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

China clasped her hands together and rested them on her chin, asking in great surprise,

The pink-haired girl slightly raised her chin and answered with a hint of pride, "Hmph, I actually performed on stage as the student council president back in junior high, you know?"

The Cantonese man immediately let out a gasp of surprise.

"Amazing……"

"Not only can I play C chords, G chords, A minor chords, but even the most difficult F chords~~~"

The pink-haired girl added smugly.

Just as she was about to continue showing off her skills, S Zeguang noticed that Chaoyang was coming and immediately went over to him.

"Um... I was just about to play it for you guys... Ah, it's that guy from yesterday... Who is he again?"

Yuya, who was relatively familiar with the situation, immediately spoke up.

"My sister said she's someone who plans to open an idol agency and has already decided to recruit my sister and Hiro-chan. Hiro-chan seems to really like her."

"Huh? When you guys pulled me away yesterday, I thought he was Hiro-chan's boyfriend. ... But don't you guys find it strange? Hiro-chan's body doesn't look like it's fit for a stage performance at all... To be precise, I'm worried she'll be blown away by the wind even when she's walking. I think Hiro-chan is very cute... But to actually be recruited and signed, isn't there something else going on?"

Ai Yin spoke with a hint of doubt, clearly not trusting Chao Yang's intentions.

"It's alright~~ Since my sister said she wants to cooperate with him, there shouldn't be any problem. My sister is very capable."

In Yuya's mind, her older sister, Hanakai D-ki, is the embodiment of invincibility, someone she has never beaten, a hexagonal warrior.

"...No...I think you're more impressive..."

Aine looked at Yuya, and after spending the past few days with her, she had come to appreciate Yuya's extraordinary physical abilities—excellent eyesight, fast running speed, and incredible strength. Aine had been wanting to tell her that she probably shouldn't have come to the idol school; if she had gone to a sports school, she might have been able to compete in the Olympics in a few years. But in the end, she held back.

"Ah, Hiro-chan is back."

"Sorry, I had to say hello to my producer."

"It's nothing, um..."

"Don't play it?"

Sze-kwang saw that Aine, who had been holding a guitar, put it down after she returned and tilted her head slightly to ask her a question.

"Uh... that string isn't tuned properly. I didn't bring a tuner, so I won't embarrass myself by showing it today~~"

Ai Yin offered an awkward smile and began to explain.

That's weird, I could play them all before! Are F chords really that hard? Luckily Hiro-chan ran away earlier, or I would have been so embarrassed. I need to practice more when I get back!

"Hmm? A tuner~ Yes, this school certainly has musical instruments, right? I'll borrow one for you~ After all, idols often need a dedicated accompaniment band~"

Chaoyang chimed in.

"Ugh...no need, it's too much trouble."

"How could that be? Everything in this school is designed to serve idols like you..."

Halfway through his sentence, Chaoyang leaned closer to Aine, bent down slightly, and whispered in her ear...

"I heard everything you said in front of others. You actually slandered me..."

"I was just having a normal suspicion! ...You, how could you hear me from so far away!?"

"Of course, not only are they good-eared, but they're also very vengeful. Don't think I don't know. Isn't the C chord something you learn in the very first chapter of guitar? And you're showing it off in front of them."

Because the whispering had gone on for a while, S Zeguang became a little unhappy and tugged at Chaoyang.

"Cheating...no way..."

"Cheating!? Oh my god~~~"

Upon hearing this word, Miss China immediately became very interested and covered her slightly flushed cheeks with her hands as she spoke.

"So, you two really are in that kind of relationship?"

"...Well, I don't think it's the kind of relationship you're thinking of."

Chaoyang scratched his head, looking a bit troubled, while Aiyin seized the opportunity to grab her guitar and run away, leaving behind a comment.

"Sorry, my stomach hurts a little~~~"

Chaoyang certainly didn't really intend to make things difficult for her. After all, she was a friend of S Zeguang and quite cute, although her serious boasting about being able to play those beginner chords had indeed amused him.

Speaking of this guy from Guangdong, if he really became your girlfriend and you did *that* kind of thing... just thinking about it is terrifying.

After glancing at S Zeguang's slender legs and indulging in fantasies, Chaoyang shook his head and immediately dismissed the thought.

"Anyway, Hiro-chan, your task before the official signing is to gain weight. If you don't want me to abandon you, then you'd better eat more every day!"

"Hmm...none of them are very good...Why are you discussing this with me? I'm just an idol, managing the business is your job."

Flower Sea D arrived as promised, but after only glancing at the paper brought by Chaoyang a few times, she immediately put on a bored expression.

"It was just a question. I've never heard of the phrase 'brainstorming' before. Humph, I really wanted to be more democratic. Fine, from now on I'll be all autocratic."

"I was only talking about business aspects, not everything. Okay... I still need to give Yuya the special nutritional drink, so I can't talk to you anymore."

Upon hearing this, Chaoyang also noticed the thermos cup in her hand that emitted a strange color.

"Hmm? Could it be that you made it yourself?"

"Hehe~~~, of course! Want some? You can have some, I made a few more anyway."

Chaoyang was indeed a bit curious. Because he had to consider the various specialty cocktails in the store, he often tasted some strange and unusual concentrated fruit juices, and occasionally he would have unexpected surprises.

So there's no need to be polite.

"Is that alright? Thank you. Then I won't be polite. Speaking of which, how can I make the drink have that sparkly look? If it tastes good, I feel like I could add some alcohol and sell it."

"...glug glug..."

Chaoyang took the cup with both hands, opened the lid, and drank it all in one gulp with great gusto.

Chaoyang opened his eyes, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, his head feeling a little dizzy.

The white walls around him and the smell of disinfectant left him feeling somewhat bewildered. Turning his head, he saw D Ji and Qin Yin sitting on the edge of the bed, their faces full of worry.

"You finally woke up!"

D's tone carried a hint of guilt.

"I almost thought I was going to be a murderer! Why didn't you say you had allergies sooner?"

Qin Yin also looked at Chaoyang with a reproachful expression.

"Manager, how could you drink her beverage without asking, and even gulp it down in one go?"

It was only after the two beautiful girls explained back and forth that Chaoyang realized he was allergic to pear cactus juice, which, combined with its unpleasant taste, caused him to faint on the spot and be taken to the hospital for gastric lavage and intravenous treatment.

"...Holy crap...This is outrageous!"

The phrase "the rising sun on the hospital bed" directly inspired Flower Sea D Season.

"Um... I know, I'm sorry for making such a terrible drink!! But it wasn't because it tasted bad that you fainted, it was mainly because of your allergy!"

Chaoyang nodded and highlighted the achievements of the Flower Sea Season D.

"Thank you so much. Without you, I might never have known I was allergic to this stuff. Thank you. Although without you, I probably would never have eaten it in my life. ...Oh right, I need to call Taoxiang and the others. We probably can't open the shop today."

Inside the izakaya

"...Hmm, the manager is so slow...why isn't he here yet? I've already prepared all the ingredients for him."

Tao Xiang has been working at Chaoyang's place almost every day lately. Chaoyang has given her all the kitchen work she can do, and even made her a spare key to the shop. This is because he knows she doesn't need to go to school and doesn't live far from the shop. Sometimes when he can't get away, he lets her go to the shop to open it and get ready.

Taoxiang sat in the shop, watching the time approach the normal opening time, but there was still no sign of Chaoyang.

I was just about to take out my phone to ask what was going on.

Then Chaoyang called.

…………

"I see... Do you need me to come check on you? After all, you're single, right? Hmm? There's a pretty girl next to you, so you don't need to? Are you just being stubborn?... Hmm? It really does sound like a girl's voice. You're quite the schemer. ~~ I'll leave the shop to you then. After all, there's still that poker-faced guy here, isn't there?... Kotone will be here soon, right? The three of us should be fine. If things get busy, I'll limit the number of customers. Just focus on getting better."

Through Chaoyang's few words, Taoxiang already understood the situation. Initially, Chaoyang said he wanted to close down, but Taoxiang considered that her band was just starting out and needed a salary, so she directly offered to open the store herself. Chaoyang naturally wouldn't mind having too much money, so he appointed Taoxiang as the acting store manager, telling her to discuss things with Xiangzi.

Having just hung up the phone, Xiangzi, who had specially changed out of his school uniform and put on his own clothes, pushed open the shop door and came in.

"Oh, you've come at the right time! Chaoyang is in the hospital!"

"Huh? The store manager is in the hospital? What happened?"

Tao Xiang raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise as she looked at Xiangzi.

"I never expected you to care about others! I thought you didn't care about anyone at all~~~"

"It's just concern between work colleagues."

Xiangzi answered calmly, his eyes showing little change.

"I don't know the specifics, but I definitely can't come today. The three of us run the shop together."

"Three people? Is Ms. Fujita included? But what about the people who don't have skewers?"

Xiangzi glanced around the shop, his brows furrowing slightly.

"It's okay~"

Momoka waved her hand casually.

"I've watched the manager grill so many times, so I've learned a thing or two. If any customers are unhappy, I'll just call out and apologize. Hmph, although it's a little embarrassing to say it myself, I have a pretty good face, so those men won't take it too seriously."

Xiangzi said coldly

“If the taste is different from usual, it will only damage the brand’s reputation, and you may lose a lot of potential regular customers because of your skewers.”

"You're exaggerating. What brand does this shabby shop have? It's just a little known in the neighborhood."

Tao Xiang shrugged.

"The shop manager himself grills them very casually... He even secretly told me that if he had a choice, he wouldn't actually like eating his own skewers."

Peach Blossom said softly, a slight smile on her face.

"...This guy..."

These words left Xiangzi speechless.

In Japan, professional kitchen staff generally possess a craftsman's spirit to some extent. Unlike Asahi, who openly dislikes his own cooking, most people would say how unique and delicious their food is.

"Isn't it amazing? But I don't dislike it. I don't have the courage to admit that I don't like what I create."

"Ah, that just proves he's shameless... I'm going to change my clothes."

After Xiangzi went into the restroom, Taoxiang took advantage of the short time before opening time to slack off on her phone. Because she often searched for rock-related things, she was unexpectedly pushed related advertisements by big data.

"..."

Momoka saw her own band, the band she had created in the past.

"Diamond Dust... I hope you have a successful time. Don't end up like our shop manager, hating your own stuff!"

Xiangzi had already come out at some point and silently walked past Taoxiang.

"...Ha...How pathetic. You've already chosen to abandon me, yet you still put on that face. Are you hoping for pity?"

"...This is none of your business..."

Momoka also put away her gentle smile and spoke coldly.

Xiangzi was actually moved by Taoxiang's appearance. She was slightly concerned and tried searching for Taoxiang, and soon learned about her story.

She had abandoned her band, much like herself, but what she couldn't understand was why, having already abandoned it, she acted as if she was reminiscing about the past.

This annoyed her greatly, and Xiangzi, who usually wouldn't interrupt others, unconsciously said a few more words.

"Since you've abandoned it, there's no need to dwell on the past; otherwise, you'll only make yourself uglier and more hypocritical."

"Shut up... I don't want to hear you..."

"Huh?"

Just as tensions were about to rise, Qin Yin jumped into the shop and greeted everyone loudly, only to suddenly realize that the atmosphere seemed a little off.

When the two saw that others had arrived, they each returned to their original state.

Xiangzi silently replied, "Good morning."

Momoka continued to smile.