Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

"Really? Xiao Mu is also a party involved. Mu's choice is also very important."

Nagasaki Suyo spoke softly.

That was what Hibiki Iruma said at the beginning.

It was precisely because Iruma Hibiki said this that he gained Wakaba Mu's trust—

When he realized this again, Hibiki Iruma's silence deepened.

He looked at the tea brought by the waiter. It was a simple green tea, a free drink. Special orders seemed to be served later.

Wakaba Mu was obviously happier.

At least he smiled visibly.

"I've never seen Mu smile like this before when we met."

With Nagasaki Suyo's reminder, Wakaba Mu suddenly returned to his normal appearance.

This expression made Nagasaki Suyo laugh.

Faced with such harmonious interaction, Iruma Hibiki breathed a sigh of relief, perhaps out of happiness or perhaps out of peace with the current situation.

But as I breathed a sigh of relief, some deep thoughts came to my mind again.

"ring?"

It was not until Nagasaki Suyo reminded him that Iruma Hibiki came to his senses.

"Oh, sorry I was distracted for a moment."

Iruma Hibiki gave a slight wry smile and responded to Nagasaki Soyo.

"Is it okay?"

"Well, it's okay."

"Where were we talking about?"

"About everyone relaxing together tomorrow."

Nagasaki Suyo said with a smile.

"But before that, it would be better for us to finalize the plan for what happens next."

Nagasaki Suyo slightly shifted the topic to the main topic that everyone was concerned about. She played with her fingers and slightly put away the smile on her face.

"That way, both Mu and Xiang can feel more at ease, right?"

"First, Xiao Mu's side——"

Nagasaki Suyo set her sights on Wakaba Mutsu.

"Xiao Mu, do you want the band to continue?"

Wakaba Mutsu subconsciously glanced at Iruma Hibiki, but Iruma Hibiki did not express any opinion on this issue.

"Although it was Mu who finally said the words of disbanding, but the young Mu at that time must have lied for some reason."

Nagasaki Suyo spoke softly.

She actually had some feeling about what happened at that time.

After all, she is very good at observing others and guessing people's minds.

"I actually know why Mu said that at that time."

Hibiki Iruma suddenly interrupted the conversation at this moment.

"I actually made an agreement with Xiangzi before that I would stand on Xiangzi's side that day and disband the band."

“But I hesitated at that time.”

"Because I'm sad to see everyone at Crychic leave."

"Eh?!"

Nagasaki Suyo made a surprised sound.

This reaction also made Iruma Hibiki feel a little uneasy.

But he also made up his mind, to end it all here.

"Then, Mu, you stood up at the end to help me—"

"The relationship between her and Xiangzi broke down because of me."

……

"But?"

"Su Shi, are you trying to ask me why I think it's better to disband the band now?"

Yi Er Ming San弍l〒ing resurrection, Ba Ru Jian Xiang took a sip of tea, a somewhat bitter taste spreading on the tip of the tongue, followed by the refreshing aroma of green tea.

"Well, I want to know what Xiang thinks."

"Because later on, I may have understood why Xiangzi thought this way..."

"Because without Xiangzi's band, it really can't continue. Besides, everyone... actually has their own pursuits in the band, right?"

……

"If it doesn't satisfy you, break up and start over."

“It’s like when we ended up in the band.”

At this moment, Hibiki Iruma used "Our Ending Band".

Perhaps, it was not until this moment that Iruma Hibiki truly felt relieved about what happened and forgave Nagasaki Soyo who left at that time.

"Maybe it can be better."

Hibiki Iruma finished.

He finally fell silent.

"of course."

If it were his usual self, it would probably end here.

but--

Facing Nagasaki Soyo at this moment, Iruma Hibiki wanted to say more.

There was a gleam in his pupils that once again made Nagasaki Suyo slightly fascinated.

She couldn't remember how long it had been since she had seen Iruma Hibiki like this... The moment she saw him again, Nagasaki Suyo couldn't help but feel that it was great.

It's great to make the choice to change yourself today.

Such a feeling.

If at this moment, the former Hibiki Iruma was resurrected, no, perhaps if the former Hibiki Iruma could truly grow, perhaps—

"Many of the above statements are just excuses to evade responsibility."

"I."

Iruma Hibiki paused, then clenched his fists.

"Although I said it was for everyone's good, the truth is, I have no way to help Xiangzi. There is no way for Xiangzi to continue to exist as a member of the band."

"Faced with Xiangzi's experience, I felt so powerless."

"And Xiangzi wouldn't accept my help as a matter of course."

"I have no way to resolve Xiangzi's situation, so I can only insist on disbanding Crychic and ending everything. I'm torn between hesitating and causing trouble for everyone, wasting their time, and painfully cutting off the past and starting over."

"I would choose the latter—"

Iruma Hibiki spoke at length in one breath.

Even at the end, there was a hint of pain and crying in his tone.

"What about Mu? What does Mu think?"

Then, Iruma Hibiki quickly turned the topic over to Wakaba Mutsu.

I was afraid that if I hesitated for a moment, my emotions would become completely uncontrollable.

"Thank you for your hard work—"

Then, he heard Nagasaki Suyo's words of comfort, and—

His hand was gently held in the palm of Nagasaki Suyo's hand.

The nail on Nagasaki Suyo's thumb was a bit rough and had some serrations on it.

That's probably -

All her thoughts, worries, and decisions from the previous few days left scars on her body.

For some reason, Hibiki Iruma felt an impulse in his heart when he looked at the beautiful thumb and rough nails.

He also followed this impulse and acted accordingly.

He took out his key from his pocket, and there was a small nail clipper on it.

Then, in Wakaba Mu's surprised gaze.

click-

Accompanied by a crisp sound.

Hibiki Iruma helped Nagasaki Suyo trim her nails.

This was the decision he made at this moment.

42 Crychic Migration

"Lixi, how's your band going? I haven't heard you mention it in a while."

At the Ring counter, a part-time employee who hadn't been here for a long time and was probably suddenly free recently was greeting Shiina Riki. It could be said that it was a long-awaited reunion for them.

"Ah, the band. They disbanded a while ago."

Shiina Riki replied while busy with the work at hand.

On the other side, Kaname Rana showed her "cat tail" and shrank into the busy backstage. When she came in before, Shiina Riki wanted to take her out, after all, this was a busy backstage.

But I didn't expect today's foreman to say:

"It's okay, Lenai-chan is also an acquaintance, let her stay here, Lenai-chan, I'll treat you to parfait-"

In short, everyone seems to be pampering Yao Lenai too much recently.

And Shiina Riki probably knows the reason.

Recently, Lenai has been asked to come to Ring less frequently. As for the reason, she herself said:

【boring.】

Anyway that's it.

Because of boredom, he can completely abandon the ties here and freely look for the next place where he can feel at ease. To be honest, Shiina Riki is a little envious of this mentality.

Or perhaps, the reason why she and Kaname Lenai got along so well in the beginning was partly because she envied Kaname Lenai.

Free and unconstrained, you can go wherever you want and fall asleep anywhere.

In short, Kaname Runa, who had been reunited after a long absence, was treated well by everyone, so today, Shiina Riki could always see Kaname Runa's smiling face eating matcha parfait in the backstage.

"Disbanded?!"

The juniors who had been reunited after a long separation showed surprised expressions.

"But wasn't it before——"

The last time she came to Ring, she heard Shiina Riki say that everything was going well, which must have been not long ago.

"We just had a fight and then broke up."

"Eh? So where's Iruma-kun?"

-

Incidentally.