Rebuilding Sakamichi in a chaotic worldline

Chapter 25 Spring Shadows

Next, Rito spent another day in Osaka, trying the famous okonomiyaki and takoyaki. However, even though he tried to remind himself that these were authentic Kansai dishes, with a quality comparable to freshly baked steamed buns from Shandong, he still felt that they were no different from those made by Osaka people in Tokyo. After apologizing to the people of Kansai in his heart, he left Dotonbori without any hesitation, bought a few souvenirs, and planned to return to Tokyo.

"You're going back already?"

On the desk in the hotel room, the hands-free phone rang on its own. Rito, while packing her luggage, replied, "Yeah, there are still a lot of things that need my attention with the group."

"Oh." In a house just a few hundred meters away, Nishino Nanase lay on her small bed, half of her sock dangling from the edge of her little feet, while she used a facial slimming device to roll around on her face.

"Speak your mind." Rito paused for a moment, his keen senses quickly revealing the unspoken meaning in the girl's words.

"It's nothing, I'm hanging up now. Oh, by the way, when I get back, remember to arrange a good seat for me."

Nana pouted, glanced in the direction of her mother's room, thought for a while, but still didn't tell him about the unpleasant thing that had happened—he would find out soon anyway.

"We'll see how you perform."

Seeing that she wouldn't say, Li Ren didn't bother to ask any more questions, gave a perfunctory reply, and hung up the phone.

After returning to Tokyo by Shinkansen, it was almost dark. Rito hesitated for a moment, but decided to go to the company first. Although Konno was quite reliable and would definitely inform him if there was anything he couldn't handle, he was in the early stages of his business and was at his most enthusiastic, so it wouldn't hurt to go.

After parking his car, Rito walked towards the building. Looking around, apart from the three floors belonging to Nogizaka46, most of the floors were pitch black. Fortunately, the emergency lights were still working, so it didn't turn into a haunted house adventure.

The elevator dinged and stopped at the top floor, the metal doors slowly sliding open to both sides. Rito loosened his tie, and as soon as he stepped out of the elevator, he saw a warm yellow light shining through the crack in the door to his office at the end of the corridor.

Someone's in my office? Li Ren paused for a moment, then suddenly seemed to remember something and smiled.

He walked over quietly, gently pushed open the door, and there stood Yumiko at her desk, head down, intently looking at the documents in her hands. Her short hair fell loosely over her shoulders, showing no signs of styling. The soft light from the desk lamp shone on her profile, the shadows making her face appear even more profound. She held a red pen, scribbling on the documents, occasionally frowning as she jotted down notes in the notebook beside her, giving off the vibe of a typical overtime office worker.

Hearing the door open, Yumiko looked up, saw Rito, her eyes lit up, and then she smiled a little shyly: "Kubo-kun, you're back."

"Yumiko, why haven't you left yet?" Rito closed the door behind him, walked over to her, and looked at the pile of documents on the table. "These are the documents that Konno-san asked me to handle, right? Just leave them to me."

"I know, I was just looking around." Yumiko put down her pen, stretched, and revealed a glimpse of flesh on her waist. "I didn't know until I saw it that running an idol group is such a hard job. I'm amazed that you can still be so dedicated every day. If it were me, I definitely wouldn't be able to keep it up."

As she spoke, she pushed the neatly organized documents in front of Rito. Rito picked them up and flipped through them, somewhat surprised. Yumiko had not only categorized the documents clearly, but each one also contained detailed annotations and suggestions. As expected of someone from a business family, she naturally picked things up faster than others.

"Thank you for your hard work." Rito sincerely praised, "I thought you were just here to have some fun, I didn't expect you to be so serious."

"This is just for fun. You don't actually think this is my real skill, do you?" Yumiko raised her chin, a hint of arrogance on her face. "I'm just an intern manager. I won't do anything for free beyond my salary."

Rito laughed heartily, tossing the documents aside: "I knew it was such a coincidence! So, Yumiko, you were deliberately waiting for me to come back so I'd pay your overtime, weren't you?"

"What, is the president of this company trying to renege on his debt?" Yumiko glanced at him sideways.

"Of course not, let's go, it's time to get off work. What do you want? I'll take you to buy it." Li Ren patted his chest, adopting the air of a nouveau riche, determined to spend a fortune to make the beauty smile.

"Hmph, no need for shopping. Just take me back to the hotel; I was planning to walk back anyway."

"Yes, Your Highness."

President Kubo transformed into a knight in shining armor, making a somewhat comical knightly salute. The president seemed to enjoy it, covering his mouth and laughing non-stop as he extended his hand.

The two stepped out of the building, and the cool night breeze swept over them, dispelling the fatigue from work. There were few pedestrians on the street, only the streetlights shining tirelessly, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

"Kubo-kun, what brings you to Osaka this time?" Yumiko skipped along, clearly in a good mood.

"Go see Nishino Nanase, a first-generation student who is on leave for academic reasons," Rito truthfully reported.

"Did you see it?"

"I saw him."

"all the best?"

"all the best."

"That's good."

The two walked slowly side by side along the sidewalk, neither speaking a word. The evening breeze stirred up the fallen leaves on the ground, but instead of a sense of desolation, it exuded a vibrant vitality, as if the last vestiges of spring were about to fade and summer was approaching.

"Kubo-kun, do you think Nogizaka46 can succeed?" Yumiko suddenly asked after walking for a while.

Rito gazed at the Tokyo Tower in the distance, paused for a moment, and then said firmly, "We definitely can. Although we are still weak now and our sales are not good, I believe that as long as we take one step at a time, one day we will be able to stand in the Budokan and on the stage of the Tokyo Dome."

"I believe it too." Yumiko turned to look at him, her eyes sparkling. "Actually, at first I was just curious and wanted to see how idol groups were run. But after spending these past few days with the members, I've found that they are all very hardworking and striving for the same goal. I suddenly felt that doing something with such a group of people might be pretty good."

Rihito smiled and asked, "So, do you still have plans to be an idol?"

Yumiko paused, lowered her head, kicked at the pebbles at her feet, and after a while said softly, "I don't know. I think it's fine to be an observer. If my involvement ruins the team atmosphere, that's not what I want to see."

Rito gave her a deep look but didn't say anything. He was still undecided about whether or not to let this young lady from the Guan family join the second generation of students.