Comet Dragon, breaking into the gravity field

If you are ignored by others while you are still alive, then even negative comments like "being disliked" will become the last straw that a drowning person can grasp.

Disdain is a special treatment, a special concern for the existence of others. Although it is a negative evaluation, it can connect two people who have no intersection.

What's more, "disdain" can be true or false.

The former is forced to execute due to certain rules - ultimately it is the satisfaction of one's own desire for conquest; the latter is hypocritical and unwilling to express one's true inner thoughts - it is more like a tsundere emotion.

The subsequent discussion about the transformation of two certain letters is also worth studying.

Back to the present, Shiina Riki's behavior has undoubtedly given new insights to Naruse Ritsu, who is focused on theoretical research.

Although Ritsu Narose didn't have that kind of fetish, he had never had the opportunity to be stared at with disgust in the past.

So when the excellent material of Shiina Riki appeared next to him, he naturally would not let it go easily.

Due to preconceived prejudices, Shiina Riki's attitude towards him cannot be described as considerate, but at least it can be said that he wants to get rid of him as soon as possible.

This inexplicable hostility was nothing but a drizzle to Ritsu Naruse. Rather, it was this perfect feeling of disgust that made Ritsu Shiina the perfect subject for his current observation.

But his words just now seemed to scare the other party away.

After watching Shiina Riki leave in dismay, clutching the tray, Naruse Ritsu picked up his teacup and sipped quietly. To the right of his seat, the white cat, whom the waiter had called "Runa-chan," continued to stare at him intently.

How strange! The cat eavesdropping nearby was sitting there quietly, but it was the seemingly strong-looking Shiina Riki who showed weakness first...

When Ritsu Narose put down his teacup and was about to ask "Runa-chan" why she kept looking at him, the cat-like girl left her seat again.

It's like a stray cat you encounter on the roadside. When you ignore it, it keeps meowing at you. But once you try to get closer, it disappears into the bushes without looking back, always keeping a distance from you.

Dragging those professional-looking musical equipment, she walked calmly to the stage in the corner of the cafe, exposing her symbol as a guitarist under the bright lights.

Then——

A guitar solo, completely contrary to its appearance, swept out like a storm, gradually approaching every corner of the cafe amid the surprised and expectant gazes of the crowd.

25. The two defeated

As the sound of the guitar gradually faded away like the tide, Ritsu Narose learned the true identity of "White Cat" from the cheers of the surrounding customers.

A cat-loving girl, whose full name is "Yaile Nai," has been coming to RiNG with her guitar since it opened. Sometimes she even trades a performance on stage for a matcha parfait, like a cat trading a bag of dried fish for a tail pat.

There are also rumors that Kaname is the granddaughter of the livehouse owner, and the guitar in her hand is also the "legendary weapon" used by the owner in his youth.

With the mutual addition of strength and background, Yao Lenai even has the tendency to become the mascot of RiNG.

However, for such an eccentric person, it seems unlikely that she will stay here honestly.

Like most of the customers sitting in the store, Ritsu Narose paid her respects to the girl who left gracefully after finishing her performance.

By the way, he glanced at Chihaya Aine on the other side and saw that she seemed to be chatting happily with her friends. Naruse Ritsu had no intention of disturbing her.

In the Livehouse café, everyone has something to do.

Taking out a Bluetooth keyboard and blue light blocking glasses from his shoulder bag, Ritsu Narose, fully prepared, focused all his attention on Tatsuki Shiina and the document on the tablet screen.

It's time to get a little academic.

Then, the sound of keyboard tapping like a typewriter came faintly from the side of the counter, and like the low hum of a lonely ghost, it kept echoing in Shiina Riki's ears.

It’s like “breathing”. When you realize that you are breathing, the breathing behavior that was originally in “automatic gear” switches to “manual gear”.

The same goes for the old air conditioner in the room during the summer.

When you lie in bed tossing and turning and unable to fall asleep, you happen to hear the "buzzing" sound of that old thing while it is working. The incessant noise becomes the biggest obstacle to your nap.

But when Shiina Riki realized that there was an annoying guy typing away on the keyboard, her originally calm mood unconsciously became anxious.

She really wanted to rush out and ask that guy what he was planning to do, but every time Shiina Riki thought of the brief conversation she had with him before, she couldn't help but get goosebumps, which made her stop behind the counter.

Why the hell would anyone be interested in something like that?... That's so stupid!

It was like being stuffed with a mouthful of mustard, and Shiina Riki felt that she was speechless. What's more, she now had a hard time understanding what Naruse Ritsu was trying to do.

I thought he was targeting the wild cat, but now it seems that he has dragged herself into it instead.

It wasn't that she regretted it, but Naruse Ritsu's behavior had always exceeded her expectations. Rather than equipping herself with a fierce attitude, she felt that the more important thing at the moment was to understand this guy's thoughts.

Staying vigilant, Shiina Riki always treated Naruse Ritsu with extreme caution during the subsequent work hours.

However, until the evening shift change, the guy did not do anything out of the ordinary. He was like a human typewriter, sitting at his seat and typing away.

When she changed back into her school uniform from the staff lounge and came out, Ritsu Narose, who had been sitting there, also left like the other guests.

"I heard that Li Xi-chan has been staring at a boy today, right~"

"NO, I have not."

The eccentric shop owner suddenly appeared from the side, and the obvious curve of his mouth revealed her thoughts completely.

Without giving her any chance to gossip, Shiina Riki quickly eradicated a misunderstanding that went too far.

Having worked at the shop for a while, Shiina Ritsuki was naturally accustomed to the young shop manager's interactions. As long as she ignored him, the bored Rinrinko-senpai would quickly shift her attention to someone else.

After dispersing the troublesome shop owner to the other staff, Shiina Riki thought that today's turmoil would come to an end. However, as soon as she walked out of the cafe, she saw Nagasaki Suyo standing outside the door waiting quietly.

Recalling the previous experiences of being visited by Nagasaki Suyo, Shiina Riki had to admit that the woman had an obsession with the goal of "reorganizing CRYCHIC" that was beyond her reach.

But in her eyes, there is no hope for the band to be reunited and reborn now that it has fallen apart.

The leader who had single-handedly organized the formation of CRYCHIC and clamored about a "community of shared destiny" was the first to announce his departure, which ultimately caused Deng, the lead singer of the band, to suffer a huge blow and he has been unable to recover to this day.

Now Nagasaki Motoyo is still trying to reunite the band... Is she joking?

To put it another way, even if Nagasaki Motoyo could really bring back those guys who hurt Deng, Shiina Riki didn't think they were qualified to stand by Deng's side.

Forced to cheer up, Shiina Riki, who had just finished his part-time job, walked towards Nagasaki Suyo, thinking about how to make this troublesome woman give up her unrealistic idea.

Of course, Ritsu Narose could not see this one-sided and tense scene.

When he walked to the lobby on the first floor, he saw Chihaya Aine standing alone in front of the CD cabinet, holding her phone in both hands, looking at the screen with a very conflicted look.

Before he could get close, the girl, moved by her feelings, looked up in his direction. As soon as their eyes met, she smiled a smile as warm as the sun.

After glancing at the dazzling array of covers on the cabinet, Naruse Ritsu turned to look at Chihaya Aine: "Is Aine picking out CDs?"

"Yeah, yeah..."

Her body trembled slightly for a moment, and Chihaya Aine tried hard not to show any abnormality.

But this effort was like an undead man rolling back and forth in vain in front of a fast and slow knife. In the eyes of Ritsu Naruse, it was meaningless.

After a little thought, he understood why Chihaya Aine behaved so strangely.

"Didn't you ask me to call you that last night?" Naruse Rikyuu looked at the girl beside him who was constantly stroking her hair. "There's no need to be so nervous, right?"

Even though he had lived in this land for some time, he still couldn't understand why most people would care so much about such a small matter as "calling names".

The mere change of address seemed to imply a huge change in the relationship between the two people - Ritsu Narose could never understand this strange custom.

"I-I'm not nervous!"

"Calm down, I'm not going to eat you."

Eat, eat me!?

The memories of last night suddenly burst out from the depths of my mind, which had been blocked by layers of blockage. The feeling of the touch and the close face-to-face contact at that moment seemed to become real, and I was once again enveloped by Chihaya Aine's body...

"Don't stand there in a daze. Didn't you say you planned to go back together?"

"Me? I didn't—"

As if she realized something, the girl's slightly shy voice suddenly paused.

Glancing down at her phone, Chihaya Aine realized that the draft message she had originally written had been sent out without her noticing. On the other side of the dialog box, the word "read" was clearly visible on her face.

26. True Name Liberation

The school hours in this island nation are very different from the schools that Ritsu Narose has seen in the past.

At least he had never heard of any school that would let students out at three or four in the afternoon, allowing them to enjoy their youth freely.

In that human society dominated by "hunters", schools did exist.

However, compared to the hunters who grew up wildly in their respective villages and constantly gained experience from hunting activities of all sizes, the scholars who completed systematic learning in the academy courses may be closer to the students here.

It is impossible to say that Ritsu Narose is not curious about the so-called "campus life".

But if he really had to sit in that small seat and be forced to listen to the course that was meaningless to Gu Long, it would indeed make him feel bored.

The beauty of fantasy lies in its unattainable nature - for Ritsu Narose, the so-called "school" is something similar.

Perhaps it was because traveling with Chihaya Aine brought a sense of déjà vu, Narose Ritsu's mind was much more active than before.

However, this kind of thinking is useless and is generally called "wild thinking".

After returning home, Ritsu Narose cleared his mind and calmed his thoughts while printing out the materials he had sorted out today into a book.

While he was busy, the screen of his mobile phone on the desk suddenly lit up.

Chihaya Aine: I forgot to mention that I've already found a bassist!

[Chihaya Aine: Although she is only a temporary support, she seems to be a very gentle person.]

The desire to share is visible to the naked eye.

It was as if she saw a puppy standing in front of her, wagging its tail and asking for a pat. Naruse Ritsu decisively used Chihaya Aine's favorite praising tactic.

The effect is remarkable!

Ritsu Narose could feel Chihaya Aine's excitement through the screen.

Chihaya Aine: Oh, by the way, Soyo is also a friend of Tomo. The world is really small sometimes (?????)

【Ritsu Naruse: Soyo? 】

[Chihaya Aine: Her name is Nagasaki Soyo. Doesn't it sound like a young lady?]

[Chihaya Aine: And even though Soyo is the eldest daughter of Tsukinomori, she actually has experience in forming a band! ! ! ]

Nagasaki Soyo?

...Soyo?

Touching his chin, Ritsu Narose suddenly felt that the name sounded familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.

He could clearly feel his heart beating inside his chest as he whispered the syllables of the name.

This feeling... Could it be that I know her?

No, he must know her.

The habits that Narushe Ritsu had developed in the past came into play at this moment.

Walking to the bookshelf where the records were stored, he quickly found the folder that might contain traces of "Nagasaki Suyo" according to the above classification.

There weren't many records about Tokyo, and he knew very few people there. After a quick scan, Naruse Ritsu found the only possible record.

Eliminate all impossibilities, and whatever remains, no matter how unbelievable, is the fact.

The manuscript that Chihaya Aine had just taken out a few days ago was now once again in Naruse Ritsu's hands. Looking at the mark on the cover, an indescribable feeling filled his heart.

"Ichinose... could it be you?"

The memories that had sunk to the bottom of the water in the past were salvaged and drained, and the wrinkled memories were thrown in front of Ritsu Narose.

If Nagasaki Suyo is really her, how should he face the friend who was abandoned by him?

Thinking back on today's experience, Ritsu Narose realized that she had never seen that person's face clearly.

——From beginning to end, Nagasaki Suyo had her back to him.

This back view also reminded Ritsu Naruse of the "gaze" she felt when she and Chihaya Aine were near the sweets shop that day.

All these coincidences piled up together, and no matter how much Ritsu Naruse denied it, he couldn't stop the correct conclusion from gradually emerging:

Ichinose is Nagasaki Suyo.

His old friend was still alive—this should have been good news that made Ritsu Naruse feel happy, but the scary thing was…

Ichinose probably no longer considered him a friend.

From before, Ichinose... no, now I should call her "Nagasaki Suyo".

Judging from Nagasaki Suyo's behavior, she should have recognized herself as well.