Chapter 158: Fantasy
Even though it was the middle of summer, Ishikawa Hayato felt as if he were in an Arctic blizzard, assailed by cold winds blowing from all directions—north, south, east, and west.
He should have made her shut up for good just now!
Ishikawa Hayato shivered.
At the same time, he complained about the original song the band on stage was singing.
'Was it intentional?!'
From his position, he could see clearly ahead.
Nijika and Kita weren't even chatting with the musicians anymore, staring straight at him.
There was no expression on their faces.
The two who usually smiled cheerfully now had no expression at all, as if seriously waiting for his answer, which was quite frightening.
Behind him, a heavy, oppressive gaze made him feel as if he were carrying a thousand pounds.
Dad, you shouldn't have laughed at me that day. You really do need to be on your guard in situations like that—the hostility from girls can be truly terrifying.
Ishikawa Hayato had previously worried that Nijika and Kita would be harassed because they were too cute, but he hadn't expected that now all four of them were looking at him together.
When did they develop such tacit agreement?
He swallowed, speaking in a rapid-fire manner.
"What do you mean by 'taking care'? I am a very self-disciplined person and will never have excessive contact with other girls."
Hiroi Kikuri, who was also startled by the group's demeanor, hurriedly explained.
"Ah, um, it's just that Ohtsuki-chan isn't very good at socializing, and I wanted to ask Otouto-kun to..."
Before she could finish, Hiroi Kikuri suddenly felt four holes being pierced into her by their gazes and quickly corrected herself.
"To have everyone in Kessoku Band help."
"That's right, for things between girls, don't look for me. I'm not good at communicating with girls anyway."
Ishikawa Hayato said with a strong will to survive.
Not good at... None of the four believed him.
However, this terrifying atmosphere completely dissipated with his words.
Nijika and Kita exchanged glances, and they somehow decided who would be in charge of this matter through their eye contact.
Kita walked back two steps from there and was about to say something when Ishikawa Hayato stopped her.
He seriously said to Hiroi Kikuri,
"Although I don't know how to communicate with girls, I know how to interact with people. Just barely becoming friends probably isn't very useful, right?"
Hiroi Kikuri's expression stiffened.
"Ye... yes, but..."
Ishikawa Hayato interrupted her.
"However, I will try my best to create some opportunities for them to get to know each other."
"Otouto-kun your attitude is a bit overwhelming..."
Hiroi Kikuri couldn't completely overpower Ishikawa Hayato's presence and even instinctively shrunk her neck.
"Only women with whom I have a special relationship can make me back down," Ishikawa Hayato concluded with a smile.
...
Nearing noon, the five of them left Shinjuku FOLT.
Having completed their audition, they didn't need to wait inside and could go home to await news of the performance.
The group also didn't want to stay longer, as watching the performances of various bands in the store made them incredibly anxious.
Some bands made mistakes repeatedly due to nervousness, reminding them of their last performance, and they kept cheering them on in their hearts. Other bands, whose performances were quite good, gave them a sense of urgency.
Ishikawa Hayato, unable to bear their reactions, pulled the four of them out of the store.
Outside the store, under the gloomy sky, Ishikawa Hayato asked the group with a relaxed expression,
"It's this time already, why don't we all go eat together first to celebrate the successful completion of the audition?"
Additionally to having gone through that terrifying situation back there with Hiroi Kikuri, Ishikawa Hayato's mood was not affected at all.
Rather, this indirectly revealed many of their thoughts, which greatly pleased him.
The four of them, moreover, showed no sign of having paid much attention to his conversation with Hiroi Kikuri.
They walked to the roadside and stood in a semi-circle.
Except for Hitori, due to her bangs and clothes, the others looked extremely pleasing to the eye.
And the instruments they carried added a strange charm to them.
"Okay..." Nijika was about to agree wholeheartedly when she suddenly looked at him and Ryo with caution.
"You have to pay for your own share!"
She still remembered being tricked by the two into treating them before the street performance.
It wasn't that she didn't want to treat them, but being forced to treat them made her very unwilling, especially when it came to these two good-for-nothings.
Ishikawa Hayato blinked, holding back a laugh.
With superb acting skills, he asked weakly with a hint of disbelief,
"Eh... At such a festive time, shouldn't the Leader treat everyone?"
"Normally, people would treat at this time," Ryo echoed, confirming Ishikawa Hayato's words from the perspective of an experienced band member. For such a public convenience, she was happy to oblige.
Nijika stared blankly at the two good-for-nothings.
'Did they really think they could force her to treat them like this?!'
She hesitated, but this time Kita came out to support her.
She put her hands on her hips and said with a slight hint of anger,
"It's not good to always make Ijiichi-senpai pay, you two shouldn’t pick on her like that.”
'Kita!'
Nijika's eyes welled up, she hadn't doted on Kita for nothing.
Ishikawa Hayato calmly turned to Ryo next to him and asked for confirmation,
"It's not that much, right?"
"Only once," Ryo agreed.
Seeing the two of them still relentless, singing in harmony, Nijika silently pulled out her drumsticks from her backpack.
Although she was the smallest member of the Band, Nijika was the drummer, and her strength and sustained output ability were not to be underestimated.
She could mince meat in less than 5 minutes.
Ryo took half a step back, ready to flee, but seeing Ishikawa Hayato standing obediently straight, she unceremoniously used him as a shield.
Nijika, seeing the two behave, breathed a sigh of relief and greeted the group with a cute, bright smile.
"Let's go!"
...
“Everyone, thank you all for giving it your all today. To celebrate our victory in this phase, I’d like to raise a cup of tea in place of wine—cheers!”
As soon as they finished ordering, Ishikawa Hayato suddenly raised a glass of water brought by the waiter, stood up, and loudly congratulated in the small restaurant.
The group hesitated slightly, looked around, then sighed and picked up their glasses, raising them.
"Cheers..."
The five of them placed their instruments in the corner against the wall.
Their appearance, toasting with plain water, clearly exuded the air of impoverished musicians.
After the toast, they quickly pressed Ishikawa Hayato back into his chair to prevent him from acting crazy again.
"By the way, it's water, not tea. What 'tea instead of wine'...?"
Hitori looked at Kita, who was speaking.
Noticing the flush on Kita's cheeks as she held her cup, she realized that even a cheerful girl like Kita could feel shy.
She found it strangely amusing and held back a smile.
"Hayato-kun, although I don't want to say this, there's a saying 'opening champagne at halftime' if you celebrate too early."
Nijika lectured Hayato seriously like a teacher to a student.
But Hayato seemed completely unfazed.
He spread his hands and shrugged, an arrogant expression on his face.
"We don't have any opponents we're going to lose to, it's just a matter of whether we can perform to our full potential, right?"
Hitori strongly agreed with Ishikawa Hayato's words.
After watching the performances of other bands just now, she felt even more confident.
If most bands were at this level, then they might truly become the strongest bands in this event, gain a lot of popularity, and achieve a complete turnaround from having to pay to perform to being able to earn money from performances.
Hitori even started thinking about how to spend the big money once they earned it.
First, a house. No more renting.
She would buy a house here directly with Hayato, and the two of them would live together.
Then, they would get married when she turned 18!
They could spend every day together, from home to the store, and even during performances.
By then, she could openly hold Hayato's hand and move around together.
And she wouldn't have to work part-time anymore.
She had hope for her future life.
Hehehe~
Hitori's mental fantasy lasted for an unknown period until a sudden sound interrupted her.
"Bocchi-chan, Bocchi-chan... your expression is terrible right now. Are you okay?"
Nijika, diagonally opposite, woke Hitori up. Hitori paused before coming back to her senses, even instinctively touching the corner of her mouth.
Nijika finished speaking and then turned to Ishikawa Hayato beside her, saying,
"Also, Hayato-kun, it's not good for you to keep staring at Bocchi-chan without saying a word."
Hearing this, Hitori was startled. Had Hayato seen her like that just now?
'What to do, what to do?'
"Because it's very amusing," he said.
He said I was amusing! I'm so happy.
Ah, I need to respond.
"Thank you..." Hitori replied softly with a giddy smile.
Nijika glanced at the group.
Hitori's face held a mix of timidity and a giddy, happy smile.
Ryo's eyes were utterly calm, gazing at the chopsticks she was twirling in her hand.
Kita looked at Ishikawa Hayato with disdain.
Ishikawa Hayato, meanwhile, looked happy as if he had seen something amusing.
Seriously, are any of them focusing on the band? They're all thinking about other things after such an important performance.
She sighed and said to Hitori, "Bocchi-chan, you probably didn't hear what I just said, did you?"
Hitori looked up in surprise, then immediately lowered her head and apologized.
"Ah, um... I'm sorry."
Nijika didn't mind at all.
She patiently gave Hitori a rough summary of what they had just discussed.
“We were talking about how important this performance is, so I was thinking—if everyone’s free—we could have another training camp at my place. Bocchi-chan, what do you think?”
When Hitori heard about the training camp, she couldn't help but think about Ishikawa Hayato also joining them when they went to the beach. She asked, “Then… Hayato…”
Nijika quickly raised her hand and crossed her arms, her small face becoming serious.
“No, my house doesn’t have that many rooms, and my older sister would absolutely not let Hayato stay overnight at our place.”
She knew very well that the last time she just let Ishikawa Hayato into her house, her sister quickly installed surveillance cameras and alarms. The defensive measures were so thorough that there was no need to even ask.
However, when Nijika mentioned this, to her surprise, Ishikawa Hayato didn't shamelessly beg to join this time.
Although she didn't know if he was up to something, she was indeed relieved.
Ishikawa Hayato also comforted Hitori at this moment, saying, “You don’t have to worry about me, Bocchi. Just do whatever you think is best.”
Hitori thought for a moment, then quickly nodded and said, “Hmm, I have no problem.”
She actually didn't want to stay overnight at someone else's house, even if it was Nijika's house where she had already stayed over once.
But if it was for the future she had just fantasized about, she didn't mind putting in the effort.
“Then it’s decided.”
Nijika said, then glanced at Ishikawa Hayato, only exhaling in relief when she saw he wasn’t pulling any last-minute tricks.
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