Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

"Ah."

Yamada Ryo, who was standing by, just responded softly and didn't say anything else.

"Pochi."

"What, what's wrong..."

"fine."

"Okay, okay... I'm right here. Senior Liang, if you need anything, just call me..."

Just like that, Yamada Ryo and Goto Ichiri stopped at the door of the toilet and waited.

At the same time, at the main entrance of Fanxing, the afternoon half of the performance had ended, and the night show would begin an hour or two later. The crowd began to gradually leave Fanxing, leaving the front desk vacant.

Shoko Toyokawa stood in the empty area at the front desk with her coffee, and Mutsu Wakaba stood beside her.

"Mu, what do you think of today's performance?"

Toyokawa Shoko asked.

"Not very good."

And Ruoye Mu responded softly as usual.

"Well, that's totally not possible. Hibiki was too preoccupied with other things and was very nervous. He tried his best, but that wasn't his music at all, so—"

"Xiang, Xiang, he is very reluctant to end the band."

Wakaba Mu interrupted Toyokawa Shoko, and then once again expressed her reluctance to see what she saw on the stage today without any emotion.

To be honest, this performance is very selfish.

The audience's perception was completely disregarded.

From beginning to end, the people who put on the show only thought about themselves.

Very unqualified.

Very bad.

but--

At least for the people who performed these two songs, I think the feelings they wanted to convey were conveyed.

"I know." (2) Lin Ba ⒌ Mio Pu (3) 镏就

Toyokawa Shoko spoke softly, her eyes looking towards the door of the performance hall and the direction of the stage.

"But it's not okay to just selfishly keep Hibiki..."

She said this with some hesitation.

Wakaba Mu looked at Toyokawa Shoko at the moment with a slightly shocked expression. She then thought for a long time before speaking.

"Ending the band is more attractive to Hibiki than the peaceful Crychic."

"Eh?!"

Toyokawa Shoko showed a look of disbelief in response to Wakaba Mutsu's remarks.

She stared blankly at the girl she had been with for a long time, unable to believe that such words came from the mouth of the puppet-like Wakaba Mu.

As for Ruo Ye Mu, she remained calm and expressionless after saying this. The only action she took was drinking the mango juice in her hand.

"You must have made a mistake, Xiao Mu!"

As expected, Shoko Toyokawa was a little angry and excited, but she still maintained basic restraint and the manners of a young lady as she spoke to Wakaba Mutsu.

"Higashi, he did say he really likes Crychic! Xiao Mu, you know that too! And—"

"is it?"

"Eh?!"

Wakaba Mu's question stopped Toyokawa Shoko's words, and she couldn't say anything more...

"Xiao Mu, you..."

"I'll check with Iruma-san!"

In the end, a look of anger and grievance, but more of a serious expression, appeared on Shoko Toyokawa's face, and she then turned and left.

Behind her, Ruoye Mu showed a faint smile.

[I never agreed with Xiang's suggestion that it's okay to respond.]

She thought so quietly in her heart.

40 Weren’t you the one who first told me about your ideal?

About Ichi Hongka.

In fact, Hibiki Iruma once had some unrealistic fantasies, or they were some clumsy attempts when he was writing novels.

He once tried to write Ichichi Hongxia into his novel.

But in the end, he realized that such an idea was indeed a bit arrogant. Ichichi Hongxia was a person he could not write about. Trying to write about her was like someone in the shadows trying to hold the sunlight in their palms.

Warm, yet empty.

This is Ichichi Hongka.

It is actually hard for Hibiki Iruma to imagine that he could experience any so-called negative emotions when he was with Nikka Ijichi. In the past, Hibiki Iruma was extremely happy and content in almost every detail of his interactions with Nikka Ijichi.

He even felt that meeting Ichi Hongxia and becoming friends with her was definitely one of the luckiest things that had ever happened to him in his two lives. It could be considered one of the few times in his life when he saw the gates of heaven open.

But at this moment, only he and Ichichi Hongxia were left in the empty rehearsal room. They looked at each other and couldn't say anything.

The intense physical exertion of playing the drums caused a few beads of sweat on Ijichi Hongxia's forehead. Her chest was slightly heaving, still with a hint of the aftertaste of the moment.

Iruma Hibiki didn't know how to face Ijichi Kouka at this moment. He didn't know what to say or what to do.

He even——

I'm afraid it's difficult for me to even maintain my current standing posture.

But it doesn’t matter. He had already cried last night, so he wouldn’t look too embarrassing now.

This atmosphere has indeed come to an end.

"Sorry, Ijichi, today's performance was a bit awful."

Iruma Hibiki forced himself to speak to Ijichi Kouka.

"It's okay. It's more like I'm responsible for dragging you and Chihaya-san here at the last minute."

Ijichi Hongxia also maintained the topic.

The two of them tacitly did not let the atmosphere at the moment quiet down, because once it quieted down, some things were bound to surface in each other's minds.

"Speaking of which, where did Kita go?... I hope nothing happened to her."

"If that doesn't work, then I'll ask the teacher for the address of Xi's house and visit him."

Iruma Hibiki was silent for a moment.

In fact, he had thought of a very bad result -

Perhaps it was their preconceived notion that Kita ran away. After all, the idea of a guitarist running away is considered a classic rock band trope in Shimokitazawa and Ikebukuro.

But, could it be that Kita wasn't actually running away?

But when you went out, you encountered a blue-painted FAW heavy truck or Dayun?

She might be in the hospital at this moment, or she might have already—

Hibiki Iruma stopped his weird delusion.

"That's true. I'm really worried about her."

Ijichi Hongxia continued to respond.

But in the final analysis, our current behavior is like a child guarding his snowman before spring comes.

No matter how hard you try or where you hide, the snowman will melt and you have to accept the outcome.

If you don't want it to melt helplessly in your hands, you have to say goodbye while it still carries the memories of this winter.

As for putting it in the refrigerator, the refrigerator can freeze the snowman but it cannot freeze the memories.

Someone has to speak up.

And if someone had to bring up this topic, then Iruma Hibiki felt that it would have to be him—

"Ijichi, I'll help you find Kita. A band really can't do without a lead singer with guitar."

Iruma Hibiki lowered his head and spoke to Ichichi Kouka.

"Iruma..."

And the expression on Ijichi Hongxia's face also became complicated.

It's not the first day they recognize each other, and they are not stupid.

Some things don't need to be said so bluntly or so awkwardly so that the other party can understand.

This kind of tacit understanding is actually very good, and Ijichi Hongxia actually wants to maintain this tacit understanding, but as expected, she...

"Ichichi."

Iruma Hibiki also muttered Ijichi Hongka's name, then sighed slightly. He took two steps and came in front of Ijichi Hongka.

"call--"

Iruma Hibiki let out a deep sigh.

In fact, he had thought about what he should say and how to end it all last night.

"I'm very happy with today's performance."

"I'll never forget the morning you and I talked about our band's ideals, but I'm sorry..."

“I can’t go back to finishing the band.”

"But despite this, I still feel your feelings, Idi. I'm very happy, really happy."

After all, since Ijichi Nikka and Yamada Ryo had already gone this far, it was natural for Iruma Hibiki to understand what they wanted to say, which was to keep him.

It seems like a sentence——

[Iruma, if you're tired of the band out there, come back.]

Such warm words.

Therefore, Iruma Hibiki, who absolutely did not want to disappoint this gentleness, continued to respond to Ijichi Nikka earnestly and bravely at this moment:

"Ichichi, I also saw the drawing you made in your notebook. Sushi was erased. Actually, it doesn't matter if it wasn't erased. Sushi and I are... very good friends now. Don't worry about us, and don't worry about me being hurt in this matter. I've cheered myself up."

"I'm doing well in my new band, and I've decided to stand on that stage as Iruma Hibiki."

Don't tell your mother that you're having a hard time, because she can't do anything except worry.

At this moment, Hibiki Iruma had similar thoughts. Of course, Nijihara Ijichi was not his mother, but he didn't want to make things difficult for Kita, and he didn't want to see how Shoko Toyokawa would win him back.

In fact, this dilemma has already determined that his only answer at this moment is to keep moving forward.

"Thank you, Ijichi, for telling me about my ideal."

"It was you who lent me a hand when I needed help the most. My words—"

"The only thing I don't want is to see you, Yidizhi, saddened by the past, hesitant, or standing still. You must stand on the brightest stage and shine with your own brilliance."

"If that's the case, I'll..."

……

"I... thought so too, Iruma."

Ijichi Nikka wanted to face Iruma Hibiki with a smile at this moment.

But she couldn't do such a thing.

"A new band, is that really okay?"

"Well, it's okay, Xiangzi she——"

Iruma Hibiki paused.