066. Nan Qinli (IV)

Looking at the slightly embarrassed girl in front of him, Jiang Yu glanced at the time, estimated that he still had plenty before his shift at the café, and smiled, “Of course. Um… Minalinsky-san?”

Nan Qinli, who had just been inwardly scolding herself for her sudden shyness, felt her nerves ease considerably at his words, and she let out a soft laugh, saying, “Just call me Nana-chan~”

Jiang Yu rubbed his nose, a bit hesitant. “Alright… Na… Nana-chan…”

It seemed he still wasn’t quite used to the maid café culture of the island country… Jiang Yu sighed inwardly.

After settling the bill, Jiang Yu and his companions followed Nana-chan to a vacant table. Not far away, the manager approached them at just the right moment.

The manager looked at the trio—more precisely, at Jiang Yu—and said, “Young man, that performance was wonderful~ If possible, I’d love for you to come here and perform often~”

Jiang Yu gave a wry smile. “Thank you for the compliment… But about that, I’d rather not…”

The manager laughed, not pressing the issue further, since she was only joking. Then, she turned serious. “Well then, congratulations on being the winner of this event. I mentioned before what the prize would be, didn’t I?”

Without waiting for Jiang Yu’s response, she continued, “The winner, if permitted by Nana-chan, can have a photo taken with her. That’s what I said, right?”

“Hmm… Yes, that’s what you said.” Jiang Yu turned and looked at Akiyama, who nodded in confirmation.

“Ah~ So, here’s your prize. Take it! And I’ll let you in on a little secret—Nana-chan didn’t show even the slightest objection~”

She handed him a photo, and Jiang Yu instinctively took it.

If only your whisper were quieter, and the girl behind you weren’t blushing so shyly, it would fit your definition even better.

But honestly, I don’t dislike this sort of approach. In fact, well done, manager!

As he received the photo, Jiang Yu couldn’t help but comment inwardly.

He looked closely at the photo and was instantly stunned. Akiyama and Tsuchima Umei, both wearing curious expressions, leaned in to see.

“Wow,” Umei exclaimed, followed by Akiyama’s clicks of amazement.

In the photo, a radiant girl stood beside the piano, smiling brightly and extending her right hand toward the boy seated at the keys. The boy, sitting on the piano bench, looked up at her, appearing somewhat dazed.

Bright lights illuminated the pair, without the dazzling effects many might imagine; it simply revealed their faces clearly.

It seemed, after all, that this wasn’t one of those shining, foundational tokens of fate between galgame protagonists—less spectacular than some might expect…

Ah—everything above is pure nonsense, the author bears no responsibility, and it doesn’t foreshadow the plot.

“Though the camera was just entry-level, I think the result is quite good~ Want me to send you the digital copy? You could add some artistic effects or something…” the manager teased from the side.

“That won’t be necessary… Thank you.” Jiang Yu wiped away imaginary cold sweat and declined.

“Oh—by the way, it was this child who rushed down to develop the photo for you~ You should thank her~” With that, the manager pointed at the still-shy Nana-chan behind her, then walked away, leaving Jiang Yu with the café’s star maid.

“Um… thank you, Nana-chan.” Jiang Yu scratched his head and addressed the girl, who still hung her head.

Nana-chan looked up. Though her face remained flushed, she had calmed down, and said, “No need to thank me~ On the contrary, I may need your help with something…”

“…?” Jiang Yu gazed at her in confusion, his eyes drifting to her uniform. Suddenly, he remembered where he’d seen this style before and felt a small shock.

He had seen a similar school uniform just this morning, yet nearly forgot now.

The girl’s uniform matched that of Nishikino Maki; only the tie differed—hers was red with a floral pattern, while Maki’s was blue. Perhaps they were in different grades? Jiang Yu speculated.

Thinking of this, he said, “I think I know a girl from your school… but she wears a blue-patterned tie.”

Nana-chan was surprised. “Ah! That’s the first-year tie. I’m in second year.”

“I see. Maybe you know her… though I can’t say I really do, I just met her this morning. Nishikino Maki—does that name ring a bell?”

“Hmm… Sorry, it doesn’t~ Oh, right, the thing I wanted to ask you about is school-related.”

“School-related?”

“Yes… Ah, I haven’t introduced myself yet, how rude of me. My name is Nan Qinli, I’m a second-year at Otonokizaka Academy.”

“Nan… Qinli?”

Are people’s names so casual nowadays… No, actually, it’s quite beautiful.

“Oh dear! It’s Qinli, not Xiaoniao. It’s Kotori, not Kotori~”

“Uh… I see, sorry. My name is Jiang Yu—Jiang like river, Yu like the poet Li Yu. I’m a second-year at Fengzhiqi Academy.”

By the way, the way you pronounced your name had no pause at all, but honestly, it sounds… rather pleasant?

Watching the girl, clearly used to this but still puffing her cheeks in adorable frustration, Jiang Yu felt his smile almost escape.

To describe her: cheeks puffed out, delicate brows furrowed, eyes filled with a hint of dissatisfaction but mostly resignation, staring straight at him.

He waved his hand, lowered his head and coughed a few times, releasing his smile. Then he looked at Nan Qinli seriously and said, “Your name is lovely. I wasn’t teasing you, it was my mistake before. Now, let’s talk about what you wanted to say.”

“Ah! Sorry…” The girl snapped out of it, realizing she’d strayed from her original purpose.

Nan Qinli then explained her predicament: the situation at school, her and her friends’ decision to become idols (with a hint of shyness), and the reactions of those around her.

Jiang Yu, initially nonchalant, grew solemn as he listened to her heartfelt account. All the while, he wondered how he could possibly help, especially with something as momentous as the survival of her school.

“…So, I wanted to ask if Jiang… Jiang Yu could compose for us? The lyrics are already written by Xiao Hai!”

Finally, Nan Qinli looked directly at Jiang Yu and spoke.