Chapter 393: Two Rings |
"Brother~"
The office door, which had been closed for barely two minutes, burst open with a swoosh.
Hoshino Rin skipped into the room in high spirits, but before she could take more than two steps, she abruptly froze.
With a stunned expression, she locked eyes with the girl standing uncomfortably close to her brother—a girl so clean and beautiful she reminded one of pure white feathers.
Truth be told, this was the very first time Shirayanagi Ayaha and Hoshino Rin had ever met.
Leaving Shirayanagi Ayaha aside, Hoshino Rin was incredibly famous. Even if Hoshino Gen had never mentioned his sister, Ayaha still would have known who she was.
Hoshino Rin, on the other hand, was completely in the dark about Shirayanagi Ayaha.
As if sensing the confused bewilderment in Hoshino Rin's eyes, Shirayanagi Ayaha blinked her beautiful eyes gently. The expression on her pretty face seamlessly shifted into a perfectly polite and flawless smile. "Hello there. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am A-Gen's friend, Shirayanagi Ayaha. I recently returned from Italy and am currently attending Segawa Private Academy. I look forward to getting along with you."
"Ah... Hello, I am Hoshino Rin..." The shock in Hoshino Rin's eyes did not fade in the slightest after Shirayanagi Ayaha's self-introduction. Instead, it only deepened upon hearing how the girl addressed her brother. As she spoke, she cast several glances at her brother, wanting to gauge his reaction.
That made the situation feel even more delicate...
"Of course I know who you are. A girl with such beautiful and recognizable heterochromia—who else could it be but you, Rin-chan?"
Shirayanagi Ayaha said with a beaming smile, "A-Gen and I have known each other for ten years now, so we can be considered childhood friends. Unfortunately, I had to go abroad to recuperate a little over a year ago due to some personal reasons, so I regretfully missed the time when you, Rin-chan, returned to the country. But thankfully, it is not too late. I hope we can get along well from now on~"
"..." There was an overwhelming amount of information to process in those words, and Hoshino Rin felt she needed a moment to digest it. Known each other for ten years? Childhood friends?
Where did she pop out from?!
Why had her brother never mentioned her before?
Well, considering her brother's personality, it actually seemed perfectly normal for him to keep quiet about it.
But still—a beautiful childhood friend he had known for ten years?
Who also had the suddenly-dropped-out-of-nowhere trope attached to her?
Was this some sort of youth romantic comedy galgame?
Are your character panel stats a bit too overpowered?
Hoshino Rin's frantic brainstorming was ultimately interrupted by Hoshino Gen. After all, seeing how his hapless sister had come rushing about into his office earlier, he knew she had something to tell him.
He glanced at Hoshino Rin and spoke in a flat tone, "You can pause the small talk segment for now. Tell me what is going on first."
"Ah... Oh." Hoshino Rin's gaze lingered on Shirayanagi Ayaha's smiling, pretty face for another second before shifting to her brother. She pouted and mumbled, "It is nothing much, really. I just came to remind you that it is time for dinner, brother..."
Hoshino Gen nodded, then decisively stood up and looked at Shirayanagi Ayaha. "Care to join us for a meal?"
Shirayanagi Ayaha waved her hands dismissively. "No, thank you. I already ate before coming here. I only dropped by because you haven't been back to school for days and haven't replied to my messages. I was a little worried, so I came to check on you. Now that I know you are fine, I am relieved. Besides, this is your company after all, so I will not disturb your work any longer."
...
There were many places to dine within the Fanxing Building. Almost every floor had a designated food and beverage area, and compared to a standard cafeteria, these dining spots felt much more like a buffet restaurant.
By the time Hoshino Gen and Hoshino Rin arrived, quite a few staff members from Fanxing Entertainment and members of TKY02 were already eating there.
The moment they picked their food and sat down at the table, Hoshino Rin could no longer hold back and asked Hoshino Gen, "Brother, is that Shirayanagi girl... really your childhood friend? Have you two truly known each other for ten years?"
Hoshino Gen, who was in the middle of slicing his tonkatsu into even smaller bite-sized pieces, raised his eyes to the sister sitting across from him. His gaze paused briefly as it swept over the vegetable salad on a plate in front of her—
"It is true."
Hoshino Rin opened her mouth, then closed it. After a moment of hesitation, she spoke up again, "Does... Sasaki know?"
Hoshino Gen shook his head and answered bluntly, "I don't know."
"Sasaki doesn't know?" Hoshino Rin's eyes widened slightly, pressing for confirmation in a manner that was both surprised and unsurprised.
However, all she received in response was an eye roll from her brother. "I meant that I do not know."
Hoshino Rin was not Shimizu Yu after all, so upon hearing this, she immediately understood that her brother meant he did not know whether Sasaki Ayane knew or not. Feeling inexplicably disappointed, Hoshino Rin decided not to dwell on a topic that was spoiling her mood.
She let out a soft sigh and asked, "Then... Brother, tomorrow TKY02 is heading to Iwate Prefecture to prepare for the disaster relief concert. Will you be coming with us?"
Hoshino Gen had no trouble keeping up with her conversational leaps. Upon hearing the question, he simply shook his head without a second thought. "I don't have the time."
Hoshino Rin knew her brother had been pouring all his energy into his work lately. He had just finalized the acquisition of Evening Wind Records, and while the integration process had barely begun, he was already scouting for another suitable talent agency to acquire...
She had actually guessed that her brother would not accompany them to Iwate Prefecture, but hearing the explicit refusal still inevitably left her feeling disappointed.
However, it was not long before Hoshino Rin completely forgot about her disappointment.
Because shortly after she returned home that evening with her brother and Tamamo-no-Mae, a professional courier delivered a special item right to their door.
—It was a ring, so exquisitely beautiful that one scarcely dared to imagine its price.
This was the custom engagement ring that the Hoshino family had ordered way back on the day Hoshino Gen and Sasaki Ayane became engaged.
And today, after several long months of waiting, it had finally been completed.
From the moment she laid eyes on that ring, Hoshino Rin did not utter another word. She just silently and absentmindedly retreated to her room alone.
Hoshino Gen naturally noticed her reaction, but he made no comment. Tamamo-no-Mae, on the other hand, was small but incredibly kind-hearted. Seeing that Rin-chan was upset, she abandoned her favorite Cozy Nook in the closet and went to Hoshino Rin's room, intending to keep her good company for the night.
...
The following morning, as Hoshino Rin was heading out the door dragging her suitcase, she was stopped by Hoshino Gen, who had uncharacteristically woken up a bit late.
Hoshino Rin turned around and looked at her brother in confusion.
Hoshino Gen took a jet black ring off his left index finger and handed it to Hoshino Rin. "Once you put this on, do not take it off easily, especially when you are out and about. I have carved a runic brand onto it. It is normally in a sealed state, but if you ever encounter danger, speak the Latin language word "Unlock", and it will unseal itself to unleash its intended power."
Hoshino Rin stared blankly at her brother and keenly noticed that on Hoshino Gen's left thumb rested another identical jet black ring...