Chapter 49: Old Tricks Have Always Won Hearts

"I'll pick a song first!"

Feeling quite embarrassed after blurting out such a bold remark, Takanashi Yuki turned away and rushed to grab the remote control for the karaoke machine.

"Too bad, I've already selected one."

Ishiguro Aine remained unfazed by her scuffle, standing straight up to claim the microphone.

At the same time, the instrumental prelude began to play inside the room, and the title of the song appeared on the small television screen—it was Aragaki Yui's version of "Small Love Song".

In Japanese karaoke boxes, "Small Love Song" is considered a popular hit, available in both male and female versions. While the lyrics are remarkably similar, the pitch and melody differ completely.

The male version is very rock-oriented, whereas the female version is sweet and tender, creating a completely different vibe when sung.

"Eh... How can you do that? I clearly grabbed it first just now."

Seeing her steal the first song, Takanashi Yuki pouted in protest.

To this complaint, Ishiguro Aine, who already held the microphone, simply turned around, flashed a smile at her, and started singing.

Realizing that the performance had begun, Takanashi Yuki decided not to interrupt and instead picked up the remote control from the table.

"What song should I sing..."

Meanwhile, Utada Kyoko was playing with her smartphone, continuously scrolling through music apps to find a track from her favorite playlist.

Although this wasn't her first time at a karaoke box—in fact, she was a frequent visitor—today she was here with a handsome guy, and she wanted to put on a good performance.

As for Sakai Yoshino, she was busy adjusting the lighting inside the private room.

Lighting is an indispensable element for creating a comfortable environment.

Since everyone else was busy, Sugawara Ryuichi, a newcomer to this dynamic, simply observed each of them.

Although he had only been to a karaoke box with Yamabuki Yue a few days prior, the experience and atmosphere of coming back with Takanashi Yuki and her friends felt worlds apart.

Where did the difference lie? Perhaps it was the unwritten rules, or perhaps a sense of self-consciousness.

For instance, taking turns singing one song each—while such an underlying rule was fair and ensured everyone had a chance to participate, the invisible pressure of having to conform inevitably cast a slight shadow over what should have been carefree and joyful fun.

Just then, Takanashi Yuki, who had been toying with the remote, noticed that he was sitting in place without moving. She crawled right over from across the sofa and settled down beside him once again.

"I've picked my song. What are you going to sing?"

Even though he was someone she had hired and paid for out of her own pocket, Takanashi Yuki couldn't help but care about his feelings, worried that he might be bored.

"What song do you want to hear me sing?"

Faced with this question, Sugawara Ryuichi had an answer in mind, but instead of stating it directly, he met her gaze and turned the question back on her.

The dim, hazy environment naturally narrowed the distance between people.

[Takanashi Yuki's heart skipped a beat, affection value +1]

"Asking when you already know the answer. Didn't they just tell you?"

***

Meeting his handsome eyes and hearing such a blush-inducing remark, Takanashi Yuki couldn't help rolling her eyes at him and muttered a soft retort.

On the way to the private room earlier, she had noticed the little conspiracies among her three good girlfriends.

Although she hadn't deliberately eavesdropped on what they were saying, knowing her close friends as well as she did, she didn't need to guess to know what was going on.

"Tell me what? They didn't say anything."

Realizing how low her defense was, Sugawara Ryuichi feigned ignorance, deliberately teasing her.

"Still playing dumb, are we? Lemon, it's Lemon."

Seeing him put on an act of innocent incomprehension, Takanashi Yuki chuckled helplessly and gave him a light punch.

"Since you want to hear me sing that one, then it'll be that song."

Hearing her say the title of the song herself, Sugawara Ryuichi readily agreed.

"Then I'll queue up Lemon for you."

As expected, because he had deliberately teased her, Takanashi Yuki rolled her eyes at him once more, though she didn't take it to heart, and simply operated the remote control in her hands with practiced familiarity.

"Thank you for the trouble... And I really didn't know what they said, because what they say doesn't count. Only what you say matters."

After nodding in confirmation, Sugawara Ryuichi watched her busy movements and suddenly leaned in close to her ear to whisper.

"!"

Feeling his warm breath against her ear and listening to his words, Takanashi Yuki paused in her song selection for a split second, unable to stop herself from glancing sideways at him.

Realizing that he hadn't been teasing her just then, but was genuinely listening only to her words, her heart began to race uncontrollably.

[Takanashi Yuki felt a surge of deep emotion, affection value +2]

Seeing these words materialize before his eyes, Sugawara Ryuichi smiled at her and leaned back into his proper posture.

He had familiarized himself with the profession of a rental boyfriend beforehand, and when he thought to himself that he could handle the job easily, he wasn't joking.

As someone who had romantic experience in his past life—and had been in several relationships at that—he certainly knew a trick or two about making girls happy.

The most common way to make a girl happy was to let her stand out from the crowd and give her a unique sense of being specially recognized.

Especially making a girl stand out among her close girlfriends; the emotional value delivered in such a moment was maximized.

Perhaps another tactic was playing hard to get—suppressing first and lifting later, pretending the girl wasn't special to provoke her competitive spirit. But that method had limited applicability... for one, it required a clear point of comparison, and the trick was very easy to botch.

Just then, the door to the private room swung open, and a male waiter walked in carrying a tray, placing the drinks on the table one by one.

After finishing, since Ishiguro Aine was still singing, he didn't speak, but simply gave a polite bow to everyone and exited the room.

Once he left, Sugawara Ryuichi stood up to distribute the cluster of drinks on the table.

He had memorized everyone's orders beforehand: Utada Kyoko wanted orange juice, Sakai Yoshino wanted cola, and Ishiguro Aine wanted barley tea.

"Ah, thank you."

Suffering from indecision and still browsing for songs on her phone, Utada Kyoko looked pleasantly surprised when he slid the orange juice over to her, and she hurriedly expressed her gratitude.

After pushing everyone's drinks to their respective spots, Sugawara Ryuichi finally pulled the last two cups over to his own side.

Actually, this was also a small psychological trick: by allocating the drinks to different positions, he established a fixed seating arrangement for everyone.

Although people could always pick up their drinks and rearrange themselves, unless there was a compelling reason, they generally preferred not to change.

Influenced by inertia, most people preferred staying in their comfort zone and held an instinctive resistance to change.

"Thank you."

Seeing him place the lemonade in front of her, Takanashi Yuki thanked him and immediately picked it up to drink.

Having talked so much all the way from school to the karaoke box, she had been thirsty for a while.

"Wait."

Noticing her action, Sugawara Ryuichi quickly tried to stop her, but he was a beat too slow.

"What is it?"

Lowering the cup after quenching her thirst, Takanashi Yuki asked, looking somewhat puzzled.

"Nothing."

Sugawara Ryuichi glanced at the rim of the cup, which was now stained with a trace of lipstick, and shook his head.

"What on earth is it?"

"Nothing."

"Don't be so secretive, just say what's on your mind. Acting like this makes me feel awkward."

Realizing that he had clearly tried to stop her just now yet refused to explain, Takanashi Yuki felt a twinge of anxiety and began scrutinizing the cup on the table.

Could there be something wrong with her drink? But it tasted just like usual, and the lemon slice inside looked completely normal.

"Actually, I just wanted to ask you for a slice of lemon... because I feel like cola without lemon lacks a soul."

There is a limit to everything, and knowing when to stop is key. Seeing her genuine curiosity and persistent questioning, Sugawara Ryuichi had no choice but to confess the truth.

[Takanashi Yuki's heart skipped a beat, affection value +1]

"The drink fees are a flat rate anyway, you can drink as much as you want. Why didn't you just order a cup of lemonade instead of eyeing my lemon slice?"

Realizing that was the reason he had stopped her, Takanashi Yuki felt a mix of speechlessness and amusement, and rolled her eyes at him.