Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

"Aha?!"

After the scream, Shiina Riki's momentum suddenly weakened a lot.

"So, is it that obvious?"

Then she looked at Iruma Hibiki as if to confirm.

"Su Shi, how did you know that?"

Faced with this, Iruma Hibiki put aside his thoughts for the time being and asked. In fact, he could not see any dark circles under Shiina Riki's eyes, but it was true that Shiina Riki had put a lot of effort into her makeup today and looked very good.

certainly--

He was worried about more than just the previous things.

Wakaba Mutsu is very strange today.

No, it's really weird.

Where would Wakaba Mu be in such a situation in the past?

Usually, he would be at a place far away, just where he could hear everyone chatting. He would be alone with a blank expression on his face, or smiling, watching everyone like a bystander.

Then I would occasionally join the chat because of his questions.

But at this moment, Wakaba Mu——

She was hiding behind him, carrying a very cute backpack and holding a brown paper bag with an unknown thing in it.

The whole person seemed to be evasive, hiding in his shadow.

It seems to be——

As if avoiding Nagasaki Suyo's sight.

45 Shiina Riki's Delusion and 0721

Iruma Hibiki felt a little anxious.

So much so that he was completely unable to enjoy the joy of traveling at this moment.

In fact, this is just an ordinary trip, and I will repeat it here.

As if it was just some ordinary play that couldn't relieve the exhaustion from the heart, Hibiki Iruma walked beside Soyo Nagasaki with his head down.

Nagasaki Suyo walked very close.

Over time, the distance between people became a little strange.

Iruma Hibiki relied on the figure of Nagasaki Motoyo in front of him, while Shiina Tatsuki became Nagasaki Motoyo's assistant at this moment, planning the route together.

Takamatsu Touma walked on the left side of Iruma Hibiki.

Wakaba Mutsu was very close behind Iruma Hibiki.

It was as if Hibiki Iruma was surrounded by the girls in the band, or as if he were in a cage, and he was the one in the cage.

As we all know, those locked in cages are either homing birds or wild beasts.

So where is Hibiki Iruma at this moment?

"what--"

When passing a staircase, Nagasaki Suyo staggered and fell diagonally forward. Iruma Hibiki suddenly stopped thinking, grabbed Nagasaki Suyo's hand in an instant, and then pulled her towards him.

"Is it okay for Qilingba Wu⑷ to walk around with Eight Fins (Seven)?"

Shiina Riki, who was walking in front and looking at the navigation on his mobile phone, turned his head and asked with concern.

Then she saw Nagasaki Suyo, who was leaning on Iruma Hibiki's chest, looking up slightly, her face flushed.

"Because of the ringing, it's okay."

Wakaba Mu moved slightly away from Iruma Xiang.

But the movement was so small that only Gao Songdeng saw it.

"Be careful."

Perhaps Shiina Riki was the only one who did not have any other thoughts about what was happening in front of him. Instead, he was concerned about Nagasaki Suyo.

As for Hibiki Iruma——

He held Nagasaki Suyo's hand and felt as if an electric current was driving through his palm. He gritted his teeth, then quickly let go.

"Do you want me to help carry the boxes?"

He suggested.

Maybe the suitcase would separate them, and he could—

Relax a little.

This is what Iruma Hibiki thought.

"no need."

Nagasaki Suyo responded with a smile.

"It was just a careless mistake just now. I'm sorry for causing trouble to Xiang."

She played gently with the ends of her hair.

"We're about to enter the station."

At this time, Shiina Riki turned around and reminded.

In fact, even if she had not misunderstood what happened before, the intimate attitude between Nagasaki Motoyo and Iruma Hibiki at this moment still made her feel uncomfortable.

Forget about Toyokawa Shoko.

Nagasaki Motoyo is the ex-girlfriend, right?

The ex-girlfriend just acts like an ex-girlfriend should. What's the point of being so affectionate?

Shiina Riki thought so in his heart.

Of course she ignored the sour feelings in her heart.

And perhaps—

In fact, she herself may not understand her feelings for Iruma Hibiki.

Perhaps it was because of the [Alien Arranger] that she became curious about her predecessor in the beginning.

Then, because of the wild cats, a deeper connection was formed between the two.

While Iruma Hibiki was taking care of Kaname Rana, Shiina Riki suddenly realized that her senior was such a gentle person, and she was a little surprised by this.

Then there are the interactions at work.

Ring's work is actually very hard and tiring, both at the front desk and backstage. During busy times, the store manager has terrifying work rules -

All guests must be entertained during the interval between performances.

But at the same time, it should not make the guests feel rude.

Such requirements make the coordination between the front and back ends in the work very demanding.

At the beginning, Shiina Riki was the one who was taken care of.

There were some mistakes as well.

For example, he might deliver the wrong drink to the guest, or mix up the coffee ordered by the first guest and the orange juice ordered by the person behind him.

But Hibiki Iruma always managed to handle the situation well and help her deal with her mistakes...

What happens after that?

It's what happened during Crychic, right?

At that time, she probably already had some...

I have different feelings towards Hibiki Iruma.

At least at that time, she felt that Iruma Hibiki was a very pleasant person to get along with, someone she could talk to about anything. Even her friend Yawata Kairin did not make her feel that way.

So she told Hibiki Iruma her biggest worry.

My sister's affairs and the expectations of the band.

Shiina Riki was actually very nervous at that time.

With a hint of uneasiness.

He confided everything in Hibiki Iruma simply out of trust in her, which actually violated one of the interpersonal communication rules among Tokyo high school students:

Don't think that just because you tell others your true feelings, you are being honest. No one will care about it. You will only cause trouble for others.

But Hibiki Iruma's response was—

Empathetic support.

Iruma Hibiki was probably even more eager than she was to see her shine as a drummer in a band at that time.

……

Later, facing the invitation of Toyokawa Shoko, Shiina Riki actually did not want to join a band that worked hard for her dream. She hoped to be a serious professional band. She did not mind being under pressure as long as she could achieve success.

But after hearing the name of "Alien Composer".

Shiina Riki's expression changed quickly and he agreed decisively.

What happens after that?

This is probably Hibiki Iruma's confession about the "alien composer" incident.

In Shiina Riki's heart, the initial admiration for Iruma Hibiki has dissipated. What has become of her after it dissipated?

In fact, the expected collapse and disappointment have not dissipated at all.

Facing the clumsy Iruma Hibiki who has talent but lacks effort, Shiina Riki always——

happy.

……

What kind of feeling is this?

Like it?

Or is it affection or attachment?

No, maybe none of this matters.

Hibiki Iruma has never lacked people who like him.

Toyokawa Shoko, Nagasaki Suyo, Wakaba Mutsuhiro and Takamatsu Touma.

And what about her?

It's probably just a tiny blade of grass on a lawn full of flowers.

……

But even so.

Iruma Hibiki still cares about her more than himself.

On the night he rushed back from Kyoto, the words that Iruma Hibiki said once again echoed in Shiina Riki's mind.

Yes, she is irreplaceable.

For the first time in her life, someone said such words to her.

In fact, perhaps, finding someone to replace the absent person that day was actually a subconscious choice for Shiina Riki, because she was always replaced by more talented people.

However, Hibiki Iruma broke her assumption.

She is irreplaceable.

I'm afraid that Shiina Riki only needs this sentence to survive.

……

So what has become of her feelings towards Hibiki Iruma at this moment?

she does not know.