Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

20 I'm here to end this relationship

"Pochi-chan, can you go to the stars by yourself first?"

"Eh?"

At Shimokitazawa Station, Chihaya Aine met Goto Ichiri, who was half exhausted from getting up early and going out. But after only two steps, Chihaya Aine stopped.

Slightly startled, Goto Ichiri followed Chihaya Aine's gaze. At the end of the street, beside a ramen shop, or rather, a cart-type ramen shop, she saw a familiar figure standing by a telephone pole.

At this moment, Goto Ichiri was stunned and could not respond at all until Chihaya Aine read her nickname again:

"Pochi-chan?"

By the way, the nickname Pochi was given to Goto Ichiri by Chihaya Aine, Ijichi Nijika, and Yamada Ryo when they were chatting yesterday, and the reason was——

Goto Ichiri seems to have no friends who can come up with a nickname for her, so after Ijichi Nijika exclaims "How pitiful——", she starts collecting nicknames.

Although the last nickname sounds a bit like a dog's name, Goto Ichiri is cute so it's okay.

But these are all nonsense. The happiness that Goto Ichiri had in her heart at this moment disappeared almost instantly after she saw the figure that she would never forget.

For Goto Ichiri, even though he fell asleep on his own yesterday, which left him with a lot of regrets and embarrassment, it was simply heaven to be able to see Iruma Hibiki again today and have dinner with his best friends.

But now——

"Pochi-chan?"

Chihaya Aine noticed Goto Ichiri's hesitation behind her. In a moment, she seemed to have thought of something and then gently stretched out her hand. Even after Goto Ichiri took a step back in fright, she still took a step forward firmly.

"You go to Fanxing first, and leave this to me. I will definitely handle it beautifully."

Chihaya Aine spoke gently as she simply smoothed Goto Ichiri's messy bangs and used her body to block Goto Ichiri's sight.

"I...I know..."

Goto Ichiri responded tremblingly.

In fact, she had no idea what to do at the moment. Having Chihaya Aine make the decision for her was actually a relief for her.

"So when I count to three, Goto-san is going to run, don't look back, and run straight to Iruma-san and Ijichi-san, okay?"

"Yeah... Yeah! I'll do my best..."

"So, 1,2,3, , ..."

After the countdown, Chihaya Aine turned around and chased after the hiding figure who seemed unaware of the situation, while Goto Ichiri ran in the opposite direction towards Fanxing.

Goto Ichiri's physical fitness is very poor. After only 100 meters, her running speed dropped rapidly. By the time she ran 400 meters, her running speed had become no different from that of a passerby walking.

She was breathing heavily, but still running as agreed.

And on the other side——

"Wait a minute! Shigaraki-san!"

Chihaya Aine runs very fast and has good physical fitness. She always comes first in running various distances during physical education classes.

Although Nagasaki Suyo is not physically weak and can get good grades in physical education class, her speed is far from enough compared to Chihaya Aine.

What's more, she hadn't run far before Nagasaki Motoyo ran into a dead end. Facing the wall in front of her, Nagasaki Motoyo had to turn around, and then stared at Chihaya Aine who was chasing her with a somewhat angry expression.

"caught you!"

Then, she was grabbed by the wrist by Chihaya Aine.

"Chihaya-san, is there something you want to talk to me about? Can you please let me go? This behavior is actually bothering me a little bit."

Almost in an instant, the expression on Nagasaki Motoyo's face turned into a sweet smile, and her voice became the one that Chihaya Aine was familiar with -

"Nagasaki-san is lying in ambush here to get rid of Iruma-san, right?"

Chihaya Aine didn't say much to Nagasaki Soyo, but just looked at Nagasaki Soyo who was breathing slightly in front of her, with a hint of anger on her face.

"What I want to do has nothing to do with Chihaya-san."

As if realizing that the current situation could not be resolved peacefully, Nagasaki Soyo's kind voice disappeared in an instant, turning into a somewhat cold and serious tone.

"there is."

When Chihaya Aine answered, she raised her head slightly and met the cold and angry face of Nagasaki Motoyo. A trace of sadness flashed in her sky-blue eyes, and then she smiled bitterly at Nagasaki Motoyo.

"Because Nagasaki-san... the band that was so important to me has disbanded."

"Even without me, the band can go on."

Nagasaki Suyo responded to Chihaya Aine coldly. She tried to break free from Chihaya Aine's wrist, but Chihaya Aine held it so tightly that she even felt a little pain.

"Is that what you think, Nagasaki-san?"

Then——

At Chihaya Aine's question, Nagasaki Suyo was shaken violently.

"It's so important, Chihaya-kun, is it your place to say that? You were the one who ran away!"

Nagasaki Suyo lowered her head and became slightly hysterical.

"It was my idea to leave Japan, taking with me those invaluable memories. I don't think you, Nagasaki-kun, can fault my stance on that."

Chihaya Aine responded to Nagasaki Suyo with a confident smile on her face.

"Everyone was hurt by your actions, Nagasaki-san, especially Iruma-san. He was devastated for a long time."

After finishing her words, Chihaya Aine released Nagasaki Suyo's wrist.

"so--"

She stared intently at Nagasaki Suyo, who was standing there in a daze and not knowing what was going on.

After all, Nagasaki Motoyo wanted to escape from the beginning, and now when Chihaya Aine let her go, she didn't know what to do.

"I have no right to interfere with the affairs between you, Iruma-san, and Ijichi-san, but if you try to hurt my friends again, Nagasaki-san, I will stop you."

After saying this, Chihaya Aine turned and left.

Nagasaki Suyo was left standing there, feeling a little lost.

"Chihaya-san."

Just when she reached the alley and returned to the street, Chihaya Aine ran into Iruma Hibiki who was standing in the blind spot at the corner.

"Eh? Iruma-san?"

"Well, Goto-san told me what happened. Ijichi also told me that Suyo, no, Nagasaki-san, she came to you guys."

Chihaya Aine stopped where she was and looked carefully at Iruma Hibiki in front of her.

"Thank you for taking care of me all the time, but leave this to me."

Iruma Hibiki said this firmly, and then stepped into the sunny place.

Nagasaki Suyo was still standing there in a daze.

And Iruma Hibiki was already slowly moving towards that direction.

"Then see you among the stars."

"Ah."

After receiving a positive response from Iruma Hibiki, Chihaya Aine left with a smile and did not stay here for long.

21 If you can’t go back home, then where is your destination?

In fact, he pretended to be a hero.

However, to some extent, this is just Hibiki Iruma's bravado. What should he do?

"Iruma, are you okay?"

After hearing the message that Goto Ichiri was almost dying, Ijichi Nichina expressed her concern for Iruma Hibiki. The current situation was beyond her expectations.

She even threw aside the potato chips she had just opened and wanted to share with everyone, and they spilled on the table without her noticing.

"Well, it's okay. I'll go find Chihaya-san. After all, I can't let Chihaya-san get into trouble because of my problem..."

Iruma Hibiki said this in a defiant manner.

And the bravado at that moment has continued to this day.

Until he saw Nagasaki Motoyo again.

In fact, perhaps, at the very beginning, what he wanted to do was to say some cruel words to Nagasaki Suyo coldly as if in revenge.

Maybe we'll have a fight, scold her, and then end it like a heroic figure: "You're no longer in my life."

I will definitely do something like this.

but--

When that figure appeared in front of him, Iruma Hibiki was like Maruyama Aya reading the comments. All his courage and thoughts disappeared in an instant.

Today, Nagasaki Suyo is wearing casual clothes. A beautiful summer blue and white dress paired with a cute yellow bag shows off her cuteness and charm.

Perhaps even the surprise and frown on her face at this moment could become part of her charm.

"Iruma-san—I—"

The moment Nagasaki Motoyo saw Iruma Hibiki, she was very shaken, probably even more so than when Chihaya Aine caught up with her.

For Nagasaki Suyo, the past few lonely months have been real hell.

If she hadn't experienced the short-lived band from the beginning, she might have been able to bear it, but...

"Shigasaki-san, how have you been lately?"

Iruma Hibiki turned his head away, no longer daring to look directly at Nagasaki Suyo. The so-called cold words and all the previous preparations ultimately turned into just such a greeting.

Perhaps, his impatience in chasing after her also included a hint of anticipation.

"Ever since I left the band and Hibiki, things haven't been going well."

As if it was instinct, Nagasaki Suyo's face showed an overly pitiful expression and then she spoke her true feelings.

When he heard these words, Iruma Hibiki's heart trembled twice.

He gritted his teeth, the trouble on his face almost becoming tangible.

At this moment, his so-called free and easy, cheerful and other emotions seemed to turn into a joke.

"It's not good..."

Not knowing what to say, he just repeated what Nagasaki Suyo said.

"Himagi, is the band over?..."

"Well, it's over. Ichichi and the others are heading to brighter places, but I need some time to polish myself and become someone who can truly stand on the stage."

"Hibiki, gave up the band?"

Nagasaki Suyo asked the question that concerned her deeply.

"No, but the ending band has ended, at least our ending band has ended. Ichi knows that only in the current ending band can she truly feel happy and realize her wishes. The same goes for Goto-san and Yamada-senpai."

"For me, this is the best situation right now."

Iruma Hibiki responded without lying, his words were all from the heart.

And Nagasaki Suyo also realized a cruel reality -

Just like her father.

The band can't go back after it ends.

There's no going back anyway.

It has ended.

The remaining members are very happy in their newly reconstituted family, and even...

Even people like Hibiki Iruma, who did not join the band, felt happy and at ease.

At this moment, her persistence and demands seemed like a joke without any reason or meaning.

【There is no going back.】