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

"Great! The exams are finally over~~"

"Oh no! I feel like I didn't do well on the test."

"You always say that, and you always get high scores. You should just explode!"

"The Golden Week holiday is just one day away, how about we go out and have some fun?"

At 2:30 p.m., the sun was already setting in the west, and the sunlight slanted into the windows, cutting out areas of light and shadow in the corridor.

As Genji Aoyama walked in the shadows at the back of the corridor, the cheerful laughter of students filled his ears, and he felt as if the whole world had relaxed because the exams were over.

After each exam, he would roughly estimate his score and conclude that he did quite well on this monthly test.

As he passed by Class D, Genji Aoyama caught a glimpse of Yuko Asahi packing her things. After a moment's thought, he took out his phone and sent her a simple message.

[Aoyama: How did Yuuko do on the exam this time?]

After handing it out, he walked through the elevated corridor to the fourth floor of the special building. As previously agreed, they would meet in the activity room as soon as the exam was over.

Unlike before, under the club's nameplate, Genji Aoyama couldn't hear the cheerful conversations inside.

Open the door.

The band members' eyes instantly focused on him, their expressions showing varying degrees of tension. The air inside was so heavy that it seemed as if the relaxed and joyful atmosphere outside was completely isolated from the outside world.

"I have something to announce—"

Genji Aoyama took in everyone's expressions, then his expression turned serious. "Today, a professional musician will be attending the performance."

"Huh—?"

The atmosphere inside the activity room grew even more tense. Several people looked at each other, seemingly considering whether to back out.

"That person is me."

After Aoyama Genji finished speaking, he laughed first.

The handsome young man's smile was both friendly and infectious, especially his expressive eyes, which seemed to speak volumes—

"I think you'll all be fine, so there's absolutely no need to be nervous."

Everyone can read that meaning in those eyes.

"Oh, Aoyama-kun, you made me nervous!"

"that is!"

"...Please don't make jokes like that."

Saki Izumo stared at Genji Aoyama, blinking occasionally. After a whole day of adjustment yesterday, her condition had stabilized.

Although she looked a little nervous, she showed no sign of fear at all.

She walked over, almost whispering in Aoyama Genji's ear, and said in a very low voice, "If I perform well, will there be a reward?"

A warm whisper, carrying the sweet scent of a young girl, brushed past Genji Aoyama's ear.

"We can discuss that privately," Aoyama Genji replied softly, then turned his gaze to the others. "Let's go."

The group left the activity room and walked down the corridor to the special building, bathed in the setting sun, until they finally arrived at the entrance of the concert hall.

There, student council members wearing red armbands were already waiting—mainly to maintain order at the entrance.

Besides them, there were a few other familiar faces.

"Takahashi-senpai~"

Aoyama Genji looked over, but his gaze eventually settled on the girl next to Takahashi Kanna.

Her features were as delicate as a doll's, and her skin was as white as snow. She stood there quietly, her temperament elegant and aloof, like a flower untouched by worldly affairs on a high mountain.

"Hmm... this is the person I mentioned bringing," Takahashi glanced at the girl beside him, his expression slightly awkward. "Ai, why don't you try saying hello to everyone?"

"Don't force yourself to do this," a gentle voice came from behind. "Let her stay where she's comfortable and observe and learn in a way that's acceptable to her."

Genji Aoyama withdrew his gaze and turned slightly to the side.

"Shizuka-sensei~"

Saki Izumo was the first to react, skipping over, probably wanting to jump into Shizuka Yoda's arms, but she restrained herself, keeping a distance of about one body length between them.

"Saki seems to be recovering very well," Shizuka Yoda said, looking at Saki Izumo with a hint of affection in her eyes. She then turned her gaze to Genji Aoyama. "Young man, you might be very suitable to be a psychologist. I can recommend you to the University of Tokyo for psychology."

"This..." Genji Aoyama had actually considered it, because he had come into contact with so many troubled girls, and he envied Shizuka Yoda's ability to handle different patients with ease.

But after thinking about it, he still didn't want to be bound by an uncertain future, so he smiled and shook his head: "It's still a bit too early to talk about further education now."

"What a pity." Shizuka Yoda just smiled.

"Why did Shizuka-sensei suddenly come here?" Izumo Saki asked after a brief exchange.

"I sometimes get interested in things that young people like, hmm... maybe it's because of my profession, I'm naturally drawn to human happiness?"

"This is so hard to understand."

Saki Izumo laughed, "However, please enjoy our performance, Shizuka-sensei!"

"it is good."

A thoughtful expression appeared on Genji Aoyama's face as he followed the band members into the concert hall.

"Is happiness necessary to prevent being influenced?" That was the conclusion he roughly came to.

Upon entering the concert hall, a few audience members were already seated.

Genji Aoyama walked to the side of the stage and took a look at the situation of the attendees—Haruka Minatsuki was sitting in the first row, next to a woman who looked to be close to thirty years old, wearing a neat uniform and with a very capable demeanor.

When their eyes met, Haruka Minatsuki smiled and waved at him.

Yuko Asahi was also present, but she was sitting in a relatively secluded spot. Genji Aoyama only noticed her after scanning the room. She seemed to be intentionally avoiding his gaze, or perhaps she was stealing glances at him out of the corner of her eye.

Aoyama Genji found it very interesting, so he looked away and began to work on tuning and sound testing.

After the preparations were completed, the band members went backstage to change into their stage costumes, while he walked to the audience seats, but where should he sit?

Genji Aoyama began to think about this problem.

As someone involved in the matter, sitting in the front row was necessary, so after thinking about it, he found an empty seat in the first row and took a seat.

hum-

Shortly after he sat down, his phone vibrated briefly.

[Haruka Minatsuki: Genji-kun, wouldn't you consider sitting next to me? This seat would allow for better communication with the band members.]

[Aoyama: Yes, Haruka-san is right, but that's precisely why I sat on the other side.]

[Migetsuki Haruka: Huh? ]

The image of Haruka Minatsuki smiling gently, her head tilted slightly, flashed through my mind.

Genji Aoyama carefully considered his words before quickly typing on the keyboard to reply.

[Aoyama: When they were talking to me, their eyes would occasionally glance at you—well, one is the student council vice president, and the other is probably a school leader? Anyway, it's just to avoid putting unnecessary pressure on the performance.]

[Mitsuki Haruka: I see.]

Just as Genji Aoyama was about to put his phone away, Yuko Asahi sent another message.

[Yuuko: I want to sit next to Aoyama-kun.]

Gentlemen—

Genji Aoyama must make it clear that he did not force Yuko Asahi to be close to him; everything was based on her own free will.

[Aoyama: Hmm? Why? Yuuko has always been unwilling to get close to me at school. If you can't accept it, don't force yourself.]

After a while, the beautiful girl came to his side, her gaze fixed straight ahead, as if she didn't exist.

After sitting down, she took out her phone and started clicking rapidly.

Then Aoyama Genji received the message.

[Yuuko: As long as Aoyama-kun doesn't pay special attention to me, there's no problem. I also really want to get closer to Aoyama-kun (shyly admitting it)]

Aoyama Genji couldn't help but smile as he looked at the message sent via LINE.

If it's not an act of feigning cuteness, then it must genuinely be that cute—

Of course, Yuko Asahi herself is just that cute.

[Aoyama: I'm a little troubled. It's hard not to notice a cute girl right next to me.]

He couldn't resist the urge to tease her.

Out of the corner of her eye, Asahi Yuko glanced at her phone, then turned it off again, repeating this cycle over and over, her reactions quite amusing.

During this time, audience members arrived one after another, and whispers, footsteps, and the sound of chairs rustling echoed subtly in the hall.

The band members, who were preparing for the performance, had changed into their costumes and came to the front of the stage. Aoyama Genji put away his joking thoughts and began to pay attention to the beautiful girl on stage.

There was still some time before the performance started, and the pretty girls on stage seemed a little lost—

After all, the occasion was more official than their previous performances.

Several slightly nervous glances kept falling in Aoyama Genji's direction. He thought for a moment and then made a waving gesture.

Suzuki Yui on stage understood perfectly.

She picked up the microphone, suddenly cleared her throat, and the concert hall, which had been slightly chaotic, instantly fell silent.

"Hello, can you hear me?"

The sound was bright and melodious, echoing throughout the concert hall, before erupting in a response of "Oh—", followed by "We can hear you~"

"Um... this is my first time performing in this kind of setting, I'm a little nervous. Everyone's here so early."

It sounded like a casual chat, even a little awkward, but it sparked good-natured laughter from the audience. This casual conversation actually brought the stage and the audience closer together.

"Hey, Yui, you're being really funny today, what's up?"

Then, while waiting, the group chatted on stage like a comedy duo, and after the warm-up conversation, they spontaneously played a short, gentle melody.

Judging from the audience's reaction, the effect was quite good.

When the performance time arrived, Genji Aoyama looked around the concert hall and roughly estimated that there were about two hundred people present.

With a "snap," the concert hall doors closed, and then the lights changed. The main lights above the audience seats gradually dimmed, while soft ambient lights came on, and the stage lights became bright and layered.

Why weren't there any glow sticks?

Genji Aoyama suddenly realized the problem and planned to ask Haruka Minatsuki about it afterward. Of course, as her manager, he was also at fault for not being prepared.

The thought had just flashed through my mind.

The sound of a guitar strumming came from the stage, a series of light and cheerful notes that pulled him back to reality.

The performance begins.

Then came the drums and bass, and the notes began to collide and intertwine, merging into a moving melody.

Immediately afterwards, the spotlight on the stage suddenly turned on and focused on the lead singer.

She's already a beautiful girl, and wearing a cute tutu makes her even more so—that's the thought viewers will definitely have when they see Izumo Saki.

Then her melodious voice began to spread throughout the concert hall, until it filled every corner.

"call--"

Genji Aoyama breathed a sigh of relief, his mood relaxing as well. He even had an urge to wave his hands to the rhythm of the music.

But those hands never got a chance to wave—the palms, which had just been extended and resting on the armrests of the chair, were covered and enveloped by a soft touch.

He looked over and, in the dim light, saw Asahi Yuko, who was staring at the stage, quickly pull her hand back.

To reiterate: the girl herself volunteered entirely.