Chapter 113: Scenery

“Th-th-then… Hayato… ”

Sure enough, Hitori panicked.

She quickly pulled out her wallet from her pocket.

It seemed she also roughly knew the exaggerated sum these expenses would add up to and wanted to pay Ishikawa Hayato back some of it.

Ishikawa Hayato pressed her wallet back, telling her not to worry, and said casually,

“I just happened to be near here with my dad, and on my way to the store, I was worried Hitori might foolishly run to the station in this typhoon weather, so I came to check.”

He wasn't lying.

He merely changed the order, placing the purpose after the action—and played a little trick with the sequence.

It was more reasonable to do it this way.

He changed the subject, pressing his forehead as if in pain, and said, “I didn’t expect you were really going to brave the rain. Your parents are really too carefree… ”

This typhoon was no small matter.

Ishikawa Hayato didn't know if letting their daughter go out in such violent wind and rain could be explained as being open-minded.

He was lying.

It was the first time Hitori completely disbelieved Ishikawa Hayato’s words.

His words sounded too fake—having something to do in weather like this.

But she gradually controlled her emotions, slowly calming down from her bewilderment.

Hayato clearly said that because he didn't want her to feel guilty.

She was gradually understanding his thoughts.

Many of his actions gently guided her towards a better direction.

Hitori thought about it, letting go of what had just happened.

She looked down at the seat in front of her, a happy smile on her face, her shoulders slightly hunched as if she wanted to experience this feeling more clearly.

Ishikawa Hayato also seemed to sense her mood and stopped talking.

Amidst the strong wind and heavy rain, the enclosed space inside the car weakened the external sounds, turning the terrifying downpour into a distant yet reassuring sound.

Looking at the quiet and composed Hitori, Ishikawa Hayato couldn't help but recall what happened a few days ago.

....

Tuesday, weather: cloudy.

Time: 8:05 AM

Coming out of the station, Ishikawa Hayato still saw the unchanging gloomy sky.

Thinking about the upcoming performance and his confident words from yesterday, he felt a little uneasy, like he was about to be proven wrong.

But thinking back to the day of the street performance—when they’d sold so many tickets—and counting their own friends and family, he figured people would surely come even if the weather was bad.

He comforted himself a bit.

Leaving the station, his steps paused, but the crowd behind him didn't stop, moving steadily past him.

Before, he would walk with passersby, then follow the road he had taken for months to school.

But now.

Ishikawa Hayato looked around but didn't see the pink figure by the roadside.

Thinking about it, she was much more outgoing now, but asking her to wait for someone at such a high-traffic spot like the station entrance was still impossible for her.

Ishikawa Hayato activated his Hitori radar.

*Ding*

The radar immediately reacted.

Following the radar's instructions, he walked along the treeline to one side.

After walking a few dozen meters, he saw pink hair peeking out from behind a tree, clearly indicating she was sitting at the base of the tree.

Seeing this scene made him recall the first time he met Hitori.

She was also hiding under a tree then.

Ishikawa Hayato couldn't help but ponder.

'Had Hitori grown at all?'

But he didn't dwell on it, quietly approaching and calling out playfully on purpose.

“Oh dear, my lovely Bocchi is lost. Has anyone seen her? She has long pink hair and is wearing a pink tracksuit. I’ve been looking for her for ages and still can’t find her.”

As soon as Ishikawa Hayato spoke, he saw the pink long hair, which had been drooping limply, perk up as if energized.

Hitori quickly and cutely peeked out from behind the tree, her eyes sparkling with adorable light, looking happily at Ishikawa Hayato.

She then quickly stood up, but suddenly became conflicted again, saying timidly,

“Hayato… I’m… ”

She stopped halfway through her sentence, thought for a moment, and then said again, “Hayato, good morning.”

Clearly, she had originally intended to apologize for hiding in this spot when they had agreed to meet at the station entrance.

However, seeing her retract her words, Ishikawa Hayato smiled contentedly.

“Mm, morning.”

She was still as timid as before, but Hitori was already starting to change.

Now, she was also gradually becoming less nervous even when making mistakes in front of him.

Ishikawa Hayato believed that for someone as overly timid as Hitori, the first step was to make her feel that she didn't owe anyone anything, and didn't feel inferior to the other person.

Only when she saw herself as an equal could her emotions be expressed normally.

She would continue to grow.

...

The heavy rain falling from above made a dull thud on the car roof, and the car's front windshield was blurred by water vapor and ripples of water.

In these conditions, for safety, Ishikawa Jinpei drove slowly, taking a long time to reach Shimokitazawa.

The car stopped at the entrance of a small alley.

He looked back at the two preparing to brave the heavy rain and go in, then looked out the window again, and said,

“You two be careful. I’m not going in—it’s raining too hard. I’ll stay in the parking lot and play on my phone.”

In rain like this, by the time he parked the car and walked back from the parking lot, he would probably be soaked.

Ishikawa Hayato thought about it and didn't force his father.

He had originally planned to see Hitori into the store and then go pick up his father.

“Alright, I’ll copy a video for you then.”

“At least you have a conscience.” Ishikawa Jinpei smiled.

Getting out of the car, Ishikawa Hayato and Hitori put on their raincoats and hurried towards STARRY.

...

Descending the stairs to the entrance of STARRY, the two shook off some water from their raincoats, folded them, and opened the door to walk into the store.

Ishikawa Hayato walked into the store and descended the stairs again, but just as he turned the corner, he felt a suffocating, heavy aura wash over him.

The already gloomy atmosphere of the store was now further thickened with swirling pool of malevolence (resentment).

Ishikawa Hayato looked towards the source of this pitch black resentment, enough to make an exorcist tremble.

 At the bar, Seika was slumped over with her forehead resting on her arm, as if in despair.

He then looked towards the corner.

Nijika, sitting at a table, didn't give off as much resentment.

She was just staring blankly at the tabletop.

Finally, Ishikawa Hayato looked back.

Behind him, Hitori looked at the scene, her face instantly showing an anxious and fearful expression, looking very distressed.

But when she met Ishikawa Hayato’s eyes, her tension quickly receded into her heart, and she smiled faintly.

Ishikawa Hayato returned the smile, giving a thumbs-up with an invincible, sunny demeanor.

Then, he propped himself on the side railing with both hands, flipped over, and landed with a front flip onto the stage.

He landed perfectly like a gymnast, raising his hands and cheering in the venue.

“Let’s get fired up today!!”

Nijika in the corner heard the commotion and looked up.

Seeing Ishikawa Hayato like this, she exclaimed in surprise,

“Hayato-kun.”

She stood up, quickly regaining her usual smile, and then noticed Hitori coming down the stairs.

“Bocchi-chan, you’re both here now.”

“Yeah, are we the first ones here?”

Ishikawa Hayato looked around but didn't see Ryo or Kita.

Nijika’s expression still looked the same as ever.

She walked over, smiling and complaining, “No, you’re the last ones. Ryo is sleepy and resting in the preparation room, and Kita-chan is changing.”

Ishikawa Hayato looked at her expression, feeling somewhat uncomfortable with how artificial it seemed, but he decided not to say anything. 

Instead, he stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, “Resting and changing clothes, huh?”

“Hayato-kun, stop those strange thoughts in your head.”

Nijika retorted sharply.

She was already starting to keep up with Ishikawa Hayato’s thought process.

Just then, the lady in question—came out of the adjacent room a couple steps behind them.

She had already changed into their band T-shirt, a black T-shirt paired with a white half-skirt, which was very eye-catching.

Ishikawa Hayato didn't understand much about makeup, but he still noticed Kita’s rosy lips were now sparkling.

However, compared to her seemingly serious makeup, the hem of her white skirt still had some blurry rain marks.

It seemed she had just hastily blown it dry with a hairdryer and rushed out.

Kita saw that Ishikawa Hayato and Hitori had also arrived.

She looked at them with a mix of joy and unease, then put her phone into her skirt pocket and said hesitantly, “What should we do… The rain doesn’t look like it’s going to stop.”

They had practiced for so long, put in so much effort, all for today’s performance.

To have it suddenly ruined by a typhoon, she felt a sense of resentment.

Nijika hesitated, then was about to comfort her when Ishikawa Hayato spoke first, clenching his fist and saying with great vigor, “Of course, we’re going to perform as planned!”

He looked around at the three of them, full of passion, and retorted, “Don’t you think a live performance in this typhoon weather is especially exciting? Like, ‘The world is my enemy!’ kind of feeling?”

Kita looked at him helplessly, couldn't help but wonder if he understood the situation, and was about to retort when—

—she suddenly felt a sense of deja vu.

She instantly remembered the scene when she was coaxed back to the band.

Looking at Ishikawa Hayato’s passionate expression, she felt like he was digging another pit for her to fall into.

Although she worried if she was being tricked again, she still chose to trust Ishikawa Hayato’s arrangements and closed her mouth.

Nijika, in agreement with Ishikawa Hayato, said, “Yes, there may not be many customers, but we still have to do our best.”

Ishikawa Hayato looked at Nijika, who was not only comforting others but also herself, and sighed inwardly.

Nijika tends to get fixated when she encounters difficulties she can’t accept.

As if agreeing with Nijika, he said to Hitori and Kita, “Although it’s a commercial performance, we can’t just cater to the customers. The basic principle of a performance is for everyone to enjoy doing something together.”

The two listened and nodded seriously.

After responding, Kita’s sunny expression returned with a sigh and a smile of relief.

“Ishikawa-kun is only serious at times like this.”

Even Hitori nodded at that remark.

Nijika was a little puzzled as to why Ishikawa Hayato repeated a similar statement to her own, but she didn’t dwell on it.

Noticing their damp hair and legs, she quickly urged, “We can talk about this later. You two hurry and dry your hair and clothes so you don’t catch a cold.”

As Nijika urged Ishikawa Hayato, he looked back.

Seika, who had been slumped at the bar, radiating resentment, now raised her head and looked over. 

Her gloomy face, marked by the pressure of her clothes, resembled a messy field after a rainstorm.

But that expression also seemed to have accepted reality, clearly indicating that she had been eavesdropping the whole time.

Ishikawa Hayato’s lips curved into a smile as he looked at her expression.

Seika’s face immediately darkened, and she quickly turned her head away with a huff.