Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

"Xiang must be trying to blame me, right? It's okay, I'll listen. It doesn't matter how you blame me. Can we still be like before? Whether you say you don't like me or we're just friends, it's all a lie."

“I like the sound.”

"I want to be Hibiki's lover and stay by her side."

……

"Can we get back together, Hibiki?"

"I can't bear to see Xiang standing next to someone else anymore. I..."

"Looks like you guys need some time."

"Eh?!"

When Nagasaki Suyo was waiting for Iruma Hibiki's response, Toyokawa Shoko's voice suddenly came from behind her. Nagasaki Suyo turned her head and saw Toyokawa Shoko glaring at Iruma Hibiki with a hint of annoyance on her face, and then left.

"Hibiki, why—"

Nagasaki Suyo turned her head with some disbelief and looked at Iruma Hibiki again.

When some bad premonitions came to her mind, she was met with an extremely complicated expression from Iruma Hibiki.

"Su Shi, I..."

Iruma Hibiki took a deep breath.

He looked at Nagasaki Suyo who was holding his hand tightly.

Nagasaki Suyo's hands are very beautiful, her skin is very white, her fingers are long and slender, and her nails are trimmed into round shapes and painted with a layer of transparent nail polish.

The hand was exerting so much force at this moment that the joints were tinged with bluish-white, and even Iruma Hibiki felt a slight pain.

Then——

Iruma Hibiki struggled for a moment and pulled his hand free, then he looked at Nagasaki Suyo.

"Sorry, Sushi."

He was the first to apologize.

"I have just accepted Xiangzi's confession."

"Eh?"

"So, Sushi, let's... keep some distance. It's better for us to just be friends and bandmates."

"Liar."

Nagasaki Suyo said in disbelief.

"Didn't you say... that you had no intention of falling in love?"

"Feel sorry."

Iruma Hibiki responded in a deep voice.

He even turned his back slightly, not wanting Nagasaki Suyo to see his face at the moment.

"Su Shi, thank you for having liked me. I'm very happy to know this. I also feel very sorry that I can't be with Su Shi, because I actually liked Su Shi a long time ago. Su Shi is my first love and the first person I liked."

"But, sorry, Sushi, I'm Xiangzi's lover now."

"Xiangzi and I have an agreement..."

Iruma Hibiki took a deep breath, forcing himself to suppress his inner emotions. With the last bit of calmness he had, he said to Nagasaki Motoyo, who was stunned on the spot:

"Sorry, Su Shi, excuse me. I used to like you very much."

Then, Iruma Hibiki passed by Nagasaki Suyo.

At this moment, the expression on his face gradually changed from pretending to be calm to a crying face like a dead child.

"What's Hibiki's answer?"

Toyokawa Shoko asked this a few minutes ago.

"answer?"

After coming to his senses, Iruma Hibiki subconsciously asked back.

"I've already said I like you, and you're not going to respond?"

"what……"

Hibiki Iruma wanted to say something, but his voice was hoarse. In fact, he thought Toyokawa Shoko would probably ask him about Crychic.

As for this matter, he had actually already made a promise to Toyokawa Shoko: "I will stay in Crychic forever."

He took this promise extremely seriously and solemnly.

I have made a lifelong decision and I must carry it out.

But when he was about to say this to Toyokawa Shoko, he didn't expect that the topic that Toyokawa Shoko cared about would become "I like you".

"Ah... sorry it was so sudden..."

Iruma Hibiki's brain froze, and he had no idea how to respond, but he naturally couldn't remain silent at this moment.

It must be said clearly.

This was the teaching that Hibiki Iruma had heard from his mother.

"Please don't be perfunctory and tell me the answer seriously, okay? Xiang? Although this is the first time I confess to someone, I am serious. Even if you reject me, I still want to get your answer."

……

"A gentleman shouldn't embarrass a lady."

When Toyokawa Shoko said this, Iruma Hibiki realized that at this moment, a very obvious blush had appeared on Toyokawa Shoko's beautiful face.

"I... don't hate Xiangzi..."

"So that means you love me, right? In that case, Hibiki... In exchange, I'll give you the rest of my life, and you, in return, give me the rest of your life."

"Wait, Xiangzi——"

Hibiki Iruma subconsciously wanted to stop Shoko Toyokawa who was walking outside.

"I'm going to the car to get the documents for the contract. Hibiki, do you want to come with me?"

Iruma Hibiki looked at Toyokawa Shoko who showed her decisive side and was stunned for a moment. When he came to his senses, Toyokawa Shoko had already left.

He rushed to the bathroom with a blushing face, and then washed his face with cold water in an attempt to restore his brain, which had long been shut down, to normal.

Bonus 2: Band Girl Pudding Tasting!

The scorching hot summer has arrived as usual. Tokyo has been experiencing high temperatures for more than half a month, with the average daily temperature reaching 4 degrees. Although everything is still in order, the band's activities have actually been terribly affected.

"Sushi, is Xiang feeling better?"

"Hatsuka and Mana... you're here, please take a seat. The herbal tea is on the table. Hibiki just got up and ate something, but he hasn't fully recovered yet."

"Can we go see him?"

Sanjiao Chuhua looked at the door behind him with some concern.

"It's better not to disturb Xiang."

Nagasaki Suyo smiled, blocking Sankaku Hatsuka's sight.

"Let Xiang have a good rest. Rest well, Chuhua."

Mana Junda on the side sighed helplessly.

"Speaking of which, what is this—"

At this moment, Sankaku Hatsuka noticed the paper on the table - [Summer Pudding Operation!]

"This is a way to cheer up Hibiki. The rules are that everyone makes a pudding and gives it to Hibiki to try. As a reward—"

Nagasaki Suyo showed a subtle expression, while Sankaku Hatsuka and Junda Mana confirmed each other's gazes in an instant and decisively chose to participate.

A few hours later, Hibiki Iruma was tied to the table.

The first dish to be served was the pudding from [Toyokawa Shoko].

Judging from the appearance and color, Shoko Toyokawa's pudding has not actually changed much compared to the past. After all, even though Shoko Toyokawa is no longer a young lady, her basic aesthetic has not changed much.

The pudding, with a very light sky blue as the main color, is decorated with cute black and gold threads. The texture of the whole pudding is a little ordinary, which is probably due to the financial constraints that prevent the use of high-end raw materials. But it doesn’t matter. In the evaluation of pudding, the raw materials are the least critical part. If we talk about importance, [Toyokawa Shoko] itself is more important.

As a pudding that [Shoko Toyokawa] spent a day making, it has a pleasant citrus scent. The surface is clean and smooth without a trace of flaws. In the slightly concave part in the middle, you can smell a hint of sea salt. It seems that it is made with salt as seasoning and citrus as the main flavor.

Hibiki Iruma can't wait to taste it!

[It's delicious, and it really tastes very familiar, Xiangzi...]

With a gentle face, Iruma Hibiki finally gave this evaluation to Toyokawa Shoko.

The second dish served was the pudding from Triangle Chuhua.

Let’s start with the appearance. The Triangle Chuhua pudding is a very eye-catching style. As a black pudding, it seems that they realized that such a mature color does not bring too much visual flamboyance, so they carefully used some lace edges and hollow designs on the edges to make it look very interesting and intriguing, which easily makes people curious about the taste of the pudding. Also because of the black color, the taste of the Triangle Chuhua pudding is slightly difficult to predict directly.

As the pudding that [Triangle Chuhua] worked so hard to make after running around everywhere, this strange black pudding smells like sunshine, but other than that, there is nothing special about it. In other words, it is a so-called mysterious pudding that you can only know its taste after tasting it!

Hibiki Iruma can't wait to taste it!

What a surprise! I didn't expect Chuhua's pudding to be so consistent, with no particular flavor. It just tastes like sunshine, and it's unusually light, perfect for summer.

With a look of surprise on her face, Hibiki Iruma finally gave this evaluation to Sankaku Hatsuka.

The third dish served was [Jumida Mana]'s pudding.

Is this pudding? Hibiki Iruma had some doubts when she first saw the pudding. After all, Junda Mana's pudding looked exactly like a donut—with a donut-like hole in the middle, a bold innovation. The color was milky white, and the texture was excellent, making it look like an expensive pudding made with very precious ingredients.

In terms of smell, the pudding of Junta Mana is very rich, with a mixed fruit aroma that almost hits you in the face and a light sweet taste. In addition, the smell of sea salt is almost non-negligible. However, compared with Toyokawa Shoko's pudding, if the sea salt ingredient in Toyokawa Shoko's pudding is a decoration, then for Junta Mana, what she wants to make is a work similar to salty cream puffs. Both the bold style and the rich aroma are somewhat tempting.

Hibiki Iruma can't wait to taste it!

Such a rich flavor, so sweet... After the sweetness and the aroma that hits your nose, the aftertaste is a salty sea breeze. It's a wonderful feeling...

With a look of enjoyment on her face, Hibiki Iruma was slightly addicted and spent some extra time on Junda Mana's pudding.

The fourth dish served was the pudding by Goto Ichiri, who was hiding in the closet and dared not come out.

The style is a very classic one. It looks plain and without too much decoration on the outside, and the color is just ordinary milky white. However, the most eye-catching part is probably the wrinkles on the surface of the pudding. Unlike the previous three, Goto Ichiri's pudding almost allows everyone to see the effort she put into it at a glance. During the day of making the pudding, she must have hesitated and worried for a long time in bed, in the closet, and in the room, so this pudding has such a wrinkled appearance.

In terms of smell, this pudding has a unique scent. When you first smell it, it has a light mixture of mint and borneol, and then as the base, it smells a rich milky aroma. It is a traditional pudding that pays the same attention to taste as Junda Mana!

Hibiki Iruma can't wait to taste it!

It has a slightly cool taste, but the bottom layer is full of rich milky aroma. There is no other smell or sweetness. It is really a perfect pudding!

After the tasting, Hibiki Iruma still felt a little unsatisfied. He might have a special liking for dairy products this summer.

The last dish served was the pudding from the project initiator, Nagasaki Suyo.

Nagasaki Suyo's pudding is a little special, or rather, it is a bit unfair to use such a pudding to participate in the competition, so when Iruma Hibiki saw the pudding, he didn't intend to give Nagasaki Suyo's pudding a score in his heart.

That's his favorite style.

This is the style I bought countless times when I went to the store with Nagasaki Suyo.

Of course, compared to the pudding in the store, this one has been given a whole new look with the addition of many of Nagasaki Sushi's meticulous cooking techniques.

only--

This did not affect Hibiki Iruma's realization that this was his favorite pudding, as it had always been.

【Su Shi, I love you. 】

Iruma Hibiki finished eating Nagasaki Suyo's pudding with just a few simple words.

As for the other four, they stared at Nagasaki Suyo fiercely. After all, what would it matter even if they won the game?

43 A Precious Thing Worth One Yen

"Are you Ijichi-san?"

"Yeah, yeah."

Toyokawa Shoko stood in front of Ijichi Nikka, with a confident and happy smile on her face that she couldn't wipe away, while Ijichi Nikka—

She knew Toyokawa Shoko. In the video of Hibiki Iruma's song "Give Me an Eternal Lie", Toyokawa Shoko was the one sitting behind him playing the piano.

And of course, the captain of Crychic.

Facing Toyokawa Shoko, Ijichi Hongxia actually had a lot to say.