Lonely Rock: Love Songs Dedicated to the Stars

"Let her sleep. She'll go back tomorrow."

'Kawaharaki is leaving too, so there won't be anyone to drink with me anymore,' Kenzaki Yuuma thought to himself.

Back in her room, Yuma lay on her bed, looking at her phone's lock screen wallpaper.

In his view, his relationship with Ijichi Hoshika ended very suddenly; Hoshika suddenly dumped him, and he didn't know why.

Kenzaki Yuuma had always considered himself a rather sentimental person, but the night Ijichi Hoshika broke up with him, he went out and drank quite a bit. That was the first time he had ever drunk alcohol.

"I'll go home tomorrow." After editing this message and sending it to Kenzaki Yuuki, he lost his grip on his phone and it hit him in the face. "Ouch!"

He touched his nose, then looked at his hands. Thankfully, he wasn't bleeding from his nose.

Yuma sat up in bed and picked up her phone again. The message hadn't been seen yet. Come to think of it, it was already 2:30 in the morning.

Kenzaki Yuuki usually goes to bed early, so he won't see this message. He might have to reply tomorrow morning.

……

"Uncle, you graduated from Waseda University?!" Izayoi Serina looked at the seemingly unreliable man in the kitchen with surprise, holding a glass of milk in her hand.

"Why are you calling me 'uncle'? I'm just an older brother who's thirteen years older than you."

Yuma placed Nina's breakfast in front of her. A middle school student is one thing, but why is this guy calling him "uncle"?

After waking up in the morning, Nina Izayoi pestered Kenzaki Yuuma, who was making breakfast. No matter how busy he was, Kenzaki Yuuma always made breakfast; that was his principle. He also made a portion for Nina and Momoka as well.

"Let's go home after we finish eating. I'm going home today too."

"Hey? Isn't this the old man's house?"

"This is just a rented room where I have friends. And please don't call me 'uncle'."

After breakfast, Kenzaki Yuuma, carrying his packed luggage, said goodbye to Momoka and Nina and boarded the train heading to Shimokitazawa.

Time to go home.

Chapter 2 Shimokitazawa

Shimokitazawa, a place known as the city of music. Kenzaki Yuuma wandered around for a long time after returning to this familiar place. He didn't want to go home so soon; he hadn't figured out how to start the conversation when he got home.

But now, more than figuring out how to ease the awkwardness, Kenzaki Yuuma, sitting on a park bench, faces another big problem: his wallet has been stolen.

Kenzaki Yuuma's wallet only contained cash and bank cards; he never kept documents like his driver's license in it, preferring to store them in a small compartment sewn into his instrument case. But it's pointless to say anything now.

Yu-chan isn't worried about not being able to take the train; she can just call her family to buy a ticket. However, this would make her family think that Yu-chan is doing poorly and doesn't even have the money to take the train.

The problem is that he really doesn't have any money in his pocket right now. Even if he says it was stolen, his family might think he's just trying to cover up his embarrassment, and his mother will definitely cry and complain about him again.

Kenzaki Yuuma finally decided to come back; he didn't want to hurt his mother anymore.

Should I pawn off this battle axe? Yuma even had that thought at this moment.

This was a gift from Kenzaki Yuuki a long time ago; it's been with him for a long time. The reason for buying it is simple: it's cool and convenient.

Kenzaki Yuu's complexion was already quite bad. His irregular sleep schedule had caused heavy dark circles under his eyes, and his hairstyle was very casual. Basically, he looked the same way he did when he woke up each day. There was also a faint scar on his collarbone, and he was wearing two earrings. In addition, he was wearing a leather jacket and had white highlights in his hair. There was also a keyboard bag next to him. It can be said that he completely fits other people's stereotypes of rock band members.

He sat there in the park with a gloomy face, and had already scared away several children.

However, Yuma was so melancholy that she didn't notice the little pink-haired girl on the swing after she sat down.

Goto Ichiri was sitting on the swing, basking in the glow of her account called "Guitar Hero," when a tall figure appeared at the entrance of the small park and immediately caught her attention.

During the time it took Yuma to enter the park and sit on the bench, she had already imagined the scene where this burly, stern-faced mob boss, because she had invaded his territory, would tear her to pieces, seal her in a concrete pillar, and then sink her into Tokyo Bay.

Goto Ichiri decided to run away. She carefully picked up her guitar and began to slowly move herself out of the park.

Kenzaki Yuuma noticed the little pink-haired girl at this moment, and he knew that he must have scared her, so he didn't plan to look up and just let the girl leave.

Ah! A guitar!

Kenzaki Yuuma was startled and instinctively looked up to find the source of the sound.

It's over!!!

This was Goto Ichiri's thought after seeing Yuma look up; in her mind, Yuma's life had already ended.

But then a girl with a yellow Doritos-shaped ahoge (antenna-like hair sticking up) appeared in front of her, waved her hand, and Goto Ichiri stopped melting.

Although the blonde girl had her back to Yuuma, he could roughly guess who she was just by looking at her strange ahoge (cowlick).

He had to leave quickly, otherwise he might run into Iji Chisei. He felt that seeing Iji Chisei in his current unkempt state would only make things more awkward.

However, when Yuuma stood up, Goto Ichiri, who had been observing his reaction, panicked. She thought that the gang leader was finally going to make a move against her and the girl in front of her.

She wanted to remind the blonde girl who had her back to Yuuma, but it had been so long since she had spoken to a stranger that it was difficult for her to even speak.

Although Goto Ichiri didn't say anything, her strange behavior made Nijika realize that there was something behind her. So Nijika turned around and saw Kenzaki Yuuma, who had just gotten up and picked up the keyboard.

"You are...you are Yuzhen-nii, right!"

"No! You've mistaken me for someone else. I am Momoka Kawaragi."

"That sounds like a girl's name! And I've seen The Last Dawn's performance on YouTube, so you're Yu-zhen!"

Kenzaki Yuuma wanted to struggle a bit more, but Nijika's clear and determined eyes made it impossible for him to lie. He fell silent, then grabbed his suitcase and ran.

As Nijika's voice grew softer and softer behind him, Kenzaki Yuuma felt an unending apology to her in his heart.

After running for an unknown amount of time, Youzhen was exhausted. Although he had been exercising regularly, he was getting on in years, and with his suitcase and keyboard on his back, he simply couldn't run anymore.

He stopped in front of a convenience store and sat on a bench next to it, intending to rest for a while.

He took out his phone and realized it was almost out of battery. He decided to call his family anyway; staying in Shimokitazawa would only lead to more awkward situations.

Just as Kenzaki Yuuma turned on his phone, the convenience store door opened.

As Kenzaki Yuuma opened his contacts, the convenience store door slammed shut.

"Kensaki Yuma?"

This is the voice that Kenzaki Yuuma can never forget, and it's also the voice he least wants to hear right now.

He held his phone in his left hand, the screen displaying the nickname he had given to Kenzaki Yuuki. His left thumb hovered above the screen, not yet pressing the dial button.

He turned his head and saw that it was indeed Ichiji Hoshika the moment he stood up and ran away.

Ijichi Hoshika was faster. She threw the bag she was holding onto the bench, pressed down on Kenzaki Yuuma's head, and then used a chokehold to force him back onto the bench. At this moment, Yuuma had just finished a weighted long-distance run, so how could he possibly have the strength to resist?

……

STARRY wasn't open yet, so it was still quiet. Kenzaki Yuuma sat obediently opposite Ijichi Seika after charging her phone.

Sitting next to Hoshigo was a woman wearing a long black dress, with many earrings and a lip piercing. She was looking at the two of them with great interest and told Kenzaki Yuuma to just call her PA.

When did you get back?

Ichi Hoshika stared at the man she hadn't seen for years, forcibly maintaining her cold expression, and broke the silence with her words.

"Arrived this morning."

What happened to that scar?

Kenzaki Yuuma looked up at Ijichi Seika's outstretched hand, which was pointing to the scar on his collarbone. Ijichi Seika's hand had touched that not-so-shallow scar when she had choked him.

"I got scratched in a fight with my former bandmates, but I'm fine now."

Why did you run away when you saw me?

"...No one would want their ex-girlfriend to see them like this, right?"

"..."

Silence swept over them again. Xingge turned around and glared at them. The three little ones in pink, yellow, and blue, who were peeking out from the crack in the rehearsal room door, quickly closed the door tightly.

"Um... Miss PA, could you lend me some money? My wallet was stolen, and I don't have enough money for the tram home. I'll definitely pay you back tomorrow."

Kenzaki Yuuma said this with his head down. Borrowing money in front of his ex-girlfriend, he now felt like a terrible person.

At least he'd managed to borrow the money to go home. After saying goodbye to them, Kenzaki Yuuma walked towards the station, a self-deprecating smile on his face. He really was pathetic for deliberately leaving his phone there, but he still really wanted to see Hoshika again.

……

"Is the keyboardist for 'The Last Dawn' the store manager's ex-boyfriend?"

The three kids in the rehearsal room were gossiping about what had just happened. Ryo was clearly excited; she seemed to have heard of Kenzaki Yuuma's previous band.

"Does Ryo know Yuuma-nii's band?"

"Yes, I've heard the songs by Dawn of the Last Train. Their guitarist is so rock and roll, he's juggling twelve relationships at once."

"That kind of thing is absolutely forbidden to be worshipped!"

While Hongxia and Liangban were bickering, Goto Ichiri started daydreaming again. In her mind, Kenzaki Yuuma and Xingka knew each other, which meant they might meet in the future. She thought that a band member like them, who seemed to spend all day smoking, drinking, and playing around with women, would definitely look down on a new band like them and shout, "Newcomers these days are an insult to rock and roll!" and smash her guitar.

Hongxia noticed that Goto Ichiri was about to melt, and could roughly understand that she was thinking about bad things again.

"Boqi-chan, don't be afraid of Yuzhen-ge. Although he looks like a scumbag band member who fights all day, drinks and smokes, and has messy relationships with many women, he is actually a very gentle older brother. He often took care of me when I was a child."

After listening to Hongxia's explanation for Youzhen, Boqi nodded and tentatively believed Hongxia's words.

Meanwhile, Kenzaki Yuuma finally returned home. As soon as he opened the door, his mother, Kenzaki Yuriko, hugged him.

Yuma remembered that he was 1.82 meters tall. Looking at his mother, who was already fifty years old but only a little taller than his waist, Kenzaki Yuma gently hugged her, while feeling a little contempt for his father.

Chapter 3 Reunion

Will you leave again afterward?

Kenzaki Ikuma sat opposite Kenzaki Yuuma, looking at him seriously. This tall, imposing man, who exuded authority even without anger, was Yuuki and Yuuma's father.

Speaking of Kenzaki Ikoma, having lost his parents at a young age, he wasn't exactly a model student in school. He met his wife when a rival from another school bullied a student from his own. Upon hearing this, Kenzaki Ikoma was furious and led a group to avenge his classmate. Yuuki and Yuuki's mother, Suzuran Yuriko, was captivated by this man's integrity and inner gentleness. One rainy day, she confessed her feelings to him, and the two naturally began dating.

Kenzaki Goshin changed himself for Yuriko, and after they finally got together, he built his business from scratch. This man's strict demands on his two sons stemmed from a desire to prevent them from making the same mistakes he had made. To be fair, he was indeed halfway to success; Yuuki graduated from the University of Tokyo, and Yuma from Waseda University—both brothers have impressive academic backgrounds. It's just that Yuma later ran away from home.

After Kenzaki Yuuma ran away from home, Kenzaki Ikuma, who slept on the sofa for a month, reflected on his parenting methods and realized his mistakes. This strong-willed man took the initiative to call Yuuma and apologize, but at that time Yuuma's band was still at its peak, so he let Yuuma continue.

"Honestly, Xiao Zhen finally comes back and you still have such a sour face!"

Even the usually serious Kenzaki Yi-ma was finally willing to relax his facial muscles after being kicked by his wife.

"I'm not leaving. I'll stay home and spend the next few days with my mom. After that, I plan to move out. It's not far. I'd like to live in Shimokitazawa. I like the atmosphere there."

"Did you hear me? Buy Xiaozhen a house in Shimokitazawa!"