Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

Hibiki Iruma grumbled softly.

I don’t know if it’s about Toyokawa Shoko’s coffee or what’s happening right now.

He always felt that he seemed to have gotten into some trouble.

And could it be that he has actually missed the best opportunity to escape?

[However, this cup of coffee doesn't actually taste the same as it did that day. Iruma-san, do you know what's going on?]

Sure enough, what followed was Toyokawa Shoko's lady-like questions.

You went to Lawson, not 711-Eleven.

It took Hibiki Iruma a long time to make Shoko Toyokawa understand the differences between different convenience stores, such as what is Lawson, what is FamilyMart, and what is 711.

After the chat, it seemed that Shoko Toyokawa once again embarked on the journey of looking for coffee.

On the other hand, Iruma Hibiki started to clean up as Ring's part-time job in the afternoon was about to begin.

He was going to enjoy the all-encompassing pressure from that lovely junior again.

He couldn't help but look out the door at the scorching heat and sun, questioning how he had made his life so miserable.

But such a question obviously has no answer.

Soon he took the train to Ring in Ikebukuro.

But today, his junior Shiina Riki was not busy backstage as usual, but was sitting in the guest seat looking at her mobile phone. Next to her, the stray cat that the two of them had recently "raised" together was slowly enjoying a cup of matcha parfait.

"It's strange that you didn't come to work on time."

"Well, there's some important stuff to take care of."

Shiina Riki's response was a bit bland, which made Iruma Hibiki, who was used to this guy's pressure, a little curious about what happened today.

After all, such a Shiina Riki is quite rare.

Hibiki Iruma's impression of her was always that she was serious at work.

07 Shiina Riki declined the invitation

"Oh—important things."

Iruma Hibiki put down his bag and began to prepare for work. In fact, he was quite happy working at Ring recently. Whether it was chatting with the seniors in the girl band, or occasionally meeting with his old classmates, even bickering with Shiina Riki, they were actually a very relaxing part of his life.

"What's with that tone of your voice?"

Shiina Riki raised his head and stared at Iruma Hibiki.

The two of them had been socializing for quite some time. In Iruma Hibiki's impression, it seemed that he had met Shiina Riki almost every time since he came back to Ring.

And Shiina Riki gradually revealed his true nature from being a polite guy at the beginning.

"I'm just curious about what could have concerned you so much. After all, you are my junior to some extent."

"Let's not talk about that boring generational relationship. Are you some old uncle born in the last century? I just recently received an invitation from a band and am considering joining a new band as a drummer. Come to think of it, were you in a band before? I heard Togawa-senpai and her friends say that."

"Well, I tried to join a band for a while, but it soon disbanded due to various reasons."

Hibiki Iruma was wiping the cups on the counter. Now was the preparation time. When the customers came in soon, the two of them would not be able to chat leisurely like they were now.

"If I'm going to join a band, it's probably better to work towards being a professional band. I don't want to waste time, so I was just checking the situation."

"I see. Medical cage (one) (seven) - (five) blame Si Pull% 覒"

Iruma Hibiki gave a perfunctory response, then noticed Shiina Riki beside him making a complicated expression.

Iruma Hibiki, who had some understanding of this guy, knew that if Shiina Riki continued the topic after saying something that looked very cold, it meant that this guy actually hoped to get some advice from him as a "senior".

If he just gave her a perfunctory response at this time, she would stamp her feet cutely and turn away, then sulk for a long time.

Because he noticed this, Iruma Hibiki actually couldn't dislike Shiina Riki at all.

"As for the band—"

Iruma Hibiki was silent for a while.

"I think that compared to career goals, martial arts halls, or even performing on stage, what's more important is everyone's opinion of the band—"

He paused again.

"view?"

And Shiina Riki also stopped what he was doing and looked at Iruma Hibiki seriously, waiting for what he would say next.

"Well, in my opinion, the best band must have all its members——"

Iruma Hibiki took a deep breath before finishing his sentence:

“Think of the band as a community of shared destiny.”

After Iruma Hibiki finished speaking, Shiina Riki was silent for a moment.

"Well, I see."

Yi Lingyin⑦ died⑸_The wine seemed to be drunk b%a She responded.

She didn't say thank you. Before going backstage to work, she stopped by the door, then glanced at Iruma Hibiki and said in a voice that was just right:

"If you care so much, why not just start over? Keep an eye on the stray cat and don't let her steal the food. I'll be responsible if the subsequent reconciliation doesn't match."

With a bit of complicated emotions, Shiina Riki walked into the backstage, and then the two of them began to cooperate with each other as the staff poured in without seeing each other.

And on the side, the so-called wild cat - Kaname Lenai.

Her actual identity is the legendary Livehouse queen.

Her beautiful heterochromatic eyes stared wide-eyed at the place where Hibiki Iruma and Riki Shiina had just been chatting.

Then, as usual, after a few more people gathered, she pulled her trolley to the center of the "corner stage" and began her guitar performance.

In fact, this was the reason why Iruma Hibiki started taking care of this wild cat in the first place.

As for Lenai's guitar, it's not as frivolous as she appears to be. She is very powerful and has a charm that inspires people.

"Shop clerk?"

"Sorry, I was distracted. Could you please repeat your order?"

Iruma Hibiki came back to his senses from the intense guitar music and realized that he was actually still on the way to work.

"It's okay. I'm actually a little obsessed with it. Two cups of hot Earl Grey tea."

"Okay, two cups of hot Earl Grey tea."

Iruma Hibiki quickly took the order for the customer, and then Shiina Riki in the backstage prepared the black tea, put it on a tray and handed it to the front desk.

A few minutes later, Rakuna's performance ended. She lay on the counter for a while as usual, and then disappeared without a trace when Iruma Hibiki wasn't noticing, just like a real cat.

Come to think of it, actually, the name that Hibiki Iruma originally called Kaname Runa was "Kitten", and "Wild Cat" was completely the masterpiece of Tatsuki Shiina.

It's just that Rakuna herself doesn't seem to care about names or nicknames at all, and Iruma Hibiki's name is indeed a bit too intimate, so the name "Wild Cat" seems to have won the upper hand so far.

At least Hibiki Iruma has been calling Kaname Rakuna a wild cat now and then.

After all, she really is like a wild cat, coming and going freely, not bound by anything, just like her daily performance in the Ring.

Thirty minutes later, the busiest Rin's entry was over. Iruma Hibiki paused, leaning against the wall behind him to rest a little when a voice suddenly came from his side:

"Did you hear that?"

"!"

After being startled by the sudden noise, Iruma Hibiki realized that it was Kaname Rana who had returned at some point. At this moment, Kaname Rana seemed to be imitating his movements, leaning against the wall in the same way, then turning her head to stare at him.

"Your guitar? I definitely heard it. It was an amazing, very moving performance."

"Ah."

Kaname Rana nodded, then looked thoughtful. Just when Hibiki Iruma wanted to remind her not to get close to the open bucket, she left the front desk on her own and walked to the seat where she had been sitting, and then she fell asleep there.

After confirming that Kaname Rakuna had no intention of entering the front desk, Iruma Hibiki opened the door to the backstage.

"Still worried about the band?"

When it's not busy and there's no one around, Ring's rules are still very relaxed. After all, it's a livehouse, a rock place full of freedom.

Even if a clerk was suddenly pulled onto the stage to perform, the manager would not say anything. Instead, he might rush into the exhibition hall and cheer together.

After all, the store manager, Kitani, has been spotted more than once cheering for his favorite bands in his own livehouse.

"Why did you get in?"

"The front desk is empty, so I'm a little worried about you."

"I don't have anything to worry about here."

"Have you made your decision?"

Iruma Hibiki looked at Shiina Riki with a smile on his face.

"Well, I'm going to refuse."

"Ok?"

Then, Shiina Riki's answer surprised Iruma Hibiki a little. In fact, in his opinion, Shiina Riki should agree.

"Is it weird? I rejected him?!"

Then he was glared at fiercely by Shiina Riki, and then Shiina Riki turned around and went into the locker room as if he was throwing a tantrum.

"Would you like to try it?"

When Iruma Hibiki stayed in the backstage for a while without seeing Shiina Riki, and finally had to leave the backstage helplessly, he met Kaname Runa who had woken up at some point and walked into the front desk.

"Don't walk into the front desk next time. It's a bit dangerous."

"But I want to talk to Hibiki."

"Then just call me at the counter."

"I see, so do you want to try it?"

The guitar that Kaname was holding in his hand was his own.

With excellent aging and traces of real practice, this guitar has a handsome sense of age, and Iruma Hibiki did not refuse.

After all, it wasn't the first time that Lenai invited him to play guitar.

Afterwards, Hibiki Iruma briefly tried out the solo part of Goto Ichiri's arrangement of "Godknows..."

Because it's not plugged in.

Therefore, the intense music was not amplified, nor was it enhanced by any effects. It was so quiet that only Kaname Lenai, who was standing next to him, could hear the sound.

08 Shiina Riki accepted the invitation

"Hibiki has made progress."

……

Have I made progress?

When putting down Lenai's guitar, Hibiki Iruma actually asked himself this question in his mind, following her words.

Maybe so.

After all, during his free time from his part-time job, Yao Lenai would always come to him to play the piano, and unknowingly, he gradually became proficient in the "Godknows..." which was originally as difficult as a chasm for him.

At least now, he can play the lead part of the song perfectly.

Of course, these things are not important to him now.

"After all, Lenai always comes to me to play the piano, so I've learned a little bit of the Qi(er) Shirt Ball Division and the Qi Umbrella Division without realizing it."

Iruma Hibiki called out Kaname Rakuna's name.

For some reason, he didn't have the usual sense of etiquette and distance towards Yao Lenai. It seemed that the two of them had been calling each other by their names since they met.

"I like Hibiki's songs very much."

Kaname Lenai said softly.