Comet Dragon, breaking into the gravity field

Ignoring the weirdo in a pink stuffed bear costume on the street, Ritsu Narose was very tempted when she saw activities like "40% OFF", "buy one get one free" and various roulette draws.

It’s not that I’m attracted by the fragrant foods, such as fried food, chocolate snails, etc. Well, I am a little attracted by them.

But the focus is on the event, on the price reduction notice on the green sign, not to mention his favorite promotional method of buy one get one free and the lucky draw!

If he hadn't been concerned that Toyokawa Shoko was still here, he would have already...

Ok?

Turning his head sideways, he found that Toyokawa Shoko's eyes were also jumping around the signs around her.

As if noticing Ritsu Narose's gaze, Toyokawa Shoko's expression froze for a moment, then she looked away as if nothing had happened, pretending to look around for the location of [Galaxy].

Trying to keep a straight face, Naruse Ritsu didn't expose her disguise at this moment. Making a mental note of this, he led Toyokawa Shoko into the entrance to the Galaxy, which was directly to their right.

Compared to the RING store that occupies an entire building on the main street of Ikebukuro, the Galaxy store hidden underground is smaller and more exquisite, and its interior decoration style is also unique.

Led by a weak-voiced clerk with a deathly hairstyle, the two of them quickly rented a fully equipped studio where Shoko Toyokawa could display her talents.

"Are all the shop assistants nowadays so capable..."

"I remember you had a girlfriend, right, Mr. Naruse?"

Seeing that he seemed to be "obsessed" with the cute clerk just now, Toyokawa Shoko's face inevitably showed a little disgust.

Ignoring the misunderstanding, Naruse Ritsu simply sighed, "Toyokawa-san, didn't you notice? That shop assistant is quite capable."

"Hey! What do you mean?" Seeing that his tone was not as frivolous as she thought, Toyokawa Shoko frowned and asked.

"That clerk is probably a really good guitarist or bassist—and has plenty of performing experience."

"...Are you telling fortunes?"

If she had only considered the calluses on her hands, Toyokawa Shoko could understand his words. But saying so without any basis was no different from guessing under the guise of fortune-telling.

"It's observation," Narushe Ritsu said confidently, pointing to his eyes. "Once that restrained aura explodes, it will shock everyone."

"I don't understand..." Shaking her head, Toyokawa Shoko had no interest in continuing the small talk with him. "Can you give me the information you mentioned now?"

"of course."

As he spoke, Ritsu Narose took out the bound "Ichinose Observation Diary" from his backpack and handed it to Shoko Toyokawa.

After flipping open the cover and seeing the contents, Toyokawa Shoko asked with a puzzled look on her face, "A novel?"

"It's information, but it's presented in the form of a diary."

"You don't have a hobby of showing your diary to others, do you?"

Shoko Toyokawa had absolutely no interest in prying into other people's privacy, and she didn't want to know the inner thoughts of the boy in front of her at all.

She once read a famous quote from a certain writer: "An eighteen-year-old boy probably has more women in his heart than the emperor's harem, and his thoughts about women are dirtier than a toilet. But at the same time, he yearns for the purest and most beautiful love."

Although Ritsu Naruse never explained to her why she wrote this song, judging from the appearance, it was most likely to express her love to a lucky yet unlucky girl.

To receive the love of a handsome young man is enough to move most women in the world - this is luck;

But the love of youth often disappears as easily as water vapor on glass - this is the misfortune that the girl may suffer.

But this was ultimately just the darkest prejudice in her heart, but whenever she thought that Nagasaki Suyo would actually fall in love with the man in front of her, Toyokawa Shoko had a subtle feeling.

Would Nagasaki Suyo, who comes to harass me every once in a while and clamors to reunite the band, know that I am here with my boyfriend?

Thinking of this, it was as if another self showed a mocking smile.

126. Labor - exchanging life for money

Ever since her family fell into poverty, Toyokawa Shoko had never had the opportunity to quietly read the words on a page like she did now. Even at school, where she had to compete with other top students for scholarships, she never had the luxury of such time.

As she was immersed in the words in front of her, she was completely unaware that Ritsu Narose, who was sitting next to her, had left the studio.

It was not until she finished reading this melancholy little story that she noticed that Ritsu Narose, who had left here at some point, walked in with two drinks.

"This shopping street is really amazing. I didn't expect the livehouse has a cooperative relationship with the coffee shop over there." As he said this, he placed the drink with a intact seal and the "Yuze Special Drink" label on the table in front of Toyokawa Shoko.

"Here, it's my treat."

"Thank you."

Although she had not yet realized that she had been infected by the other party's free and easy behavior, Toyokawa Shoko knew that it was meaningless to care about such a trivial matter.

Without opening the drink immediately, she placed the closed manuscript on her lap, looking extremely serious. Her tone also sounded quite serious, as if she was trying to prove her professionalism.

"So you want to compose a song for this 'disappeared' Ichinose?"

Although Toyokawa Shoko tried her best to keep her tone calm, the same unpredictable fate in the story still touched her heart, making her sigh for the experiences of others in their lives.

"That's right, but I have a question for Toyokawa-san."

Standing against the wall, Naruse Ritsu's expression was something Toyokawa Shoko couldn't understand. She couldn't see any sadness or joy, only a calmness like that of a riddle-maker on his face.

"How do you think the story will end? Do you hope to meet again on an ordinary day, or do you hope to part ways and never see each other again?"

Faced with this question, Shoko Toyokawa hesitated.

If it were her old self, she might have wanted a perfect ending where neither of them would get hurt.

But now that life has cracked her shell and forced her weak self to come into contact with the air, Shoko Toyokawa does not find the latter ending difficult to accept.

A story that has ended should end completely. Even if you meet again later, it should be a brand new story.

That was her answer.

"Yeah……"

She saw Naruse Ritsu lower his head in thought for a moment, and then asked her in a tentative tone: "What if I say..."

"The Ichinose in the story is Nagasaki Suyo?"

Suddenly, Shoko Toyokawa, who was sitting on the chair, was stunned.

She felt that her mind was like glass, her thoughts were like light passing through it, and reflecting colorful and dazzling light on its surface.

It took her a while to recover, and she looked at Naruse Ritsu with a complicated look: "Is this what you wanted to tell me?"

At this moment, Shoko Toyokawa began to doubt the real purpose of Ritsu Narose, but when she thought about the fact that he had just posted a recruitment post on the forum at the beginning, she could not connect it with herself.

An unpredictable fate...

Covering her forehead lightly, Shoko Toyokawa felt an urge to sigh.

"Different endings of the story will lead to different styles of music, right?" She heard Ritsu Narose's words slowly coming to her ears, and when she glared at him, she heard helplessness mixed in his words.

"Don't look at me like that... I was surprised when I found out."

The girl's fair face couldn't hide the anger rising in her heart. Seeing Toyokawa Shoko looking at her like a cat with its fur standing on end, Naruse Ritsu had no choice but to spread her hands. Naruse explained to Toyokawa Shoko with an extremely sincere attitude: "The reason I told Toyokawa-san this is because I hope you can make a song that suits my taste better."

"I'll do my best," she said, realizing that Naruse Ritsu's words were true. Toyokawa Shoko suppressed the anger in her heart that felt like she was being teased. "So if you have any other requests, please tell me now."

"Request?"

After thinking for a while, Naruse Ritsu added solemnly, "I can't think of anything for now."

--That's good.

Toyokawa Shoko thought.

To be honest, in her eyes, the trouble with Ritsu Narose was limited to the part related to Nagasaki Suyo. If she separated it, she would probably be able to get along with him more happily.

However, even though she had a close relationship with that troublesome guy, the negative impact that Ritsu Narose had on her was not as great as those "fake people" she encountered in her customer service job who could not communicate in normal language.

Putting the manuscript on the shelf next to her, Toyokawa Shoko suddenly felt that the musical instruments and equipment in front of her looked familiar, vaguely overlapping with a picture in her memory.

However, this is not the magnificent room in my memory, the person standing next to me is not that timid girl, and the keys touching with my fingertips are no longer the famous brand piano made by professional craftsmen.

This is just a studio in the livehouse where she works and earns money. Standing beside it is only the client, and the instrument at hand is just an ordinary electronic piano.

——There’s nothing wrong with it.

By convincing herself in this way, Shoko Toyokawa forced herself to forget all the unpleasantness that life brought her and devote herself wholeheartedly to her creative work.

Seeing that Shoko Toyokawa quickly got into the mood, Ritsu Naruse had no intention of interfering with her work.

After leaving the studio, he went shopping in the shopping street outside.

Instead of buying anything specifically, he just took out his phone to take a memorable picture and sent it to the band's chat group.

While chatting with the girls who were far away in another livehouse, Ritsu Narose wandered around as if she was on a tourist attraction.

There were more than eighty shops here, large and small, but he went into each one and took a look.

When it got dark, he returned to the studio carrying several large plastic bags containing discounted items such as "special chocolate snails" and "discounted fruits".

"What are you doing..." Shocked by Ritsu Narose's behavior of looting a shopping mall, Shoko Toyokawa looked at him in surprise.

In response, Naruse Ritsu silently took out a smaller piece of packaging from the large plastic bag. He tore off the plastic covering it, broke off a banana, and handed it to the man.

"Uh...thank you." After accepting the beautiful fruit, Toyokawa Shoko still couldn't understand the current situation, "but why..."

"It's dinner time."

She took out her phone and turned on the screen, only then did she realize the passage of time. Her brain also seemed to realize that her workday was over, and she immediately felt dizzy.

The uncomfortable feeling gradually subsided until the work meal sponsored by Ritsu Narose fell into his stomach.

"Bananas are such a reliable food that you can just peel the skin and enjoy the sweet, non-cloying flesh without getting your hands dirty with juice."

She peeled the banana in silence and listened to the man next to her giving a long speech while holding a chocolate snail. Suddenly, a feeling of relaxation from the inside out swept over Shoko Toyokawa.

127. Scent of a Person (Indian Food Edition)

Ritsu Narose did not set strict working hours for Shoko Toyokawa, and Shoko Toyokawa would not waste this rare opportunity for her to get in touch with music.

She enjoyed the cozy atmosphere and felt the joy of using her talents and creating works. However, when she left the not-so-spacious studio and saw the streets plunged into darkness, the cool night breeze brought her back to reality.

It's time to go home.

When Shoko Toyokawa was about to say goodbye and leave, she saw a bag of fruit being handed out by Ritsu Narose.

Noticing that there were still discount labels on the fruit packaging in the bag, she remembered the scene when Ritsu Narose observed her while she was walking in the shopping street.

I was discovered...

"Is this also considered part of 'salary'?"

"It can be counted."

After politely thanking and bowing, Toyokawa Shoko reached out to accept the kindness offered by Ritsu Narose - just like the part-time job she found at the pharmacy near her "home" at that time.

Although the elderly mother-in-law said that she was "too busy", Toyokawa Shoko knew that she hired her and paid her normal salary on time because she understood and understood her difficulties.

Whenever life becomes chaotic, there is always someone like this who appears and brings her warmth.

They rode the tram together until it was time to part ways. Shoko Toyokawa thanked the other party again and then walked towards another road under the gaze of Ritsu Naruse.

Only after seeing her figure gradually disappear into the night in the distance did Ritsu Narose have time to turn his attention completely to the area behind him.

Feeling his gaze, Hachiman Kailing, who had been following them quietly since the beginning of the shopping street, finally took the initiative to walk over.

"One?" As he said this, Naruse Ritsu had already thrown a bag of chocolate snails from the bag to Hachiman Kailing.

When she took the bread, she saw the label on it that said "Prototype·Spicy Flavor".

Although she couldn't measure the difference between her own idea of ​​"spicy" and the baker's, Hachiman Kailing calmly asked Naruse Ritsu, "Can I take this as my apology after you finish eating it?"

Ritsu Narushe didn't say anything, but just gave a chilling smile - as if she had decided to destroy someone's love for a song by setting that song as their wake-up ringtone.

The two walked to the side of the road and sat down on a bench next to the green belt. Hachiman Kailing happily tore open the package and ate the strange food that was a mixture of sweetness and spiciness.

As her face gradually turned red under the control of instinct, a box of milk appeared at her hand.

After finishing the carton of emergency milk, she finally had the energy to sigh, "I regret this. I'll treat you to an apology."

As if satisfied with this, Naruse Ritsu opened another package of spicy chocolate snails and asked, "Why is Hailing here?"

Shortly after leaving Galaxy, he noticed someone watching him from the shopping street. He took a turn and saw Hachiman Kairin, dressed in black, walking not far behind him.

"Because Afterglow is holding a performance there today, I naturally can't miss the opportunity to learn on site."

After explaining why she was there, Hachiman Kailing finally asked, "If you're there... did you find a suitable composer?"

"Yes," Naruse Ritsu nodded, "Thanks for your help before. I quickly found a very reliable person to compose the music."

Thinking of the blue figure who was almost the same height as herself, Hachiman Kailing asked as if to confirm, "Is that the one you just separated from?"