A guide to survival in a heavy girl's world

"[Summer Zodiac]'s performance was so good that it was hard for the audience to see other bands."

"…………"

Chihaya Tetsuya, who was originally lost in thought because of the look in Hoshino Ai's eyes when she left, finally came back to his senses after hearing this.

"Generally speaking...isn't encore only called after the last performance?"

"That's right, but you also said that it was just generally speaking..."

Toyokawa Shoko shook her head.

"Summer Zodiac's performance just now was truly stunning. Compared to the amateur bands before and after, the audience was completely immersed in their performance. At times like these, if only one person gets the ball rolling, the emotions stirred up can easily lead the rest of the crowd into the wrong rhythm."

"Emotions..."

Chihaya Tetsuya instantly understood what Toyokawa Shoko meant.

If there was anyone in the venue who could best understand the emotions expressed in this performance, it would definitely be Chihaya Tetsuya.

The intense emotion that almost made him lose his judgment and rationality did indeed stay in his heart for a short time, but he was soon brought back to rational thinking by the more complicated reality.

But for the rest of the audience, they did not experience this awakening process.

Until now, they are still immersed in the performance just now and can't extricate themselves.

"What to do next?"

Chihaya Tetsuya couldn't help but ask.

"With such strong support, can Aine and the others really still go on stage?"

"...It's hard."

On the other side, Ruoye Mu suddenly said:

"As for Su Shi and the others... they are very conflicted."

"Contradiction? What does that mean?"

"If we go on stage now, it will inevitably disappoint everyone. But if we wait until the cheers die down before leaving, the audience will have vented their emotions and will 'cool down'."

Toyokawa Shoko explained:

"No matter what, what awaits them will be the worst performance environment."

After saying that, she couldn't help but cast a worried look towards the backstage.

"I don't know how Su Shi and the others will break this dilemma..."

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

"It's a little overdone."

Listening to the cheers from the venue, Sanjiao Chuhua couldn't help but shook his head.

"Didn't you say I could just use my usual form? You were just going all out just now, weren't you?"

“…I don’t want that either.”

Even after retreating to the backstage, Hoshino Ai's face was still very red and her breathing rate was still unable to return to normal.

Like the audience, she was still unable to recover from the aftereffects of what had just happened.

"But... just realizing that Zhe was looking at me, I couldn't control myself at all..."

"...That's it."

After hearing this, Sanjiao Chuhua couldn't help but sigh slightly.

"Thanks to you, our performance was a huge success, but... Chihaya's band suffered."

It had been nearly three minutes since the two of them left the stage, but the enthusiastic cheers for "encore" from outside hadn't died down until now.

"...What should we do? Should we do some 'cleaning up'?"

Sanjiao Chuhua asked:

"If we fail to satisfy them, they might become disappointed in us, right?"

"..."

After hearing this, Hoshino Ai's eyes flashed with hesitation for a moment, and then she immediately shook her head and said:

"No thanks. As a surprise performance, our performance just now was already a bit too much. If we do more, it will cause dissatisfaction among the fans who missed the show. That would be more troublesome."

“Hey…”

Hearing this answer, Sankaku Hatsuka immediately looked at Hoshino Ai with interest.

Although she had expected Hoshino Ai to refuse, she never thought it would be for the sake of fans.

"I thought you were being so uneasy because you wanted to embarrass Chihaya and the others, but... you're about to graduate, so why do you still care so much about what the fans think?"

"Just appearing after us is enough to put pressure on them. Doing more will only cause Zhe's dissatisfaction..."

Hoshino Ai replied:

"I'm already on the verge of being rejected. If I go too far, I might even be disliked. That's something I can't accept."

After hearing this, Sanjiao Chuhua couldn't help but laugh and asked:

"If you knew this, why did you still say bad things about Chihaya?"

"Because those are not bad words at all, but facts that she has to accept no matter what."

Hoshino Ai snorted softly.

"Zhe isn't the doting brother who would cover up his mistakes, so even if Chihaya Aine repeats what I said to Zhe, it's totally fine... Besides, didn't you just interrupt me when we were almost out of time?"

"After all, I'm also curious about what kind of person Chihaya-chan is."

Sanjiao Chuhua looked away and said.

"..."

Faced with Sanjiao Chuhua's meaningful reaction, Hoshino Ai did not choose to delve into it, but returned to the previous topic.

"As for why I care about what fans think... it's because I fully witnessed their power today."

Amidst the still lingering cries, she untied the ties on her sleeves and said:

"If just one surprise live show can generate such a huge buzz, then how much attention and focus can I expect from the live show a month from now? In this situation, if I suddenly announce my pursuit of Zhe, what will happen next?"

"……I see."

After completely understanding what his companion was thinking, Sanjiao Chuhua nodded in understanding.

"Although it may seem like reckless madness, in fact, you have thought everything through."

"After all, I've been thinking about this ever since I became an idol. Even the dumbest person would be able to come up with a similar plan..."

After saying that, Hoshino Ai, who had finally calmed down, raised her head and said to Sankaku Hatsuka:

"Well, thank you for your hard work on today's performance. It's up to you whether you want to go and 'help' them or go home and compose music."

"...Are you planning to go directly to see Mr. Tetsuya?"

"How could that be? You should at least change your clothes, right?"

As Sankaku Hatsuka's brows gradually furrowed, Hoshino Ai smiled and said:

"For example, clothes that are easier to put on and take off?"

Chapter 64: Atypical Firefighting Methods

"What should I do next?"

Listening to the cheers from the stage that continued to linger, Chihaya Aine suddenly felt a little overwhelmed.

"Go on stage now? Or wait a little longer?"

"Either option is terrible..."

Shiina Riki shook his head.

She also realized how embarrassing her current situation was.

"It's best to wait for [Summer Zodiac] to respond."

"Then I'm afraid we won't be able to wait."

Nagasaki Suyo shook her head.

"[Summer Zodiac] originally came here to target us, so how could they possibly help us?"

"..."*n

After hearing this, everyone fell into silence.

The arrival of Hoshino Ai just now was enough to prove her hostile attitude. At this point, hoping that they would lend a helping hand to her was simply a fantasy.

however……

"Don't be so absolute."

Suddenly, Sanjiao Chuhua's voice came from behind them.

When they looked in the direction of the sound, they were all stunned -

"……Guitar?"

Looking at the guitar on Sankaku Hatsuka's back, Shiina Riki couldn't help but ask in astonishment:

"Chuhua, what are you planning to do..."

"I'm here to calm the audience down... and support you guys at the same time."

Having said that, Sankaku Hatsuka suddenly turned his gaze to Chihaya Aine and winked at her playfully.

"I'm sorry, Chihaya-chan, I couldn't stop Ai just now."

“…Huh???”

This... should be referring to the incident where Hoshino Ai suddenly came over and targeted me just now, right?

But after all, what does this have to do with Miss Chuhua?

Chihaya Aine, who was completely confused, didn't understand the meaning of Sankaku Hatsuka's apology at all.

On the other side, Nagasaki Suyo couldn't help but ask:

"Are you alone? Where is Hoshino Ai?"

"As for her... well, she's already left to look for Mr. Tetsuya."

When Hoshino Ai was mentioned, a somewhat embarrassed smile suddenly appeared on Sankaku Hatsuka's face.

"You'll probably be able to see her in disguise from behind the stage later."

"...I'm really anxious."

Whether it is investigating Chihaya Aine's SNS or tracking her in disguise, it is enough to show Hoshino Ai's extraordinary ability to take action.

And judging from the actions she took and the plans she made, her persistence in achieving her goals far exceeded that of ordinary people.

Although there is still some time before the day when her plan is implemented, she will definitely take certain measures when the two of them meet privately later.

……

"Miss Sanjiao Chuhua, please wait for me for a moment after the live performance is over."

With this thought in mind, Nagasaki Suyo said as she carried her bass:

"I have something to discuss with you regarding Hoshino Ai and Chihaya Tetsuya."

"Okay."

After hearing this, Sanjiao Chuhua agreed without hesitation.

"But the prerequisite is that this live broadcast must go smoothly..."

After saying that, her eyes first wandered around the band members, and finally suddenly stopped at Lenai, who had been looking bored from the beginning.

"You're the lead guitarist of this band, right?"

"kindness."