[TL/N: Dunno how Chapters got released in the wrong order. Sorry about that lol]
....
Haru was not sure if this woman had planned everything in advance, or if she simply decided to settle for second best after hearing him say they could not have dinner together.
She acted as though she had already confirmed the exact location of the café, and in the blink of an eye she led him to BLUE BOTTLE on the Ikebukuro shopping street.
This was a trendy café in the bustling heart of the city. Even in the late afternoon, it was still filled with customers of all ages. The minimalist yet stylish atmosphere made it a must-visit spot for social media posts.
For someone like Nyamu-sensei, who worked as a blogger, choosing this place was hardly surprising.
But for Haru, who preferred quiet and secluded spots, this kind of fashionable setting felt a little out of place.
"How about it, how about it? Not bad, right? This place was personally chosen by Nyamu-chan! It's been super popular online lately!"
"And the best part is, this café has private booths. That way, Nyamu-chan doesn't have to be so bundled up."
With that, Yuutenji Nyamu slowly removed the ribboned straw hat from her head, letting her soft lavender hair fall loose in the warm light, light as spring. When she took off her sunglasses, her beautiful and elegant face was revealed, her fair and delicate skin seeming to glisten with a moist sheen.
Even when wearing a hat and sunglasses, she clearly took the time to style every strand of her hair. Her makeup was light yet perfectly done, as though she had prepared for her moment of unveiling.
Did she put on makeup first, even before hiding her face, just to make sure she looked perfect if discovered?
Noticing this, Haru raised an eyebrow with a knowing expression, but wisely chose not to point it out.
"Nyamu-chan, I'd like a Blue Mountain."
"…Haru, are you asking me to pay?"
A flicker of surprise crossed the eyes of the great Neko, and she froze for a moment.
But Haru seemed to have predicted her reaction. In an utterly casual tone, he said, "Didn't Nyamu-chan just say you'd rather treat me than eat alone? Coffee's about the same thing, isn't it?"
"Eh? But at times like this, the guy is supposed to pay!"
"Don't be ridiculous. I'm an actual child. As the 'Onee-san,' would Nyamu-sensei really make a kid pay?"
Haru gave her a puzzled look, as if she were the strange one, and it almost made her feel that maybe he was right.
To Haru, having money and spending recklessly were two different things.
"Meeow…"
"Fine, fine! I'll pay!"
Looking slightly unwilling, Nyamu pouted before reluctantly pulling her wallet.
When two steaming cups of Blue Mountain were set gently before them, Nyamu's cute smile returned. She lifted her right hand in a cat-paw gesture.
"Come to think of it, Nyamu-chan hasn't been to this BLUE BOTTLE before either, so it's the perfect chance to film a café review video!"
Haru simply lifted his cup and took a sip. The balanced fruity aroma and faint acidity spread across his tongue as he silently watched Nyamu playfully face her phone and start her introduction with a mischievous "Good evening, meow meow."
He had to admit, this kind of act really did have its market.
"There, that should do it."
After redoing the same scene several times, she finally looked satisfied, then sipped her coffee, now slightly cooled. Noticing Haru sitting quietly across from her, her gaze grew more thoughtful.
A moment later, she smiled.
"I thought you'd be like last time and tell me not to record you, but today you didn't say a word."
Since she would ignore him anyway, Haru did not bother reminding her.
Besides, they were friends, and helping her film a video was not a big deal.
"Actually, Nyamu-chan didn't record me, did you?"
"Of course not!"
Nyamu crossed her arms in a mock-proud pose, her expression cute and smug.
With her mature figure, like that of a college student, combined with her deliberately childish personality, she created a strange and amusing contrast. Spending a little time with her made Haru realize she could actually be quite interesting.
But he also knew that her words were not entirely trustworthy.
She had indeed refrained from filming him directly, but she had subtly let the edge of his coffee cup appear in the frame. A sharp-eyed viewer could easily tell she was not alone.
"Ah, sorry, sorry! I got too caught up in filming and almost forgot your earlier question!"
"You asked me if I had discussed it with Sakiko, right? Of course I have! But no matter what I say, she still refuses to agree, and I honestly don't understand why."
Nyamu made a show of resting her delicate chin in her hand, watching Haru out of the corner of her eye.
But the handsome, black-haired boy maintained his calm expression the whole time, and she could not help feeling a flicker of disappointment.
"Ave Mujica is riding a wave of popularity right now. If we were to drop some big news while all eyes are on us…"
"I understand what you mean, Nyamu. Taking advantage of this opportunity to reveal something could indeed push Ave Mujica to a much higher level."
The boy's expected agreement made Nyamu's eyes flash with surprise.
She had assumed that Haru, being so close to Sakiko, would share her thoughts and decisions completely, as if they were of one mind. She never imagined her own view would be met with approval from this uncharming boy.
"Haru, you think so too?!"
Nyamu was so excited she almost raised her voice, but as a public figure, her sense of caution quickly reined her in. Still, the excitement and expectation on her face were impossible to hide.
Just the thought made her eyes sparkle. She tilted her head and spoke in a cutesy, pleading tone. "Hey, hey, could you try talking to that stubborn Sakiko for me? If you asked her, she might agree to let everyone show their faces."
If Haru stepped in, even the most unyielding Sakiko would probably give in.
Nyamu was certain of it...
Because she knew perfectly well that the cold and arrogant Sakiko secretly liked Haru. If this expressionless boy stayed by her side, even Sakiko, who had never once shown a smile, would soften instantly.
"Nyamu-chan, aren't you overestimating me?"
Haru rolled his eyes, his tone slightly strange.
"You do realize I'm nothing more than a part-time worker. Sakiko is the true leader of Ave Mujica."
It was not as if he was some shadowy mastermind running a hidden organization.
Nyamu's expression shifted oddly at that. She knew perfectly well this had nothing to do with who the leader was. Even the training intensity problem she had brought up many times without resolution was easily solved when Haru casually mentioned it to Sakiko.
That alone showed his influence over her.
But Nyamu could not say so outright, or the meaning of the matter would change completely.
"Still, while I agree that revealing our faces during a wave of popularity is a good idea, the timing I have in mind is a little different from yours."
"Timing?"
Nyamu tilted her head slightly, noticing the black-haired boy across from her smile and narrow his eyes.
"There's an old saying in Hollywood movies~"
"No, it should be 'The higher you are, the harder you fall.'"
Nyamu frowned and studied him seriously. His black eyes gleamed with confidence, deep as a black hole, and the narrowed gaze seemed to carry an indescribable allure.
Even someone as "mature" as her could not help but feel drawn in.
"Ave Mujica has only been around for a few months. Even if their skills already match veteran bands, in terms of experience and foundation, they cannot compare."
"As for the fans they've attracted… let me think. It's like you, Nyamu-chan, coming to BLUE BOTTLE because it's trendy. Most people are simply chasing the trend. And you know how quickly trends arrive, and how much faster they fade."
How long did Afterglow take to reach Budokan, building their foundation along the way?
"If Mujica suddenly revealed their faces now, the way you suggest, yes, it would bring in a flood of attention. But could they hold on to that attention afterward?"
"How many bands have had dazzling beginnings, only to vanish like a fleeting blossom?"
She had to admit, he made some sense.
The playful, cutesy mask on Nyamu's face stiffened. She lifted her cup to hide her expression.
"So, Haru, you mean we shouldn't reveal our faces at all?"
"Not quite. By relying on mystery, we can keep curiosity flowing. Once we've used that to reach Budokan twice and strengthen our fan base, then it will be the right time to play our trump card."
Nyamu narrowed her eyes, her fingertips turning slightly white from the pressure.
In the end, this boy was no different from Sakiko.
And to think she had been so excited just now, thinking Haru would take her side. It was nothing but her own wishful thinking.
The result was still the same, he was telling her to endure. But if she kept enduring, when would she finally get the attention she wanted? Unlike the others in Ave Mujica, she was after something specific, something set in stone.
"…"
Haru noticed a fleeting flash of coldness in her eyes, and immediately recalled something Sakiko had once told him.
So Sakiko-sensei had been too naïve after all.
"But I think that alone still isn't enough. After all, only Mutsumi and Uika have enough recognition and reach. Even if we play our trump card, it may not maximize the gains."
"However, if the others could build enough popularity too, it might be different."
A flicker of puzzlement passed through Nyamu's eyes, and she asked in reflex, "Haru, what do you mean by that?"
"Right now, as a beauty blogger, you have some following, but it's still not enough. So I was thinking... what if we started with you, boosting your own fame first?"
"That way, when the trump card is played, the overlap in attention will turn into an exponential effect."
Haru had already figured her out, Neko-sensei wanted attention and recognition.
Perhaps Ave Mujica was nothing more than a band to her. After all, when she agreed to join at his and Sakiko's invitation, it was mainly because of Wakaba Mutsumi and Misumi Uika's names, so in other words, purely for the exposure.
Nyamu froze for a moment at his words, then suddenly burst into laughter.
As if she had just heard the funniest joke in the world, she laughed for a long time before finally calming down. Wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, she spoke with a teasing tone.
"So Haru really is just a child after all."
"You think fame is that easy to build?"
If just saying a few words could raise her fame and value, Nyamu would not have gone to such lengths to chase after it. It was precisely because she realized that even with the Stone Mask, she could only reach the limits of a beauty blogger that she had chosen to take a different path.
She was done with being a beauty blogger.
"…"
Haru only raised an eyebrow thoughtfully, then chuckled at Nyamu's teasing tone.
"Is that so?"
"I've noticed, though, that your recent video views have been climbing quickly. If you keep riding that momentum and make more of the content your audience wants, with your skills, you could easily keep going higher."
"At this rate, your follower count could multiply several times over."
Nyamu's expression froze, and she gave him a long, meaningful look.
The air between them stayed silent for two or three seconds before she feigned a casual tone and probed, "Huh? Come to think of it… Haru, didn't you just say you'd help me boost my fame?"
"If it's necessary. After all, that's part of my responsibility in managing the band."
Haru's faint, knowing smile made his meaning impossible to miss. And as someone who had left her rural home in Kumamoto to fight her way through Tokyo at a young age, Nyamu was far too seasoned not to understand him.
So he was allowing her to use him for publicity?
Once she calmed down and replayed Haru's earlier words in her mind, she realized there was truth in what he said.
If Ave Mujica could keep appearing in the public eye without pause, why wouldn't Neko-sensei, whose livelihood depended on it, take advantage? And if she had a huge fan base first, the impact of their "trump card" would indeed be far greater.
"Meow meow, I guess you've got a point, Haru."
"Maybe waiting a little longer before playing our trump card really would work better."
Nyamu's bright, lively smile returned as she finished the last of her coffee in a single gulp.
Her eyes sparkled as she clasped her hands in a playful, pleading gesture. "But it's hard running the account all on my own. If you're willing to help me make videos, that would be amazing!"
She had no intention of giving up the treasure that was Ave Mujica, nor the handsome boy working behind the scenes before her.
She would climb step by step, until she reached the highest of the high, Neko Gao!(Roar!).
…
Their little chat ended before she knew it.
Hands in his pockets, Haru watched the big Neko-sensei wave to him and run off into the distance. A subtle, unreadable look flickered in his calm eyes before he lifted his phone and glanced at his Line chat list, where a new name had appeared among his friends.
"For someone like Nyamu-chan, she sure is greedy."
He muttered under his breath, then turned and started walking toward home.
The "attention" he could draw might even be greater than Ave Mujica's. He wondered if she had the stomach to handle it all.
At least her current troubles were temporarily settled. If she stayed in this frame of mind for rehearsals and performances, it was only a matter of time before she pulled some stunt like yawning on stage. He would have to find a way to keep her in line before that happened.
"But… she was speaking Kumamoto dialect earlier, wasn't she?"
Haru narrowed his eyes, sensing something.
Then he shook the thought from his mind. For now, there was something more pressing, those sudden fragments of memory that had entered his "dream" today, leading him to a bold suspicion most people would never even consider.
"In any case, I should start testing it."
"The simulation of the 'last one.'"