"So, Miss Nyamuchi, you're a beauty vlogger?"
Kikukawa Kyo, who had inserted herself into the conversation, quickly got up to speed on the situation from her sister. Then, as if she had no intention of getting involved, she simply nodded and went about opening her can of coffee.
There was always one annoying thing about canned drinks—the rim always held a few leftover drops of liquid after taking a sip. Kyo, unwilling to let even a tiny bit go to waste, stuck out her tongue and tried to lap up the stray droplets.
After a couple of attempts, however, she ended up smearing a bit of the dark liquid onto her lips instead. The color spread unevenly, staining her lips in an irregular pattern.
Although she quickly licked her lips to clean it off, Nyamu had already taken notice. A thought flashed through her mind—Miss Kikukawa would look amazing in liquid lipstick or a lip tint.
With both Sakiko and Kyo suddenly joining the conversation, the discussion had veered off track. Yuu took the opportunity to rethink whether she should allow this beauty vlogger to film in the bookstore.
Personally, Yuu didn't mind. Any extra publicity for the store was a good thing. When she first opened the shop, her mother had even offered to help promote it—something that would have instantly put it on the map.
But Yuu had turned her down. She didn't want to risk tarnishing her mother's reputation if the bookstore ended up failing.
Now that Sakiko had given her approval, Yuu figured she'd check with the other employees before making a final decision.
Just as she was about to explain this to Nyamu and ask for a few days to confirm with the staff, Kyo suddenly spoke up.
"Alright, Sis, you haven't eaten lunch yet."
Kyo tilted back her nearly empty can, letting the last few drops fall into her mouth. Finishing off the coffee seemed to wake her up a little, making her movements livelier. She waved a hand at her sister, shooing her off.
"Go eat already. And make sure to clean up your lunchbox. I'll take care of things here."
"Okay, I'm leaving it to you then." Yuu, placing full trust in Kyo, nodded briefly at Nyamu before heading back to the break room.
Nyamu was taken aback.
Miss Kikukawa really trusts her sister that much?
No matter how you looked at it, Kyo was still just a middle school graduate. From the way Yuu had been handling Sakiko earlier, it was obvious that today's discussion wouldn't be settled right away—she would at least need to check with all the employees first.
After all, there was no way Sakiko was the only young, part-time-looking worker in a bookstore this size.
But the moment Kyo stepped in, Yuu handed everything over without a second thought. That had to be more than just sisterly affection—it was trust in Kyo's ability.
Meow meow… why am I suddenly feeling a bit of pressure?
Nyamu, who was a full head taller than Kyo, straightened up slightly.
No matter. If I can establish a direct connection with Kyo, that works even better for me.
She's just a kid, after all. How hard could it be for a seasoned pro like Nyamuchi to wrap her around her finger?
"Then, Miss…?"
"Just call me Nyamuchi desu~," Nyamu chimed in smoothly.
"Alright then, Miss Nyamuchi," Kyo responded naturally. "How about we continue this conversation at the café next door?"
She's pretty good at handling this kind of social interaction, Nyamu thought. Guess that's what happens when you've had experience in the entertainment industry, even at a young age.
But Nyamu wasn't a rookie either—she had been navigating this world for quite some time. There was no way she'd be caught off guard so easily.
Or so she thought.
"After all," Kyo continued casually, "Miss Nyamuchi isn't really here for the bookstore, is she? Changing locations shouldn't be an issue."
Nyamu's composed smile froze slightly.
"And what makes you say that? Nyamuchi put a lot of effort into this project, you know," she replied, lightly touching her cheek with one hand while crossing her other arm in a subtly defensive posture.
"Miss Nyamuchi is more interested in Kikukawa than in the bookstore, no?" Kyo said bluntly. "Your focus is beauty content, which is loosely tied to the entertainment industry. From the start, your real targets were either my sister—or me. It wasn't hard to figure out."
Nyamu quickly retracted her earlier assessment of Kyo being simply "good at socializing."
This girl doesn't just handle social interactions well—she straight-up rips off the mask and lays everything bare.
"Oh dear, Miss Kyo, usually in negotiations like this, both parties maintain a mutual understanding and ease into things, don't they? Who just throws everything on the table right at the start?"
Was this just a kid's way of thinking? Negotiations were supposed to be a gradual push and pull, not a direct bulldozing of expectations. And yet, it was precisely because of how unpolished and straightforward Kyo's approach was that Nyamu found herself momentarily at a loss.
For the first time, her carefully cultivated professional voice faltered, revealing a hint of her natural tone.
I'm nowhere near as good at this as Uika…
She couldn't help but recall a certain someone who had left her feeling similarly outmatched.
Just then, Kyo abruptly shifted gears. The sharp, aggressive edge in her tone softened, her demeanor turning casual.
"Apologies, Miss Nyamuchi. I just prefer laying things out clearly. Adult-style social maneuvering is too much of a hassle for me."
"I'm not against your project, by the way. Being upfront just makes it easier for me to understand what you're aiming for, so we can reach a proper agreement."
"Miss Kyo, you say that, but you seem to be quite good with words yourself," Nyamu replied, forcing a smile that now felt a little strained.
I just got played, didn't I?
From the side, Sakiko had been silently observing the entire exchange.
At first, it had been a polite back-and-forth negotiation. But as soon as Kyo took over, the entire dynamic shifted—she was now firmly in control of the conversation.
Sakiko couldn't help but recall how she herself had been "persuaded" by Kyo before.
In her case, Kyo had used a gentler approach—going along with her before subtly guiding her into a decision.
With Nyamu, however, she had gone in with an aggressive opening strike, catching her off guard, only to smoothly transition into reasonable diplomacy.
She adjusts based on the opponent… What a slippery one.
Sakiko suddenly felt a surprising sense of solidarity with Nyamu.
She's at Kyo's mercy now. This conversation is going to be completely on Kyo's terms from here on out.