I live my life in Tokyo

Nishikino Maki nodded slightly and said, "Sakakibara-san is fine at the moment, but you must be mentally prepared. Losing your voice for a moment on stage will mean failure."

She looked straight at Sakakibara Kaede, then looked away after a moment and put her bass on the wall. "I have tutoring in the afternoon, so I'll leave first. I'll go pick out a new bass. Is it the same time tomorrow?"

"Ah, Nishikino-san, any time is convenient for you." Sakakibara Kaede nodded.

Nishikino Maki hummed, shook her head at the two of them, closed the door quietly, and left the rehearsal room.

Miura Yuuma was pointed out for his problems, but he was quite generous. "Nishikino-san is really professional and has a very good understanding of music. If she wants to enter a music school, it should be a sure thing."

“Do students from the music school still need extra lessons?”

Sakakibara Kaede complained that in a short period of time, he could see that Nishikino Maki had strong adaptability and learning abilities, and her academic performance should not be bad. If such a student still needed extra lessons, it would be hard to imagine what her aspirations were.

Yuuma Miura was massaging his wrist, and he looked very satisfied, at least that's what Kaede Sakakibara thought.

"Sakakibara-san will be giving extra lessons to the senior high school students next, right?"

Seeing Sakakibara Kaede picking up the bag, Miura Yuma asked.

"Well, I'm taking extra classes in the coffee shop, and I have to continue filming the variety show in the evening..." Sakakibara Kaede put on his schoolbag and put the guitar in the bag. He planned to take it home tonight to practice his guitar.

"What are your plans, Miura-san?"

"We'll continue practicing while our hands are still hot, and then we'll go back to school in the evening." Yuuma Miura flicked his wrist and waved to Sakakibara Kaede with a smile, "Let's go, tutoring is work after all, it would be bad if you're late, see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

The two said goodbye in front of the rehearsal room. Sakakibara Kaede felt the weight on his shoulders. He deliberately did not leave the agency directly, but went to the snack area in the actor area for a walk. He played and sang for an entire afternoon, consuming a lot of energy.

The boy pushed open the door of the office with an energy bar in his mouth. He had to squint because of the scorching sun and put his hands over his eyes.

Summer vacation is coming soon.

After learning this fact, Sakakibara Kaede was very excited. He just wanted to have a good rest during this summer vacation. It would be even better if he had the chance to see the sea.

The first people to greet him in the Starlight Café were not Asakura Toru and Higuchi Madoka, but two kittens piled up in front of the door.

When he saw them, Sakakibara Feng felt guilty. He took a few steps forward and stretched out his hand to Chocolate and Vanilla.

"Meow~"

The two cats meowed a few times, Chocolate rubbed the boy's hand with her soft back, while Vanilla turned her belly up towards the boy, indicating that he should serve her.

We had originally planned to bring the two cats home this summer, but because of this agent's poop, we had to postpone the plan indefinitely until this winter.

He nodded to the butler. He came today as a guest, so he was naturally invited in with a warm smile.

In the corner, Sakakibara Kaede saw Asakura Toru and Higuchi Madoka who had spread out their books and notebooks and were studying hard.

Kaede Sakakibara did not make any noise to disturb them. Instead, she put her schoolbag and guitar bag aside, opened the menu herself, and ordered a cup of slightly sweet green tea from the high school female waitress with whom she had worked for a few months and with whom she was now quite familiar.

"Huh? Here?"

Higuchi Madoka raised her purple eyes. She finished the exercise book a little earlier than Asakura Toru and pushed the part she had completed to the boy.

She glanced at the guitar bag next to Sakakibara Kaede, "Band?"

Sakakibara Kaede was not surprised that Higuchi Madoka had noticed it. After all, when they were singing the song about friends that day, Higuchi Madoka was sitting next to Sakurajima Mai who was recording the video. She was present throughout the whole process and had heard a little about the official agency's rescue efforts. So she was not surprised at all now, as if everything was natural.

"Well, Miura-san and I, along with that muse Nishikino-san, formed a band today. We just finalized the deal and even decided on the name."

Sakakibara Kaede said with a smile. He took the exercise handed to him by Higuchi Yuanxiang. The smile on his face gradually became serious. He took out a red pen and began to correct it.

When Higuchi Madoka saw Sakakibara Kaede like this, she knew that she had lost the opportunity to ask questions. She had not yet asked what was going on with Nishikino-san.

Did you really form a band with that idol Nishikino Maki? What's the name of the band? What songs are you going to sing in the future?

There are a lot of questions I want to ask, but Higuchi Madoka is not good at asking questions. That's just her attitude towards things. When the two of them are together, it is always Sakakibara Kaede who leads the topic and chats with her about trivial matters.

This is her life, or her attitude and way of dealing with things. It is enough to go with the flow. Accepting external changes will only make Higuchi Madoka feel constrained and suffocated.

So, she leaned back on the sofa, next to her childhood sweetheart, and began to read the ancient Chinese texts she had learned in class today.

After marking the papers, Sakakibara Kaede began to conduct supplementary review based on their current teaching progress.

Asakura Toru and Higuchi Madoka listened attentively, nodded from time to time, and wrote a few words in their notebooks. The only smell in their noses was the aroma of coffee and ink.

"Band, is that fun?"

During the half-time break, Asakura Toru smoothed her bangs and gave herself a smile through the window that she thought was refreshing, but was actually very cool. She glanced at Sakakibara Kaede's face and asked in a drawn-out tone.

Hearing her childhood sweetheart's question, Higuchi Madoka silently took a sip of cocoa and remained silent.

"It should be quite similar to idol activities." Sakakibara has not personally experienced idol activities, but in reports or variety shows, she has more or less seen them practicing, working together, and jumping for joy on the stage. "But we have just started today, and we are still in the running-in practice stage."

"Ah... they are very similar, just like us back then."

Asakura Toru looked at Higuchi Madoka who was sitting next to him, and smiled while supporting his face with his hands.

"I was so exhausted at that time. Asakura was still singing random lyrics during the filming of the program." Higuchi Madoka said coldly. She still remembered the crime committed by her childhood sweetheart. She could even recall the scene when she was on the program just after her debut. "But, in the end, it was finally on the right track."

"Yeah." Asakura Toru responded, and she looked at Sakakibara Kaede again, "What's your name?"

"Sekaillumate."

"Shining in the world? Isn't this a good name?" Higuchi Madoka commented with a light nod.

The boy smiled and said that the band had time to rehearse all day on weekends and hoped to get proficient in the practice as soon as possible.

The lyrics are not a problem, but the music is something that requires time and effort.

Although there are a lot of things to do and it seems quite stressful, the boy is enjoying the most brilliant and fulfilling time of his life.

He once thought about doing a job he liked. Although he had to bow to reality for money in his previous life, this time he could get what he wanted.

Shine brightly in this world.

"Okay, the break is over!" Sakakibara Feng glanced at the time on his phone, clasped his hands together and said seriously, "We still have a small topic to review."

"Eh..."

Asakura Toru dragged out the tone, but there was no reluctance on his face. Instead, he began to learn with great interest.

Her academic performance was still mediocre, but at least it was much better than before, which really made the boy feel very accomplished.

Higuchi Madoka once again noticed the uncomfortable smile on the boy's face, as if she felt a kind of sadness that a dying man would speak kindly. She blinked her eyes, as if the expression on Sakakibara Kaede's face just now was only a flash in the pan.

"Thanks for your hard work."

After a long period of study, the sky outside the window has turned completely red. The customers who come to the coffee shop now are not here for afternoon tea, but for dinner.

The coffee shop naturally has food and beverages other than coffee, such as pasta and omelette rice. The pink-haired chef in the kitchen has previous experience working and cooking in a famous brand store. In addition to the staple foods, the cakes are also very delicious.

"Would you like some cake? I highly recommend the cake here. You can consider it as an after-dinner snack." Sakakibara Kaede asked when he stood up to pay the bill.

Before Higuchi Enka could say anything, Asakura Toru simply nodded, "...I want to."

"Hey..." Higuchi Madoka looked at the two people who started to interact with each other with cold eyes.

"What flavor would you like to eat, Asakura-san?"

"Hmm... chocolate."

"Where's Higuchi-san?"

They both looked at Higuchi Madoka at the same time. The latter crossed her arms over her chest and uttered a word after a long while: "...Strawberry flavor."

Kaede Sakakibara came to the counter, paid the bill and ordered eight small cakes, two of which were for his students, and the other six were to be taken back to Dream Apartment to cheer on those high school students and juniors who were working hard.

Asakura Toru was somewhat accustomed to all this. After all, she often forgot to bring her wallet and the money was paid by her childhood sweetheart.

Higuchi Yuanxiang frowned, and only accepted the cake with peace of mind after the boy said it was a return gift for the bento.

The three of them said goodbye to the owner Shikisang, opened the door, and were greeted by the summer evening.

"How are you going to get back?" Sakakibara Kaede asked, looking at the high school girls standing together in the same school uniform. "It's about ten minutes from here to Higuchi's house. It takes--"

"Let's walk back." Higuchi Yuanxiang said lightly, her tone calm, "You still have to go to shoot the show tonight, so you don't have to send us off."

Higuchi Yuanka refused in advance. She pulled Asakura Toru over and left with her without looking back.

Sakakibara Kaede stood there and watched the two people leave. Asakura Toru took a few steps back and waved at him. The boy made the same gesture, waving his hand that was not holding the cake vigorously, stirring the summer heat.

Let’s go back to the apartment.

The boy carried the bag and squeezed onto the tram.

The office workers who get off work at this time are white-collar workers who have worked for a few years in the company and have a certain level of experience. The college graduates who have just graduated are still working overtime in the company, exerting their enthusiasm.

"good evening."

"Ah, welcome back, Sakakibara-senpai~"

When she stepped into the entrance hall, she was greeted by Nanami Aoyama and Utaha Kasumigaoka who were cooking in the open kitchen.

Sakakibara Kaede placed the cake on the table. "Where are the others?"

"He hasn't come back yet. He must be taking extra classes."

Nanami Aoyama said carefully that her academic performance was indeed very good, but compared to those students who were pursuing improvement and wanted to get into a good university, she focused her life entirely on pursuing her dreams.

She will have to go out to work part-time at a convenience store in the evening.

The figure of someone striving for his dream like this is truly brilliant.

Chapter 18 Big Brother!

"Do you need help?"

The boy changed into home clothes in his room and went downstairs wearing a white short-sleeved shirt.

The air conditioner in the Dream Apartment is naturally turned on all day long. Sakakibara Kaede pays close attention to the temperature of the air conditioner in her bedroom. It would be fun if she caught a cold from using the air conditioner.

"No need, after all, it's a task assigned by the filming crew."

Kasumigaoka Utaha refused with a smile. She seemed a little inexperienced in cooking and not as skilled as Aoyama Nanami.

Perhaps, among the six people in Dream Apartment, the one who can get along well with anyone is, besides Sakakibara Kaede who has improved a lot in social skills, Nanami Aoyama.

When evaluating Nanami Aoyama, the filming crew would use the word "down-to-earth" to describe this girl who pursues her dreams. She is loving to everyone, does not cause trouble to anyone, and always helps others like a good person. Such plots were common when filming Nanami Aoyama at the college affiliated to Suimei University of Arts.

"Were these brought to us?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha noticed the box on the table. "Isn't this the famous coffee shop on Instagram? I heard that cakes can only be purchased by reservation."

"Is it so exaggerated?"

Sakakibara Kaede does know that Starlight Café points 10①⑦④5 wine④⑨⑧ and uploads her own pictures to Twitter or Instagram for promotion. Sometimes she also uses the power of cats to make Chocolate and Vanilla pose in different postures in front of the camera to attract customers with the power of cats. This can also be regarded as a means of attracting people.

"The girls in my class talk about it every day, and they say they want to try their luck at Starlight Cafe every day... I don't understand what trying my luck means."

The corners of Sakakibara Kaede's mouth twitched, and he pretended to laugh, "I don't know either."

"What's the name of the light novel written by Kasumigaoka-san? I may have read it and I'm a loyal reader of yours."

The boy said this half-jokingly. He didn't expect Kasumigaoka Utaha to give the answer. Most people who write light novels use pen names and don't want to be recognized - otherwise the result may be social death.

The works of a well-mannered, sunny, and smiling female writer may be a story about a harem in another world.

After all, you can only know a person’s face but not his heart.

"Are you so curious, Sakakibara-senpai?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha blinked her red eyes, with a drunken smile in them like glutinous rice wine, "This is a girl's secret."

As she spoke, she put today's main course - salmon - into the pan, preparing to fry the skin in oil until it turned golden.

She put her fingers in front of her mouth and said, "I'll tell you next time when I go shopping with Sakakibara-senpai."

Nanami Aoyama's face turned a little red, and she was obviously embarrassed by the mature appearance of Kasumigaoka Utaha. This scene was too devastating to the pure-hearted Nanami Aoyama.

Sakakibara Kaede also knew that Kasumigaoka Utaha was joking, but looking at Aoyama Nanami's face... Kasumigaoka Utaha seemed to have gone too far. If Aoyama Nanami fainted, what would they do with dinner tonight?

"What's the schedule of the voice actor training class, Aoyama-san?" Sakakibara Kaede immediately changed the subject and mentioned Aoyama Nanami's dream.

The girl's shyness and embarrassment immediately disappeared. Her face lit up and she said with a smile, "Every day I can receive guidance from professionals in a studio equipped with the same equipment as on-site. It always feels a bit like working in a real environment."

"The daily training content is to practice voice and dubbing for different roles."

This is a bit like an actor. If a voice actor only masters one tone, that's a dead end, just like an actor.

The boy naturally knew the importance of this exercise. He nodded and said, "Such an exercise must be very competitive."

"Well, in addition to the scholarship, some animation companies will come to our training class to select passerby roles..."