บท 247: I'm curious

"Saki, is this alright?" Nana quickly whispered.

"..."

Saki rolled her eyes when Nana called her by her first name, but she didn't care much and said, "You know she is a public figure. What if a stalker follows her?"

"Stalker?!"

Nana was dumbfounded and quickly held Mai directly. "You need to get back with us! It's dangerous to go back alone like this!"

"...."

Mai was so confused and then looked at Shishio for help.

"...."

Shishio ignored Mai's plea and asked, "Well, if you don't mind, then how about we go back together?"

Mai looked at the three of them for a while before she nodded. "Thank you."

"No problem," Nana said with a smile.

"Then how about we go back, Shishio?" Saki said while looking at Shishio.

"Sure." Shishio nodded. "Let's go back."

---

Mai didn't know the reason why Saki and Nana decided to ask her to go back together, but she agreed since she just didn't want to be alone at this moment. She might have hidden it very well, but she was afraid of a similar thing happening again.

"Um, are we not going to the station?"

Mai suddenly realized that they didn't go to the station.

"No, we come here by car," Nana said with a smile.

"Huh? Car? Who drove it? Did you bring the driver?" Mai was confused.

"Him." 2x

Saki and Nana pointed at Shishio at the same time.

"..." Mai.

Shishio noticed Mai's gaze and said, "Mai-san, don't tell anyone, alright?"

Mai realized that this guy was more naughty than she had thought and more courageous, too, since he dared to bring his two girlfriends together on a date to Enoshima by driving a car alone. "Is this okay?" But she had to admit that she was a bit jealous even though she had become a high school student. She had never had any experience to enjoy her youth.

"It's alright. It's alright. His driving skills are amazing," Nana said chirpily.

Unlike Nana, Saki didn't have a hobby to talk about that much, so she let Nana talk, and somehow she was glad that their relationship was good.

While Nana and Mai talked together, they also started to call each other for the first time.

Mai also asked Saki to call her by her first name since she didn't like her family name.

Saki agreed and also told Mai to call her by her first name.

Shishio didn't join their conversation since he knew that if he said something, both Nana and Saki might think he had feelings for Mai. Nana and Saki were beautiful, and their beauties didn't lose to Mai, but Mai had this aura and presence that was different from ordinary people since Mai had been an actress during her childhood time.

If Shishio had to make a comparison, then Mai was similar to both Shiina and Yukinoshita. The aura and presence of both Shiina and Yukinoshita were quite similar to Mai, after all.

Mai's presence and aura might have overwhelmed ordinary people, but Saki and Nana didn't think much about it.

Nana was good at communication, and she was also Ayaka's little sister, so she also had this motherly aura around her who wouldn't lose to anyone. She also thought that she didn't lose to Mai, considering her chest was bigger than Mai. As long as she didn't see anyone who had a bigger chest than her, she was mostly calm to talk with anyone.

As for Saki, if it was before then, she might feel overwhelmed by Mai, but she had followed Shishio to the Kengan Match and met various people whose status was even bigger than Mai. Hence, she was naturally calm, and she had stayed with Togo, who was known as the "Merchant of Death," a famous hiatus actress such as Mai was just another person in her eyes.

However, unlike both Nana and Saki, Mai was quite surprised by the reaction of the two girls since they didn't show panic or inferiority in their expression, and she could tell that they looked at her like any other girl. They didn't see her as the famous child actress, Sakurajima Mai, but instead just a student from the same school, Sakurajima Mai. It might seem easy, but unlike boys, who had never thought too much, the relationship between girls was more complex, especially when someone was better than others. The girls would try to isolate the girl rather than trying to become better.

That was the case with Mai, and she was isolated from the school, so she didn't have a chance to have a girl talk, and it was also the reason why she became more curious with Shishio, wondering how he could date such two wonderful girls at the same time.

Then when they arrived at the parking park, Shishio entered the car, and Nana also followed, sitting next to him.

Saki looked at Mai, who stood there and said, "Come in."

"Um." Mai looked at Saki, wondering whether this girl didn't realize that Shishio's car was a luxurious foreign car, but her relationship wasn't that close. It was too rude to ask such a question, which somehow made her even curious of Shishio.

"Excuse me," Mai said as she entered the car.

"Well, let's go back," Shishio said.

"Yes." 3x

---

The trip was relatively peaceful, and Mai understood why Nana told her that Shishio's driving skill was amazing.

"Um, Mai-senpai, can I ask you a question?" Nana asked.

"Yes." Mai nodded. "What's wrong, Nana?"

"So why were you asking for Shishio's help before?" Nana asked.

Hearing Nana's question, Mai felt hesitant to talk and looked at Shishio.

Shishio pretended that he didn't feel Mai's gaze since he wanted to see whether this girl would try to hide why she asked his help and just told both Nana and Saki the truth.

Looking at Shishio, who pretended that he didn't see anything, and looked at the stare of both Nana and Saki, Mai felt hesitant. Unlike when she talked with Shishio before, she knew that she could accept her problem, and he didn't think she was weird. He understood her, and it was also why she talked to him, but both Nana and Saki were different. Besides their status as Shishio's girlfriend, she didn't know them, and she didn't want to be thought of as a weirdo.

However...

"Being a public figure must be hard, huh?" Saki said with a sigh.

"You don't need to say it anymore! It must be hard on you..." Nana wanted to hug Mai, but she was sitting on the front seat, so she could only pat Mai's shoulder.

"Huh?" Mai was dumbfounded and felt confused.

"Stalker has followed you, right?" Saki said.

"..."

Mai was in a daze, but she nodded after a moment. "Yes."

Shishio could only shake his head when he heard Mai's answer, but he didn't say anything at that moment. He also didn't feel surprised by her answer since she was still in a state of denial, and she thought that everything was just her imagination, and unlike him, who could naturally make her talk, both Saki and Nana were just strangers in Mai's eyes. After all, it was normal for someone to be cautious of a stranger, right?

Mai, who had acquiesced, Saki's statement, quickly looked at Shishio's reaction through the back mirror. Unfortunately, she couldn't see anything, and his expression was quite calm as if he had expected this matter, which made her feel a bit depressed, wondering why she couldn't tell the truth.

"Don't worry, if that stalker comes at you again, just tell, Shishio," Saki suddenly said.

"Huh?" Mai was surprised when Saki directly offered Shishio to help her.

Saki thought that Mai doubted Shishio's ability, so she said, "He's strong. Even if there are ten people, he can trounce them."

"Really?" Nana looked at Shishio in surprise. She knew that Shishio was strong, but fighting ten people was a different matter and after hearing the confirmation from Saki's mouth, this fact surprised her.

"Why were you the one who was surprised?" 2x

Shishio and Saki said at the same time, and it caused Nana to laugh.

Mai knew that even though Shishio, Saki, and Nana didn't explain their relationship, she knew that they were dating each other, but she could see how happy they were, so happy that it blinded her, deep down inside, she also felt jealous. Looking at Shishio, she recalled their first meeting and how he talked with her at that time, somehow. She slowly understood how he could date two girls at the same time.

---

Even though the distance between Enoshima and Tokyo was quite far, it didn't take too long for them to arrive in Tokyo.

Shishio didn't send both Nana and Saki first, but instead, he sent Mai back to her home first.

"Thank you very much," Mai said to Shishio since he had sent her back.

"It's alright. I only do what most people do," Shishio said.

"Most people, huh?" In her mind, most people would ignore her or become a creep when they saw her. She was fortunate that she met Shishio, Nana, and Saki on her trip to Enoshima.

"Well, be careful, Mai-san," Saki said.

"See you next time, Mai-senpai," Nana said with a smile.

Mai said goodbye to both Saki and Nana with a smile, but Shishio suddenly called her out before she went back.

"Mai-san, bring this with you," Shishio said and gave Mai some of the yokan that he had bought.

"No, no, it is too much, and I have troubled you all this time. How can I receive this?" Mai was a bit overwhelmed since she received a lot of yokan. Even though she had to admit that it tasted good, she couldn't accept it since she had troubled him too much.

"It's alright. It's alright. I know that what you have experienced before is a scary experience. You should rest and eat something sweet to calm down." Shishio didn't let Mai reject his gift and returned to his car. "Then we'll go back first."

Nana and Saki also said goodbye before they left.

Mai looked at the back of Shishio's car and had a complex expression on her face since it had been a while since she had been comfortable with someone. She then looked at the paper bag in her hand and saw various foods bought by Shishio, but then, she noticed a piece of paper.

Mai raised her eyebrow and saw a note from him.

"If something happens, then don't hesitate to ask for my help. You can call me or email me."

Mai then saw his phone number and email, and somehow, once again, she understood why that guy could have two girls around him.

---

When Mai had left, Shishio felt the gaze of both Nana and Saki on him. "What?"

"Do you like Mai-san?" Saki asked directly.

Nana also looked at Shishio, waiting for his answer.

Shishio looked at the two girls and said, "She's a beautiful girl. Who hates her?"

"....."

Saki and Nana recalled how beautiful Sakurajima Mai was and couldn't help but feel depressed and threatened.

Shishio looked at both Saki and Nana, who were quite down at that moment, and he knew that whether they were female or male, they had an inferiority complex. Even though both Nana and Saki were beautiful and knew that they were beautiful, in front of Mai, they felt slightly inferior, and they were wondering whether someone like Mai was his type of girl. "But you're not worse, or rather, in my eyes, you're several better than Mai-san."

"Huh?" 2x

Saki and Nana looked at Shishio in surprise.

"I have confessed to the two of you and not to Mai-san. I have chosen you, so have confidence that in my eyes, you two are the most beautiful girls, alright?" Shishio also quickly accepted his "Enhanced Smile" that he received from Mai and showed his new smile at Saki and Nana.

"..."

Saki and Nana could only stare at Shishio in a daze, and they had to admit that he was so handsome at that moment.

"Shishio!" 2x

Saki and Nana didn't care whether they were on the street or not, and they quickly hugged him, or rather, they didn't want to let him go at that moment, and they wanted to kiss him directly!

"Wait! Wait! We're on the street! I'm driving! Do you want us to die!?"

If they were only hugging, then Shishio didn't mind, but they also wanted to kiss him, which made him wonder whether they wanted to die. Still, looking at their reaction, he had to admit the "Enhanced Smile" effect was so dangerous.