Real teaching, but diary flow

"Xiangzi," she said, "if you're really concerned, go and take a look."

"She should be in Yuqiu."

"...The class next door." Takamatsu Akari whispered, revealing the location of Toyokawa Shoko.

Just go.

Without hesitation, the girl took the other girl's hand and led her to the next classroom.

Greetings, inquiries, and then...

"—Shoko-kun!" Chihaya Aine called out to Toyokawa Shoko as he approached, instead of Takamatsu Akari, who hesitated and couldn't speak.

But she ignored him completely.

Without the slightest hesitation, Toyokawa Shoko walked straight past them as if she hadn't heard, seen, or recognized them, and returned to her seat.

The attitude was very clear.

'Refusal to communicate'

"..."

It was obvious that it was impossible to get anything directly out of Toyokawa Shoko.

Nagasaki Motoyo could not be contacted, and Toyokawa Shoko refused to communicate.

However, if things continue like this, it's hard to say what will happen, but at the very least, the band's practice will definitely be impossible to continue.

Chihaya Aine didn't like this. She disliked Nagasaki Motoyo's disappearance, Toyokawa Shoko's pretense of not recognizing them, and Takamatsu Akari's melancholy atmosphere.

So annoying.

So annoying.

So annoying.

I couldn't hear a word the teacher was saying; all I could see were the faces of those annoying kids.

As if it had read her mind, the diary quietly appeared on the table.

The pages of the book were turned with a rustling sound, and the diary stopped at the last page of yesterday's entry.

Current address: A cheap rental house near Akabane West Exit, Kita-ku, Tokyo.

Chihaya Aine's gaze lingered on this line of text.

For some reason, she suddenly remembered the words she had overlooked when she finished reading the diary yesterday.

The diary seems to have said something like this.

'Your current storyline has begun'

My story? Beginning? What began?

It wasn't when I was studying in the UK, nor when I returned to Japan, nor when I met Tsubaki and formed a band.

But yesterday, when the live show ended with that scene.

My story has begun.

Mr. Diary has started writing about us.

My mind is a mess.

Chihaya Aine's gaze refocused, sweeping over the address once more.

If, if she went here...

Is there anything you can understand?

"Aion, Aion, Aion—"

In a daze, I suddenly heard Takamatsu's voice calling out to me.

"get out of class is over..." she said very softly.

"Ah, is get out of class over? I didn't notice, sorry, sorry." Quickly snapping back to reality, Chihaya Aine apologized, "Shall we go to RING?"

The place where they usually practice, the place where they held their live performance yesterday, the place where Shiina Riki works, and the home of Kaname Rakuna, this stray cat.

It's RING.

Takamatsu Akari lowered her head and said softly:

"...Su Shi might come."

Although yesterday ended on such an unpleasant note, and I still haven't been able to contact Nagasaki Motoyo.

But perhaps she'll still come to practice every day.

With this in mind, Takamatsu Akari wanted to go to RING.

“RING…” Chihaya Aine’s tone was somewhat subtle.

She thought that Su Shi probably wouldn't come to RING today.

If they're not replying to messages, how could they possibly come to practice?

Compared to RING, Chihaya Aine now wants to go see the address written in her diary.

but......

The words "cheap rental house" came to mind, and the image of Toyokawa Shoko's previous refusal to communicate flashed before her eyes.

Even though they didn't have much contact, Chihaya Aine could sense that Toyokawa Shoko was a person with a strong sense of self-respect.

If we bring the lamp along, and if our former companions really see something...

The thought of this made her hesitate.

"Let's go, let's go. Riki will get anxious if we wait too long." Suddenly standing up, Chihaya Aine took the initiative to push Takamatsu Akari's body.

Go to RING first, and if Su Shi doesn't come, go to a cheap rental house!

Chihaya Aine made a decision.

There's no point in hesitating any longer. Anyway, it's still early, let's go to RING first!

"The live show will be held again."

"Rakuna came yesterday, didn't she?"

"I want to apologize to Su Shi."

"Su Shi, you've taken leave?"

Motoyo Nagasaki didn't come to RING, and of course, she didn't go to school either.

Even though Takamatsu Akari took the initiative to express her willingness to apologize, she couldn't even see him and had no chance to apologize at all.

The path to apology has been blocked, and the avenue for communication has been sealed off.

So, after sending Takamatsu Akari back to her house, Chihaya Aine reluctantly declined the rare opportunity to visit Akari's room and turned on the navigation.

Destination: 'Cheap rental house near Akabane West Exit, Kita-ku, Tokyo'

Ugh, really, they didn't even write the house number clearly, how am I supposed to find it?

Or will we find out when we get there?

Chapter 135 I'm going to call the police.

Following the navigation, they took the train to Akabane Station, and then Chihaya Aine walked a long distance.

Since it's a cheap rental, it's quite difficult to find a place close to a tram stop.

The more convenient the commute, the more expensive the rent will be; conversely, the farther away from the tram station, the cheaper the rent will be.

The sound of trams rolling over the tracks behind me gradually faded away, and the road beneath my feet began to show signs of years of neglect.

...Although it says "near Akabane West Exit", which area exactly is this "nearby"?

Just as Chihaya Aine began to feel a little resentful, and just as she wondered if she had been wandering around for ages without finding her destination.

She saw it.

I saw an old rental house that looked so out of place compared to the surrounding buildings.

Could this be the place?

...This is the place.

With almost no effort, Chihaya Aine found the sign with the words "Toyokawa" written on it.

The hallway lights were dim and yellowish, and the roads and doors were incredibly old.

Xiangzi, do you live here?

Okay... this place is dilapidated.

This is completely opposite to the elegant demeanor that Toyokawa Shoko usually exudes.

Compared to Toyokawa Shoko, it's more like a dilapidated house where alcoholics would hang out.

"Um..." Chihaya Aine looked around and cautiously knocked on the door. She wanted to call out, but then worried that shouting in the soundproof room would disturb the other people.

Just as she hesitated and stood still, a dark shadow loomed over the frosted windowpane of the door.

"Is that Xiangzi...?" A middle-aged man's voice came from behind the door, and it seemed as if the door was about to open.

"Squeak-"

A decaying sound came from the loose pages, and then Chihaya Aine saw through the crack in the door a middle-aged man with unsteady steps, swaying body, a face covered in stubble, dark pigmentation under his eyes, and reeking of alcohol.

"Um, Xiangzi, isn't she here...?" Chihaya Aine gave a slightly awkward smile as she looked at the middle-aged man in front of her.

Judging from the voices of the other party, this is indeed the "home" of Toyokawa Shoko.

The man in front of them was, without a doubt, a relative of Xiangzi.

Although I don't know if he's my father or uncle or something, they probably live under the same roof.

So, Xiangzi hasn't gone home yet?

It's already past six o'clock.

School should have been over by now, right?

“…” After silently staring at Chihaya Aine for a moment, the drunkenness in his eyes seemed to vanish suddenly, and abruptly, the middle-aged man was about to slam the door shut again.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait—"

Fortunately, perhaps because of the alcohol affecting his body, he didn't close the door fast enough. Chihaya Aine reacted instinctively and quickly raised her hand to press against the door, while simultaneously using her small leather shoe to block the door from closing.

"Don't shut it off! Don't shut it off! I really need to talk to Xiangzi!"

She tried her best to stop the middle-aged man from closing the door, while simultaneously seizing the opportunity to shout out from the cracks of her throat.

"You've come to the wrong place. There's no Xiangzi here—" The middle-aged man, who had just been calling out for Xiangzi, suddenly denied what he had said and instead said the exact opposite.

"I—heard—everything—" Chihaya Aine gritted her teeth and resisted the middle-aged man's force as he slammed the door shut, using all her strength: "You just called Xiangzi's name!"

"Why did you close the door and pretend you didn't know me?!"

"I didn't say that, you misheard me. Get out of here, I'm calling the police," the middle-aged man said, denying the accusation while issuing a threat.

So, Chihaya Aine simply let go of her hand and pulled her foot back.

"Bang—" The door slammed shut.

"..." Looking at the door that had closed again and the shadow pressed against it, Chihaya Aine said calmly, "So even if I go around the school and tell everyone that Shoko-san lives here, it's okay, right?"

She figured it out.

Regardless of the middle-aged man's identity, his first reaction upon seeing himself was to deny that Xiangzi was there, which proves one point.

The other party would care if others knew that 'Xiangzi lives here'.

She certainly couldn't beat a man in terms of strength, not even a middle-aged man so severely damaged by alcohol.

Frankly speaking, being alone at this time and facing a middle-aged man like this is actually a very dangerous thing.

Especially when the other party is an alcoholic.

Normally, a female high school student should run away as soon as she sees the other person's shadow.