The dinner with Sayuri Sawamura and Eriri went smoothly.
Upon hearing Ichin's request, Sayuri agreed without hesitation and offered to help him find a suitable music producer. The Sawamura family's connections in Tokyo were quite solid. While it might be a hassle to get in touch with top-tier singers and composers, Ichin didn't need that level of star power—he just needed someone capable of arranging music.
So Sayuri's task was simple: find a skilled musician who could jump in immediately. Fame wasn't the priority—competence was.
After dinner, Ichin didn't have Sayuri drive them home. Instead, he chose to stroll around with Utaha for a while.
Even though it was still winter, the warmth from a good meal kept them from feeling cold. Arm in arm, the two wandered through the streets and stopped by an accessory shop, where Ichin bought Utaha a few headbands and hair ties.
When they passed a bubble tea shop, Ichin made a quick call back to the studio and picked up some drinks for the people still working—Kō Yagami, Rin Toyama, and Umiko.
On the bus ride back, Ichin found himself thinking about what to do for Valentine's Day in a few days.
Even though he and Utaha had been dating for a while, their relationship had progressed quickly. They'd already met each other's parents. Still, this would be their _first_ Valentine's Day together.
A candlelight dinner, just the two of them?
It might be a bit cliché, but sometimes the classics were best—safe and meaningful. Given the current state of their relationship, a grand surprise wasn't necessary. What mattered was simply spending time together.
Once they got off the bus, Ichin shared his idea with Utaha.
"A candlelight dinner? Sounds good to me."
Still holding onto Ichin's arm, Utaha gave a little tug on the scarf they were sharing. "A romantic dinner on Valentine's Day—I'm looking forward to it!"
Back at the studio, after handing out the bubble teas, Ichin turned to the trio and asked, "Valentine's Day is on Monday. Any plans?"
The room fell silent instantly.
Rin Toyama kept sneaking glances at Kō Yagami, but didn't have the courage to say anything. With only two days left, no one knew if she'd make a move or not.
Umiko and Kō were more relaxed about it. Sipping her tea, Umiko crossed her legs and said, "I'll probably go play a match with some of the girls from the Survival Shooting Club. Oh, and can I take that day off?"
Ichin gave her an "OK" gesture.
"No problem. Anyone who wants to take the day off can. It'll be a paid holiday."
Kō slumped dramatically over her desk. "Getting a day off just to be a lonely single... I feel so attacked right now."
After a series of meaningful glances exchanged between Ichin and Utaha, Rin finally mustered her courage. She tugged lightly on Kō's sleeve and said, "Kō... let's go out on Monday. We can look for some good food and just spend the whole day having fun. I mean, Ichin-kun did say we could have a paid day off."
Kō looked up at her with a flicker of hope. "Go out? Yeah, that sounds great. Come to think of it, it _has_ been a while since we really hung out. Can we go to an arcade?"
"Anywhere you want, Kō."
"Alright, it's a date then!"
Kō was thrilled to have someone to spend Valentine's Day with. Rin, equally happy, was just glad she'd get to be with Kō.
And Umiko?
She was perfectly content with her gun, her match, and a good battle to look forward to.
It was Saturday, and everyone still came in to work at the studio.
After a lazy morning and breakfast, Ichin and Utaha also arrived and began asking those who hadn't been around last night about their plans for Valentine's Day.
To Narumi, the word "Valentine's Day" still felt foreign. In her 20 years of life, she had never celebrated it—and this year would be no different.
"Monday? Momo and I have classes. Important ones too, so we can't skip. We'll be stuck at school the whole day."
Momiji Mochizuki casually popped a chip into her mouth and nodded, "Mm, Valentine's Day? Not that big of a deal. Feels just like any other day."
Shinoda and Yun Iijima shared similar sentiments. They planned to come in to work as usual during the day, then leave early in the afternoon to have dinner with their families. For them—single as they were—Valentine's Day just wasn't a significant event.
Seeing that no one seemed interested in going out, Aoba thought she'd ask her bestie, Nene Sakura, if she had any special plans.
But before she could even say anything, Nene smiled brightly and said, "Me? I'm joining Umiko-senpai on Monday for a survival shooting game tournament!"
"Eh?!"
Aoba was stunned. She had no idea!
Umiko, arms folded, nodded with confidence. "Yep. Nene's improved a lot. It won't be long before she becomes one of the core members of our team."
Both Umiko and Nene were part of the programming team, and Nene had been learning from Umiko quite a bit lately. They got along well, but no one had expected Nene to actually join Umiko in playing survival shooting games!
Apparently, their relationship was closer than anyone had thought.
As for Aoba—she just felt drained. In an instant, it seemed like she had no one to hang out with.
"Nene…"
"Hm? What is it, Aoba?"
Nene turned to her, smiling brightly. "Do you want to come too? But this time might be tricky—we're already at max team capacity!"
"Ahaha, it's fine! Just have fun, okay?"
"Don't worry!" Nene gave Aoba a thumbs-up. "We're totally going to win!"
After their quick chat, Nene dashed off to discuss Monday's game plan with Umiko.
Left behind, Aoba slumped onto her desk, silently fiddling with the little stress-relief toy next to her mouse.
Just then, someone approached and lightly poked her twice.
Aoba paused and turned her head—only to see Hifumi standing there.
"Hifumi-senpai? What's up?"
Blushing slightly, Hifumi leaned in and said softly, "Um… do you want to come over to my place on Monday?"
"Go to your place?"
Aoba's mood instantly flipped from downcast to excited. She nodded quickly, "Yes! I'd love to!"
Seeing Aoba agree made Fumi beam with joy, her face turning even redder. "Great! I'll prepare something tasty for you."
As everyone excitedly discussed their Monday plans, the group's unofficial "big sister," Hazuki, pushed up her glasses. Her composed expression finally started to crack.
Ahem…
Was no one going to invite _her_?
...
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