Meanwhile, on the other end of the call, Chisato sat dazed on the edge of a flowerbed, lost in thought.
Even in such an unseemly position, he still attracted the gazes of passing women who sized him up curiously.
Chisato replayed his conversation with Youko in his mind.
Though he hadn't asked outright, the fact that Youko had actively sought him out for a private conversation was enough to confirm his suspicion—the detective from this afternoon was undoubtedly connected to his future mother-in-law.
Since her secret plan had failed, she simply laid her cards on the table and took a more direct approach.
That was quite in line with the image of Youko that Chisato had in his mind.
But there was another matter that weighed heavily on him.
Miss Youko had explicitly mentioned that, after much effort, Kazusa had finally been persuaded to go to school and talk to him today.
Yet, not long after leaving home, she had turned back, looking like she had been bullied to the point of tears.
Who could possibly bully Kazusa?
That was a scenario he found difficult to picture.
"..."
Chisato scrolled through his phone contacts, his gaze eventually settling on the name "Utaha."
This time, he wasn't making a deduction—he was simply following his intuition.
And in fact, Chisato's intuition was spot on.
As soon as the call connected and Utaha greeted him in her usual lazy tone, Chisato got straight to the point and asked her how she had spent her morning.
On the other end, there was a brief silence.
That reaction alone confirmed that his guess had been correct.
"…So you found out. I was actually planning to tell you tonight when you got back."
Was she nervous?
Utaha was indeed a little nervous, but not entirely. After all, before taking action this morning, she had already prepared herself mentally to some extent.
So now that she had been found out, she was only surprised that it happened a little earlier than expected.
She didn't ask Chisato how he had learned about it, nor did she wait for him to press further.
Instead, she calmly recounted everything—her meeting with Kazusa that morning, their conversation, Kazusa's expressions and reactions throughout, and how it all ended.
When Utaha finished speaking, another silence followed.
This time, the silence lasted a little longer.
Holding her breath, Utaha listened to the sounds on the other end—the faint honking of cars, the chatter of pedestrians.
The call hadn't been disconnected, which meant Chisato was still there.
She glanced at the time and guessed that he was probably standing outside his part-time job's store.
"I see."
At last, Chisato let out a sigh, as if finally coming to terms with everything.
He couldn't bring himself to be angry at Utaha.
Or rather, considering he had the audacity to enjoy the blessings of multiple women, he had no right to blame her for anything.
She hadn't done anything wrong. She had simply acted in a way that made perfect sense from her own perspective.
This situation was a direct result of his choices.
Even if Utaha had unintentionally revealed something that he hadn't yet had the chance to tell Kazusa—
—That, besides Kazusa, there were other girls by his side.
But that wasn't Utaha's fault.
It was his own failure to properly explain things to both her and Eriri.
And in any case, this was something he would have to be honest with Kazusa about sooner or later. Who delivered the news didn't really matter.
So when Chisato responded, his tone held no anger, no impatience—just the same gentle warmth as always.
"I'll be heading to Kazusa's house after work to talk with her mother, so I'll be home late. You don't have to wait up for me—get some rest early."
Utaha felt somewhat relieved.
Chisato's reaction was exactly as Eriri had told her before.
Even though she had gone to meet Kazusa in secret without Chisato's permission, he wouldn't be angry at her.
Unconsciously, Utaha let out a quiet sigh.
The tension in her body eased, and her voice took on the sweet, delicate tone of a wife waiting for her husband to return home, soft and charming.
"I want to wait for you. I can't sleep unless you're holding me. Should I prepare a late-night snack for you?"
"No need."
"Got it. Be safe on your way back tonight."
"Mm."
After the call ended, Chisato finally stood up and turned to head back inside the store.
Now that he had figured out why Kazusa had lost her resolve after finally making up her mind, he felt more prepared for their next meeting.
Although Youko had clearly told him not to expect to see Kazusa, when it came to matters between lovers… who could say for sure?
Chisato had no perfect solution for Kazusa's current state, but there was one thing he was certain about.
When it comes to love, if one truly desires lasting happiness, the only way is to meet sincerity with sincerity. Any other means are nothing but shortcuts leading to unfortunate endings.
Thus, there was no other choice.
Being completely honest with Kazusa and sincerely asking for her forgiveness…
It was a clumsy approach, but if he wanted the happy ending he envisioned, there was no better way.
…
Back at Starry Performance Hall
Chisato took over from Seika, who was busy at the bar counter.
With swift and practiced movements, he prepared various drinks, quickly dispersing the crowd waiting at the bar.
"I never really thought about it before, but now I feel like having a capable guy at home is actually pretty nice."
The "home" Seika referred to was Starry Hall—nothing more, nothing less.
She said it on purpose, just as a playful tease for Chisato.
A handsome young man—just watching from the sidelines was already a pleasure, even without doing anything to him.
"No need for flattery. If you really think I'm doing a good job, just give me a raise."
Chisato responded with a smile.
"You brat. Ever since your band started performing on stage, your share of the earnings has already far surpassed the salary I pay you, yet you're still eyeing my money?"
"Oh, come on, boss. No one ever complains about having too much in their wallet, right?"
"That may be true, but you don't seem to care about money at all."
"I heard from Nijika that you don't take a single cent from the band's income and even chip in your own money to help them upgrade their instruments."
"What's this? You won the lottery and became a millionaire?"
She actually guessed right.
Except it wasn't a lottery—it was thanks to a generous mother.
Chisato chuckled but didn't bother explaining further.
"I just think it's a necessary expense. They're improving every day, and I don't want their progress to be held back by something like instrument quality."
Seika gave him a deep look before turning her gaze to the stage, where her little sister and the other three were performing.
"You're not wrong. Thanks to you, their popularity has been soaring. Not to mention, they're planning to participate in the Shibuya Music Festival soon. I assume you'll be going with them?"
"Mm. I may not be much help, but at the very least, I can carry their bags and guitars."
"You really sell yourself short."
Just as Seika finished speaking, a commotion erupted from the stage area.
It turned out that after their performance ended, two particularly excited fans had rushed onto the stage—one eagerly asking Ikuyo for an autograph, while the other approached Ryo, holding up his phone in an attempt to take a selfie with her.
"Again? This is the third time this week. Looks like I really need to hire some security for the store."
Seika sighed but remained calm, knowing that, just like before, someone would step in and handle the situation.
Chisato tossed aside the rag he was holding and charged toward the stage, responding to the band's silent pleas for help.
Seika cracked open a beer, watching as Chisato effortlessly dragged the two unruly fans to the edge of the stage.
When his patient reasoning failed to get through to them, he simply hauled them toward the exit.
One of them even tried to resist, only to find himself lifted off the ground by the collar with one hand.
A slight shake of Chisato's fist was all it took for both troublemakers to wise up and scurry out the door.
The audience, who had watched the whole thing unfold, erupted into cheers and whistles.
Handsome, strong, academically brilliant, and talented in songwriting and composition…
Is this guy even the same species as me?
What kind of shoujo manga protagonist walked straight out into reality?
Seika silently grumbled to herself, glancing between Chisato, who was walking back after handling the situation, and the three girls on stage, who now shared a look with Hitori.
She figured she should really hire those security guards soon—otherwise, it felt like things were bound to get out of hand.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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