Their restricted abilities are refreshed every week.

"So, our band is finally complete!" Ijichi Hongxia stood in front of the wall with their names written on it, stroking the names on the wall, "The runaway lead singer has finally been caught!"

Shirakawa Haru looked at Kita Ikuyo's face, which was flushed with excitement, and suddenly thought of something.

He stood in front of Kita Ikuyo and clapped: "Congratulations... Congratulations..."

Chapter 6.4: Supporting Musician: Hachiman Kairin (k)

"Eel rice is so delicious." Yamada Ryo touched his belly and walked unsteadily beside Ijichi Hongka. Kita Ikuyo looked at the curve of Yamada Ryo's belly in horror.

Ijichi Hongxia was a little worried that Yamada Ryo would have health problems if he ate too much for dinner.

"You've eaten too much, haven't you?" Ijichi Hongxia asked Shirakawa Haru to walk slower, otherwise she was afraid that Yamada Ryo would feel uncomfortable in his stomach if he walked too fast. "No matter how delicious the food is, don't eat too much. Be moderate!"

"Yes, yes, Senior Liang. If you want to eat eel rice, I can treat you next time. Please don't eat so much at once." said Kita Ikuyo.

"No." Yamada Ryo, "I eat whatever I want."

"It's going to be autumn in a few days, right? I'm going to eat sukiyaki next time." Yamada Ryo casually plucked some flowers from the roadside and stuffed them into her mouth. She pulled out the stems, and petals and leaves fluttered around her.

"Ryo-senpai...why are you eating grass?" Kita Ikuyo tried to stop Yamada Ryo's behavior. "It's not good to destroy the green plants on the roadside casually. You will be caught and scolded."

"I run very fast, they can't catch up with me." Yamada Ryo said nonchalantly, "This is dessert after dinner."

"But you can't eat the flowers and plants on the roadside!" Ijichi Hongxia made a "absolutely not" gesture to Yamada Ryo.

"Yamada-kun, if you want dessert, I can give you this tiramisu. Just stop eating those flowers and plants on the roadside," Shirakawa Haru said. "Cars are driving around on the roadside, and the flowers and plants are covered in dust. Plants that absorb impurities are even more dusty. Eating them will upset your stomach."

"Then I won't be polite." Yamada Ryo took the tiramisu, opened the package and ate it silently.

Shirakawa Haruki said to Yamada-san, "You are so rude. Shouldn't an ordinary girl refuse such behavior from a boy she doesn't know very well?"

You accepted it so directly that I felt a little embarrassed.

Shirakawa Haru couldn't tell what kind of image he had in Yamada Ryo's mind. He didn't know because Yamada Ryo was a weird girl who called herself a "weirdo", so he couldn't see through her. He felt that Yamada Ryo was a bit like Rana, and she would eat whatever he gave her.

The time is now 7:30 in the evening. Ijichi Hoshika invited the Ending Band, Shirakawa Haru and others to have eel rice.

After dinner, Goto Ichiri wanted to teach Kita Ikuyo to play the guitar, but Kita Ikuyo refused because she didn't have her own guitar.

At this time, Yidizhi Xingge said, why don’t I take you to buy a new guitar? I used to work in a music store and I am quite familiar with it.

Several people followed Ijichi Hoshika to the music store she mentioned. While chatting on the way, Shirakawa Haru introduced them to the ECHO music store he had been to before. He said that the music store was very large and there was a live stage built in the basement. The owner was a person who truly loved music.

Ijichi Hongxia kept asking Shirakawa Haru about the piano store in an amazed tone.

Shirakawa Haru said that she could take her somewhere to see when she had time. The other members of the band immediately surrounded Shirakawa Haru and said that they also wanted to go with her.

Ijichi Hoshika heard Shirakawa Haru and her sister talking about the ECHO music store all the way, and she felt a little uncomfortable. Now Shirakawa Haru wanted to take the End Band to take a look there. She looked at Shirakawa Haru with a slightly provocative look: "Shirakawa-kun, you have to take care of four girls by yourself. You must be in such good health~" What she really thought was why you could take the girls from the End Band with you, but I was not among them.

When Hongxia brought Goto Ichiri over, Ijichi Hoshika had been paying attention to LIve, who had just finished their band, and she also noticed Shirakawa Haruichi who was beside them.

She really likes Shirakawa Haru's understanding and expression of musical emotions.

Today, Shirakawa Haru, Nijika, and Yamada Ryo are maintaining STARRY together. He did not rest after dinner and kept painting indoors. She likes boys who can take responsibility and give people a sense of security.

"I've participated in many kendo competitions," said Shirakawa Haru, "and won many championships." What he meant was that his physical fitness was indeed good. The reason he didn't say it directly was that he was not sure whether Ijichi Seika would be angry after hearing it.

Just like how he commented in the afternoon that Ijichi Seika was a "tsundere", he could see that Ijichi Seika said this because she was dissatisfied with ECHO Music Store.

He felt that Ichichi Xingge was not "tsundere", but super "tsundere", with pride far greater than tenderness.

A few of them came to the piano store "Ochanomizu" where Ijichi Hoshika used to work, but unfortunately they were unlucky as "Ochanomizu" was closed today.

"My luck isn't very good." Ijichi Hongka was feeling a little down, "Kita-chan, why don't we go to another music store?"

"Forget it." Kita Yu waved his hand reluctantly out of sympathy.

"Hey, Kita-chan, don't be sad..." Goto Ichiri said.

"Do you want to go to ECHO?" Shirakawa Haru's cell phone, which was placed in his belt, rang. He swiped the screen and saw that it was a group message from the store manager Matsuo. He said that in order to celebrate the perfect conclusion of the cooperation with Hinomori Academy, the music store would sell certain musical instruments at a discount.

Shirakawa Haru told the girls the news.

"Great!" Ijichi Nijika was the happiest one among the group. Yamada Ryo followed behind Nijika. Kita Ikuyo and Goto Ichiri were also very happy.

"You guys go, I won't go." said Yidizhi Xingge.

"Sister Xingge, do you want to come with us?" Baichuan Qing reluctantly pretended to be embarrassed. He had rarely made such an expression before, and since he didn't have many expressions, no one could tell it was fake. "ECHO Music Store is in Chiba Prefecture. It's already night, so I think it would be safer if a mature elder led us."

Although Ijichi Hoshika couldn't tell that Shirakawa Haru's expression was fake, his words were truly bizarre. She couldn't imagine that someone as independent and proactive as Shirakawa Haru would say such a thing. He was clearly trying to save face because she also wanted to go to ECHO.

"Since you say so, then I'll go." Ijichi Xingge looked at Shirakawa Haru's serious face. She now knew that Shirakawa Haru's expression was fake, and she thought to herself that he was really quite cute.

Just as Shirakawa Haru described her as "tsundere", she described Shirakawa Haru as "clumsy".

Shirakawa Haru brought the girls who had finished their band and Ijichi Hoshika to ECHO Music Store. After entering the store, he found that the business was particularly good today.

When the store manager Matsuo knew that Shirakawa Haru had arrived, he personally walked out of the office to greet Shirakawa Haru and said that thanks to the cooperation with Hinomori, the reputation of ECHO Music Store has been thoroughly established, and the number of orders completed every day is almost doubled than before.

"Mr. Shirakawa, are you here to buy musical instruments or to watch a live performance?"

When Manager Matsuo saw the girls following behind Shirakawa Haru, he thought that he was definitely not here to watch a live performance, otherwise there would be no need to bring so many girls here. He recalled the discount information he had sent to the group, and guessed that Shirakawa Haru was here to buy musical instruments.

"Come and buy an electric guitar." Shirakawa Haru waved his hand and asked Kita Ikuyo to stand next to him.

"Shirakawa-kun..." Kita Ikuyo acted a little embarrassed. She thought that she had bought an electric guitar instead of a bass, which made her a little hesitant to communicate with the owner of the music store. At the same time, Manager Matsuo, as the owner of a large music store, had a strong aura, which put a certain amount of pressure on her.

"Excuse me, young lady, what are your requirements? How much money do you have available?" Manager Matsuo asked Kita Ikuyo.

"This...this...I'd like something that can meet the requirements of a live performance...As for the price, I'd like to look at guitars first." said Kita Ikuyo.

"Okay, please follow me." Manager Matsuo took Kita Ikuyo to the area specializing in electric guitars, and Shirakawa Haru followed behind Kita Ikuyo.

"Shirakawa-kun is amazing!" Ijichi Nijika noticed that the store manager, Matsuo, addressed Shirakawa Haru as "sir" instead of "classmate," which showed that he considered him to be on the same level as himself. She had already thought Shirakawa Haru was very impressive, but after comparing him to Matsuo, she realized that Shirakawa Haru was far more outstanding than she had imagined.

"It's really amazing." Ijichi Hoshige said to Shirakawa Haru.

Shirakawa Haru walked beside Kita Ikuyo and Manager Matsuo. In the eyes of Ijichi Hoshika, Shirakawa Haru had completely taken the initiative in the conversation. He seemed to understand very well what kind of guitar Kita Ikuyo liked. The way he communicated with Manager Matsuo showed that he was quite familiar with the service of people like Manager Matsuo.

Originally, she thought she would need to help Kita Ikuyo communicate with the owner of the piano store, but she was completely overthinking it. Shirakawa Haru could do better than her.

"The cookies are so delicious." Yamada Ryo has been eating the cookies that Manager Matsuo asked the waiter to bring to them.

"Ryo, if you keep eating, you'll get fat!" Ijichi Hongxia reminded her, "Everyone is looking at you."

"It doesn't matter to me even if I get fat. Nijiya, will you dislike me because I'm fat?" Yamada Ryo asked Nijiya, and Nijiya denied it. "Then it doesn't matter." But Yamada Ryo glanced at Kita Ikuyo and said, "It's better to be slimmer."

Manager Matsuo took Shirakawa Haru and Kita Ikuyo around the guitar section for a few rounds, but Kita Ikuyo still couldn't decide which guitar she wanted to buy.

Having said that, Manager Shirakawa Haru and Manager Matsuo no longer offered any suggestions, leaving it entirely up to Kita Ikuyo to make her own choice.

"Overall, this Gibson Les Paul Junior DC is the most suitable for you, Kita." Compared to Shirakawa Haru's silence, store manager Matsuo couldn't help but speak.

"It is indeed very suitable for you, Kita-san." Shirakawa Haru watched Kita Ikuyo slowly transform from a proud and shining little sun into a dried-up sunflower.

"But... I don't have that much money. I bought a bass before..." Kita Ikuyo lowered her head. Just now, she heard Shirakawa Haru helping her bargain with the store manager Matsuo. The store manager Matsuo gave her a 25% discount with a painful look on his face.

While the two of them were chatting, she had just checked the price of this guitar on Gibson's official website and found out that Manager Matsuo was selling her the instrument at a loss.

"Do you want to sell your bass?" asked Shirakawa Haru.

"Hey, is it really possible?" said Kita Ikuyo.

"We can recycle musical instruments here." Manager Matsuo pointed to the service menu behind the counter, which read "Our store provides second-hand musical instrument recycling services."

Kita Ikuyo put down the bass that she was carrying on her back.

"Well... if a high-end brand bass like Ibanez is nearly new, I can buy it for 7% to 8.5% off the original price. But your bass is a bit worn..." Manager Matsuo said seriously, "I'll take it for 6.5% off. What do you think?"

"After buying back the bass, Kita-san, do you have enough money to buy a guitar?" Shirakawa Haru looked at Kita Ikuyo's somewhat ashamed face.

"It's still... a little bit short." Kita Ikuyo knew it was her fault. She shouldn't have complained in front of Shirakawa Haru, but now Shirakawa Haru's face was so close to her. She looked up at Shirakawa Haru's face and said, "I used most of the money I saved to buy a bass, so..."

Manager Matsuo glanced at Shirakawa Haru, and Shirakawa Haru knew that Manager Matsuo could no longer offer any more discounts.

Shirakawa Haru gently plucked the strings of the bass with his fingers, and as the strings vibrated, the bass emitted a full and low sound.

He was puzzled as to why these girls were so drawn to playing instruments and forming bands; it was as if they were living their entire lives. Could playing music really be that joyful? The excitement and happiness on the faces of the three disbanded band members during their first performance were genuine. Even Chihaya Aine, a girl who yearned for attention, was thrilled to be on stage and playing with her teammates.

He didn't understand, but because of those girls, he gradually fell in love with the band.

Shirakawa Haruya wants to try playing music.

Let's start with the bass.

"Kita-san, how about selling me this bass?" Shirakawa Haru asked. "If I buy it back for 7% off its original price, will that be enough for that Gibson?"

"That's enough." Kita Ikuyo lowered her head and put the bass into the guitar case. During this time, she would occasionally raise her head, glance at Shirakawa Haru's face, and then quickly move away. Because she found that Shirakawa Haru had been looking at her and had never moved her eyes away.

Her heart was in turmoil, and she could feel a slight pang of sadness in the corners of her eyes, but the smile on her face never faded. She was like a withered sunflower, which, after being nourished by the rain, has become upright again, its huge golden disk filled with sunlight.

"Shirakawa-kun, thank you..." Kita Ikuyo muttered softly.

She couldn't believe that the boy she had only known for less than a day would go to such lengths for her. When she woke up from her nap, she was covered with his leather jacket. From the beginning, she kept a distance from him, but now she even looked at his face in a furtive manner.

You have to know that she is a recognized star in the school, and she doesn't dare to look up at people.

Now she was a little afraid to look at Baichuan Qing's face, for fear that he would discover what she was thinking.

In fact, what she is thinking about now are some harmless things, but girls at this stage are afraid that others can see what is on their mind.

Kita Ikuyo realized that she had developed feelings for Shirakawa Haru.

"This is a very good bass." Shirakawa Haru bought Kita Ikuyo's bass, "I will use it well."

Objectively speaking, Shirakawa Haru thinks this bass is truly excellent. The neck is slender, with straight, stable lines. The bass is incredibly rich and deep, like an echo of the earth. Although the trade-in price offered by Matsuo is relatively low, it's because Kita Ikuyo has used the bass for some time and has maintained it well.

In a sense, he actually made a profit by buying this bass.

Why did Kita Ikuyo transfer the bass to him? Perhaps Shirakawa Haru was moved by the act of ending the band.

Why did he take the initiative to ask Kita Ikuyo to transfer the bass to him?

Shirakawa Haru thought that maybe he was moved by the people who had ended the band. They left his name on the wall, writing his name stroke by stroke with a spray gun and a brush.

In fact, Shirakawa Haru is not as indifferent as he appears. He is also very sensitive in his emotions. He can sense how others are looking at him. When necessary, he can even guess the meaning between the lines of others' words.

When his name was written on the wall of STARRY, he could really feel that Hongxia and the others regarded him as a part of the band.

So when he saw Kita Ikuyo, who was also in a disbanded band, looking embarrassed, he stepped forward.

Baichuan Qing thought that there was nothing wrong with him doing this, but the purchase of the motorcycle would have to be postponed for a while...

After buying a guitar for Kita Ikuyo, Ijichi Hoshika and the girls who had finished their band left before Shirakawa Haru. Shirakawa Haru originally wanted to leave with them, but the store manager Matsuo pulled him back, saying that he had something to talk to him about.

"Do you have any other plans for Hinomori recently?" Manager Matsuo looked mysterious. "I recently received a new batch of high-quality musical instruments and accessories."

"Maybe there will be one around Christmas," Shirakawa Haru said. "There should be large-scale projects like the Academy Festival during that time. If the chairman still assigns me to contact various sponsors, I will give priority to signing a contract with Manager Matsuo."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Shirakawa."

"As I should, Manager Matsuo also helped me a lot."

"Who were those girls just now?" After Manager Matsuo asked Shirakawa Haru to tell him everything, the business matters were almost discussed.

“I’m a member of the band I’m in.”

"Mr. Shirakawa, are you joining the band?"

"Yeah. Not only that, I'm in two bands."

"As a guitarist, or a drummer, or is Mr. Shirakawa actually a highly skilled all-round musician?"

"I first joined a band as a band's manager. As for the other band, I don't know what role I should play in it." Although he said this, Shirakawa Haru did not show any distress.

"Have you been in multiple bands?" said the store manager, Matsuo. "We have a bassist here who's a top-tier musician. Although she's not in any band, she often participates in live performances as a support musician. So, I've counted her in over 30 bands."

"She's our top star here," Manager Matsuo suggested. "Should I take you to see her?"

"I don't have anything to do tonight...it's fine." Shirakawa Haru was also a little curious. What kind of person could have such outstanding skills among their peers, but not join any band and just be a support musician? "She's playing on the live stage in the basement right now?"

"Yes, I'll take you to see it." Manager Matsuo took Shirakawa Haru into the basement.

"Concert tickets..." Before Shirakawa Haru could finish his words, the store manager Matsuo patted him on the shoulder.

Manager Matsuo handed Shirakawa Haru a bottle of energy drink and said, "Hey, Shirakawa, don't be so formal. We're all friends. We're watching a live performance together. As the owner of this music store, it's really embarrassing for me to charge you for the ticket."

"I think Manager Matsuo, you probably want to give me some benefits so that I can help you promote your music store." Shirakawa Haru pointed out the logic behind Manager Matsuo's behavior succinctly.

"You can't say that..." Manager Matsuo laughed dryly. "Here we are."

As Shirakawa Haru pushed open the automatic door to the basement live stage, a blazing wave of sound rushed toward him! He closed his eyes, feeling his blood boiling, his heartbeat quickening as his skin cracked and spurted with blood. The throbbing roar of explosions reverberated on his eardrums, as if he were on the battlefields of World War II, a bomb dropped from a bomber, exploding violently beside him.

Shirakawa Haru suddenly opened his eyes and saw a band performing on the live stage. The song the band was playing was Rammstein's "Du hast", a song with a strong industrial metal style.

The band's lead singer stood in the center of the live stage, with the guitarist and keyboardist next to him, and the drummer a little behind him.