like what a British gentleman spy would wear. It was a black suit with a leather watch on my wrist, but without a necktie. I leave it even though Sae-sensei prepared it.

"Well, Sae-sensei told me to use this," I responded as I sat at the table.

"Sae-sensei?" She looked confused and pondered why I bought the Sae-sensei name on this.

"Yeah, she is the one who introduced us to the woman we meet today."

"Ah… that's why."

When I checked my phone, it seemed there was still time from the appointment with Ritsuko Akizuki. So we ordered something while waiting for her. Two coffees and the assorted desserts Ichika ordered filled our table. There was an overwhelming smell of butter and chocolate.

"Do you want to try this, Saku-kun?" Ichika offered me her chocolate cake. She took a bite of cake with her fork and tried to feed me while saying. "Aaah."

"Oh, well. I'm fine with one bite." I ate the cake that was fed to me. It was a really lovely chocolate cake with a moist texture and sweet.

"Eh, really? Just one?" Ichika tilted her head a little while, showing her disappointment.

"Yeah, I ate too many sweets today." I took a sip of black coffee. It was bitter but still more delicious than the bitter coffee-flavored Yui's cookies. I usually preferred to order tea or something cold drinks, but this time I ordered coffee as a way to forget the sour taste of Yui's cookies.

"Is that so." Ichika looked disappointed, but she ate and enjoyed her cake. Her face brightened as she put her cake in her mouth.

I looked at her appearance as she devoured the cake in her hands. I didn't have anything to do, so I just watched her eating cake. When she realized I watched her, she smiled at me, a teasing one.

"What? Are you perhaps disappointed this big sister didn't react to indirect kisses?"

Ichika played her fork in front of me while her face was grinning.

Ah, if you think about it. We were having an indirect kiss since I ate from her fork. After, I stayed with 'Order' which sometimes sent me on military expeditions that drink in the same bottle. Also, in my past life, people didn't fuss about this. Indirect kisses were just a cliche in the 2D world.

Ichika's face was quite normal with a teased smile, but her ear was reddened by the second. I didn't know because of my lack of reaction, or she realized this was an indirect kiss, felt embarrassed with it, and tried to hide it with this teasing act.

Well, she was acting quite convincingly.

"Hm… of course, it would be nice to see you act cutely embarrassed." I gave her my honest opinion.

"Th-that's That's because seeing you in a very straightforward manner, there was no way I would act embarrassed like that," Ichika said, bashfully fidgeting with her fingers.

"...It feels kinda a bit unfair to be seen like this while you don't feel any embarrassment."

Ichika started sulking a bit and pursed her lips while still eating her cake.

"Still, I didn't see this coming. Never thought you would be this shaken."

"Saku-kun, I never do this to any boy. It's my first time. Of course, I feel a little embarrassed." Ichika meekly said with a blushed face...

Seeing her in this state, I couldn't help the smirk that crept across my lips. Ichika was so cute, and when I saw her acting like a maiden, I couldn't help feeling a little flustered.

"Hehe," Ichika laughed lightly. She looked pretty happy. "I never thought you would show that expression." She giggled happily.

"Well, I have never been in this situation before."

Ichika and I looked at each other simultaneously. We were exchanging glances. Nothing needed to be said. Our minds thought alike, and we laughed together. We had quite a pleasant conversation before the people we were waiting for entered the cafe.

She was a normal girl in glasses with brown hair that tied in the back. She wore a black suit. It gave her a clean, serious look. It somehow gave the impression that she was an unfashionable person. She was dressed plainly. 

After she entered the cafe and started looking around for the person she had come to meet. She didn't have to look for long. She found us and came over here.

As for why I could know, she was the person we met. My memory from the past kinda blurs, but when I saw someone I watched before, my thought would be, 'Ah, I saw this person before. Also, when she was close enough, I started to see her status floating around.

 

Name                : Ritsuko Akizuki

Age                    : 18 - Producer / Manager - 765 Production

Likes                 : Novels, Games

Relationship    : Stranger

Affection          : Normal - 10

 

"Are you Yamada-san?" She asked us. She must still be wondering who the person she met for.

"Yes, I am Saku Yamada. I have been taken care of by Sae-sensei. Nice to meet you. Besides me is my friend Ichika Nakano."

I replied quickly and stood in front of her, offering my hand. While Ichika stood beside me and bowed her head a little.

"Ah, you are… My name Ritsuko Akizuki. I am also attending the same school as the two of you, but I graduated last march. So I am your senpai too. It's a pleasure to meet you all. Please be relaxed."

Ritsuko-senpai took my hand, and our hand was shaken.

So we sat at the table. Ichika sat beside me while Ritsuko-senpai sat in front of us. Once again, we ordered, besides coffee, we had bread, sandwiches and other pastries. While we wait for our order. Ritsuko started to talk.

"So you are the boy that is in Sae-sensei guardianship. You are quite tall."

"Yes, thank you for coming, especially when we take your time." I thanked her.

"Ah, you don't have to think too much. It's not like I'm busy or anything." Ritsuko said while waving her hand.

"Really, I am really grateful."

"It's fine, really. Sae-sensei also helped me when I was still in school, so if I could help her relatives, I will be happy about it."

Ah, she thought I was one of the Sae-sensei relatives since she became my guardian. It would be better to tell her about me and the Sae-sensei relationship rather than find out later.

"Sorry, I am not her relative, but she takes care of me as my guardian. I am really grateful for what she is doing to me."

"Eh, really."

"Yeah, I came from abroad. So she became my guardian, and it helped me a lot."

"Is that so."

After that, the food we ordered came. It was dinner time. I had a sandwich and bread, the same as the other two. The food in this cafe was quite delicious. I could see Ritsuko and Ichika enjoying their food. So after we were done eating, it was time for me to ask her.

"Ritsuko-senpai, actually, there was something I wanted to ask you about something."

"Yeah, what is it?"

"I heard from Sae-sensei that you worked as a manager, so can you take care, Ichika as one of your actresses?"

"Ah, if it's about that. But I worked in 765 productions, we are specializing in training idols and having them appear in various media. So if it was about actresses, it would be difficult."

"So you can't?"

"Well, I can do it, but still, it would be difficult, hm…."

Ritsuko-senpai stared at Ichika. Her face showed she felt troubled. She crossed his arms and began thinking. Ritsuko-senpai decided to piece together the situation.

"Your name is Ichika, right?" She started chatting with Ichika.

"Ah, yes. Ritsuko-senpai." Ichika looked nervous. She could feel that she had been interviewing right now.

"So you want to be an actress?"

"Yes!"

"Hm… how about becoming an idol?"

Before I realized it, Ritsuko-senpai scouted Ichika to become an Idol rather than to become an actress. She observed Ichika very closely.

"Eh, but… I want to become an actress." Ichika said with a low voice, unsure of what happened.

"Can you sing?"

"A little bit."

Ichika tilted her head a little, showing some cuteness as she was confused about what happened. Ritsuko, who saw Ichika's reaction, couldn't help herself.

"I knew it. Would you become an Idol? No, I will make you become one of the best Idol Japanese ever had?"

Ritsuka said it while grabbing Ichika's hand, her eyes sparkling. It was like she found a rough diamond in the road. She looked thrilled and serious at the same time.