A guide to survival in a heavy girl's world

Toyokawa Shoko was very puzzled by this.

"Chihaya-san isn't the type to bother people around him."

"It's not because of Chihaya-san."

Wakaba Mu shook his head.

"It's my own fault... If I stand next to him, my attention might be distracted. So no."

"……Eh?"

So, on the day he met Su Shi, Mu reported many of his experiences of that day to her in one breath after returning home.

According to her, although she didn't say anything to Chihaya Tetsuya that day, he understood her thoughts and took the initiative to lead her to catch up with the departing Suyo. Under his slightly forceful guidance, she finally felt the fulfillment and harmony she had felt before the disbandment of [CRYCHIC].

For Mu, who has never been good at socializing and expressing herself, an adult like Chihaya Tetsuya who can understand other people's thoughts without too much communication is exactly the type of person she admires the most.

So... yearning?

Well, maybe it's just a slight yearning for that kind of thoughtfulness and reliability?

Shoko Toyokawa couldn't help but tilt her head and thought so.

........................

"Wow... everyone, the situation outside is quite serious!"

Chihaya Aine, who had just taken a glimpse of the situation in the venue, hurried back to her companions.

"I've never seen RiNG so crowded! Even the aisle at the entrance is packed with people!"

"This was just the situation where [Summer Zodiac] announced the surprise attack that morning... If it was their own carefully promoted and prepared event, the momentum would be dozens of times greater than today."

Nagasaki Suyo shook her head and said:

"For RiNG, such a heavyweight guest is indeed worth their repeated concessions."

"…………"

Shiina Riki, who was originally dissatisfied with being a victim, suddenly felt nervous involuntarily.

It seems that the facts are just as Su Shi said. Although the audience did come for "Summer Zodiac", their debut performance did bring far more audience members than expected.

Rather than the atmosphere on the scene, she was more worried about her own performance.

...If even she is nervous about this, then the situation with the lamp may not be optimistic!

Thinking of this, she quickly raised her head and looked at Gao Songdeng.

however--

"…………"

Although Gao Songdeng had a thoughtful expression at this moment, there was no trace of nervousness or anxiety in his dazed eyes.

"……lamp?"

Shiina Riki couldn't help but ask when he saw this:

"Aren't you... nervous?"

"……fine."

Gao Songdeng shook his head.

"Although today's audience is larger than expected...but compared to that, my mind is full of our band's thoughts."

Having said that, she couldn't help but look down at her clothes.

"The team uniforms...are truly amazing! I feel like the five of us have truly become one united unit after putting them on. If I were to wear these...I would definitely be able to sing well on stage."

"...!"

After hearing what Takamatsu Deng said, Shiina Riki was shocked at first, and then he couldn't help but turn his eyes to the team uniforms on everyone.

In this outfit made up of street graffiti and road signs, she can feel the sense of freedom and liberation brought by the graffiti pattern, while also feeling the driving force guiding her forward from the signs it forms.

Not only that, when she focused her attention on this dress, the comfort it brought, which was comparable to home clothes, also relieved a lot of the pressure in her heart.

Just as Takamatsu Deng said, if she wore this outfit, she would never feel timid no matter what kind of stage she faced.

"That's right, there's nothing to worry about. No matter who our opponent is, what we're going to do won't change at all!"

Chihaya Aine came up to the two of them with a smile and hugged them both.

"Even if the opponent is [Summer Zodiac], it's the same!"

"Huh? Are you talking about us?"

Before the two people being hugged could respond, suddenly, a strange voice came from behind everyone.

When the band members turned around together, the figure of [Summer Zodiac] suddenly appeared in front of them.

As for the person who spoke to them, he was now walking towards Chihaya Aine step by step with a bright smile that could almost light up the entire backstage.

"If possible, could you please let me join in your pleasant conversation?"

Chapter 59: Greetings from Hoshino Ai

Although they had seen photos of Hoshino Ai on the Internet or other places before, they were all stunned when they saw her in person.

Tender, beautiful, pure, gorgeous...

Countless adjectives instantly occupied their thinking space, making it difficult for them to make a simple summary and description of the girl in front of them.

Even though they are both girls, the moment they see Hoshino Ai, they will also have an almost instinctive admiration for her beauty.

I don't know if it was just everyone's illusion, but the backstage area was only minimally lit, but after Hoshino Ai appeared, the originally dim vision suddenly became brighter. Even her dress embroidered with golden stars began to sparkle.

"Hmm...I see."

On the other side, while the band members were still in a daze, Hoshino Ai also glanced at their clothes.

"These are what Zhe made for you... He's truly worthy of his name. Just judging by your outfits, you should have been the most eye-catching band at today's live performance."

“Zhe…”

After hearing this name, Chihaya Aine finally came back to her senses from her daze.

"She's from the same orphanage as my brother... Hoshino Ai..."

"Yes, that's me."

Hoshino Ai responded to Chihaya Aine with an extremely bright smile.

"Nice to meet you, Chihaya Aine. Thank you for taking care of me over the years."

“…Huh? Ah, this, this…”

Faced with Hoshino Ai's normal reaction, Chihaya Aine was a little at a loss for a moment.

"I can't really say I'm taking care of you! It's more like I've been the one being taken care of all along..."

Just when she thought it was just a simple greeting, Hoshino Ai's next words made her stand still for a moment.

"Well, it's good that you know."

"Eh?"

Chihaya Aine's expression froze instantly.

On the other hand, although Hoshino Ai still had a smile on her face, the smile in her tone had disappeared without a trace.

"Playing house or something, it's almost time to end after seven years. Now, isn't it time to return him to me?"

"What does playing house mean?!"

Hearing this, Chihaya Aine also perked up and refuted seriously:

"We're a real family! We're not playing house!"

"Oh? Really?"

Hoshino Ai covered her mouth in surprise:

"I really didn't realize that... Compared to Zhe, who has become a top-notch designer, the difference between you and him is so great that it's hard to tell you're from the same family."

"Huh? What did you say?!"

"Isn't it? A 'good student' who failed his study abroad in the UK, a half-baked guitarist who only played at school parties, and a band he formed on his own initiative but was almost taken advantage of..."

Facing Chihaya Aine's glare, Hoshino Ai simply tilted her head.

"If it weren't for Zhe, let alone standing on this stage, you might even be arguing with your companions over disagreements. Sigh... If I were you, I would never dare to go around saying that I'm his sister."

"You, how do you know this!?"

Chihaya Aine's expression gradually changed from anger at first to hesitation:

"Even though we've never met before..."

"Then you have to ask yourself."

Hoshino Ai spread her hands and put on a very innocent expression.

"Thanks to your flaunting personality, the amount of personal information on your SNS account is simply innumerable. But regarding this, I really have to thank you very much. Without you, I wouldn't have the opportunity to know about Zhe's recent situation, let alone get close to him and understand his schedule."

"…………"

After hearing this, Chihaya Aine instinctively wanted to take out her phone and check her SNS fan status, but she had left her phone in the backstage lounge when she changed clothes...

On the other hand, after hearing what Hoshino Ai said, Takamatsu Deng was the first to react——

"The one who followed Chihaya-san at the planetarium that day...was it you?"

"……kindness?"

After hearing this, Hoshino Ai immediately cast a somewhat surprised look at Takamatsu Deng.

"Were you there that day?"

"That is indeed not a coincidence."

Hoshino Ai's answer also completely confirmed Takamatsu Deng's doubts. Thinking back to what happened that day, Takamatsu Deng couldn't help but frowned:

"Not only did he disguise himself and follow him, he even sat in his seat after he left..."

"Huh?! This is simply a stalker!"

After listening to Takamatsu Deng's description, Chihaya Aine couldn't help but reveal an expression of extreme shock.

"You, you actually secretly followed my brother!?"

"Well, that's right."

However, faced with such a direct and socially fatal accusation, Hoshino Ai readily nodded and admitted:

"I did follow Zhe, and more than once."

"seriously……"

Chihaya Aine's eyes were filled with disbelief and shock.

"Can you still be called an idol when you look like this?!"

"Who knows?"

Facing Chihaya Aine's question, Hoshino Ai just shrugged slightly:

"Why don't you ask the audience outside later?"

"…………"

After hearing this, Chihaya Aine became speechless.

Although her reasons for becoming an idol and her stalker behavior are completely unlike what an idol should be, her popularity, charm, and ability are unquestionable facts.

And the audience outside who were looking forward to seeing her were the best proof of all this.

"...Okay, Ai, enough about the 'hellos'."

Just when Hoshino Ai seemed to be about to say something, Sanjiao Chuhua, who was standing behind her, shook her head helplessly.

"We have to go to the control room and submit the parameters given to us by our agent. We don't have time to play around here."

"Yeah, I see."