Chapter 114: Fans (Part 1)
Ishikawa Hayato quickly changed his clothes, dried his hair, briefly wrung his trouser cuffs, blew them with a hairdryer for a bit, and then returned to the hall.
As a pervert, he also had something to be proud of: since the third grade of elementary school, he had never been sick.
His level of perversion was so great that even viruses were afraid of him!
Stepping out of the backstage area, he saw Nijika leaning very quietly against the wall next to the preparation room.
Her side ponytail allowed her to rest her head against the wall.
The large bow tied with a ribbon accentuated her petite and cute appearance.
He walked over.
Nijika heard his footsteps and looked up, and immediately smiled when she saw Ishikawa Hayato.
“Hayato-kun, everyone is in the rehearsal room. Let’s try to rehearse once in a bit.”
She asked Ishikawa Hayato as if seeking his opinion.
“Good idea, but it’s best to just practice a few sections. Practicing too much will make us overly nervous later.”
“That’s true.”
Nijika smiled and readily agreed.
But then, Ishikawa Hayato did not follow her lead towards the rehearsal room.
Instead, he walked straight to her side and leaned against the wall with her.
Nijika looked up at him in surprise but said nothing.
Ishikawa Hayato looked down at the youngest, shortest, and most responsible girl in the band.
She quietly gazed at the stage, lost in thought.
“Leader, you’re not nervous, are you?”
Nijika suddenly looked up at Ishikawa Hayato when she heard him, confused, but then immediately raised her hand and waved it, saying, “Nervous? How could I be? Haven’t we performed on the street before?”
Ishikawa Hayato completely ignored the piercing gaze of a nearly 30-year-old blonde woman in a fitted T-shirt standing nearby.
He smiled and said to Nijika, “Really?”
“Of course.”
Nijika answered crisply.
Ishikawa Hayato smiled, feigning a troubled expression, and said weakly, “But I’m so nervous, I’ve forgotten the track list order for today.”
His expression earned him a sidelong glance from Nijika, but soon, she chuckled softly and said helplessly, “The first song is ‘Guitar and Loneliness,’ the second is ‘that band,’ and the third is ‘If I Could Be a Constellation.’ Hayato-kun, don’t get them wrong!”
Ishikawa Hayato nodded repeatedly.
Even though she knew he hadn’t forgotten, Nijika’s willingness to humor him was truly adorable.
“Nijika is so kind.”
Nijika felt she was being teased again and huffily moved her foot sideways, firmly tapping Ishikawa Hayato’s shoe sole with her own.
The soles collided, making a dull sound.
This counterattack was too cute.
The cuteness level keeps on rising.
Ishikawa Hayato even wanted to just pull her into his arms.
However, Nijika would definitely get angry, and besidesーhe glanced at Seika, who had now completely transformed into an evil spiritーHer face showed a taut, ferocious expression, as if wearing the mask of a demon with sharp horns protruding from her head.
She was glaring at him with murderous intent.
This aura was so intense that even PA-san beside her was slowly sliding away creating some distance.
She seemed to be waiting for Nijika to look away for a moment, then she would pounce and eliminate him.
But Ishikawa Hayato was clearly unafraid.
If Nijika wouldn’t be upset, he would have definitely hugged her and sniffed her right in front of her.
A pervert only likes it more when it’s more stimulating!
Not long after, Hitori also finished changing and drying her hair, then walked into the hall.
After meeting up, the three walked towards the rehearsal room.
As soon as they opened the door, they saw Kita and Ryo talking, but they were a step late and only heard Kita say worriedly, “Even Ryo-senpai’s side too?”
Ryo, wearing a band T-shirt, sat calmly in the corner, her golden eyes fixed on her phone, which she was scrolling with one hand.
She didn’t say anything.
“What’s wrong?”
Seeing this scene, Nijika quickly stepped forward and asked worriedly.
Kita’s eyes flickered, as if reluctant to share the news with Nijika, but after only a slight moment of hesitation, she said, “My friends can’t make it…”
Originally, they had planned to invite more people to support them, bringing along friends and family interested in their performance.
However, this typhoon had suddenly stripped away all their preparations before the performance.
After Kita, Ishikawa Hayato also added, “My dad complained that the rain was too heavy, so he’s staying in the parking lot, lying in the car playing on his phone and not coming out.”
His lighthearted remark simply sketched the image of a lazy, middle-aged slacker.
“That’s right, with such heavy rain, there’s nothing we can do. Let’s just go for it!”
Nijika was already prepared and didn’t take it to heart at all, smiling and clenching her fist to cheer on the four of them.
But none of them mentioned the most important thing: whether those who had bought tickets for the performance would actually come.
They silently harbored hope and began their final rehearsal before the performance.
...
After practice, Ishikawa Hayato noticed that their spirits were a little low, but their rhythm was still very steady.
If they went out with this state, the performance might not be as impactful as the street performances, but it could still end smoothly.
They walked out of the rehearsal room.
But once they came out, the sight that greeted them sent a chill through their hearts.
It was already 5 o’clock.
On a normal weekend, there would have been quite a few customers waiting in the venue by this time.
But today, as if to mock them, there wasn’t a single customer.
Even the venue itself suddenly felt unfamiliar to them.
Even the bartender standing at the bar was a stranger, a friend Seika had called in to help out temporarily.
Nijika had seen such scenes before, but the other four hadn’t.
She worriedly observed their expressions.
Kita and Hitori showed some sadness, while Ishikawa Hayato and Ryo were very calm.
Just as she didn’t know what to do.
“Ya-hoo, everyone, I’m here to watch your performance.”
A drunken voice, accompanied by the sound of dripping water, came down the stairs.
Hiroi Kikuri staggered down to the bottom of the stairs, a ticket stub swaying in her hand.
“Little bro, thank you for the ticket.”
Ishikawa Hayato was quite surprised.
Seika was checking tickets at the door today, and she actually let this wet drunkard in.
He was even curious what expression Seika had on when checking her ticket.
However, her arrival at this moment happened to alleviate some of the unease of the others.
This drunkard could be considered half a customer, at least.
“Hiroi-san, did you come all this way in such heavy rain?”
Kita was very surprised.
“That’s right, I must come to watch everyone’s performance~ Yay…”
Ishikawa Hayato looked at the water droplets continuously dripping from Hiroi Kikuri’s skirt, frowned slightly, pointed at her, and asked Nijika, “Nijika, do you have any spare clothes for this drunkard?”
“Ah, yes.”
Nijika snapped out of her daze and walked towards Hiroi Kikuri, preparing to take her backstage to change clothes.
However, seeing Hiroi Kikuri’s soaking wet appearance, she hesitated and paused her steps.
“Wait~! What about my opinion~!?”
Hiroi Kikuri waved her hand like a drunkard in a frenzy.
“The wind is really noisy today. You can even hear it inside the shop.”
Ishikawa Hayato ignored her words and walked forward.
“Little bro, you’re so mean, you’re not paying any attention to me…”
“I wouldn’t pay attention to the whooshing sound of a wine bottle being blown by the wind.”
He said, lightly passing Nijika and grabbing Hiroi Kikuri’s arm, pressing on her shoulder, and signaling Nijika with his eyes to lead the way.
Seeing that he had the drunkard under control, Nijika didn’t step forward.
She gave Ishikawa Hayato a slightly apologetic look.
She was also amused by his manner, simultaneously caring for Hiroi Kikuri while relentlessly attacking her with indifference.
“This way.”
The three saw the two escorting a drunk Hiroi Kikuri away.
But not long after, Nijika's roar echoed from that direction.
"Get out! Hayato-kun, get out!"
After the roar, there was a heavy slam of a door.
The three stared straight ahead as Ishikawa Hayato walked back, rubbing his head with a look of misfortune.
"Seriously, I just wanted to help change her clothes, why was Nijika so angry?"
Ishikawa Hayato complained, but then belatedly noticed Ryo and Kita's icy glares and quickly shut up.
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