Chapter 164 - Just Before That
"Delicious! This food is delicious!!"
Satou-kun shoveled mapo tofu over his white rice, wolfing it down with gusto. With no children around to see, his table manners were truly terrible. Well, he ate with such satisfying relish that his lack of etiquette didn't really bother me.
"Hey, by the way."
"Yeah?"
"You said your final exam was a concert, but can you even get tickets?"
I'm not too familiar with that sort of thing, but don't you have to reserve tickets for popular artists months in advance? They might sell some on the day of the show, but there's no guarantee you'd be able to get them.
"That's all taken care of. I've got a connection."
"A connection?"
"Yeah. When they first made their public debut, I was asked to go get the story from them. I barged right into their office."
He says that's how he got to know them and even exchanged contact info.
"I told them the situation and asked if they could spare some tickets for me, and they were happy to say yes."
"Ah, right. I suppose that's a small price to pay to have you in their debt."
After all, he is, without exaggeration, the strongest in the world. And he's a pretty loyal guy, too.
"Nah, it wasn't really like that."
"Huh?"
"I told them how hooked Azuma-san and Saijo-san are, and how they're basically at war with themselves being such devoted fans."
"And?"
"They were like, 'No wayyy! That's so cute, old man fans★ Okie dokie, we'll totally hook you up!!'"
...Lucifer, Beelzebub, Lucifuge. I don't know which of the three said that, or if all three of them had the same reaction. I don't know the truth, nor do I want to, but... really, Demon Lords? Is that how you should act?
"Well, they're demons, you know. And the ones at the very top, at that."
If they didn't like it, they wouldn't have given him the tickets even if he had tried to intimidate them. Satou-kun laughed, saying he owed his success to his two superiors.
"Well, I'm glad I could get them directly from them. If it didn't work out, I would have used my public-facing connections, but that would've cost a pretty penny."
"You've got connections on both sides, huh."
"You stick your nose in enough places, that's just what happens."
For a normal person, just sticking your nose in a lot of places is a pretty high hurdle to begin with. Getting curious and poking around is one thing, but walking up to complete strangers and striking up a conversation is a bit...
"By the way, Satou-kun. Are you free this Sunday?"
Now that the mood was right, I decided to get to the main topic.
"Hm? Oh, I don't have any particular plans. I'm busy on Saturday, though."
"That's great. In that case, would you come with me to a standing party?"
"A standing party?"
"You've never been?"
"No, I have. I've been to my fair share of them for work."
Satou-kun tilted his head, looking puzzled as if to ask why I would be going to one. I guess I don't seem like the type to have connections in those circles. But surprisingly, that's not quite the case.
"I may not look it, but I used to work at a pretty well-known hotel before I opened my classroom."
Even after going freelance, I'd sometimes get called to help out at private parties and show off my skills. It also helps that one of my teachers from culinary school was a rather important person. I was a quick learner, so he's looked out for me in various ways even after I graduated.
"So, yeah, I have a fair number of dealings with rich and important people."
"I see. Is the party this Sunday one of those?"
"Yes. It's hosted by the wife of a president of a major corporation. So, what do you think?"
"I don't have a problem with it, but... are you sure it's okay?"
He was probably worried about tagging along when he had no connection to any of it.
"It's fine. In fact, that's part of the reason I invited you."
At this particular lady's parties, most of the attendees bring a partner of the opposite sex. There are people who come with friends of the same gender, but it's not like that for me every single time.
"So you feel out of place."
"The host and the other guests probably don't mind, but... you know?"
"Yeah, I get it. You feel like a bit of an outsider. But it's not like you can just turn down the invitation every time, especially after the first one or two."
"Exactly. She's taken a liking to me and invites me every time, so I can't really say no."
When I genuinely have something else to do, I politely decline, but otherwise? It's impossible.
"You're a guy, Satou-kun, and you can get along with total strangers, so I thought you'd be perfect."
"In that case, leave it to me. I shall be your perfect escort."
"I'm counting on you."
He said it with such a condescending tone, but I know he never fails to deliver in these situations. As an escort, I think he's a perfect 100. He might even end up being more popular with the hostess than I am.
"Oh, right. I'm staying at your place tonight, that's cool, right?"
Wait, what? I'm so happy.
"I don't mind, but are you sure you don't need to go home?"
"Apparently he's having a sleepover study session with the new friends he made at school."
"Ah, so you were being considerate."
That means the Chinese food I brought as a gift will be for tomorrow's meal.
"Yup. The walls aren't thin or anything, so it's not like it's a huge problem, but the kids can relax more if there isn't some strange old guy they don't know hanging around, right?"
He really is so kind to children. When it comes to his friends, he's willing to crash at their place without notice, but for them... I guess that just shows how much he trusts me.
...Could this be my chance?
I know I'm his type, looks-wise. After all, when we reunited, he was apparently trying to hit on me without even knowing it was me. ...My heart's starting to pound.
"That's true. By the way, aren't you starting to crave a beer about now?"
"I am!"
First, I'll get him to drink. I'll get him to drink a lot. When he's rational, his self-control kicks in and he won't make a move, telling himself we're just best friends.
"Still, a sleepover study session. Sakuya-kun is so serious."
"Tell me about it. When I was in high school, study sessions were just an excuse to hang out."
"I bet."
Satou-kun is the type to bring his study materials just for show, then immediately start playing video games. And any friend who'd hang out with him would surely join in with gusto instead of scolding him. And so, the pleasant evening passed as we ate, drank, and talked about nothing in particular.
"...I messed up."
He drank as much as I offered, so I let him have too much. Now, lying before my eyes was Satou-kun, sleeping with a blissful look on his face!
"Haaah."
I couldn't bear to wake him up while he was sleeping so peacefully. My plan failed, but I got to see the innocent sleeping face of the person I love, so I'll just have to be content with that. And with sleeping next to him.
"Alright, up we go."
I picked Satou-kun up and carried him to the bedroom. I still had to clean up so I couldn't go to sleep yet, but... before that.
"Mmph."
I laid Satou-kun on the bed and stole a kiss. I even tried slipping my tongue in. I thought he wouldn't react since he was asleep, but...
"!"
His tongue immediately intertwined with mine. He's awake!? No, he's not, he's still asleep!
Wha, to do this in his sleep... ah, wait, hold... mmmphhhhhhhhhhh!?
About ten minutes later, the deep kiss ended. In stark contrast to me, who was panting for breath, Satou-kun was fast asleep, breathing softly and contentedly.
"This is... this is..."
How could he leave me hanging like this!?