Lonely Rock, Liang is my fiancée

"Hey, what am I doing? I'm fired. What a shame. Bye everyone."

Ito, who was already thinking about running away, quickly packed his backpack, said a brief farewell speech, and planned to go home to study, but was stopped by classmate Hongxia with a sullen face.

They are a band, and working part-time is just a side job. How can they ignore this fact?

Since Ito-san has been fired from the front desk, we can only...

Hongxia glanced around the exhibition hall. She excluded Liang who was holding a broom and preparing to go to bed. She excluded Kita-chan who had a silly smile on her face. She excluded Pochi-chan, Pochi-chan?

Where are you, little Boqi?

Don't just take out your guitar and start playing it.

"Please listen to the lament of the useless."

As a newcomer, she was given a job that she was not qualified for. Heartbroken, Goto once again immersed herself in her own world, playing and singing a meaningless new song by herself.

Apart from the oddity of playing it with your butt sticking out in a trash can, the rest of the music looks pretty good.

"You play it pretty well." Ito whispered. When he first heard them talk about how little Bochi performed on stage wearing a mango box, he thought she was shy because her level was too poor. Now it seems that she might just have stage fright.

"Pochi-chan, you come and teach Ito about beverages." Hongxia, who was still immersed in tedious affairs, failed to hear the beautiful tone and left Ito to her to take care of.

"Ah, okay!"

Having found an opportunity to regroup, Pochi-chan put 100% of her determination into showing her limited presence in front of the band members.

……

"Welcome, here is your Coke, please keep it and have a pleasant evening." Ito Rin skillfully handled the drink cup and handed it to the female guest waiting in front of her.

She blushed and walked a short distance away from her female companion, then whispered to each other: "This is your third time, isn't it? That's too much."

"But this waiter is so handsome. I'll come over later."

"No, it's my turn later."

Under this continuous bombardment, Ito Rin finally seized the opportunity to slack off and started chatting with Pochi-chan.

"Goto-san, why did you want to join the band?"

Pochi-chan, who was squatting next to the beverage machine, was still immersed in the feeling of being crushed. Why did Ito-kun even know how to use the beverage machine? Was her only remaining value going to disappear like this?

But after hearing his words, she jumped up reflexively, looking up at her face in confusion.

Why do you want to join a band? I like staying indoors, but I also want to enjoy the feeling of being famous and having a lot of fans. For someone like me who can only play the guitar, the only way to achieve my goals is to rely on the band, right?

But this reason is really hard to say.

"Ah... world peace. To convey the idea of ​​world peace."

Chapter 27 Bass? Guitar!

This is a good reason. It allows Ito Rin to know that she is lying without having to judge whether it is true or not.

His eyes were full of disbelief. Pochi-chan noticed it and started playing with her fingers awkwardly. When she met a customer who came to place an order, she grabbed a life-saving straw and served the other person a cup of Coke while providing warm service.

"Welcome... Welcome... Come back next time." It seems that speaking is a very energy-consuming thing for her, and white smoke is about to come out of her head.

So my growth isn’t very obvious yet. I can speak complete sentences when chatting with band members, but when it comes to eye contact with strangers, I become at a loss.

Ito Rin took over her original place, making it easier to deliver drinks and giving little Pochi more opportunities to communicate with others.

"Ah, um, why did Ito-kun join the band? Was it because of Ryo-senpai?"

After Xiao Boqi took charge of the bar, fewer customers came to refill their drinks, and she finally had the courage to start a conversation with him now that she had some free time.

But at this moment, what she was thinking about was the wild scene of Kita-san on the road.

The senior that Kita admires should be Ryo, right? After all, it is so obvious.

But Ryo and Ito-kun seem to have a better relationship. To be able to get a student who is aiming for the University of Tokyo to join their band, this level of relationship is definitely not simple.

"That's about right. Liang and I were in the same band before, and I joined the Ending Band mainly because of her, but now our relationship is a little complicated."

Ito Rin said carefully that he and Liang had not yet completely discussed the matter of the engagement, and they had not yet reached a consensus on their positions.

In fact, he had vaguely sensed something was wrong from his mother's vague message, but since the attitudes of both parents were very ambiguous, it didn't matter whether there was an engagement or not.

If they insisted that there was one, no one could object.

However, it is really irresponsible to let high school students make the decision.

What was Ryo thinking when he kissed him that night?

He felt very uncomfortable because he couldn't figure out this problem. It was like reading a novel where something inexplicably appeared due to the author's quirks, and it would always make people angry if they didn't understand its origin.

"Ah... Did they quit the band together afterwards?"

"No, I left within a month of joining. Liang stayed for a while, but later he quit due to personality differences."

Ito didn't pay much attention to the rest of the story because his focus at that time was on studying. Only after he had secured his top spot in the grade did he learn that his cousin had started a band again.

Little Boqi nodded as if he understood, but didn't dare to ask further why his senior withdrew.

After all, they are the top-level celebrities. For something like a band, as long as they have time, they will definitely be able to find a team to accept them. Unlike me, I had to rely on Senior Hong Xia to get in.

"That's a dark history, do you want to know, little Pochi?" Suddenly, Ryo's head popped out from in front of the bar, scaring Pochi-chan so much that she screamed and couldn't even maintain her human form. The harsh sound made Ito Rin pick up the cup and play the whack-a-mole game, trying to hit Ryo's head.

"Why are you here if you don't go to work?"

"There are no new customers, so the manager let us take a break first, except for Kita-chan who is still in training." Ryo dodged the cup expressionlessly, and seemed to be enjoying it.

The ferocious-looking store manager found a maid uniform from somewhere and asked Kita to wear it, then explained to her the qualities of a receptionist.

The requirements for this job were not high, but after Ito Rin had done it, Xingge unconsciously raised the threshold for passing.

"How come your sister has clothes like this? Could it be that the store manager has worn it before?" Ito Rin poked Hongxia beside her and asked curiously.

Manager Xingge gave him the impression of an older person with a bad temper, and also a sister-con who said one thing but meant another. It was hard to associate her with a maid uniform.

However, there are still many similarities between Ijichi and her sister, especially the ahoge on their heads, which are both so unique.

"I don't know either. Maybe my sister used it to mess with other people's clothes. And what is the dark history you just mentioned, Liang?" Hongxia shook her head, indicating that she was also very curious, and then she and Xiao Bochi came to Liang's side.

Dark history, I'm very interested. Can you tell me about it? I guess that would be disrespectful to Ito-san, but I still want to hear it.

Ito walked out from behind the bar speechlessly. He didn't care much about what happened in his early years. What's more, that was not a dark history at all. It was obvious that he was a pure and innocent person who was ostracized.

Also, when you are gossiping, can you please focus on the right thing first? The new lead singer seems to be in a low mood and is planning to run away!

“I am so grateful to everyone today, and I hope the band can continue to work so hard in the future.”

While Ito was still thinking about how to keep the lead singer, Kita changed back into his school uniform, walked up to them with his guitar on his back, his eyes a little dim, and as soon as he finished speaking, he quickly ran towards the exit of Fanxing, stopped there and said his final farewell words.

"Then I will..."

"Kita...Kita..." "Kita-san."

Little Pochi, who would become lisp when speaking under nervous conditions, quickly ran to her and opened his arms to stop her, but when he heard Ito's voice, he quickly retracted his arms.

"Ah... Ito-kun, please speak first..."

Ito Rin regretted not noticing her movements. This was an opportunity for the socially anxious little Pochi to strengthen communication, but since she had retreated again, he couldn't let the new lead singer go in vain.

"Kita-san, is it okay to just leave like this?"

Blocking the exit of Fanxing, Ito looked at Kita and said seriously.

The duo, who realized what was happening late, were still standing near the bar, not understanding what was going on.

Kita Ikuyo didn't dare to look at Xiao Boqi and Ito-kun. She turned her head to look in the direction of the stairs. Her plaid pleated skirt fluttered slightly in the wind.

"I will not join the ending band. Everyone is doing it very seriously. People like me who have escaped once can only become a burden again."

"You are all people with dreams. I am just an outsider who barged in with impure intentions, and I am a layman who can't even play the guitar."

"Ito-kun, Goto-kun, I..."

Ito Rin still didn't give up her seat. Little Bochi was so anxious that she danced with her hands, but she couldn't think of any appropriate words of persuasion. She had difficulty communicating normally, let alone persuading others.

"Your purpose of coming to Fanxing today is to practice guitar with Little Pochi, right?"

"If you are really not interested in the band and just want to do it for some purpose, why bother bringing heavy instruments here for unnecessary training?" Ito pointed at the box behind Kita, and his tone suddenly dropped as he was about to give a passionate speech.

Is she a guitarist?

But why does the box she's carrying look so much like the bass box that Ryo carries...

Chapter 28: The Mouth is the Hardest Part

"I..." Kita stammered, unable to speak. She wanted to practice guitar well before going to apologize to Senior Liang, but she couldn't practice well alone.

I found a more capable classmate to be my teacher, but ended up running into the other party's lair. No one would believe this if I said so.

Shimokitazawa is such a small place.

"Kita...Kita, if you keep practicing, you will be able to play the guitar well sooner or later. I was almost the same as you when I first started learning. If you invest enough time, you will reap rewards..." Little Pochi clenched his hands and said stubbornly.

She doesn't want students who want to learn guitar to give up halfway. It's obviously so interesting, and Kita has reasons to stick with it, so why should he blame himself for his previous escape?

"Yeah, I also hope that Kita-san can join the band to make us more lively." Hongxia walked to her side, grabbed Kita's hand and smiled warmly.

"Ijichi-senpai..."

"Well, if we add a new guitarist, then the share can be spread out a little more." Liang thought and said something irresponsible.

"I'm here to pay tribute to the senior's share!" Kita, with shining eyes, made meaningless sounds and white liquid flowed from the corners of his mouth. What on earth was going through this guy's mind?

Ito, who witnessed this scene, felt that something was wrong. Could it be that Kita's classmate had an impure purpose in joining the band?

Well, should we kick her out?

"I also hope that Kita-san can join the band. After all... after all, I know that you like the band. It will definitely be much happier if everyone is together than if you are alone."

Kita wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and looked towards the tall figure at the door. He was looking forward to what Mr. Ito would say.

"The band needs a lead singer who can play the guitar, but I don't want to be one, so we have to let Kita-san come." Ito Rin shrugged.

He could prove that the idiot Yamada Ryo would never like women, and that this classmate was probably just influenced by her androgynous dress. Besides, it was difficult to look at high school students' affairs in the long term.

If you meet a pretty girl today, you will say that you are attracted to her. But if you see a pretty boy tomorrow, your sexual orientation will change 180 degrees. Girls are more fickle than chameleons.

And who on earth conveyed this idea of ​​playing with women to Liang?

"Well, why are you looking at me?" When Hongxia was comforting Kita who was crying with joy, Liang, who was leaning against the wall bored, noticed his complicated gaze and asked.

"Is this the love debt you incurred?" Ito stood beside her and asked in a low voice to avoid being discovered by the trio over there.

As he said this, he suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. He didn't know whether the paper his aunt took out was a real or fake engagement contract, but its power was beyond his imagination.

"Nonsense... Of course, isn't it the duty of rock musicians to play with women? A handsome bassist like me will definitely have no shortage of women as long as I stand in Shimokitazawa." Liang was about to scold him for his delusions, but changed the subject and began to create the image of a philandering bassist.

She is not a conservative girl. She feels comfortable when Ito looks a little unhappy.

"It's a lie, right?" Ito Rin held her hand and asked seriously.

Cool, small, painful, why can she pinch people even if she holds their hands? Is it a talent?

"Don't do this in front of the band members, you idiot." Liang's cheeks flushed and he looked at Ito with shame and anger, his foot already stepping on his shoe.

"How can you describe a bassist as handsome? That's absolutely a lie."

Liang pulled her hand away with a cold face. She really overestimated Ito's moral integrity. He always accused her of saying things that didn't fit the atmosphere in a serious manner. Wasn't he the same?

"But your clothes are very nice. I bought them there."

The scene of their entanglement was seen clearly by Pochi-chan who was hiding silently in the dark. She opened her mouth wide but felt that it was natural.

From this perspective, it is obvious why Ito-kun changed his mind.

It turns out that Senior Liang actually sacrificed himself to get the keyboard player back. I’m so touched.

But she felt really good to be able to gather all the members of the band together and let Kita, who had previously quit, rejoin. Her momentary impulse at that time almost delayed Ito's efforts...

"Ah... Well, I'll take my leave now." With the guitar on his back and the time on his phone showing that it was already late, Pochi-chan walked to the door and quietly expressed his intention to leave.

It’s a two-hour journey, and if I go home now I can just catch the dinner my mother has made, hehe.

But didn't her mother notice that she no longer went home immediately after school? Although she used to spend time in places like parks, creating the illusion that she was participating in clubs and had many friends, after she really had friends, Pochi-chan still wanted to share this good news with her family.

"Wait a minute, Goto-san. I have to thank you for what happened today. Otherwise, Kita-san wouldn't have joined the band so easily."