Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

Yes, if she wanted to fall for Hibiki Iruma now, she would naturally be stopped by the piano in front of her.

The screen that has been on for a long time is naturally not cold, but has a hint of warmth, but that is not the warmth of a person after all.

Shoko Toyokawa must be strong.

She said this to herself.

"Xiangzi...ah, it's already this late, are you going home?"

"Ah."

Toyokawa Shoko nodded to Iruma Hibiki.

"Xiang is going back to the hospital too?"

"Yes, but..."

Hibiki Iruma was silent for a while, then smiled at Shoko Toyokawa. He then touched his pocket and shook his headphones at the camera, and the picture over there shook and flipped in an instant.

"Can Xiangzi see what I'm seeing?"

"Yeah, sure. The bed is really messy."

"Ah... sorry, I forgot to sort it out."

"It's okay. Actually, sometimes I get so excited from piano practice that I forget to do my chores. If my dad finds out, I get scolded."

Shoko Toyokawa's chuckle is very pleasant to hear.

It also made Iruma Hibiki feel a little more relaxed.

"How long will it take Xiangzi to get home?"

"About 20 minutes, Dad."

"I'm almost there at the hospital, do you want to come with me?"

Iruma Hibiki invited Toyokawa Shoko. He saw that Toyokawa Shoko was reluctant to leave, and also realized the emptiness and loneliness in his heart.

Nagasaki Suyo did the right thing after all.

She's gone.

And naturally he had to face what happened next alone.

"Well, let's go home together, Hibiki!"

Toyokawa Shoko knew that at this moment, Iruma Hibiki had his screen in his shirt pocket near his chest, with the camera exposed so he couldn't see the picture. So she showed a rare feeling of being moved, but didn't let Iruma Hibiki see it.

But it’s so good—

Toyokawa Shoko thought so.

【Being able to associate with Xiang is the happiest thing. 】

She kept repeating this in her heart.

Confirming.

Firmly believe it.

"ring."

"Ok?"

She called out Hibiki Iruma's name.

"I like you."

Then he continued to repeat his confession as if it were just eating or drinking water.

"Yeah, I like Xiangzi too."

"I like you!"

Then it was repeated like a naive child.

"Yeah, I like Xiangzi too."

And Iruma Hibiki repeated it once more.

Then came the third time.

It took some time to clean up the music classroom. The phone on Toyokawa Shoko's chest had a slight arc, and part of her chin and neck were captured in the picture. When Iruma Hibiki occasionally saw it, she would blush slightly and her heart would beat faster.

Shoko Toyokawa's figure is a little petite, but just right.

It was like a perfect smoothie from a street stall in the summer, and the boy had just enough change in his pocket to pay for the whole thing. After drizzling it with blue honey, he happily enjoyed the sweetness in the shade of the tree.

"Puh, I'm lying to you, huh, huh, huh—"

After the silly confession, Shoko Toyokawa laughed.

So Iruma Hibiki became even more curious. He could only see Toyokawa Shoko's cute shaking chin, but could not see Toyokawa Shoko's face at the moment.

He had never seen such a sweet and lovely smile on a girl's face.

As if she was worried that her smile might be indecent, she was restraining herself a bit, but some other emotions had already broken through the restraints. Toyokawa Shoko's smile was like a high-pressure water gun, rushing straight into Iruma Hibiki's heart.

"Eh?"

"what happened?"

When the wooden door of the rehearsal room closed, a cry of surprise came from Toyokawa Shoko's side.

The exclamation was a little sudden. Although it was not so obvious in the sound of the door closing, and not even as loud as Toyokawa Shoko's brisk footsteps, Iruma Hibiki, who was making the bed, still heard it.

"Nothing, I just felt like there was someone by the door, but when I opened it, there was no one there... It's a little scary..."

Toyokawa Shoko's voice became slightly trembling in the following part.

She stopped where she was and quietly took off one of her headphones, seemingly trying to check the sounds around her.

But at this moment, the rehearsal room was empty and no one was there, and the sky had already turned dark.

Yes.

Earlier, Wakaba Mu actually said:

【Do you want me to accompany Xiang? 】

But Toyokawa Shoko refused.

Ruoye Mu is not needed at school. Secondly, Ruoye Mu also has his own life and family arrangements.

So naturally, Toyokawa Shoko said to Wakaba Mutsu at that time:

[It's okay, Xiao Mu. I'm going to contact Xiang later. Just go back by yourself. I won't be home very late.]

After saying this, she no longer paid attention to Ruoye Mu's affairs.

I don’t know when Ruoye Mu left.

I don’t know what Ruoye Mu is doing now.

However, at this moment, Toyokawa Shoko missed Wakaba Mutsu a little bit. The campus at night shrouded in darkness was a little scary. Even a young lady had read the ten major campus rumors.

And the performance department——

Although it is not as good as the physical health classroom with an anatomy teacher, the performance department is also an accident-prone area.

"Is there no one in Yuezhisen now?"

"Well, the latest club probably only runs until about 5 o'clock. How loud is that?"

"We don't have any special rules over there, but club activities won't last until 6 o'clock anyway."

Hibiki Iruma spoke truthfully.

Then he thought about it -

"Anyway, let's get out of school quickly. Things should be much better once we're out on the crowded streets. But if you encounter anything particularly strange, it's best to hide in the practice room first."

"Um……"

Toyokawa Shoko nodded. Actually, she was not particularly scared.

Only occasionally would I show a slight fear of such things.

but--

It’s better for her to be afraid now.

Thinking of this, Toyokawa Shoko's smile grew even wider.

She gently stroked the corner of her phone, then walked cautiously towards the school gate.

"What about Xiang over there?"

"There aren't many people here, but the shopping street we'll pass by will be a bit noisy. I'm planning to go there and buy some takoyaki for dinner."

"Takoyaki! I like that, too!"

Toyokawa Shoko said happily.

"Really? Actually, I have some troubles when eating takoyaki. Many businesses like to put ginger in it, but I can't eat ginger at all."

"ginger?"

"Ah! Is it that spicy thing? I don't like it either."

"Xiangzi, you..."

Iruma Hibiki was silent for a moment, then laughed out loud.

"Next time, I'll make takoyaki for Xiangzi without ginger."

"In return, I also want—"

Toyokawa Shoko responded happily.

Of course, she didn't see Iruma Hibiki's happy yet helpless smile.

For the time being, he didn't have any expectations about being sent to the afterlife by Toyokawa Shoko. After all, he still felt that it was better to continue with his life, as there were many things he wanted to do that had not yet been completed.

and--

If he died, someone would definitely remember him and feel sad.

However, Shoko Toyokawa really prepared a meal for him with great anticipation.

There was no way Hibiki Iruma would refuse.

By then, I'm afraid I'll just have to draw the knife and make it into one piece.

21 Iruma Hibiki mutters about Toyokawa Shoko and Shanlin OVII

The long road is short today.

The moment Iruma Hibiki stopped at the hospital entrance, the outline of Toyokawa Residence appeared before the eyes of Toyokawa Shoko on the other end of the phone.

A black luxury car drove into the parking space of Toyokawa Residence not far from Toyokawa Shoko. It was obvious that she came back at the right time.

Shoko Toyokawa felt a little reluctant.

Maybe there is too much weakness on the face.

She is not strong enough to face everything that is happening right now.

but--

What if Hibiki Iruma knew about this and hated her?

Whether it was her pride or the anxiety she felt about losing a relationship, Toyokawa Shoko couldn't confide in Iruma Hibiki about this matter.

She wants to become the [Shoko Toyokawa] that Hibiki Iruma likes.

It was as if Hibiki Iruma was becoming the Hibiki Iruma that she liked.

This is what Shoko Toyokawa thought.

We also realized more quickly that the current situation is unlikely to continue.

"Xiang, I will reply to your message immediately. If you feel lonely, you can always find me."

Toyokawa Shoko said this.