Seeing that Utaha had finally stopped teasing her—the eternally single one—Eriri calmed down a bit and said, "You two sure are having a relaxing day."
"Well, it _is_ the weekend. We're allowed to relax," Utaha replied as she leaned gently against Ichin and looked at Eriri on the screen. "So, what's up? What's the news?"
"It's about Ichin-kun finding a music producer. Mom's found someone, but they're currently out of Tokyo, working on an album for a singer. They'll be back next week. Mom asked me to let you know. She's also compiling the person's profile and will send it to Ichin-kun shortly. If it seems like a good match, you can schedule a meeting next week to discuss possible collaboration."
Ichin's eyes lit up at the mention of progress on the music front. "Great. I'll check out the materials Aunt Sayuri sends over. Thanks, Eriri."
"No problem. Just a small favor."
Waving it off casually, Eriri continued, "Oh, and about the club acquisition—Mom's already talked it over with everyone in the club. No objections. If you've got time, Ichin-kun, you should stop by and formally handle the merger."
"Got it."
Two pieces of good news—definitely a day full of pleasant surprises.
Once the business talk was over, Ichin left the chatting to Utaha and Eriri. He received the files from Sayuri Sawamura and went back to his room to review them on his computer.
The music producer Sayuri had found wasn't a big-name celebrity, but her resume was surprisingly strong.
She graduated from a prestigious school, had studied abroad, and had participated in album production for several top-tier and mid-tier artists.
Her strengths were in arrangement—specifically orchestral and jazz styles. While that made her highly skilled, it also limited her opportunities, since most pop artists don't typically request jazz arrangements. If she didn't find a matching artist, her talents couldn't be fully utilized.
But for Ichin, she was a perfect fit. Her expertise in orchestration and jazz was exactly what he needed.
He immediately messaged Sayuri, agreeing to a meeting with the producer next week.
Sayuri had no issues. Ten minutes later, she confirmed Friday afternoon as the meeting time—just after school, leaving plenty of time to talk.
With the music producer settled, Ichin also briefly discussed the Lily Club acquisition with Sayuri. They agreed that he'd visit on Tuesday afternoon to handle it.
After all the planning was wrapped up, Ichin stretched and opened his notebook, diving straight into composing music for his game.
Though he had already written two songs and two BGM tracks, it still wasn't enough. He needed to create more—so that after finalizing things with the producer next week, they could dive right into collaboration.
Time ticked by as Ichin focused deeply on his work… until he suddenly felt a weight on his back.
"Hey, Ichin, why'd you suddenly jump into work mode?" came Utaha's voice from behind.
Putting down his pen, Ichin turned and rubbed cheeks with her, smiling. "Finished talking with Eriri?"
"Mmhm. Aunt Sayuri took her out for lunch. Speaking of which, we should eat too. What do you want for lunch? I'll cook for you."
"You will?"
That one question made Utaha squint her eyes, her arms slowly tightening around his neck. "What, you don't trust me?"
Ichin immediately activated survival mode. "Ahem—no, no! Not at all. How about fried rice?"
Although Ichin clearly picked something simple—implying he didn't entirely trust her cooking—Utaha didn't argue. She let go and walked out of the room.
"I'll get started now, okay? And don't just sit in the bedroom. Come out and wait."
Since they had a traditional Japanese breakfast at home that morning—courtesy of Utaha's mom—there was leftover rice. Perfect for fried rice.
About ten minutes later, Utaha came out carrying two steaming bowls and set them on the dining table.
"Here we go—lap cheong fried rice."
In the bowls, alongside the usual rice and egg, were tiny red bits of chopped Chinese sausage, glistening with oil and very appetizing.
Ichin leaned in for a sniff—no odd smells. He scooped a spoonful and popped it into his mouth.
"Hmm?"
Seeing him freeze, Utaha immediately panicked and tried a bite herself.
"Tastes normal to me."
Ichin finally chewed and swallowed, then gave her a thumbs-up. "Delicious!"
"If you're going to praise me, at least do it normally. I thought I'd messed up!"
"Come on, it's not _that_ surprising," Ichin said with a laugh after another bite. "Sure, you usually assist in the kitchen, but fried rice? That's totally within your skill range. It's not like you're one of those anime girls who can't tell salt from sugar."
"But I don't _want_ to only know how to make fried rice," Utaha replied with a slight frown. "I've memorized a bunch of Auntie's recipes, but I'm still not great at actually making them."
"That's fine. Just take your time and learn," Ichin said between big mouthfuls. "Not everyone becomes good at something right away—especially cooking. Once you know the steps and practice enough, you'll get better. And even if it doesn't work out, you've got me. As long as one of us can cook, we're set."
Although he meant every word, Utaha still stubbornly replied, "That won't do. I _have_ to learn more dishes. I've decided—I'm cooking dinner too tonight. You're not allowed to help, just supervise from the side."
"Seriously?"
Ichin had no idea how much she had learned from his mom over the New Year, but he'd never seen her cook solo before.
Even if she insisted, Ichin still planned to keep an eye on things—just in case.
After lunch, Ichin went back to his room and resumed work.
Seeing how focused he was, Utaha didn't slack off either. She opened her laptop and began working on her manuscript.
They both worked steadily until about 3 PM, when Utaha finally stopped, left the house, and headed to the studio—calling Kou Yagami to join her.
"You're cooking?" Kou asked in surprise, watching Utaha carefully select ingredients at the supermarket. "Why the sudden decision? Isn't Ichin usually the one who cooks?"
Utaha placed a pack of beef into the shopping cart and declared confidently, "This time I volunteered. I've been learning long enough—time to put it into practice. I won't let Ichin-kun outshine me in everything."
"Huhhh… I see."
Realizing what was going on, Kou smiled and helped Utaha pick out ingredients.
...
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