"Boss, I brought everyone to check in and cheer you on!"
Leading the group, Miyoko Kudou laughed heartily as she approached.
Whether it was because of repeated private instructions from President Touma, or her duties as Senya Minamoto's personal assistant, driver, and manager, Miyoko had good reason to act.
She wanted to ease the slightly awkward and intimate tension between Fusa and Senya earlier. The display had been borderline suggestive, and Miyoko felt she had to intervene.
She deliberately spoke in a cheerful, loud voice, trying to wash away the previous moment and cover it up.
Though it was a bit inconvenient, Miyoko felt a quiet satisfaction.
The girl had grown, now taking action to pursue what she wanted.
Fusa didn't realize the subtle maternal warmth hidden in Miyoko's gaze at her. Her attention was entirely on the girls who had arrived.
The Takanashi sisters weren't the focus; it was the other three. Miyoko couldn't read their expressions exactly, but she could sense a certain meaning in the way they studied Fusa thoughtfully.
"You're here," Senya Minamoto said calmly as he stood. "Why didn't you rest at the hotel?"
Toka smiled and nodded slightly to Fusa, who returned the gesture. Only then did Toka explain, "Everyone's interested in seeing you at work, so they wanted to come by."
"What's so interesting about work? It's boring," Senya replied, smiling at each of them in turn. "You could rest a bit at the hotel. Wouldn't it be more fun to change into swimsuits and rent a sunshade at the beach?"
Toka shrugged lightly. "There's plenty of time. It's not urgent. Opportunities like this don't come often. If we're bothering you, we can leave anytime."
"Bothering me? Not at all. If anything, having you come as a group cheers me up even more. I might even finish early today," Senya said with an even brighter smile.
"Let's hope so," Toka replied.
At that moment, Rokka hurried over and took Fusa's hand with familiarity.
"Long time no see, Fusa."
"Ah… long time no see, Rokka." Fusa, who had almost no friends at school, felt completely unprepared for Rokka's enthusiasm.
Unaware of Fusa's instinctive tension, Rokka chattered on. "What have you been up to? You haven't come over to our house in ages."
"Um… I've been preparing for some piano competitions, so my schedule's been pretty tight," Fusa said, giving a socially acceptable explanation.
The truth was that while she really did have competitions, she could have found time to go out. She simply wasn't used to socializing—Senya was the only exception.
"I see. That's tough. I can imagine it's a lot of work for you," Rokka said earnestly.
"Not really… I'm actually used to this kind of schedule," Fusa replied, and the two continued chatting happily.
Senya watched, pleased. He often pampered Rokka for a reason; she was excellent at keeping the atmosphere lively.
Standing between them, he glanced around. "Seems like introductions aren't necessary."
Everyone already knew Fusa; the differences were only in familiarity. With a subtle cue from Miyoko, Fusa greeted the others quietly, and the earlier awkward moment passed unnoticed.
"Oh, you must be hot walking over here. I've got cold drinks—Saeko, Shiina, Eriri, what do you want?"
"These are from your worksite… maybe we shouldn't…"
"Don't worry about it, it's nothing. I insist," Senya said.
"Then we won't be polite…"
Miyoko watched as Senya chatted easily with the newly arrived girls and quietly marveled at her boss's audacity.
Earlier, she had sensed a faint twinge of jealousy from Shiina and Eriri—yet Senya seemed completely unaware. Or perhaps he noticed but chose to act as if he hadn't.
Such subtlety at his age… Miyoko recalled her previous boss, Yoko Touma, whose romantic life had been chaotic. She sighed briefly, then smiled. Impossible—Senya was nothing like that.
For example, when a young female idol approached him during a TV interview, asking for his contact, he refused politely, citing company rules. Miyoko quickly intervened, giving her own card.
At book signings, she had also seen male fans hug him and he reciprocate warmly, but with female fans, he maintained a professional distance. It was clear he treated men and women differently with principle.
Miyoko admired this—Senya handled relationships discreetly, unlike Touma's chaotic years, which had required her constant attention and vigilance.
"Senya, please change into this outfit for the shoot," said two female staff carrying a set of clothes.
Having awards and novels to his name, they addressed him respectfully as "Sensei."
"Thank you, ladies," Senya said politely, bowing slightly.
The girls around him imitated the bow. Rokka hesitated slightly but Toka nudged her gently.
"It's no trouble. You're friends of Senya-sensei, right? No need to be so formal," the staff said.
They stayed, one carrying a makeup kit, ready to touch up Senya after he changed.
They couldn't help noticing the swarm of young, beautiful girls around him. It was unprecedented. Truly, the new rising mystery novelist and kendo prodigy attracted quite a following.
"Senya, will you change right here?" Eriri asked curiously.
"Of course not. The shirt alone? Maybe. But I'm changing everything," Senya said, pointing to a small triangular tent beside him for changing.
Shiina giggled, amused at someone's ignorance, while Eriri glared at her.
Senya stepped into the tent and soon emerged, now wearing a printed shirt and wide-legged shorts.
His style had shifted from street fashion to casual resort wear.
Yet no matter the outfit, Senya's fit physique and striking features made everything look natural.
The staff suppressed their surprise and attraction, reminding themselves this was work. They approached to adjust his hair and touch up makeup.
Most notably, his previously buttoned shirt was now unfastened, revealing sculpted muscles and exuding masculine energy.
For the photoshoot, beach attire required such exposure, and Senya didn't mind. The surrounding girls, however, were visibly captivated.
"I'll start the shoot now. You don't need to stay here the whole time. If you get bored, feel free to go play. I'll find you as soon as I'm done," Senya said, walking toward the shoot.
Miyoko watched him leave, still savoring the scene, fanning her flushed face and scolding herself: how could she lose her composure like that? And he was just a kid!
She refocused on the girls around her.
"As Senya said, he'll be busy for a while. What do you all think? Should we—"
No need to continue.
Saeko and Toka stared straight at where Senya had gone.
Shiina and Eriri each pulled out their phones, ready to photograph.
Fusa sat next to Rokka, resting her chin in her hand, as if rooting herself to the spot.
Miyoko realized her earlier plans were unnecessary.
While things were calm now, Senya's situation with the girls was already showing early signs of complexity. Soon, it might be even trickier than the stories with Touma.
The shoot continued intermittently until just past 2 p.m.
Starting at nine in the morning, the actual working time was only around four hours—not long, and Senya didn't mind.
After winning the Ranpo Award, his days had been packed with interviews and signings, eating in transit, limiting water intake to avoid bathroom breaks—now this felt easy in comparison.
Yet from the girls' perspective, watching him under the blazing sun, guzzling water, and sweating constantly, with countless towels exchanged, was worrying.
Toka felt it most acutely. She tried to hide it, but Saeko noticed and offered quiet reassurance.
Saeko had firsthand experience with Senya's extraordinary physical endurance from kendo and other practice sessions.
Despite still worrying, Toka forced herself to appear calm.
Finally, the shoot ended, and Senya and Miyoko thanked the staff individually.
Seeing a quiet moment, Fusa leaned toward Saeko, her cheeks flushed, lashes fluttering.
"Saeko, about what I mentioned this morning… I'm counting on you later."
Saeko, who had been quietly supervising Rokka, tilted her head slightly, brushed her hair back, and smiled warmly.
"Don't worry. Leave it to me."
…
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