Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

"Even if I make a fool of myself, even if it goes terribly wrong, even if I fail, for me tomorrow's performance isn't a question of whether I can perform well, but a question of whether I should go or not."

"I absolutely will not let her know that she is standing on that stage alone."

Iruma Hibiki's voice was firm and resolute.

The gentleness and calmness in his tone when he promised Ichichi Hongxia were gone at this moment.

"I'm the captain, the captain of the band, so I won't let you and Ijichi-san stand on that stage alone! Even if I can only sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, I'll do my best to hold up the microphone."

Imitating Iruma Hibiki's tone, Chihaya Aine responded.

There was a hint of Naples yellow in her light gray-blue eyes, and her pupils, which had become slightly warm, reflected the light of the fluorescent lamp. In them, there was probably a hint of fatigue and something more important.

33 The words that Chihaya Aine couldn't say

"That Iruma-san..."

"Ok?"

The call with Chihaya Aine was still going on, and Iruma Hibiki felt that Chihaya Aine actually had no intention of ending the conversation at this moment.

Is there anything else?

Feeling a little worried, Iruma Hibiki simply found a bench with a roof nearby and sat down, slowly chatting with Chihaya Aine.

"How are things going with you lately? Is everything going well? I see you've joined a new band, and I've been so busy lately that I haven't been in touch with you guys."

"From my side..."

Iruma Hibiki hesitated for a moment, then he threw away the words "It's okay" that were about to come out of his mouth.

After all—

Chihaya Aion is not a distant person or an outsider at all. Iruma Hibiki still remembers that day in Akihabara. If it weren't for Chihaya Aion's efforts, he would definitely be in trouble.

"It's a bit hard."

"Eh? Is it okay?"

"Yeah, it's okay. Although it's hard, I'm actually quite happy working towards a common ideal. It's just that my guitar skills are not up to par yet, so I need to practice more."

"How about you, Chihaya-san?"

Iruma Hibiki's question silenced Chihaya Aine for a moment.

In fact, she—

Not going well.

The words were on the tip of her tongue, and that was probably why she chose to call Iruma Hibiki. She had already told everyone around her that she was going to study in the UK, become an enviable international student, and live a life like a real person.

As a result, the language difficulties have become a distress that no one can confide in.

It was not until she saw the message about Iruma Hibiki that Chihaya Aine suddenly thought that maybe Iruma-san would listen to her talk about such things.

but……

but--

Unable to speak.

Chihaya Aine wanted to pour out a lot of things, and wanted to tell Iruma Hibiki that it was very hard. She had practiced listening for a long time but still could not get a good score in the TOEFL test. Her score in the oral test was even worse, and it was only a little bit away from being completely unsuccessful. She wanted to say that the preparations for studying abroad were completely beyond her expectations, and she felt exhausted.

She wanted to talk to Hibiki Iruma because she believed in him.

Instead of laughing at her, he would listen to her gently, and she would definitely feel more relaxed when she had someone to talk to.

With such a frank thought in mind, Chihaya Aine called Iruma Hibiki.

But when she really had to face Iruma Hibiki, Chihaya Aine was speechless. She couldn't say anything, no matter what she said.

"Isn't it going well?"

Until Iruma Hibiki's concerned voice came after waiting for a while.

"how come."

Chihaya Aine responded subconsciously.

【Huh? 】

What was I saying?

Even she herself was a little surprised at her subconscious reaction.

Didn't she want to be honest and seek some comfort? But why did she say such words when she opened her mouth?

Iruma Hibiki remained silent, feeling somewhat bewildered.

Something was clearly wrong with Chihaya Aine, but—

No matter how hard he racked his brains, he couldn't find any details from his recent conversation with Chihaya Aine, so he frowned worriedly and didn't even notice that his trouser legs were wet by the heavy rain. It was not until the cold rain slid into his shoes that Iruma Hibiki realized and retracted his feet.

"As expected of Chihaya-kun."

Iruma Hibiki praised softly.

"However, if you encounter anything I can help with, Chihaya-san, please don't hesitate to tell me. I have always been taken care of by you, Chihaya-san."

He made an assumption himself. If he were Chihaya Aine, how could he be honest in this situation?

"Although I think there really isn't anything that can stump Chihaya-san, sometimes having one more person can help solve a problem faster."

So Iruma Hibiki quickly added.

In fact, at this point, he has already tried his best.

Having done what she could, now it all depends on Chihaya Aine.

but--

"Iruma-san, you're worrying too much. I'm completely fine here. Studying abroad is going well, and so is my guitar. I'll play guitar for you next time. I've already mastered the rhythm guitar part of 'Godknows'. Isn't that impressive?"

Although Chihaya Aine's voice on the other end of the phone had returned to its lively state, this was not the answer Hibiki Iruma wanted to hear.

never mind--

Iruma Hibiki said this to himself in his heart.

In the final analysis, the relationship between him and Chihaya Aine was far from close, so it was understandable that some things were difficult to say.

Hibiki Iruma is not the type of person who would feel uncomfortable if his friends had closer friends.

He is not a yandere or a guy who is full of gravity in friendship. At least, that's what he thinks of himself.

In fact, he also felt that Chihaya Aine would definitely not lack friends whom she could confide in.

Is that right?

"Yeah, that's amazing. Chihaya-san is very hardworking and talented."

"hey-hey."

Laughter came from Chihaya Aine across the way.

The subsequent chat continued for a while, mostly some daily sharing. Iruma Hibiki listened quietly. When Chihaya Aion talked about her favorite food recently, Iruma Hibiki also told her about Toyokawa Shoko's horrible sandwich. When Chihaya Aion talked about the new cosmetics she had recently fallen in love with, Iruma Hibiki listened carefully and quietly wrote down the brand.

Although he was a boy, Hibiki Iruma still asked many questions.

Obviously, this attitude pleases Chihaya Aine very much. She talks to Iruma Hibiki about her understanding of cosmetics as if to show off.

He also said some things like:

"If you're giving it to a girl, this brand is a better choice."

In this case.

Iruma Hibiki did not perfunctorily listen and take notes seriously.

Of course, the complicated brands and models inside still made him feel like he was listening to a foreign language.

But things like this don't matter now.

Companionship is the most important thing.

By the time they hung up the phone, at least Chihaya Aine seemed to have enjoyed the conversation.

She threw away her cell phone, which had only a little bit of battery left, and lay face down on the sofa. Then she stretched out a finger with difficulty and touched the tablet screen.

Miao Meng’s live broadcast started again.

But this time Chihaya Aine didn't look up.

"I haven't said it yet."

She was mumbling to herself in a sullen manner, with a look of frustration on her face.

"I'm sorry, Iruma-san."

Then she turned around, the quilt slipped off her body, and Chihaya Aine covered her eyes with her forearm, silently apologizing to the phone that had already hung up and turned black.

It was as if the call was still going on.

34 The most exciting episode of Shiina Riki

No matter what, Iruma Hibiki was going to be late.

The one-hour call was as dazzling as a love affair shining over the head of a otaku. As expected, the moment he hung up, Iruma Hibiki received a call from Toyokawa Shoko.

"Hibiki! What's wrong with you?!"

The moment the call was connected, Toyokawa Shoko's anxious voice came from the other end.

"Sorry, it took a while for me to get here because a friend just called. I'll be there soon."

"Great!"

"I'm sorry to have worried you. I will try to practice extra today to make up for being late."

"It's okay. It's raining heavily. Just take your time, Xiang. Be careful on the road."

"Ah."

Iruma Hibiki hung up the phone, and then, perhaps because the concern from Toyokawa Shoko was too warm, he temporarily ignored his previous worries and walked towards Ring.

Due to the heavy rain, there were few people in Ikebukuro. Everyone was hiding in small shops on the roadside. Ring was also a little deserted today. Iruma Hibiki came to the reserved rehearsal room with ease. As soon as he opened the door, he saw everyone inside staring at him.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting. Let's start practicing."

After hurriedly running to his seat, Hibiki Iruma immediately put down his piano and was about to start, but his action was quickly interrupted by Nagasaki Suyo who took a few steps forward and came in front of him.

In the moment when Iruma Hibiki was stunned, Nagasaki Suyo reached out and gently pinched the hem of his clothes.

"Wait...Xiang, your clothes are all wet. Go and dry them off. There are towels available on the first floor."

……

Iruma Hibiki was silent for a while.

"Well, I'll be right back, everyone, go practice first."

"Need some help, Hibiki?"

Nagasaki Suyo's concern continues, and for Iruma Hibiki, this concern——

"No need, I can do it on my own. As for Su Shi, you can practice with everyone first."

Iruma Hibiki refused.

Not because it's not needed.

After all, he had no idea where to get towels and borrow a hair dryer.

Not to mention that such concern is not warm.

In fact, he was definitely a little touched.

It was just because it was Nagasaki Suyo that he couldn't accept it at all, even though such concern was by no means a lie, but a genuine worry for him.

But it's different now.

It was precisely because of this genuine concern that Hibiki Iruma could only refuse at this moment.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that rejection is the right choice.