Tokyo Sick Girlfriend

Chapter 149 Strategy
Shiratori Seiya's act of pretending not to know him made Hojo Shione a little angry; she had originally decided to hold a grudge against him.

However, this aura lasted for less than two days before disappearing without a trace.

On one hand, unlike her sister, she was not a vengeful person. She even took the initiative to think about Shiratori Seiya, thinking that he might be afraid of being teased by the people in the club and did not want to cause trouble for her, which was why he did not try to get close to her.

Thinking this way, she felt much better and even felt some sympathy for Shiratori Seiya. A woman's intuition told her that this person must have had a very pitiful past, which was why he was so careful in making friends.

On the other hand, due to the minister's strict requirements, the time allotted for club training has increased significantly.

The school festival will be held on Saturday and Sunday, October 25th and 26th, so there are only 25 days left.

In these twenty-five days, we need to practice two songs written by senior members of the club and prepare two new songs.

The performances at the school festival were divided into two parts: one on the main stage in the school playground, and the other on a stage set up by the student council.

Ishihara Tamakose's criteria for judging whether something was necessary to exist were determined through student voting.

At the start of each year's school festival, Jingze Middle School gives each student two votes to vote for their favorite club's performance. Of course, to prevent several large clubs from using their large numbers to vote for their own club, the student council has a special rule that students cannot vote for their own club.

In short, whether the vocal music department has any meaning depends on the final vote count and ranking.

Although I don't know what Ishihara-sensei said to Captain Ono, Hojo Shione thinks that if she can make it into the top ten, she should be considered to have passed the test, right?

Therefore, the vocal department cannot miss either of these two performances and must give it their all.

However, in just twenty-five days, they had to do promotion and recruitment, practice old pieces, rehearse, and also start preparing new pieces and practicing them...

When President Ono announced this decision during the meeting, everyone in the vocal club simultaneously thought, "Impossible!" They had no idea what had gotten into their president.

However, although everyone felt it was impossible, they still wouldn't have a concrete idea without trying it out in person. In addition, out of respect for the minister, everyone prepared to start acting according to the training schedule arranged by Minister Ono.

"Hojo, you'll be in charge of the club's performances, is that alright?"

At the end of the meeting, Yuuki Ono, with her hands on the table, stared at Shione Hojo, who was sitting in the center of the long table, and asked this question.

This decision took everyone by surprise, and they all looked at her in unison.

Normally, the vice-captain, Imai Aoi, should be the one performing on the secondary stage, but at this moment she smiled slightly at Hojo Shione, her eyes showing encouragement.

Unlike the other first-year club members, Hojo Shione had anticipated this.

Starting from the second semester, club president Yuuki Ono would casually mention to her that when she and Aoi Imai entered their senior year of high school next year, they wouldn't have time to participate in club activities anymore. She was subtly implying that she might have to hand over the vocal music club to her at that time.

Hojo Shione had expected to be tested when she took over the position, but she didn't expect it to happen so soon.

If she hadn't overheard the news of the club's impending disbandment outside the office, she probably would have agreed, even though she was a little unsure.

But now...

If I mess up my performance, the club will disband...

This is nothing like the old days in the choir. Although a choir performance might suffer if someone underperforms, it's nothing like standing on a stage facing so many people...

What if something goes wrong...

Hojo Shione felt a tremendous pressure. She pursed her lips, clenched her hands together, and stared at the table without saying a word.

A silence fell over the club room, but Ono Yuuki remained silent, simply staring at Hojo Shione and waiting for her reply.

Finally, Hojo Shione let out a breath, raised her eyes to glance at Vice-Captain Imai Aoi, then looked at Ono Yuuki and asked:
"Wouldn't Minister Imai be a better fit than me?"

Yuki Ono didn't respond and turned to look at Aoi Imai.

'Squeak.'

Imai Aoi stood up from her seat, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and bowed to the crowd, saying:

"I'm so sorry, but due to my family's arrangements, I'm transferring to a school in the United States this December. There's so much to prepare, so... I won't be able to focus my energy on club activities anymore..."

She paused, then looked at Hojo Shione and said:
"Moreover, in my opinion, Hojo, your singing level has never been lower than mine. You are very good."

"..."

This statement had absolutely no effect on Hojo Shione.

It's hard to say that saying such things in this situation isn't just a nice way of trying to shift the blame onto oneself.

Feeling the gazes directed at her, Hojo Shione took a deep breath and said:

"Minister, please allow me to consider it further."

"Okay, that's all for today..."

Yuuki Ono was surprised by her attitude, but she didn't intend to force her to become the lead vocalist right away. She nodded and said:
"Xiyin, if you have time tomorrow, let's talk again..."

"..."

They said they'd talk about it tomorrow, but it was really just giving Hojo Shione one night to think it over. If someone's mindset can't be changed, they won't agree to it, not even after one night, let alone a month or a year.

The next day, in an activity room with only two people.

"Minister, please forgive me, but I still cannot agree."

Yuuki Ono blinked, looking at the girl whose eyes lacked luster, and asked in confusion:

"...Can I know why?"

Hojo Shione's lips moved slightly. This time, she didn't look away, raising her gaze to stare at the other person and saying:
"Minister... actually, the club is going to disband, right?"

The girl standing opposite her was completely taken aback by what she said. Her expression froze, and she opened her mouth but couldn't utter a word.

Seeing this, Hojo Shione bit her lip and said with difficulty:

"That's why I can't participate. If I didn't know about this, I might have treated it as a trial, thinking that it wouldn't matter if I failed, but now..."

She sighed and continued.

"I know that you, Minister, don't want me to be under too much pressure, and you don't want everyone to be under too much pressure, so you probably didn't even tell Vice Minister Imai about this, right?"
But now that I know, there's nothing I can do... I can't save the club by myself...

Minister, just consider me a coward, I'm sorry.

After saying everything in one breath, Hojo Shione bowed to the other person, turned around, and quickly ran towards the door.

Seeing the girl rush out the door, Yuuki Ono finally reacted and quickly said:

"Wait! Xiyin..."

However, Hojo Shione didn't give her a chance to catch up. By the time Ono Yuuki reached the door, she had already run to the stairs at the corner of the corridor.

"..."

Hojo Shione ran down two flights of stairs before finally stopping. Her mind was a mess, and she suddenly felt a pang of regret. Her grip on the handrail tightened unconsciously. "Coward!"

She couldn't help but curse herself.

How do you know you can't do it if you don't even try?
The girl's slender arms trembled. She silently walked to a corner where no one could see her, slowly squatted down, her black skirt spread out on the ground, her pale knees touching, and buried her face in it, as if this could help her escape reality...

"Just crying won't solve the problem."

Suddenly a voice came from beside her, and Hojo Shione's shoulders involuntarily tightened. These words were like a stone, directly blocking the sad emotions flowing from her heart.

She paused for a moment, then looked up blankly. Her vision was blurry because her knees were pressed against hers, and she blinked before she could see the other person clearly.

Shiratori Seiya, holding a black notebook in his hand, gently fanned himself in front of her.

A cool breeze ruffled the hair by her ears. When she saw it was him, Hojo Shione felt a pang of guilt, and a feeling of shame quickly overwhelmed her.

She opened her mouth, her mind a jumble, and managed to squeeze out a sentence from her throat:
"I didn't cry..."

"Hmm, that's pretty strong."

Shiratori Seiya nodded, then sat down beside her and opened his notebook, saying:

"Compared to those underground idols who perform frequently, you do lack experience at your current level. Of course, there's also a lot of room for improvement in your singing skills..."

"However, I've calculated the time. Twenty days is more than enough time to raise your skill level by one level. You'll definitely be successful in the school's stage performances..."

As Hojo Shione listened to his string of words, her beautiful eyes widened, and she stared at him blankly, unable to help but murmur:
"what are you saying……"

"Here's the thing, I listened to your previous recording over a hundred times, and I also showed it to a professional teacher. She also thought your voice was very good, and initially estimated that twenty days would be enough. However, to determine the final training plan, we still need to meet with her in person to hear it, since my recording equipment at the time wasn't very good..."

Watching him doodle in his notebook with the ballpoint pen, and hearing his incomprehensible words, Hojo Shione's heart began to race. She couldn't help but stand up, facing him directly, her voice becoming urgent:

"Etc., etc!"

"Ok?"

Shiratori Seiya raised his face and asked calmly, "What's wrong? Do you think there's a problem?"

Meeting the boy's deep eyes, Hojo Shione felt a strange calm settle in her heart. She swallowed hard and said:

"I don't understand... What are you talking about... I haven't agreed to be the lead singer yet, have I? It's not even decided yet, and you're already talking about training and stuff, you..."

She gritted her teeth and said:

"You're such a strange person!"

Her voice was two octaves higher than usual, carrying a hint of resentment, as if she wanted to release all the pressure that had been building up inside her.

However, as soon as Hojo Shione finished speaking, she regretted it again. The other party clearly had no ill intentions, and even if she was refusing, she didn't have to say it so harshly.

She turned her head away, not daring to look at Shiratori Seiya, wanting to escape his gaze.

However, her voice kept echoing in the empty corridor, lingering in her ears several times before finally stopping.

Regret calmed her down; the girl's eyes dimmed, and she whispered:

"Right..."

"So shouldn't we start thinking about these things now?"

Shiratori Seiya interrupted her, standing up as he said:

The reason you're still hesitating and afraid is precisely because you lack confidence in your own abilities.

"It's like drinking water. If you were asked to perform drinking water in front of others, you certainly wouldn't worry about being too shy to hold the cup properly."

As Shiratori Seiya spoke, his figure slowly approached. His words reached the girl's ears, and her pupils contracted. Overwhelmed by his aura, she unconsciously retreated.

"Because of insufficient ability, there is a lack of confidence; because of a lack of confidence, there is fear; because of fear, there is a violation of one's own heart..."

Hojo Shione was forced back against the wall, her back pressed against the cold surface. With nowhere left to retreat, she turned her head away, tears welling in her beautiful eyes. She could only turn her head away, her lips trembling.

"I……"

Hearing her trembling voice, Shiratori Seiya remained silent for a moment, then his tone suddenly softened:

"Actually, I don't want to put you in a difficult position, I don't want to scare you, and I don't want you to be in such heart-wrenching pain right now..."

But I know that if I don't do this now, you will definitely regret it someday in the future.

"..."

Touched on her weak spot, Hojo Shione clenched her fists, her fingertips digging into her flesh, tears forming glistening threads that streamed down her cheeks.

Seeing the girl's tearful appearance, Shiratori Seiya had no intention of 'ending this here'.

Love is like a battlefield, and now is the time to draw his sword. He wants to kill the cowardice in her heart and carve the deepest wound in her soul.

"One day in the future, you will regret in the middle of the night, 'If I had been the lead singer back then, would the club not have disbanded? Would I not have let down President Ono's expectations?' Because you yourself have the ability to change all of this."

"You didn't want the club to disband, but because of your cowardice, you watched the tragedy unfold. You clearly had the ability, yet you refused to believe in yourself at that moment..."

He peeled away her heart bit by bit, revealing its most vulnerable spot. Hojo Shione felt an even greater pain in her heart and couldn't help but close her eyes and cry out:
"enough!"

However, Shiratori Seiya showed no sign of stopping; instead, his speech became even more rapid.
"Actually, the disbandment of the club is nothing, after all, you still have a long way to go. But... if you give up the club this time because of a lack of confidence, what will you give up next time because of a lack of confidence and cowardice?"

"Give up your ideals? Your career? Your love? In the end, you won't give up your entire life, will you?"

Hojo Shione's chest heaved rapidly; his words were like a death knell, gripping her heart tightly.

"Enough! You... what do you know about me?"

Seemingly pushed to the limit of her emotions, Hojo Shione opened her reddened eyes, pushed away the boy in front of her, and tried to escape.

'Snapped. '

Shiratori Seiya had no intention of letting her go, and grabbed her slender wrist.

Hojo Shione was pulled back by him and stumbled. She turned her head, biting her lip as she stared at him, her tearful eyes filled with fear and helplessness.

"What...what do you want to do..."

The girl's sobs were tinged with pleading.

Gazing into her tearful eyes, Shiratori Seiya's tone softened considerably:
"I just don't want you to have any regrets."

……
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(End of this chapter)