Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

Although the etudes have always been the songs that ended the band's performance, as well as the unperformed song written by Iruma Hibiki and sent to her by Ijichi Nikka not long ago.

However, she is definitely no longer the newbie who needed to escape.

41 The Envy of Shiina Riki

Nagasaki Suyo is still concerned about Iruma Hibiki.

When she realized this, Toyokawa Shoko always felt a little depressed, but——

She understood that it was not Hibiki Iruma's fault, but Nagasaki Soyo's fault.

So she naturally shouldn't blame Iruma Hibiki. Instead, it was Nagasaki Soyo, her ex-girlfriend, who should be blamed.

……

So what happened in the past?

In fact, Toyokawa Shoko couldn't help but feel a little curious about what happened between Nagasaki Suyo and Iruma Hibiki before.

She still remembered that when they first met, Nagasaki Suyo was still calling Iruma Hibiki her "boyfriend".

When did the two break up?

Shoko Toyokawa probably couldn't find this opportunity on her own.

She was slightly distracted in today's class, and the main reason for her distraction was probably her uneasiness about her relationship.

She worried that one day, Iruma Hibiki would suddenly leave him and then be with Nagasaki Soyo——

after all.

When he was in Kyoto, the person by his side was Nagasaki Suyo.

but……

In fact, even Toyokawa Shoko realized that if it weren't for Nagasaki Motoyo at that time... perhaps Iruma Hibiki would have had a harder time.

So it's a good thing?

Anyway, Iruma Hibiki is actually a very reassuring boyfriend.

He managed the distance between them very well.

While comforting herself and looking for answers for herself, Shoko Toyokawa's uneasiness did not dissipate much until school was over.

Crychic has a rehearsal tonight.

And today, Shoko Toyokawa plans to keep the appointment.

It’s not that there is nothing busy at home, but that she made the decision for herself and rejected the proposals from her father and mother.

After all, her family is slightly better than Ruoye Mu's family.

She still has the right to reject a life she doesn't want.

"Shiina——"

When Shoko Toyokawa stepped into the rehearsal room, the first person she saw was Tatsuki Shiina, who seemed to have been waiting here for a long time.

"Does your school let out so early?"

"Ah...no."

Shiina Ritsu probably didn't expect that Toyokawa Shoko would come up and talk to him directly, so he responded subconsciously with an "ah", appearing a little flustered and embarrassed.

"I'm taking a day off today."

"Eh? Are you feeling unwell?"

"No."

Shiina Riki wanted to avoid the topic, but faced with Toyokawa Shoko's frank concern, she couldn't help but speak:

"I practiced too late last night and woke up late today, so I just decided not to go."

Shiina Riki responded.

"Anyway, my high school enrollment is already confirmed, and my attendance rate is fine, so..."

She then explained herself. Perhaps for Shiina Riki, she didn't want to be considered a bad boy who was not allowed to attend school, so she explained herself.

"Where are the other people from Fengchuan? Why haven't they come?"

"Xiao Mu and Su Shi will be late today. Deng has already arrived, but it will take some time for Yuqiu Junior High School to get here."

"Oh……"

Following Shiina Riki's response, the atmosphere in the rehearsal room fell into silence.

It was just that Shoko Toyokawa started warming up on the piano. "Haruhi no Shadow" slowly echoed in the rehearsal room, while Tatsuki Shiina was looking at Shoko Toyokawa.

Her feelings towards Shoko Toyokawa are complicated.

First of all--

It's envy.

Envy from top to bottom.

Unlike her, Toyokawa Shoko is a super young lady whose personality, appearance, etiquette, speech and behavior are almost impeccable, and on top of that she also has an outstanding musical level.

Just by listening to the arrangement of "Kasuga Shadow", Shiina felt a strong sense of inferiority.

That was something she could never do.

Maybe with effort we can get closer.

But writing such a song independently may not be possible in a lifetime——

In fact, Shiina Riki had this idea when he was facing Toyokawa Shoko.

Secondly, she also envied Toyokawa Shoko's love affair. She and Iruma Hibiki were lovers...

"what happened?"

Perhaps noticing Shiina Riki's gaze, Toyokawa Shoko stopped and asked her.

"nothing."

Faced with Toyokawa Shoko's concern, Shiina Riki immediately ran away.

She couldn't say that she was thinking about Toyokawa Shoko's boyfriend just now, right?

It's a bit too strange no matter how you look at it.

"Does Shiina know that Hibiki is coming back?"

Perhaps because she saw that Tatsuki Shiina had no intention of starting to play the drums and was a little restless, Shoko Toyokawa gave up playing and instead stopped to chat with Tatsuki Shiina.

"Well, Iruma told me that he'll be back soon."

"So, Shiina, how about we schedule our performance time for the weekend after Hibiki returns?"

Toyokawa Shoko looked at Shiina Tatsuki with a smile.

And Shiina Riki actually felt a little ashamed when facing such a smile.

After all, it was she who nearly broke the band apart, forcing Hibiki Iruma to come back for her...

If you think about it carefully, when she was talking about quitting, she was actually...

Many times, we regret only after we have paid the price.

"Isn't it too early?"

"too early?"

Toyokawa Shoko questioned Shiina Tateki's sudden question.

"Takamatsu-san's condition is a bit fluctuating, as is Nagasaki-san. As for Iruma, he should be able to play Kasuga Kage on his guitar, but he hasn't played with everyone..."

Shiina Riki was silent for a moment.

"It's easy to make mistakes on the spot, so I still need to practice more."

"Also, if Iruma can't practice a song thoroughly, he'll get nervous when performing with everyone. It's okay in the rehearsal room, but if he shows his nervous expression on stage, it'll be a bit bad."

Shiina Riki spoke softly, as if he was reciting a text.

"Also, although Kasuga Kage's guitar part is no longer difficult for Iruma, he still needs to familiarize himself with Takamatsu-san's singing method. After all—"

"Once Deng starts singing, it's easy to get too absorbed in it and forget about other people, right?"

Toyokawa Shoko continued what Shiina Riki said.

"Shiina, you know Hibiki very well."

Then, she praised Shiina Riki——

Because what Shiina Riki just said actually involved some details about Iruma Hibiki that she hadn't noticed.

"Ah, that's——"

Shiina Riki's tone was interrupted.

In fact, she felt doubly guilty when facing Toyokawa Shoko. On the one hand, it was because of the incident that almost ruined the band before, and on the other hand, it was because of Iruma Hibiki.

So her tone, which was usually a little sharp, became a little too soft at this moment.

42. "Spring Shadow" by Takamatsu Touma

"We used to practice together all the time, and when he was in the shop, Wildcat would often come and teach him guitar."

"So I understand a little bit. Please don't misunderstand me, Fengchuan."

Shiina Riki explained in a way that was completely unclear, but fortunately, Toyokawa Shoko didn't care at the moment and just nodded.

"What does the ringing sound like when it's working?"

Afterwards, perhaps the topic of Hibiki Iruma came up.

The atmosphere between the two of them became a little better.

After this topic was over, Shoko Toyokawa took the right time to talk about the previous rehearsals.

"Don't worry too much about what happened before, Shiina. Everyone already knows your thoughts and feelings. We will work hard together, okay?"

Toyokawa Shoko smiled at Shiina Tatsuki.

"Um……"

Shiina Riki responded with mixed emotions.

"Did Xiang tell everyone about this for me?"

Then she asked.

"Yes, Hibiki, you care about your junior Shiina a lot."

In fact, when he was told that he "cares", Shiina Riki felt a little happy.

But when he heard the subsequent address of "junior", Shiina Riki suddenly felt a little sad.

Beneath Toyokawa Shoko's faint smile, there was actually a hint of selfishness hidden in her heart.

Just like when she deliberately mentioned the word "junior" just now, it was probably the possessive part of her love that was at work.

This is an instinct that you will have once you have a lover, even if you are not aware of it.

After all, Hibiki Iruma is her property.

Toyokawa Shoko actually had this idea from the very beginning.

But at this moment, this thought became even deeper. Toyokawa Shoko gently placed her hand on her lips, then a blush appeared on her face and she smiled shyly.

The beautiful sunset shone on her face, making her smile at the moment look particularly lovely.

For Tatsuki Shiina, the atmosphere became a bit torturous until other people arrived one after another.

There was some friction between Nagasaki Suyo and Toyokawa Shoko.

But when the topic of Hibiki Iruma is not involved, the two of them can still get along in a band for the time being.

It was like signing an agreement that romantic disputes would not affect the band.

When the rehearsal began, Nagasaki Suyo performed well in the role of "Kasuga Shadow".

"Do you want to record it and send it to Xiang..."