I became the emperor in the comic book series.

Liang immediately gave a thumbs up: "Good eye."

"What's so good about it!"

Another chop to the head landed on Liang, ignoring her little act of crying and pretending to be pitiful without a single tear in her eyes.

Hongxia turned around and looked at Dongye Ming with a serious expression. "Mr. Dongye, it's not good for a boy to be so frivolous. No girl will like you if you keep going like this! And since you have a girlfriend, you should treat her well! Otherwise, your girlfriend will be heartbroken!"

Her eyes were clear and earnest, and her tone was gentle yet firm.

Beside him, Ichiri, who had initially felt a little disappointed but mostly relieved, thought: Ah! Girlfriend? Heartbroken? Me? Ugh!

Not far away, next to the stage.

The paper cup in the singer's cup made a crisp "crack" sound as she crumpled it into a ball.

That brat, how dare he talk to his sister so close?

And why are you laughing so happily?

Hongxia was still earnestly lecturing him?

He already has a girlfriend, yet he still...

pat.

A hand patted her on the shoulder.

Xingge turned around and saw the sound engineer covering her mouth, her shoulders shaking as she clearly tried to suppress a laugh.

"What are you laughing at!"

"No, no." The sound engineer waved her hand, but she couldn't hide the smile in her eyes. "I just think that the manager really cares about my sister."

"I just hate men who are frivolous and promiscuous!"

"Oh?" The sound engineer drawled out the word meaningfully.

The teasing look made Ichiji Hoshika blush slightly, but she immediately straightened her face.

"Stop talking nonsense! Get to work!"

"Okay, okay, okay—"

In the end, Yamada Ryo still couldn't get away with not paying. Although Higashino Akira didn't care about the small amount of money for a drink, the serious Nijika didn't tolerate her good friend's behavior at all. She put the cost of both drinks on her account and even demanded that it be deducted directly from her wages.

As night deepened, the girls, being students, couldn't work late, especially since their home was quite far away and they would have to take a long train ride to get back.

After watching several performances at the store, it was almost time, so Akira Higashino accompanied Ichiri, who was preparing to return home, as they left the Starry Night.

....................................

....................................

P.S.: 16.5 chapters are missing.

Chapter Seventy-Four: The Guitar Hero, Stand Up

As night deepened, the streets of Shimokitazawa lost their daytime hustle and bustle, leaving only a few passersby and shops still lit up.

Akira Higashino and Ichiri Goto walked side by side, with about half a meter between them.

To be precise, Yili deliberately kept a distance of about half a meter from him, occasionally getting closer due to distraction, and then panicking and pulling away again.

This process was repeated over and over.

As a result, the girl, who was hurrying along with her head down, was not paying attention and almost bumped into a utility pole.

Akira Higashino reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back.

"I'm so sorry!"

Iri reflexively apologized, nestled in the person's arms, feeling the warmth emanating from them. Her social anxiety instincts kicked in, and she suddenly stiffened like a block of wood.

"I've been wanting to ask you this since earlier. You've been looking so conflicted. Is there something you want to say to me?"

"Ah! This...that..."

Goto Ichiri stammered for a long time, unable to utter a complete sentence. Suddenly, he became breathless and pounded his chest hard.

Finally, in despair, she closed her eyes and asked the question that had been buried in her heart for a long time since she was in Fanxing.

"Um... I don't understand. I'm just such a terrible, insignificant, and gloomy girl. Why would you let me be your girlfriend?"

"If we're talking about lovers, Nijika is so gentle, Kita is cute and has a girlish charm, and Ryo-senpai is so cool. They'd all be more suitable than me."

Upon hearing this, Higashino Akira thought for a moment, stopped in his tracks, and looked at her seriously.

"One mile, open your eyes."

Upon receiving the order, the pink-haired girl nervously opened her eyes, met his gaze, and then her expression gradually became uncontrollable and distorted.

Higashino Akira, however, did not want her to keep running away like this, so he reached out and cupped her small face in his hands.

The girl's chubby cheeks were lifted up for a moment, and the squeezing sensation brought her back to her senses. Her wet eyes looked at him pitifully.

“You’re absolutely right. They are all very charming girls, and I like them too, but it’s more of an appreciation, you understand?”

"And my feelings for you, Goto Ichiri, have escalated to possessiveness; I want you to be mine! I'm unwilling to let you go!"

“Hongxia is a good girl, like an angel, caring for everyone, but she is like that to everyone, and this care is not exclusive to me.”

"Kita is indeed very cute, with a lively and youthful vibe."

“Even Liang is a very interesting girl.”

"But only you, Goto Ichiri."

"Although you don't care about everyone as selflessly as Nijika, that doesn't mean you're not a kind person. You're not as cheerful and lively as Kita, but your figure is better than five Kitas combined. You're not as funny as Ryo, but when you find out you suddenly have a boyfriend, your first thought is to back down because of your insecurity, rather than directly questioning why this happened."

"In my opinion, you are very cute, and you should know this."

"I like all your strengths and don't care about your weaknesses. You should be more confident. You're not the kind of bland, uninteresting character that nobody likes!"

Eh! Eh! ! ?

Am I really that good?

Moreover, it has advantages that even Lian Hongxia and the others don't have.

The pink-haired girl let out a silly giggle. After being praised a series of times, she suddenly became confident. She was no longer gloomy or insecure. She stood tall and proud, laughing so hard that her eyes could hardly open.

Seeing how easily she could be satisfied, Higashino Akira found her even more adorably silly.

This world isn't just a simple band anime; the art style isn't so friendly and harmonious, and there are plenty of awful people out there. If a naive girl like her were to encounter an unreliable partner in the future, her remaining life would only be a disaster. Even if she encountered something bad, she probably wouldn't even have the courage to fight back.

Moreover, now that they're already together, how could he possibly give it up?

Since that's the case, I might as well let her be with me. At least, apart from marriage being probably impossible, Higashino Akira is genuinely willing to treat her well in other aspects.

"I have many girlfriends, but Ichiri still gives me a unique feeling, an irreplaceable presence!"

"Eh!!!!"

That can't be right!

The girl's eyes widened instantly, her previously pitiful gaze now filled with disbelief.

What does it mean to have many girlfriends?

Ugh... I finally found love, even though it's like I suddenly have a boyfriend. Could it be that I've met a bad guy?

very scary!

"Afraid?"

Goto Ichiri blinked pitifully, looking terrified!

"I didn't want to lie to you, that's why I told you about my situation. If I hadn't told you, after all the praise I just gave you, wouldn't you have been incredibly tempted? Even if I were to take you home tonight, you would have followed me there in a daze?"

Goto Ichiri nodded.

“But I still said it.”

Seeing this, Higashino Akira moved a little closer to her. "Because I plan to spend the rest of my life with Ichiri. Without prior explanation, any concealment will only become the fuse for our future relationship to explode."

"But does it really matter?"

"Yili, think about it. In the future, I will have many occasions where I need to attend serious events, and I will need a poised and elegant female companion to accompany me. She may be scrutinized by all sectors of society, who may try to find any flaws in her to attack me. Are you confident that you can shoulder this important responsibility?"

Oysters, oysters, oysters! It's simply impossible!

Just imagining it is terrifying!

The girl shook her head frantically.

"After a long, tiring day outside, I finally come home and want to feel the warmth of home, receive my wife's care, encouragement, and comfort. Can Yili provide that?"

The girl's body trembled.

"Then try to imagine what you might have encountered in your life if I hadn't come into your life. Would you have grown old alone? Or would you have married the wrong person and suffered domestic violence and verbal abuse every day, and in the end, you wouldn't dare to file for divorce?"

Goto Ichiri's vision went black as he was terrified by the terrifying future scene, causing his soul to leave his body.

"Look on the bright side. If Ichiri is with me, you will have a lover who is willing to accept everything about you, good and bad, and discover the shining points in you. Maybe we will have a child in the future. When you are busy, you can go to perform with Hongxia and the others. The child can be entrusted to my other girlfriends to help take care of. They are all good people and will treat the child as their own. When the child is older, everyone can accompany her to watch your performance."

“We won’t fall into financial difficulties or have arguments because of economic problems, and we won’t grow to hate each other because of differing values. Besides Hongxia and the others, you will meet many girls with good personalities who won’t dislike you, and I won’t gradually stop liking you because of other people.”

"Then, when we get old, we can still lean on each other and reminisce about the beautiful times we shared."

"But...but..."

Goto Ichiri was still a little hesitant, wanting to say something, but was interrupted by Higashino Akira, "No buts."

"Life doesn't have to follow the same rhythm as everyone else's. What suits you best is the best. Goto Ichiri, rock your life a little like a real guitarist. Guitar hero, stand up!"

"I...I...okay!" The girl stammered, her eyes tightly closed, "I...I'm not very talented, please guide me in the future!!!"

Higashino Akira suddenly leaned over and kissed her.

He smiled as he looked at the girl's wide-open eyes, filled with shyness and shock, and at her stiff, motionless expression once again.

I told you you were cute.

"Really...really?"

"Really, you know I don't lie."

"Hehehe..."

The girl's face flushed as she let out a silly, soft laugh, quiet and restrained, full of amusement.

Higashino Akira looked at her with gentle eyes.

Who could resist such a lovely girl with a great personality, good looks, an outstanding figure, and easy to please, like a mascot?

"I'll walk you home?"

"Eh!"

Yili quickly shook her head and refused; she wasn't mentally prepared to tell her mother that she actually had a boyfriend.

Moreover, we didn't prepare any ingredients at home to make red bean rice in advance!

“If your family is worried, just tell your elders about us directly. There’s no need to hide it. Whether they agree or not, I will help you persuade them.”

"Baa baa! Don't hit Daddy and Mommy!"

"What are you thinking?" She rolled her eyes at the girl's peculiar thought process, wondering what strange images she was conjuring up. "I'm not some blond guy who comes to your door on a motorcycle."

Finally, Akira Higashino escorted Ichiri Goto to the station, whose mind was still reeling from what had just happened, his expression shifting between silly laughter and worry.

After thinking for a moment, he spoke, "Private First Class Poch!"

"To!"

"I order you to send me a greeting message every morning and evening from now on, along with a selfie. You're not allowed to go days without contacting me even though you have a boyfriend, understand?"

"Okay...okay!"

"Cheer up!"

"(Loudly) I understand!"

"Good job. Be careful on your way back, and text me when you get home."

"Oh…"

The train doors opened automatically, and people inside and outside the station rushed about for work and social engagements: the men and women working overtime looked at the young couple, and their tired and numb faces unconsciously softened, and a look of reminiscence flashed in their eyes.