One hundred ways to resist the Bandoli women

(King Crimson!)

kitchen.

"So, what do you want?"

While washing the dishes, Shengren looked at the orange-pink-haired girl beside him.

His eyes lingered for a moment on the black and white cat hairpin pinned on the side of her bangs.

Cats hide their nature and pretend to be honest.

"What are you talking about? I'm just here to help."

Hiromachi Nanamika still had a calm smile on her face.

"ordinary?"

"Yeah, I'm just an ordinary high school girl who likes horror movies and snacks. In comparison, you are the extraordinary one, right?"

"I don't deny that."

"Well, can I ask you a slightly weird question?"

Hiromachi Nanami's tone remained normal, but one could still sense some subtle changes.

"Ok?"

“Are you hurt by being different?”

"..."

"Have you ever been hurt by excessive expectations or jealousy due to your special talents?"

"Yep."

Katsuto's answer was faster and more direct than Hiromachi Nanami had imagined.

but.

Shengren stopped and looked into those pink eyes.

"I think this is somewhat innocent."

(Unjust Game! Swap the narration!)

"Um, Mashiro..."

In the private cinema, Yamabuki Saya talks to Kurata Mashiro.

"I heard you knew Shengren before, is that right?"

"Hi, we were childhood friends..."

"Well, I want to ask, what was Shengren like in the past?"

"The former Arong..."

Kurata Mashiro raised her head slightly.

"I feel like there's not much change from now. I'm still as optimistic and reliable as before..."

"Ahaha, Katsuto is like this."

Yamabuki Saya couldn't help but laugh.

"But from the few years I've known him, it seems a little worrying."

"Worry?"

Yashio Ruyu asked on behalf of Kurata Mashiro.

"Ah."

Yamabuki Saya nodded.

"It may just be my imagination...but I always feel that Shengren is pretending to be cheerful."

"..."

Mashiro Kurata didn't know how to respond, so she just let her continue.

"It's not entirely accurate to say he's pretending... I always feel like there's something missing behind his smile."

At this moment, Yamabuki Saya's smile completely faded and her expression became worried.

"Should I say that he can't feel happiness... or that he deliberately doesn't allow himself to feel happiness? I always feel that there is a big void in his heart."

"Hollow..."

"That happened last year—"

Yamabuki Saya recalls the past.

"At that time, our Popipa guitarist, Hanazono Tae, was supporting RAS, and RAS' performance conflicted with the Popipa anniversary performance at the cultural festival..."

Despite their efforts to coordinate, they still crashed due to some reasons.

"That cultural festival was jointly organized by Hanasakigawa and Haneda, and the venue was placed in Haneda... When Tae was done, there was no time left."

Dub is a livehouse located in Shibuya, across the entire Shinjuku district from their town.

However, the areas of several districts in the center of Tokyo are not very large. Although it spans an entire district, it is actually only about five kilometers in size.

"Even though there were Lock's solo and Roselia's performance to buy time, there were only fifteen minutes left at most... I thought I would definitely miss it."

For Yamabuki Saya herself, the commemorative performance at the cultural festival has important significance—

More than anyone else.

Therefore, she, who has always been good-tempered, has not been able to completely let go of this incident.

"So, did you make it to the final memorial performance?"

Kurata Mashiro asked with some concern.

"Caught up."

"Great...did you take a taxi?"

"…Katsuto carried Tae on his back and ran all the way from dub to Hanegaoka."

Human feet cannot compete with cars or subways—

But the former will be congested and the latter will require waiting, which will waste serious time.

At this distance, the best approach is—

Just find someone who can carry a weight of nearly 100 kilograms and run five kilometers at the speed of an athlete.

And Katsuto happened to be there.

Considering the issue of a boys-only school, Shengren didn't go to Popipa's performance that day...

Although I finally got in.

"That's what Duohui said later. At the entrance of dub, he asked Duohui a question—"

What does Popipa mean to you?

Duohui’s answer was, a unique partner.

Although it was a perfect symbol of the beautiful melody of friendship, Yamabuki Saya said it with a heavy tone.

Dahui said, and this sentence made Shengren silent for a long time.

“I used to think that the void was caused by the breakup of his previous band… but I was wrong.”

Even earlier than the band called Crychic broke up.

He was deeply involved from the beginning...

From the beginning, I was lost.

"I feel like a good person like Shengren shouldn't be treated like this - he deserves to be happy."

Yamabuki Saya sighed deeply.

"Can I ask you, Mashiro? Please let Katsuto come out of that. Please let him be happy, okay?"

"..."

The inexplicably heavy atmosphere made Mashiro Kurata speechless for a moment and she fell into memories.

Has he been like this since he was a child?

She was in great pain, but she was forcing herself to smile...

A certain emotion was surging in Kurata Mashiro's heart.

"Um……"

Just as Kurata Mashiro was about to agree, an uninvited person suddenly spoke.

"This is your own business, Yamabuki-senpai, right? Make Katsuto happy or something."

"Eh?"

Kurata Mashiro and Yamabuki Saya unexpectedly spoke at the same time—

They looked at Toruko Kiritani who had spoken these words.

The book has been renamed "One Hundred Ways to Resist the Bandolier".

The introduction is as follows:

The famous philosopher Dutch van der Linde once said that people cannot go against their instincts, just as they cannot resist gravity.

It is true that instinct cannot be violated, but is gravity really impossible to resist?

Ushiromiya Katsuto, who was once a veteran of the C Group and the adopted son of the Hirasawa family, said.

"My childhood friend Kurata Mashiro asked me to help, Hello Happy World wanted to continue playing Makoto, Popipa kept saying I was their sixth member and asked me to go to their live show, and Sakuragaoka's after-school tea party also asked me to go to drink tea."

"I'm very happy to be supporting musicians. I have the Ushiromiya Foundation, the Yamabuki Bakery, and the girls and assets of the Hirasawa family waiting for me to inherit. I also want to form a new band with my niece, Yoju, who is a year older than me."

With so many things to do, it is naturally impossible to go to Ikkiuni Mygo.

"Well, be well, everyone."

When Shengren turned his back to the others and prepared to leave.

A terrifying aura came from behind.

Although I don’t think the title and introduction are good… but it can’t be any worse, right? (bitter smile) I’ve already submitted the application, and it should be ready by tomorrow afternoon at the earliest.

Do you have any recommendations for covers?

Although Xiangzi's Scarlet Letter C Group is dead fits the theme of this book, it feels a bit too dark...

Posting three irrelevant chapters a day is really hopeless...

Chapter 27 Loss, Curse and Survival

"Ushiromiya-san is Yamabuki-senpai's benefactor, right? Then, shouldn't it be your responsibility to make him happy? You should love him and influence him yourself."

Kiritani Toruko said as a matter of course.

"Isn't it moral kidnapping to push this matter onto Xiao Bai?"

"what……"

This is too blunt a statement.

Although Toruko Kiritani was punished by Ruyu Yashio immediately, words once spoken cannot be taken away.

Bring happiness to Shengren...me?

Yamabuki Saya stood there in a daze, speechless.

However, something was born silently in my heart...