Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

"Then we'll see you under the stars."

This time, Iruma Hibiki decided to take the initiative to say goodbye.

"Well, I'll see you on stage, Iruma."

Facing Ijichi Kouka's farewell, Iruma Hibiki paused for a moment as he was leaving.

Then he nodded, waved to Ijichi Hongxia, and left the classroom.

See you on stage means——

Iruma Hibiki pondered.

Then when I walked out of the school gate, I probably got what Ichichi Hongxia meant.

Perhaps what Ijichi Hongka meant was that the two bands should perform together when the time comes.

Iruma Hibiki took it for granted.

36 Two people's longings and double the insomnia

Without a part-time job and without seeing Hongxia, the weekend has arrived, which is extremely empty and even a little lonely.

After responding to Nagasaki Suyo's bottomless chat history, Iruma Hibiki was still struggling to deal with Toyokawa Shoko who couldn't sleep.

Yes.

Shoko Toyokawa has a completely childish temper.

A complete child's temper.

Losing sleep because of the upcoming meeting with the band members and the star-studded performances afterwards is something that only happens to elementary school students.

Even Hibiki Iruma began to doubt whether the reliable guy who could plan Crychic's affairs in an orderly manner was Shoko Toyokawa herself.

Could it be a power leveling?

A young lady's housekeeper or a super maid or something like that.

You see, it's only natural that the silly young lady has a loyal maid who can throw knives and stop time.

But not.

Toyokawa Shoko lives alone.

She even told Hibiki Iruma her detailed address.

She also specifically emphasized that she was the only one at home recently...

She lacks common sense and is worrying in many ways, but when it comes to music, Toyokawa Shoko's focus, reliability, and seriousness even surprise Iruma Hibiki at one point.

If nothing unexpected happens, Shoko Toyokawa is the person who understands music the most that he has ever met.

To the extent that, Iruma Hibiki actually has some respect for Toyokawa Shoko in such matters.

[What should I do, Iruma-san? I can't sleep at all. I'm so excited that my stockings are falling off!]

……

12:30 late at night

Iruma Hibiki was already feeling extremely sleepy.

This has actually happened several times that I was hit on the nose by a mobile phone because I was unconscious.

However, Toyokawa Shoko was not sleepy at all and kept sending messages.

Hibiki Iruma sat up from the bed, turned up the air conditioner temperature slightly, then yawned and opened the lights and curtains in his room.

His house is on the second floor, and the view is actually a little poor. Looking out, all he can see is a 3-meter-wide street and the Seiyu Supermarket outside the street, which is always lit. The road is quiet at night, and occasionally the crisp sound of empty cans blown by the wind can be heard.

After cheering himself up a little, Iruma Hibiki sat in his seat, turned on his computer, and logged into the chat software.

[Is Iruma-san going to sleep? ]

[No, I'm still in front of the computer.]

When the news about Toyokawa Shoko came at the perfect time, Iruma Hibiki patted his desk and sent it over.

His desk was actually a bit messy. On the left was a pile of manuscript paper, and on the right was a Little Black Star speaker for practice and a pile of sheet music and lyrics.

The computer monitor is located in the middle of the desk, and behind it is a bookshelf and a pile of books.

It wasn't until he sent out the photo that Hibiki Iruma realized something was wrong, because there were several books he had bought on the bookshelf:

100 Ways to Make a Girl Happy

How to Understand Your Lover's Subtext

10 Tips for Love Experts: Become a Reliable Lover in Half a Month

……

Iruma Hibiki bought a few of these books before, but after flipping through them a few times, he found that the girl in the case study was completely different from Nagasaki Soyo, and not as cute as Nagasaki Soyo, so he threw them all aside and never read them again.

It was not until he was photographed that he noticed these books that he had forgotten for a long time.

"So many lyrics! Are they all by Iruma-san?"

Toyokawa Shoko quickly changed the subject.

She then sent a photo.

The photo was still of Hibiki Iruma, but there was a red circle drawn around the pile of his novel copy and sheet music. There was a cute crooked arrow on the red circle, and next to the arrow, there was the text "here".

Iruma Hibiki chuckled.

[Not all of them are lyrics, many of them are scraps of novels.]

Iruma Hibiki flipped through the novels and found a relatively complete short story, which he then gave to Toyokawa Er? Ball shrimp ⑤ Cage 30 ⑨ Umbrella (Six?) ? Pull Xiangzi.

The short stories in this section are actually essays by Hibiki Iruma, with the themes being three words he picked up at random, which was also part of his routine practice in the past.

Writing is like music. If you don’t touch it for three days, your hands will become thorny.

【Is this kind of work just a waste?! 】

Shoko Toyokawa didn't reply until 20 minutes later.

[Yes, the editor suggested that I try pure literature instead.]

"Ah! As expected! This novel is completely different from the incomprehensible works you wrote before, Iruma-san! I love it!"

……

Iruma Hibiki had a complicated expression.

If it were someone else, he would definitely criticize her harshly and then give her a hard time.

[I don’t understand] It’s too hurtful!

but--

If the other person is Toyokawa Shoko, then forget it.

With a sigh, Iruma Hibiki put his hands back on the keyboard from his eyes.

Iruma-san is like a poet, but her style is different from Takamatsu-san's. Takamatsu-san's work seems a bit lonely, and Iruma-san's work is similar, but I think it's different. How should I put it...?

Iruma Hibiki waited for a while.

"Sorry, I can't put it into words, but I love it! I'm so glad I found you! That's what I think!"

He received a response that was certainly laughable.

【Isn’t that a compliment?】

Hibiki Iruma asked.

Absolutely not! I sincerely think Iruma-san's piece is well-written. How about turning it into a song for our band?

Toyokawa Shoko's suggestion made Iruma Hibiki slightly stunned.

"Actually, I've already thought about it! Our band's first song will be an arrangement of Takamatsu-san's lyrics, and the second will be an arrangement of Iruma-san's lyrics. And if possible, the third song will be co-written by Takamatsu-san and Iruma-san. That way, we can perform a complete three-song performance at the livehouse."

[However, for the sake of safety, I will also give everyone some room to adapt——]

"Ah! It's mainly me. I have no experience performing on stage, so I need to get familiar with it. For my first performance, it's better to just perform one song."

……

Iruma Hibiki paused for a moment, but soon news came from Toyokawa Shoko.

Speaking of which venue to perform at, I've been a bit conflicted lately. I heard from Mu that people usually go to Ring in Ikebukuro, but I also really like the sophisticated feel of a small livehouse like Fanxing.

[That's a really high evaluation.]

Hibiki Iruma took the opportunity to comment.

【Um? 】

As for Toyokawa Shoko, it was natural that she showed a hint of doubt.

"It's okay, I just wanted to praise Fengchuan-san for being cute."

Iruma Hibiki answered perfunctorily, the fatigue on his face had disappeared and was replaced by a smile.

There's no benefit in complimenting me, Iruma-san.

"Anyway! We'll just keep performing and singing the songs we like. If there's a chance to go on tour later, that'll be great, but if not, that's fine too."

Close your eyes slightly.

Maybe Hibiki Iruma is actually—

You can see Toyokawa Shoko's anticipation.

I can see myself and Shoko Toyokawa on stage.

You can see Toyokawa Shoko's growth from being clumsy to gradually getting used to it, and finally, shining brightly under the flickering lights.

It's like moonlight.

Yes.

Toyokawa Shoko is a girl as bright as moonlight.

The reason why it is not the sun.

Because of--

The moon at night can be looked directly at, just like her who is always gently by your side.

【Well, let's work hard together, Toyokawa-san. 】

Iruma Xiang responded lightly.

Whether it's a livehouse, a street performance, or a larger stage, whether it's the Budokan or the Tokyo Dome, the Red and White Songs Contest or the star-studded summer performance, let's all give it our all as if we were all part of a community with a shared destiny. Although I'm probably the one lacking the most in the band, I will try my best.

Iruma-san is the one who's lacking the most. I've never thought about it that way.

"Actually, Iruma-san was quietly working hard at the end of summer vacation, wasn't he? Your initial refusal to join was also because of this, right? I noticed it. Thank you for your hard work, Iruma-san. I'm glad you're taking Crychic so seriously."

……

"call--"

Iruma Hibiki took a deep breath, then stood up, took out the iced lemon soda from the small refrigerator next to him and took a big gulp.

The subtle sour taste filled with bubbles was like the strange scream of Shining Maruyama Cai's electric baton, which relaxed his nerves slightly.

A brain soaked in honey will spoil it——

It is natural to think that life is full of longing.

This is not good.

Thinking about random things.

At two o'clock in the morning, Iruma Hibiki returned to the computer and continued to accompany Toyokawa Shoko who couldn't sleep.

Now the number of people who can't sleep has doubled.

37 A Promise with Chihaya Aine