Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

"I'm so sorry, Iruma-san, I couldn't find Nagasaki-san. Ijichi-san seems very busy, so I'm going to Fanxing to help out. We'll come together later."

Chihaya Aine sent a message a little later than Ijichi Kouka.

They seemed to have not noticed that the book signing event would end early.

Iruma Hibiki forced himself to calm down, and then planned to send a message to the other two. He subconsciously typed:

【I will go to the stars to find you.】

Such words.

But then, before sending, Iruma Hibiki froze.

Yes, Sundays are actually always the busiest time for Ichichi Hongxia, and today, because of his matter, Ichichi Hongxia spent at least the entire morning helping him.

Should he, at this moment, ask for help from Ichichi Hongxia so inconsiderately?

Iruma Hibiki stood in the waiting room for a long time, then slowly walked towards the elevator.

He finally deleted all the words he had typed, and then sent several sentences in a row:

"Thank you, Ijichi, but I'm not involved here anymore. I'll personally handle Suyo's affairs, so don't worry. You don't have to rush over. I'm really grateful to you for everything that happened this morning. If it weren't for you and Chihaya-san, I really wouldn't know what to do. Thank you so much!"

【I can handle the next thing myself.】

[Please keep working hard on Fanxing, and don't worry too much about me.]

After Iruma Hibiki sent the message to Nijika, he then sent a similar message to Chihaya Aine in a somewhat serious manner.

Ding--

Just then, the elevator reached the first floor.

Where should I go to find Nagasaki Sushi next?

In reality, Hibiki Iruma had no idea.

The few pieces of information he knew about Nagasaki Suyo were probably only the photo that Nagasaki Suyo had sent him not long ago.

In the photo, Nagasaki Suyo is standing in front of the window in her pajamas, with the scenery of Ikebukuro outside.

Yes, Hibiki Iruma has not forgotten every moment and every detail he spent with Nagasaki Soyo.

Because for him—

It is irreplaceable and extremely precious, first love.

It was every part of the relationship that he longed for, was extremely grateful for, and was extremely happy about.

Only now, it seemed like he was about to lose it because of his own wrong decisions.

"Iruma-san seems to be saying that he plans to solve Shigaraki-san's problem himself, so we shouldn't worry."

Amidst the stars, Chihaya Aine saw the message from Iruma Hibiki first.

"Eh?!"

Ijichi Hongxia was actually slightly shocked when she heard it, then she quickly took out her mobile phone, held it in both hands and opened the chat software.

As if confirming something, Ijichi Nikka carefully read the message that Iruma Hibiki left more than ten minutes ago, word by word.

"Ijichi-kun?"

In a brief moment, Chihaya Aine noticed that the smile on Ijichi Kouka's face disappeared for a moment.

But when she asked, a faint smile appeared on Ijichi Hongxia's face again.

"Well, I see."

Ijichi Nikka responded softly to Chihaya Aine.

But in a corner where no one would notice, her hands drooped slightly and weakly.

Actually——

Perhaps, Ichichi Hongxia does not want to be the one being taken care of.

In contrast, she would rather be the nosy person that Hibiki Iruma dislikes, because...

"I think it's better to trust Iruma-san now."

Until, Chihaya Aine, who noticed the subtle change in Ijichi Kouka's attitude, turned her head slightly, skillfully sorted out the things at hand, and smiled to comfort Ijichi Kouka at this moment.

"Isn't that right, Ijichi-kun?"

Afterwards, Chihaya Aine confirmed it again out of concern.

93 People who casually destroy other people's [bands]

on Monday.

Hibiki Iruma didn't come to school.

The teacher's reply to Ijichi Kouka was: Iruma Hibiki's family said that he could not come to school today no matter what, so he had to ask for leave.

After learning the news, Ijichi Hongxia slowly left the classroom office.

"How about it?"

Outside the door, Yamada Ryo, who was leaning against the wall, saw Ichichi Hongxia coming out, so he asked coldly.

And Ijichi Hongxia just shook her head.

"Iruma-kun must be doing something very important to him. He also told me not to worry. So, Iruma-kun will probably be back tomorrow."

Ijichi Hongka said to Yamada Ryo.

But she didn't realize that such words were actually a kind of comfort to herself to some extent.

Just like what she said to herself countless times before going to bed last night after all the stars fell.

Of course, Hibiki Iruma was not actually out of touch. He was not the type of guy who would lose touch so easily.

I wrote back to Ichichi Hongxia last night, this morning, and even just at noon.

The messages he sent were all words of reassurance, telling her that he had handled everything well...

but--

Ijichi Nikka actually has some understanding of Iruma Hibiki's personality.

She could tell that Hibiki Iruma had actually told her a white lie. How could it be possible that everything was fine?!

Just this morning, Nagasaki Suyo quit the band group.

what happened?

Ijichi Hongxia had no idea.

The only person she could talk to was Chihaya Aine.

The companion who could only stay in the band for one year has now become a truly reliable "captain".

【It’s really great to have Chihaya-san as the band’s captain. 】

Ijichi Nijika had been feeling this way since yesterday. Even though, at first, she had actually felt a little uneasy and regretful about the fact that Chihaya Aine could only be active together for one year...

But what if Chihaya Aine really becomes a reliable captain?

At this moment, no matter how hard she and Chihaya Aine tried, the problem with Nagasaki Soyo could only be solved by him, just as Iruma Hibiki said.

"Is that someone you know, Nagasaki-san?"

"No? I don't know him. Is he running towards us? It's a bit scary."

Bang-dang, bang-dang——

The loud rumbling sound of the tram stirred up fallen leaves and air currents that crossed between Iruma Hibiki and Nagasaki Soyo.

After Iruma Hibiki ran helplessly.

The figure he had been looking for for a long time appeared just a few feet away, boarding a train that he probably wouldn't be able to catch up with even if he ran at full speed.

In fact, up to this point, Hibiki Iruma has already done his best.

Since yesterday afternoon, he has been looking for Nagasaki Suyo in Ikebukuro.

Finally, we made a little progress this morning.

But there is a world of difference between them.

Nagasaki Suyo obviously noticed him, but left, and her destination should be Moon Forest.

but--

Should he go to the Moon Forest to find Nagasaki Suyo?

Iruma Hibiki made a decision after just a moment's hesitation. He took out his monthly pass and boarded the next train to Tsuki no Mori.

"Qiangqiang-"

Perhaps because of fatigue, when such an energetic voice sounded beside him, Iruma Hibiki actually did not react for a moment. When he turned around, he saw the familiar cat-eared girl.

"Togawa-senpai?"

Almost at first sight, Iruma Hibiki recognized a senior whom he had met when he worked at Ring.

"Iruma-kiss, are you going to school in Ikebukuro?"

"Eh?"

The sudden and somewhat intimate address made Hibiki Iruma feel a little uncomfortable. After being stunned for a moment, he responded with some difficulty:

"No, I just happened to have something to do today, so I came to Ikebukuro."

"Oh! I see! Come on, Iruma-kun!"

As if she came forward just to say hello to someone she knew, the energetic girl Togawa Kasumi waved her hand and ran away quickly after she finished speaking, then suddenly pounced on a girl at the back of the car and rubbed against her.

It was not until this time that Iruma Hibiki noticed that he seemed to have walked into the wrong carriage.

This is the women-only carriage.

Because Nagasaki Suyo had just boarded the bus from here, he followed suit...

"terribly sorry!"

After quickly apologizing to the people around him, Iruma Hibiki raised his hands and returned to the normal mixed-use car next door.

About 20 minutes later, we arrived at the Moon Forest.

"I didn't expect you to come here."

Almost as soon as he got off the bus, Iruma Hibiki saw Nagasaki Soyo at the exit.

As if she was waiting for her, Nagasaki Suyo was standing alone in an empty corner of the exit.

"Su Shi, I..."

Hibiki Iruma took two steps forward.

But soon, Nagasaki Suyo retreated the same distance, and this action made Iruma Hibiki stop in his tracks again. He had a lot to say.

But facing the indifferent Nagasaki Suyo right in front of him—

He couldn't say anything.

Now you have to apologize, don't you?

Yes, an apology should be made.

Deep down, Hibiki Iruma forced himself to calmly deal with what was happening.

"Iruma-san—"

"Wait! Sushi! I didn't mean to shake your hand off on purpose about what happened yesterday!"

The moment that unfamiliar name appeared, Iruma Hibiki knew that he had no time to think anymore.

"Actually, I really, really care about my relationship with you. For me, being able to be in love with you is a very happy and very important thing. I..."

"I rejected Gotou-san's confession yesterday. I'm truly sorry if this made you feel uneasy. Gotou-san and I are truly just friends, and I was just being with him at that time. I thought that rather than letting the situation continue like this, I rejected Gotou-san directly and directly, which would put you at ease."

"Goto-san and I are just friends, that's really all."

"Su Shi is my first love! She is a very important person to me."

"I……"