I live my life in Tokyo

Ichinose Chizuru tugged at Sakakibara Kaede's sleeve, and he came out of his thoughts. Seeing how brightly she was dressed, he couldn't help but compliment her, "Chizuru-san, you are wearing it really beautifully."

"Really, really, I'll take that as a compliment."

Ichinose Chizuru twisted her hair and whispered, "By the way, have you finished lunch?"

"It's delicious, Chizuru-san's thick omelette."

"Really, if you really like it that much, I'll just do it for you next time."

The girl snorted twice, and her originally arrogant words turned into frank ones in the end.

As expected, the audience today was mostly male, which was understandable, after all, the market that Noctchill was targeting at the time was male. However, there were also many girls present. Sakakibara knew that many of them were fans of Asakura Toru. He took a quick glance and found that Nakasago Kaori was acting a little sneaky, and the person she was holding next to her was... Asuka Tanaka.

He is wearing a mask now, so he will not be recognized. Besides, it is inconvenient to talk to students on a weekend. Sakakibara Kaede pretended not to see it, but was secretly happy for Asakura Toru in his heart.

There are a lot of little fans... Although Sakakibara Kaede thinks he is a little obsessed with her too.

Chapter 32: Smiling Group Photo

"Please squeeze in. There are too many people here."

People entered the venue in an orderly manner. There were no seats in the front row of the concert held in the stadium. All tickets were standing. Logically speaking, standing tickets should not be as good as seated tickets, but standing tickets allow you to appreciate the beauty of the idols up close. When you are close, you can even feel the summer breeze blowing on your face when they are dancing.

The seats were far away, so I could only see my idol’s every move through the big electronic screen.

Although they have to stand for more than an hour, fans who chase their idols are all fanatical, so what’s wrong with standing for a short time?

Sakakibara Kaede took Sakurajima Mai's hand and pulled her closer to him. At the same time, he nodded softly to the fans who were crowding nearby, "Sorry, you bumped into my friend."

"Oh, sorry, sorry." The other person was wearing a headband with the Noctchill logo printed on it and thick glasses. When others look at this kind of person, they usually label him as a heavy otaku. Seeing him hurriedly apologizing, Sakakibara Kaede smiled and stopped talking.

"Thank you, Feng, senior." Sakurajima Mai leaned on Sakakibara Feng's chest and said softly with a blushing face.

"It's okay. Are your friends coming soon?"

"Yeah, they're coming."

Mai Sakurajima and Madoka Higuchi have a group of common friends in the office. They were invited by Mai Sakurajima, and the standing tickets they bought were located in front, behind, and around Kaede Sakakibara and the others.

Mai Sakurajima naturally had her own selfish motives. In such a crowded situation, she still didn't want her body to be touched by other people. If she caused a wave of fans, her body would eventually be touched by other passers-by. In order to solve this problem, she called a lot of good friends. At least being touched by girls is not a big deal as long as they are still friends.

Sakakibara Kaede looked at Chizuru Ichinose who was standing on the other side of her body. At this moment, she was showing the perfect girl side that she usually showed in the office, and was whispering with several girls she knew in the crew.

On the surface, she seemed to ignore Sakakibara Kaede, but behind the scenes, where no one could see, she reached out her hand, held the young man's hand tightly, and refused to let go no matter what.

"How does it feel to be a spectator and see San and Madoka-chan's performance again, Kaede?"

Mai Sakurajima chuckled, with a hint of mischief in her tone.

"Well, that summer, I came here with my friends." Sakakibara Kaede said softly. Many people came at that time, including people from the agency, his friends, Yuuma Miura, and a group of younger students from Sobu High School. His career had just begun at that time, but Asakura Toru and Higuchi Madoka had already experienced a lot as idols.

"Who asked you that?" Mai Sakurajima was wearing a mask, so her face couldn't be seen clearly, but Kaede Sakakibara still felt that she didn't treat him well. "What I'm asking is whether there is a DokiDoki feeling."

"If you say you won't believe it without me, then of course I'm a little moved."

Kaede Sakakibara gritted his teeth and endured the kick from Mai Sakurajima on his foot, but to his surprise, Mai Sakurajima did not use much strength, as if it was a dragonfly skimming the water, just to leave her mark.

"I like you."

"I know. I like you too, Mai-san."

"You're so smooth-talking." Sakurajima Mai glared at Sakakibara Kaede. Her heartbeat quickened a little, but she calmed down and looked towards the stage that was getting darker.

"By the way, Mai-san."

"what's up?"

"I want to meet your mother when she's free."

Sakurajima Mai was a little surprised. Her eyes fell into the blue of Sakakibara Kaede for a moment, and then she asked curiously, "Why do you want to see her? By the way, I still don't know what you two talked about in the cafe last time. Now that we have time, tell me everything quickly. I'm very curious about what that woman said to you."

"I told you about Mai-san's childhood. Hmm... From kindergarten to elementary school, she was a lovely Mai-san who gradually showed her talents."

"abnormal."

Sakurajima Mai kicked Sakakibara Kaede again. She knew he was joking, but she still couldn't resist the urge to kick him again.

"Alright, alright, no more jokes. You're just saying that you feel sorry for me and want me to take good care of you in the future..." Sakakibara Kaede looked at the stage that was gradually lighting up with blue lights and chuckled, "I just want to tell my aunt that I will indeed take care of Mai-san, so please rest assured."

"It sounds good, but who knows what the truth is."

Mai Sakurajima looked away. She felt the light was too glaring, making her vision a little blurry. She reached out her hand and wiped it gently, smiling.

Her smile must be very beautiful, Sakakibara Kaede smiled.

He remembered the collection of short stories that Mai Sakurajima gave him.

If I can't even face the fact that I like you, it's hard to imagine what I can be truly sincere to in the future.

But I admit that I like him, but this liking feels too shallow and I am afraid that I cannot take the responsibility of liking him.

So no matter whether you succeed or not, as long as you take that step, even if it is only a brief and illusory moment, it will become another kind of eternity.

I want to go back to that moment when every moment was filled with you, back to the dusk sea that belonged to us.

Sakakibara Kaede raised the blue glow stick and began to wave it to the rhythm. He was just a drop in the ocean among the crowd. He knew that Asakura Toru and Higuchi Madoka who were performing on the stage would not notice him, just like he would not pay attention to them standing in the audience during his concert - now, all eyes and gazes were focused on their graceful figures.

really beautiful.

It is a kind of tranquility that belongs to the sea. Summer vacation is like a long and beautiful dream. In this beautiful dream, fans sit on the beach, listening to the ebb and flow of the blue tide in the distance, and occasionally stepping into the cool sea water. The summer heat seems to have disappeared.

Some of them are geniuses, some are hard workers who train silently behind the scenes, but they all devoted all their time and enthusiasm to this concert.

Sakakibara Kaede has experienced this kind of life, and he understands that it will be his turn next.

"They are so dazzling." Sakurajima Mai exclaimed, her words full of admiration for the four people. On this stage, there was no actress Higuchi Madoka, nor was there the star Asakura Toru who was flooded with commercials, there was only one whole group.

"Idols are extremely beautiful things. I think so. It is because they are beautiful that many people flock to them."

Sakakibara Kaede remembered that he had said something like this before, but at that time he was facing Muse, who had debuted for three years and was about to graduate. Because of her flawlessness, she seemed particularly precious.

"Their concert is over, are you leaving?"

"Well... I'm not leaving. As you know, before the concert starts, Yuuma, Maki and I have to go to Osaka to discuss the details with the conductor of the Osaka Symphony Orchestra."

Sakurajima Mai nodded thoughtfully, "How long?"

"For now, let's set it at one week. It's not too long, but it's mainly for confirming the music score."

"Is there anyone else going with you?"

"Ms. Nanakusa from the agency will accompany you, there won't be any others."

The song ended temporarily, and the fans' cheers became much quieter. It was then time for the group members to go on stage and sing their individual singles. Taking advantage of this break, Kaede Sakakibara discussed next week's activities with Mai Sakakijima. He didn't want to disappear without saying a word. Given his current relationship with Mai Sakakibara, Kaede Sakakibara didn't want her to worry about him.

He is no longer alone, so he naturally has to explain clearly to the people around him where he is going and what he wants to do in the future.

"Tou-san, where are Madoka-chan and the others? Why don't they take this opportunity to go with you?"

"What you said..." Sakakibara Kaede held his forehead and sighed, "Chizuru-san is going to Osaka to shoot on location, and Toru-san and Madoka will return to Tokyo after the concert. See you in Tokyo then."

"Okay, be careful out there by yourself, but I feel a little more at ease knowing Chizuru-san is around."

The way she said this sounded like someone was worried about her own child going out. Sakakibara Kaede grinned and wanted to retort, but when she saw the concern and warmth in Sakurajima Mai's eyes, she opened her mouth but said nothing.

There is another benefit for audience members who buy front row standing tickets, which is that they can use the ticket stub to shake hands with the idol after the concert, ask for autographs, take photos, etc. - this has never happened before "The World Shines".

This is the difference between a band and an idol group. What Higuchi Madoka said may sound unpleasant, but the fact is that, after all, idols are still a profession that sells smiles.

There was still some time before dinner, and after the concert, the audience stood in an orderly manner. They looked very satisfied, and many die-hard fans stayed where they were, hoping that their idol would appear on the stage again.

Sakakibara Kaede and other people who bought standing tickets entered the stadium's lounge under the guidance of the staff. The space here was a bit more spacious. The fans saw the long cordon and began to line up consciously.

From his perspective, he could see the four members of Noctchill talking in low voices with happy smiles on their faces. They were very tired, but very refreshed. From time to time, they unscrewed the bottle of mineral water from the sponsor on the table and took a sip. Sakakibara found that they were still wearing the uniforms that looked like the sea during the performance, but they seemed to be a little different from the uniforms two years ago. They looked uniquely designed and very youthful.

"Hello~"

"Hello, Toru Asakura, I've been your fan for a long time... Can I have your autograph?"

"Haha."

Asakura Toru was amused by Sakakibara Kaede's words. She pursed her lips and smiled, "Long time? It would be nice if it lasted forever."

"Always."

The girl raised her eyes and met the young man's eyes. After a moment, she turned her gaze away with a slight smile on her lips. She took the notebook handed to her by Sakakibara Kaede and found that there were already many signatures on it.

She had seen this notebook before, and flipped through a dozen pages. Almost on the first page, she found her signature from two years ago.

"Ha." Asakura Toru laughed happily. She stretched out her hand and shook hands with Sakakibara Kaede.

She was wearing ventilated gloves that she always wore during performances. Wearing ordinary gloves in this kind of weather would make her sweat profusely. This is the cleverness of the costume design.

There were many people here, so Asakura Toru didn't say much. He just winked at the camera, handed the photo to Sakakibara Kaede, and then smiled at Sakakijima Mai who was behind Sakakibara Kaede.

Sakakibara Kaede stepped forward, and the person sitting in the second seat was... Higuchi Madoka, who had witnessed her childhood sweetheart smiling at a man in such an intimate state, with a blank expression on her face.

The young man suddenly felt a pang of heartache, "Yuanxiang, where is your smile, where is your smile to me?"

"Hmph." Higuchi Madoka turned her eyes away, and her cold look made the fans queuing outside make a series of strange noises - don't get me wrong, what the fans like is Higuchi Madoka's cold temperament.

"Forget it, Yuanxiang, you don't have to smile. A smile like this at this moment has a business-like vibe to it, which I don't like very much."

Sakakibara Kaede said softly, "I still like Yuanxiang's smile, which is as warm as the sunset, when we are together as friends in private."

"I didn't want you to like it."

Higuchi Madoka stretched out her hand fiercely, "Where's the notebook?"

Sakakibara Kaede handed the notebook over obediently. Like Higuchi Madoka and Asakura Toru, they turned to the first page and saw their signature from two years ago, then turned back and started writing their current signature.

Two years ago, how did she view Feng Sang? Sure enough, at that time, she still thought he was just pretending and had no real feelings. But that summer when they filmed the movie together, she felt that he had opened a small window in her heart.

He reached his hand in through the window and gently stroked his hair.

Outside the window, the sun is warm and the water waves are gentle.

"There should be smiles in this photo, right?"

"Hmm, who knows."

Higuchi Madoka snorted and laughed softly at what Sakakibara Kaede said. Looking at herself in the photo with the corners of her mouth raised, Higuchi Madoka knew that this was her sincere smile.

"This is the smile I like, but I'm wearing a mask, so it inevitably looks a little imperfect." Sakakibara put the photo into his wallet with a smile, and shook his head slightly, "But there will be plenty of opportunities to take photos in the future. I just hope that Yuanxiang can still smile by then... No, I will make Yuanxiang smile all the time."

Higuchi Madoka's heart was beating fast. She glared at Sakakibara Kaede and saw that he was already walking towards Hina who was laughing non-stop. She couldn't help but spit. She felt her face getting hot for no reason. Could it be that... he saw something and actually said such perverted, shameless, and bold words.

Thinking of what he had once told her, that he would always take the initiative when facing Yuanxiang, Higuchi Yuanxiang sighed in confusion. Now, her mood always fluctuated greatly when she was with him, and the sour and sweet mood made it difficult for her to control herself.

"Yuan Xiang-chan, hello~"

Hearing Sakurajima Mai's voice, Higuchi Madoka temporarily buried the thoughts that made her heart throb in her heart, and a real smile appeared on her face that she would show to her friends.

Chapter 33: Already on the rise

"The next time we meet, it will probably be in Tokyo."

"No, it's in Osaka. Didn't Yuanxiang say she would come to my concert?"

People come and go in front of the station.

Sakakibara Kaede was carrying a backpack with only a week's worth of clothes in it. He looked at the bustling crowd in the distance and chuckled, "Besides, I'll be back in a week, so we can still get together then."

"But you have to prepare for the concert when you get back, and I don't want to disturb you."

Higuchi Madoka seemed like a passerby. She was not facing Sakakibara Kaede when she spoke, but stood beside him, like a traveler who met by chance. Her expression under the mask was calm.

"Yuan Xiang is so thoughtful."

"I'm not doing this for you. I just don't want the concert to fail."

"Then I still want to thank Yuanxiang."

"Don't you understand what people are saying?"

Although she said so, Higuchi Madoka turned her head away, not wanting Sakakibara Kaede to see the emotions that might flash in her eyes.

The young man found that Yuuma Miura was waving at him not far away and nodded at him. The two of them asked for leave from Teacher Takisho and would leave temporarily this week and return next week to provide guidance. The Kyoto Prefecture Tournament was about to begin. Only by winning the gold medal in the Kyoto Prefecture Tournament would they have the opportunity to represent Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai Tournament.

The only people who saw him off today were Higuchi Madoka and Asakura Toru. Asakura Toru went to buy water, leaving Higuchi Madoka standing there chatting with Sakakibara Kaede.

"When you come to Osaka to see my concert, let's go out and have some fun together."

"Ha, what are you talking about? Are you confused?"