Tokyo: To reiterate, this is not a dating system.

As dusk fell, Genji Aoyama walked back home.

His words in the activity room still echo in my mind.

"Does that mean I'm also a gravity-type user?"

But what Genji Aoyama actually meant was that, no matter what, he would be responsible for everyone in the band—referring to the performances, of course.

Just as he was thinking, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

hum-

He received a LINE message from Saki Izumo.

[Saki: Aoyama-kun, thank you.]

[Qingshan: Why does this feel a little too formal? I'm not quite used to it.]

[Saki: Ugh! Saki really meant it when she said this to Aoyama-kun]

[Saki: Before practice, I inexplicably started to worry, would I not perform as well as before? What if I messed up the performance...?]

[Saki: Even with everyone's encouragement and Aoyama-kun's comfort, I'm still a little scared when I think about it now. I would never have felt this way before.]

[Saki: What should I do? I really don't want to take medicine.]

[Aoyama: Doesn't this just show that Saki is starting to care about the band members?]

[I trust you!]

Genji Aoyama typed out this line, thought about it, and realized that it was too heavy to let others do something just based on trust, so he quickly deleted it.

Love—

[Aoyama: And judging from the final training results, everyone performed quite well, especially Saki, so you can rest assured.]

[Saki: Yeah. ]

The answer was brief, revealing nothing about what Izumo Saki was thinking. Aoyama Genji thought for a moment and decided not to press the matter further.

He couldn't be by her side all the time.

Just as Genji Aoyama put away his phone and was about to enter the train station, Yuko Asahi finally replied to his message.

[Yuuko: Sorry, and... I feel like Aoyama-kun is teasing me!]

The reply time was so late that Genji Aoyama even had to take another look at the content of his message.

[Aoyama: You don't believe me? I feel... a little hurt again.]

After sending the message, Genji Aoyama walked into the train station, swiped his commuter pass, and entered the platform. Yuko Asahi only replied after hearing the announcement that the train was arriving.

[Yuuko: ...I'll find a way to make it up to you!]

I hope everything will be alright.

Genji Aoyama entered the tram car, and after a muffled whistle, the tram rattled along its designated route.

Through the car window, you can see that the clouds on the horizon are dyed rose color, which is very beautiful.

[Yuuko: Oh right...]

Genji Aoyama's train of thought was pulled back by Yuko Asahi's new message.

I quickly replied with a "[Hmm?]"

While waiting for a reply, Genji Aoyama started browsing social media. Three days had passed since the release of his new song, and it was now being discussed all over the internet.

Many netizens are looking forward to his next song, and Genji Aoyama has also considered what kind of release schedule would be appropriate...

Shouldn't we talk to Haruka Minatsuki?

[Yuuko: I just met with Izumo-senpai, and she invited me to watch the band's performance. Is that okay?]

Genji Aoyama thought for a moment, and realized that Yuko Asahi seemed to have overlooked a problem.

[Aoyama: If possible, please come over.]

[Yuuko: I'll go!]

After leaving the tram stop, Aoyama Genji had a quick dinner at a nearby family restaurant before returning to his cramped rented apartment.

He inexplicably felt a sense of tranquility—the school hadn't assigned any homework during the exam period.

After thinking about it, Genji Aoyama decided to fill the bathtub with water and take a bath to relax his tense nerves.

The water from the faucet splashed against the empty bathtub, making a "splashing" sound.

Then, as the water level rose, it gradually turned into a gurgling sound, and Genji Aoyama, standing under the showerhead, cleared his mind.

He wiped his hands and picked up his phone from the shelf when it started vibrating continuously.

"Good evening, Ms. Haruka."

"Good evening." Haruka Minatsuki's voice sounded cheerful. "Hmm? Is Genji-kun taking a shower?"

"When I got home and found myself with nothing to do, I suddenly wanted to relax." After filling the bathtub to about the right level, Genji Aoyama turned off the tap.

"Thank you for your hard work, Genji-kun."

For some reason, he sensed a subtle meaning in Haruka Minatsuki's voice.

"It's Miss Haruka."

"It was really tough, but it's a little better now," Haruka Minatsuki said with a smile. "The company's paperwork has been completed, and it should be able to start operating in about two days."

"So fast?"

Aoyama Genji was somewhat surprised, but after thinking about it, it made perfect sense. After all, the Minazuki family was not an ordinary family; they did have some influence.

"Yes, I've been dealing with this for the past few days, and now I can finally breathe a sigh of relief."

"Thank you for your hard work. As expected, entrusting this kind of thing to Ms. Haruka was the right choice," Genji Aoyama said with a smile.

Haruka Minatsuki on the other end of the phone just smiled.

There was a brief silence between them, and Aoyama Genji considered whether or not to get into the bathtub first.

"Oh, right," Minatsuki Haruka suddenly said.

If he remembers correctly, this is the second time he has seen or heard such words today.

"Please speak, Ms. Haruka."

"How are the preparations for the performance going?"

Genji Aoyama considered for a moment before saying, "It should be fine."

"Hmm—" Haruka Minatsuki drawled out the unintelligible tone, "This afternoon in the band room, Genji-kun was quite certain."

"The fuller the rice stalk, the lower it droops," Genji Aoyama said with a smile. "That's just a humble way of putting it."

"Is that so? Then I'll trust Genji-kun!"

Haruka Minatsuki laughed. "Anyway, I hope Genji-kun's performance goes smoothly."

"To be precise, it should be a performance by the girl group S," he reminded them.

"But I only care about Genji!"

Haruka Minatsuki's tone suddenly became like a little girl's coquettishness. After a pause, she continued, "The most troublesome thing has been resolved. I'm really looking forward to Golden Week. If Genji is unhappy because of the performance failure, then Haruka won't be happy either."

"Yes," said Genji Aoyama.

"I feel like Genji-kun is being a bit cold," Haruka Minatsuki's voice turned dissatisfied. "Never mind... I'll be at the band's rehearsal tomorrow too. If the performance isn't satisfactory, would Genji-kun mind if I helped out in my own way?"

"I'm sorry, please allow me to decline."

Genji Aoyama thought back to this afternoon when Haruka Minatsuki noticed Saki Izumo's gaze.

He smiled silently. If it were him a few days ago, he probably would have said, "Can I refuse?"

"Hmm..." A cryptic laugh came from the other end of the phone, and then Haruka Minatsuki said with a smile, "It's a pity, Aoyama-kun is neither the president of the Beautiful Girl S Rock Club nor the leader of the Beautiful Girl S band."

The call was disconnected, followed by a long beeping tone and then an abrupt silence.

Even with a change in mindset, some problems still exist and need to be addressed.

Steam rose in the bathroom, and water droplets that had condensed and accumulated on the ceiling began to drip, making a "drip-drip" sound as they fell onto the water's surface.

"Now that things have come to this, let's take a bath first."

Genji Aoyama buried himself in the water.

◇

late at night.

[Aoyama: I'd like to talk to Haruka about the release of future works.]

[Haruka Minatsuki: Haruka-san doesn't want to talk to you today, hmph!]