Lonely Rock: Love Songs Dedicated to the Stars

"What are you saying?!" Ijichi Hoshika blushed visibly, a rare occurrence. She grabbed Hiroi and stuffed a handful of fries into her mouth.

"What? Xingge, you don't want to marry me?" Youzhen looked at the rarely shy Xingge with a sneer.

"Stop making things worse!"

The izakaya was instantly filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

Everyone stayed at Yuuma's izakaya until late before leaving. Several staff members who were changing shifts went to the station with Kita and Pochi. Ryo's house wasn't far, so she walked home by herself. PA walked with the others for a while, while Hiroi was completely drunk and was being supported by Hoshika and Nijika.

"Do you smell bad?" Xingge noticed a slight odor on Guangjing.

Hongxia nodded; she had smelled it too, but had been too embarrassed to say it.

"I took a rare shower yesterday, how could you say that, senpai!" Hiroi was definitely unhappy to hear this, so she took a few steps back, moving a little further away from Hoshika who had just been supporting her.

"Is it the smell of alcohol? She drank quite a bit just now." Upon hearing the smell on Hiroi, Yuuma immediately thought of alcohol, but he also noticed something odd about Hiroi's earlier words. "Wait, what do you mean by 'rarely taking a shower'? How often do you shower?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Hiroi with disdain.

"Well... because my rented apartment doesn't have a bathroom, I usually go to Oguri, Shima, or Eliza's place to shower." Hiroi realized he had let something slip, so he decided to be honest with the others. "Sometimes I go to public bathhouses, but when I don't have money, I just use cold water at the sink."

After hearing her words, everyone's gaze changed from disdain to pity. Hiroi really seemed to have it tough.

"Wait a minute, Ozuri?" Yuuma seemed to have thought of something. "Is it Ozuri Yuyuko? I remember Gin mentioning her."

"Who is that?" Hongxia asked curiously when she heard an unfamiliar name.

"According to Xiaoyin, she seems to be the lead singer of a girls' band around your age, and she's quite talented."

"Hiroi, are you harming these children again?"

"I didn't! Daqi Mingming was very willing to help me."

It's only a short walk from Yuzuru's izakaya to his house and Ijichi's house, but it took a little longer to teach Hiroi a lesson.

Once they got downstairs, PA left on her own.

"Come on, hurry up and take a shower at our house." Xingge patted Guangjing on the shoulder. "Did you smell from being in the rain? You should wash your clothes too, otherwise you'll smell really bad tomorrow."

"Senior, I like you..."

"What are you saying?" Yuma said kindly, grabbing Hiroi by the neck and carrying her upstairs. Hoshika and Nijika followed behind.

Hiroi sat in the bathtub, feeling more comfortable than she had in a long time. The bathtub at the Ijichi family's house was filled with hot water and bath salts, and there were soft towels on the shelf next to it. Nijika even allowed her to use her own shampoo and shower gel.

"I left my change of clothes at the door."

Nijika's angelic voice made Hiroi feel like he was in heaven.

After showering, there was beer and snacks prepared by Hongxia. Although there were two seniors with unfriendly eyes staring at me, the trip was really worth it.

“Hongxia, you don’t need to treat her like this.” Xingge stopped Hongxia, who was about to help Guangjing with his laundry.

"But, Hiroi-nee is still a guest, and she helped Pochi-chan before."

"My sister is an angel!" Hiroi said, tears welling in his eyes, as he took another sip of beer.

“We all know this, you don’t need to tell us.” Yuzhen sat down next to her. “You’ve already drunk so much, can you still drink?”

"No problem."

Xingge looked at her junior classmate, sighed, and sat down as well.

"Have you ever thought about saving some money? Stop drinking all day."

"This is my cycle of happiness, you would never understand, senior."

Hiroi drank his beer very slowly and elegantly this time, as if he were savoring tea.

"Senior, you live in such a big house, where you're protected from the sun, rain, and wind. Every day, your cute little sister cooks and does your laundry for you. When you come home at night, there's bathwater with bath salts in it. You also own an exhibition hall, and now you have a handsome and considerate boyfriend who holds you while you sleep all day. You're simply a winner in life."

Hiroi's voice grew softer and softer; she was no longer fully conscious.

“I have to face all sorts of things every day, and I’m in a lot of debt. Even the apartment I rent seems to be haunted. Now I can only numb myself by drinking.”

Hiroi eventually fell asleep on the sofa, and Yuma brought a blanket to cover her.

"She's had a tough time too," Yuma said helplessly, looking at Hiroi sleeping on the sofa. "If she didn't drink, what would she be like now?"

"He's probably still the same as before, too afraid to even talk to others."

Xingge and Hongxia shook their heads and prepared to go back to their rooms to sleep.

"By the way, where are you sleeping tonight?"

Xingge stopped and turned to ask Youzhen.

"I'll go home and sleep tonight. You've had quite a bit to drink, so I won't disturb your rest."

Just as Yuuma was about to leave, she heard Hiroi making a noise while lying on the sofa next to her. Hoshika and Nijika also heard it and turned around and came back.

"She couldn't be..." Just as Yuuma guessed, Hiroi suddenly sat up on the sofa, looking uncomfortable and covering his mouth. "Oh no! Quick, get the trash can, she's going to throw up!"

The Ijichi family is destined for a turbulent night.

The next morning, Yuuma seemed to have reverted to the state he was in when he first returned to Shimokitazawa; his hair was a mess, and his complexion was terrible. He had stayed the night before, thinking he could help Hiroi if he caused any more trouble. However, he hadn't expected Hiroi to be so troublesome, and he hadn't slept well all night.

Breakfast had just been prepared when the doorbell rang at the Ijichi family's house. When Nijika opened the door, Iwashita Shima expertly bowed and apologized, handing over the sweets she had bought as an apology: "Red bean paste, secret masai! Hiroi, I'm sorry for causing everyone trouble."

Meanwhile, Yuuma and Hoshika were still staring at Hiroi sitting in front of them, their eyes wide as if they had witnessed some kind of world wonder. So Hiroi reverted to his socially awkward state after sobering up!

The Ijichi sisters, along with Shima and Hiroi, had breakfast, and then went back to work or school. Yuma and Hoshika went to his family restaurant; how Shima would scold Hiroi was none of their business.

"Good morning~, store manager, Kenzaki-sensei."

PA arrived at Yu-zhen's restaurant with a yawn and ordered a chicken curry rice.

"Didn't you like to eat something light in the morning? When did you change your taste?" Xingge looked at her in confusion.

Yu-chan didn't say anything, turned around and went into the kitchen. He had made a big pot of curry after he arrived, and it was ready now. He ladled out a portion and placed it in front of PA: "It's fresh out of the pot, still a little hot, eat slowly."

"Delicious! The food here at Kenzaki's is really good." PA seemed quite satisfied with her meal, as if what Hoshika had just said wasn't her preference. "I wanted to try something different today."

PA doesn't eat quickly. She usually eats her lunchbox very slowly, let alone now that she's chatting with Xingge while eating.

"Thank you for the treat." PA pulled out a tissue to wipe her mouth, watching Xingge hand a towel to Youzhen who had just come out of the kitchen. "Honestly, you two should hurry up and get married."

Chapter 21: Plans and Swimsuits

Kenzaki Yuuma, with a lollipop in his mouth, was relaxing on the sofa in Ijichi's house, watching Nijika hum a song as she did housework, feeling bored.

“Hey, Hongxia, let’s stop for a minute.” He sat up and beckoned Hongxia over. “During your summer vacation, besides working at the performance hall and rehearsing, you just do housework at home. Don’t you get bored?”

"No, I feel very fulfilled." Hongxia was folding clothes while talking to Youzhen on the sofa.

Yuuma felt like he'd seen her like this somewhere before. Right, he remembered his mother was like this at home too. What was this? Was Hongxia already adapting to housewife life at such a young age?

"This won't do," Yuma muttered to herself, looking at Nijika.

"What did my brother say?"

"Aren't you going out with Kita and the others? Didn't you all form a band?"

"But Kita probably already has plans, and Ryo likes to be alone."

"What about Boch?"

Hongxia stopped what she was doing.

"Kita will probably invite Pochi-chan... right?"

"So you're not sure yourself either." Yuma looked at Nijika helplessly, sighed, and then took out his phone to message Kita and Ryo to ask about it.

"I had plans with my friends, and I thought the two seniors would invite Goto instead."

This is Kita's reply.

"I thought Nijika and Kita would ask her out."

This is Liang's reply.

Yuma handed her phone to Hongxia so she could see their replies.

"Your band isn't united at all," Xingge said, appearing from behind the sofa at some point.

Finally, Yuma, Nijika, and Hoshika discussed it and decided to take everyone out for fun, as a team-building activity organized by STARRY.

"Where should we go? It's very hot outside."

Xingge also sat down and took out her phone to search for places to go.

Yuzhen glanced at the calendar on her phone; it was August 27th, and time was running out.

"I remember when I got into Waseda University, my mom was so happy that she bought me a villa by the sea, and there was a huge private beach. How about we go there?"

After Yu-chan finished speaking, she turned her head and saw that both sisters were staring straight at her.

"What's wrong? What's with those expressions?"

"nothing."

In the afternoon, inside the exhibition hall, Yu-ma and Hoshika told PA about it and asked her if she wanted to go together.

"Yes, yes, Mr. Kenzaki is so generous."

After receiving PA's reply, Yuuma headed back to the rehearsal room. He knocked on the door, pushed it open, and entered; the band was still rehearsing.

"Sorry to bother you, but please stop for a moment." Yuuma looked at Hongxia after they stopped. "Have you spoken to them yet?"

"Not yet, let your brother tell you."

"Hmph, since that's the case, then watch me. I have an announcement to make." Yuzhen nodded, then looked at the four of them, who were covered in sweat. "The day after tomorrow, I'll take you to the beach. Remember to tell your families, pack your bags, and let me know in advance if you can't make it. We'll probably be there for two days and one night. Alright, you guys can continue."

After saying that, Yuzhen turned and left, leaving them with only her back view.

It took them a while to process the news, and they were no longer in the mood to rehearse.

"The beach! Yay! Anyone want to go buy swimsuits?"

"Really, Kita, you're too excited."

Yuzhen was actually outside the door. He leaned against the wall, listening to the girls' excited discussion inside. He couldn't help but smile, and a sense of satisfaction welled up in his heart.

"Has Kenzaki always been like this?"

"No, at least he wasn't like this in high school."