The Top Idol Next Door Can't Help But Crave My Guilty Pleasure Meals-Chapter 6Volume 2 .2 - Ill Show You the Hidden Side of Arisu Yuzuki!

ROUND 6 – I’ll Show You the Hidden Side of Arisu Yuzuki! 2

“For now, the situation won’t change unless I apologize, so I’ll visit Yuzuki’s room again soon. Well then, I’ll be off now.”

Until the door closed, Emoto-san kept her head deeply bowed.

Sorting through the contents of a large bag in the living room, I muttered to myself.

“I knew it, my body reacted to it.”

According to my childhood friend, I’ve always had a twitch in my right cheek when I lie.

I tried hard to be conscious of it this time, but it seems that a habit ingrained over many years isn’t so easy to break.

I lied to Emoto-san.

In fact, I have plans to meet Yuzuki later.

The place is neither the apartment nor the school.

I hoisted my Boston bag onto my shoulder, psyching myself up.

The classic location for a secret meeting is a hotel, isn’t it?

☆ ☆ ☆

“Wow, it’s so spacious…!”

Later that evening, Yuzuki entered the room after me and marveled at its size.

She was dressed in her usual style, a T-shirt and shorts, but her face was disguised with a mask and fake glasses.

We were at a modern Japanese-style hotel somewhere in Tokyo.

We took off our shoes and slid open the fusuma (sliding door), and there was a large tatami room, twelve tatami mats in size, with the pleasant scent of rush grass.

In the center of the room, there was a low wooden table with cushions on either side and a tray with a teapot, teacups, and Manju was placed on it.

At the back of the room was a mysterious space with a table and chairs, familiar from ryokan stays, seemingly called ‘Hiroen’ {broad veranda}.

The bathroom and washbasin were lined up to the right of the entrance just before the sliding door.

Using such a spacious room that could easily accommodate five or six people just for the two of us was quite extravagant.

It all started with a phone call that came a few hours before Emoto-san’s visit to my house.

As I was finishing up my homework, my smartphone on the corner of the table vibrated.

It was Yuzuki.

“Hello, Yuzuki? I was worried because you hadn’t come back.”

『Sorry, I just can’t seem to sort out my feelings. Do you have time to talk for a bit now?』

Yuzuki’s voice was dark and heavy.

“Don’t worry about yesterday. If anything, I was the one at fault. It all started because I insisted on having lunch together.”

『No, Suzufumi, you shouldn’t apologize. Because you did nothing wrong.』

“…I see.”

The atmosphere at yesterday’s work site must have been heavy.

No, Yuzuki would probably behave as usual on the surface so as not to cause any unnecessary worry to the other members.

“Are you still mad about Emoto-san?”

『It’s not that I’m mad… I just don’t want to see her right now』

The voice on the phone was wavering, seemingly mixed with various emotions.

It seemed as if Yuzuki herself didn’t fully understand the true nature of her feelings.

『I’ll be done with work after lunch. When I get back to the apartment, Ruru-san will probably come over, right? I don’t know how I should face her…』

Yuzuki is an idol.

Overwriting her true feelings and pretending with fake ones should be a piece of cake for her.

Just like how she interacted with me in idol mode back in the school’s Resource Room before, the reason she doesn’t use that method with Emoto-san is that she is not just a simple colleague or a senpai to her.

It’s because of the days they’ve spent together and the gratitude she feels that she can’t easily let go.

『I borrowed the office’s nap room yesterday, but I can’t keep doing that…』

“…Well, I guess so.”

Even though she understands the need to talk things out with Emoto-san, her heart probably hasn’t caught up with her yet.

『Sorry for talking about this. I guess it’s none of your business, Suzufumi』

Her tone of voice lifted slightly. Yuzuki was clearly forcing herself.

It seemed like the conversation was coming to an end, but none of the problems had been resolved.

“If you’re not going back to the apartment, where will you sleep tonight? You won’t be able to rest properly if you don’t sleep in a proper place.”

『Maybe I’ll stay at some business hotel. I’ve never booked one myself, but I guess I just call them normally…?』

I was worried. No matter how top-class an idol Yuzuki is, she’s still a fifteen-year-old girl.

I couldn’t just leave her out on her own.

Above all, Yuzuki was currently at a loss for where to direct her emotions.

Mulling over things alone didn’t seem like it would lead to anything positive.

What Yuzuki needs now is an escape.

Time to pause, time to look back on the past, time to think about nothing, time to be a little bit whiny.

No matter how perfect the idol Arisu Yuzuki may be, I never expect perfection from the private Sasaki Yuzuki.

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In fact, I want Sasaki Yuzuki to feel free to voice her weaknesses and share her worries with me, especially if it’s for the sake of maintaining Arisu Yuzuki’s perfection.

As I could feel a hint of anxiety in her voice, I told Yuzuki cheerfully.

“…Then, let’s indulge yourself for once.”

After that, I searched for an available hotel and successfully arranged to stay there.

The only thing I asked Yuzuki to do was to have her parents fill out a consent form for her stay and send it.

Minors need their guardian’s consent to use lodging facilities.

Yuzuki seemed to be excited when she entered the room. She took off her mask and fake glasses and immediately started snapping photos of the interior with her smartphone.

“I’ve been looking forward to this because I only stay at ordinary business hotels for work!”

Yuzuki was bouncing on the chair in the spacious veranda and aimlessly opening the sliding doors of the closet and the refrigerator. She looked as restless as an elementary school student who stayed overnight in a hotel for the first time.

By the way, I’m covering the accommodation costs.

I haven’t just been watching Yuzuki being taken care of by Emoto-san from afar, biting my handkerchief in silence.

I’ve been sneaking in day part-time jobs when I can to save up some pocket money.

Yuzuki offered to pay half of the lodging fee, but I politely declined.

This is my way of hospitality. It’s my small wish for her to completely rest her mind and body.

The money I saved up from part-time jobs for emergencies is proving useful in an unexpected way.

I feel guilty for lying to Emoto-san, but Yuzuki asked me to do it.

『Please keep my whereabouts a secret if Ruru-san comes to Suzufumi’s place』

They had been together almost every day recently, so she probably wanted to enjoy some time to herself for a change.

Even with someone close, there are some things that can only be seen for the first time by taking a distance from them.

Right now, the priority is to let Yuzuki rest her heart.