I live my life in Tokyo

After nodding goodbye to the staff at the counter, Kaede Sakakibara quickly walked out of the office. Someone was already waiting for him at home, waiting for him to say, "I'm back."

To be honest, the feeling of putting on the high school uniform again was a bit strange. It did not make him return to his youthful self in high school. Kaede Sakakibara stretched out the black school uniform of Toyogasaki Academy, kept smiling in front of the camera, and chatted with his friends around him from time to time. This advertisement was nothing more than an advertisement for next year's enrollment season.

Kaede Sakakibara's return to Toyonosaki Academy was like returning to his former home. He and his partners from STARS Agency could be seen everywhere here. Those excited and vibrant lives left a deep impression in his memories.

He was joking around with a few high school students who were pretending to be calm, and his eyes couldn't help but glance at the "class beauty" in the class, a mixed-race high school girl with blonde twin ponytails.

The girl couldn't help but blush and glared at Sakakibara Kaede.

Director: "NG, Sawamura-san, I understand that you are a little shy, so you use your eyes to hide your feelings, but in this era, tsundere is almost eliminated. Can you be more... gentle?"

Sawamura smiled with twin ponytails (biting his back teeth): "...I understand."

When actor Sakakibara came to shoot a commercial, the principal and teachers of Toyonosaki Academy were naturally very cooperative, and the students were also very excited after hearing about it. The students who were chosen to be in the camera not only did not have to attend classes, but they could also see Sakakibara's face up close. The lucky ones could even chat with him in person. Isn't this a win-win-win?

Sweat it out on the playground with the members of the baseball club, hold a study session with classmates in the library, invite the "class beauty" to the rooftop after school, and confess your love in the gentle breeze...

Ahem, come to Fengnosaki Academy, where there are rich club activities, friendly classmates, and you can also find love. What are you waiting for? Hurry up and call the phone in your hand. Now the registration fee is not 1999, but only 199 - this is what the advertisement means if it is described in one paragraph.

After a few shots were taken and the filming crew was packing up, the young man chatted with the excited high school students with a smile and naturally agreed to their request for autographs. There was a peaceful scene in the classroom.

Before leaving, he drank tea with the principal of the private Toyonosaki Academy in the principal's office and talked about their ideals in life. Sakakibara Kaede praised the school's free spirit, which made the old man laugh kindly, clapping his thighs. The female teacher passing by the door heard the principal's smug, old and rough laughter like tree bark, and the teacup in her hand shook and spilled onto her black stockings.

Sakakibara Kaede took the opportunity to make a request. After telling the old man about the situation of the Konno sisters, the old man nodded in agreement without hesitation. He also said that the classmates here were very friendly and would take care of the two sisters in their daily lives.

Putting his worries aside, Sakakibara Kaede smiled and shook hands with the principal. Both of them got what the other wanted.

"Are you the person in charge of planning that woman from Kasumigaoka is looking for?"

The slightly thorny voice made Sakakibara Kaede turn his head as he stepped out of the school gate. He saw that it was the female classmate who had been named many times by the director just now, and heard the familiar name again, so he stopped and said, "Sawamura, are you talking about the game that Kasumigaoka-san wants to make?"

"Ah, otherwise."

"I just looked at the script for her. I didn't fully participate in the production of the game." Sakakibara shrugged, "I provided technical support."

The young man saw the girl with blonde twin ponytails pouting and not saying anything. He didn't know what the relationship between this classmate and Kasumigaoka junior was. He waved to her as a farewell and got on the motorcycle.

"If you want to talk to junior sister Kasumigaoka, you might as well get into the University of Tokyo." The young man turned his head and started to fool people again - he remembered that he had fooled many people into getting into the University of Tokyo last year.

The girl raised her fist and said, "Humph, I don't want to go to the same university as that woman Kasumigaoka."

The young man smiled and was still acting proudly, without even listening to what the director said. Now being proud is no longer in line with the trend of the times. What is popular now is to regret for the rest of your life. He understands it but doesn't.

He put on his helmet, breathed a sigh of relief, and drove towards home.

Sakakibara Kaede has to go out this afternoon. As for the lyrics, he still needs to look for inspiration. To put it more elegantly, he is going to collect folk songs.

The blonde twin ponytails just now seemed to float away from his mind like the wind. After all, the people who are making games now are all junior girls from Kasumigaoka. As a senior, he just looked at her manuscripts and gave some ideas. What is the relationship between the two of them? Are there any entanglements... Sakakibara Feng has no interest in digging further.

"Feng-san, welcome back." Yuuki Asuna was eating lunch at the table. She put down her chopsticks when she saw Sakakibara Feng coming home. "I thought Feng-san was working away from home, so today's lunch wasn't that sumptuous."

"Ah, I don't mind. I can go to the convenience store later."

"Really? The things in convenience stores are so unhealthy..." The girl muttered to herself as she scooped up the vegetable soup in the pot with a spoon, took a sip, hummed, and then started to serve the rice.

Sakakibara Kaede looked at the busy figure in the kitchen, and sometimes she really felt that Asuna Yuuki had a maternal radiance.

"Hey, Feng-san aren't you going to change your clothes?"

Yuuki Asuna came to the table with a tray and found Sakakibara Kaede looking at the food on the tray with anticipation. She raised her lips in a good mood and said, "Even if you are hungry, you should change your clothes..."

"I have to go out after dinner."

"Any work still available?"

"Ah... you can define it as work." Sakakibara Kaede hesitated for a moment, then looked up at Yuuki Asuna, "Is Asuna free this afternoon?"

"Well... I've finished my homework, and today's review task was completed in the morning. There are no team-building activities in Sword Art Online in the afternoon, and Mitt and Yuuki don't plan to play games, so I'm free~"

"Let's go out and play in the afternoon," Sakakibara Kaede invited.

Yuuki Asuna narrowed her eyes and smiled. Although she wanted to report the good news that the boss's defense was gradually weakening to the five-member attack team, she still had some selfish thoughts... She wanted to enjoy her time with Feng Senior for a while longer.

"Is this a date?" Yuuki Asuna laughed softly, a little shy.

This sentence made Sakakibara Feng a little embarrassed. It seemed that from the perspective of galgame, this action did look a bit like a date. When did he enter Yuuki Asuna's line?

No, no, if we look at it from the perspective of calling each other by name, being close friends, and hanging out together, he is not only in the line of Yuuki Asuna... the line of Sakurajima Mai, the line of Higuchi Madoka, the line of Asakura Toru, and the line of Ichinose Chizuru.

Thinking of this, he hugged his head. He now just felt fortunate because he was playing the cute and eternal galgame, rather than the bizarre game where one had to enter multiple lines and then be chopped by the heroine.

"Ahem, where are you planning to go to play, Feng-san?"

Yuuki Asuna smiled and skipped over the previous topic. She supported her chin with both hands and said, "It's just work... Is it an advertisement for an amusement park or something like that?"

"No, I'm taking you to a live show today."

"Music live? I'm looking forward to it~"

Asuna Yuuki had almost finished eating. She stood up and started to clear the dishes on the table. She had originally wanted to wash them by hand, but now that she was about to go out, she put them in the dishwasher and quickly went into her bedroom to start dressing up.

Girls always dress up beautifully when going out, especially when they are going out to play with Fengsang.

Sakakibara Kaede had almost finished eating. Yuuki Asuna poked her head out of the bathroom and waved at him, "Senior Kaede, have you finished eating? I'll help you with your hair."

Yuuki Asuna's care was indeed very good. The young man leaned back in the chair, feeling the soft fingers of the schoolmate pressing on his forehead and scalp, and even felt like he was having a spa.

He felt the breath of Yuuki Asuna within reach.

Well, although the young man still wore a mask, baseball cap and sunglasses this time, Yuuki Asuna was already very satisfied. She wanted to pester Senior Feng to take pictures again.

"Feng-san, where are we going to play duck?"

"Shimokitazawa (mixed feelings of sadness and joy)."

"Hey, it's pretty close to my home, and my classmates would choose to hang out there on weekends."

"Your classmates are very classy."

Kaede Sakakibara did not use a motorcycle to travel. The subway was faster. Unable to obey Yuuki Asuna's request, he had to pull down his mask and practice taking selfies again in an empty carriage on the weekend - Yuuki Asuna sent the photo to Yuuki Koichiro - Kaede Sakakibara received a call alert again (sad).

After getting off the subway and walking through a few streets, Sakakibara Kaede stopped in front of a building. Yuuki Asuna looked around curiously, "Is this where Kaede-san works?"

"This time I'm just here to chat, this isn't a formal job."

He pointed to the underground entrance next to the street and said, "Look, it's right here."

"Starry?"

"Well, in addition to the many bands under STARS, there are many more bands on the street or bands that simply enjoy music. If they want to perform, they have to perform in places like this." Sakakibara pursed his lips, "This live house was opened by a junior friend of mine in the agency."

"It feels so romantic." Yuuki Asuna exclaimed. As she walked along, she witnessed new and novel things that she rarely saw on weekdays. Be considerate of the rich lady. Even if she goes out to play, she usually goes to areas like Ginza and then Shibuya. She would not explore a holy place like Shimokitazawa without inviting someone.

It is afternoon now, and there are not many people outside the Livehouse. The busiest time is at night. Sakakibara Kaede walked down the stairs, glanced at the sign that said "Open for Business", knocked on the door, and then pushed it open and walked in.

The store looked a bit deserted. Apart from a woman sitting in the corner working at a computer, there was also a high school student who looked like he was working part-time cleaning the floor.

"Welcome, eh——isn't this Sakakibara-senpai?"

Sakakibara Kaede waved to the girl with a fluttering head of adobo hair, "Good afternoon, this is the first time we meet outside the office, Ichichi-san."

"Hey, just call me Nijigao~ Who is the big sister behind Sakakibara-senpai?"

"My best friend is in her senior year of high school and she feels too bored studying at home, so I took her out for a walk."

Yuuki Asuna was infected by the girl's smile and immediately developed a good impression of her.

This is the importance of first impression.

Sakakibara Kaede walked to the counter on his own. He was sweating because he was wrapped up so tightly while riding the subway in the sultry weather. "Would Asuna-san like to drink something?"

Yuuki Asuna, who was greeting Ijichi Kouka, looked up and said, "Lemon tea will be fine."

Sakakibara Feng hummed, looked at the person behind the counter and smiled, "Hello, two cups of lemon tea."

That sunny smile completely petrified the pink-haired girl behind the counter, and she uttered fragments of words, as if it was some kind of ritual to summon an ancient god.

"Oh oh oh--"

"Oh? Oh huh?"

"—"

The young man helped the girl finish her fragmented speech. When he looked up, he found that the girl was crawling into the trash can.

Paji.

Close the lid of the trash can.

Chapter 41 Starry Night Under the Eaves

"Forehead?"

Sakakibara Kaede scratched his head. Did he do anything?

"Well, she's a little shy." Ijichi Hongxia smiled bitterly and stepped forward to take the pink-haired girl's place. "Lemon tea, right? Do you want ice?"

"Come on, come on."

"Wait a moment~"

Genki's voice made Sakakibara Kaede smile slightly.

"It's not open at this time. If you want to listen to music, you have to come at five o'clock."

The woman working nearby looked away from the computer screen, paused for a moment at Sakakibara Kaede's face, and then retracted her gaze. "Does the World Shining Band want to perform here today?"

"Miura-san and Nishikino-san are not here today, otherwise we could sing a couple of songs here."

Sakakibara Kaede took the drink and handed one to Yuuki Asuna, "There's still half an hour until five o'clock. Do you mind if we wait here?"

"...I don't mind."

"Ah~ Really, sister, you like the World Shining Band the most, right? What's the meaning of this attitude?"

Ijichi Hongxia complained unhappily after listening to her sister's cold conversation. She came to the young man and Yuuki Asuna and showed them her phone, "Here, this is a photo of my sister holding your album and taking a photo with you, and also a selfie of her at the Yokohama Arena..."

"Delete it for me!"

"Don't don't."

The older woman, who was referred to as the elder sister by Ichichi Hongxia, blushed unconsciously. She cleared her throat and said, "I am the manager of this Livehouse, Hongxia's elder sister, Ichichi Hoshika. You can just call me Manager-san."

However, after being exposed by his sister, he introduced himself seriously.

After introducing himself, the store manager-san huddled behind his computer again and started working, while Sakakibara Kaede and Yuuki Asuna stood by with drinks in their hands.

"I feel like I've entered another world." The girl looked at the photos and group photos on the wall, the psychedelic lights and smiles, and the band giving a thumbs up to the camera.

"Music is an uplifting spiritual food. The bands that perform in ordinary livehouses are all independent bands. They don't have the help of agencies, and they may not even have a contract. They have to pay for the venue and produce CDs themselves every time. It's very hard."

Sakakibara sighed softly, his voice barely audible, "But this is exactly the romantic part. They don't play music for the money... People who really play music definitely don't have much savings. Not to mention the money spent on buying instruments, the maintenance of the instruments is also quite a lot. With all the miscellaneous expenses, they might even lose money."

"For yourself, or simply because you love music..." Yuuki Asuna glanced at Sakakibara Kaede who was looking at the photo wall and smiled, and smiled as well, "Kaede-san must love music too."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because whatever Feng-san is thinking will show on his face."

Yuuki Asuna chuckled and said, "Seeing Kaede-senpai shining on the stage, how could I not think that Kaede-san likes music."

"What an awkward statement."

Young people complained.

"Arnold, I'm sorry to bother you two though."

The two turned around and saw Ichichi Hongxia showing her cat eyes and smiling. The pick on her head began to spin in place. She pulled the hand of the girl in the pink sportswear and said, "Hey, Pochi-chan, come and say hello too."

Pink-haired girl: 6O9

"Popopopopochidesu!"

Yuuki Asuna stepped forward and held the pink-haired girl's hand, as if to comfort her, and smiled brightly, "Well, please give me more guidance in the future, Pochi-chan~"

"Roar--"

"Pochi-chan?!"

The pink-haired girl fell into the arms of Yuuki Asuna, her lips moved, and Sakakibara Kaede narrowed his eyes. He seemed to see the pink-haired girl's soul floating out of her mouth while she played the guitar.

After the hasty consolation, the four of them sat back together. Ijichi Kouka laughed, "Sakakibara-senpai, are you here for work today? Or are you just here to have fun?"

Sakakibara took a sip of his drink and said, "Just treat me as an ordinary tourist, but I did have some doubts about the lyrics recently. If you are willing to listen, I can pour out my troubles."

"Eh? Is that difficult?"