Loneliness and Rock and Roll with Band Observer

Page 22

Akie looked in the direction of Goto who had remained silent, only to find that he had been sitting in his seat without saying a word and without moving, as if he had been turned into a stone sculpture, or had been hit by a human immobilization spell that lasted for ten rounds.

"You haven't said a word since a while ago," Akie commented.

"Koichi, what do you think about part-time jobs?" Kita asked.

"...Part-time job?" Goto Ichiri uttered a few words dully.

Then she suddenly stood up from the chair, ran out like a flash, and squatted down next to the trash can.

“I’m sorry! I really can’t just work part-time! Other than that, I can do anything… but I absolutely don’t want part-time jobs! Please, everyone!”

Chapter 36: The Big Hand of the Togawa Family

...That kid named Goto Ichiri really seems to be afraid of working part-time.

Looking at the members of the Ending Band who gathered around Goto to comfort her, Xingge smiled and shook her head.

As she laughed, she frowned unconsciously.

Goto is afraid of working part-time...

But "Togawa Akeie" seems... quite looking forward to the part-time job?

...That's right. After all, she is almost running away from home now. It's normal for her to need money.

Ijichi Hoshika looked at the ordinary-looking girl. At the moment, she seemed to be slowly teaching Goto how to deal with strangers.

She has ordinary black medium-length hair and wears ordinary black-framed glasses. She doesn't wear makeup and doesn't care much about her appearance. It's as if she deliberately destroyed her appearance and couldn't leave a deep first impression on people...

...But it was such an ordinary girl that made Manager Xingge feel a little uneasy.

Just at this moment, her cell phone suddenly rang.

"Let's chat first. I'm going to take a call."

Taking out his cell phone, Xingge's expression suddenly became serious.

…Speak of the devil, he will appear. She thought to herself as she looked at the contact name displayed on the screen.

"……Hello?"

Coming to a corner, Xingge answered the phone.

"Hello, Miss Manager."

A gentle and pleasant voice came from the receiver, reminiscent of the voice of a waiter in a high-end hotel.

"…Ms. Togawa, you're calling at this time. Please explain."

Xingge turned her head and looked calmly at the tall woman sitting at the bar.

"Why did you send 'that person' to the store?"

"I apologize if this has caused any trouble... But she doesn't do anything there except consume drinks and observe Akie. So please bear with me, Miss Manager."

“‘Please forgive me’? That sounds so easy to say…”

Xingge lowered her voice.

"...That guy, could he be a 'gangster'?"

"You're joking, Miss Manager. Isn't it rude to use such a term as 'gangster' to refer to a retired Self-Defense Force officer?"

Xingge was startled, and continued, "...In fact, this is more disturbing than 'people in the underworld'. Ms. Togawa, what are you... "

Togawa Haruna. This girl is the sister of Togawa Akiie, the band member that Nijika found earlier.

Although Qiu Hui is a steady and somewhat introverted good child, her sister... almost scares Xingge.

Although he claimed to be a monk in Kyoto, he was controlling the surveillance network of his sister through some means. Togawa Akie had just joined the band formed by Hongxia the day before, and she found this place through the landline in the store the next day.

What was even more difficult for her to understand was that although Togawa Haruna was keeping a close eye on the whereabouts of her runaway sister, she had no intention of bringing her home. Instead, she only told her to "pay more attention to Akie's condition" and "report to her regularly."

...It was as natural as if it was a job assigned by a superior. But facing this college student who was theoretically much younger than him, Xingge felt that he was completely suppressed by him in terms of momentum.

What kind of family do she and Qiu Hui come from?

"It's just a personal relationship, no need to make a fuss." The person on the other end of the phone said, "But even so, I can understand the manager's feelings. After all, we are both in the same position of 'sister'..."

"Why do you know everything?"

Ichichi Hoshige tried hard to resist the urge to shout out.

"Don't get so excited, Miss Manager!"

The voice on the other end of the phone sounded a little aggrieved.

"I'm not a bad person who would take my family members hostage to threaten others..."

The change in tone calmed Xingge down somewhat.

That's right. Although what had happened so far made her feel nothing real, she actually knew that the person on the other end of the phone was just a college student studying in Kyoto.

Although what she did was a bit beyond her common sense, but in the final analysis, she was just an older sister who was worried about her younger sister.

"…Sorry, it's my fault." Xingge apologized after calming down. "So, what did you call me to tell me?"

"It's nothing serious..."

On the other end of the phone, Togawa Haruna held the phone in one hand and took a sip of the matcha milkshake in front of her with the other hand.

"I just want to ask Miss Manager. Apart from reporting Akie's situation regularly, you don't need to do anything for her. You don't need to be considerate or make things difficult for her. Just pretend that I don't exist and treat her naturally."

"You care about Qiu Hui to the point of sending a retired Self-Defense Force officer to monitor her..." Xingge shook her head, "It's hard for me to treat her naturally under such circumstances."

"I'm sorry, I also think this might be too much." Haruna apologized, "But this is actually my father's opinion. He thinks that a place like Livehouse will have some instability..."

"If you have such concerns, wouldn't it be better not to let her run away from home in the first place?" Xingge said helplessly.

"There are actually complicated reasons behind this arrangement. It is a compromise that my father and I came up with after careful discussion and repeated consideration. I would like to express my deepest apologies if this has caused you any trouble."

"You don't have to keep apologizing." Xingge's expression softened. "It will make me look like a bad guy who doesn't understand human nature."

"It would be great if you could understand."

"...Anyway, I will continue to keep an eye on Akie while she's in the band. Is that all right?"

"Indeed. Thank you very much for your cooperation."

Even though the distance between Kyoto and Tokyo made it impossible for the other party to see her movements, Togawa Haruna still subconsciously bowed slightly to express her gratitude.

"Akihie has been unwilling to contact us. Although she is very determined to break away from the protection and interference of her family, we also hope to respect her opinion as much as possible... But to be honest, from our point of view, it is really difficult to make the decision to leave her alone."

"You really are a strange family," Xingge sighed.

"Perhaps that is true. In that case, I will not bother you any further. I wish you good business."

Togawa Haruna hung up the phone.

Xingge put away her phone and looked in the direction of Togawa Aie with mixed feelings.

Growing up in such a strange family, I guess her life so far has not been easy, right?

Chapter 37: A Clever Way to Earn Pochi

Even though the incident happened right next to Togawa Aie, she knew nothing about it.

Now she was facing Goto Ichiri, who was huddled up next to a trash can because he was afraid of working, and she looked embarrassed.

"You're just responsible for taking orders, cleaning and other simple tasks. It's not difficult and I won't make things difficult for you. Don't be so scared, it's okay!" Hong Xia comforted.

"But but...when I see a stranger, I will..." Goto stammered.

"Rather, it doesn't matter because they are strangers," said Akie. "We may never see each other again in this life anyway, so what is there to be afraid of?"

“… Although what Akie said is true, I will definitely mess it up!” Goto Ichiri was a little terrified, “I get very nervous when I see strangers… I will make mistakes when I get nervous… If I make mistakes, then… It will be fine if I make a fool of myself, but the image of the store will also be affected!”

Looking at Goto who was curled up in fear, Akie nodded meaningfully.

"That's very thoughtful..." She smiled, "But even if you really can't accept a job that requires you to interact with people, Pochi, you can probably talk to the store manager and find a job that doesn't require you to meet people, right?"

If the other party cannot accept the conditions offered, make appropriate concessions first to reduce the pressure they feel.

"Even if you say so, Akie..." Goto Ichiri was still a little shaken.

"But we have to pay the band's quota." Akiie sighed, "We can't ask Pochi to use the pocket money he gets from home to pay the quota every time, right? If you really can't accept working part-time..."

She shook her head in a somewhat pretentious manner.

"...Pochi's quota will be paid by me."

After making concessions on one side, you should immediately continue to exert pressure on the other side.

Goto Ichiri is afraid of socializing, largely because he is afraid that his inappropriate behavior will cause trouble to others and make them unhappy.

Then, as long as she is blocked with a more serious consequence such as "causing trouble to people she knows", she will be forced to reconsider the option of working part-time.

"Eh? Xiaoqiuhui, are you going to pay for me?" Hongxia asked in surprise, "Is this okay?"

"I think you can do it if you try a little harder." Akie replied in an ambiguous tone.

She wasn't lying.

Although her financial situation is quite tight, that is based on the premise that she now needs to pay a series of "social-level expenses" such as rent, water, internet, and medical expenses.

Her income as a light novel author was definitely considered to be at a high school student's level of financial strength if measured by high school students. Even after deducting all the necessities of life, the remaining amount was far more than the pocket money of most female high school students.

If it was just one-fifth of the band's performance fee, it would be enough to squeeze out a little from the apartment's rent.

It would be best if such a strategy could put enough pressure on Goto Ichiri and help her successfully overcome her fear of part-time work.

On the other hand, if Goto calmly chooses to let me pay for it... then there's nothing wrong with that.

After all, we are in the same band. It is normal for us to help each other to this extent, right?

"Yes, can you pay for it?"

Goto Ichiri seemed to be stunned by this heavyweight proposal.

Is it really possible?

I was clearly ready to take out the savings I had prepared for my wedding...

Qiu Hui is such a good person...

...No, no, no! Goto Ichiri! What on earth are you thinking about?

"No, no, no!" Goto shook his head vigorously, as if he was performing a guitar show. "I absolutely cannot cause you trouble like this!"

"Then I can only work part-time!" Qiu Hui clapped her hands, "Negotiation successful?"

Goto Ichiri was stunned, and immediately lowered his head helplessly: "It seems to be true..."

Oops, I accidentally fell into the other party's trap...

"It seems that this is the only way now..." Goto lowered his head helplessly, "Well, I will try my best not to mess things up, please bear with me..."

In this way, the work arrangement was finally successfully decided.

"Oh, Akie, you're really capable." Ryo nodded with a smile, "So, can you help me pay my share of the quota, too?"

"Don't be wishful thinking!" Hongxia angrily knocked Liang's head.

"It's okay! I can pay for it for you, senior..." Kita's eyes lit up.

"Didn't you just use up your allowance for a long time to buy a guitar?" Qiu Hui covered her face, "Don't push yourself too hard."

"Oh, yeah..." Kita lowered his head in disappointment.

"It's okay." Ryo looked at Kita with a gentle expression, "I'm very grateful that Ikuyo has this feeling."

"...Ikuyo?" Akie was puzzled.

When pronounced in Japanese, it sounds like "要去". Is this a new nickname?

Kita, who was called "Ikuyo", blushed and said, "Don't call me that, Senior!"

"Why?" Ryo pretended not to know, "Didn't Nijixia say it's better to call you by your name, Ikuyo?"

"No way! That sounds like a bad joke!"