Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

And Iruma Hibiki nodded in confirmation.

"If you cheat, it will only make the goal of a lifetime band further away, right?"

"So is vanity."

"It's also a way to show off..."

"Hiding it is also..."

"Shiina."

Hibiki Iruma turned around.

"I'm not some alien composer. I'm just Hibiki Iruma, an ordinary guitarist who's been practicing guitar for a few months now."

He spoke frankly to Shiina Riki.

It's like streaking.

"So when people asked me to be the lead guitarist, I felt a little uneasy, but I won't give up. I will keep working hard until one day I can live up to the title of 'Alien Composer' and truly stand tall in this world."

As he said this, Hibiki Iruma's eyes sparkled.

"So I'm very grateful to have a strict teacher like you, Shiina."

"Instead, I should be the one saying, 'Sorry for causing you trouble. No matter what, I want to move forward with everyone. This is the only thing that will never change!'"

Iruma Hibiki bowed to Shiina Riki.

He felt refreshed and liberated.

"No, don't do this..."

As a result, it was Shiina Riki who was at a loss about such things. Under the strong appearance and sharp words, Shiina Riki was actually so weak that even the reason to live had to be given by others.

And at this moment, compared to the shocking fact—

Ultimately, it was the brilliance that shone from Iruma Hibiki that left Shiina Riki helpless...

Because she seems to be that kind of person too.

But she... maybe in her entire life, she will never be able to be as honest as Iruma Hibiki.

12 Shiina Riki's Household Survey

"Hey, I say, when are you going to confess this to everyone?"

"Probably recently."

Iruma Hibiki and Shiina Riki were walking home together. He was a little rude at the moment, but if he didn't reply to the messages that had been piled up for several hours, it would probably cause serious consequences.

In the final analysis, Hibiki Iruma actually has some feelings about his current life. After all, not long ago, he was actually alone and never had to worry about having to return to his friends like he does now.

It's probably like a siege.

People in real life sometimes feel tired from frequent socializing, and lonely people sometimes look forward to the warmth of the crowd.

This was probably Hibiki Iruma's state of mind at the moment.

[Hibiki, why don't you want to be the lead guitarist? Is it just because you care about Mu-chan?]

Where's Xiao Mu...

Hibiki Iruma saw Nagasaki Suyo addressing Wakaba Mutsuki in such an intimate way, and thought for a moment. Ultimately—

In fact, not long ago, the name was "Rukaba-san". What happened that made their relationship progress to such an extent?

"Is there anything you need my help with?"

Shiina Riki asked, not looking at Iruma Hibiki beside her, or rather, since when did she become like a tamed fox.

The reason why she is a fox is probably because when facing strangers, Shiina Riki always looks like she is full of thorns, cautious and careful, and will immediately show her fangs once someone approaches. However, her fangs are not that fierce, but instead give people a cute feeling.

The reason why she was tamed was that at this moment, Shiina Tatsuki's tone was very soft, so soft that it was unbelievable.

"Nothing special, just don't worry, Shiina, I might cause you trouble often in the future. And speaking of which, Shiina, your hand."

"Huh? What happened to my hand..."

Subconsciously, Shiina Riki looked at Iruma Hibiki with a vigilant gaze, as if he was guarding against a fat otaku who watched "Tsukimura Temari" every day and fantasized about being the "Producer".

"I have a very important friend who also plays drums. I've seen calluses and marks on her hands from playing drums. After all, most musicians have these, right?"

Hibiki Iruma spread out his left and right hands. There were thick calluses on the four fingers of his left hand, and there was also a large callus on the middle finger of his right hand.

This is the mark left by these few months.

On Shiina Riki's hands, such marks were even more obvious, even—

Shiina Riki quickly put his hands over his chest, looking a little evasive.

"If you feel disgusted, just say so."

The traces of high-intensity training were actually very obvious. Although Shiina Riki looked as straight as a bamboo and as hard as a nine-tempered Hema that could pass the strength test of Dog Brother, but——

Maybe in fact, she also has her own concerns about some things.

For example, those hands that have calluses and peeling skin due to excessive practice.

"Not at all. On the contrary, after seeing your hands, Shiina, I realized that my practice was completely inadequate and I needed to work harder. Just like today, I wanted to give up halfway through. This idea was indeed wrong."

"Because Shiina must have worked hard in places where no one could see. Although it may be a bit strange to say this, but--"

Ikebukuro at night was quiet, at least on the street where Iruma Hibiki and Shiina Riki were walking at the moment. However, it was foreseeable that if they walked a little further and got closer to the station, the noisy atmosphere would make the tranquility of being alone at the moment disappear.

Iruma Hibiki's voice echoed in the night sky. He turned to look at Shiina Riki beside him, staring into her violet eyes.

Speaking of which, Shiina Riki's hair color is black. In fact, in the world before Iruma Hibiki traveled through time, this hair color was common. So at this moment, Iruma Hibiki felt a subtle sense of closeness. So, at least for now, his emotions calmed down a little and then he said gently:

"After hearing your drumming and your lectures, I realized that you, Shiina, must have been working incredibly hard for music and the band. In comparison, I'm still pretty lazy."

"Of course, I get a little worried sometimes, but it seems like most of my worries are unnecessary, because Shiina, you've handled all your troubles well. I think it's great to be a bandmate with you, Shiina."

Iruma Hibiki gave Shiina Riki a bright smile.

At this moment, he seemed to be Ichichi Hongxia.

Perhaps, at this moment, he was more or less beginning to imitate Ijichi Hongka's smile when he recalled her.

After all, Ijichi Nikka is special to Iruma Hibiki.

An absolutely special existence.

Iruma Hibiki had never met such a gentle person.

Therefore, when he wanted to be gentle and take care of the people around him, the first reference he could think of was Ijichi Hongka.

Yes, for Iruma Hibiki, his tenderness towards Shiina Riki at this moment is a poor imitation of Ichichi Nikka, and——

nostalgia.

Unlike the ending band, Crychic is indeed full of pressure.

So it’s no surprise that I miss it.

But at this moment, Iruma Hibiki was in front of Shiina Riki and could no longer rely on his past memories to escape this matter.

"..."

Shiina Riki wanted to say something, but after thinking for a long time, he didn't open his mouth.

She was in shock from the very beginning.

In great shock.

This night was actually quite ordinary.

Shiina Riki is not a good student. To be honest, apart from smoking, drinking, and getting tattoos, she seems to have done everything that could be considered bad, such as staying up late at night, sleeping in class, leaving class early, etc.

It's just that I haven't experienced that yet. When it comes to the upcoming choice of further studies, I chose Hanasakigawa, probably because of the atmosphere of Hanasakigawa, and -

Stay away from that person.

So he continued to wander the streets of Ikebukuro at night. Actually, it was not a special thing for Shiina Riki, but tonight was special.

Shiina Riki probably won't forget what happened tonight.

"Sorry, did I say something weird?"

Iruma Hibiki looked at Shiina Riki with some concern.

It was not until this moment that he realized that he seemed a little sentimental tonight?

"Ah... no, not at all..."

Shiina Riki responded quickly.

"Um……"

After hesitating for a long time, she said:

“I’m actually quite happy.”

But such a low sound is probably not even as loud as Nagasaki Soyo's bass, so Iruma Hibiki definitely can't hear it clearly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you clearly. Could you please repeat it?"

"It doesn't matter if you didn't hear it clearly!"

Afterwards, Iruma Hibiki was glared at by Shiina Riki.

"I hope you're not just talking about it, but working hard on it."

She then added another sentence.

"correct--"

When they were almost reaching the station, that bustling corner, Shiina Riki called out to Iruma Hibiki.

"What's going on between you and Shigaraki-san?"

Shiina Riki asked.

"I like Nagasaki-san, but our relationship is over. I was dumped."

Hibiki Iruma answered calmly.

At this moment, Shiina Riki unconsciously showed a smile on the corner of his mouth.

"Ah...that's really sad."

It was like a stick reading, and Shiina Riki said some words that were against his will.

"What about you and Toyokawa-san?"

"Eh?"

Iruma Hibiki has no idea what the purpose of Shiina Riki's question is.

"Aren't you and Toyokawa-san lovers? After all, you were so... close during practice..."

"Ah... We're just friends, but Toyokawa-san is a little special."

"What about that friend who plays drums?"

"Wait, Shiina, isn't your question a bit strange now?"

Iruma Hibiki complained slightly.

13 Ijichi Hongka's Delinquent Compensation

[Rukaba-san, regarding the guitar thing, I'd actually prefer you to stick with it a little longer.]

On the way back, Iruma Hibiki chatted with Wakaba Mutsu.

Although it was already late, Wakaba Mu was surprisingly still online at this moment.

[Well, I understand. 】

【Really? 】

【Um. 】

……