Crossover anime, Hachiman's childhood friend's growth diary

"Oh right, is Momoka-neechan here to participate in a performance?"

"No, no, we're here to see the performance." Momoka Kawara smiled and casually revealed other information, "Also, another singer from our company will be performing, so our manager wanted us to come and say hello in advance."

"oh oh."

Nijika nodded slightly, clearly not quite understanding what Momoka Kawahara meant. Hachiman, meanwhile, explained to her:

"It's similar to 'the teacher organizing an activity during the Chinese New Year to let classmates get to know each other in advance for the next semester'."

"I see!" After hearing Hikigaya's description, Nijika's eyes lit up. "That's great! We can actually make new friends in advance. Ah, Momoka-san, you must become good friends with them!"

"Haha, my friend, I hope so."

Kawara Momoka smiled somewhat awkwardly.

Judging from the other party's reaction, Hachiman could roughly tell that things were probably not that simple, and that the so-called greeting was probably just a polite exchange between superiors and subordinates.

Sigh, adults are such a hassle. God, please let me be a child forever!

Just as Hachiman was lost in thought, Momoka Kawaharaki suggested again:

"Where are you guys going later? Our agent hasn't arrived yet. Would you like to go shopping together?"

"Um, Hikigaya-kun and I still need to go find my sister, so we might not be able to go with Momoka-neechan until after this is over."

"Haha, it's alright, it's alright, we'll be going now."

Momoka Kawahara left the scene with her Diamond Dust teammates, while Hachiman continued walking backstage.

but.

Halfway there, Hachiman suddenly noticed that Nijika's mood didn't seem as high as he had expected. He thought for a moment, then suddenly spoke:

"Ichichi-kun, what are you planning to do after you meet Hoshika-san?"

"Hey, what do you mean by 'how to do it'?"

Hongxia stopped and tilted her head in confusion.

"Perhaps my wording is not quite accurate... Putting aside the outcome of this music festival, personally, would you prefer Ms. Xingge to continue pursuing her dreams elsewhere, or would you prefer her to stay and study locally?"

"Well, about this question..." Hearing Hachiman's words, Nijika hesitated, which was unusual for her. "I'm not really sure either. If I had to say, I hope that you can pursue your dreams here, sister?"

After a pause, Nijika gave a complex smile, which Hachiman could see in it—a mixture of helplessness, anticipation, and a hint of disappointment.

"Hehe, but this wish is probably impossible to fulfill, right?"

"Yes, that's how it usually is."

Hearing Nijika's words, Hachiman fell into deep thought.

As she said, although there are plenty of good agencies in the local area, it still lacks something compared to Tokyo, especially in terms of exposure opportunities.

So as long as you pursue the path of a professional band and want to become one of the top performers, Ijichi Seika will eventually have to leave here.

...That being said, this child really does enjoy spending time with his older sister.

Thinking of this, Hachiman's lips curled up slightly, but he quickly suppressed it again.

Ijichi Seika's purpose in coming to the music festival this time is to gain recognition from a professional agency. In other words, no matter how successful her performance is, if she is not noticed, it will be a failure for her.

If he fails, Ichiji Seika will give up his dream of becoming a professional band in accordance with his promise.

That alone wouldn't be too difficult to deal with, but as Hongxia just said, she doesn't want her older sister to give up on her dream like this.

At the same time, the other party does not want Ijichi Seika to leave her.

That's too greedy.

Even Hachiman felt that way deep down.

"So, assuming Ms. Hoshika doesn't receive offers from other agencies this time, what would you do, Ijichi-kun?"

"elder sister..."

As if she had a breath stuck in her chest, Hongxia showed signs of discomfort. It seemed that the child had thought about this problem carefully, but had not yet come to a good answer.

“It feels like I’m deliberately stealing my sister’s dream.”

“No, that’s not how it is,” Hachiman replied immediately. “Giving up a professional band was Hoshika’s own decision. Of course, it’s impossible to say that she wasn’t influenced by Ijichi.”

"really..."

"Just a little reminder, Auntie... Ijichi's mother, probably didn't agree with what Hoshika said, right?"

"Ugh?"

Hearing this, Hongxia frowned in confusion.

"No? Seriously, I have absolutely no idea what Hachiman-kun means."

Hachiman smiled and raised one finger:

"Let's try a different approach. How about we start our communication with the goal of stopping Miss Xingge?"

160. Older sister and younger sister

After that, Hikigaya and Nijika arrived at the backstage area without any problems. There was a sign that read "No Trespassing." It took them five minutes of acting cute and charming to finally get permission from the staff to enter.

Of course, Hachiman felt he might be the one experiencing the side effects, since that staff member always gave him a strange look whenever he saw him.

Ah, this is definitely a dark history, seal it away immediately!

In a daze, Hachiman arrived at the backstage area, where the two of them saw a familiar figure.

"Mom, you've worked so hard."

"Oh, Nijika, what brings you here? Mom's alright." Nijika first patted Nijika's head, then smiled at Hachiman. "Oh, did Hachiman bring you here? Thank you so much. There are so many people here, you must be very tired."

"No, don't worry."

Although Hachiman doesn't really like crowded places, it's fine when it comes to work.

The mother and daughter exchanged a few words before quickly getting to the point.

"Mom, where is my sister now?"

"She's making final preparations in the lounge right now."

As she spoke, Hongxia's mother led the two of them to the entrance of the backstage lounge.

Normally, music festival slots are selected through a rigorous process, and in order to make money, it's rare to let unknown amateurs perform on stage.

but.

I heard that this year's city music festival was sponsored by several famous families, so they specially opened a channel for ordinary people to go on stage. It was through this channel that Ichiji Hoshika got the precious performance opportunity.

As a result, many talent agencies treated this music festival as a talent show to see if there were any bands or singers with potential.

"right here."

Arriving at one of the lounges, Hongxia's mother knocked on the door and gently opened it after hearing a response from inside.

"Mom...and Hongxia and Hachiman, what brings you all here?"

Wearing light makeup, Ijichi Seika sat with her bandmates on chairs. They all looked a little nervous and their complexions weren't good.

"Hehe, I'm here to treat everyone!"

Nijika's mother served the prepared drinks and snacks, and then handed the stage over to Nijika and Hachiman.

"Hongxia, now you should really express what's on your mind."

"Ah."

Hongxia took a deep breath and walked up.

"Um, should we leave for a bit?" Ijichi Hoshika's teammates slowly stood up and walked out of the dressing room. "Hoshika, hurry up, we're going on stage in ten minutes."

"understood."

Hachiman hesitated for a moment. He had originally intended to go out with the group, but then he found a small, fair hand grabbing his wrist.

"that?"

"Hachiman, could you please stay for a moment?"

"Is it alright for me to be here?"

Hikigaya glanced up at Ijichi Hoshika's expression, and only after confirming that the other party had no objections did he awkwardly return to the corner of the lounge.

"Then we'll head out first."

Hongxia's mother gently closed the door, leaving only three people facing each other in the huge lounge, creating an awkward atmosphere.

"Hongxia, what are you doing here at this time?"

Ijichi Hoshika seemed to be deliberately distancing herself from Nijika, speaking in a cold voice.

"Um, how's your training going these past few days, sister?"

"Well, that's about right."

"Have you had breakfast? I saw you had already left when I got up this morning."

"Well, I've eaten."

After the incident with the fake agency, their relationship was somewhat repaired, but overall it was still a bit bumpy, which made even Hachiman, who was watching from the sidelines, a little anxious.

"Ahem, excuse me for interrupting, Ms. Xingge, it seems there are quite a few talent agencies outside, even the president of MeiPro is here."

"is it?"

Because she was focused on training, Iji Tomoka hadn't really paid attention to what was happening outside. After his reminder, Iji Tomoka, who hadn't thought anything of it, suddenly became uneasy.

"If we fail this time, we might really have no chance."

She gave an awkward smile, and Hongxia immediately stepped forward, saying in a very firm tone:

"Why? If my sister wants to play in a band, she can wait until she gets into university, right?"

"Sigh, you wouldn't understand even if I told you. University is different; that was just a simple hobby."

"So, does your sister want to make a living in the band?"

Upon hearing this, Ijichi Seika's eyes widened slightly, and after thinking for a moment, she nodded in agreement:

"Yeah, what's the problem?"

"There's nothing wrong... but why does my sister always talk like this, using such a mean tone all the time?"

Nijika muttered a complaint under her breath, probably not expecting her tone to hurt the other person. Ijika quickly apologized, saying, "I'm sorry, that's not what I meant... So, Nijika, did you come all this way just to talk about this?"

“No,” the girl shook her head. “I just wanted my sister to know that even if she isn’t picked up by an agency, no one in the band will like her…”

"Wait a minute! Is that how you say it?!"

Ijichi Hoshika's lips twitched. Even she found it hard to bear being so hurt by her own sister.

"Sister, can you let me finish?"

"...Sorry, please continue."

A little annoyed at being interrupted, Hongxia pouted and continued:

“My sister has always been like this. She’s messy, doesn’t like to tidy her room, and isn’t good at housework. My parents are worried that if she continues like this, she might never be able to get married.”

"Well!"

Ijichi Hoshika's expression worsened, especially with an outsider present.

Of course, Hachiman obediently lowered his head and counted the stains on the ground, pretending not to see them.

Oh, there are ants on the ground. It looks like the cleaning wasn't done properly.

However, halfway through her sentence, Hongxia suddenly changed her tone:

"...But even so, I still love my older sister!"

"Hey!"

Unexpectedly, the scolding turned into a sentimental one, and Ijichi Hoshika, who had recovered a little, blushed again.

"Hongxia, let's talk about this when we get back!"

"No!" Hongxia retorted loudly, "I've made up my mind. If my sister doesn't succeed this time, then I will fulfill her dream!"