Rebuilding Sakamichi in a chaotic worldline

Chapter 49 Bonus Chapter for Nana's Birthday

Time flies, and it's already mid-May. The best time of year for cherry blossom viewing has passed, and the weather in Tokyo is already hot enough to wear short sleeves.

As usual, Rito came to the Seed Flower Building to inspect Keyakizaka46's practice. Just as he was about to push open the practice room door, his cell phone suddenly rang.

"Kubo Rito, I'm in the company lobby."

The voice on the other end of the phone was very loud and erratic, perhaps because there were many people around. Rito held the phone away a bit, and only brought it back to her ear after the woman finished speaking: "Company? Which company? I don't have a lobby here."

"And who else? Chiyoda's? Kubo Rito, are you still half asleep?!"

"Oops!" Rito slapped his forehead, revealing an embarrassed expression. The caller was Airi. She had been admitted to a famous high school in Tokyo at the beginning of the year, and after spending some time arranging the start of the semester, she was ready to officially start her job. However, she had a brain fart yesterday and sent the address to Nogizaka instead.

"Kubo Rito?" Seeing that he remained silent, Airi's voice held a hint of suspicion. "What's going on? You're not at the company, are you?"

"Yes, I am, but not at that company." Rito rubbed his head. "How about this, I'll call Konno-san and have him bring you over, so you don't have to run around."

"Seriously, fine, then I can just go up and find him, right?" Airi pouted speechlessly and walked to a quiet corner to ask.

"Okay, once you go up there, just find any staff member, tell them my name, and they'll take you to Konno-san."

"Okay, see you later."

Airi Suzuki hung up the phone, stuffed it back into her bag, and walked through a group of office workers with a strong sense of professionalism to get on the elevator.

With a notification sound, we arrived at the ninth floor where Nogizaka46 was located.

The moment the elevator doors opened, several girls in training uniforms walked out of the practice room, chatting in small groups, carrying sports drinks and towels, clearly having just finished a training session. Airi recognized them immediately—after all, they were future colleagues and collaborators, and she knew them by heart.

Leading the way was Kazumi Takayama, who was tilting her head and discussing something with Yumi Wakatsuki. Behind her, Minami Hoshino tugged at Ayame Tsutsui's sleeve, stood on tiptoe, and whispered something in her ear. A few steps behind, Sayuri Inoue was confidently twisting the cap off her water bottle, while Miho Watanabe, dressed in her own tracksuit, was stretching her shoulders beside her.

Through the dense crowd, Nagahama Naru, walking at the back, was the first to spot Suzuki Airi. Her charming face and unique little tiger teeth reminded her of certain memories that, like dolphins swept by the waves, had become stranded on the beach in her heart, causing her hands to pause noticeably.

Airi also saw her. The two stared at each other for about two seconds. Sleepy eyes narrowed slightly as she confirmed the other's identity—the girl with the tiger teeth who sat in Rito's passenger seat last spring. At the time, she thought the girl was Rito's secret weapon for the second generation, but she didn't appear during the second generation selection, so she gradually forgot about it. She never expected to meet her here again.

"Huh? Who's that?"

Hoshino Minami also noticed the unfamiliar face in the corridor, tugged at Tsutsui Ayame's sleeve, and asked in a low voice. At her words, the others also looked up, and a dozen pairs of eyes fell on Airi.

Airi, however, remained calm. She took two steps forward and bowed gracefully to everyone: "Nice to meet you, I am Suzuki Airi."

"Hi, nice to meet you, we are Nogizaka46." Among the group, Kazumi Takayama was the first to react. No matter who the other party was, as public figures, they had to be polite. She quickly led the group to return the greeting.

Airi straightened up and smiled politely: "Excuse me, where is Konno-san's office? I need to visit him."

"Ah, right there..." Elbow Bro was about to answer when she suddenly felt her sleeve being tugged. She turned around and saw Sleepy's beautiful eyes.

"Kazumi, I know her. Let me take her there."

"Huh? Really?" Elbow Bro glanced at her curiously, feeling that Shui Shui's expression was a bit strange, not like she was meeting someone she knew. But seeing that Suzuki Airi across from him didn't refute it, he didn't delve into it, smiled, and said to her, "Then it's up to you."

"Mm." Shui Shui nodded, gestured to Airi, and walked in the opposite direction. Airi said goodbye to the Nogizaka46 members and followed.

"What brings you here this time, Suzuki-san?" The pale light shone on Suzuki's round face, and the contrast between light and shadow unintentionally made her look more aggressive. Her tone was flat, revealing no emotion, but those who knew her well could sense that her mood was not as calm as it appeared.

"President Kubo sent me," Airi replied calmly.

"Soga." Shui Shui nodded as expected, opened her mouth, but didn't ask anything.

Unlike Shuishui, who knew nothing about Airi, Airi was already aware of her existence and often heard Rito mention this first-generation member who had won three singles at the top of the charts in casual conversations, knowing that she would inevitably have to deal with her in the future. She tilted her head, revealing her signature little tiger tooth, and smiled sincerely: "By the way, starting today, I will be President Kubo's assistant. I hope Nagahama-san will take good care of me in the future."

Shuishui, who was walking ahead, paused, turned around, and quietly glanced at Airi, as if she were sizing up an uninvited guest who had suddenly entered her field of vision.

Assistant? But she was clearly in high school last year, about the same age as me. What makes her qualified for this position? What is Rito thinking? Are they childhood friends?

Seeing Airi's composed and aloof demeanor, as if all of this was perfectly natural, made the inexplicable feeling of irritation in Shui Shui's heart surge up again.

"President's assistant?" Shui Shui repeated the four words, her voice rising slightly at the end, "Could you please tell me how old Suzuki-san is this year?"

"The same age as Nagahama-san." Airi smiled, her tone light. "Just started university this year. What, Nagahama-san, do you think I'm too young?"

"Isn't that obvious?" Shui Shui pouted, but she knew that saying it directly wouldn't work. Just as she was about to change her approach and continue to press for an answer, a clear voice suddenly came from behind them.

"Neru, wait for me."

The two turned to look, and Nishino Nanase, a first-generation student who had just returned to the fourth single, had just changed her clothes and came out of the dressing room. Her hair was still wet, and she was waving at them.

Nana quickly walked through the crowd to Shui Shui, smiling brightly. "Are you going to Konno-san's place? I'm going to see him too, let's go together."

Where did this guy Nishino come from?

Shuishui frowned, thinking to herself: Although her relationship with Nana Sai wasn't as bad as Yuri-niang's, it certainly wasn't to the point where they could put on this kind of sisterly show. Besides, Konno-san isn't a vegetable vendor who needs as many customers as possible. What's the point of going together?

Thinking this to herself, Shui Shui was about to refuse when Airi, who was beside her, preemptively took Nanase's hand and said with a smile, "Is this Nishino Nanase-san? She's even cuter in person than on TV."

"Oh dear, no, no." The praised pigeon grinned, showing its big teeth, and laughed foolishly. Although it kept waving its hands, it was clear that it was quite pleased.

Honestly, look at you, so pathetic. You were hooked up with just a few nice words. You're from Nogizaka46, isn't it normal to be cute?

Looking at the Osaka pigeons that were just sitting there grinning like idiots, Shui Shui glared at her in exasperation, then said, "Nana Sai, this is the president's new assistant, Suzuki Airi-san. She needs to see Konno-san. Since you also need to see Konno-san, why don't you take her? I won't go."

"I see." Nanase's eyes darted around, and she readily agreed, "Alright then, Suzuki-san, let's go."

After the handover was complete, Nana pulled Airi along and walked to the other end of the corridor. Their figures quickly disappeared around the corner, leaving Shuishui standing silently alone in the corridor.

After standing there in a daze for a while, Shui Shui was about to leave when a ringtone suddenly came from the locker room. She quickly went in and found that it was Nana Sai's phone ringing.

"That careless guy, never mind, I'll take it to you."

Just as Shuishui was about to answer the phone, the other end hung up. Looking at the phone lying quietly in her hand, she pondered for a moment, then decided to push open the door and follow the direction the two had gone.

At the end of the corridor, Airi and Nanase were walking side by side. As they walked, Nanase introduced the company to Airi, occasionally telling embarrassing stories about the members, which made Airi laugh heartily. Just as the two reached the door of Konno's office and were about to knock, they heard hurried footsteps behind them.

"Wait a minute, Nana Sai."

Shuishui's voice came from behind them, and the two turned around at the same time. Shuishui walked quickly to them, took a slight breath, then raised her chin and handed her phone to Nana Sai: "You left your phone in the changing room."

Nana raised an eyebrow slightly, took the phone, and smiled, "Thank you, Neru."

Inside, Yoshio Konno had just finished organizing a Keyakizaka project proposal and was about to hand it over to his staff for copying. As he reached the door, he heard voices, opened it, and saw the three of them. He wasn't too surprised, nodded, and said, "Come in."

"Uh, I..." Shui Shui was about to say that she was just here to deliver a phone and didn't intend to come in, but a thought suddenly began to echo in her mind: Don't you want to know what Suzuki Airi wanted to talk to Konno-san about?

She paused for a moment, hesitated for two seconds, and finally followed.

"Konno-san." After stopping inside, Airi spoke first, bowing politely. "President Kubo sent me to see you."

Konno had already received Rito's call, so without any hesitation, she replied, "I know. Kubo-san just called me. I've arranged for a driver to wait for you at the company entrance. He'll take you to Kubo-san's place."

"Go to the president's?" Shui Shui immediately chimed in, looking straight at Konno. "Konno-san, I want to go too."

"You?" The old thief looked at Shui Shui's eyes, which were filled with "don't refuse me," and his lips twitched. He knew very well that the president hadn't been to the company for a while, and this guy was almost going crazy from being cooped up. If he didn't agree to her this time, who knew what kind of trouble he would cause.

Is everything alright? Neru is such a good girl.

Thinking this, the old thief was completely unaware of his differential treatment of Shui Shui. Even though in this timeline, Rito had taken away his chance to fulfill his filial duty to his mother, he still couldn't help but spoil her whenever he had the chance.

"Konno-san, shall I go too? There's no training this afternoon anyway."

Just then, Nana Sai, the last of the three, also raised her hand, not wanting to be left out. Her action only strengthened the old thief's resolve: whether you herd one sheep or two, it's all the same. Anyway, President, you didn't say that only Suzuki-san would go.

The old thief glanced at Shui Shui, then at Nana Sai, and finally at the innocent-looking Airi. He picked up the landline phone and dialed the driver's number. "Hello, this is Yoshio Konno. Bring the car to the door."

Five minutes later, a black minivan drove out of the building and merged into the afternoon traffic in Tokyo.

As the starting point of this trip, Airi sat alone in the passenger seat, while Shuishui and Nana sat in the back. The driver was a taciturn middle-aged man who only had eyes for the road. In order to prevent the atmosphere from being too dull, Shuishui took the initiative to be the one to start the conversation.

"Suzuki-san mentioned earlier that you just started university. Could you tell me which university it is, and whether working will affect your studies?"

She pretended to be curious and asked, but what she was thinking was: "She's so pretty, she can't be very good at studying. Maybe she was put in there by someone or your family."

"I have already completed the coursework for this semester at the University of Tokyo through self-study, so the school has made an exception and I only need to take the final exams."

Airi smiled slightly, but her words were incredibly hurtful. Sleepy's pupils dilated instantly, and she opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she said nothing. She just suddenly felt very tired and turned to look out the window again.

Nana Sai watched this scene unfold, a slight smile unconsciously creeping onto her lips. She knew that Shui Shui was academically gifted before becoming an idol, and was always the intellectual powerhouse in the group. She often said that if she hadn't become an idol, she would have gone to university. Of course, that was true, but with only average grades, she certainly wouldn't be happy to hear that. Seeing Shui Shui finally subdued, Nana Sai couldn't help but tremble—"You always say you can get into such a good university, now that a student from Tokyo University is here, let's see how you still dare to be so arrogant."

However, she quickly withdrew that smile, because as if sensing something, Shui Shui suddenly turned her head and caught her smile before she could completely hide it.

"Nana Sai, what are you laughing at?" Shui Shui's smile was still sweet, but her eyes had lost their warmth.

"Nothing much," Nanasai blinked, her expression as innocent as a schoolchild caught red-handed. "I just think the scenery outside is quite nice."

Shuishui stared at her for two seconds, then suddenly let out a heavy snort, crossed her arms, and leaned closer to herself, shrinking her whole body against the car door. The relationship between her and Nana Sai had always been very subtle—she always felt that the two of them had not gotten along in their past lives, and she was convinced that the other person felt the same way.

The atmosphere in the carriage grew even more tense. The driver subtly increased the speed slightly, probably hoping to end this suffocating journey as soon as possible. Airi, sitting in the front, glanced at the two silent girls in the rearview mirror, a fleeting smile playing on her lips.

The car finally stopped in front of the Seed Flower Building. Ai unbuckled her seatbelt, turned to the two in the back seat and said, "Let's go, the president is already waiting for us inside."

"Okay." Shui Shui pushed open the car door, her movements as quick as lightning. It was unclear whether she wanted to get in as soon as possible or get out of the car quickly. "I heard the company hired a new batch of people, but I haven't met them yet."

Nana Sai got out of the car, stretched, and looked up at the old-looking three-story building in front of her. The sign at the entrance read "Seed & Flower Contract Company," and the font and color scheme had a timeless beauty.

"That's really nice, a stand-alone building," Nana commented after seeing it. "Unlike us, we have to share a building with other people."

"Nogizaka will have its own building sooner or later. Of course, that's what the president said, I'm not responsible for it." Airi walked in front and pushed open the glass door.

In the lobby on the first floor, staff members were bustling about. Due to the president's indulgence, a new karaoke room had been added on the first floor based on the trainees' suggestions. It wasn't a professional karaoke room, but rather a purely entertainment karaoke room. Airi pulled aside a staff member and asked, learning that Rito was watching the training on the second floor. She then went upstairs with Sleepy and Nana.

Halfway up the stairs, they heard music. It was a piece they had never heard before, with a strong and explosive style that gave them goosebumps just by listening to it. It was a stark contrast to Nogizaka46's grand and elegant style. When Shui Shui and Nana Sai first heard it, they were both stunned for a moment before quickening their pace to go upstairs.

The door to the practice room on the second floor was ajar. Airi gently pushed the door open, and the three of them stood in the doorway, seeing the scene inside.

In the practice room, a dozen girls were lined up, practicing basic movements to the teacher's rhythm. They were dressed in matching black training uniforms, their hair neatly tied up, their disciplined appearance somewhat incongruous with their newly established name. Airi's gaze swept over the girls, quickly drawn to the figure standing in the very center of the front row. Her movements were exactly the same as the others, but for some reason, everyone's eyes were unconsciously drawn to her. This inexplicable presence, this thing that couldn't be explained by numbers, was probably what people called charm.

She must be Hirate Yurina.

Airi, who had only heard of her from others but had never seen her in person, looked at her with great certainty.

"Come in."

Before Ai could even think of a way to verify her guess, Rito, who was at the front of the group, had already spotted the three of them. Fortunately, the old rascal had already taken remedial action and sent her a message after the car had been driving for a while. So when Rito saw them, she wasn't too surprised. She just rubbed her nose with a bit of helplessness and waved to them.

"Don't blame me, Neru asked for it first."

Seeing his displeasure, Nana Sai, who was the most troublesome and the most often tortured among the three, reacted quickly and immediately pulled out her companion as a shield.

"Hey! Nishino Nanase!"

Shuishui, betrayed, didn't even realize what had happened. By the time she wanted to confront Nana Sai, the other girl had already dashed off to Rito's side. She tried to chase after her, but the trainees in the room, already drawn by the name of Nogizaka46, stopped what they were doing and looked at her curiously.

"Um... I'm sorry to bother you all. I'm Nagahama Naru from Nogizaka46. Hello."

In order to maintain her image in front of the new juniors, Shui Shui had no choice but to grit her teeth, stop, and greet everyone.

"Nagahama-san", "Nagahama-senpai", "senpai"

Since they hadn't taken any etiquette classes yet, the trainees addressed their seniors in a variety of ways, each with its own unique style.

"Just call her Nagahama-san. Once you get to know her better, you can call her Neru. That's what they call her on Nogizaka46." Rihito coughed and made the final decision. Looking at the chaotic, disorganized, and undisciplined trainees, he suddenly realized that this batch of trainees he had drawn seemed to be missing someone who could take on the role of leader.

Old Ma, I miss you, Old Ma.

He sighed inwardly. Objectively speaking, the Green group was chosen because of Keyakizaka's ideals, so naturally there were many unique problems in managing them. The way the horse team did things might not have been very correct either. However, he didn't know who could replace her.

We can't possibly send the oldest emperor (Rika Watanabe), otherwise Keyaki would really die before he even gets started.

Just as Rito was imagining the scene of the Great Emperor as the captain, she shuddered and quickly stopped the nightmarish fantasy, focusing her attention on the present.

"Alright, we've practiced long enough, let's take a break. Neru, Nanase, wait here for me. Airi, come with me."

After quickly arranging everyone's movements with a few words, Rito pulled Nanase out from behind him, gave her and Shuishui a warning look, and then quickly walked out with Airi.

After leaving the practice room, which was always bustling with noise during breaks, Rito and Airi slowly walked up the stairs to the third floor.

"Have your parents been behaving themselves lately?"

Rito slowed his pace and waited until Airi reached his side before smiling and speaking.

"It's alright, at least I can support myself and I've stopped gambling."

Speaking of this, Airi looked at him with a hint of gratitude. After his capitalist transformation, her parents finally started to live a decent life. After all, they had raised her. Even if they really broke off relations, she wouldn't feel reluctant, but there would still be a hurdle in her heart.

"That's good. If they relapse, let me know immediately."

Li Ren nodded and gave a word of advice.

"Okay." Airi agreed without any hesitation—if she were that indecisive, Rito wouldn't have poured so much effort into her in the first place.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Rito led Airi to his office. Knowing she was coming, a seat had been prepared for her. Airi glanced at it with satisfaction but did not immediately sit down.

Liren stood in the center, watching her straighten her black business suit—it was more like the kind of suit a recent female college graduate would wear to a job interview, paired with low-heeled black leather shoes that did absolutely nothing to enhance her appearance; the fashion sense of the suit depended entirely on her face.

I said Airi looks better without makeup than with makeup in Animals, does anyone understand? o(╥﹏╥)o

"President Kubo, new employee Airi Suzuki is here to report for duty." Airi walked up to him, deliberately keeping a straight face as she bowed, but before she could even finish two seconds, she burst out laughing, her signature canine teeth gleaming in the sunlight.

Liren smiled, took out a work ID from his shirt pocket, and hung it around her neck.

"Welcome to the company, my assistant."