Tokyo Soft Rice King.

Kuroba Akira quickly moved over, pushed Takanashi Mirai's back, and brought her in front of everyone.

"Uh...? A guitarist? What's going on?"

"Future! Are you finally going to school?!"

Before Takanashi Mirai could figure out what was going on, Saionji Machi also came up to her, her face full of surprise.

The information she had received from Hitomi Anri was that Mirai Takanashi had come out of her room, but for various reasons, she decided to drop out of school and focus on her career path. She had already obtained her mother's consent, so there was no need to worry about her future.

Although the matter was resolved satisfactorily, Saionji Machi still felt that part of the reason why Takanashi Mirai stopped going to school was because of bullying, isolation, and inability to integrate into the class, which made her feel quite regretful.

It's a bit like playing a visual novel and only getting the normal ending, but not the perfect ending.

Moreover, this ending was achieved by Kuroba Akira, and had nothing to do with her, because she was eliminated midway through the competition and had no choice but to call for replacements.

Saionji Makoto is a kind-hearted person who will do her best to help others in need. However, she can't help her childhood friend Takanashi Mirai at all, which makes her feel guilty and frustrated.

"Uh, really... I just came to see the band perform at the school festival..."

Because she hadn't given Zhencheng a chance to talk face-to-face when she was staying indoors before, it was a bit awkward to see her again now. She looked away guiltily and changed the subject.

"Speaking of which, Akira, what did you mean by guitarist? I saw on the flyer that Makoto is the guitarist in the band... I didn't know Makoto could play guitar."

Not to mention Takanashi Mirai, even Saionji Mato, the older sister, didn't know when her twin sister learned to play the guitar, and could even sing while playing, which shows that she had been practicing for a long time.

The reason why Hikawa Makoto only agreed to perform on the first day was because she knew that on the second day of the cultural festival, her older sister would come to visit the festival as a student representative of Shirayuri Girls' High School, and it was Anri Hitomi who told her about this.

Hitomi Anri knew that Makoto Hikawa didn't want to perform in front of her sister, so she would definitely slip away early the next day to free up the band's performance slots.

After that, all we need to do is 'convince' Shion Murasaki to take the stage.

However, the appearance of Takanashi Mirai was indeed unexpected, and she didn't know if it would affect the plan... But now Hitomi Anri could no longer rule out Takanashi Mirai, this suddenly appearing 'variable'.

"This is what happened..."

Kuroba Akira briefly explained the current situation.

Makoto Hikawa is missing, so the performance has been postponed. A replacement vocalist has been found, but a guitarist is still needed.

Then, Takanashi will play guitar in the future, and she happens to be the band's 'former guitarist', so bringing her back to the band now is the best solution.

When asked to perform on stage, Takanashi Mirai didn't immediately refuse. Instead, she raised her eyebrows and asked in confusion.

"If we're just missing someone to play guitar, besides me, there's someone else who fits the bill, right? Where is that guy?"

The "that guy" that Takanashi Mirai is referring to is naturally the girl she had a conflict with back then.

At this point, the girl in the band who played the drums explained.

"Not long after the conflict with you, Yoshimura withdrew."

"Huh? Why? Is she crazy?"

Another keyboardist, who was discussing the song with Ziyin, turned his head and said.

"Later we realized that without you as the guitarist, the band couldn't play properly. But Yoshimura didn't want to admit it and wanted to fill your spot on her own. When she found that she couldn't do it, she said she wouldn't play with us anymore."

When Takanashi Mirai heard that Yoshimura had quit the band because she had made herself lose her composure, she was speechless.

"That guy can't play guitar at all... What's he trying to prove? He's really overestimating himself..."

In short, it's similar to a light novel where the team leader kicks out the most crucial support player. The team leader tries to fill in, but finds himself useless without support, so he loses his temper and quits, causing the team to collapse.

Although Takanashi Mirai doesn't have any musical talent, her experience in guitar playing and composition is genuine skill accumulated over time. Unless one has A-level or higher musical talent, it's impossible to catch up to her level in such a short time.

Clearly, Yoshimura is not a genius.

"Then why keep doing band performances? Wouldn't it be better to do something else... like manzai or something, or what, isn't our school's wind band pretty good? Let them perform."

At this point, Senior Sister Miao stepped forward to explain.

"Our school's brass band is indeed very good, but the music they play is all classical music, which is not very suitable for the atmosphere of the cultural festival. In addition, the brass band already has its own performance program, so going on stage again in the evening would be a repetition."

"Furthermore, I believe that a live band performance is more effective in creating a lively atmosphere and better highlights the students' youthful energy, which is why I invited them."

"In fact, judging from the great success of yesterday evening's performance, my judgment was correct; it's just that a small accident has occurred."

As for why they were specifically chosen, the reason is simple: they are the only few people in the entire Hibiya High School who play in a band.

Originally, after the two left one after the other, the band was essentially disbanded. However, at this time, Myo-senpai found the remaining two members and said that she would help them find replacement members. The person she found was Hikawa Makoto.

The remaining two felt that they had practiced for so long but had never performed in public before. Being chosen by the student council president to perform at the cultural festival was a rare opportunity, so they readily agreed.

Back to the present, although Hikawa Makoto, who was supposed to be a substitute, has been replaced by a substitute singer. Now that the original guitarist has also arrived at the scene, it is obviously Tensuke School. Myo-senpai immediately extended a warm invitation.

"Takanashi-kun, could you please rejoin the band and help us through this difficult time?"

"Alright... since we've arrived just in time, I'll do it."

When she saw that Takanashi Mirai had agreed so readily, Miao-senpai was very happy. She had thought it would take a lot of effort to persuade her.

Takanashi Mirai didn't agree to the event because of Myo-senpai's sake; in reality, she didn't care about the success or failure of the cultural festival at all.

There was only one reason she would agree: the temporary lead singer was Shion Murasaki.

The goddess she admires.

Two people who had already left school unexpectedly had the opportunity to collaborate at the school's cultural festival.

However, Takanashi Mirai hadn't spoken to Shion alone yet, and she was a little nervous about doing so, so she temporarily pulled Kuroba Akira along, hoping he would speak on her behalf.

There were only ten minutes left before the performance was scheduled to begin.

Kuroba Akira brought Takanashi Mirai to Shion's side. Before he could introduce her, Shion looked at Mirai and said...

“I remember you…we met once before.”

Takanashi Mirai's face flushed red, a mixture of shyness and excitement. She hadn't expected that the goddess would remember her.

"Yes! I never thought I'd have the chance to perform with you, Ms. Shion... But you really decided to go on stage after all. I knew you couldn't just be a voice actress!"

Because she couldn't actually call her "Goddess" in front of other people, Takanashi Mirai used a more respectful title.

"You are also a friend of the wise ruler, right? Then you can just call me Ziyin."

"Hmm...! Okay! Then I'll just call you Ziyin!"

Normally, Shion might be hostile to all women who are close to Kuroba Akira, but right now, Shion only has one woman on her mind: Anri Hitomi.

Seeing that the atmosphere between the two was quite friendly, Kuroba Akira simply added something else.

"Her future mother is the senior voice actress I told you about before. I will take you to visit her future mother's family later."

"I see... I'll leave the rest to you, Future."

As Takanashi Mirai put on her guitar strap, she excitedly exclaimed.

"Yes! I'll follow you, Ziyin, so just sing your heart out! I'll make sure your 'debut' is a complete success!"

Debut...

Kuroba Akira and Shion exchanged a glance, both seeing a look of realization in each other's eyes.

Yes, this is the debut.

Although it wasn't a professional stage performance, but just a performance at a high school's cultural festival, it was indeed Shion's first time on stage and her 'debut' in her professional career.

From this point on, Ziyin will officially appear in the public eye...

At this moment, Akira Kuroba realized that a slight sense of reluctance and unhappiness was spreading through his heart like ripples.

It seems that the 'Shilipo Voice Acting Project' I devised for Ziyin was not only to make her a star, but also contained a selfish element: I wanted to possess Ziyin's body and charm exclusively.

He kept her hidden away, afraid she would get hurt or fall, and didn't want her to show her face in public... It turns out he really was keeping her hidden away.

I used to think my feelings for Shion were purely physical and physiological—I just liked the benefits she could bring me and was attracted to her body. But now it seems there's also a pathological aspect to it…

In other words, it's about the desire for control and possession.

Of the four types of liking, three are embodied in Shion, but the fourth is missing.

Kuroba Akira originally thought he had lost this feeling of liking, but because of the class president, he recalled the feeling of first love and thus rediscovered the 'fourth kind of liking'.

That is psychological liking, also known as mutual understanding and soul resonance.

"Here you go, the half-face mask you requested."

Other student council members borrowed masks from the drama club and handed them to Senior Miao, who then passed them on to Akira Kuroba.

She didn't hand it over directly to Shion because her high emotional intelligence allowed her to see that Shion only wanted Kuroba Akira to help her put on the mask.

"Thanks……"

Kuroba Akira nodded his thanks and accepted the half-mask in the style of the Venetian Carnival.

He wanted to put it on Ziyin himself; it was the last thing he could do for her.

"Come on, Ziyin, let me put it on for you."

"Um……"

When Kuroba Akira's hand stroked Shion's black hair, his heart seemed to be touched, and Shion involuntarily raised her right hand and covered Kuroba Akira's hand.

That gentle touch felt like an electric current coursing through their bodies, and a strange feeling welled up in both of them—a feeling they had never experienced in their previous deeper, more passionate, and more intimate interactions.

The surrounding air seemed to become soft and tranquil.

Ziyin raised her head slightly, her gaze meeting Heiyu Ming's. In that instant, time seemed to freeze.

His eyes were filled with understanding and concern, while hers were full of trust and reliance, as if an invisible thread bound their souls together.

After putting on the mask, Ziyin closed her eyes, and the lower half of her face immediately turned up at the corners of her mouth, revealing a relieved smile.

"That's great... It seems it wasn't just wishful thinking on my part."

"Um……"

At this crucial moment before taking the stage, Akira Kuroba and Shion finally forged a deeper connection.

We don't need to say another word to understand each other's thoughts.

Kuroba Akira's reluctance to part was noticed by Shion, who was overjoyed and her excitement was palpable. At the same time, Kuroba Akira also fully understood Shion's determination.

Although the initial opportunity may indeed have been Hitomi Anri's 'coup,' which forcefully pushed things forward and even seemed a bit like pulling up seedlings to help them grow.

However, Ziyin is now making the decision to go out on her own.

She wanted Kuroba Akira to see the best version of herself.