The sun in Tokyo was slowly setting in the west, and crows perched on power lines, looking down at the busy crowds below.
At six in the evening, Takashi and Eriri arrived at Ebisu Champion Yakiniku, a mid-to-high-end yakiniku restaurant located inside Takashimaya.
Having been established in 1996, the restaurant had been around for nearly sixty years and was considered one of Tokyo's signature old establishments, specializing in A5 wagyu beef.
Since they arrived during peak dining hours, the entrance was packed with waiting customers.
Fortunately, Takashi had the foresight to make a reservation in advance, so they were led inside without waiting.
After ordering their set meal, Takashi declined the chef's offer to grill the meat for him, opting to do it himself.
Taking off his coat, he turned to Eriri and said, "I'm going to the restroom," then took his phone and left.
Inside the restroom, Takashi held himself with one hand while typing out a message with the other.
Going out with Eriri had this one drawback—she was too clingy, making it impossible for him to free his hands.
Even if he did manage to free them, every time he replied to a message, she would inch closer to him, standing on tiptoe and craning her neck to peek at his screen, acting like she was his official girlfriend or something.
Just as he was replying to a message, he suddenly felt a bump on his shoulder.
Thanks to his regular running and leg workouts at the gym, he stood as firm as a deeply rooted tree, not even budging an inch.
Takashi turned to look and saw that the man who bumped into him was of medium height, dressed in an obviously expensive suit, with neatly combed-back hair—an attractive middle-aged man.
Takashi smiled and shook his head. "It's fine."
The man gave a slight bow again, but as he lifted his head, his gaze inadvertently swept over a certain area.
His pupils dilated in shock, and after a second, he quietly retreated to the furthest corner of the restroom.
At the sink, Takashi carefully washed each of his fingers.
Just as he was drying his hands with a handkerchief, preparing to leave, a slender and tall girl walked in from the opposite direction.
She wore a white high-waisted skirt paired with a black V-neck knitted cardigan. Her jet-black hair cascaded down to her waist.
Her face was pure and adorable, her skin fair and smooth, like a freshly peeled boiled egg.
Her limbs were slender and delicate, her every movement carrying a mesmerizing grace.
Below her full and alluring chest, a blue satin ribbon was tied around her slim, soft waist, accentuating her curves.
She was incredibly beautiful, exuding a mature allure that set her apart from high school girls like Eriri.
Takashi paused and tentatively called out, "Chizuru-senpai?"
Hearing someone call her name, Ichinose Chizuru turned around, staring at Takashi's unfamiliar face for a long while.
She couldn't recall any memories of him.
Takashi's makeup skills were simply too advanced—even Ichinose Chizuru didn't recognize him.
"Chizuru-senpai, that's too harsh. I was your very first client." Seeing that even Ichinose Chizuru didn't recognize him, Takashi's narrow eyes curved into crescents, his elongated eye corners lifting slightly.
Right now, he looked just like a sly fox mocking foolish humans.
Chizuru widened her eyes in shock.
"What happened to you?"
She simply couldn't associate this refined-looking young man with the Takashi she knew.
Not that Aki Tomoya was ugly.
To be fair, Aki Tomoya looked pretty handsome without his glasses (according to the original setting).
He was good-looking, but it depended on the comparison.
You wouldn't compare Zhang Han, the tough cop, to Dennis Wu in terms of looks, would you?
"I put on makeup, just like you," Takashi rested a hand on Chizuru's shoulder, raising an eyebrow.
"What do you think? Unrecognizable, right?"
"This isn't makeup—you completely changed your face." Chizuru reached out to pinch Takashi's cheeks, scrutinizing him up and down.
"If you hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have recognized you."
"But why go through the trouble of putting on makeup?"
Takashi made a mock sighing expression. "Life is tough, handsome guys have to make a living."
Chizuru teased, "What, did you become a host? Or maybe you're in the adult film industry? Need me to support your business? But I can only afford the cheapest drinks."
That's way too insincere.
Even Narii was willing to order a champagne tower for him.
"Can't be a host—too young. Adult films—don't pay enough."
Out of curiosity—purely out of curiosity—Takashi had asked a talent scout about it before.
Even if he partnered with famous seniors like Yua Mikami, Kaede Karen, or Momonogi Kana, the most he'd get per film was 30,000 yen.
And because he was too handsome, his acting range was severely limited.
He could only play roles like the fresh recruit being harassed by his female senior, the student being bullied by gyaru girls, or the young office worker invited home by his boss, only to be seduced by the wife.
In the AV industry, excessively handsome male actors weren't in demand.
After all, the otaku buying those films despised good-looking men.
The unparalleled advantage of Takashi's looks became a disadvantage in this particular field.
"You actually asked about it?" Chizuru reached out, pretending to twist Takashi's ear.
Takashi immediately surrendered.
"Liar, I didn't even use any force."
As the two laughed and joked, a voice, laced with coldness, interrupted them.
"What are you two doing?"
Chizuru curiously turned her head.
Not far behind her stood a blonde-haired, blue-eyed half-Japanese girl, her icy gaze locked onto them.
"Having a good chat, huh? Am I interrupting? Should I let you invite her to the table and continue your talk?" Eriri's voice dripped with sarcasm.
Takashi quickly stepped away from Chizuru and explained, "I just ran into a senpai and was having a brief—"
Halfway through his sentence, he stopped himself.
At this moment, he just wanted to slap himself.
Because he had already realized—his explanation was equivalent to pouring gasoline on the fire.
"Oh? You have a senpai too?"
Just as Takashi expected, upon hearing his words, Eriri's gaze shifted from cold to outright murderous.
The term "senpai" was absolutely forbidden in her dictionary.
Eriri crossed her arms, a playful smile on her lips as she scrutinized Chizuru, making an ambiguous remark.
Same long black hair, same ample chest, same long legs.
Looking at it this way, Chizuru did share quite a few traits with Utaha.
If you ignored their completely different facial features.
Chizuru glanced at Takashi, then at Eriri, before suddenly letting out a delighted laugh.
"I think I understand what kind of job you're doing, junior~"
'You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? Why are you provoking her even more?!' Takashi, seeing Eriri's face darken further, was on the verge of tears.
"Junior, we'll talk later."
Chizuru made a phone call gesture at Takashi before swaying her slender waist and turning away.
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Check out the other translations too: [Mash-Up: Anything For Money]