Asai Yu smiled faintly.
"What? Say that louder—I didn't quite catch it."
Hearing that, Togawa Sakiko clenched her teeth. Embarrassment flushed through her, but in the end she still raised her voice, her tone unmistakably pleading.
"I said—teach me how to play the piano!"
"No problem. Then from now on, you're my student," Asai Yu replied.
Sakiko automatically ignored the second half of that sentence. Confidence returned to her eyes.
"I'm going to surpass you."
Whether it was her competitive streak kicking in or anxiety about the future weighing on her, she had no intention of falling too far behind in piano.
"Your talent is a lot worse than mine, so you'll need to practice more," Asai Yu said flatly.
"But that's something for later. For now, watch carefully while I play and listen to the explanation."
As soon as he finished speaking, Sakiko shut her mouth and snapped fully into focus.
Asai Yu played the piano while explaining at the same time.
Before they realized it, two full hours had passed.
It was, without a doubt, a brilliant performance.
Asai Yu stood up, exchanged a greeting with Matsugi Ririko, and, under the gazes of Takamatsu Tomori and Shiina Taki, left RiNG.
Waiting by the entrance was Wakaba Mutsumi, exactly as they had agreed.
"Let's go," Asai Yu said as he walked up to her.
Mutsumi couldn't help the anticipation rising in her chest.
"Mm."
Some time later, she followed "Togawa Sakiko" to her newly rented apartment.
Compared to Sakiko's previous place, the environment was noticeably better.
Mutsumi gradually relaxed. It seemed Sakiko's situation lately really had improved quite a bit.
After chatting casually with Mutsumi for a while, Asai Yu pulled out his phone to check his messages.
Most of them were from Matsugi Ririko. This time, several bands from Three-Month Forest had contacted them looking to buy songs. For convenience, Ririko had already forwarded all their contact information.
Looks like things are about to get busy.
[Reward settled: 48,000 yen. Deposited into the system and available at any time.]
[Part-time bonus Lv.3 (241/2000)]
So Ririko had already transferred the money—his pianist fee had synced in as well.
Honestly, it still felt like being that "donut lady's" private piano tutor paid faster.
Since Wakaba Mutsumi—both a client and a childhood friend—was still there, Asai Yu simply sat with her in the living room and talked.
He steered most of the conversation himself, asking about the small details of her daily life.
What she said gave Asai Yu a deeper understanding of her. Life wasn't easy for this doll-like girl either.
Endless remedial lessons, never-ending extracurricular classes, appearances at all kinds of upper-class social events she disliked, and participation in high-profile variety shows she didn't enjoy.
In the end, the only person she could truly open up to was him—her one real friend.
Asai Yu offered a few words of comfort, then glanced at the time.
The twelve-hour experience window was almost up. After giving Sakiko a brief heads-up in his mind, he withdrew from the body.
The one sitting there now was the real Togawa Sakiko.
At a single glance, Wakaba Mutsumi noticed the change. It was the real Saki—she was back.
Joy flashed through her eyes. She was just about to speak when Sakiko's calm, distant voice cut in.
"Mutsumi, I still have some things to take care of. I don't have time to keep you company right now."
The happiness drained instantly from Mutsumi's face. The sudden drop left her dazed for a long moment before she slowly replied,
"…Okay. Then I'll head out first."
Watching the girl leave the apartment, Sakiko stayed silent for a long time. Finally, she let out a soft hmph, turned back inside, and began composing for the day.
When Asai Yu returned to his own body, it was already past six in the evening.
Following the address from his messages, he arrived in front of a sushi restaurant—fifteen minutes early.
Misumi Uika seemed to have arrived even earlier. She was already seated inside, and when she saw him, she smiled and waved.
"Good evening, Misumi-san,"
Asai Yu said as he walked in.
"Mm, good evening, Asai-kun," the blonde girl replied, wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap.
They sat side by side in front of a conveyor belt, plates of sushi gliding past. You just picked what you wanted, and the bill was settled by counting the plates at the end—a classic kaiten-zushi setup.
"Is sumimi's event over already?" Asai Yu asked while sampling the sushi.
"Yeah. Mana and I are heading back to Tokyo tomorrow," Misumi Uika replied.
"We'll probably be active in Tokyo for quite a while. Chances are we won't be back in Osaka again this year."
She added, almost casually, "Mana seems a bit down about it. I think it's because she won't have another chance to see you, Asai-kun."
"…What does that have to do with me?"
Asai Yu frowned.
And that statement itself didn't make much sense. After talking things through with Sumita Mana yesterday, they should be seeing each other fairly often.
Looks like that straightforward idol had been thoroughly misled by the "donut lady."
"Because Asai-kun saved Mana's life," Misumi Uika said.
"She's always taken that very seriously."
Asai Yu didn't respond. He simply sped up his assault on the conveyor-belt sushi.
Ever since learning just how much top-tier idols made, he'd completely abandoned any notion of restraint—and went all out at Misumi Uika's expense.
After they left the sushi restaurant, a flyer suddenly drifted down and landed at Misumi Uika's feet.
She picked it up—and discovered it was a promotional poster for Osaka's planetarium.
Her violet eyes lit up instantly. She'd never been to the Osaka planetarium before and couldn't help wondering how it compared to the one in Tokyo.
Asai Yu noticed the poster too, anime scenes of planetariums flashing through his mind unbidden.
Misumi Uika suggested cheerfully,
"Asai-kun, have you ever been to a planetarium? Want to go check it out together? I've been lots of times—it's really fun."
"Yeah, I'm pretty interested too," Asai Yu nodded, answering honestly.
Some time later, they arrived at the planetarium. After buying two tickets, they entered together.
Everything matched Asai Yu's expectations: lie down at the assigned spot, lights off once it started, then the ceiling projected a simulated night sky.
Their seats were right next to each other.
After lying down, a faint, lingering scent drifted into Asai Yu's nose—he couldn't tell whether it was the girl's natural fragrance or perfume.
Isn't this version of the film a bit outdated?
The largest star is UY Scuti?
Then where did you put Stevenson 2-18?
So black holes haven't even been directly observed yet?
Then where did all those black hole photos I saw come from?
The visuals weren't bad, but Asai Yu decided he probably wouldn't come back.
Beside him, though, Misumi Uika was watching with obvious fascination.
After the film ended, they left the planetarium.
"So, what did you think?"
Misumi Uika asked curiously.
Asai Yu didn't sugarcoat it.
"Average. A lot of what they explained in there was just plain wrong."