Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

In response to Yamada Ryo's question, Iruma Hibiki fell silent for a moment.

"There are many reasons, but the biggest and most important reason is probably... I feel that I can't drag down Ichichi. Because of me, the band ended in April and we haven't had any proper practice."

"and……"

Iruma Hibiki paused.

"I, at the time, felt a little sad about not being in the band anymore."

"And Ijichi, she wants to stand on the stage and realize her dream more than anyone else, so Goto-san and Yamada-senpai, you are Ijichi's best teammates."

Iruma Hibiki explained, without hiding anything.

"What do you want me to do to make you come back?"

"..."

As if completely unconcerned with Iruma Hibiki's explanation and reasons, Yamada Ryo asked in a concise and easy-to-understand manner.

And Iruma Hibiki was obviously shaken.

"As for me, I have my own band and a place I want to protect no matter what."

"Because of Nagasaki Suyo?"

-

The atmosphere in the air froze in an instant.

At one point, Iruma Hibiki felt that the person he was facing was not the same Yamada Ryo at all, but another serious woman who was full of oppression.

"Do not……"

Iruma Hibiki wanted to retort.

"not quite."

Then his rebuttal turned into a somewhat hesitant answer.

"I'm sorry, Yamada-senpai, I..."

"Hongxia cares about you very much. Think about it carefully."

……

"Iruma-san?"

After school, all five members of Crychic showed up at Ring's rehearsal room. Shoko Toyokawa was looking forward to it, but as soon as she arrived, she noticed that Hibiki Iruma seemed a little absent-minded today.

So with an unusually concerned mood, she took the initiative to step forward and start a conversation.

"Oh, sorry, has practice started yet?"

Hibiki Iruma put on a forced smile, then took out his guitar from his guitar bag and looked at the people around him apologetically.

Today, Nagasaki Suyo didn't seem to be bothering him, but instead her attention was on Wakaba Mutsu.

And Shiina Riki is probably the same as Toyokawa Shoko at this moment, both of whom focus their attention on him.

"We still have some time, so it's okay if you take your time preparing, Iruma-san. But are you really okay?"

"I'm sorry to have worried you, I'm fine."

Hibiki Iruma smiled apologetically at Shoko Toyokawa.

Then he probably calmed down a little.

"Iruma-san—"

Afterwards, when Hibiki Iruma was about to reach for his guitar, Shoko Toyokawa held down his hand.

"If you're truly in trouble, please tell me. Even just discussing it would put you at ease, right? Didn't Iruma-san say that the band is a community of shared destiny—"

"So I can't ignore Iruma-san's feelings."

"Sorry everyone, we need to get out for a bit."

After saying this, Shoko Toyokawa pulled Hibiki Iruma out of the rehearsal room on her own.

"Hey--"

Beside the two of them, Shiina Riki, who had been paying attention to this place from the beginning, let out a weak cry, and then his outstretched hand slowly dropped down with some embarrassment.

08 What Toyokawa Shoko is worried about

Outside the rehearsal room, Toyokawa Shoko stood in front of the drink bar with a troubled look on her face. Then she pressed the button twice.

"ah!"

Accompanied by a scream, the drink that flew out of the drink machine scared Toyokawa Shoko and made her scream cutely.

Afterwards, Toyokawa Shoko was in a panic and wanted to catch it with a cup, but it was definitely too late.

"Let me do it."

Iruma Hibiki sighed, and looked at his wrist which was held by Toyokawa Shoko's other hand with a subtle emotion. Is he playing some kind of "two-person three-hand" game now?

Obviously not.

After the drinks machine stopped flowing, Iruma Hibiki received two drinks under the curious gaze of Toyokawa Shoko.

"Place the cup directly against the opening, then press the button. Press it once, don't press it more than once. The number on the side represents the opening where the drink will come out. 1 is on the far left, 3 is on the far right, and 2 is in the middle."

"Iruma-san is amazing..."

Shoko Toyokawa was obviously a little frightened just now. She stared at Hibiki Iruma with some lingering fear, her eyes filled with a hint of admiration.

As for Hibiki Iruma—

Being admired for something like this is a bit tricky no matter how you think about it, but Shoko Toyokawa is cute, so it doesn't matter.

Just like the answer given by a certain author when explaining why the protagonist is so socially anxious but still not disliked by others, Toyokawa Shoko is indeed a very beautiful and cute girl.

“That’s great…”

Taking the cup handed to her by Iruma Hibiki, Toyokawa Shoko smiled gently at Iruma Hibiki, then she took a small sip of the ice drink in her hand, a gleam in her eyes.

Obviously, such a common drink made her particularly satisfied.

"Very good?"

Since there was no follow-up, Iruma Hibiki asked further questions.

Shoko Toyokawa had no intention of letting go, and this was not holding hands after all. Although Hibiki Iruma wanted to break free, he was worried about hurting Shoko Toyokawa, so he just thought about it in his mind.

"Well, it's great to see Iruma-san looking as gentle as ever. I was actually quite startled today and worried for a long time because Iruma-san looked quite listless when I arrived, as if he was worried about something. As for me..."

Toyokawa Shoko lowered her head.

Under the light from the counter, the orange surface of the orange soda reflected Shoko Toyokawa's reflection.

"It's really annoying sometimes, and I often ignore other people's feelings, like what happened with Takamatsu-san... and—"

Shoko Toyokawa looked at the beverage machine on the side.

"Even though I think walking with a cold shoulder is fun and I always want to try it more, this is not okay, right?"

Then she looked at Hibiki Iruma again and smiled brightly at him.

"So I've always thought that meeting Iruma-san was perhaps a fateful encounter. As for me, aside from when I was very young, I've never encountered anyone who made me feel that way! This is wonderful! This is the first time Iruma-san has ever felt this way about someone."

"So, when I saw Iruma-san today, I was a little worried. It felt like a cold shower. My excitement completely vanished, even though I was so excited I couldn't sleep last night."

"I know about this. After all, Fengchuan and I talked until after 3 o'clock last night."

Iruma Hibiki made a slight complaint, then took a sip of the black tea in his hand.

There is a significant difference between the black tea here and the hot Earl Grey tea. After all, the drinks from the all-you-can-drink menu are definitely not as good as the ones ordered.

"So, I'm a little worried. Maybe I'm not doing something right, and it's making you uneasy. I often make mistakes and don't do things well, so I have to trouble you in these areas. But if these things make you feel troubled..."

Shoko Toyokawa twisted her body slightly, revealing a somewhat conflicted and sad look.

Then she frowned slightly and smiled her signature smile, "Isn't this good?"

"It's okay for me to be alone."

Then she spoke softly.

This was the truth, although Toyokawa Shoko herself felt a little depressed when she said it.

In fact, after receiving encouragement and consent from her father, Toyokawa Shoko had already made a decision for herself. She wanted to -

Form a band and see the world she had never seen carefully.

And if I can help out a little, that would be the best.

However, at this moment, when facing Iruma Hibiki, Toyokawa Shoko said this as if it was a matter of course, the decision she had once been extremely determined to make.

She was definitely feeling down.

"I'm not troubled by Toyokawa-san's situation. Rather, I'm very happy to be able to form a band with Toyokawa-san."

"Well...it's a bit troublesome though."

When Iruma Hibiki said this, Toyokawa Shoko had already shown an obvious look of hesitation, which was very cute, and Iruma Hibiki didn't know why he had some bad intentions at this moment.

According to a survey by reliable folk scientists, there is a saying that when humans see cute things, in order to prevent themselves from being killed by cuteness, they will have some destructive desires, such as pinching them.

Perhaps, Hibiki Iruma was also in the same state of mind at this moment.

"But I can't hate him at all. I really enjoy spending time with Toyokawa-san."

Iruma Hibiki quickly pointed out the turning point, and Toyokawa Shoko laughed in a particularly understanding manner.

"That……"

Then Toyokawa Shoko smiled again.

"I'll keep it a secret. How about telling me what's bothering you, Iruma-san? I always benefit from your help, and I want to give something back!"

Then she showed a longing look to Iruma Hibiki.

"Ah... my troubles..."

The image of that handsome figure holding a baseball bat flashed through Hibiki Iruma's mind.

He looked at Toyokawa Shoko again.

Want to say something?

Or should I confess?

He hesitated slightly, but for some reason, Toyokawa Shoko actually gave Iruma Hibiki the feeling that he could talk to her about anything.

Such trust and closeness came out of nowhere and somehow had already spread between the two of them.

“Actually, I was approached by members of my previous band, and they seemed to want me to return.”

In the end, Hibiki Iruma chose to confess.

"Can't!"

But then——

He was forced to half-sit on the counter behind him by Toyokawa Shoko who took a step forward excitedly.

The distance between the two is very close.

In Toyokawa Shoko's golden pupils, Iruma Hibiki saw terrifying obsession and anxiety.

09 The dilemma of rehearsing on both sides

"What's wrong? Hibiki, and Toyokawa-san? You didn't quarrel, did you?"

When Hibiki Iruma and Shoko Toyokawa returned, Suyo Nagasaki was the first to greet them, with a hint of worry on her face.

Almost all the remaining people turned their eyes in this direction.

"It's okay, let's start today's practice!"

It was not until Toyokawa Shoko finished speaking that Nagasaki Suyo felt a little relieved.

Then, Crychic's practice began.