Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

Although he was in tatters in every sense, at least he felt that he had done enough to make those around him feel at ease.

Or, what if one day he realized that he couldn't even do that?

You will definitely feel uneasy and uneasy.

Although it is said that friends should rely on each other, Iruma Hibiki always has a similar concept to Goto Ichiri.

Probably, his very existence is causing trouble to the people around him, and if this trouble becomes more troublesome, then it will be really bad.

So when Hibiki Iruma said this to Nikka Ijichi, she felt a little uneasy.

"Excuse me, Hongxia, what worries you?"

Iruma Hibiki asked cautiously.

"You don't need to apologize for this kind of thing. Actually, it's because of the song you and Pochi-chan updated together a while ago."

"Ah, that song."

Iruma Hibiki breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hmm! Isn't the line Hibiki keeps repeating in that song 'I am powerless'? So I was a little worried, and I called today to confirm it."

"Hibiki, are you in any trouble? Is there anything I can help you with?"

Ijichi Hongxia asked.

In fact, such concern slightly exceeds the normal sense of distance.

However, after recently spending time with Iruma Hibiki and Goto Ichiri, Ijichi Nijika has also figured out some secrets to getting along with Yinkaku.

For example, one of them is -

Never hesitate to get involved in other people's affairs.

In fact, she didn't discover this trick by herself, but learned it from Kita.

After all, Kita relied on this trick to control Goto Ichiri.

They even dug out a lot of information about Iruma Hibiki's junior high school days from Goto Ichiri, which was quite terrifying.

"Don't worry, it's nothing special."

In fact, there are still some troubles.

But Hibiki Iruma didn't intend to say it.

It’s not that I think Ichichi Hongxia is unreliable.

But it's useless to talk about such things. Apart from making Ichichi Hongxia worry about him, almost no one can solve the problem.

The only thing that might have some hope is——

Hibiki Iruma thought of his father.

He was not sure how much his family could do in the face of the Toyokawa family's household affairs, and even if they could, whether Toyokawa Shoko would accept it was another matter.

"That's good."

Ijichi Hongxia said this easily.

"That song is truly amazing... With Pochi-chan's singing style, I feel like it could be performed on stage without any problems!"

"If Hongxia is planning to perform, you can give it a try, at Pochi-chan's place—"

"Pochi-chan's performance on stage was extremely unstable. Let me tell you, before—"

The next topic was some random chat about ending the band.

Ijichi Hongka and Iruma Hibiki chatted for a long time until the other party started preparing for school and had to leave. The conversation ended only when Ijichi Hoshika reminded them on the other end of the phone.

After saying goodbye, Iruma Hibiki was silent for a while, and then he opened the chat box of Nagasaki Motoyo.

[Su Shi, today is mid-week, right? If we meet in the afternoon, what about the classes?]

He still cared about what was happening on Nagasaki Suyo's side.

【I have asked for leave from my teacher. 】

【Ask for leave……】

"Well, since I really want to see Hibiki, things like classes don't matter. My attendance rate and grades are fine, so Hibiki doesn't need to worry."

Nagasaki Motoyo's response actually blocked what Iruma Hibiki wanted to say in various ways.

【Hibiki, don't you want to see me? 】

【I didn’t say that.】

Iruma Hibiki responded quickly.

He felt a slight headache.

Perhaps it was the first time that Hibiki Iruma suddenly felt that Nagasaki Suyo was a troublesome woman.

[Did Sushi only take the afternoon off? ]

"No, actually it's one day. But since Xiang got up early, how about we meet earlier?"

Looking at the invitation from Nagasaki Suyo, Iruma Hibiki fell silent for a moment.

[Is Sushi okay? If we meet in advance, it will be difficult for you to prepare, right?]

[It’s okay. Actually, I’m also bored and staying at home alone.]

A few seconds later, Hibiki Iruma received a photo.

It was a photo of Nagasaki Suyo's room.

It was just different from the first time he saw her. The first time, what Hibiki Iruma saw was actually a faint reflection on the glass, but this time, what he saw was Nagasaki Soyo sitting on the bed facing the camera.

And she was only wearing pajamas.

Facing the camera, Nagasaki Suyo smiled.

Just like she said, she had actually already done the basic preparations of washing, combing her hair, and going out. The only thing left was changing her clothes.

[Xiang, do you feel that I am different? ]

[Oh well.]

Before Iruma Hibiki could send out the words in the chat box, Nagasaki Motoyo sent a new message.

【no the same?】

[Well, actually, I'm planning to change my image a bit recently.]

Nagasaki Suyo said this, but Iruma Hibiki couldn't find any difference in the photo in front of him.

Can't you see?

【Ah... a little bit.】

In fact, Iruma Hibiki could have cheated by using old photos.

But in the end he chose not to do so.

[Actually, it's my bangs. I went to the barber shop yesterday to get a little trim.]

When Nagasaki Suyo said this, Iruma Hibiki had some subtle feelings. Indeed, Nagasaki Suyo's bangs were slightly different from before.

-

Then, Iruma Hibiki frowned.

Looking at Nagasaki Suyo's new bangs, Iruma Hibiki felt a strange sense of familiarity.

"But I thought Xiang would notice that this is the hairstyle I often wore in that dream."

-

Until Nagasaki Suyo revealed the answer.

Only then did Iruma Hibiki realize the source of that strange sense of familiarity.

How's that? Not weird, right?

【Well, not surprising.】

Iruma Hibiki responded.

[Hehe... I thought Xiang would praise me, but I'm a little disappointed.]

……

Iruma Hibiki watched Nagasaki Suyo's conversation in silence.

"So, Hibiki, how about we meet in Ikebukuro later?"

[We agreed to meet at the coffee shop yesterday. I'll be there in about an hour.]

……

Before Iruma Hibiki could say anything, the meeting was confirmed.

Iruma Hibiki was silent for a while, then he could only sigh, put away his phone and walked out of the room.

"Hibiki, are you going out?"

At this point, his mother was still at home, and his father should have rushed to the hospital.

"Yeah, I need to go meet some classmates."

"Be careful on the road."

"Well, I understand, Mom. By the way, Mom, when Dad comes back this time, can you tell him about the Toyokawa family on my behalf? I want to know."

Facing his mother, Iruma Hibiki spoke first.

"Well, I see."

After getting his mother's permission and saying goodbye, Iruma walked out of the house with a sigh and headed to Ikebukuro.

05 Nagasaki Suyo's Double Bet

Hibiki Iruma still remembers his first meeting with Soyo Nagasaki, which was actually around the time of Ring. At that time, his seniors seemed to support his band and even created an opportunity for him to have a good exchange with Soyo Nagasaki.

The image of Nagasaki Soyo that day actually still lingers in Iruma Hibiki's mind.

When they arrived at the door of the agreed coffee shop, through the transparent glass, Iruma Hibiki saw Nagasaki Motoyo waving at him from inside.

Today's Nagasaki Suyo is easy to understand.

Of course, this doesn't mean that he suddenly became a reliable man who understands girls' inner thoughts very well, or that he suddenly has the hypnotic magic to see through people's hearts.

It means literally and is easy to understand.

Today, Nagasaki Suyo was wearing casual clothes that she had never worn before.

From the hairstyle to the clothes, it was exactly how Hibiki Iruma looked when he first met Nagasaki Soyo in his memory.

In fact, most of Hibiki Iruma's memories of that time have become vague. Except for some memories that he didn't want to forget and tried hard to recall over the years, most of them have faded.

But for Nagasaki Suyo, it was probably just a dream from last night, and it would not be difficult to replicate it. The moment she appeared in this outfit, Iruma Hibiki's somewhat vague memories became clear again.

"Good morning, Hibiki."

"Good morning."

Hibiki Iruma came to Nagasaki Suyo and sat next to her.

The seats here are in a row by the window. Unlike a round table, they can't actually sit on different sides and can only sit shoulder to shoulder.

"Why did Su Shi want to come to me?"

Iruma Hibiki didn't exchange too many pleasantries, but went straight to the point and asked about the purpose of today's meeting.

He was actually a little worried.

The Nagasaki Suyo in front of him seemed to have some weird and abnormal aspects.

"A lot has been happening in Crychic lately."

Nagasaki Suyo said, then opened the menu on the desktop.

"What would you like to drink?"