Lonely Rock: Love Songs Dedicated to the Stars

"Tokita-senpai, this is nothing important." Yuuma looked at him helplessly.

“Indeed, it would have been better if we had discovered it earlier. Now we have no way to cover for him anymore.” Senior Umino looked at Tokita helplessly.

"You guys are really planning to cover for him?" Xingge sighed, feeling like she couldn't keep up with these people's thought processes.

"I have a solution for this, let's use this one!"

Then, Shi Tian took out half a box of umbrellas from his bag.

"Just fill two with water, tie them together, and hang them around your neck. That's the method I found online."

Everyone fell silent again, staring at the small box in his hand.

"Um..." Yuuma raised his hand to ask a question, "Why do you carry this kind of thing with you all the time?"

"It was leftover from last night. I just stuffed it in my bag without thinking. I never expected to need it today."

Now that things have come to this, Kenzaki Yuuma has nothing more to say. He just wants them to get things done quickly. All he wants now is to finish this damn beauty pageant and get out of there.

Tokita and Omori went to the toilet, filled the tub with water, tied it together, and hung it around Yuuma's neck to test it out. Sure enough, it created a very noticeable curve. Yuuma felt as if he had surpassed Ijichi Hoshika now, but he only thought about it and didn't say it aloud.

"Wow, that's amazing." Yuma had completely forgotten her resentment towards them, immersed in this novel feeling. "It just feels a bit heavy around my neck, and my chest is swaying a little strangely. It should be fine if I walk slowly."

Yuuma put on a lace-trimmed choker that matched his maid outfit to cover the thing hanging around his neck, then changed into matching leather shoes. Finally, Umino-senpai did a little makeup on him, and he was done. Now, Yuuma only resembled a boy in height and voice, so getting votes among the boys shouldn't be too difficult.

However, after arriving backstage, Yuzhen peeked out at the stage and put on a pair of shorts before feeling relieved.

After rejecting several boys backstage who asked for his contact information with his voice and indifferent gaze, he was finally able to go on stage. He was in a hurry; all he wanted was to finish quickly and take off this damn outfit.

Yuma walked from backstage to the front of the stage and stopped next to the host.

After taking the microphone from the host, he realized he couldn't smile at all. He could only introduce himself in a tone that sounded very impatient: "I'm from the Light Music Club. I'm here thanks to the seniors in the Light Music Club. And that's it."

Unexpectedly, his actions caused the audience below the stage to erupt in cheers, with both boys and girls shouting, which sounded very noisy to him.

Yuma looked around and spotted a few senior members of the Light Music Club. Without any mercy, she gave them the middle finger with a look of utter contempt. Ignoring the cheers that erupted again, she turned and went backstage.

Having completed this task, his mission was considered finished. Yuzhen quickly returned to the backstage dressing room to change back into his own clothes; the comfort of long pants was definitely the most reassuring. After removing his makeup, he found Xingge in the audience, who had saved him a seat. Now, all that was left was to wait for the results and then get revenge on those bastards.

Undoubtedly the first place winner, Yuuma didn't go on stage to receive the award after the competition; it was Tokita-senpai who went up. Yuuma didn't want others to see his true self. Furthermore, since he had registered under the name of the Light Music Club, very few people actually knew he was participating. However, he hadn't expected the competition to have a prize; the seniors hadn't taken a single penny, giving him all the prize money. These guys just wanted to use this opportunity to recruit new members for their club.

After the beauty pageant, it was time for the performance. The light music club was the third to perform, and their four-person performance on stage got the whole audience hyped. Yuuma watched them from the audience. Although they were understanding, he still really wanted to go up on stage and perform with them. But then he thought, "Never mind, I haven't even gone to rehearsals these past two days. I shouldn't cause them any more trouble."

After the first song ended, Hoshika and Kenzaki Yuuma in the audience made eye contact. Before Umino-senpai finished announcing the title of the second song, she took off her guitar, placed it on the ground, and jumped off the stage.

The audience made way for her, and she walked right up to Kenzaki Yuuma, then grabbed his wrist and went back onto the stage.

Yuzhen didn't expect her to do such a thing. He glanced at his senior who was smiling at him, chuckled, opened his instrument case, quickly set up the keyboard, and then connected the necessary equipment.

The audience members weren't worried; they thought that such an accident was part of rock and roll.

"Then let's keep the party going!"

As Omori-senpai finished speaking, Tokita-senpai gave Yuuma a thumbs-up, then withdrew his hand and raised his drumsticks. His drumming began, and all the other instruments followed suit. Yuuma and the others had rehearsed this song before the school festival, only twice, but he quickly adapted and made no mistakes.

Xingge was already hyped up. She turned around, looked at Youzhen behind her, and smiled at him. Youzhen didn't know how to describe her smile at that moment, so he'd just call it "rock and roll." He liked that kind of smile.

The third day of the school festival wasn't particularly eventful. The school tallied each class's sales and points, and selected the best class in each grade. It's worth mentioning that Yuuma's victory in the boys' beauty pageant boosted his class's score, resulting in them receiving the award, although his classmates were unaware of this.

After the school festival, the other members of the Light Music Club, having promised to grant Yuuma a request, wore maid outfits in the activity room until the end of the day's club activities, as Yuuma had instructed. Hoshika had already worn one before, so she didn't wear it again.

Umino-senpai was alright, but the visual impact of the other two muscular men wearing this thing was too strong. Yuma felt that his eyes had suffered irreversible damage. These two guys even scared away the student council president who came here to deliver documents.

……

"how so!?"

The day after the school festival ended, Kenzaki Yuuma sat in the light music club's activity room. He covered his face, no longer wanting to face reality.

"Why didn't anyone tell me that the top three winners of the beauty pageant would have their names displayed on the bulletin board at the school gate for a month! I made sure I didn't show my face after removing my makeup that day."

When Yuuma arrived at school this morning, he saw the bulletin board at the entrance. His ID photo was displayed there as the winner of the boys' beauty pageant, with his name below it. The only consolation for him was that the student council hadn't gone so far as to post a picture of him dressed as a maid.

"Didn't you read the student handbook?" Xingge took out a student handbook from her bag, turned to page 184, and handed it to him. "The top three will be on the list, so you're basically the school heartthrob."

The handbook clearly listed the rules for various school activities, but Yuzhen was surprised that someone would actually read and remember them.

"Ijichi-senpai, you can actually read the student handbook?" Yuuma looked at her incredulously. "And you remember it so clearly."

"Isn't your focus a little off?"

Chapter 28 A Cold

Ijichi Seika is sick and has taken leave.

Yuzhen found out about this from her homeroom teacher.

Actually, Hoshika caught a cold the day after the school festival ended. It was probably because she sweated while performing on stage, and the temperature in October had already started to drop. She caught a cold as soon as she went outside and was exposed to the wind.

Xingge didn't come to school all morning, and Youzhen couldn't get through to her by phone, so he asked the teacher and found out that Xingge had a high fever and was lying at home.

At noon, Yuuma brought his lunch to the club activity room. In the days following the school festival, he and Hoshika felt it was a bit cold on the rooftop, so they had been having lunch here with their three seniors.

Why didn't Xingge come today?

Umino-senpai didn't see Hoshika, who usually hangs out with Yuuma, so she waited until Yuuma sat down before asking him.

"The teacher said she has a fever and took the day off today," Yuma replied. "It seems like she has a pretty high fever. I'd like to visit her after school. Would you like to come along, seniors?"

"I promised my girlfriend I'd go with her to the school festival today. I've been busy with my studies lately and haven't been able to spend much time with her, so she seems to be a little upset. I'm sorry."

That's what Mr. Tokita said.

"I have to work, so I can't go. Sorry."

Senior Omori also has plans.

Yuma turned her gaze to Umino-senpai.

"I'm going to pick up my sister from kindergarten after school today, so I'm sorry I can't come with you."

Senior Umino looked at Yuuma with an apologetic expression.

"I understand. But why are you apologizing to me?" Yuma looked at them, puzzled. "If you can't go, you can't go. It's not your fault, it's not my fault. I'll convey your concern to you, so it's okay."

"Thank you, Kenzaki, you're really reliable."

"Anyone would probably do the same."

After Yuma finished speaking, she opened her bento box and ate lunch with her seniors.

"By the way, Tokita-senpai mentioned the topic of further education earlier," Yuuma swallowed the food in her mouth and looked at the three senpai. "I wanted to ask you about that. Where are you planning to go after graduation?"

The seniors paused when they heard Yuuma's question, since they felt they should answer it seriously as his juniors.

“I plan to go to university. I think everyone already knows that.” Tokita-senpai spoke first. “I’m taking the entrance exam for Izu University. Of course, this decision isn’t just because of my studies, but also because I want to experience the local customs and culture.”

"It's really great. Izu University is a good university, and the scenery in Izu is indeed very beautiful."

Yuma remembered what Tokita-senpai had said.

“I want to study abroad at university.” Omori’s answer was a bit unexpected. “Because of my family’s work, my family will be going abroad after I graduate. My parents want me to go with them.”

"I don't plan to go to university," Senior Haiye scratched her head. "I plan to start working right away to ease the financial burden on my family."

Everyone has their own plans. After listening to her seniors' ideas, Yuma began to think about them seriously.

"Kenzaki will definitely go to university, after all, your grades are very good."

Senior Tokita asked Yuuma.

"My dad wants me to go to college to study law."

"I see. Waseda University is indeed a very prestigious university. I feel that Kenzaki would be a good fit for it." Tokita-senpai smiled as he looked at Kenzaki. "However, I'm asking for your opinion, not your dad's."

“Tokita is right, we’re just sharing our own thoughts.” Senior Omori also looked at Yuuma. “These are all results we came up with after having our own initial ideas and discussing them with our families. But what you’re saying is something your dad made you do. You are you, and your dad is your dad. They’re not the same.”

After hearing what his two seniors said, Yuuma fell silent. He looked down at his half-eaten bento box, but felt a little unappetized. His own thoughts? It seemed he hadn't really thought about them carefully.

"No need to rush, Kenzaki. You're only a first-year high school student. You have plenty of time to think it over carefully." Umino-senpai's voice pulled Yuuma back to reality. "Just talk to your family about it when the time comes, and they'll definitely understand."

Yuuma nodded, then lowered his head and quickly finished his bento. Although he did feel a little unappetized, he couldn't waste food.

After finishing his lunch, he said goodbye to his seniors and went back to his classroom.

"Umino, when did you get a younger sister who's in kindergarten?" Tokita Yuuma left, then turned back to look at Umino with a puzzled expression. "Didn't you say before that you were an only child?"

Watching Yuuma's departing figure, Umino turned to Tokita and Omori and said, "Now I'm pregnant. You two, keep quiet and don't ruin my good intentions."

……

"It seems like this is where we came from."

After school, Yuuma arrived at Ijichi's house. He rang the doorbell and waited for a while, but no one answered the door.

"Is no one home?" Yuma muttered to herself.

He waited at the door for a while, but no one came to open it, so he was about to leave. But he had only taken a few steps when he heard the sound of a door opening behind him. He saw that it was Xingge who opened the door.

Ichiko Hoshika leaned against the doorframe, looking weak and listless. She was wearing pajamas and a mask, but no shoes, suggesting she had just gotten out of bed to open the door for Yuuma.

Even though she was wearing a mask, Yuzhen could tell that her face was very red, and she was quite ill. Seeing Xingge like this, he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her.

Why are you here?

Xingge's voice was hoarse and sounded weak.

Yuzhen didn't answer her question. He helped Xingge steady herself, led her into the house, put the things he was carrying on the shoe cabinet by the door, closed the door, picked her up and carried her to her bedroom.

"You! What are you doing!" Xingge was frightened by his behavior. She tried to struggle, but she had no strength and could only let him hold her.

"I was about to ask you the same thing: why did you get out of bed and open the door when you had such a high fever?"

Yuzhen carried her to her bedroom door, which wasn't closed. Yuzhen carried Xingge inside, placed her on the bed, and then covered her with a blanket.

"Honestly, it's okay if no one comes to open the door. You just need to rest." Yuzhen continued to nag after putting her down. "I won't blame you if no one comes to open the door. What if your condition worsens if you do this? Don't take your health for granted."

"Alright, alright, I know." Xingge coughed twice, lying on the bed and looking helplessly at the guy sitting or standing beside her bed. "Why are you just like my mom?"

"By the way, I was just about to ask, where did Auntie and Hongxia go?"

"My mom went out to buy medicine, and Hongxia went to her grandma's house."

"Oh, I see. You lie down first, I'll get the things from the entryway."

The bag that Yuma brought was something he bought with his seniors after school. Inside the bag were two bottles of Pocari Sweat and a box of cut fruit.