Lonely Rock: Love Songs Dedicated to the Stars

"Ah...no, it just feels like the current situation is familiar."

"It's normal that you feel familiar with me because you stayed at my place during the time you ran away from home."

Kenzaki Yuuma sat down next to her and took a small sip of his miso soup. This was Yuuma's habit; he always had to have a hot drink with his meals—soup, porridge, or even plain water—and the first thing he drank was always hot. He found it comforting and warming to his stomach. Ijichi Hoshika, who had a falling out with her family during university and stayed with him for a while, was also influenced by this habit.

Yuuma doesn't like to talk to others while eating, and he eats very quickly. Ichichi Hoshika knows this is a habit he developed when he was preparing for college entrance exams in his senior year of high school, but since Kenzaki Yuuma has a sensitive stomach, eating too fast is definitely a bad habit.

Ichi Seika stuffed a tamagoyaki into her mouth. The table was quiet; she could only hear the two of them chewing. It was a familiar atmosphere, yet now it felt somewhat strange.

When Yuuma finished her breakfast, Ijichi Seika had only finished half of it.

"Why are you eating so fast? You'll get indigestion and stomach pain again, won't you?"

"It's alright. To be honest, this habit is really hard to break. I was like this when I was preparing for exams. I had a lot of things to do in college, so I didn't think about changing it. Later, when I was in a band, I was also very busy, so I didn't care. I'm used to it now, and I don't feel uncomfortable. But are you worried about me?"

"It was just a casual question, I can't be bothered with you."

Ijichi Hoshika lowered her head and continued to eat her breakfast. Kenzaki Yuuma knew she was being stubborn again, but from his perspective, he couldn't see the delicious expression on Ijichi Hoshika's face when she was being stubborn, which made him a little disappointed.

"It seems Hongxia didn't make a lunchbox. What did she eat for lunch? She's still growing, and bread won't provide enough nutrition."

Ijichi Hoshika and Kenzaki Yuuma went downstairs to the store together. Listening to Kenzaki Yuuma's rambling, she just felt that he was worrying for nothing.

"It's okay, it's just this once."

"I'll make her a bento box and send it over later, since I have nothing else to do right now anyway."

Ichi Hoshika knew that this guy was definitely not listening to her again.

Kenzaki Yuuma took out his phone and sent a message to Nijika, telling her that he would bring her a bento box in a little while. When he sent the message, he also sent one to another "Nijika".

Ichi Hoshika felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, took it out to look at it, and then quickly turned off the screen.

"What's wrong? Is there something you don't want me to see?"

Kenzaki Yuuma maintained his usual smile, but Ijichi Hoshika felt that this smile was particularly irritating. She was convinced that he definitely knew, and that it was Nijika who had told him.

"It has nothing to do with you."

"really?"

"So I already said..."

Ijichi Hoshika and Kenzaki Yuuma had reached the stairs in front of STARRY. She turned around, intending to scare Kenzaki Yuuma away with a fierce glare, but when she turned around, she found that Kenzaki Yuuma had already leaned down slightly and moved closer to her. Now the two of them were staring at each other at close range, and they could feel each other's breath.

Kenzaki Yuuma still wore that same smile, seemingly completely unaffected by Ijichi Seika's sudden action. However, a blush crept onto Ijichi Seika's face, and she immediately distanced herself from Kenzaki Yuuma, quickly walking down the stairs and into STARRY without looking back.

"It really hasn't changed at all."

Kenzaki Yuuma stood there, staring at the closed door, and muttered to himself. However, Ijichi Seika seemed oblivious to the slight blush creeping up his ears, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Really, I'm the same way."

……

"work to earn a living!?"

In the afternoon, Kenzaki Yuma heard Pochi's voice as soon as he entered the exhibition hall. This was probably the first time he had ever heard Pochi speak so loudly.

What are you talking about?

"Yuzhen-nii, thank you for bringing lunch to me and Ryo at noon. We were talking about the band, and we were just discussing part-time jobs."

Nijika had already expressed her gratitude after receiving Yuuma's message that morning. However, it seemed that Ryo had seen the message Yuuma sent to Nijika, so she also messaged Yuuma to ask if she could get one for herself. Yuuma thought it wouldn't hurt to make an extra one, so he also got one for Ryo.

"That's really important. It's quite expensive for a band to gain fame. So, are you guys planning to work here? Or maybe you could come work for me? My family restaurant is all renovated, and I'm planning to open for business in a couple of days."

After Goto Ichiri started working at a family restaurant:

"Are you deliberately stalling me?! Hurry up and pay the bill, or I'll kill you!"

This is the situation that Ichiri Goto would face as a cashier.

"I want to order this. What's with that look on your face! Are you questioning my decision?!"

This is the situation that Ichiri Goto would face as a waiter.

"Goto! You blew up the kitchen! You're fired!"

This is what happens when Goto Ichiri works in the kitchen.

Because Goto Ichiri caused the restaurant to suffer heavy losses, the band was forced to work even more jobs with her to pay off the debts. Ultimately, the band had a falling out and disbanded.

Of course, the above is just Boch's imagination.

"Absolutely not, no, no, no, no..."

No sooner had Kenzaki Yuuma finished speaking than Pochi suddenly appeared in front of him and began shaking his head frantically. Nijika quickly pulled her back.

"Sorry, Yuzuru-nii, Pochi-chan seems to be very afraid of working part-time."

"No, it's okay. I didn't expect her to be so resistant. I was too hasty."

Ultimately, because Pochi absolutely did not want to work at the restaurant, she compromised and agreed to let Hongxia and Liang work together in the performance hall.

As opening time approached, Kenzaki Yuuma, who was bickering with Ijichi Seika, suddenly heard a burst of intense guitar music. It was Pochi improvising to remember the names of the drinks.

"Strange, is she really that good?"

Kenzaki Yuuma and Ijichi Hoshika exchanged a glance; they were on the same page. Pochi was strong, but she wouldn't cooperate with others.

"Come to think of it, I always felt that her guitar looked familiar."

Kenzaki Yuuma suddenly remembered something, so he took out his phone and showed the video he had found to Ijichi Seika and the PA next to him.

"Look, the clothes and the guitar are the same, and the cracks on the guitar are all in the same place. This guitar is an old item, and it's very expensive."

Ichika took the phone, exited the video call, and glanced at it.

"Who is this Audio-Visual Alte? You watch virtual YouTubers?"

"Th-that's not the point, is it? Mr. Kenzaki, you wanted the shop manager to see Guitar Hero, right? Mr. Kenzaki, are you implying that Pochi-chan is this blogger?"

PA suddenly panicked when she saw that Kenzaki Yuuma was paying attention to the audio drama Alto. Before Kenzaki Yuuma could speak, she quickly changed the subject and focused their attention on Pochi.

After comparing the information, the three of them confirmed Pochi's identity, but Kenzaki Yuuma noticed something else.

"Boyfriend on the basketball team, going to karaoke with friends, it seems like Boqi's homepage is all about creating a 'perfect social life' persona."

The three of them looked at Pochi with a hint of pity in their eyes.

Pochi was trying to memorize the locations of the various drinks when she suddenly sensed someone staring at her. Judging from the slight reflection of the wall decorations, she was certain it was three adults watching her. She couldn't see their expressions, but she felt their gazes were definitely hostile. She didn't dare turn around and could only try to recall what she had done to offend them.

Chapter 7 The Runaway Guitarist

On a quiet afternoon, Kenzaki Yuuma sat behind the counter. At this time, students hadn't left school yet, and office workers hadn't gone home, so neither family restaurants nor izakayas had many customers.

"Welcome... It's you! What can I do for you?"

When Kenzaki Yuuma heard the shop door open, she thought a customer had arrived, but it was Ijichi Seika and PA who came in. The two of them sat down at the counter and took the juice that Yuuma gave them.

"I feel listless and tired today."

PA looked listless; after taking a sip of juice, she slumped onto the counter.

Exhausted? Tired. Want to rest? Hungry. Want to leave?

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

The strange cry that suddenly came out of Kenzaki Yuuma's mouth earned him an eye roll from Iji Tomoka, but Yuuma did not explain it.

Why am I so tired?

Kenzaki Yuuma was very curious because PA had said she never stayed up late, so Yuuma didn't know what could possibly make her so tired.

"Could it be that Xingge is exploiting you?"

"What are you thinking, you idiot?"

"Just kidding."

PA looked at the two adults who were acting like children from the side.

"Ms. PA, you must have been staying up late, I can see your dark circles."

"I clearly covered it up."

Upon hearing Kenzaki Yuuma's words, PA quickly raised her face, took out a small mirror, and carefully checked her makeup. She then discovered that there was nothing wrong with it.

"You really did stay up all night."

"Why are you staying up late? Didn't you say it's bad for your skin? Is something wrong?"

Faced with the concern of Ijichi Hoshika and Kenzaki Yuuma, PA's mind raced. She was trying to figure out how to bluff her way out of it. After all, she couldn't very well tell them that she was the virtual YouTuber named Oni-Alt, whom Kenzaki Yuuma really liked. In the end, PA decided to change the subject.

"Dark circles are such a hassle; it takes a lot of effort to cover them up."

PA's change of topic was abrupt; at least Kenzaki Yuuma wasn't distracted. Ijichi Hoshika and Kenzaki Yuuma exchanged a glance. They knew PA was changing the subject now because she didn't want them to know, so they didn't press the matter.

"Why should I cover it up? I never thought about covering up my dark circles."

Kenzaki Yuuma continued PA's words.

"Kenzaki is different. Even if he doesn't cover his eyes, girls will just think of him as a handsome but heartbroken older man or a gloomy, handsome guy. But I'm different. If I have dark circles under my eyes, I'll look like a delinquent girl."

"Aren't you a delinquent anyway?" Kenzaki Yuuma thought to himself. But PA was right; Kenzaki Yuuma was indeed heartbroken. The culprit with the yellow Doritos-shaped ahoge was sitting right across from him. But PA wasn't young anymore, was she? This woman still called herself a girl? If that's the case, then Kenzaki Yuuma and Ijichi Hoshika, who weren't much older than her, could also call themselves boys and girls, right?

"Is the store manager alright? Men like Kenzaki are very attractive to teenage girls. Aren't you afraid they'll snatch him away?"

Ijichi Hoshika was startled by PA's sudden question and choked on her orange juice.

"Why are you telling me all this? I don't care."

"Really?"

"If you joke about me again, I'll fire you."

"Good~"

As the time drew to a close, Kenzaki Yuuma's family restaurant gradually began to bustle with activity. Most of the customers at this time were students. These children liked to have a small meeting, study together, or handle some work at the family restaurant after school, or simply come to sit with their friends instead of going home early.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Kenzaki."

"Oh, it's Hanami. Good afternoon."

Kenzaki Yuuma's shop had been open for a while, and some of his regular customers would greet him. Suddenly, Yuuma felt a gaze on him and turned around to see Iji Tomoko staring at him with deadpan eyes, the tip of her straw already flattened from being bitten.