Mygo, are you all yanderes?

Even if I die, I'll die happily, won't I? After all, so many people love me, don't you think?

I won't let you die...

"I see. Then I'll leave it to you to protect me, Miss Drummer."

【…】

By the way, are you still composing music?

【……have.】

That's wonderful! When I finally have the chance to go abroad, you absolutely must let me hear the name 'Legendary Musician Tatsuki Shiina'.

"How could that be...?"

【Why not? I've always believed in you, from the beginning, and now it is too.】′♀」柒♀ba［零∝】

【…】

So, could you waive today's quota as the first step in protecting me? You see, good health is a very important step...

[No, that's a different matter. There are only three hours left until Aine's time; we must cherish every second.]

Don't give me that determined look on your face when it comes to something like this! You were just looking so heartbroken a moment ago, how could you change so quickly?! What do you mean there are only three hours left?! Do you want me to die?!

【…】

[Wait, wait, wait! You haven't finished your meal yet, have you? You need to replenish your energy, right...? Why are you stuffing all of this into your mouth?! What kind of weird play are you trying to play?!]

[...(without saying a word, just approaching).]

[Stop! Don't come any closer! We can talk this out!]

........................

"..."

Gently rubbing her sore nose twice, 'Shiina Tatsuki' curled up into a ball, buried her face in her thighs, and sobbed softly. Crystalline tears slid down the cracks, hitting the bluish-gray stone bricks, blooming into tiny watermarks, and then quickly disappearing.

"I'm sorry, I broke my promise again..."

"Not sure who she was talking to, the black-haired girl was just crying and talking softly. Her beautiful, violet-like eyes were now filled with a thin mist, and the corners of her eyes were tinged with a faint red. She bit her lower lip tightly, as if she didn't want anyone to see her current despondency."

It's all because of her. If she hadn't been so soft-hearted and had deliberately let Kusano Akira go during her own time; if she hadn't been so indecisive and unwilling to do anything more, and had simply run away with him herself; if I weren't just a person who only talks big...

Will things not turn out that way afterward?

Kusano Akira will not completely lose his freedom, and everyone will not become even more insane.

All of this is because she made the wrong decision, but she didn't dare to go all the way and always gave up halfway.

Even the promise to protect him turned out to be a lie.

What composer? What person who's better than his sister? What person who surpasses Toyokawa Shoko?... All his trust has been betrayed.

She's a terrible person, and she didn't even seize those precious opportunities she had...

That's why she didn't even dare to go home later on. If her older sister knew that her younger sister had made such a boastful promise but accomplished nothing, failed to protect the person she loved, and was even the main cause of his death, she would definitely show a very disappointed expression...

"..."

She rubbed her reddened eyes hard with her fingers, wiping away the tears that kept flowing. Although it didn't help and the tears continued to gush out, Shiina Tatsuki's expression had already shaken off her confusion.

She revealed a resolute expression, propped herself up on her knees, and stood up abruptly. The teardrops still clinging to her eyelashes seemed like jewels inlaid on them, radiating a beautiful glow under the sun.

Thank God, she was given another chance to make amends. Although she didn't know why, she was able to return to the spring of the year they first met.

It's not too late; she can nip all those potential disasters in the bud.

Kusano Akira was still a person who could move normally, Nagasaki Motoyo was no longer depressed every day, and Takamatsu Akari had not become so twisted.

Even Hachiman Kairin, Wakaba Mutsumi, and the others... it's not too late!

This time she won't hesitate anymore, won't worry about this or that, and in the end she won't get anything done.

She no longer cares about dreams, proving herself, or surpassing her sister. Her only goal is to protect Kusano Akira and prevent everyone from ending up like that in the future.

"Kusano, this time I will definitely..."

Shiina Tatsuki clenched her fist tightly and quietly encouraged herself.

Now that she had made up her mind, she couldn't dwell on her sadness any longer. What she needed to do now was to find out everyone's true situation, just as she had planned.

Although the current trajectory is largely the same as the past, many details are absolutely different—for example, her initial liking for Kusano Akira is much higher now, whereas when she first met Kusano Akira before, she said a lot of harsh words.

The topic of "love" that Takamatsu Akira just mentioned is probably not much related to Kusano Akira.

"I remember that Kusano's most frequent haunt was..."

After recalling the places where Kusano Akira most often appeared, Shiina Tatsuki set off for the station.

This will be the last time she acts towards a goal; she will not hesitate any longer.

Volume 1: Chapter 162 (Chapter 159). The Pure-Hearted School Bully Falls in Love with Me?! (2k)

"Yes, this is it."

After leading Wakaba Mutsu into the underground live house called STARRY, Kusano Akira compared the photos of the live house on the website with the scene he actually saw on his phone. He nodded in relief and put his phone away.

That's great! Although this live house looks gloomy and dark, like the kind of place where rock fans gather, completely different from RIG, at least all the pictures it puts online are real, unlike the previous haunted houses and exorcism prop shops which were just pure false advertising.

And to be honest, it's actually easier to accept the real thing than the pictures on the internet.

While there are indeed people who genuinely look like rockers—like the two burly men sitting next to me dressed like scumbags from the end of the century—there are also people who look perfectly normal—like the pink-haired girl in the white dress over there.

Kusano Akira slightly turned his gaze, secretly searching for the pink-haired girl.

Because this person's hair color is relatively rare, just like Chihaya Aine's, he noticed her as soon as he entered the live house. Even among so many different hair colors, she stood out.

This person was dressed like a young lady who hadn't yet married, which was completely out of place with the main theme of the place. Looking at it this way, this live house called STARRY wasn't actually as scary as I had imagined.

A pink-haired female passerby noticed Kusano Akira's observation, trembled twice, and then looked up with a cold (but not really) gaze.

Kusano Akira subtly shifted his gaze.

He took back what he said earlier. This person was definitely more rock 'n' roll than he had imagined. He had only seen such a cold look in his eyes when he was bullied in elementary school and on the relative who was nominally looking after him.

Wow, STARRY, you're truly amazing! There are so many talented people out there.

Sensing that Kusano Akira's gaze had shifted away, the pink-haired female passerby silently withdrew her gaze as well. Because her hair was obscuring her face, the features that Kusano Akira couldn't see had transformed into a terrified expression that only appears in manga.

She was terrified! This person is clearly from the top-tier social circle in the academy, and a complete villain.

Beside him was a girl who looked petite but was incredibly beautiful and didn't like to talk; she seemed like a tough character.

This pairing is exactly the same as the 'domineering school bully and cold-faced wife' that often appears in the cliché comics she reads when she has nothing to do!

This handsome guy, who looked like the hidden mastermind of Campus 4, suddenly looked in her direction. She wondered if she had accidentally done something to offend him, and even thought for a moment that she was about to be attacked.

Hey, you little brat!!!

Yes, yes!

[Who gave you the right to show your face here and pollute my eyes! Is this a place for a gloomy guy like you?! Go back to the mines and spend your whole life mining!!!]

【Nooo ...

Even if the boy hadn't done that, the girl next to him wasn't looking at him with friendly eyes!

Is it one of those "pure, innocent heroines who get targeted by the school bully, but are then harassed by the queen who secretly loves the bully" scenarios? But she doesn't think she's that kind of heroine; she wouldn't die if she were actually targeted, would she?!

With these thoughts in mind, the pink-haired woman quietly walked to a less crowded spot.

I am truly sorry that I, Goto Ichiri, have disturbed your peace and quiet. I will now disappear from your sight and never appear again.

Is this the live house? Mom, Dad, Jimmy Heng, I'm so scared.

"……bright."

When she noticed that Kusano Akira had just focused his gaze on the pretty girl with the familiar pink hair that made her feel a little threatened, Wakaba Mutsu frowned and tugged at his sleeve with some displeasure.

It's one thing for Takashimatsu and the others to be attracted, but why is it that even this passerby can attract Kusano Akira's attention?

4. She is unhappy.

"what happened?"

Kusano Akira turned his gaze to Wakaba Mutsu.

"What do you come here to see?"

Yan Ruoye Mu randomly picked a question.

Her purpose was simply to prevent Kusano Akira from seeing others; she didn't actually have anything to say to him.

“I heard from a friend that there’s a band called CK Hack here, and that their music is really good. That’s why I came here on her recommendation.”

Kusano Akira searched for the keyword "ck hack" and pointed to the three people above.

"Look, this is the band."

Ruoye Mu nodded, about to reply, when a cheerful voice suddenly appeared beside her and silenced her.

"Oh! Hiroi-nee's band! That band is really good!"

Ichi Nijika, carrying a heavy-looking case of drinks, happened to pass by the two of them. Hearing their conversation, she smiled and struck up a conversation.

Originally, she didn't want to interrupt other people's conversation, but for some reason, she felt a strange sense of familiarity when she saw the two people's faces. Because of this familiarity, she spoke without thinking and her body reacted first.

"..."

With the sudden appearance of Ijichi Nijika, Wakaba Mutsu pouted in disappointment, her eyes filled with a hint of wariness as she looked at her.

This person made her feel uneasy; she had a sense of danger about him.

"Um, hello, who are you?"

Kusano Akira was taken aback when he saw the blonde girl appear. He stared at her intently, but immediately realized that his gaze was a bit too direct and rude, so he quickly smiled and asked.

It's strange. This person gives him the feeling that he has seen her not long ago, but he can also say with certainty that he has never seen her today, and he has never even met her in the previous 16 years.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, I just started talking to you all without introducing myself."

Ichi Nijika supported the bottom of the cardboard box with one hand, steadily supporting the glass bottle inside. She smiled gently at the two of them, her golden ponytail swaying slightly with the movement.

"My name is Ijichi Nijika, and I work at this live house."

"Hello, my name is Kusano Akira — and the person next to me who looks very introverted is called Wakaba Mutsumi."

After hearing Ichiji Nijika introduce herself, Kusano Akira chimed in, then paused before introducing the silent Wakaba Mutsuya beside him.

Qi: "I'm so sorry, she's a bit shy."

"Ahaha, it's okay. On the contrary, I should apologize for suddenly interrupting your conversation. I should apologize to Wakaba-san for that."

Ichiji Nijika smiled, indicating that she didn't care.

Lu: "Because you guys brought up the topic of bands, I'm a little curious—but besides that, Kusano-kun, are you guys also musicians?"

Jiu: "How did you find out, Ijichi-kun?"

Akira Zero was somewhat surprised.

Volume 1: Chapter 163. Hiroi Kikuri (2k)

8. "Hmm... just a guess~ It's just that as soon as I saw you guys, the thought automatically popped into my head, 'They might be people who can play musical instruments!'"

Reiji Tomoka shyly put her hands behind her head, hooked a few strands of hair, and gently played with them.

"That's really an amazing intuition—"

Kusano Akira clapped his hands and then said to her.

"Just as you guessed, Ijichi-kun, we both do know a bit about this."

"As expected, Kusano-kun, you guys look like musicians."

Ichi Nijika released her hand from the back of her head and held the beverage box in both hands again.

"Actually, I'm in a similar situation to you. I'm also forming a band, but I've only just started preparing for it. In reality, neither the personnel nor the performances are ready yet."

"Forming a band? Me too, but I started a little earlier than you, Ijichi-kun. The members are basically the same, we just haven't performed yet."

"Really? That's wonderful..."

After saying something enviously, Ichiji Nijika noticed that Wakaba Mutsumi seemed to be turning into a black and white image, and casually made up an excuse.

"I'm leaving now, I'm still busy with work. Goodbye Kusano-kun, goodbye Wakaba-kun."