Stealing Spree

Hearing the voice of Yue’s manager, everyone at the table held their breath.

Ah. Well, except Minoru, of course.

Miwa-nee and Akane were anxious. Most likely they had already anticipated that this wouldn’t be just a normal talk. That it wouldn’t end without the woman at the other end of the call being straight-up mad or enraged upon listening to what Yue and I have to say.

Holding the phone tightly on her left, Yue put it on the loudspeaker and placed it between us on top of the table.

Seconds later, after giving my arm a tight squeeze, siphoning courage from me, Yue fixed her usual expression.

Perhaps, it wouldn’t be noticeable for some, however, for me, it was like the girl flipped a switch, transforming herself from being my Yue to the up-and-coming popular singer, Asahi.

Her eyes drew a sharp gaze as she stared right into my eyes. Reading through the sparkles in her pupils, I could pick out the girl’s determination, dedication as well as undeniable love for it.

Yue loves me a lot but at the same time, Asahi loves making songs and music.

Even if she couldn’t find the exact words to describe her feelings, my mind worked wonders and managed to interpret them.

This lovely girl would be complete as long as she has both.

And so, I reached for her cheeks, caressed, and gave her words of assurance, “Go on. I will be here for you… We’re going to face it together.”

Pulling out my best smile along with that, not only Yue but also Akane and Miwa-nee affectionately giggled at my words. They even said something along the lines of, “There he goes again…”

Well, I probably already said that a lot of times to a lot of my girls, including them… And they didn’t say it in a bad taste, anyway. They were more amused instead to see me like this once more.

Soon enough, Yue drew in the air, dropped her chopsticks to the side, and straightened her back before responding to her manager.

“Good morning, manager. No… I don’t need anything. However, I have something to confess.”

Slowly, the girl’s lips curved upwards as she waited for her manager to respond.

Even though nothing happened yet, she’s already this amused.

I guess I’m the only one that’s a little on edge about how I can convince that manager.

Not finding anything wrong with her words, her manager replied, “Confess… Don’t tell me you’ve gained weight again? Last week, I saw you dancing like a cryptid. Is that supposed to be an exercise? Want me to enroll you in a dance lesson that can also burn your fats?”

Alright. That sounds harsh. Where’s that kind and understanding manager that she said?

Besides, my Yue isn’t heavy, you know? She’s so light that I could carry her all day and not get tired of it.

While I retorted that in my mind, Yue’s amused expression instantly fell. Replacing it was a panicky one as she quickly denied it.

“That… I’m not dancing like a cryptid!”

Yue sullenly bit her lip as her eyes focused on me. She’s checking my reaction to that.

Uh… She’s actually more concerned that I heard those words. I mean, talking about weight was taboo for women. Most of them always wanted to be seen as perfect by their man.

Although I agree that she’s not great at dancing, which I won’t tell her for her own sake, I wasn’t that particular about their weight.

And… I guess I might tease her for it like what I did with Otoha two weeks ago.

But that’s not important.

To think that the conversation instantly derailed just with that…

Hearing her manager’s laughter echoing from the other side, Yue looked like she was about to crush the phone in her hand.

And so, I had to make a move.

I picked up a piece of omelet using my chopsticks and decisively pushed it into Yue’s mouth.

The girl reflexively closed her mouth and looked up at me in confusion.

I smiled at her and nodded.

Understanding it, the girl started chewing. Seconds later, the taste of the simple omelet successfully made her face relax.

However, remembering how she reacted, embarrassment quickly filled her face.

I picked another piece and fed the girl…

Doing that a few times while ignoring the manager that was waiting on the other side, Yue gradually returned to normal.

Following that, I handed her a glass of water.

There’s the saying that eating something can relieve stress… In this case, the tasty breakfast that Miwa-nee prepared swept away the sullen mood that she acquired from those few words from her manager.

I looked at the girl and wordlessly inquired if she was already fine.

Sure enough, Yue instantly nodded while looking apologetic. I patted her head and grabbed the glass of water back before gesturing towards her phone.

“Manager, I have something to confess.”

As though what happened was but an illusion, the girl repeated her words.

The laughter subsided from the other side and a long silence ensued.

“Okay… Let me hear it. You sure took your time responding though.”

“And whose fault do you think that is?”

“Asahi, since when have you been that sensitive?”

“That… I’m not, okay? I just don’t want someone else hearing that.”

“… Did you just say someone else?”

“Yes, I do. Manager, it’s your time to be surprised.”

“Huh? Wait… Are you—” Picking up the hints, her manager quickly caught up and understood the gist of what Yue was going to say.

However, before she could finish her question, Yue beamed an amused smile and said, “Un. I’m with someone else… Also, I spent the night somewhere else. Someone picked me up last night.”

Dropping that all at once, Yue made a peace sign at me, looking proud at what she did.

Not long after, the sound of a chair tumbling on the ground was instantly heard from the other side. And soon, her manager’s disturbed voice rang out. “What the hell, Asahi?! Tell me you’re joking. And even if you are, this is something you shouldn’t joke about.”

“No. While you’re the one who opened up a joke right away, I’ve been serious when I said that I’m going to confess something. What do you think, manager? Care to hear me out now?”

Her manager didn’t instantly answer her but we could hear her picking the chair back to its place before returning to sit on it. At this moment, she’s probably in the process of digesting what Yue said.

Fifteen seconds later, an almost inaudible sigh reached us followed by a voice that sounded very serious, “Is it him? The one who inspired you?”

“Correct answer, manager. But there’s no special prize for that.” Yue teased.

But that’s not enough to offset the seriousness in her manager’s voice. The woman ignored that completely. Even though I couldn’t see her face right now, it’s enough to imagine how she’s on the verge of being mad.

“Where are you? I’m going to pick you up. You’re set to return to Tokyo tomorrow. Don’t add more scandal to your name.”

“Manager, I never thought of it as a scandal. It’s my honest answer.” Yue instantly answered as she also slipped back out of her teasing mode. She grabbed my hand and squeezed it, recharging her courage.

“It doesn’t matter! Asahi, you’re not a simple person anymore. You can be as honest as you always are. However, one dirt on your name can pull you down from where you are now in this industry. And I don’t want to witness that happening soon. You’re a star that hasn’t completely shone yet. You have just sent a single ray of light. Are you going to throw it all away for someone who already abandoned you once?”

Hearing those words, I realized. Her manager was aware of the real story behind her viral song. Not just what she revealed on that talk show.

Yue bitterly smiled at me but at the same time, she got up from her seat and squeezed in to join me on mine.

As my arms gently enclosed around her, Yue affectionately caressed my cheek before responding to her manager… “No, he didn’t abandon me. I got rejected, remember? And this time, I finally got him to say yes.”

Obviously, Yue’s answer was no good. Even I understood that… She should have worded it differently or passed the baton to me already.

Just like I thought, it didn’t even take a second for her manager to react to it. Her thunderous voice rang out, conveying her undeniable concern toward Yue. “You foolish little girl! He said yes because you’re already a star! Don’t get fooled! Hurry up and tell me where you are. I’ll take you back to Tokyo right away. Haa… I know it’s a bad idea to allow you to return to this city.”