Chapter 46: Confrontation

Seika walked ahead like a lone wolf, while Ishikawa Hayato, Nijika, and Ryo walked from behind.

The group was returning to STARRY together.

Remembering Seika’s astonished expression when they came out earlier, and how her face instantly flushed, then she pretended nothing was wrong and turned to walk away with a tsundere act,

Ishikawa Hayato couldn't stop smiling.

Meanwhile, the two girls beside him looked at the guy, full of mischievous ideas.

Soon, Ishikawa Hayato had an idea.

He didn't give Nijika a chance to stop him, and with Ryo's amused smile, he skipped lightly forward.

He skipped to a stop beside Seika, his hands clasped behind his head, and leaned forward, looking at Seika's expressionless face.

He teased, "Oh, so the Manager is a siscon? Well, with a cute sister like Nijika, it's only natural to be a siscon."

"Even though I have a sister too, that girl acts too silly, so I couldn't turn into a siscon."

"Of course, with a sister as cute as Nijika, you'd worry about her wherever she goes."

"Especially since you're already a siscon, right?"

"Siscon." He looked up as if savoring the word, chewing on it in his mind with a dreamy expression.

He sighed, "How nice."

The two people behind them didn't hear Ishikawa Hayato's deliberately lowered voice.

They could only see Ishikawa Hayato saying something to Seika with a punchable expression, and as he spoke...

Seika first quickened her pace for two steps, but after failing to shake him off, she stopped.

She stood still, clenching her fists, her entire body trembling.

Finally, she let out a furious roar.

"Go die!!"

Then, as if going berserk, she charged at Ishikawa Hayato, and the two of them sprinted down the roads of Shimokitazawa, quickly disappearing from Nijika and Ryo-senpai's sight.

Nijika stared blankly at her sister's enraged state, a sight she had never witnessed before, unable to look away for a long time.

"What an incredible man."

Ryo said admiringly, while also deciding to ask Ishikawa Hayato later what exactly he had said to make Seika, who usually only spoke a few harsh words but had a very good temper, so angry.

...

When Ryo and Nijika returned to STARRY, they saw an unexpected scene.

Seika sat calmly at the STARRY bar, while in the hall, Ishikawa Hayato was cheerfully hula dancing.

He held a bouquet of flowers from who knows where, a grass skirt around his waist, swaying back and forth.

Coupled with his sunny and handsome face, he attracted the gazes of the bands who had arrived early at the livehouse.

Nijika even heard a band nearby quietly say, "Next time, we can use this format for our MC."

As for why they were speaking quietly...

Nijika looked at her sister, Seika, who was sitting at the bar, calmly drinking, her expression serene.

Behind her sister, Seika, the face of a three-headed, six-armed Asura had furious veins spewing blood.

Ryo pondered for a moment, then looked at the harmonious scene and said, "Even a calming spell probably wouldn't ease the Manager's murderous intent now."

As she spoke, a few glass shards popped out of the glass Seika was holding.

For her sister's blood pressure, Nijika quickly went over and pulled Ishikawa Hayato away.

"Hayato-kun, don't bully Big Sister anymore~!"

As she spoke, she extended her hand, her fingers forming a knife, and tapped Ishikawa Hayato's head.

Ishikawa Hayato let her, still smiling cheerfully even when hit.

However, when Seika saw the scene over there, the glass in her hand instantly shattered.

...

"Guitar is too hard to learn!!"

Meanwhile, back inside the rehearsal room, Kita Ikuyo placed her guitar on the floor, letting out a pained wail.

She knelt on the ground, looking at the guitar Ryo had lent her, then tearfully looked at Hitori opposite her, who was holding her own guitar.

Despite being the one teaching, Hitori wasn't angry at all when Kita said this. Instead, she had a worried, uneasy expression.

Kita couldn't help but ask, "Gotou-san, is the keyboard really not easier to learn than the guitar?"

Hitori, seeing why Kita asked this, explained, "Ah... yes, the keyboard requires a very large amount of music theory knowledge and long-term practice to be used well. Um... Kita-san, your learning speed is already very fast, don't rush."

As Hitori comforted Kita, she couldn't help but think of that someone Kita hadn't mentioned directly, but alluded to throughout their conversation.

Hayato-kun seemed to learn things very quickly. At the beginning of the semester, he had said he didn't know how to play any instruments.

That must have been a lie, right?

If it was true that he learned the keyboard so quickly to a point he could even perform on stage, that would be too amazing.

Such a person... such a person saying things like he could support her...

"Sorry, I said some discouraging things..."

Kita knew she had no right to complain, after all, everyone else besides her could play an instrument.

Her joining hadn't helped the band much. Instead, she had been a burden.

She picked up the guitar again and sat back down on the chair.

However, after speaking, she felt Hitori beside her was strangely quiet.

She looked at Hitori.

Opposite her, Hitori's head was bowed, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Kita looked at Hitori's strange appearance and, puzzled, lowered her head to look at her face.

From under Hitori's bangs, she saw Hitori's dreamy, somewhat lewd smile and her entranced gaze fixed on a fantasy world.

For some reason, Kita felt a little uneasy and wary.

After hesitating, she reached out and gently nudged Hitori.

"Gotou-san, Gotou-san?"

Hitori was pushed and suddenly snapped back to reality.

When she looked up and saw Kita so close, she instinctively retreated in panic, but after two steps, she immediately realized her reaction was too strong.

She quickly stood up straight and apologized to Kita.

"Ah! Yes, yes, I'm sorry."

Kita completely ignored her overly intense reaction. Instead, she spoke to Hitori gently.

"No, I should be the one to apologize. I suddenly startled Gotou-san."

She spoke thoughtfully, her yellowish-green eyes shifting for a moment, then asked Hitori again, "Gotou-san, do you have someone you like?"

"Eh... asking so suddenly..."

Hitori shyly didn't answer directly, but her flustered movements and reactions were all noticed by Kita.

Kita sat up straight again, saying with a broad smile, "Sorry, Gotou-san, I'm a bit tired from practicing. I suddenly wanted to talk about girl topics."

"But let's not now, let's continue."

And then, after practicing for a considerable amount of time, when they realized it was getting late, Hitori and Kita hurriedly came out of the rehearsal room.

Then they saw Seika at the bar, sulking, to the point where even Nijika couldn't calm her down.

There was also Ms. PA at a nearby table, covering her face and laughing, and Ishikawa Hayato and Ryo hiding in a corner, each doing their own thing.

They felt as if they had completely missed a big spectacle after practicing all afternoon.

Nijika, feeling hopeless about comforting her sister, looked over when she heard the commotion.

She decisively gave up on her sister, who was unmanageable for the time being, and walked towards the two.

"Oh~ Kita-chan, Bocchi-chan, is practice over?"

As she left, Seika, who had completely ignored Nijika's attempts to comfort her, turned and glanced at her.

On the other side, Kita bowed slightly and said to Nijika, "Yes, I'm very sorry for occupying the rehearsal room for so long."

Beside her, Hitori, as if she hadn't thought of how much time they've occupied the room, hurriedly tried to follow suit in apologizing when...

"Don't mention it, no one uses it anyway."

Nijika waved her hands dismissively.

Ishikawa Hayato, seeing the Band members gathered again, also walked over from the corner.

He reached out and greeted Kita.

"How's our NEW STAR doing? You didn't cry halfway through practice saying "It's too hard, I can't do it," did you?"

Kita, who had been a little downcast after hearing the first part of Ishikawa-kun's question, froze when she heard the latter part, looking at Ishikawa Hayato in disbelief.

Seeing her expression, Ishikawa Hayato was stunned.

Did that really happen?

He thought for a moment, then changed his tone, "Well, don't rush. Music is only fun when you play it at your own pace."

Seeing Ishikawa Hayato finally acting like a decent person today, Nijika was surprised and slightly happy as she said, "Hayato-kun is right, Kita-chan, don't overdo it and hurt yourself."

After practice, when the store started to get busy, Kita and Hitori prepared to leave, and Ishikawa Hayato also left with the two of them.

At the entrance of STARRY, Nijika leaned out halfway and bid farewell to the three.

"Kita-chan, Bocchi-chan, Hayato-kun, tomorrow is the first day of part-time work, don't forget, everyone."

"Bye-bye."

Ryo beside her didn't say much, lazily waving her hand.

"Mm, I remembered."

Ishikawa Hayato nodded in response, then looked to the side, and as expected, saw Hitori's contorted face. That appearance, if seen suddenly, would probably scare someone half to death.

Fortunately, he had started to get used to it.

Beneath that chaotic expression, Hitori still had the ability to speak. She hesitated, nodding, "Ah, okay."

Then Ishikawa Hayato looked at Kita, who was a few steps up the stairs above them.

Feeling like she was about to be noticed, Kita hurriedly averted her gaze away from Ishikawa Hayato and seriously promised Nijika and Ryo-senpai at the store entrance.

"I will work hard, please rest assured and entrust the work to me!"

"Oh~ How reliable."

Nijika smiled slightly.