r18novel Chapter 17 Ordinary and As Should
Chapter 17 Ordinary and As Should
"It's terrifying! What are you all doing? You all look like female ghosts. Is the Sadako crew casting here?"
After adjusting her mood, Rito put on a smile again and walked up to the first-generation trainees. One sentence from her made more than a dozen girls stop crying and start laughing.
"What are you saying, President? She's a female idol, you know."
Taking advantage of the hustle and bustle of the crowd, a voice emerged from the throng. It sounded somewhat familiar, but Rito couldn't place it. Looking again, he couldn't find the speaker. He shook his head and said with a smile:
"Don't forget you haven't debuted yet; you can only be called trainees right now, okay?"
"Pshaw, it's on TV, what's the difference?"
Rito clearly recognized who said that. He glared at the disrespectful Shui Shui, then the club president's face hardened as he reprimanded her, "Nagahama, you're the center of our Nogizaka46's first single. Watch your words! Don't let me hear that kind of language from your mouth again, understand?"
Shuishui pouted and reluctantly said "I know," then mumbled something in a very soft voice, which Liren vaguely heard, but he was too lazy to argue with her. He rolled his eyes and turned to the other side.
"Sakurai." After scanning the crowd, he finally focused his gaze on the captain who was clinging to Wakatsuki, and beckoned her over.
"President." Sakura walked up to him, exuding a strange aura that was both nonchalant and inexplicably charming. Rito glanced at her but didn't dare to look any longer. He took out a bank card and handed it to her: "Captain, today is everyone's first time on TV, you've all worked hard. You guys discuss it yourselves and find a place to have dinner together tonight. Have your manager give me the card tomorrow."
"Hi, I understand, thank you, President." Sakura Team, not feeling anything was wrong, nodded and happily took the card back.
"Alright, stop crying. The president will treat you to a big meal tonight. Wipe your tears and go home with your manager."
Using a simple food tactic to resolve the women's emotional issues, Rito raised an eyebrow at the banana men who were watching the show from the sidelines. Since they had already decided to cooperate long-term, she had never treated them unfairly. It was truly hateful that these two older brothers didn't help her clean up this mess.
Shitara and Himura, who understood his meaning, laughed and said that this was a good opportunity specially reserved for him to comfort the girls. Of course, Rito was unwilling to admit this. The three of them joked with each other for a while. Then Himura suggested that if Rito was free in the evening, how about having dinner with them?
"Just us?"
Li Ren was somewhat tempted. Because he was a transmigrator, he wasn't familiar with the original circle of friends of this body. After getting to know them, he didn't really want to get to know them better. However, he was quite into comedians like Banana Man, who had stood the test of time, so he didn't immediately refuse.
"Of course, we're not that oblivious. But if Mr. Kubo thinks the atmosphere isn't quite right, we can call over a few of our female colleagues from the agency."
Himura chuckled, which, combined with his goofy-looking face, made him look even more comical. Rito's lips twitched, and he waved his hands repeatedly to indicate that he didn't mean it that way.
"President, Mr. Himura, what are you talking about?"
A crisp sound came from behind, carrying the energy unique to athletes. Rito turned around and saw Watanabe Miho standing not far away with a backpack on her back. Her round eyes were bright and sparkling, but the tips of her ears were slightly red, as if she had heard something she shouldn't have.
Yuuki Himura's eyes lit up, and he deliberately dragged out his words: "Oh my, it's Miho-chan, right? We were just talking about finding a place to grab a drink tonight to celebrate the successful recording of the first episode. We're just missing a young and pretty girl to liven things up. Do you want to come?"
"Himura-san!" Rito frowned and quickly stopped them, "Watanabe is only a few years old, let's not invite her to drink."
Shitara, who was watching the drama unfold, chimed in, "Kubo-san, you're being too cautious. It's perfectly normal for the president to have dinner with his artists. They haven't even debuted yet, nobody knows them, what's there to be afraid of?"
Rito glanced at the bewildered Qiuqiu, but didn't budge despite their persuasion. He shook his head and firmly refused, "No way. I don't care what other people in the industry do, but she's my person. She has no right to be a hostess."
Banana people are seasoned veterans in the industry, having weathered many storms. Hearing his tone, they knew he was serious. The two exchanged a glance, their smiles immediately fading. Shira crossed her arms in front of her and bowed apologetically to Qiuqiu:
"I'm sorry, Watanabe-san, we were both a bit careless with our words just now, please don't take it to heart."
Miho Watanabe was just basking in the joy of her boss taking her out for a delicious meal when she was completely caught off guard by the sudden change in atmosphere. She was flustered and quickly looked to her boss for help.
"It's nothing, Banana Man-san was just joking with you. Go back, let the captain take you out for a big meal."
Li Ren patted her on the shoulder, and his warm smile reassured her a lot. Having received instructions, Qiuqiu stopped lingering, bowed to the president and Banana Man, and quickly ran away with her little backpack on.
With Qiuqiu gone, the tense atmosphere eased considerably. Looking at the silent, seemingly repentant banana-man, Rito pondered for a moment before explaining:
"I'm sorry, I overreacted just now. I'm not afraid to admit it, but I really treat these kids as friends, not just as ordinary celebrities. Some things may be commonplace in the industry, but I still don't want them to become like that. Please forgive me if I have offended you."
Since the dignified Dentsu man had already put it this way, what could the banana man say? Naturally, he could only agree and keep the information that he cherished his idol in his heart. Then, Himura used a couple of tricks to play dumb, and soon the atmosphere returned to its previous harmony. The three of them walked side by side toward the parking lot, as if the little episode had never happened.
"Miho, what's wrong?"
In the same parking lot, following Qiuqiu's gaze, she saw the president and the banana man's departing figures. Xiaobaihe frowned, turned to look at her companion who had been staring absentmindedly out the window since getting into the car, and asked worriedly.
"Hmm?" Qiuqiu responded loudly, attracting the attention of most of the carriage. Then she quickly shrank back, hiding behind the seat, and whispered:
"No, I just feel really lucky to have been able to join Nogizaka46."