Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

Nagasaki Suyo wanted to know her position in the eyes of the other two, so she planned to disappear for a while and then reappear.

She desperately wanted to know who loved her, who cared about her, and that she would be discovered the next second she disappeared.

Of course she knew that such desires often had no answers.

Everyone has a lot of things to do and a lot of friends.

Just like Ijichi Nikka and Iruma Hibiki, they are even classmates, so naturally they will get along more with each other, not with her.

Apart from sending messages and rehearsals twice a week, she had almost no real interaction with the two people.

In fact, perhaps, after forming a band, we can be together twice a week instead of being so lonely and imprisoned in this room. This should be enough to be content.

But Nagasaki Suyo's heart was not satisfied.

It was a terrifying void.

It's a void that could never be satisfied even if all the love in the world was filled into it.

So Nagasaki Suyo anxiously and desperately longed for someone's attention.

'Notice me.'

"I've been missing for the entire afternoon, Ijichi-san, Iruma-san."

'We're in a band, aren't we?'

'Why……'

Time passes.

The light of the setting sun slowly fell on Nagasaki Suyo, dyeing her white nightgown red.

There was silence on her phone with no response.

For an hour or two, Nagasaki Suyo spent time in such emptiness. During this time, she watched some beauty videos, and then she found some personality analysis and interpersonal relationship explanations.

【Friends who truly care about you will never let you feel lonely. 】

Then after giving a like to such a video, Nagasaki Suyo heard the ringing of her cell phone.

Ding--

She couldn't wait to open the chat software.

Then she saw the message from Hibiki Iruma in the group.

Although that was not a topic related to her, Nagasaki Suyo replied with more than a dozen sentences in a flash.

[Nagasaki-san seems very busy today?]

She then received a private message from Hibiki Iruma.

【Because there is a rehearsal for the performance section.】

She smiled with joy, as if she was a fake just like the empty-eyed Nagasaki Suyo a moment ago. Naturally, lies came out of her mouth as calmly and obediently as eating and drinking water.

"I see. No wonder I didn't see you all afternoon, Nagasaki-san. Are you enjoying your club activities?"

[I'm very happy, Iruma-san, how about you? ]

[Hahaha, didn't I mention this before? Ijichi-san and I are both in the homecoming club, so we probably won't be participating in any club activities. Oh, and Ijichi-san said she's free tomorrow, do you want to rehearse with me?]

[Okay, what time and where shall we meet tomorrow?]

……

After the chat was over and everything was settled, Nagasaki Suyo sat up from the bed as if she had been resurrected, then opened the cardboard box next to her and took out a brand new bass.

26 Ijichi Hongka's Apology

"Iruma-san, I'm so sorry!"

Early on Wednesday morning, Hibiki Iruma staggered into the classroom with his guitar and saw Kouka Ijichi apologizing to him with her hands clasped together.

"what happened?"

He couldn't help but yawn again.

Last night he found some tutorials online and created a small account pretending to be a fan of Goto Ichiri to ask for tips on how to learn guitar by oneself. After receiving a halting answer that needed to be translated again, he began to practice, and he practiced until dawn.

For now, he can climb some lattices and the like.

It's considered entry-level.

But the price is fatigue and pain in my fingers this morning.

The sensation in his left hand fingers seemed to be magnified tenfold, causing a burning pain whenever they came into contact with anything.

"Iruma-san, you look tired. What happened?"

Before her own affairs, Ijichi Hongxia was a little worried about Iruma Hibiki's physical condition.

"I practiced guitar all night last night and went a little overboard, so I'll probably have to catch up on some sleep in class today."

Iruma Hibiki smiled defiantly at Ijichi Nikka.

Of course, after that, he forced himself to look at Ichichi Hongxia.

"It's always better to practice in moderation. But Iruma-san, you must have been so excited and happy practicing last night that you forgot about the time. I get it, I get it. I was the same way when I first started playing drums, practicing in front of a metronome for over ten hours."

Ijichi Hongxia said this with a smile, and then added:

"I'll cover for you during class. After class, borrow my notes, Iruma-san. You won't miss out on your lessons."

"You're a genius light novel writer, after all! I have a feeling you could have gotten a perfect score in Chinese class this morning, Iruma-san, even if you hadn't paid attention."

"What kind of prejudice is that?"

Iruma Hibiki complained helplessly about Ijichi Kouka's words.

"You don't need to memorize the Manyoshu to write a light novel."

After livening up the atmosphere a bit, Iruma Hibiki managed to regain his spirits.

"Speaking of which, Ijichi-san, why did you apologize just now?"

"what……"

In front of Iruma Hibiki, Ijichi Kouka's smile faded a little.

"I was originally free tonight, but a very famous band changed their schedule and wanted to find a livehouse in Shimokitazawa to perform, so my sister took on this job temporarily."

"So... today... I might be away for a while during rehearsal. Ah, but I've asked Ryo to help. Ryo is a bassist and knows a little about guitar, so he should be able to help you, Iruma-san, and Nagasaki-san."

"That's it."

Iruma Hibiki nodded.

"It's okay, Ijichi-san, you should focus on your own tasks. It would be better to wait until Nagasaki-san and I have a solid foundation before rehearsing. And you must have put a lot of thought into inviting a talented senior like Yamada-san. Thank you so much."

Even so.

But in reality, perhaps Hibiki Iruma was still a little disappointed.

Maybe for him too.

Although he did not have long-term expectations for the band, he only made a decision when the time came.

However, now, doing things that high school students should do with the people around him is what he has been looking forward to for more than ten years since he traveled through time.

This is why I came to Shimokitazawa to attend high school.

But no matter what, he knew that he couldn't show his disappointment on his face.

"I'll finish work as soon as I can! Actually, my sister also said that it's okay if it's just her, but how can it be okay with a job like that..."

As Ijichi Hongxia spoke, her voice became much softer.

"Ijichi-san, I've been wanting to ask you before, is Fanxing's situation not looking good?"

Iruma Hibiki asked Ijichi Nikka in a tone as tactful as possible.

He felt that this was a good opportunity, an opportunity to understand the plight of Ichichi Hongxia. Although he didn't know what he could do, he wanted to help Ichichi Hongxia in front of him.

"Well, it's a little bit off... but it's okay. My sister and I will take care of it. Don't worry, Iruma-kun. I'll do my best not to disrupt the band's rehearsals."

"Ijichi-kun."

Iruma Hibiki interrupted Ijichi Kouka.

Then he put on a serious look, and the sleepiness and decadence on his face disappeared in a short moment.

He stared into Ichichi Hongxia's honey-colored eyes and said seriously:

"Although I may not be qualified to say this, from my own heart, I don't want the band rehearsal to become a burden to you, Ijichi-kun."

"Shigasaki-san said that the band is a community of shared destiny, so if we encounter any trouble, it might be better if we discuss it with everyone and help each other, just like we did that day."

The day that Iruma Hibiki was referring to was the night when he and Nagasaki Motoyo went to Fanxing to watch Yamada Ryo's performance.

Ichichi Hongxia knew.

Perhaps she will never forget that night in her life.

The first time she formed a band, some things went wrong because of her own affairs, but in the end, she was saved by the band.

Just as before——

Memories of the past kept flooding into Ichichi Hongxia's heart, and she was silent for a while.

"Okay, I understand, Iruma-san. Thank you."

With an unknown mood, Ijichi Hongxia smiled brightly in the morning light.

“It’s great to be in a band with you all.”

Seeing that Ijichi Hongka had returned to normal, Iruma Hibiki also breathed a sigh of relief, and then an intense sleepiness surged over him.

He almost fell asleep on his desk, and during that time, several girls saw his guitar and wanted to come up and talk to him.

After all, although Iruma Hibiki missed the initial period of formation of the small group, it is natural that he should be isolated according to the school rules.

But he looks good and is quite handsome, so he has privileges. Plus, he is a band member, which is rare in Xiagao - at least in their eyes, as long as he has a guitar, he is considered a band member.

So I decided to socialize a bit.

But today is obviously not a good time.

It was not until the last class in the afternoon that Iruma Hibiki finally woke up. During this period, he woke up twice. Once he was woken up when get out of class was over in the morning, and the other time he seemed to be in a daze at noon and was taken to have lunch by Ijichi Koka and Yamada Ryo.

It seemed that he was almost about to lose his already tight meal expenses to Yamada Ryo, whom he had never met before, but fortunately Ijichi Hongxia stopped him.

The absurdity of this incident even made Hibiki Iruma, who had just woken up, wonder if it was something that happened in his dream.

"Iruma-san, if Ryo asks you to borrow money, don't lend it to her."

It was not until after school when Ichichi Hongxia said this that Iruma Hibiki realized that such an outrageous thing did not seem to be a dream.

27 Is Nagasaki Suyo the same as Pochi?

"Is it okay, Iruma-san?"

On the way to Fanxing, Ijichi Hongxia asked worriedly to Iruma Hibiki who was still a little sleepy beside her, but Iruma Hibiki had actually almost recovered at this time.

Anyone can recover from a night of sleepiness after a whole day of sleep.

But the sleepiness he showed at this moment actually had another reason.

As we all know, people are more likely to reveal their inner thoughts and emotions when they are tired, and this is probably the case with Iruma Hibiki at this moment.

Yes, he felt a little tired of what was about to happen.

"It's okay. It's you, Ijichi-kun, who's going to be the one working hard later. Is there anything I can do to help?"

It took Hibiki Iruma some time to come to his senses, and then he responded to Nikka Ijichi who was beside him.

Going home with the girls in the same class for two consecutive days is no longer the treatment of a male protagonist in a light novel, it is simply a perfect life like in real life.

Of course, Iruma Hibiki only thought of this for a moment as a self-deprecating thought. He was still as far away from the reality of pouring out his youth, sweat, and romance as if he were being punished by heaven.

"Although it would be reassuring to have Iruma-san's help, today our bandmates from Ryo are here to help, so Iruma-san, you should practice hard with Nagasaki-san."

Ijichi Hongxia said with a smile.