Chapter 16: Unspoken

A moment later, Nijika skipped out of the store with a smile.

“They said we can take as many pictures as we want.”

“Then let's hurry and take one.”

Kita Ikuyo frantically interrupted their conversation.

No matter how much guilt she felt, Kita Ikuyo didn't regret it. Ishikawa-kun definitely wasn't good enough for Ryo-senpai!

She would stop him even if it meant being kicked to death by a horse!

Ishikawa Hayato, interrupted by Kita Ikuyo, found it amusing. Seeing Kita Ikuyo so intent on stopping him from talking to Ryo was very interesting.

In fact, he had sensed Ryo also found it to be interesting.

The two silently and tacitly played a trick on this girl, constantly stealing glances at Kita Ikuyo's ever-changing expressions even while chatting casually.

However, when it was time to do serious work, he stopped messing around.

Ishikawa Hayato walked forward, set up the tripod he had been carrying, and placed it on the open ground.

“How about this spot?”

He asked the others.

Nijika mounted the camera and checked the frame on the camera's display screen.

“A little more to the left, OK.”

After confirming the position, the group began to continuously set the timer, take photos, and reconfirm the position.

It was only when he started to feel a bit bored that Ishikawa Hayato began to act inappropriately.

After setting the timer and getting ready to pose for the shot, Nijika suddenly felt a gust of wind beside her.

She instinctively turned her head and met Ishikawa Hayato's gaze, though their gazes were inverted.

Nijika hadn't yet understood the situation when her heart suddenly sank, realizing something was wrong.

Click.

But no one looked at the camera that had just taken the picture; the three girls stared blankly at Ishikawa Hayato, who had landed back on the ground.

Ishikawa Hayato flashed a peace sign, laughing perversely and smugly, then walked to the tripod and took down the camera.

The three of them, full of questions, crowded around.

Then, they saw in the image their own gazes shifting away from the front.

“This photo can't be used,” they sighed inwardly.

What was most shocking, however, was that beside the girl posing cutely, a boy appeared in the frame as if hanging upside down.

He stood perfectly straight, inverted from above, as if he had been Photoshopped in later.

At the same time, his gaze met Nijika's directly.

This scene created a bizarre sense of absurdity.

“Ishikawa-kun…”

Nijika, feigning anger, directly called Ishikawa Hayato by his surname.

“Just taking normal photos is so boring, don't you think a photo like this is more fun…?”

Ishikawa Hayato gave an ingratiating smile.

That look made Nijika both angry and amused, but she still kept a straight face.

Through their interactions over the past few days, she had noticed that Ishikawa Hayato often did mischievous things, and if she didn't tell him off, he would only get more outrageous.

At the same time, Ishikawa Hayato was also very carefree and didn't mind being lectured by girls.

So she didn't treat him too politely.

“It's a bit scary… but quite unique,” Kita said after looking at the photo, then turned to Ryo.

Ryo seemed quite pleased, but after a moment's thought, she shook her head.

“The photo is interesting, but it doesn't fit our Band's style.”

“Guh.”

After being continuously rejected, Ishikawa Hayato fell to the ground with a defeated expression.

The three girls looked at this utterly unrefined guy with amusement and helplessness.

“Next one, don't lie there.”

Nijika, hands on her hips, urged him… After taking several shots, they thought they were almost done.

Ishikawa Hayato's phone rang. He looked at the three of them, who were confirming the photos, and moved a few steps away to answer the call.

“Brother… do you remember?”

Ishikawa Hayato held his phone away and checked the time.

Then he said in a very calm tone,

“I've been waiting for you all morning. Where are you?”

“You're lying…” On the other end of the phone, a sigh was heard, and the voice was melancholic, “I'll send you my location.”

Ishikawa Hayato didn't even look at the location. He hung up the phone and walked over to the three, who were discussing which photo would be best for their band's promotional shot.

“Sorry, I have to leave first. There's something I need to complete with my life.”

Nijika, hearing Ishikawa Hayato's strange words, looked up blankly.

“Are you okay…?”

She asked Ishikawa Hayato worriedly. For some reason, she felt that Ishikawa Hayato wasn't joking.

“I'm fine. I'll be going now.”

Ishikawa Hayato nodded with a solemn expression, then took out his phone to confirm the address and got into a sprinting stance.

Under the bewildered gazes of the three.

Whoosh.

He transformed into a gust of wind, disappearing from their sight with incredible speed.

A few minutes later, since Ishikawa Hayato had left, the three of them had nothing else to do and planned to return to STARRY before parting ways.

Just then, Kita Ikuyo's phone chimed. It was an Instagram post from someone she followed. Puzzled, she took her phone out of her pocket.

Whose Instagram post was it at this time?

She only followed a few people, and none of them seemed to have any special plans today.

She lit up the screen and glanced at it.

Ishikawa Hayato's.

“I didn't put him on mute when we just followed each other…” Kita sighed inwardly.

But she was also curious why Ishikawa Hayato had run off so quickly.

She opened Instagram and looked.

In the picture, Ishikawa Hayato and a girl were sitting in a dessert shop, the new one she and her friend had gone to that day.

The girl was holding the camera, likely with a selfie stick, smiling brightly, looking so happy it almost overflowed.

Across from her was Ishikawa Hayato, wearing a helpless expression, resting his chin on his hand and looking towards the camera.

Ishikawa Hayato actually had a girlfriend!?

Kita Ikuyo immediately cheered up, but after looking closely, she noticed the text below.

‘Having dessert with my sister at the newly opened dessert shop.’

Kita, who had been full of joy and ready to show this picture to Ryo-senpai, immediately drooped her head in disappointment.

...

Time reached the afternoon of that day.

Ishikawa Hayato, who was at home idly playing with his synthesizer, received a LINE message from Nijika.

‘Are you free to come to STARRY to discuss the performance arrangements and setlist?’

He replied, ‘Coming right away.’

But this time... after Ishikawa Hayato arrived, even after Ryo arrived just in time, Kita was still nowhere to be seen.

No one had expected that the meeting that morning would be the last time they saw Kita Ikuyo before the performance… Saturday passed, and Sunday arrived.

Kita Ikuyo still hadn't appeared at STARRY, and she hadn't even replied to the LINE messages.

It was as if she had met with an accident, leaving only a shadow in the Kessoku Band's LINE group chat.

“Amen.”

Ryo clasped her hands, silently praying for the disappeared member.

Nijika, who was usually cheerful and lively, sat quietly at the table, showing no sign of distress, nor any hint of a smile.

She displayed a sense of powerlessness, like stumbling just as she started on a journey.

But only for a moment, she perked up again and said to the two in an energetic voice,

“Kita-chan might have something going on. Let's start our meeting.”

But Ishikawa Hayato didn't just go along with her words. Instead, after she spoke, he comforted her.

“Nijika, don't be so nervous. Tomorrow, I'll go to class and ask about the situation.”

Nijika looked at Ishikawa Hayato. Only he maintained a calm expression from beginning to end, as if no negative emotions could touch him.

“Nervous? No, no, I'm always fine.”

She waved her hand, smiling as she denied Ishikawa Hayato's words, but she still accepted Ishikawa Hayato's help.

“Then, Hayato-kun, I'll leave this to you.”

“Mm.”

Subsequently, the three began to discuss the songs for the performance, stage details, MC interactions, and other matters… By Monday, Ishikawa Hayato was indeed curious about Kita Ikuyo's situation.

Had she really run away, or had something happened to her?

Also, what would she say if he saw her?

That morning, he didn't specifically look for Gotou Hitori, walking quickly towards the school.

However, Gotou Hitori, who was a dozen steps behind him, stopped her hesitant steps. Her somewhat expectant greenish-blue eyes slowly became calm, and she looked down at the ground with a dejected expression.

Arriving in the classroom, Ishikawa Hayato looked around and saw that Kita Ikuyo hadn't arrived. He wasn't in a hurry to ask anyone, and he casually returned to his seat.

Completely ignoring the atmosphere in the classroom that totally disregarded him.

He picked up the textbook he bought with Nijika and the others that day, although touching the pages, he didn't have much desire to read it.

Kita Ikuyo only arrived late, close to class time.

She walked into the classroom, the usual smile gone from her face, and only managed to force out a difficult smile when greeting her friends.

Sitting down at her desk, she furtively glanced at Ishikawa Hayato with a guilty expression, like someone who had done something wrong, but her gaze suddenly met Ishikawa Hayato's gaze, which startled her, making her tremble. Despite that, she calmly placed her school bag in the desk drawer.

Ishikawa Hayato, however, knew the reason.

He had just noticed that Kita Ikuyo's hand had more severe bandages, and her face seemed to have very faint dark circles, as if she had used some makeup to cover them.

Although she always hid it, she still couldn't escape the pervert's gaze.

She really is an idiot. Speaking of which, while the bass hurts the hands more than the guitar to practice, it's not that easy to cut one's fingers. She must've pushed herself far to get hurt to this extent.