"Soyo, I gotta say, even though your kitchen looks like it hasn't been used in forever, your seasoning collection is surprisingly well-stocked."
"Oh, and these eggs—are they still good?"
"…They're fine."
Leaning against the kitchen doorframe with one hand on her hip, Soyo watched as Tsuzuki Chihiro busied herself at the stove, her amusement growing.
"It's just instant noodles. Do you really need to go all out like this?"
"If you wanted real food, I could just give you money to go buy something. That is part of our contract."
"What's wrong with instant noodles? I'll have you know my stir-fried ramen is top-tier. Just don't go fighting me for it later, alright?"
"…Heh."
Soyo watched as Chihiro cracked eggs, rinsed noodles under cold water, and dumped an array of seasonings into the bowl with practiced ease.
For someone who had clearly lived in a five-star hotel, Chihiro sure acted like she'd never eaten a decent meal before.
Well, whatever. She seemed to know what she was doing, so at least the kitchen wouldn't explode.
Not long after, just as Soyo was deep in thought about how to deal with Chihiro in the long run, a large bowl suddenly appeared in front of her, making her jump.
"What's this?"
"Try it."
"I'm not eating something you made. Who knows if you poisoned it?"
Soyo rolled her eyes, not even considering it.
But she had to admit—despite its somewhat questionable presentation, the noodles smelled amazing.
Maybe… humoring her a little wouldn't hurt. It might even count as a goodwill gesture.
With that thought, she took the chopsticks Chihiro handed her, picked up a few strands of noodles, and took a bite.
Her hand paused.
Then, without thinking, she started eating faster.
"Hey! Save some for me! I didn't say you could eat all of it!"
"I'm your employer!"
"This was my dinner! Give it back!"
Under Chihiro's indignant glare, Soyo begrudgingly let go of the bowl, watching as the other girl scarfed down the rest with an annoyingly smug expression.
"Here, I left you some. Want it?"
"Oh, so now that it's leftovers, I can have it?"
"Take it or leave it, princess. I didn't even complain about your spit on the chopsticks."
"..."
Soyo gave up.
But after a brief silence, she suddenly asked, "You've met Sakiko, haven't you?"
"…Yeah."
"Where did you see her? How is she doing? What did she say to you?"
The questions shot out like a rapid-fire barrage, leaving Chihiro momentarily overwhelmed.
But to Soyo's disappointment, she refused to answer.
"Sorry. I can't tell you."
"Why not?!" Soyo's eyes widened in disbelief. "I paid you! Are you seriously going back on the contract already?!"
"I'm not breaking anything. The contract says I have the right to reject unreasonable requests, remember?"
"And how is this unreasonable? I'm asking for information directly related to the job I hired you for!"
"Because I promised Sakiko I wouldn't tell anyone. If I go back on that, it'll ruin my relationship with her."
"First—given how much you care about her, do you really want her to find out that she trusted someone on a whim, only to have that trust betrayed?"
"I…"
"Second—even if you don't care, losing her trust means losing my best source of information on her."
"And that would definitely affect your little mission, wouldn't it?"
"...Fine. I won't ask anymore."
Soyo scowled.
Maybe she had been too lenient. Why had she given Chihiro the right to argue back in the contract?! Sure, the terms were already slightly in her favor, but…
This girl is a menace.
That said, Chihiro was right.
It still stung, though, that she was willing to tell a stranger things she wouldn't even tell her old bandmate.
"You don't have to be so down about it."
"…Huh?" Soyo blinked, surprised. She hadn't realized she'd let her emotions show.
"It's written all over your face."
"Is that so?"
"Sakiko told me because I'm not close to her. Whether I know or not doesn't matter. She figures I won't play any real role in her life."
"You're saying I do play a role in hers?"
"Why would you think that? Gross."
"…Did you forget you're my employee?"
"The contract doesn't say I have to be nice to you. But the daily 5,000 yen? That's explicitly stated."
"So if you dock my pay for this, you're the one breaking the contract. Get ready to cough up a penalty fee."
"Then I'll just terminate the contract!"
"Go ahead. But if you try to expose me to Anon and Raana, I'll just go badmouth you to Sakiko."
"Let's see who caves first."
"You—I swear to God, I am cursed! Why did I have to meet someone like you?!"
Soyo felt like she was about to cry.
She was supposed to be the one with the advantage, wasn't she?!
Why did it feel like her cheat codes had expired, and now Chihiro had unlocked premium DLC?
"Anyway," Chihiro said, wiping her mouth with a napkin, "I've got some ideas for your first request."
"What ideas?"
"Didn't you say you need to stick close to Wakaba for now?"
"Yeah, which means you're the only one who can interfere. But you're good with disguises, so it shouldn't be hard for you to approach them as a stranger."
"No need for that. I'll just go as you."
"That works, I gue— Wait, who did you just say you were going to pretend to be?"
"You."
Chihiro grinned.
"Nagasaki Soyo. The legendary bassist of Tsukinomori, my dear benefactor, my sugar mama."
The way she smiled made Soyo's head hurt.
"…You cannot be serious."