The ramen cooked by the old master was absolutely delicious.
As the bowl of white-broth ramen, garnished with a sprinkle of green onions and thin slices of beef, was set on the table, its rich aroma filled the room.
"Aoi, are you heading to the Takenouchi music shop this afternoon?"
It was the weekend, but Izumi Aoi, now a third-year high school student, was facing college entrance exams next year. There was no room to slack off.
Sayoko placed a small dish of pickled mustard greens in front of Fuyukawa Tetsu, smoothed the floral skirt over her full figure, and sat down, looking across at Aoi.
"Yeah, I'll head out soon."
Slurp, slurp, slurp. Maybe she was starving, but the zombie-like Aoi from earlier was now devouring her ramen with gusto, shoveling it into her mouth.
Seeing her regain some energy, Sayoko sighed in relief. Tetsu, adding some pickles to his broth, smiled and said, "Studying's important, but have you thought about what to do with the entertainment companies?"
The song "I once thought of ending it all" hadn't been officially recorded or released yet, but with today's internet, videos of Aoi's performance from last night were surely already uploaded by netizens to video platforms.
Aoi was still a nobody, far from the influence of someone like Mika Nakajima, who performed nine times at the Kohaku Song Festival. Without big capital backing her, she wouldn't skyrocket to fame overnight. But information spreads fast these days. With a bit of patience, that song was bound to blow up.
When that happened, the entertainment companies—currently hesitant due to her hearing issues and fear of a bad investment—would come knocking like carp swimming upstream, chasing the massive online buzz.
Aoi, of course, had no clue about Tetsu's thoughts.
Meeting his gaze, she recalled the shocking moment from last night, a flicker of shyness in her eyes. But when the conversation turned serious, she frowned slightly, slurping her noodles while mumbling, "You saw those scouts yesterday, right? Once they heard about my ear problems, they all backed off."
"That's normal. They're businessmen, not your family. They won't touch something where the risks outweigh the profits," Tetsu said with a grin, eating his noodles.
"You know that and still bring it up? Hmph, you just love getting under my skin!" Aoi rolled her eyes, pouting, but then added, "Still, even if scouts come knocking, I want to… finish college first. Yeah, even if I become a singer, I don't want it to mess with my university plans."
"College?"
Tetsu raised an eyebrow, a bit puzzled.
For artists, a high education was a bonus, but not as critical as in other fields. Many stars like Mika Nakajima or Ayumi Hamasaki dropped out of high school or barely graduated before diving into the entertainment world.
Noticing his confusion, Aoi nodded, poking at her noodles with her chopsticks, lacking her usual confidence. "Yeah. I don't just want to be a performer. I want to sing my own songs. So… I want to learn more about music theory."
A songwriter, huh?
Tetsu hadn't expected this girl to have such big ambitions. Slurping his steaming noodles, he nodded with a smile. "That's a good goal, but… you're not planning to keep mooching off Sayoko forever, are you?"
"Tetsu-kun~"
The topic was a bit touchy. Sayoko lowered her head, her delicate foot brushing against Tetsu's leg under the table. But Tetsu ignored her, his eyes teasing as he looked at Aoi.
"No way! I'm eighteen now! I'm gonna make sure Sayoko lives a happy life, and I won't need you, you stinky old man!" Aoi shot back, hands on her hips, chin raised defiantly.
Honestly, she had reason to be confident. Her band had done decently, earning good money per gig, but freelance performances weren't steady. On average, her monthly income was modest, barely covering music lessons after tuition.
Still, the lack of cash wasn't just due to scarce gigs. Being under eighteen, she couldn't get into many venues. Plus, her ear treatment costs were high early on, though they'd tapered off. If she worked hard, with lower expenses and more income, Aoi's life could indeed get sweeter.
Seeing her smug attitude, Tetsu popped a boiled egg into his mouth, teasing, "Oh, looks like Aoi's gonna make it big, huh? So, starting tomorrow, can I start charging you rent? Hey, Sayoko, how much is rent for a two-story house like this in Tokyo?"
"You!"
Tetsu and Sayoko had grown closer, and at his suggestion, Sayoko planned to move in permanently once her current lease ended. They were both thrilled at the prospect of carefree days together, but for Aoi—who often crashed at Sayoko's place due to family issues—it was a headache.
Glaring at Tetsu's cheeky grin and catching Sayoko's stifled laugh, Aoi trembled with frustration. She wolfed down her ramen in a few bites and stormed upstairs. "I'm done talking to you guys! I'm going to study!"
"This kid's so rude, Tetsu-kun…" Sayoko started, bending over to clear the dishes, but before she could finish, Tetsu gave her a playful smack on her full figure.
Jiggle.
Sayoko's eyes shimmered with mischief as Tetsu laughed. "No need to be so polite. I'm not gonna bicker with a kid. But… you've been getting a bit bold lately, haven't you?"
"Hmph, and whose fault is that, Tetsu-kun?" Sayoko murmured, her cheeks flushing. Tetsu grinned, pulling her into his arms. "What was that? I didn't catch it."
"Hey! Aoi's still upstairs!" Sayoko's face reddened, her figure squirming unconsciously. Just then, Aoi's voice rang out from above.
"Sayoko-chan, help me move this desk! I can't do it alone!"
"This kid…" Sayoko sighed, planting a quick kiss on Tetsu's cheek—much to his chagrin—before heading to the sink with the dishes, her hips swaying.
"She's gotta move out eventually!" Tetsu muttered, his morning fun ruined. But as Sayoko reached the stairs, she turned back, whispering in his ear, "Be patient. The nurse outfit I ordered online arrives this afternoon."
"You little minx!"