Lonely Rock: Love Songs Dedicated to the Stars

Yuzhen looked at the shameless Ryo, her lips twitched, and then dragged Ryo into the kitchen.

“Poch, let’s go. But Liang, are you trying to exploit a bug here? If you don’t have money, stay here and wash the dishes.”

Later, it was probably Boqi who went to the performance hall and told Hongxia about it. Hongxia then came and redeemed Ryo from Yuuma's hands.

Kenzaki Yuuma looked helplessly at Nijika, who was paying for Ryo's bill. In the end, he didn't take the money, but just gave each of them a light chop to the head, and then patted Nijika's head hard twice. "You, you told me not to spoil her, but you've been indulging her all along, haven't you?"

Chapter 9 Arguments and Alcohol

"Two more draft beers, please!"

It's nighttime now, probably around 8:30. Kenzaki Yuuma doesn't care about the time; he's currently sitting in an izakaya (Japanese pub) in Shinjuku, drinking with Hiroi Kikuri.

"When did you get back, senpai? Come to think of it, this is the first time I've ever seen you angry." Hiroi downed half a glass of draft beer. She had just finished a performance when Kenzaki Yuuma dragged her over for drinks. Although she didn't know why Kenzaki Yuuma was angry, she would definitely come if someone invited her for drinks.

“It’s been almost a month since I got back,” Kenzaki Yuuma put down his empty cup, still quite sober. “As for why I was angry… Ijichi and I had a fight.”

"With your senior? You two have argued quite a bit before. What's the reason this time?"

Two large glasses of draft beer were placed on the table by the waiter. Kenzaki Yuuma picked up a glass, but before he could drink it, Hiroi snatched it away.

"You bastard! There's still one more cup, why are you taking mine?"

"Because you haven't answered my question yet. I want to hear the answer."

It was rare to see such a serious expression on Hiroi's face, so Kenzaki Yuuma released his grip on the cup handle.

"Then can you tell me why her band broke up?"

"Senior, don't answer questions with questions."

"Okay, okay, it happened this afternoon."

Back in the afternoon, Kenzaki Yuuma had nothing urgent to do at his shop, so he decided to go downstairs to find the kids from the band who had just finished playing to kill some time. But as soon as he got to the door, Nijika ran out from inside, shouting, "Even I, your older sister, need to hold a doll to fall asleep!" and bumped into him.

Logically, Nijika should have apologized in this situation, but this time she actually ran away. Kenzaki Yuuma could roughly guess that Ijichi Seika must have said something that made Nijika particularly angry again. And what Nijika just shouted... was probably the most vicious thing that child could think of.

"Is the doll that Hongxia is referring to these two old rabbit and panda dolls?"

As soon as Kenzaki Yuuma entered the exhibition hall, he saw Ryo holding a phone and leaning close to Ijichi Seika. Out of curiosity, he also went over to take a look. The phone showed a photo of Ijichi Seika sleeping on the sofa, hugging a rabbit doll and a panda doll. The photo was also accompanied by various special effects and was quite cute. It was obviously Ryo's work.

While Pochi-chan was leaving the performance hall to catch up with Nijika, Kenzaki Yuuma finally learned the whole story from PA.

"You were too harsh on Hongxia. Apologize to her when she gets back."

Kenzaki Yuuma sat down next to Ijichi Seika, having overheard what Seika had just said to Pochi.

“If they were still at that level, I definitely wouldn’t have let them go on stage. I was just telling them the truth.”

"But saying 'playing in a band for life is just child's play' is completely unnecessary. The first reaction of a normal person to hear that would be to get angry. Your words might seem to Nijigasaki as a complete denial of their efforts, and to be honest, you and Bochi-chan just feel that you were too harsh, right?"

"I'm Hongxia's older sister, what's wrong with being stricter with her?"

"Is this what you mean by 'being stricter'? When will you ever be able to speak more bluntly?"

"You've always spoiled them, which is why they have no sense of crisis whatsoever."

In an instant, the two of them turned a normal conversation into an argument. PA watched them from the side, completely at a loss as to what to do in this atmosphere.

"Didn't you give up the band and come back? How could something like this be smooth sailing? I just let them experience it beforehand. Do you want them to end up like the two of us?!"

"When are you going to learn to speak like a human being! All these problems have arisen because of your mouth!"

With a "bang," Kenzaki Yuuma slammed his empty beer mug on the table. "And then I was kicked out."

Hiroi lay on the table laughing loudly, refusing to even drink any more alcohol.

"You idiot!...What's so funny?"

"No... Senior, how did you two get along before? Why are you only arguing about these things now?"

Hiroi mocked Kenzaki Yuuma without any regard for his image, and then she received a chop to the neck.

"To think I'd be laughed at by someone with zero dating experience like you..." Kenzaki Yuuma sullenly finished another beer. His alcohol tolerance wasn't high, and after so much draft beer, he was already a little tipsy. "Stop laughing, keep drinking with me..."

Seeing the person behind Hiroi, Kenzaki Yuuma remained silent.

Hiroi also noticed that Kenzaki Yuuma suddenly stopped halfway through her speech, but it was too late; Iwashita Shima's chop had already landed on her head.

"Hiroi! You're causing trouble for your senior again!"

"No, I dragged her here." Kenzaki Yuuma deliberately spoke after Shima's chop.

"Eh? Is that so? Sorry, Kenzaki-senpai, I was just prejudiced."

"Since you're already here, have a drink with me."

Iwashita Shima sat down next to Hiroi, but she only ordered oolong tea.

"Won't you have a drink?"

"I won't drink anymore. If you and Hiroi get drunk, someone has to take you home."

Are all drummers this reliable? Kenzaki Yuuma wasn't sure. But the drummer before the disbandment of Last Dawn wasn't exactly a pushover; if you had to pick one, he was a burly, thirty-year-old version of Hiroi, and Yuuma had a lot to worry about.

“I’ve finished speaking, Hiroi. Tell me why Ijichi Seika’s band disbanded back then.”

Kenzaki Yuuma remembered his business. He put down his wine glass and waited for Hiroi's reply.

"Hehe, I don't know."

boom!

Hiroi received another chop to the neck.

"You tricked me!"

"I really don't know why they disbanded, but I do know that during that time, Ijichi-senpai hardly went to school at all."

Hearing Hiroi's words, Kenzaki Yuuma withdrew his second chop. Not even going to school? Because he and Hoshika weren't in the same university, and they were still broken up at the time, Kenzaki Yuuma hadn't noticed this. Then he remembered the time he went to Nijika's house a while ago.

Nijika and Kenzaki Yuuma went back first, and he noticed there were only two pairs of slippers on the shoe rack in the entryway. Nijika had taken one pair, and Yuuma had worn the spare, meaning there was still Hoshika's pair left. Yuuma knew the two sisters' father worked away from home most of the year and rarely came back, but why weren't their mother's slippers there? Was their aunt with their uncle?

Kenzaki Yuuma discovered a blind spot. Yes, skipping class and disbanding the band might be due to a family crisis. Combining this with what he'd seen before, Kenzaki Yuuma already had a guess. But he still refused to believe it—that gentle and virtuous aunt…

Hiroi Kikuri, Iwashita Shimami, and Kenzaki Yuuma remained silent and did not disturb him; this was probably the quietest moment of Hiroi's evening.

He picked up his glass and put it down again; Kenzaki Yuuma had lost his appetite for drinking. He wanted to confirm with Iji Tomoko, hoping she would refute his suspicions. But they had just argued, and going to see her now...

"Senior has already figured it out?" Hiroi smiled, took a sip of her drink, and then put down her glass.

"Huh? Ah, yes, but..."

Yuzhen didn't know why, just like when she broke up with him back then, he didn't want to ask why, he just hid his emotions.

"Is your mind filled with Ijichi-senpai right now, senpai?"

"No, that's not true..."

"Haha, you still have the nerve to talk about your senior? You're clearly not being honest yourself."

Hiroi's tone was irritating, but Yuma and Shima didn't want to hit her because she was telling the truth.

"I like you, senior."

Kenzaki Yuuma looked up and stared incredulously at the girl sitting opposite him, completely drunk.

"I'm sorry, I..."

"Just kidding. Senior, you really only have my senior in your heart, right? Go back now. Oh, by the way, you promised to treat me to drinks, remember to pay for them."

Kenzaki Yuuma left; he was going to find Ijichi Hoshika at her house, and he wanted to resolve everything tonight.

"Hiroi, you..."

Shima Iwashita and Kikuri Hiroi stood at the entrance of the izakaya, watching Yuuma Kenzaki's departing figure. Shima noticed that Hiroi had been watching Yuuma the whole time, neither boasting nor acting drunkenly, just watching.

"Ugh, I got rejected. Shima, can you buy me a drink tonight to cheer me up?"

"Um... just this once."

Chapter 10 The Key

It was already 9:30 p.m., and Ijichi Hoshika hadn't waited for Kenzaki Yuuma to return to the performance hall. She closed her laptop, went out, locked the door, and left.

When Nijika and the others returned in the afternoon, they learned that the two of them had argued. Without thinking much of it, they went out together to find Kenzaki Yuuma. PA had already left work, leaving only Ijichi Seika in the exhibition hall waiting for him.

"Sister? Is Yu-zhen back?"

"No, you guys come back quickly. Don't worry about him. That guy is almost thirty years old and doesn't need your concern."

Ichika hung up the phone and put it in her pocket. She had thought a lot about it today, and she felt she really should make things clear, provided, of course, that she could see that guy again today.

With that thought in mind, Ichiji Hoshika took out her key and opened the door.

"I am back."

This had become a habit of hers. She knew Hongxia wasn't home yet, but she would still say it no matter who was home.

Welcome back.

To her surprise, she received a response.

Kenzaki Yuuma sat on the small steps in the entryway, his left elbow resting on his thigh, his palm supporting his face. He had been sitting there waiting, without calling them; this much time was enough for him to figure out what to do next.

"How did you get in here?"

Ijichi Hoshika knows Kenzaki Yuuma too well. The only reason this guy is striking such a carefree pose and sporting that smug smile is that he's drunk.

Faced with Ijichi Hoshika's question, Kenzaki Yuuma did not answer. He slowly stood up, then raised his left arm, his left hand clenched into a fist with the palm down, and presented it to Ijichi Hoshika. She saw a small metal ring on the ring finger of Yuuma's left hand. Then Yuuma opened his hand, revealing a key, along with the metal ring—it was her house key.

"How did you get..."

She stopped halfway through her question, remembering that the key was given to her by her mother several years ago to be given to the man in front of her.

"Never mind, what are you doing here?"

"Make your point clear."

Before Ijichi Seika could react, Kenzaki Yuuma grabbed her wrist and pulled her close, then placed a hand behind her head, pinning her against the corridor wall. They were now very close, and Ijichi Seika felt her heart begin to race. She tried to turn her head away to hide the blush on her face, but Kenzaki Yuuma pulled her back by pinching her chin.

"What do you want... ugh!"

Before she could finish speaking, Yuuma silenced her with a kiss. The taste of alcohol filled her mouth, but she didn't push Yuuma away; she simply thought this was her way of repaying him.