Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

Maybe it's because she knows the word "Ijichi Hongka very well".

Because the words used by Ijichi Hongka here are somewhat subtle, perhaps it can also be interpreted as a somewhat ambiguous word like "very close".

"What do you think of Hibiki, regarding Pochi-chan?"

"What do you want to do anyway?"

"We'll prepare for Pochi-chan's school festival, and then have Pochi-chan muster up the courage to stand on the school stage like us!"

Ijichi Hongxia said excitedly.

It seems that last Friday's success has encouraged her in some way.

And Iruma Hibiki thought for a moment.

Yes--

Maybe his decision seemed gentle and caring towards Goto Ichiri before, but...

"I think it's great, let's do it. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"As for Pochi-chan..."

Iruma Hibiki recalled the pink figure and showed a look of distress and nostalgia.

"Don't be fooled by her pessimistic words, like she's fine being alone, hiding in the closet, or that she's socially anxious and doesn't dare to do that."

"But for Pochi-chan, wanting to be a big star that everyone pays attention to and having a brilliant youth has been her dream for a long time. Because of this, Pochi-chan can't listen to those songs about successful young love."

...Near? Linba House? Linba Ten (Three)? Liu Jiuling*Dream...

As soon as Iruma Hibiki finished speaking, the atmosphere paused.

"Higashi really does understand Pochi-chan."

"After all, we've been classmates for three years."

Iruma Hibiki sighed slightly.

"Yes! It's decided now! Ryo will definitely support it!"

"If you help... maybe by next year's school festival, Pochi-chan will have grown into a rising star on the stage. As long as she can get rid of her social anxiety, she will definitely shine. After all, Pochi-chan's level is amazing."

Iruma Hibiki did not deny this at all.

For Goto Ichiri, there was a time when her guitar was everything to her——

She bet all her ideals, youth and efforts on it. Such dedication and hard work naturally brought terrible rewards.

Moreover, Goto Ichiri is definitely not a fool. Although there is still some gap between him and a genius, he is definitely someone who learns very quickly.

"It's a shame I couldn't have a good time at this year's school festival."

Iruma Hibiki suddenly said.

Originally, Xiugao's school festival was scheduled for the end of March, right before Golden Week, but...

At that time, the band broke up.

It was a very bad situation.

So during the school festival, everyone just toured the campus. In Liang's words, the atmosphere at that time was probably similar to that of a funeral hall.

"Well, speaking of which, are you coming to next year's performance?"

Suddenly, Ijichi Hongka invited Iruma Hibiki.

She was actually feeling a little nervous and uneasy.

Because this invitation is not a simple invitation, but comes from some magazines that only think about themselves.

Beneath Ijichi Nikka's brilliant smile is—

The regret at the beginning of my youth that I will never forget.

77 Xiangzi knows

Perhaps because we had talked about the school festival earlier, during lunch break, Iruma Hibiki pulled out her phone and looked up this year's performance by Shugao.

Because of the rigorous academic atmosphere at Xiagao, the open day is not as interesting as that at Xiugao. Of course, the open day at the neighboring Tsuki no Mori can only be described as horrific.

Ijichi Hongka was probably talking about a concert held in a performance hall in Hidetaka. The audience was packed with people, and standing on the stage was a girl band whose name Iruma Hibiki didn't know.

"Hibiki, wanna go have lunch together? Ryou're coming with us today."

Ijichi Hongka invited Iruma Hibiki, and Iruma Hibiki also raised his head and temporarily shifted his attention away from the video.

"Well, let's go together."

"Hibiki is watching the school festival at Hidetaka?"

"Yeah, I was a little concerned just now so I looked at it."

Iruma Hibiki nodded without denying it at all.

"Ah! Look here! That's us!"

Suddenly, Ijichi Hongxia pointed to a corner.

In the video, the people standing there were Ijichi Kouka, Yamada Ryo, Goto Ichiri, and him who was standing next to Goto Ichiri like a dead child at that time.

Iruma Hibiki was slightly surprised——

Was I in such a miserable state at that time?

too weird.

"Did Hibiki see the look in Pochi-chan's eyes at that time?"

They tacitly agreed not to talk about the sad things that happened at that time. Ijichi Nijika reminded Iruma Hibiki to pay attention to Goto Ichiri in the video.

It seems that Goto Ichiri did not notice the location where the video was shot, so she accurately showed her expectations and longings for the band on the stage.

She watched the performance on the stage with a gleam in her eyes, one hand tightly holding the sleeve of Iruma Hibiki beside her, and the other hand clenched into a fist, probably making a C chord gesture.

Yes.

At that time, Goto Ichiri was definitely looking forward to the stage.

"Of course, after that, Pochi-chan seemed to realize that there were so many people around her, and she collapsed."

Hibiki Iruma actually remembers some things from that time.

At that time, he felt that he and Goto Ichiri were back to the time when they were in junior high school.

"..."

"This stage is very special, and there might be a lot of preparation required for the performance."

"Eh? Special?"

Iruma Hibiki changed the subject, and Ijichi Nikka suddenly became interested.

For her, the topic of performances and music is great.

Of course--

At this moment, Ijichi Hongxia, while enjoying such a topic, also had a bit of unrealistic expectations.

"Well, you see, this stage is bigger and taller than a typical livehouse, and the speakers are arranged differently. I'm not sure about the specific use of the lighting, but it's more powerful and larger than in a livehouse..."

"These small details will affect the band's positioning when the time comes."

Iruma Hibiki spoke softly.

"Ah! Indeed!"

"Hongxia, do you know? Roselia's band supposedly reserves the venue in advance for every performance, deciding on details like lighting, stage positions, and layout."

"That's why they became such a great professional band."

"Himagi really put in the effort!"

Ijichi Hongxia said this with a smile, of course, with a hint of emotion in her heart.

"Because I'm in charge of Crychic's performances recently, I know a little bit about it."

"So Hibiki wasn't in charge?"

"Yes, Xiangzi is responsible for it."

"Toyokawa-san..."

"Let's just sit over there!"

After muttering Toyokawa Shoko's name, Ijichi Nijika took the lead and walked towards an empty bench, where Yamada Ryo had been waiting for a long time.

"haven't seen you for a long time."

Facing Iruma Hibiki, Yamada Ryo said coldly that she seemed to have not brought lunch today, and Iruma Hibiki saw through her plan at once.

Yes, the reason why Yamada Ryo came today was probably because he had eaten all the grass in the nearby flower bed, so he came to eat for free.

"haven't seen you for a long time?"

Anyway, Iruma Hibiki responded to Yamada Ryo's somewhat strange greeting.

"We just met last Friday."

“One day without seeing you is like three autumns apart.”

Suddenly, Yamada Ryo said something very literary, which scared Ijichi Hongka.

Of course, Iruma Hibiki had already seen through Yamada Ryo's plan.

but--

Today, Ijichi Hongxia did bring a slightly larger lunch box.

"Hibiki's bento today is a convenience store style."

"Well, I stayed out last night and didn't go home, so if you want to exchange dishes today, I'm sorry..."

Iruma Hibiki opened the disposable lunch box and chopsticks.

"It's okay, Xiang, you give me food for free, I don't mind."

Yamada Ryo came over and set his eyes on the fried chicken nuggets in Iruma Hibiki's lunch box, and Iruma Hibiki sighed slightly.

"Senior Liang should plan your living expenses carefully."

Even so, he still couldn't bear to see Yamada Ryo starve.

So he picked up some salad, two pieces of fried chicken and some rice and placed them on the plastic box lid on the side.

"Here, Hibiki, the pork chop and fried egg I made."

In contrast, he received support from Ijichi Hongxia.

Of course, Ijichi Hongxia not only supported her, but also gave some to Yamada Ryo. In this way, the amount Yamada Ryo had was enough to fill his stomach, at least until school was over.

Next to Ijichi Kouka, Yamada Ryo ate quite fast and finished his entire meal in no time, while Iruma Hibiki and Ijichi Kouka had only eaten half of it.

"By the way, Xiang, the previous homework—"

"Sorry Hongxia, I may have to borrow your notes for a few days. Although I have caught up on the main points, there are still some details to be covered."

"It's okay, but it's great to be able to catch up."

Ijichi Nikka smiled gently, and at this moment, Iruma Hibiki actually felt a rare sense of relaxation.

It was as if all worries could be forgotten at this moment.

Lunch continued like this.

During this period, I don’t know when Yamada Ryo disappeared.

Afterwards, the conversation between Iruma Hibiki and Ijichi Kouka turned into some trivial matters.

It was not until the end of dinner time when the two returned to the classroom that Iruma Hibiki noticed the text message that Wakaba Mutsu had sent not long ago.

【Xiang, Su Shi didn't come to school. 】

……

Facing Wakaba Mutsu's reply, Iruma Hibiki took a deep breath.

【Do the teacher and classmates know anything? 】