Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

"black tea."

"That's the same as me."

Then——

With a slight ding sound, the waiter came here in a short while.

"Two cups of hot Earl Grey tea."

"Ok."

After a brief exchange, the order was taken.

This is also an affordable cafe. Unlike Toyokawa Shoko, Nagasaki Suyo doesn't seem to often go to those very expensive cafes.

"Crychic's matter... Oh, by the way, I came back that day also for the band's matter."

"Ok, I know."

Nagasaki Suyo responded softly.

"Su Shi, you..."

Iruma Hibiki frowned slightly.

To be honest, at this point, Iruma Hibiki had no idea what Nagasaki Soyo wanted to do, and at this moment he was completely unable to look at Nagasaki Soyo with a normal mentality.

Only after the black tea was served did Nagasaki Suyo continue the conversation.

There was a brief silence.

This brief moment of silence actually made Hibiki Iruma feel uneasy.

"I knew Hibiki returned to Tokyo the next day."

Nagasaki Suyo spoke softly, stirring the brown tea with the small spoon given in the cafe.

"..."

Hibiki Iruma remained silent.

Actually, maybe it would be better to explain it now.

But what can he say?

Say--

[Su Shi, am I avoiding you? ]

Even the most honest person should understand that some true feelings cannot be expressed in certain situations.

"I actually hate what Shiina-san did... I'm also to blame for what happened that day. I'm sorry, Hibiki, for making you come back all this way."

……

But to Hibiki Iruma's surprise, Nagasaki Suyo did not blame him for not contacting him first.

On the contrary——

I apologize first.

"It doesn't matter. Rather, I guessed that Su Shi would be angry."

It can even be said that it is not surprising at all.

"Well, it's a very important band after all. In my mind, everyone is absolutely irreplaceable."

Nagasaki Suyo didn't say anything and easily confessed her true thoughts.

"Xiang, next time, I will never do that."

"Su Shi?"

When Nagasaki Suyo said this, Iruma Hibiki looked up at her face in surprise.

"Actually, Shiina-san, you haven't even considered finding someone to replace Shoko and Hibiki, have you?"

"I just wanted everyone's rehearsal to go smoothly. I was too concerned at the time and made a mess of things."

"You're not wrong, Sushi. Shiina did do some things that were not good, although her intentions cannot be said to be bad."

Iruma Hibiki, in turn, comforted Nagasaki Suyo who was blaming him at the moment.

"Hibiki, you're so gentle. You haven't changed at all in that aspect."

In front of Iruma Hibiki, Nagasaki Suyo chuckled.

Saying things like "Nothing has changed at all."

It was as if they had been separated for a long time.

"So Xiang..."

Also after this, in front of Iruma Hibiki, Nagasaki Soyo showed a troubled look, her smile disappeared, revealing some of the true loneliness beneath that face.

"Next time, if you make a decision about the band, could you please discuss it with me? As for me..."

"I want to help Hibiki."

"Even if..."

Nagasaki Suyo's tone paused for a moment, and Iruma Hibiki saw a look of deep sadness on her face.

"The same goes for my ex-girlfriend who has become a problem for Hibiki."

……

【Ex-girlfriend】

The moment this word appeared, Iruma Hibiki was surprised.

The sadness that Nagasaki Motoyo expressed at this moment was too real, forcing Iruma Hibiki to believe what she said.

"Is that okay? Hibiki?"

"I don't want to be completely ignorant of Xiang's affairs. I also want to take some responsibility for the contribution Xiang has made to the band."

"Because, like Xiang, I take the band's affairs very seriously."

Nagasaki Suyo carefully observed Iruma Hibiki at this moment.

She knew that at this moment, Hibiki Iruma had probably been shaken deep down in his heart.

As for just now——

Of course, what my ex-girlfriend said was a lie.

However, from Wakaba Mutsu, the recent tracking of Toyokawa Shoko, and the news from her mother, Nagasaki Suyo probably knew more or less something about the Toyokawa family.

In that case——

Nagasaki Suyo had some ideas of her own.

When it comes to the issue of Toyokawa Shoko, as long as she stands with Iruma Hibiki and protects the band, then, no matter what, she will be the winner, right?

If Toyokawa Shoko comes back and goes to Lu Leng (4!二x〝》)②山I。V&〔〓覇ba肆凌梦, then for her, the important band will continue, and as for those who don't want to let go, it will just return to the status quo.

If Toyokawa Shoko doesn't come back——

Nagasaki Suyo smiled.

"I understand Sushi."

Iruma Hibiki sighed and finally agreed to Nagasaki Suyo.

After all, the only people he could talk to and share his thoughts on the band's current affairs were Nagasaki Suyo and Wakaba Mutsu.

written request for leave

This is the first time I have asked for leave since the beginning of this book, tears (

Sorry everyone, I was on a date this afternoon so I walked for a few hours in the scorching heat and I'm exhausted (I'm dizzy and want to vomit now, and I have absolutely no energy to update anymore, so I'll take a day off and will resume updating as normal tomorrow.

This book will not be abandoned, please believe me otz.

06 Nagasaki Suyo's Advance

"call--"

Taking a deep breath, Hibiki Iruma felt as if it was over for some reason.

He felt that Nagasaki Suyo seemed to have changed a little?

Maybe I can’t say a few things anymore, I should say a lot?

After all, I've been through so much...

Even though it hasn't been long since school started.

But it has gone through many twists and turns.

In short, after experiencing so many things, Nagasaki Motoyo seems to have grown and changed a lot. He is no longer the guy who wanted to change but was a little at a loss at the beginning.

With a hint of subtle emotion, a hint of tenderness appeared on Iruma Hibiki's face.

He took a sip of the black tea. It seemed that the tea had cooled down a little because it had been left for a long time. After sighing softly, Iruma Hibiki raised his head and looked at Nagasaki Suyo.

"What do you think of everyone's performance, Sushi?"

"What do you mean by how?"

"Has 'Kasuga Shadow' reached the stage ready for performance?"

Iruma Hibiki asked the question that concerned him the most at the moment.

"ring?"

Such an inquiry surprised Nagasaki Suyo.

Even Hibiki Iruma's expression at this moment made her feel a little surprised, and -

disturbed.

The expression on Iruma Hibiki's face at this moment was something Nagasaki Suyo had never seen before. It was a mixture of sadness and determination, as well as firmness and obsession.

"Still have some questions?"

Hibiki Iruma asked.

"Um... no."

Nagasaki Suyo shook her head.

I couldn't say anything next.

"It's just that we're missing rehearsals with Xiang and Xiangzi, so we don't know the specific results. But in reality, all of us should be able to perform well. But we still need to practice to know for sure."

"Ah."

Iruma Hibiki nodded.

"Sushi, I think we can go on stage and perform 'Spring Shadow' next weekend if possible."

"Eh?"

Once again, Iruma Hibiki's decision surprised Nagasaki Suyo.

Because no matter how you look at it, Iruma should be someone who supports taking steady steps and is not in a rush to perform safely.

But the choice here is actually——

"But didn't Li Xi say..."

Nagasaki Suyo mentioned Toyokawa Shoko's name.

Because what Hibiki Iruma said at this moment was completely different from what Tatsuki Shiina had thought before, and Tatsuki Shiina's idea was actually supported by Shoko Toyokawa at that time.

"Lixi's words..."

Iruma Hibiki was silent for a moment.

"It's okay. I can definitely keep up, and Xiangzi will have no problem either. The coordination part won't take that much time to resolve."

"Plus, starting from this week, we can still rehearse together 4-5 times. Even if Xiangzi is busy, he should be able to come once or twice. This way, we will definitely have enough time."

"Well, I support Xiang."