Comet Dragon, breaking into the gravity field

"Yes, yes. Is there anything inappropriate?"

"No, there's nothing inappropriate about it. Today I just wanted to come over and thank you two for taking care of Lenai." When the old lady mentioned her granddaughter, her expression gradually became kind.

"Also, I'm a little surprised that Lenai actually found a permanent band, and..."

The old lady didn't finish her words, but Naruse Ritsu probably guessed what she was thinking. Facing this unavoidable and complicated gaze, he found that nothing he could say except smile.

76. Cat Raising Experience Sharing Meeting

"If you don't mind, how about we talk somewhere else?"

Knowing that this serious-faced old lady had something to say to him, Ritsu Narose nodded neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Instead of going to a special room like a reception room, Kaname's grandmother, the old lady named "Tsuzuki Poetry Ship", and Naruse Ritsu sat at a square table on the first floor of the cafe.

This position neither lets the people at the counter out of his field of vision nor makes sure they can hear the conversation clearly.

There was tea for the reception on the table. After Shiina Riki carefully completed his work in front of the boss, he immediately slipped back behind the counter, contrary to his usual behavior, and observed the situation on Naruse Ritsu's side from a distance with the others.

There were no elaborate pleasantries; Ms. Tsuzuki's speaking style was as crisp and clear as the aura she exuded.

Unlike some people who deliberately keep silent and use excuses like "testing patience" to embarrass others, the old lady quickly explained the purpose of her visit today.

"After hearing that 'Lenai has found a permanent band,' I've been wanting to find an opportunity to check out the situation."

With this as the topic, Ms. Tsuzuki began by talking about "The past of Kaname Rakuna".

Unlike some elderly people who would repeat the same sentence over and over again, after briefly mentioning the story of Lenai's earliest encounter with the guitar, the following content surprised Ritsu Naruse.

"If things had continued like this, this child would have achieved great success in the field of guitar. However, when she was in junior high school, she encountered an obstacle that I didn't expect."

Obstacle?

To be honest, seeing Kaname Rakuna's current state, Ritsu Narose found it hard to imagine what insurmountable difficulties she would encounter - of course, this was only limited to the guitar aspect.

"Could it be that she made some mistake?"

Following up on this topic, Ritsu Narose saw the old lady shaking her head.

"Although she herself is also responsible, it was ultimately my fault."

"...That's it."

Actually, I don’t understand it at all.

As if aware of his confusion, Tsuzuki Shifune glanced at Kaname Rakuna, who kept turning back to observe the situation, before continuing, "Because that kid casually said, 'I'll play guitar for the rest of my life in SPACE.'"

Ritsu Naruse knew that "SPACE" was another live house owned by the old lady, so his confusion only grew: "What's the problem with this?"

"Is there no problem?"

They exchanged glances, and for the first time, Naruse Ritsu saw a hint of surprise in the serious old lady's eyes. However, she quickly returned to her usual calm demeanor.

Looking at Ritsu Narose again, Ms. Tsuzuki seemed to understand something.

"SPACE is just a stopover on her journey, not her home. If this child is allowed to stay there, her talents will only be wasted." After saying this lightly, she picked up the teacup in front of her, leaving it to Ritsu Naruse to digest the deep meaning.

It’s not difficult to understand what the old lady meant.

Generally speaking, everyone in the world has strengths and weaknesses, so people may neglect the cultivation of their weaknesses because of the sense of gain brought by their strengths.

Everyone knows the barrel principle and the power of the bucket, but not everyone has enough willpower to make up for their shortcomings.

In other words, talent, lifespan, willpower...human conditions only allow them to achieve success in certain fields, and therefore there are very few "all-rounders" in history.

That being said, in reality, no one wants the person they care about to take an unconventional approach.

But no matter which world they are in, the outstanding have their own pride. Characters like Kaname Rakuna, who are full of personality and whose machines have been modernized, are beyond the reach of ordinary people.

"Although I can't guarantee that the current environment is suitable for her, it shouldn't bore her." Understanding the old lady's good intentions, Naruse Ritsu said slowly, "So, ma'am, don't worry."

"...Don't worry?" Upon hearing this, Ms. Tsuzuki seemed to suddenly perk up.

Her gaze suddenly changed, like a hunter who had been lying in ambush for a long time and finally waited for the prey to pass by: "Do you care about her very much?"

"We're teammates, after all." For some reason, this gaze made Naruse Ritsu feel uncomfortable, "so I'm still keeping an eye on her."

"Also, Lenai is currently the lead guitarist of the band. If she encounters any difficulties, the entire band may be affected."

As if she hadn't heard Naruse Ritsu's explanation, Ms. Tsuzuki's expression became quite serious.

If it was still within the normal range before, then the momentum now reminded Ritsu Naruse of giant creatures like the "Old Mountain Dragon" and the "Melting Mountain Dragon", giving people the illusion of being unable to breathe.

However, in the next second, this uncomfortable illusion suddenly disappeared. Ms. Tsuzuki looked him over carefully again, then looked back at the counter.

I don't know what she saw, but when she turned her head and looked at Naruse Ritsu again, she said in a tone that was different from before and could be called kind: "As Lenai's grandmother, I am quite satisfied with the child's current performance. So-"

After a pause, the old lady's expression became complicated again: "So please take good care of me."

"Although it may be boasting, I think Lenai and I can be considered friends." The uncomfortable feeling reappeared in all parts of his body, making Naruse Ritsu alert. "So even if you don't say so, they and I will take care of Lenai."

"I see," Ms. Tsuzuki nodded slightly, then said casually, "You should know that Lena is still in junior high school, right?"

"Yes," Naruse Ritsu was slightly stunned, then he understood the intention of asking Lenna's grandmother, "Please rest assured that the band activities will not affect her studies."

As if worried that such a promise was a little weak, he added, "To be honest, our band members all have pretty good grades. One of them is an outstanding student who once served as student council president..."

"Okay, okay," Ms. Tsuzuki glanced at him helplessly, reaching out to signal Naruse Ritsu to stop. "That's indeed a problem, but that's not what I want to talk about."

"Just treat what I say next as the nagging of an old lady," Ms. Tsuzuki showed an expression that was somewhat subtle in various senses, looking at the tea stems swaying in the teacup.

"I was in a band when I was young, and I've seen and experienced a lot of things related to bands over the years..." She put down her teacup and said slowly, "So I'll ask you directly."

"Is your girlfriend among those girls?"

77. Kernel Acceleration

She came here today not only to express her gratitude as Ms. Tsuzuki had said before, but also because she wanted to observe the people around Kaname Rakuna—especially a certain man.

She had heard some rumors some time ago.

That day, Kaname Lenai responded to her mother's message for the first time, and at the same time made her mother complete the three stages of transformation from "joy - confusion - fear" in just one minute.

When Ms. Tsuzuki heard her daughter, Lenna's mother, tell her about this, her first reaction was suspicion.

You told me that your granddaughter, who spends all day wandering around outside playing with stray cats and eating, drinking and playing the guitar in stores when she has nothing to do, suddenly met a man of similar age and took a photo of him and sent it to her mother?

Are you serious?

When she asked this, Lenai's mother finally calmed down and laughed at herself for overreacting.

If nothing unexpected happens, this matter can be passed over by just mentioning it during dinner.

She had initially thought it was her daughter's imagination, but when she asked Lenna to go home that evening, she learned it was true. As a seasoned, tough old woman, she had never experienced the feeling of being unable to hold a cup of tea steady.

However, the old man was knowledgeable and experienced, and he still chose to play it safe in this situation.

Without rushing to alert the enemy, after carefully inquiring about how Kaname Rakuna and Naruse Ritsu met, Ms. Tsuzuki decided to take the initiative and start the investigation from the band's perspective.

The plan is this, but the principle is still the same as before -

"If nothing unexpected happens, something unexpected will happen eventually."

To be honest, it was a delight to see this "heartless" little wild cat actually make a cake for her grandmother's birthday and bring it home...

Everyone says she is an old woman with a heart of steel, but people are still kind-hearted after all.

In short, thanks to Maomao's actions, Ritsu Narose's image on Ms. Tsuzuki's side has completed a triple jump: "a kidnapper with bad intentions - a young man she has never met - a handsome young man with good character."

Although today's answer was disappointing in the end, it was still acceptable overall - at least there was no need to worry about Lenai being led astray.

In response to the last question, Ritsu Narose answered in the affirmative, but unfortunately the old lady still vaguely saw through the meaning hidden in his surprised pause.

From her perspective as a seasoned musician, she knew the band members were all beautiful women. So she had reason to suspect the only man still harbored a nagging reluctance to give up the forest for a single tree.

During this conversation, she had seen countless times the girls over there secretly glancing at the situation here. The looks from each girl were different, making it difficult to tell.

To be honest, as long as the emotional entanglement between them does not involve her granddaughter, Ms. Tsuzuki naturally doesn't care.

But then again, can Kaname Lenai really avoid interference when she is in a band?

Looking at her granddaughter who began to silently pluck the guitar strings, Ms. Tsuzuki sighed and told Ritsu Naruse that the conversation was over.

Ritsu Narose had no idea about Ms. Tsuzuki's assessment of him. After finishing this final question-and-answer session that left him confused, he returned to his seat at the counter and whispered to the others what had just happened.

Of course, he concealed the last question that would most likely backfire.

After finishing his business here, Naruse Ritsu left the café. In order to prepare for the plan to deal with Tenkai Ryu, he still needed to make more thorough preparations.

On the other side, after the practice, everyone did not stay in the cafe for long.

Returning home, where she was still alone tonight, Nagasaki Moyo packed her belongings and lay back on her bed to rest. She removed a wooden hairpin, a color similar to hers, and examined the delicate object carefully.

For some reason, I feel like Ritsu Narose's attitude is weird today.

As for whether there was any evidence, she had no evidence to support it and could only attribute it to female intuition.

Looking carefully at the wood grain on the hairpin, and combining it with her impression of Ritsu Narose, Nagasaki Suyo believed that the hairpin in her hand was not a product he bought from somewhere, but a work he made himself.

But if her guess was correct, why would Ritsu Narose hide it?

Changing her position, Nagasaki Suyo lay on her side on the bed with her back to the window.

The solid touch of the wood comes through the fingertips, and the pattern on the surface of the hairpin appears darker than the paint surface under the sunlight.

Is it because of the different materials? This hairpin seems to be a little heavier than it looks.

After looking at it over and over for a long time, Nagasaki Suyo still couldn't see anything unusual. Putting down the hairpin, she suddenly realized that her behavior seemed a little strange.

How can you treat a gift given to you by someone else like this... It makes her seem like some troublesome girl.

"Om-"

There was a vibration in her pocket, and Nagasaki Suyo suddenly sat up in bed.

But when she turned on the screen, she saw that the message was just a routine notification from her mother, announcing that she would be home alone again tonight.

Throwing the phone aside expressionlessly, Nagasaki Suyo lay back on the bed and began to imagine what Naruse Ritsu would do when he got home.

As she thought about it, she sat up straight again.

She actually forgot about the pink-haired girl next door who had the advantage of location and was the most threatening!

When I thought about myself sitting alone in a duplex, and the hustle and bustle a thousand meters away had nothing to do with me, I couldn't shake off the feeling of being scratched by a cat.

But if I suddenly sent a message to Naruse Ritsu saying I'd visit him that evening...would he find it bothersome? He might even think I was some kind of troublesome woman.

Sitting on the bed, she was constantly assessing the expected gains and possible losses of her actions. It was not until the dim sunset outside the window gradually faded and night fell that she reluctantly found a good reason for herself.

After changing into her white casual clothes and putting the hairpin on her head, she finally walked into the night.

Soon, she saw an unexpected figure appear in front of her.

Unlike the surprise on Nagasaki Suyo's face, Tianhuilong's disturbing gaze swept across her and then stayed on her head for a few seconds.

As if sensing something, this character, who is far more dangerous than mysterious, smiled with interest, as if looking at Nagasaki Suyo with a sighing look.

It seemed to want to say something, but just as it was about to open its mouth, its expression suddenly changed.

Following its upward gaze, Nagasaki Suyo turned around and saw a crimson trail appear from the distant night sky, heading straight towards her.

78. Undecided ambiguity

——Recently, several astronomy enthusiasts claimed to have spotted a red meteor appearing over Tokyo...

The news that should have been casually glanced at gave Toyokawa Shoko a sense of déjà vu.

Red Meteor...it must be him, no matter how you think about it?

When I opened the webpage, I found that it was a rumor-like news without even any pictures, which was posted casually by a third-rate self-media operator who was drunk.

waste time.

With her phone off, Shoko Toyokawa sat quietly in the cafe waiting for Mitsuko Hatsuka.

I don't know how the agency will respond to the band's matter...

Thinking of this, when she saw Sanjiao Chuhua standing outside the store hesitantly and not coming in for a long time, she understood everything.

Failed... No, it can't be said to be a failure. The current situation is still within her expectations.

After the two of them finished their conversation, Sanjiao Chuhua, who had things to do, left without stopping, leaving Toyokawa Shoko, who had not left yet, sitting on the sofa and thinking.