Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

Isn’t it the secret to maintaining enthusiasm and confidence to get positive feedback through small successes and then stick to it?

So Hibiki Iruma agreed with Ijichi Nikka's plan, and when Ijichi Nikka started to implement it, he looked at Goto Ichiri with encouraging eyes. Of course, Hibiki Iruma's so-called encouraging eyes were still very reliable, not as scary as a certain Doraemon.

In the face of Ijichi Nikka's invitation and Iruma Hibiki's encouragement, Goto Ichiri's response was very stiff, like a soldier following orders:

"Yes, it is!"

She reluctantly agreed, but——

"Shall Goto-san replace Chihaya-san?"

Just as Ijichi Hikaru turned her back happily to tune the drums, Nagasaki Motoyo leaned forward slightly holding the bass and asked Iruma Hibiki with a frown.

"It's not really a replacement, I just agreed to let Goto-san feel the atmosphere of the band."

Iruma Hibiki explained that in fact, this kind of thing had been discussed last night.

but--

He hadn't expected the emotion on Nagasaki Suyo's face at that moment to be... Resistance?

Iruma Hibiki felt something was wrong.

He had no idea why this had happened.

Goto Ichiri, who sensed some of Nagasaki Suyo's directed emotions, snapped the lid of the guitar bag shut, and the cotton lining rubbed against the metal strings, making a rustling sound.

For Goto Ichiri, being next to Iruma Hibiki is the only time she has the courage to open her guitar bag and take out her Big G black card.

So at this moment, Iruma Hibiki, who was standing next to Nagasaki Motoyo, was...

"I... I'm fine... Haha... Actually, my guitar skills are terrible. I can't keep up with everyone else. I don't have any experience in a band, so just don't worry about me..."

Goto Ichiri lowered his head, and kept shrinking back as if he was kneeling.

In fact, she was so frightened at this moment that she dared not move.

but--

At that moment, when she looked up.

She saw Hibiki Iruma's face.

Not much has changed, same as always.

Iruma Hibiki is also one of those guys who never changes his hairstyle for thousands of years.

There was a rare look of embarrassment on the face that Goto Ichiri was familiar with.

If Goto Ichiri were to say which subject in his junior high school studies he received full marks in, it would probably be the subject called "Iruma Hibiki Observation."

As the two of them were together, she gradually began to understand the emotions of the person who always took care of her.

Therefore, in order to embarrass Iruma Hibiki, Goto Ichiri wanted to choose to withdraw directly.

It's just that her lies were too bad, and her reasons were too bad, just like the "Iruma-san" on the Guitar Hero account couldn't actually fool anyone. The people here who didn't know she was the Guitar Hero actually didn't exist. Especially for Nagasaki Motoyo, the existence of Guitar Hero—

It made her feel a little uncomfortable.

Although she did not directly question the relationship between Iruma Hibiki and Goto Ichiri.

but……

Don't you want to?

When Nagasaki Suyo couldn't stand the depressing atmosphere of being alone in the rehearsal room, so she chose to go to the bathroom and take a short walk, she stared at her dull eyes in the mirror for a long time.

She was worried when she asked this question.

Now, this dreamlike time will be shattered in an instant, and in the end, nothing will be left.

However, when she returned to the rehearsal room, she saw Goto Ichiri who had appeared there out of nowhere.

"Gui'an, you must be Goto-san, right? I haven't seen you before. My name is Nagasaki Suyo, and I'm Hibiki's girlfriend and the bassist in the band. I'm looking forward to your guidance in the future."

In a flash, she smiled and greeted Goto Ichiri with an overly sweet voice, as cloying as an imported sugar-apple with 28% sugar content.

She unconsciously emphasized the words "Hibiki's girlfriend" and "the band's bassist."

73 Interesting Rehearsals and a Little Loneliness

Nagasaki Suyo's behavior was very strange.

This was completely different from what Hibiki Iruma had always known about her.

Completely confused as to what was happening, he stood there, carefully placing his guitar on a stand nearby. It was obvious that the agreed rehearsal could not go on, at least for now.

Ijichi Hongxia also realized that something was wrong in the atmosphere.

She tried to come over and lighten the mood.

But in reality, she didn't understand Goto Ichiri at all, so even if she wanted to comfort him, she couldn't do anything. As for Nagasaki Suyo—

Her emotions at the moment were the same as Hibiki Iruma's.

I have no idea why Nagasaki Suyo would feel such resistance towards Goto Ichiri.

Is it something that happened before?

Ijichi Nikka thought about the time they had been alone before she and Iruma Hibiki came.

but?

No matter how you look at it, Goto Ichiri doesn't seem like someone who would offend anyone, and Nagasaki Suyo is even less likely to do so.

So, Ijichi Hongxia was in an awkward situation at the moment. She wanted to do something, but was subtly powerless. After all, she was completely unaware of what was happening and had no room to intervene.

An awkward atmosphere began to spread.

until--

"Then let's practice for a while. How about having Goto-san teach us guitar later?"

Iruma Hibiki said this with gritted teeth.

He had no intention of opposing Nagasaki Suyo.

But he also didn't want Goto Ichiri to get hurt.

But the current situation remains the same, and this is probably the only way to continue.

"Hmm...what do you think, Goto-kun?"

Ijichi Hongxia responded to Iruma Xiang from the side.

This is probably the only thing she can do now since she has no idea of the details.

"I...I'm fine!"

Goto Ichiri responded quickly and timidly.

On this issue, Nagasaki Suyo no longer stood up to object, but she frowned slightly and rubbed her hands vigorously, obviously looking a little nervous and uneasy.

Her beautiful face was now looking at Hibiki Iruma beside her with a hint of worry.

After experiencing the impulse just now, Nagasaki Suyo was now worried.

After all—

Yes, she is a good child. She should be considerate of the hard work of those around her, right?

Was my behavior just now a bit too selfish?

In the past, Nagasaki Suyo, who always catered to others and accepted everything, now felt guilty and regretful, even though perhaps she had already obtained the result she wanted.

"Goto-san, you can use the equipment here freely. It won't affect our rehearsal."

Ijichi Nichinaka was taking care of Goto Ichisato, who seemed to be being bullied, at least on the surface.

Iruma Hibiki also wanted to do this.

but--

His position at this moment was actually a dilemma.

So, Ijichi Nijika considerately shared some of the pressure with Iruma Hibiki, and she began to take care of Goto Ichiri, who was obviously shocked just now.

So what exactly happened?

At the beginning of the rehearsal, Iruma Hibiki was thinking about this, but no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't find the reason.

And for Nagasaki Suyo——

After the initial warm-up exercises, the teacher, Hongxia Ijichi, began to talk about some of the most basic principles of band cooperation, and agreed that the drummer would strike the drumstick three times as the starting signal.

"Hibiki, can you go out with me later?"

During this gap, Nagasaki Suyo suddenly whispered in Iruma Hibiki's ear.

The sound was so soft that only Iruma Hibiki could hear it clearly.

"Yeah, okay."

And Iruma Hibiki also responded softly.

It’s better to say that such a thing seems to be something we can only hope for now.

Iruma Hibiki felt that he might have an opportunity to solve the problem.

However, Goto Ichiri also heard this whisper, and her whole body trembled again. She couldn't help but think of her tragic fate.

So she couldn't continue with the practice she was pretending to do.

The simple notes played became intermittent.

"Then let's all try to sing a duet as we agreed on earlier, shall we?"

Ijichi Nikka started the next part of the rehearsal, and then the music began to echo in the small rehearsal room. Although it was still a bit discordant, Ijichi Nikka, as a "teacher", also introduced every detail of the band's cooperation to Goto Kazuri.

When Hibiki Iruma and Suyo Nagasaki make mistakes——

For example, the classic problem of rushing to play the beat, poor coordination, or being dragged down after a teammate makes a mistake, and not knowing how to continue after playing a wrong note.

Ijichi Hongxia explained in detail how to deal with such things when encountering real things on stage.

After all, it is impossible for a band to not make mistakes, so the ability to improvise and adapt to circumstances is the first lesson before going on stage.

Of course, this part is very familiar to Nagasaki Motoyo. After all, the requirements for coordination in symphony performance are actually higher, after all, it is a large orchestra with dozens of people.

But for Iruma Hibiki and Goto Ichiri on the other side, this is exactly the nutrition they lack.

Not just the band's.

It’s about collaborating with others.

and--

In fact, at this moment, Hibiki Iruma felt the tenderness in the band.

"Iruma handled the situation well after playing the wrong note. He should have started the next note quickly so as not to affect the overall performance."

Ijichi Hongka always encourages Iruma Hibiki.

"Shigasaki-kun is really good at band coordination. It's still a little rusty, but it's amazing! You and Iruma are both great!"

"I've had experience practicing in the music club before... Hibiki... No, don't be anxious, Iruma-san. Just take your time."

Probably at the beginning of the rehearsal, Nagasaki Motoyo ignored Goto Ichiri beside her.

For her, this place that feels like home should not have any third party involved.

Even so.

Everything now is what she expected to see——

Hibiki Iruma lowered his head, trying hard to adapt to the band's cooperation, and had no time to take care of other things.

Ijichi Nikka, on the other hand, was a gentle senior who encouraged Iruma Hibiki:

"Yes, Iruma-san, you have to understand that a band is 1+1+1 greater than 3. If the most difficult guitar tab in the world were divided into three parts and given to three new guitarists who have only learned guitar for a month, they would be able to reproduce it relatively perfectly."

"So, just slowly find the feeling of coordination. Don't be too nervous. It should be fun to play with everyone. Iruma, your expression is a little too stiff."

"Well, I see."

Iruma responded.

But in fact——