I have pure love with them

Nagasaki Shoyo didn't know where Toyokawa Shoko was, but she thought that Toyokawa Shoko would not be unaware of the fact that she was in the Tsuki No Mori.

Before she came to RiNG, she waited in front of the school gate of Tsuki no Mori for a while, thinking that if Toyokawa Shoko wanted to see her, she would definitely come to Tsuki no Mori. However, after waiting for a while, she neither saw Toyokawa Shoko nor received any news from her.

"I know."

The waiter came up and asked if he wanted to order anything. Nagasaki Shoyo shook his head and refused, while Izumi ordered a cup of black tea.

"Because I met with her on purpose before coming here."

"Met... each other? What happened? Why? Why would Quanjun go to meet Xiangzi... Didn't she say... Xiangzi was coming to see me?"

With a forced smile, Nagasaki Soushi looked at Izumi in front of her, her emotions almost out of control, but fortunately her reason prevailed. She looked at Izumi, who was sitting opposite her, with an expression that did not quite understand. Her hands were clasped together, but her fingertips were slightly white, and her inner emotions were far from as calm as she looked.

Since receiving the news last night, Nagasaki Shoyo has been looking forward to meeting Toyokawa Shoko, but now not only did she not meet Toyokawa Shoko, she also learned that she was not able to meet her because Izumi met Shoko.

Her gray-blue eyes were fixed on Quan in front of her, and she was waiting for an answer that she could accept.

"I wanted to come with her to see you, but she doesn't seem ready to meet you right now."

"Huh? Why?"

After hearing what Izumi said, Nagasaki Shoyo's smile gradually disappeared, and he asked with a stiff expression.

"Did I... do something wrong?"

Izumi, who was sitting opposite Nagasaki Soyo, remained silent and did not make any response.

"...Thank you, Quan Jun...I am very grateful that you can do this for me...But, can you tell me where Xiangzi is now? I want to meet her in person and know her true thoughts."

"Haqiu."

This time there was no excuses. After Nagasaki Shoyo asked the question, Izumi gave a straightforward answer.

“H...Higaoka belongs to...Tomoe and Aine?”

"Yes, it's the Hanegaoka Girls' Academy, the same school as Ms. Takamatsu and Aine."

"Is that so... Thank you, I see. Oh, by the way... This is for you."

After learning about the school where Toyokawa Shoko attended, Nagasaki Shoyo's emotions stabilized a little. She did not ask why she was told only now, but just silently took out the painting tube and handed it to Izumi.

"I have... collected signatures from five people. Thank you, Quan Jun."

Slowly standing up, Nagasaki Shoyo looked at Izumi who was sitting opposite him. He stared at his depressed expression, his usual smile reappeared on his face, and he comforted Izumi in a gentle tone.

"No matter what kind of answer Xiangzi will give, I am very grateful to Quanjun for everything he has done. Then... I will go to practice first. See you next time."

After bowing politely to Izumi to express his gratitude, Nagasaki Shoyo left the cafe and went to practice with Shiina Riki and the others. Izumi watched the waitress serve him black tea. The depressed expression on his face faded, and he thanked the other party with a smile and took a sip of the black tea.

His eyes fell on the painting tube on the table, which probably contained the only signed sketch portraits of all 'CRYCHIC' members that will never appear again.

"It's priceless, just to me."

What will happen when Nagasaki Shoyo goes to meet Toyokawa Shoko?

It was nothing more than being harshly rejected by Toyokawa Shoko, who was already in a very bad mood and had a different attitude towards Nagasaki Sose.

"This one wants to end, and that one wants to end too. Who will end the band?"

"Your band?"

A voice came out of the blue, with a slightly steady tone, which made Quan put down the tea in his hand and look at the bassist who had walked in front of him in a leather jacket.

"Here, can I sit?"

"Please feel free to do so."

Seeing that it was Hachiman Kailing, Izumi was a little surprised. He didn't expect that this busy person would have time to rest in the cafe. But despite his surprise, he smiled at her and invited her to sit down.

172. I Want to Rent You

“You’re in a band?”

Hachiman Kailing sat down, her voice still gentle and calm, but the way she looked at Izumi and the details of her body movements revealed some of her curiosity about Izumi.

"Curious?"

"There are some."

The waiter came forward and asked Hachiman Kailing if she wanted to order.

Hachiman Kailing, who had just sat down, looked down at the drinks on the menu, and then ordered a cup of black tea that was the same as Quan's.

After the clerk left, Quan's gaze moved from the clerk's back to Hachiman Kailing who was sitting opposite him. He shook his head slightly and gave a negative answer.

"I like music very much and I am also interested in bands, but I am not very interested in joining or forming a band. Don't you need to attend the band's practice and performance today?"

"I had an appointment with a band, but the band just contacted me and cancelled today's appointment, so I had some time to rest. I just didn't expect to meet you here."

Faced with the fact that she appeared here and her appointment was cancelled, Hachiman Kailing did not hide anything. She did not think there was anything worth hiding and told the boy in front of her frankly.

"It's very hard, being a support musician for so many bands. Have you ever thought about joining a stable band or making a professional debut?"

"It's not a simple matter. It's not that you can just join a band and it will definitely be the right fit for you. For me, formally joining a band requires more careful consideration. I'm not going to join a band just out of interest."

"So are the bands you are supporting now all the ones you are investigating?"

Quan found Hachiman Kailing's answer interesting and asked with a smile.

"You can think so, but it's mainly for income. Without the income from supporting the musicians, it would be difficult to support the expenses for music with just my own living expenses."

Hachiman Kailing originally wanted to use the words "dream" and "pursuit", but after a moment of silence, she decided to use the more realistic "expenditure" as the answer.

"Speaking of which, since you have time now, can I temporarily hire you to be my support musician?"

"What? Changed your mind and decided to form your own band?"

Hearing Quan say this, Hachiman Kailing looked at the boy in front of her with a little surprise. She had heard him say before that he had no interest in the band, but now he suddenly said that he wanted to hire her. Looking at Quan's temperament, he seemed relaxed and casual, and didn't seem like he was serious about forming a band, which made her a little curious about what Quan wanted to do by hiring her.

"No, I just feel a little bored sitting here doing nothing, so I want to move around a little and release some extra energy. Also, I'm a little curious and hope to see you, who is called the 'strongest mercenary' by the manager of 'Starry'."

"'Starry'? Ah, is it the livehouse in Shimokitazawa? Well... although the reservation was cancelled, I have already received the payment in advance. It seems a bit difficult to adapt to just resting here. It's okay to agree to your employment, but my hourly charge is 1 yen. In addition, you will also pay for the recording studio fee. Is that okay?"

After hearing the reason why Izumi hired her, Hachiman Kailing thought about it for a moment and agreed. She didn't hate taking a break, but since there was pay, she had no reason to refuse the job.

"of course."

Seeing that Hachiman Kailing agreed, Quan smiled and nodded, then walked towards the front desk of RiNG, rented a recording studio, and rented a guitar here.

Although Quan himself bought a guitar, it was basically left at home gathering dust. The number of times he actually used it was pitifully small, and it had become a decoration in his room.

“How much free time do you have?”

Looking back at Hachiman Kailing who had come behind him, Quan asked about the time she could arrange freely at the moment.

"It was originally 2 hours, now, there is 1 hour and 38 minutes left."

"One hour then."

Nodding slightly, Quan first paid the recording studio and instrument rental fees to the front desk, and then handed her the fee for hiring Hachiman Kailing.

"Settlement in advance, is that okay?"

Looking at Izumi holding the banknotes in both hands and handing them to her, Hachiman Kailing's gaze lingered on Izumi's white hands for a moment and she silently accepted the hiring fee.

The clerk took the fee and quickly made arrangements. After a while, Izumi and Hachiman Kailing entered a recording studio together. The rented guitar was also delivered to the studio. Izumi picked it up and tested the sound. After confirming that there was no problem, the clerk left the studio first, leaving Izumi and Hachiman Kailing alone.

Hachiman Kailin, who brought her own bass, entered the recording studio, connected the speakers, and also tested the sound. After confirming that there were no problems, she looked at Quan.

"Shall I play the solo first?"

"Can you sing?"

"…That's the lead singer's job, I'm the bassist."

After hearing Quan's question, Hachiman Kailing was silent for a moment, then looked at him with a subtle look and stated her identity.

"It's okay, just giving it a try. By the way, this is the song we're going to play later, try to memorize the lyrics."

Opening his mobile phone, Quan opened the music score of "Haruhi Kage" that he had prepared earlier and handed it to Hachiman Kailing.

The bassist remained silent, looking down at the phone that Quan handed to her and the music score displayed on it. She played it simply. The heavy tone made Quan, who was standing next to her, think of some jokes about the bass.

Although it was very rude, it was difficult for him not to recall those bass-related jokes when watching Hachiman Kailing's solo.

"Compared to the guitar, it is indeed an instrument with little presence... Well, but it is also an indispensable part of the band."

After Hachiman Kairin stopped playing, Quan looked at her.

"Is there a problem?"

"There's nothing wrong with playing, but I'm not good at singing, and this doesn't really challenge my abilities, right?"

Looking from the music score to Izumi, Hachiman Kailing couldn't be said to be opposed to singing. She just couldn't see the necessity of singing, nor did she think that this music score was a challenge for her, or for an experienced bassist.

"So if I say 'I'll do anything,' would you be willing to sing the song?"

"..."

Hachiman Kailing was silent for a moment and shook her head slightly.

"This is a requirement outside of the bassist's job, 1 yen, I can give it a try."

She had a clear distinction between her work and her non-work requirements. After vaguely realizing Yidianquan's true purpose, she did not refuse directly, but clearly proposed a price equal to the work.

173. One hundred people add one more poem. Great character needs to be honed.

The fact that Hachiman Kailing did not refuse was completely enough for Izumi, and he also thought that her request was very reasonable.

Just as Hachiman Kailing said just now, her identity is a bassist, and all she has to do is play the bass. Singing is beyond the scope of what a bassist needs to do, and that is the responsibility of the lead singer.

Without any hesitation or consideration, Quan, who was being stared at by Hachiman Kailing, made an 'OK' gesture to her, which surprised Hachiman Kailing.

'Does he...want to hear me sing?'

Even though most of the students who come into contact with the band come from relatively wealthy families, it is still extremely rare to find someone who has no hesitation when faced with '1 yen'.