CH 9

Act 1 - The Hungry Idol Part

3-1 Millefeuille Stars

"Is it here........" (Rintaro)

I looked up at the skyscraper towering in front of me.

This is the building of Fantasista Entertainment, which Rei belongs to. I've never been to a place like this, so I was a little nervous even before I went inside.

Well, nothing is going to happen if I stay here.

I exhaled deeply and stepped into the building.

"Umm, excuse me." (Rintaro)

"Yes, what can I do for you?"

"I'm Shidou, and I have an appointment with Otosaki of the Millefeuille Stars at twelve o'clock. Can you please connect her?" (Rintaro)

"......Please wait a moment."

The receptionist told me to wait here for a while after I mentioned Otosaki's name to her.

A high school kid suddenly mentioned her name, which made her look at me a little quizzically, but I guess it couldn't be helped.

Then about two minutes later. As soon as the elevator came down to the first floor, Rei appeared, dressed in a comfortable outfit.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. It's complicated inside, I'll guide you." (Rei)

"O-ou......." (Rintaro)

"Hmm, what's wrong?" (Rei)

"No...... I just thought the atmosphere was different from usual." (Rintaro)

"Is that so?" (Rei)

Her hair, which is usually down, is tied back in a ponytail, giving her a vaguely sporty impression. She was dressed in a black sleeveless undershirt with white shorts underneath, exposing Rei's spotless thighs.

"Hey, can't I just hand over these lunches and leave?" (Rintaro)

"No. They're both already looking forward to seeing you." (Rei)

"Haa......, why should I?" (Rintaro)

"This way." Following her words, I got into the elevator with her hands pulling me along. We went up about ten floors and came to a long corridor. The corridor was lined with several rooms, each with its own number.

"Are these all studios, by any chance?" (Rintaro)

"Yes. We have a lot of studios in the office because we also have a lot of music artists." (Rei)

"That's a lot of money......." (Rintaro)

"This building was just rebuilt about five years ago. Big offices are amazing after all." (Rei)

Rei walked down the corridor without hesitation and turned a corner. At the end of the corridor was a sturdy door to a soundproof room. Or rather, it seemed that all the doors that existed up to this point were all soundproofed.

"Come in." (Rei)

Rei slowly opened the heavy-looking door and led me into the studio.

Once inside, I could see the mirrors and huge speakers plastered all over the walls.

Then, leaning against the wall of the studio――――I could see two people were chatting.

When they noticed me, they turned their curious gaze to me.

"Welcome baaack, Rei. Is he "Rintaro"-kun you were talking about?"

"Yes. He brought us the lunches." (Rei)

"Errr, I'm sorry, I'm being selfish."

The one scratching her head as she apologizing is Kanon, the one who can be said to be in charge of MilleSta's energy.

Her red twin-tails are her trademark, and even though I know she's the same age as me, she looks a little younger.

It's even more so when compared to the other member standing next to her.

"I'm sorry for the trouble, "Rintaro"-kun. But I couldn't help but wonder what kind of man Rei had taken a liking to. I hope you don't take it personally."

It's the third member of MilleSta, Mia.

She is a cool beauty――――and is marketed as more of a prince-like girl.

She is sometimes called The Prince. Her face was more of beautiful than cute. If she were to dress up as a man, she would make men jealous of her good looks.

But that's just the face, her body is just as feminine as Rei's.

"Aah, I'm not. I never thought I'd be able to have my lunch eaten by the three of MilleSta, who I'm a big fan of, so I'm really thrilled. Don't mind the hassle." (Rintaro)

""......""

"......Huh?" (Rintaro)

I put on a friendly smile and put on my best gentleman's voice, but the two of them had puzzled looks on their faces.

Did I miss something? Confused and worried, I threw a glance at Rei.

"Ah, I've already told them a lot about Rintaro. Like how he has a sharp tongue and how he's a wolf in sheep's clothing." (Rei)

"Tell me first! I've already made it up!" (Rintaro)

So, these two already know how I usually am.

D*mn, although I've been trying to get by with a nice guy character.

"Pfft......Ahahaha! I knew it, you were as funny as I thought you were! Rintaro!" 

"Tsk, whatever. You, you're getting far too familiar with calling me by Rintaro. We're not even friends." (Rintaro)

"It's fine, isn't it. If you're a fan, you'll be jumping for joy, right." 

"I'm not a fan tho." (Rintaro)

"Huuuhh⁉ Not only you did lie about your attitude, but about your words as well!?"

"That's right. Just because you're a national idol, don't think that everyone is a fan of yours." (Rintaro)

"What is it? I mean, Rei only told me your given name! And you don't know anything but our given names!" 

"......That's indeed true." (Rintaro)

I only know Kanon and Mia by their stage names. Rei is the only one who knows their real names.

"See, that's why it's not my fault."

"You may be right, but...... your attitude is annoying." (Rintaro)

"How can you treat a celebrity like such an attitude!? You're amazing, yes!?"

"For once, I have the upper hand. I have the right to do whatever I want with this lunchbox." (Rintaro)

I swayed the lunchbox I brought in front of Kanon. Then a loud rumbling sound came from her stomach, and her eyes began to swim as if her eyes were locked to the lunchbox.

"Well, well, you seem to be quite hungry. You can have it if you insist." (Rintaro)

"You are evil!" (Kanon)

"Say what you want! ――――Well, since I have a contract with Rei, I have no choice but to give this to you." (Rintaro)

"What the hell are you⁉" (Kanon)

Hmmm... I guess Kanon is a more interesting type to make fun of than I thought.

I placed the wrapped lunch box in front of her and opened it to show her the inside. Then, Kanon's expression, which had been upset until now, changed, and at the same time, Mia, who was next to her, leaked a voice of admiration.

"Heh, your cooking skills are even better than I've heard. You've made such an elaborate meal for us, haven't you?" (Mia)

"Just in case. I didn't want Rei to think that the food I usually feed her is not that great, so I put some effort into it." (Rintaro)

In addition to stewed hamburger steak, fried chicken and other meats, the lunchbox also contained potato salad and bacon-wrapped asparagus. The stewed hamburger steak was, of course, made from minced meat, and the fried chicken was made from chicken marinated overnight in a sauce made of soy sauce and garlic.

I couldn't bring myself to embarrass Rei, and I was conscious that I had made it very serious.

"What...... It's a lie, isn't it? This hamburger stew is also homemade?" (Kanon)

"Of course. I'm not going to use a retort pack or frozen food when I make Rei's lunchbox. And also, I'm not going to cut corners just because I have to cook more portions." (Rintaro)

"Haa, somehow...... I've completely lost." (Kannon)

Despite Kanon's astonishment, I took one of the three lunchboxes I had made and gave it to Rei.

"C'mon, you too――――What's wrong?" (Rintaro)

"...... Nothing in particular." (Rei)

Rei looked away, looking somewhat unhappy.

I asked her if she didn't like the contents of the lunchbox, but she shook her head in response.

"No. That's not it." (Rei)

"What is it then?" (Rintaro)

"Even though this is the first time you've two met, but you and Kanon seem to be getting along well." (Rei)

I and Kanon are getting along? I wonder if her eyes are damaged.

"Oh my my? Hmm...... Rei got jealous that her best friend, Kanon-chan, was getting along with him. Watta beloved fella!" (Kanon)

"There's that too, and she's also jealous of the fact that Rintaro is suddenly getting along with you. So both." (Rei)

"......You're so honest, really you're." (Kanon)

Kanon had been giving her a teasing look earlier, but now she had a dumbfounded expression on her face.

I've come to know Rei for a while, and she's indeed honest to a degree that you don't often see nowadays, and she's not afraid to speak her mind. I had always thought that jealousy was something hard to talk about, but it seemed to be different for her.

"Well, well, it's nice to have more friends, isn't it? I'm glad to have a new friend, too, Rintaro-kun." (Mia)

"You guys......aren't you a little too careless? I'm just an ordinary guy, so don't carelessly call me a friend....... See, there's something, right." (Rintaro)

"Oh? Do you dislike it with being called as a friend?" (Mia)

"No, it's not that I dislike it....... But why don't you just call us acquaintances?" (Rintaro)

"If you don't dislike, then what should I call you with? It's indeed, we may still be at the level of acquaintances, but we are planning to become deep friends eventually, so I'm not saying anything wrong." (Mia)

"That's true――――eh, what do you mean by "deep friends"?" (Rintaro)

"Deep is deep. I'll leave that up to you to interpret." (Mia)

"...... I may, be very incompatible with you." (Rintaro)

"I think I like your honesty a lot. I look forward to working with you." (Mia)

"As for whether or not I'm looking forward...... well, I'll do my best." (Rintaro)

As if satisfied with my reply to some extent, Mia smiled with amusement.

I felt like I'd taken an eye of a ridiculous person. She is probably more troublesome than Rei. I'm not going to say that she's cunning or conniving――――but she seems to be the complete opposite of me.

"I misjudged Rintaro's communication skills. I didn't expect you two to get along with so quickly." (Rei)

"Get along......? If that's how you really see, then your eyes must be badly damaged." (Rintaro)

When I came here, I understood well.

Including Rei, the three of MilleSta, live in a different world than me.

Is it what's called sensibility? It's not that we're incompatible, but if you're asking if there's an affinity, there's probably no.