Chapter 74: Solution (Part 1)

"At that moment, the cream splattered all over the ceiling..."

As Kita was telling a funny story about a previous birthday, someone came down from the store's entrance.

Besides Ishikawa Hayato, the others, who were chatting happily, didn't notice.

Ishikawa Hayato secretly glanced at the blonde tsundere with a sister complex over there.

She didn't try to hide her footsteps as she came down the stairs from the entrance, looked over a few times, seemed unable to find an opportunity to interject, but touched the envelope she had taken out of her wallet, and her momentum grew.

"Alright, everyone, this is your long-awaited salary!"

She unfolded the envelope in her hand and said with a beaming expression.

The girls turned their heads in surprise at the sudden voice, quickly reacted, and exclaimed,

"That's great!"

Meanwhile, Ishikawa Hayato stared intently at the blonde tsundere's face.

Seika noticed Ishikawa Hayato's gaze, and her expression faltered.

After the girls politely took their money one by one and thanked her, it was finally Ishikawa Hayato's turn.

He stood in front of Seika.

Seika looked like she was smiling as she handed over the money, but behind her, a ferocious, three-headed, six-armed Asura appeared.

It was as if she had already figured out how to deal with this guy.

But it was only for a moment.

The money in her hand was already in Ishikawa Hayato's hand.

Ishikawa Hayato politely said thank you, turned around gracefully, and left, leaving Seika looking utterly defeated.

She hadn’t even managed to bring out his true colors!

On the other side, amidst the revelry,

Nijika's apologetic voice rang out.

"Although I'm sorry to say this at such a time, we need to collect the performance fee."

At this moment, Ishikawa Hayato, who had turned his head, saw tears suddenly welling up in Hitori's excited eyes.

She pulled out her guitar from who knows where and suddenly started playing and singing.

"Please listen to my new song, 'Goodbye, Yukichi.'"

"I'm really sorry, I'm also very heartbroken!"

Nijika clasped her hands together and apologized to her pitifully.

However, just as Hitori was about to hand over the envelope, Ishikawa Hayato smiled and went over to stop her.

“This is the money Bocchi earned from her first part-time job. She must have something she wants to do with it. This time, I'll pay for her."

He said, taking money out of his wallet, and also handed over his own share to Nijika.

Hitori was startled upon hearing this and waved her hands frantically, refusing.

"Uh, no, it's fine!"

Ishikawa Hayato said firmly,

"Just consider it a loan. You can pay me back tomorrow."

Nijika, standing by, looked at the two of them deferring to each other with a blank expression.

"I feel like I've become a very bad person..."

But just as she was considering whether to refuse the money, Ishikawa Hayato firmly pushed it into her hand.

Looking at Ishikawa Hayato's gaze, she hesitated for a moment, then looked at the conflicted Hitori, and with a light smile, she took the money and walked towards Kita.

Meanwhile, Hitori lowered her head, looking at the money she had earned through nearly a month of hard work, filled with mixed emotions.

She had come up with a bunch of ideas for how to spend the money before, but now she suddenly didn't know how to use it.

It felt as if the money had become heavier, and it now held another, different kind of preciousness.

Ishikawa Hayato looked at her, and after a moment, said casually,

"Then Bocchi, buy me a bottle of mineral water during lunch break the day after tomorrow. That's the interest."

"Okay!"

And Ryo, catching the scent of money, silently walked over to Ishikawa Hayato and asked nonchalantly,

"Hayato, how did you suddenly get money again?"

Ishikawa Hayato's heart suddenly pounded. He slowly turned his head and saw Ryo's calm expression.

Immediately, his heart pounded, then pounded again, and then violently pounded.

Finally, after a fierce internal struggle, he still lost to the rules he had set for himself and said sorrowfully,

"My manuscript fees came in recently..."

"Oh."

Ryo didn't ask further, just gave him a meaningful look that made his wallet feel cold.

At this moment, Hitori, who was somewhat puzzled by their reactions, heard Nijika and Kita talking next to her.

"Eh! Does it cost that much to make an album?!"

"Well... after making the songs, I want to turn them into an album to sell at performances, and shooting a music video will also cost a lot of money..."

"Then we'll have to find some other part-time jobs during the summer!"

Kita's cheerful voice sounded like a demon to Hitori.

Her approving tone also made Nijika a little giddy. Nijika said excitedly with anticipation,

"That's right~ How about we all go work at the beach?"

"The beach! That sounds good."

While Hitori was listening to the situation over there, Ishikawa Hayato and Ryo stopped their conversation and quietly watched the wonderful changes in her expression.

From shock, to disbelief, to her features collapsing, then returning to normal, but her eyes were filled with chaos.

But when they saw her pull out her phone, her eyes ferocious, looking for various loan methods online,

As Ishikawa Hayato was about to step forward, Ryo was a step faster. She walked over and called out to Hitori,

"Bocchi."

Hitori reacted extremely strongly. She frantically put away her phone, suddenly pulled out her Guitar, and knelt on the ground, holding it up as an offering.

"Please, please take the Guitar as collateral! Please spare me from part-time work! Please don't make me go to the beach or the amusement park!!!"

"No, I was just going to say that the song is finished."

Ryo looked at her exaggerated reaction, her expression without a single ripple.

...

A mobile phone lay on the desktop, brightly lit by the light.

Intense, slightly melancholic yet passionate music spread out from the table like a candlelight.

The five of them quietly listened to the music, the emotional melody leaving them with no option but to quietly enjoy the piece.

The time of enjoyment didn't last long.

After a short Guitar solo concluded, the music came to an end.

Amidst the lingering notes, the four of them remained lost in thought for a long time.

Finally, Nijika was the first to look up. She asked the others in a dazed manner,

"Eh, isn't this amazing?!"

In her opinion, this song sounded like it was created by a professional musician.

Its completeness was extremely high.

It was definitely the kind that would become popular!

"Yes, it's very good."

Kita came back to her senses, her eyes sparkling as she responded to Nijika's words.

At the same time, her admiration for Ryo had risen another level.

'As expected of Ryo-senpai!'

Ryo calmly picked up her phone. Without a hint of pride, she looked at the lyrics on the screen and said indifferently,

"After reading the lyrics Bocchi wrote, the inspiration just came to me."

Hearing her name called, Hitori seemed not to have fully recovered from the song, her face flushed as she stared blankly at Ryo.

"That's great! Bocchi-chan's hard work has paid off!"

While Nijika and Ryo-senpai were praising Hitori, Kita, whose face was full of excitement, suddenly felt something was wrong. She looked beside her.

Ishikawa Hayato was propping up his chin, wearing a gentle expression, his gaze lost in thought as he looked straight ahead.

His eyes didn't linger on anyone.

Kita's smile faded a little, replaced by confusion, as she looked at him.

But just as she was about to ask what this guy was planning now, she noticed Ryo over there stroking Hitori's chin and saying,

"Good job, very, very good."

Kita watched, dumbfounded, and suddenly became as anxious as a child begging for candy. She instantly pulled out her guitar, ran over, and volunteered,

"S-Senpai! I've also worked very hard! Look at me, I can already play the guitar so skillfully!"

After she finished speaking, she played the most difficult passage she knew.

Ryo said perfunctorily, "Impressive."

Kita's voice filled with surprise.

"You think it's impressive!? Then give me a really, really good pat too!"

"Very, very good."

Ishikawa Hayato, having come back to his senses, looked at Ryo, who had suddenly opened a harem, and wailed, sprawled on the table,

"Ryo, that's not fair!! I should be the one opening a harem!"

Watching them fuss, Nijika said softly, helplessly yet full of anticipation,

"My dream might just come true."

The moment Hitori noticed her words, Nijika stood up.

"Alright! I'll ask my sister if we can perform next month."

She suggested to the four of them.

Ishikawa Hayato looked at her, once again hot-blooded, and instead of stopping her, happily fanned the flames,

"Go for it, Super Sentai."

Kita, who was used to Ishikawa Hayato's teasing, noticed something off in Ishikawa Hayato's words and calmed down to ask, "Is it okay, so suddenly?"

Nijika laughed cheerfully and waved her hand, walking towards Seika while talking to Kita.

"It's fine~ She agreed to me very readily last time."

After she finished speaking, she asked Seika with great trust, "Right, Sister?"

Seika, who had been contemplating the band's future arrangements with her notebook, only then seemed to hear Nijika's voice, turning her head and saying coldly, "Huh? I never said I'd let you all perform."

Hearing this, Nijika froze.

"Eh?"

As her thoughts gradually became active again, Nijika pursed her lips, trying to think positively.

"Why? Haven't we already made an original song?"

Before, Seika had secretly listened to their conversations, and she also thought the original song was quite good, looking forward to the emotions it would release once it was imbued with the performers' colors.

But that was only if the performers had skill.

Otherwise, no matter how good the song, without enough skill, no one would be able to listen to it.

She certainly didn’t want to see Nijika on the stage in her own shop again, looking so sad yet trying to put on a brave face.

As she typed in the previously decided band name while staring at the computer, she continued, "This has nothing to do with it."

Her foolish younger sister still hadn't noticed the problem and continued to think about what they might have overlooked, pulling out money that hadn't even warmed up yet and saying, "Ah, if there aren't enough audience members, we'll cover the deficit."

Seika looked at the computer and sighed inwardly.

"It's not about money either."

She stopped operating the computer, turned her head, and looked at her reckless, clumsy younger sister, enlightening her, "It's a matter of skill."

Nijika finally reacted then, but still said unwillingly, "But didn't you let us perform before?"

Seeing Nijika still not giving up, Seika's temper flared slightly, and she said thoughtlessly, "That was a special permission to let you create beautiful memories."

These words instantly shattered Nijika's hopeful heart.

Seeing her sister suddenly stiffen and look dejected, Seika's tone softened slightly as she reminded her, "Didn't I usually have audition reviews for band demo tracks? You knew that, didn't you?"

Nijika pouted slightly in a small, aggrieved tantrum, averting her gaze.

"That's... right."

"Although I'm sorry to say this, your level is still the same as your first performance, so I won't allow you to perform."

“We’re not allowed on stage, so what are we supposed to do…?”

Seeing Nijika still not understanding, Seika said dismissively, "Just continue playing your band games forever."

After hearing this, Nijika ran out in a huff, and Kita, Ryo, and Hitori followed her out.

Only Ishikawa Hayato remained by the railing in the store, watching Seika smile as if she didn't care at all.

“Your little sister is so cute when she’s being clumsy.”

"What are you commenting on someone else's sister for?"

Seika, realizing she had spoken too harshly, was in a terrible mood, and facing her 'nemesis' made her even more irritable.

Ishikawa Hayato, however, didn't care about her tone at all and said calmly, "I'll explain everything clearly to Nijika. When is the time?"

A voice, sounding both aggrieved and relieved, rang out.

"Next Saturday."

Seeing Seika look a little more at ease, Ishikawa Hayato turned and walked up the stairs, leaving behind a meaningful remark, "I think being denied by family would be more painful than the sadness of a failed performance. There's a way to make everyone happy, so why not do it that way?"

Behind him, as he walked up the stairs, was Seika's somber expression.

Ishikawa Hayato didn't rush out either, slowly walking up the stairs.

He thought to himself, they really are sisters, both are so impulsive.