My daily life is getting weird because I am caught between being in a band and being an idol.

"You're too perceptive... So are you planning to tell them? Speaking of which, you seem to bring up Kotone in everything you do, do you like that guy that much?"

Taoxiang completely ignored Chaoyang's verbal attacks.

Chaoyang didn't continue, after all, he hadn't come here to start a fight.

"Is it the number one favorite in the world? ... As for the other question... Whether you want to leave or not is your business. You can tell me yourself. I'm not interested in passing on messages. But be prepared to face Nina's wrath."

Tao Xiang ignored the last sentence and continued chatting as usual.

"Then why are you still hanging out with us? That's cheating, you know?"

Chaoyang stopped and joined in with her banter.

"As a professional producer, it's perfectly normal to train even 100 idols."

"Huh? What are you saying?"

Tao Xiang had no idea what Chao Yang was saying and thought he was making some kind of joke that she couldn't understand.

Just laugh it off.

As everyone joked and played games, about an hour passed before the car arrived at the first service area.

"Ugh, ugh..."

"Hmm? Does Tomo get carsick?"

After parking the car, Chaoyang stepped out of the driver's seat and into the residential area, where he found that Hai Lao V Zhi was already half-dead.

"It seems so, I started feeling nauseous earlier."

"There's a toilet in the car. If you're still not feeling well, you can climb up onto the cot in the front of the car and lie down. But be careful not to fall off while the car is moving."

"No, it's nothing... Just buy me a bottle of water."

After getting off the bus, Chaoyang stretched and yawned.

"It's been so long since I left Tokyo... I've been staying here ever since my last university training camp..."

As Chaoyang gazed at the starry sky, he reminisced about the past and realized that his last trip to another city was four years ago.

"Huh? Don't you live in Kanagawa?"

Tao Xiang stood behind him and overheard Chao Yang talking to himself while correcting his mistakes.

"When I say Tokyo, I mean the Tokyo metropolitan area! Do you dare say Kanagawa isn't in the Tokyo metropolitan area? Besides, I went to university in Shibuya, Tokyo, which is a sub-center of Tokyo, so it's practically a Tokyo residency."

Chaoyang suddenly retorted excitedly.

"That's a bit far-fetched. By the way, I didn't expect you to be the kind of person who cares about your Tokyo identity?"

Seeing Tao Xiang's bewildered expression, Chao Yang laughed and waved his hand.

"Haha, just kidding. Actually, it's a joke we had back in college. We said that everything outside of Tokyo's 23 wards was the countryside. Back then, nobody would say they were from Tokyo. I was just thinking about that funny thing."

"...You're doing this on purpose, aren't you...? You know perfectly well I didn't even finish high school and you're reminiscing about college."

"...You brought this on yourself. There are plenty of people who went to college playing rock music."

"I know, I know, I'm just an idiot anyway~~ Can we stop talking about this?"

"...No, what I meant was that since things have come to this, and there's no point in agonizing over it anymore, shouldn't we just keep going? You guys are already quite successful, much better than most amateur bands."

Momoka raised her hand to signal to stop the conversation.

"Let's leave this topic here. Continuing will only lead to an argument... What do you want to eat? I'll treat you to a late-night snack before we hit the road."

"Ah, an egg and ham sandwich with coffee will do,"

"I know, you can wait in the car. Also, look after Tomo."

"Ah."

After saying that, Tao Xiang waved casually and walked towards the convenience store in the service area, while Chao Yang, having had his fill of the fresh night air, returned to the carriage.

"Do you feel better?"

Upon arriving, seeing that Ebi V was still slumped over the table, I asked him with concern.

Ebi V. Tomoyuki didn't even look up and remained silent for a while before finally speaking.

"...That's fine then..."

Do you want me to carry you to bed?

"Just don't touch me."

"Haha, I got a complaint about it."

"...No, it's just..."

At this point, Hai Lao V Zhi recalled seeing his mother and a stranger when he returned home that day.

"Nothing... But why are you helping them so much? Is it because you like Nina...?"

"If I had to choose between liking and disliking, I'd say liking, mainly because... I feel sorry for her. After learning about her experiences, I couldn't help but want to help her. Although you guys are here now, whether I help or not shouldn't matter anymore, but if possible, I still hope that someone can stand by her side when she's confused."

"...So you just like Nina, don't you...?"

Ebi V-Chi complained irritably.

Chapter 133 The Harem Journey of the Lower-Headed Man.

Just as Nina was about to open the door, she heard Ebi V-Chi's sarcastic remark.

Tomo-chan... Ugh... How can you say something like that too... But...

While still inside the car, Asahi immediately heard Renna's thoughts.

He realized she was listening outside the door.

However, after thinking about it, he realized he didn't need to emphasize that it was a sibling relationship. If Nina really liked him, he wouldn't refuse. Of course, he wouldn't force it either. But if Kotone fell for someone else on her own, Asahi wouldn't mind going to the blacksmith's shop.

"Well, well, well, I feel about the same way about everyone."

Still feeling unwell, Hai Lao V Zhi spoke up.

"...From now on, you are not allowed to approach within 2 meters of me..."

This guy's comments are such a jerk...

"Hey, I just meant that I care about everyone the same way."

Just then, the car door was violently opened.

Chaoyang naturally knew that it was Rencai who walked in, and that she was in a bad mood at the moment.

He glared fiercely at the rising sun.

He then handed the drink in his hand to Ebi V.

"Too slow... Hmm? What's this...?"

Chaoyang glanced at it and realized it was Shingen-sui, a specialty of Yamanashi Prefecture, so he began to explain.

"This is the natural mineral water from the Lower Hot Spring that helped Takeda Shingen heal his battle wounds."

Asahi, who was born with a liberal arts background and took Japanese history as an elective subject when he took the college entrance exam, can easily quote such anecdotes.

While still angry, Nina looked at Ebi V's awkward expression and asked somewhat embarrassedly.

"Would it be better to choose something else?"

"No, this is fine... Thank you."

Nina paused slightly as she handed over the drink, watching Ebi V's awkward yet reluctant acceptance of the water, and a complex mix of emotions welled up inside her. She forced a smile, turned, and sat down on a nearby chair, her hands clasped tightly on her knees, her lowered eyelashes concealing the turmoil within her.

Was it really wrong?

Her thoughts drifted back to a few days ago when her older sister had come all the way from their hometown to tell her earnestly that the preparatory school teacher had contacted the family, saying that her grades were steadily declining. Her sister frowned and advised her that since she had chosen to leave home, she should work even harder to prove herself right.

When Nina tried to explain to her older sister that she didn't regret leaving home to pursue her dreams, her sister fell silent. That silence was more embarrassing and helpless than any reprimand. Nina had thought her sister would understand her, but her sister's attitude clearly told her that the family no longer intended to support her choices.

Am I really being too willful? I want to be independent, but I can't seem to do anything right...

Unconsciously, she gripped the hem of her skirt, the scene at the convenience store replaying in her mind. The high school students in their neat uniforms were excitedly discussing their upcoming school trip. A group of them jostled and pushed each other, scrambling for snacks and drinks, their carefree laughter suddenly piercing Nina's heart.

I used to be like that too.

She bit her lower lip. Those days, though not so long ago, felt like they belonged to another world. She had left school and home, choosing an unconventional path, yet she felt a strange sense of loss and envy whenever she saw images of people her age.

She secretly glanced at Ebi V, who always had a stubborn look on his face. He was clearly younger than her, but he exuded a kind of maturity that was hard to fathom.

Why did Tomo make this choice? Dropping out of junior high... Was it because of her family? Or... did she have a more important reason?

Renna's curiosity was piqued, but she felt it would be inappropriate to ask these questions in front of Asahi.

However, Chaoyang knew everything she was thinking.

This girl... she really told her sister everything so honestly? If her sister goes back and tells the family... she'll be completely finished... Honestly, the fact that her family allowed her to skip high school and only attend tutoring classes is actually quite open-minded... At least I personally feel her father isn't as narrow-minded as I imagine... Anyway, let's give her and Tomo some time alone here...

Chaoyang suddenly made an exaggerated expression, pointed out the car window, and said in feigned surprise.

"Oh~~ There seems to be a super cute little girl outside, I'll go talk to her and ask for her contact information~~"

Before he finished speaking, the entire carriage fell silent for a few seconds.

"what?"

Ebi V was the first to react, frowning and his face full of disdain, as if to say, "What are you up to now?"

But Chaoyang had already opened the carriage door and gotten off.

"..."

The two involuntarily glanced at each other, and then Ebi V Zhi turned to look out the car window.

"I advise you to find another man; this kind is clearly unreliable..."

But Rencai was already making guesses.

...Could it be... that Mr. Hiraishi was deliberately giving me space... that he sensed I had a question for Tomo-chan?... How amazing... I always feel like Mr. Hiraishi helps me with whatever I do... If only I had known Mr. Hiraishi back in school...

He turned his head and pretended to look out the window at Ebi V, but Nina, who was staring at him blankly, got annoyed and spoke in an impatient tone.

"...What...? Why have you been staring at me like that since just now?"

"Ah... I'm sorry... It's nothing... Ah, no... Tomo-chan, why did you give up school?"

"...Why do you ask that?"

"I want to know what path I should take next... and there's no one else I can ask."

. .

"Ah...it's black stockings...ah...it's white stockings, so there really are people who wear white stockings out in public..."

Squatting by the wall, Chaoyang, with nothing to do, yawned and half-opened his eyes, looking down at the girls coming and going, commenting on their outfits to himself.

Peach Fragrance suddenly appeared out of nowhere and complained to the rising sun, speechless.

"Can't this kind of perverted behavior be stopped?"

Chaoyang continued to look listless, but he kept talking.

"I'm just a stocking enthusiast..."

"That's crazy enough... Are you tired? Go lie down and take a nap in a bit. Thanks for this trip. This is the first time we've gone on a performance trip out of town like this, and it's much more luxurious than when we signed with the agency. Back then, it was just a minivan. It'll be a good final memory."

Chaoyang sighed helplessly, hanging his head.

"...Ha...and you're still saying things like that now? Nina is really struggling with this decision, and you're just being easy...No, wait...how can you be easy? After screwing over your teammates, you've screwed over Nina and then run away. You'll wake up in the middle of the night and slap yourself for it~~"

Tao Xiang's smile froze instantly as she listened to Chao Yang's nonchalant teasing. She narrowed her eyes, her gaze sweeping over Chao Yang with an icy intensity, her tone low and cold, yet undeniably intimidating.

"...Shut up."

"Feeling bad when you hear the truth? If you've already done it, why are you afraid of what others say?"

"I told you to shut up!!!"

Tao Xiang suddenly grabbed Chao Yang by the collar, who was squatting on the ground, and lifted him up. The coldness on her face could almost freeze the air.

"I told you to shut up, can't you understand human language?"

She gritted her teeth, her voice low but full of pressure.