Chapter 113

"You brat..."

But his voice abruptly stopped midway through. Ishikawa Jinpei swallowed the words he was about to say, suppressed his resentment, and began to speak again.

"Falcon, that's not what you said before."

Ishikawa Hayato looked at Bocchi and saw that she was looking at him and her father with great concern. He then spoke to his father.

"I didn't say you couldn't watch the show, so don't say anything yet."

"Okay, this time we'll fill up the tank with gas, and don't forget the car wash fee."

Hearing his father seemingly speaking to him, but actually subtly reminding Bocchi of how much Ishikawa Hayato had spent on this trip, Ishikawa Hayato couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Although my mom is slow to understand relationships, my dad is just as clueless. No wonder they argued so much that they almost got divorced.

"That, that, that... Falcon..."

Sure enough, Bocchi panicked and quickly pulled her wallet out of her pocket.

It seems she was aware of the outrageous amount these fees would add up to and wanted to pay for it herself to make up for it for Ishikawa Hayato.

Ishikawa Hayato put her wallet back, telling her not to worry about it, and said casually.

"I just happened to be in this area with my dad, and when we were about to go to the store, I was worried that Bocchi might be foolish enough to run to the station to check on things during a typhoon."

He wasn't lying; he simply changed the order, placing the purpose after the action, subtly manipulating the sequence.

That makes sense.

He then changed the subject, rubbing his forehead as if in pain.

"I didn't expect you to actually go in the rain. Your aunt and uncle are really carefree..."

This typhoon is no small one. Ishikawa Hayato doesn't know if his willingness to let his daughter out in such fierce wind and rain can be explained by being open-minded.

That's a lie.

This was the first time Bocchi had completely disbelieved Ishikawa Hayato's words.

That's such a lie, the weather's perfect for something to do...

However, she gradually gained control of her emotions and slowly calmed down from her confusion.

Falcon clearly said this because he didn't want her to feel guilty, and she gradually understood his thoughts.

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

Having put the matter behind her, Bocchi looked down at the seat in front of her, a happy smile on her face, her shoulders slightly hunched, as if trying to better understand this feeling.

As if sensing her feelings, Ishikawa Hayato stopped talking.

In the midst of the raging storm, the enclosed space inside the car reduced the noise from the outside world, turning the terrifying downpour into a distant yet reassuring sound.

Looking at the quiet and composed Bocchi, Ishikawa Hayato couldn't help but think of what had happened a few days ago.

Tuesday, Weather: Cloudy.

Time: 8:05

Stepping out of the station, Ishikawa Hayato was met with the same unchanging gloomy sky, thinking about the upcoming performance and his confident words from yesterday.

He felt uneasy, as if he was about to be proven wrong.

But considering how many tickets they sold on the day of the street performance, plus their own relatives and friends, even if the weather was bad, more people would still come.

He tried to comfort himself.

As he exited the station, he paused, but the crowd behind him continued to pass by him at a steady pace.

Previously, he would walk with passersby, following the route he had taken for months, to reach the school.

But now.

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

Come to think of it, she is much more cheerful now, but it's still impossible for her to wait for someone in a crowded place like the station entrance.

Ishikawa Hayato activates the Bocchi.

Ding! The radar reacted immediately.

Following the radar's directions, he walked to one side along the roadside trees.

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

Seeing this scene reminded him of the first time he met Bocchi, when she was also hiding under a tree.

Ishikawa Hayato couldn't help but ponder.

Has Bocchi truly matured?

But without thinking too much about it, he quietly approached and deliberately called out in a teasing tone.

"Oh no, I can't find my lovely Bocchi! Has anyone seen her? She has long pink hair and is wearing a pink tracksuit. I've been looking for her for ages."

As soon as Ishikawa Hayato spoke, he saw that the long pink hair, which had been hanging limply, seemed to stand up straight with spirit.

Bocchi quickly peeked out from behind the tree, her eyes sparkling with cuteness, and looked at Ishikawa Hayato with delight.

She quickly stood up, but then suddenly hesitated and said timidly.

"Falcon...yes..."

She suddenly stopped mid-sentence, thought for a moment, and started speaking again.

"Good morning, Falcon."

Clearly, she originally intended to apologize for hiding in this place instead of meeting at the station entrance.

However, seeing that she had taken back her words, Ishikawa Hayato smiled with satisfaction.

"Good morning."

He's still just as timid as before, but Bocchi has started to change.

Now I'm gradually less nervous when I make mistakes in front of him.

Ishikawa Hayato believes that for someone as weak-willed as Bocchi, the first thing to do is to make her feel that she doesn't owe anyone anything and doesn't feel that she is weaker than the other person.

Only by placing oneself on an equal footing can one express one's emotions normally.

She will continue to grow.

The rain falling from the sky pattered against the car roof, and the windshield was fogged up by water vapor and ripples.

Under these circumstances, for safety reasons, Ishikawa Jinpei drove slowly, and it took him a long time to reach Shimokitazawa.

The car stopped at the entrance of the alley. He looked back at the two people preparing to go inside in the heavy rain, then glanced out the window and said...

"You two be careful, I'm not going. The rain is too heavy, I'm going to hide in the parking lot and play on my phone."

In this kind of rain, he'd probably be soaked to the bone by the time he parked his car and came back from the parking lot.

Ishikawa Hayato thought for a moment and decided not to force his father.

He had originally planned to take Bocchi into the store and then pick up his father.

"Okay, I'll make a copy of the image for you later."

"At least he has a conscience." Ishikawa Jinpei smiled.

After getting off the car, Ishikawa Hayato and Bocchi put on their raincoats and hurried toward STARRY.

98. Scene

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

Ishikawa Hayato entered the store and walked down the stairs again, but as soon as he turned the corner, he felt a heavy, oppressive atmosphere hit him.

The already gloomy atmosphere in the store was now filled with a constantly swirling, black, resentful aura.

Ishikawa Hayato gazed at the source of this eternal, unyielding resentment, a sight that would chill even exorcists to the bone. On the bar, Seika lay on her arm, her forehead pressed against it, as if she had given up in despair.

He glanced at the corner, where Nijika, sitting at the table, seemed less resentful.

She just stared blankly at the table.

Finally, Ishikawa Hayato looked back.

Behind him, Bocchi watched the scene, a look of worry and fear immediately appearing on his face, showing his deep concern.

But when she met Ishikawa Hayato's eyes, her nervousness quickly subsided, and she smiled slightly.

Ishikawa Hayato returned the smile, gave a thumbs-up with an invincible sunny look, then used both hands to support himself on the side railings, flipped over and landed in the arena with a front flip.

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

"Let's ignite this moment!!"

Hearing the noise, Nijika looked up and exclaimed in surprise when she saw Ishikawa Hayato's expression.

"Hayato-kun."

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

"Bocchi-chan, you're here!"

"Hmm, are we the first ones?"

Ishikawa Hayato looked around but couldn't see Ryo and Kita.

Nijika's expression remained unchanged as she walked over, smiling and complaining.

"No, it's the latest. Ryohan is resting in the preparation room, and Kita- chan is changing clothes."

Looking at her expression, Ishikawa Hayato felt a little uncomfortable with its affectedness, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he thoughtfully stroked his chin and said...

"To rest and change clothes?"

"Hayato-kun, stop having these strange thoughts in your head."

Nijika promptly retorted.

She's starting to follow Ishikawa Hayato's train of thought.

At this moment, Ms. Lai Qu Zi Ru, who was a few steps behind after her name was mentioned, came out from the room next door.

She had changed into a band T-shirt; the black T-shirt paired with a white skirt made her stand out.

Ishikawa Hayato didn't understand anything about makeup, but he still noticed that Kita's rosy lips were now glistening.

However, compared to her seemingly meticulous makeup, the hem of her white dress still bore faint traces of rainwater.

It seems they just used a hairdryer for a short while and then rushed out.

When Kita saw that Ishikawa Hayato and Bocchi had also arrived, she was happy but also embarrassed. She looked at the two of them and put her phone in her skirt pocket, saying awkwardly.

"What should we do... this rain doesn't look like it's going to stop."

They practiced for so long and put in so much effort, all for today's performance.

She felt resentful that her life was suddenly disrupted by the typhoon.

Nijika hesitated for a moment, then prepared to comfort her.

Ishikawa Hayato spoke first, clenching his fist and exuding confidence.

"Of course we'll go in like this!"

He looked around at the three men and asked them a question filled with fervor.

"Isn't it especially exciting to perform live during a typhoon? It gives you that 'the world is my enemy!' feeling?"

Kita looked at him helplessly, wondering if he had even grasped the situation, and was about to retort when...

She suddenly felt a sense of familiarity at that moment.

She suddenly recalled the scene when she had tricked him into returning to the band, and looking at Ishikawa Hayato's passionate expression, she felt that he was setting a trap for her again.

Although she was worried that she might be tricked again, she chose to trust Ishikawa Hayato's arrangements and kept quiet.