Ayanokoji didn't have any malicious intent; he just had a mischievous desire to prod and tease Ruribird Nadeshiko, making her work diligently.
Ruribird Nadeshiko's personality was too arrogant. If he didn't give her a sense of crisis, she might become conceited again in a few days, thinking she was irreplaceable.
After some time, if she saw that no one could threaten her position, she might take it for granted that this piano was her property and start slacking off with impunity.
Based on her interactions with Kurume Laiwei, this was highly probable.
Although she wasn't a bad person, she was too prone to getting carried away, and her emotional intelligence was very low. Rather than having unpleasantness later, a preemptive "prod" now was necessary.
As for the piano model, he would, of course, buy the one Ruribird Nadeshiko adored. Otherwise, how could he threaten her later with the piano—Ruribird, you wouldn't want to see me give this piano, bought specifically for you, to someone else, and have them play it in front of you every day, would you?
If you don't want to see that, then you must work hard…
Imagining the future scene of Ruribird Nadeshiko sitting pitifully at the piano, completely under his control, Ayanokoji couldn't help but laugh aloud, causing Ruribird, who was cautiously observing him, to tremble.
Just as she thought Ayanokoji Kiyotaka would make some demand, the female manager who had accompanied her during the audition also emerged from the room.
Those in sales, of course, need to be good at judging people. This manager had long seen that the one paying was the only male, Ayanokoji, and she went directly to his side.
With polite anticipation, she asked, "Sir, your girlfriend has already tried the piano, and she's very satisfied with this one. Would you like to buy it now? There's a discount if you buy it today."
This female manager naturally assumed Ruribird Nadeshiko was Ayanokoji's girlfriend.
After all, pianos are truly luxury items, especially Steinway grand pianos. One piano costs several years of an average family's expenses. If it wasn't for his girlfriend, who would spend such a large sum?
Even a rich second-generation heir wouldn't spend a fortune on a regular friend, would they?
Ruribird Nadeshiko frowned when she heard the manager address her as such and instinctively wanted to clarify, but she quickly realized Ayanokoji intended to give the piano to someone else, and she hesitated.
At this moment, she suddenly remembered a remark Kurume had told her before leaving—if she angered Ayanokoji, perhaps acting spoiled would be useful.
Ruribird Nadeshiko didn't care about anything else at this point. She treated this reminder as her lifesaver, steeled her heart, and, following the cue, hugged Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's arm, directly accepting the "girlfriend" title and acting intimately, even starting to spoil him.
"That's right, I really like this piano. Ayanokoji, can you buy it for me? Please…"
Ruribird Nadeshiko's sudden pretense made Ayanokoji very uncomfortable, almost giving him goosebumps. He instinctively wanted to push her away.
However, feeling the touch on his arm and seeing the manager's ambiguous smile, Ayanokoji thought for a moment and resisted doing so.
After all, this girl also cared a lot about her image. It wouldn't be good for him to show her a cold shoulder now, would it?
Ayanokoji gave Ruribird Nadeshiko a deep look and nodded, "I'll buy this piano."
Seeing Ayanokoji nod, the manager enthusiastically pulled Ayanokoji to the reception room, took out the bill and contract, and began calculating the exact price with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
Ruribird Nadeshiko, fearing Ayanokoji might change his mind at the last minute, held onto Ayanokoji's arm and followed him into the reception room, unwilling to let go for even a step.
Anyway, she was the one benefiting. Ayanokoji merely glanced at her and then ignored her, starting to discuss the specific price with the manager.
On the other side of the hall, Hanatemari Kazura was still trying to play the piano. Meari lowered her head and stood beside her, curiously watching her finger movements, so absorbed that they didn't notice the situation over there. Only Ririka, who was constantly watching Ayanokoji, noticed something was amiss.
She was completely stunned.
She knew Ayanokoji was very popular with girls, but Ruribird Nadeshiko had only just met him yesterday, hadn't she? How did the two suddenly become so intimately embracing!?
Ririka was anxious, but her mind was very calm at this moment. She knew that in her identity as Anna Kinomiya, it wouldn't be appropriate to intervene.
Her gaze shifted to Meari, and she apologized inwardly again, deliberately coughing lightly and feigning nonchalance, "Ayanokoji seems to have already picked out a piano with Ruribird. Shouldn't we go over there too?"
Have they already chosen over there?
Upon hearing this, Meari's attention shifted from Hanatemari, and she began to look up, searching for Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
Soon, she spotted Ayanokoji in the reception room… and Ruribird Nadeshiko holding his arm.
Meari's eyes sharpened.
Where was Ruribird Nadeshiko putting her hand!
What's wrong with this guy? Wasn't she a very arrogant person who looked down on everyone else? How could a single piano buy her off!?
Meari glared at her resentfully. She hadn't even dared to proactively hug him yet, but this guy had surprisingly gotten to him first!
Meari wasn't the type to sit idly by when something happened. With a gloomy face, she walked silently towards the reception room. Ririka, seeing that a "pioneer" had emerged, followed closely behind Meari.
Who told her she had "no justifiable reason"? No matter how much she cared about Ayanokoji, she could only pretend to be indifferent...
In the reception room, Ayanokoji quickly signed the agreement with the manager.
The content of the agreement was simple and comprehensive. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka only glanced at it a few times before signing his name and providing the delivery address.
The other party promised to pack the piano after Ayanokoji's payment and deliver it to the Cooking Room in person on the weekend.
The female manager had also heard of Hyakkaou Private Academy. She knew that students attending this school were either rich or noble, and after learning their identities, she became even more enthusiastic towards them.
She not only waived the delivery fee, stating that it would be free home delivery, but also promised that if the piano had any issues, they would provide free on-site repairs with just one phone call. After-sales services such as piano tuning and maintenance would also be free of charge.
Although Ayanokoji was not short on money, getting free after-sales service was still a welcome bonus.
Under Ruribird Nadeshiko's hopeful gaze, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka took out a bank card and handed it to the manager. She happily got up and took the card to the front desk to make the payment.
Every grand piano was expensive, and it was not always possible to sell one in a week. For her, this was a big business; she could earn a good commission from it alone, and she was very proactive in handling this matter.
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