Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

"I think the most important thing today is to decide on the band name and take a band photo."

Chihaya Aine continued the conversation with a smile on her face.

But in fact, this is inconsistent with the agreement——

According to the plans of Iruma Hibiki, Ijichi Nijima's wife, and Nagasaki Soyo, this afternoon should be the band's precious rehearsal time, although it is a little too early for Iruma Hibiki and Nagasaki Soyo.

However, it is necessary to practice even the simplest etudes during the precious free time that Ijichi Hongxia has.

As for the band's name and the group photo, no one had planned the former, except that Chihaya Aine had mentioned it once before, and the latter was originally planned to be taken during the last trip of Golden Week.

"Yeah, sure. The band name is important. If we take a photo together..."

Ichichi Hongxia agreed.

Then I started thinking.

"How about I take the photo? I changed my guitar bag today."

"Then thank you very much, Chihaya-kun!"

Iruma Hibiki was silent for a while, and seeing that Ijichi Nikka had no intention of mentioning the rehearsal, he remained silent on the issue as well.

"Iruma-san, is there any place in particular you'd like to take pictures of?"

But soon, the topic was brought to him.

Iruma Hibiki looked at Ijichi Kouka and pondered for a moment.

In fact, in Iruma Hibiki's opinion, or as he understood it, if they really wanted to take a group photo of the band today, they would have to find a simple and nearby place near Shimokitazawa.

This will allow you to complete the photo taking task as quickly as possible.

If naming and taking photos can be finished before 3pm, there will be enough time for the rest of the rehearsal -

"How about finding a park nearby?"

"I have no objection. I know there are many fun places nearby. There are also many beautiful street scenes in the direction of our school. What do you think, Chihaya?"

"Sure, I have no objection. However, the band photo must be taken properly."

It is obvious that at the very beginning, Chihaya Aine had some conflicts with Iruma Hibiki's ideas to some extent.

43 Chihaya Aine plans to study abroad

Hibiki Iruma was having trouble adapting to Chihaya Aine's rhythm.

This matter gave him a headache from the very beginning.

If Japanese high school students are divided into positive and negative characters, then he can definitely be said to be a negative character, while Chihaya Aine is a person who is a bit too positive.

While waiting for Nagasaki Suyo, Chihaya Aine became the center of the discussion. She kept starting various topics and then gradually finalized the band's plan - of course, according to her own ideas.

On the other hand, Ijichi Kouka did not raise much objection to Chihaya Aine's decision.

Most of them are in favor.

In the end, Hibiki Iruma gave up the idea of playing together.

"As for taking photos, I'm actually not sure if I can do it well. I'm not very photogenic."

After accepting the reality that there was a high probability that he would not be able to rehearse today, Iruma Hibiki felt a lot more relaxed.

Yes, in fact, he put a lot of pressure on himself during today's rehearsal -

He didn't want Ijichi Hongxia to be disappointed in this rare rehearsal.

So in the past few days, he has been practicing guitar desperately. The seven-string guitar he bought is actually not suitable for beginners, but is more suitable for professional players who play heavy guitar. Therefore, in the initial entry, Iruma Hibiki needs to have more experience and practice than others to adapt to the guitar with an extra string.

But now, when Chihaya Aine has arranged the schedule of naming, taking photos, managing the band's official blog, etc., there is very little time left for actual rehearsal on the entire Saturday.

Is this really okay?

Iruma Hibiki glanced worriedly at Ijichi Kouka beside him.

"Naming and taking a group photo are very important for a band. If we don't have a name and a group photo, we will definitely regret it later."

And Ijichi Nikka said this and smiled at Iruma Hibiki.

"makes sense."

At this moment, Iruma Hibiki completely changed his mind, expressed his agreement with Ijichi Kouka's statement, and later supported Chihaya Aine's plan.

"Speaking of which, it would be best if I were the leader of our band, right?"

Just as Nagasaki Suyo was about to arrive, Chihaya Aine had almost finished talking about the topic she wanted to talk about.

"Sure, Chihaya-san seems very reliable."

"I don't have any objection either."

After Ijichi Nikka agreed, Iruma Hibiki also tentatively agreed. It didn't matter to him who would be the captain. As long as they could form a good band and just like Nagasaki Suyo expected, they could go as far as they could together.

At least for Hibiki Iruma, this is what he expects from this band.

"Chihaya-san."

"Um, Iruma-san, do you have any questions?"

Iruma Hibiki looked at Chihaya Aine in front of him and was silent for a while.

In fact, this is largely because Iruma Hibiki is not good at dealing with people like Chihaya Aine.

"What's your reason for joining the band?"

Because he was a little concerned, Iruma Hibiki asked.

Such a question obviously made Chihaya Aine stunned for a moment, and then she said:

"Because I'm interested. Campus bands are very popular recently and everyone is talking about this topic, so I'm going to give it a try."

Chihaya Aine didn't lie.

But for herself, there are some facts that were concealed in what she said——

Chihaya Aine enjoys the feeling of being praised by others and being the focus of others' attention, and the same is true for forming a band.

"Is Chihaya-san playing in a band?"

"If you're like the president, it would be really cool if you joined a band. You know, the student council members of the neighboring school are all members of a popular girl band."

……

It was probably one day during a class chat.

When the topic of the band came up by chance, Chihaya Aine's deskmate suddenly said this.

Because of this, Chihaya Aine began to think about trying her hand at band activities.

Because if she played in a band, everyone would envy her. In her junior high school, there were actually not many people who played music, and even fewer who actually formed a band.

It's rare to find someone who plays a musical instrument, but that's just a solo act.

For this reason, Chihaya Aine ignited the idea of forming a band and put it into practice, even though it was the crucial third year of junior high school for her.

As to why is crucial.

Of course, it’s not about the so-called choice of whether to go to high school.

But in fact, Chihaya Aine is planning to study in the UK.

Everything has been discussed with my family, and what remains is to understand the general regulations for studying abroad and find the school I want to apply for, and then give it a try.

Yes, Chihaya Aine plans to study abroad in the UK during high school.

For this reason, she had actually talked about this matter with her friends once, and received everyone's envy and praise. After all, she was the top student in English at her age, and her oral English was also among the best in the school tests. With such results, it was natural for her to study in the UK.

But just like what is happening now, even though studying abroad is just around the corner, and she is overwhelmed by all the preparations, interviews, exams, and other things that must be done before studying abroad, Chihaya Aine still chose to send an email to Nagasaki Motoyo's email address online that day.

For her, band is perhaps just a hobby.

Just like most club activities, just spend some time and have fun together.

Chihaya Aine thinks so.

She actually has no interest in guitar.

She even knew about guitar because she saw her favorite blogger practicing guitar while watching videos.

Her interest in music and band things went no further.

So when Hibiki Iruma asked, Chihaya Aine's answer was just that she was interested.

As for the fact that she knows absolutely nothing about guitar.

Chihaya Aine didn't mention it.

After the band stuff it was just simple chit-chat.

"Chihaya-san arrived much earlier today. Are you excited?"

"Of course I'm a little excited, but actually this morning I attended a study abroad guidance lecture in Shimokitazawa, and after lunch I found that I had a lot of time left, so I decided to come to Fanxing to see what the performance was like."

Chihaya Aine explained.

"Study abroad?"

"Well, I plan to study abroad in England in high school."

In response to Iruma Hibiki's question, Chihaya Aine responded as a matter of course.

"Wait, Chihaya-san, if you're going abroad, what should we do with the band?"

"Eh?"

Facing Iruma Hibiki's question, Chihaya Aine showed a puzzled expression.

The doubts expressed by Chihaya Aine also made Iruma Hibiki feel strange, so he confirmed with Ijichi Nikka that there was no problem with him.

44 Vanity, Band, and Responsibility

Maybe something was wrong from the beginning, but no one thought about it in the beginning and just took it for granted.

"Don't campus bands become active during the student years?"

When Chihaya Aine said this, Iruma Hibiki fell into a strange feeling.

Yes, most bands go their separate ways after graduation.

For example, the band and performances of the light music club of the neighboring high school ten years ago have not been heard since they graduated. The activities of the broken biwa that Yamabuki Saya, who was picked up by Iruma Hibiki, have also gradually become less and less frequent in recent years. It can even be said that the more performances I see, the less I see them.

In a sense, the band is like the summer cicadas.

Live passionately in the hottest time, and meet the end in the freezing snow.

In the winter before spring break, probably after the New Year, it is graduation season.

Time is short and it is not surprising that it seems to be fleeting for people who play in a band.

That's the lifespan of most bands.

Some take three years, some take one or two years.

For Hibiki Iruma, this is natural. What direction will he go in the future?

His future plan is to go to the University of Tokyo. What about Ijichi Kouka? Is she also going to the University of Tokyo? What if Ijichi Kouka goes to Kagoshima University?

Are you still going to continue forming a band even though you are so far apart?

What should I do about the band’s activities, performances, and rehearsals?

Yes, although for Hibiki Iruma, he also looks forward to the vision that Nagasaki Suyo described, that is, the so-called community of shared destiny, where everyone forms a band together for life.

But if you calm down and think about it, there are actually things in our lives that are more important than the band.

It's like Chihaya Aine, is she going to give up studying abroad for the sake of the band?

Is Ijichi Hongxia going to give up Fanxing for the sake of the band?

Does he have to give up writing and his agreement with Goto Ichiri for the sake of the band?

No, absolutely not.

For Hibiki Iruma, the agreement he made with Ichiri Goto is actually very important, even though he is no longer the same person he was in junior high school.

Therefore, he must become a "human being".

So it goes without saying that when a band is formed, plans for separation should be made.