They all pushed me!

After saying this, the lovely Lolita girl stopped walking, stood at the stairs and watched Beichuan Liang, who was holding a bouquet of flowers, continue to walk up step by step. She raised her head and smiled against her will and said the lines written for her by the program team in the script:

"Sister Ai has been waiting for brother for a long time, don't make her wait anxiously."

Chapter 5: Why Play "The Sun and Sunflowers"! (2k)

"What are you talking about?"

Following Kitagawa Rumi's instructions, Kitagawa Ryo easily found Hoshino Kaai, who was chatting and laughing with a clerk in a furniture store on the fourth floor. He walked over, patted her head affectionately, and handed her the bouquet of white roses in his hand:

"I've been treated badly by the production crew. I've been looking for you for quite a while."

“Hehe, thank you for your hard work, Liang. However, Liang’s movements are a little slower than I expected. After all, the three challenges I left behind shouldn’t be that difficult.”

Holding the large bouquet of flowers in her arms, Hoshino Ai buried her head in it a little, and after deeply sniffing the fragrance of the roses for a while, she raised her eyes with a smile and spoke to Kitagawa Ryo.

"Because the special guest assistant was Ruby, I couldn't help but tease her a little longer."

When the self on TV said this, Kitagawa Ryoya, who was watching TV at the time, was given a dissatisfied look by Kitagawa Rumi next to him:

"So my brother said something like this after he went upstairs."

She was a single-session guest who only participated in the recording of the part of the program that had already been broadcast. Therefore, although she was clear about the entire itinerary of Kitagawa Ryo and Hoshino Ai that day, Kitagawa Rumi, who was not a member of the program crew and did not follow up on the subsequent filming, actually did not know what the two said and did after they separated from her.

And due to her busy schedule, she hurriedly left for the next work location after filming her part that day.

"It's just for the show effect."

Kitagawa Ryo reached out and poked his sister's puffy cheek and explained.

"Speaking of which, how did Ai get to the furniture store?"

The program on TV was still going on. In response to Kitagawa Ryo's question, Hoshino Ai first took a light bite of the orange crepe that the other party brought, swallowed it contentedly, and then answered his question.

"Because we are decorating the bedroom of our new house recently, so we came here to look for inspiration. No, Liang, look at it——"

Upon hearing this, Kitagawa Ryo followed the right index finger extended by Hoshino Ai and cast his gaze towards the several large beds inside.

"I just asked the clerk, and these are the most common bedroom styles they recommend for newlyweds. First is the combination of heart-shaped bedding and pink sand curtains. The princess bed with soft lines is matched with pink heart-shaped bedding and round sand curtains of the same color. It is romantic and girly. How does it feel?"

"…I find it hard to imagine myself sleeping in a bed like this."

"Hmm - it's a bit too pink. I prefer the second one, which is the white veil with a bouquet of flowers. The hazy and vaguely visible white veil doesn't look monotonous because of the rose balls decorated on it. It feels like lying on it will give you a dreamy feeling. And I heard from the staff that on the wedding day, you can put a big bouquet in the middle of the new bed, which will look even better."

Hoshino Ai spoke excitedly, and even passers-by could see that she was completely immersed in the happiness of decorating a 'little home' that belonged to just the two of them with Ryo.

"Also, this lavender printed gauze bed curtain and purple bedding look great. The clerk said that this combination would be best paired with silver bedroom wall tiles. The preview is here. What do you think?"

"I think the second one is the best, but the other two also have their own highlights. I can study them more when I go back to decorate. For example, the color matching between the bedding curtains and wall tiles mentioned in the third option is a point worth noting."

Kitagawa Ryoya didn't show any sign of shyness. He immediately lowered his head and moved closer to Hoshino Ai, and expressed his opinion openly.

The two people were so excited about the chat that they were even planning to take a walk around the various furniture stores here, but the program crew sent out a timely notice, telling them that the exploration time at this place was over and asked them to return to the bus. The pink love bus was about to leave for the next location.

So, after saying goodbye to Harajuku and returning to the bus, Kitagawa Ryo and Hoshino Ai drank the matcha frappuccino they had bought before, and took out a paper ball from the lottery box provided by the program team. When they opened it, they saw the next place they were going to:

【Shimokitazawa】.

As Tokyo's most famous "subculture paradise", Shimokitazawa has a large number of vintage shops (shops selling second-hand clothes of a certain age), record stores, cafes, and bookstores. It has a strong literary and artistic atmosphere. There are also many small and medium-sized theaters and live houses, which is the best debut stage for many actors and bands who are not yet famous.

Although before the animation "Lonely Rock" with Kitazawa as the main stage became popular, the most famous meme here was "Beast-senpai".

"Shimokitazawa - I miss it so much. Our B Komachi has held performances here before. Although it was not very popular at that time, the audience was very enthusiastic."

After seeing the next destination, Hoshino Ai was stunned at first, but immediately she showed a somewhat nostalgic smile and sighed like this.

"Has Ryo been to Shimokitazawa before?"

"I've been there quite often. Several of the dramas I've taken on have been shot here. I've also often followed Uncle Min to the theaters here to perform together or exchange ideas with other theater troupes. For example, I've been to theaters like Honda and Ekimae about five or six times."

Kitagawa Ryo answered while looking at the street scene slowly receding outside the window.

"I see--"

Hoshino Ai nodded upon hearing this, and naturally stuffed the half-full cup of Matcha Frappuccino in her hand into Beichuan Liang's hand:

"I can't finish it. Liang, help me drink it."

"I don't know which special guest we will meet this time, and what tasks they will assign us."

"If I'm not mistaken, it's either related to the underground idols or bands that love corresponds to, or it's related to the theater plays that correspond to me."

Kitagawa Ryo bit the straw of the Matcha Frappuccino handed to him by Hoshino Ai and spoke incoherently.

But the answer was soon revealed to the audience.

The remaining time on the way was naturally edited out, and as the subtitles "Thirty minutes later--" appeared, Kitagawa Ryo and Hoshino Ai on the TV screen had already arrived in Shimokitazawa.

After the door of the Love Bus slowly opened, the special guest who had been waiting here for a long time finally revealed his true face -

"Kitagawa-kun, Hoshino-san, long time no see."

A middle-aged man with long curly hair that was dyed blonde and looked quite artistic smiled friendly and greeted the two of them warmly.

The subtitles of the program team also unfolded beside him:

[Ken Himura, a well-known creative musician and band lead singer, his representative works include "START RAIN" (B Komachi), "Love" (Hoshino Ai)...]

"It's Himura! I didn't expect the production team to invite you. How much did they spend on it——"

Seeing this well-known domestic musician who was almost the exclusive composer of B. Komachi and who collaborated with her again last year to create the ending theme "Love" of "It's Not My Fault That I'm Popular", Hoshino Ai greeted him in a casual tone as if she were meeting an old friend.

"I didn't expect that either. I thought it would be Uncle Min who would come."

Beichuan Liang on the other side was also a little surprised, but he soon walked over and extended his hand in a friendly manner, smiling and greeting:

"I like all of Mr. Himura's songs, and thank you for taking care of B Komachi and Ai over the years."

"No, no, Hoshino-san also gave me a lot of inspiration and help in my creation. Didn't she write the lyrics for the last song we collaborated on, "Love"?"

At this point, Himura Ken also smiled mischievously and winked at Kitagawa Ryo:

"At that time, I was still wondering how Hoshino-san could write such a daily-feeling lyrics describing the life and mood of a couple even though he had never been in a relationship. Now it seems that the answer is clear."

The three of them laughed and chatted for a while, and Himura Ken cleared his throat and took out a task card that the program team had given him in advance:

"This concludes the small talk. As the special guest assistants of Shimokitazawa, it is time for me to assign tasks to the two of you."

"Next, I will lead you two to a local LiveHouse in Shimokitazawa. You two will be the last to appear as masked mystery guests in a joint concert to be held later. You are required to get the loudest cheers or applause on the spot. If you fail, you will have to accept the punishment of the program team."

"Of course, as a special guest, I will also bring my old friends from the band to provide you with manpower and performance assistance. How about that? Do you understand?"

After listening to Himura Ken's introduction, Kitagawa Ryo helplessly spread his hands and lamented to Hoshino Ai beside him:

"It'll all depend on Ai this time. After all, I know all about my singing skills, and I basically know nothing about playing any musical instrument. I guess I can only dance with Ai when the time comes."

"Hehe - leave it to me! Ryo is busy in Harajuku, so just leave the task in Shimokitazawa to me!"

In response to Kitagawa Ryo's "please hold me in your arms", Hoshino Ai confidently made a "yeah" gesture next to her chin, and didn't seem to feel any challenge at all.

"Then I'll wait and see."

Upon hearing this, Ken Himura also laughed, and quickly led the two of them through the alleys of Shimokitazawa and into a LiveHouse that looked quite spacious.

Hoshino Ai had just put on the mask that only showed his eyes and lips when Himura Ken came over with a guitar and asked:

"There's about two songs left. Any ideas for the tracks?"

"Well - just these two."

Without hesitating for too long, the very decisive Hoshino Ai quickly wrote down the three songs with the paper and pen here and handed them to Ken Himura.

"I see. Then get ready. In about five minutes, it will be your turn."

After seeing the two song titles on the paper, Ken Himura whistled suddenly, and after giving these instructions, he turned around and left in a very casual manner.

"Which two songs did Ai choose?"

At this time, Beichuan Ryo, who was also wearing a mask, came over and took the initiative to ask a question. After all, he was a backup dancer. If two songs were chosen that he had never heard of before, he would have no choice but to wave his arms stiffly and dance to the beat in front of the audience on the stage.

If this really happens, you might even hear comments like "Why are there audience members standing on the stage?"

"Don't worry, these are all Liang's expertise."

Although she still didn't directly say the names of the two songs, Hoshino Ai's words gave Kitagawa Ryo a reassurance, and he nodded with relief.

"Ready to play!"

On the other side, Ken Himura half-opened the backstage curtain and waved to the two of them enthusiastically.

It has to be said that Ken Himura's band is also quite popular in Shimokitazawa. When Kitagawa Ryo and Hoshino Ai followed the band members onto the stage, they found that the small venue was already packed with audiences. When they saw them appear, they gave them warm cheers and applause without hesitation.

"Good afternoon, everyone! As you can see, our band has invited two mysterious guests today, and the lead singer is so good that I would be willing to change seats with her! Please look forward to today's two songs!"

As soon as he finished his warm-up words, Ken Himura nodded to the band members and Hoshino Ai behind him. The next second, a rhythm that was quite familiar to Kitagawa Ryo rang in his ears.

It’s “Love”.

The moment he identified the song, Kitagawa Ryo also showed a calm expression. After all, he had learned the 'love dance' on the set of "It's Not My Fault That I'm Popular!" for the filming of the ending scene. Although several months have passed, the muscle memory is still there, so he immediately started dancing.

Hoshino Ai, who was standing next to him, was obviously not frightened by such a small scene. One could even see some freshness and excitement of returning to the stage after a long absence. Her rhythm perfectly followed the band's live performance. The moment the first line of lyrics came out, she firmly attracted the attention of all the audience and grabbed their ears unreasonably.

"As the sky gradually darkened, the ordinary streets began to come alive. The evening breeze pushed the dense crows and the noisy crowds. There was no special meaning, just ordinary life—"

"I was just hungry, and when I returned home with you, I suddenly understood that this is the beauty of life—"

Beichuan Liang could even hear someone in the audience muttering, "Why does it sound so much like the original singer?"

While this footage was being broadcast, Hoshino Ai in front of the TV also hummed the tune of the song softly. Her eyes passed over Kitagawa Rumi in the middle and looked lovingly in the direction of Kitagawa Ryo.

However, at this time, Kitagawa Rumi's eyes were firmly fixed on Kitagawa Ryo in the picture, and she burst into laughter and said:

"Brother's dancing is too stiff. He doesn't match the band and the lead singer at all. He looks like an audience member who was caught at the last minute."

"After all, I haven't danced for a while."

Beichuan Liang also tried hard to save his dignity, as if he suddenly remembered something. Then, he frowned, patted his sister's head, and pretended to be nonchalant and said:

"Well, it's already past ten, Ruby should go to bed, since you have to get up early for work tomorrow."

"No, brother, just let me watch for a while, or do you not want me to see your embarrassing appearance? Meh--"

Looking at Kitagawa Ryo's stiff dance steps, Kitagawa Rumi was shaking her white legs and laughing happily. She made a face at Kitagawa Ryo who told her to go to bed.

"If Ruby doesn't want to sleep, just let her watch for a while. As long as she falls asleep before twelve o'clock, she should be able to get up tomorrow morning, right, Ruby?"

Hoshino Ai spoke with a smile.

"Sister Ai is right. I will definitely not stay in bed tomorrow morning."

Just as Kitagawa Rumi finished saying this, the first song "Love" on the TV screen ended. Then, a tune that was more familiar to her and even imprinted in her mind suddenly came out from the TV.

It's "The Sun and Sunflowers".

The living room suddenly became quiet, with only Hoshino Ai's singing remaining:

"The glory of the setting sun burns the sky into orange, and sadness continues to spread in my heart. Summer is about to end. I hope you can hug me and let this passion continue--"

There is absolutely no melancholy or sadness in the song. It can even be said that the singing style is completely different from ACE's version. One can even hear the high-spirited attitude of a winner.

In stark contrast to his previous stumbling performance in dancing to "Love", Kitagawa Ryo's posture in this song became visibly more skilled, as if he knew every move by heart.

Because during the filming of the MV for "The Sun and Sunflowers", he was with ACE, or Kitagawa Rumi, throughout the entire practice and final recording process.

Because on the night when the MV of "Sun and Sunflower" was uploaded, he was the one who repeated the video countless times and paid close attention to all the data changes and every comment.

Because during the first live performance of "The Sun and Sunflowers" at the Tokyo Idol Festival, he was the one who always stood in the front row of the audience, carefully preserving in the deepest part of his memory every move and gesture of Rumi, who was shining on the stage and responding to him individually.

But I didn’t expect to use it on the stage that day.

Kitagawa Ryo suddenly felt his right hand being lifted up, and then he suddenly felt a slight pain on the back of his hand. Turning his head, he found that Kitagawa Rumi, who was sitting on his right, was biting it there angrily, but the force was not strong, leaving only a shallow tooth mark.

But she bit her lips extremely hard, almost to the point where they turned white. But she was afraid that Hoshino Ai on the other side would notice her abnormality, so she immediately put Kitagawa Ryo's right hand back, pretending nothing had happened, and forced herself to shift her gaze back to the TV.

"The sunflower that has bloomed this year is me. The dusk sky caresses the evening breeze, swaying the gradually fading heat waves, and I just look up and watch you shining with love -"

The next line of the lyrics should be 'I like you'.

But Hoshino Ai didn't sing like that.

She took off her mask, walked up to Beichuan Ryo, took off his mask with a smile, and sang the adapted lyrics.

"I love you."

This is a separate response from Hoshino Ai, who is no longer an idol, to Kitagawa Ryobu.

The exclamations and applause from the audience instantly surpassed the previous maximum decibel record at this moment.

Chapter 5: Both Sides of the Wall (2k)