What does it have to do with me if they hate vests?

Yamada Ryo replied indifferently: "In the poll for 'Who is the prince in your heart' held by the Shimokitazawa High School magazine, Hongxia came in fifth place."

"Wow." Si Ji couldn't help but exclaim.

"I came in second, by the way."

Yamada Ryo continued.

"...I guess this is what they mean when they say distance creates beauty." Si Ji, who knew the other person's nature, hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"If I were also in Shimokitazawa High School, I would definitely vote for Ryo-senpai!"

Kita Ikuyo expressed her opinion loudly.

"Thank you Yudai for your vote. I will put it to good use."

The expression on Yamada Ryo's face was so fake, like a Japanese politician who promised voters to lower the consumption tax while campaigning.

After saying that, she grabbed Kita Ikuyo and ran towards Hongxia and the others as the latter exclaimed, "Huh? I'm not a member of the band."

Then I don't know what they said - Si Ji felt that it was probably something like "You came at the right time" - but the original two people spinning in circles turned into four people spinning hand in hand.

Si Ji was silent for a moment, then took out his mobile phone, turned on the video with a smile and recorded the entire scene.

When this excitement wears off, they will probably be so embarrassed that they want to explode.

Although it may not be useful, after all, Si Ji has not fallen to the point where he needs to threaten others with behavior like "Hehehe, miss, you don't want this video to be seen by others, right?" But it is still great to have it as a collection.

"vomit……"

Before long, Goto Ichiri could no longer hold on. Her genitalia produced a strong allergic reaction to this youthful and sunny behavior. She fell to her knees on the lawn and retched continuously.

Even Hongxia felt that it was a bit too much and was laughing dryly in an unnatural way.

However, Yamada Ryo's expression did not change at all, and it seemed that he had found some edible weeds while spinning in circles.

"Well," Kita Ikuyo calmed down and picked up her schoolbag: "Next is your band's activities, I won't disturb you..."

"What are you talking about? Of course Kita has to come too!"

Hong Xia had no intention of giving up on her.

Yamada Ryo was chewing something that looked like grass roots, and he nodded seriously, probably saying, "You've been around me and you still want to leave!"

Kita Ikuyo was stunned: "But, but I can't play the guitar at all..."

"It's okay, you can just learn slowly. My drumming skills are just average, and the coordination among the band members is still a bit awkward," Hong Xia encouraged.

"I'm super strong." Yamada Ryo said.

Hongxia rolled her eyes at her and continued to persuade: "And Kita is good at singing, right?"

"It's just average. I've only sung it with friends in KTV..." Kita Ikuyo said in a low voice.

"That's fine. Didn't you just say that the punishment didn't matter? Then rejoin us and end the band!"

Ichichi Hongxia said happily.

Then she added, shaking her hand: "Ah, of course, if you really don't want to, that's fine, don't take the punishment seriously."

Kita Ikuyo was silent for a moment, then said loudly: "No, please let me join the band! I want to join the ending band, for real this time!"

Chapter 178 Stage Art

The auditorium is being renovated at an intensive pace.

It is not really appropriate to call it decoration. It should be said that it is just the artistic processing of the stage by the students, which mainly involves tinkering with the background and various curtains, in addition to the production of stage props and so on.

Originally, all these tasks fell on Shiina Mashiro and Sawamura Eriri, but maybe because they were curious about the legendary figure Shiina Mashiro, and secondly, Eriri, as the leader, came to do stage design, so after Shiki persuaded Eriri, he ran to the art club and called out, and those members basically "voluntarily" came to work overtime to help.

This greatly shortened the construction period and also provided more possibilities for the stage art of the Fengyin Festival - for example, providing each show with a suitable curtain as a background.

In short, because of this kind of thing, the auditorium during this period of time has become the new office of the Art Department. In order to prevent them from being disturbed, even the Student Council President Amakusa Shino did not hesitate to use the power of the Student Council to change the weekly Monday student assembly from being held in the auditorium to being held in the playground.

"How dare you come here..."

When Ying Lili saw Si Ji walking leisurely into the auditorium, she was the first to complain about him as a hands-off boss.

In fact, she also knew that stage art had no direct connection with the four seasons. If she wanted to find out, she should go to the student union secretary or the student union members who were in contact with the literary and artistic committees of each class.

And Eriri didn't really dislike doing this kind of stage art. Unlike the previous method of painting on a piece of manuscript paper or canvas, this kind of painting on a whole curtain or background wooden board was like painting a mural, a completely different feeling from the past.

The enlargement of the picture also magnified the details in her original paintings. Many places that were not considered flaws at normal size became obvious shortcomings once they were enlarged to this extent.

With the reference of Shiina Mashiro, Eriri continued to absorb the other party's experience and improve her past painting techniques bit by bit. Although the habits accumulated over time could not be completely improved so quickly, the girl could still feel her own progress - since she became the master of the inner world, 'Kashiwagi Eri', this obvious sense of progress has not been felt for a long time.

The other members of the art club had similar feelings to a greater or lesser extent, so even though the work here was quite hard, no one chose to give up or escape. Rather, many of them became more and more devoted to the stage art of the Toyoin Festival, and would occasionally express their opinions and debate with each other on the style of some backgrounds.

In addition, the Student Union promised to take the Art Department's contributions into consideration in the second half of the semester and allocate additional budget to them. So from all aspects, the Art Department is not at a big loss.

But this cannot erase the girl's resentment for being deceived by Si Ji's sweet words, so every time she sees Si Ji, she will habitually complain about him.

"After all, I don't know how to draw, so I can only make some requests according to the arrangement of the program."

Shiki didn't care about the girl's criticism and even praised her cheerfully: "For the rest, of course, I have to rely on the ace of the art club, Miss Sawamura, and that Shiina classmate."

"Don't think you can just praise me..."

Eriri wanted to continue complaining, but before she could finish her words, she saw a few people following Shiki, two of whom were wearing uniforms from other schools.

Feeling that she couldn't let her image as 'Miss Sawamura' fall apart in front of others, Eriri immediately put away her tsundere expression and turned back into the gentle and elegant young lady. She snorted softly and walked around Shiki and headed towards the materials room backstage.

Shiki couldn't help but smile, and then he suddenly noticed a sneaky figure out of the corner of his eye.

The other party was also a celebrity in Toyosaki, so even though Shiki had little contact with him, he had heard of his reputation—although it was in a negative sense.

This made Shiki raise his eyebrows, and he looked at the other person's back thoughtfully as he disappeared behind the stage.

"Sorry, I suddenly remembered something else. The important task of showing Hongxia and Yamada around will be left to you, Yili." After thinking for a moment, Shiki said decisively.

"Eh? Shouldn't Kita be in charge?"

Goto Ichiri asked in a panic, and the others looked over.

"Of course there is a reason why I chose you."

Shiki looked at Goto Ichiri seriously, which made the latter feel uneasy, but at the same time, a warm current spread in his chest.

I see. I don't know why, but Washimiya-kun must have his reasons for choosing me.

The uneasiness of being valued and the subtle sense of superiority of being chosen made the girl's mood become extremely complicated like a twist. For a moment, she didn't know whether she should feel troubled or happy.

Shiki continued, "Because Ichiri is so cute when he's in trouble."

The other three people nodded in agreement with a high degree of synchronization.

"Please forgive my rude refusal." Goto Ichiri immediately got up from his seat and said.

"Just kidding. Although this factor is involved, I think Yili, as the lead guitarist of the band, has the function of leading the band forward. He is the indispensable lifeline of the entire band. Didn't Hongxia say before that STARRY was able to pass the review thanks to your efforts, so I think it's time for you to take a step forward."

Shiki smiled and comforted him, "If you want to make money with your band, one day you will stand on a bigger stage and face the scrutiny or fanatical gazes of countless people. If that's the case, you should stand on this stage and see what kind of scene you will face at the Fengyin Festival in advance, right?"

“I feel like I’ve taken a lot of steps by working part-time at STARRY…”

Goto Ichiri muttered quietly, but after meeting Hongxia and the others' encouraging gazes, she gritted her teeth and said, "I, I understand... I am not talented enough, so please give me your guidance."

"That's how it should be. Come on, little Pochi!" Hongxia encouraged her.

"The grass over there is drawn so realistically, it almost looks like it's edible." Yamada Ryo's mind had already flown elsewhere.

"Goto-kun plays the guitar really well, cheer up~" Kita Ikuyo also encouraged.

"Hey, actually it's not that good..."

Goto Ichiri scratched his head and sounded embarrassed, but his face was full of an expression of 'praise me more, praise me more'.

Seeing that there should be no problem here, Si Ji left quietly and walked quickly towards the backstage of the auditorium.

Chapter 179 Contempt

Because Toyonosaki's auditorium often hosts stage performances, the backstage of the auditorium is actually a very standard stage backstage. In addition to the control room with various equipment, there are also rooms such as dressing rooms, prop rooms and lounges.

Eriri originally planned to go to the lounge to rest for a while, but she met Shiina Mashiro on the way.

If Nanami Aoyama was there, Eriri would be able to chat with Mashiro Shiina through her as an intermediary, but unfortunately when the two were alone, she was almost unable to communicate with the taciturn person.

Just when Eriri was about to pretend she didn't see it and just walk past the other person, Shiina Mashiro said, "The demand is reasonable and useful."

Ying Lili was stunned for a moment, then realized that she must have heard the conversation between her and Shiki just now.

Somehow, she felt a little guilty.

As a part-time illustrator, she naturally has experience in determining whether the client's requirements are reasonable.

When making their demands, many clients can only make very obscure and difficult to understand descriptions, such as "colorful black" or "a world of curling colors". Anyone who can clearly state which design drawing they want to copy can be considered a good client.

Rather, in the girl's impression, no other party could put forward demands like Siji, which were not only straightforward but also very meaningful for reference.

It was as if that guy had already thought of the troubles that might be encountered during the painting process, and he had solved all the possible problems step by step in advance.

There are neither unreasonable requirements nor complete restrictions on design details, giving members of the art department room to unleash their creativity.

The rapid progress of the stage design of the auditorium was actually largely due to Si Ji's requirements list, which was quite instructive.

"Of course I know, but..." Ying Lili pursed her lips and muttered somewhat unwillingly.

Shiina Mashiro looked at her deeply, and without listening to her explanation, she just left the backstage without looking back, just like the girl always did, full of the ethereal feeling of being out of touch with the world.

Eriri sighed.

"Really? What on earth am I doing..."

Anyway, at this rate, the stage design should be completed before next Friday, which is about three days ahead of the scheduled deadline.

I have been busy with stage art these days and have not done anything as Kashiwagi Eri's work. It's time to take some time to start painting.

After all, let’s not talk about the doujinshi on CM, but the illustrations ordered by the publishing houses that have signed contracts must be delivered on time.

"Eri-ri!"

Suddenly, a figure quickly came up to the girl, scaring Eriri.

"...Renya?" Eriri was stunned for a moment, then frowned: "What are you doing here?"

"Of course I'm here to see you!"

Aki Tomoya smiled smugly: "Let me tell you, I plan to make a unique galgame masterpiece! Now I need a high-level painter, so let me sincerely invite you, Kashiwagi Eri, to join us~"

"Sorry, I'm not free."

Ying Lili looked at the other person speechlessly: No one understood better than her that her childhood sweetheart was only interested in her for a short period of time.

If I were free, I could play with him, but now both the stage art for the Toyoin Festival and my work as Kashiwagi Eri have not been completed, and I don't even have time to rest. The CM that I participate in every year may have to strategically give up this year. In this case, taking other part-time jobs is no longer asking for trouble.

"Also, don't call that name casually outside!" She glared at the other person threateningly.

"I know, it's some kind of stage job, right?"

But her eyes obviously failed to serve as a warning, as Aki Tomoya said passionately, "This kind of vulgar work doesn't match Kashiwagi Eri's delicate and sexy painting style at all! Anyway, it's just assigned by the official organization like the Student Union, which is full of fat. It's meaningless and will only add burden to students for the sake of their and the school's face. It's just a chance for them to enrich themselves. Just draw a few strokes on it and throw it aside! In comparison, what I have here will definitely go down in history. It's a big plan to make the most perfect beautiful girl game in history!"

Eriri looked at Tomoya Aki in disbelief as he took out a so-called 'planning book' with three lines of words on it and started talking big.

She had imagined countless times the scene of herself and this childhood sweetheart, with whom she had a delicate relationship, getting together and talking again: maybe he would apologize to her, or she would lower her proud head; or maybe the ambiguous feelings between the two of them would suddenly ferment, and they would confess their true feelings to each other before being cut short...

But she never thought it would be like this now, the other party holding high his ignorance and trampling on the results of his and others' hard work.

In a trance, Eriri suddenly remembered the serious and kind smile on Washimiya Shiki's face when he proposed a "big plan" to keep the drama club going, the twenty million in sponsorship that he had raised after going through so much hardship, and the thick stack of written requirements that he had worked on for several nights.

I remembered the head of the service department who usually looked cold and didn't want strangers to approach her, but worked non-stop for Toyoin Festival, almost single-handedly supporting Toyoin Festival. Dark circles appeared on her pretty face, and the service department's trash can was filled with empty bottles of energy drinks, but the other party never said she was tired.

I remembered the student council president who was not even the organizer, but always took the student council members to communicate with various departments and even the school's top management for the Toyoin Festival, and did not hesitate to mobilize student public opinion and confront teachers who held opposing opinions;

I remembered how everyone in the art club participated in stage art just to watch the fun, but in the end they tried their best to ensure that their hard work would not embarrass themselves when it was hung on the stage;

She remembered that after deciding to participate in the Fengyin Festival, the various music and art clubs would practice hard until late every day after school. Even if she didn't pay close attention, she could see many students with band-aids on their hands in the corridors during class breaks due to over-practice.

The Fengong Festival was never an event required by the school, but a stage built bit by bit by the Service Club and the students themselves. What brought them together and made this event, which was originally just a fantasy, become fulfilled bit by bit, in addition to the initial goodwill, was the desire to go on stage to sing the praises of youth, and buried under that desire, the pursuit of the light called dreams.

However, this picture of youth and dreams, written with sweat and pursuit, was now contemptuously trampled underfoot by the childhood sweetheart with whom he had longed to ease the relationship.

Chapter 180 Rejection

"By the way, besides the heroine of the fateful encounter, there must be other heroines in galgames," Aki Tomoya continued to talk: "The girl who just walked by is not bad. Although she has blonde hair like you, Eriri, her temperament is more dreamy, and she feels like an elf! Let's invite her to my club as a reference for the heroine!"