Chapter 154

On this sweltering day, the cool blanket made me shiver with disgust.

She stared intently at Ishikawa Hayato.

He quickly dropped his disgusted expression and gave a sheepish smile.

"There's no rule that can only mock me and that I can't fight back, is there?"

Liang thought for a moment, then suddenly revealed a sly smile.

"Speaking of which, aren't you supposed to keep your promises? Ikuyo told you not to talk about it, but you still told me about your relationship with her."

"She didn't agree to it."

Seeing that he was once again at a disadvantage in the offensive and defensive battle, and feeling disgusted by the situation, Liang let out another long sigh.

She wondered if this guy thought he could take advantage of her just because they were dating, so she took out her phone and started typing.

Ishikawa Hayato peeked over to look, but she pushed him away with her hand; her soft palm felt very comfortable.

After she finished typing, she picked up her phone and showed it to him.

"The afternoon's itinerary is as follows."

Ishikawa Hayato glanced at her phone and saw that from 1 PM to 3 PM, she was at a CD store, which was normal; at 4 PM, she was going to Nanjuen...

Upon seeing the last shop that could really drain his wallet, Ishikawa Hayato cautiously called out.

"Sister Ryo...?"

She stared at him expressionlessly. "You don't have any money, do you?"

Ishikawa Hayato couldn't guess how Ryo would react if he said he had no money. Ryo was easy to talk to, but if he stepped on her landmines, her explosion would be much more powerful.

But after watching her for a while, he noticed that she showed no signs of impatience whatsoever.

He immediately made a judgment.

He fell silent, looking like he was about to cry.

"Okay, then the outstanding number of times is cleared."

He knew it wouldn't matter if he didn't invite her, and she wouldn't mind. He simply felt that since meeting Liang would be such a happy occasion, inviting her once wouldn't hurt.

Moreover, I've been making mistakes all along; it's time to punish myself.

Liang glanced at him, completely disbelieving his feigned pitiful expression, and moved closer to him.

"Let me see your wallet."

"No."

Ishikawa Hayato refused outright.

But Liang's words made his denial less firm.

Suddenly, a faint smile appeared on her face. She tilted her head slightly to look at him, her mouth slightly open.

"This is my girlfriend's request."

Her deep, languid voice instantly stirred Ishikawa Hayato's heart.

It has to be admitted that Liang's move was very effective. She, who usually rarely showed any expression, suddenly broke into a cute smile, calling herself his girlfriend while looking at him coquettishly.

The stark contrast to his usual demeanor and the overwhelming, unexpected feeling of attraction were so intense that even Ishikawa Hayato was stunned.

He stared blankly at Liang.

She stood in the shadow of the house, in front of him, holding his hand, with a sweet smile that he had never seen before.

The sunlight from the sky made her eyes sparkle, but it also revealed some of her inner thoughts.

To tease, to joke, to test.

Looking at the beautiful yet slightly handsome young woman in front of him, Ishikawa Hayato felt so close that he could pull her into his arms without even having to reach out.

That's outrageous!

Not only does he have a good personality, but he's also usually expressionless, yet he's deliberately acting cute right now—it's so shameless!

But Ishikawa Hayato ultimately protected his wallet, suppressing his wavering emotions, and teased him in return.

"Only my wife can look at my wallet, or should I ask my husband to listen?"

Liang quickly stopped smiling and quietly looked at him.

Just when Ishikawa Hayato thought she was going to give up and was about to change the subject, he found that she was staring at him for far too long, so long that he wondered if she was mentally preparing herself.

His heart began to race.

It wasn't until a little while later that Liang spoke.

"It's so hot, I'm going to the CD store."

After saying that, she turned and left.

Ishikawa Hayato let out a long sigh of relief.

The time spent with Liang was uneventful, but very peaceful and comfortable.

The two mostly listened to various kinds of music on their own, only occasionally exchanging ideas about the instrumental arrangements in the pieces and their thoughts on new songs.

I browsed some secondhand shops, ate barbecue at Nanjuen, and my next step is to go work at Fanxing.

Ishikawa Hayato paid at the counter, while Ryo stood by the shop door waiting for him.

The number of pedestrians outside was gradually increasing. Although the sun was still strong at four o'clock, it could no longer deter tourists who wanted to come out and have fun.

After paying, Ishikawa Hayato walked over to Ryo's side, looked at the pale world outside bathed in sunlight, and asked...

"Shall we go to the stars?"

No, thank you.

Ryo pushed open the door and went out, leaving Ishikawa Hayato with a head full of question marks, but he quickly followed after him.

As they reached the end of the street, at the fork in the road, Liang suddenly stopped and left behind words of farewell.

"Then, that's settled."

After she finished speaking, she did not turn around and leave immediately, but paused in place for a moment.

Ishikawa Hayato understood her thoughts when he saw the fork in the road; she didn't want to directly explain their relationship in front of the other three.

And by stopping at this point, she wanted to hear if there was anything she hadn't finished saying during this sudden and brief date.

"Cold."

When Ishikawa Hayato spoke, Ryoya, as if he had been prepared, slowly uttered a sound.

"Um."

He spoke to the girl who was waiting for him quietly, with a mixture of apology and pleasure.

"You're the first person who's willing to date other people, even if it means I'll date other people."

Did I say that?

"Coolness" refers to the first half of Ishikawa Hayato's statement.

"Eh..."

Ishikawa Hayato was dumbfounded.

"It's the other members of the band, and no more are allowed."

Seeing his stunned expression, Liang smiled gently and corrected him, her expression one of genuine relief.

Ishikawa Hayato breathed a sigh of relief, but then his face lit up with joy as he took out the book he had bought separately and handed it to Ryo.

"I just saw the Sekitan Band's debut interview that Liang found on his first visit to the secondhand bookstore. I didn't expect it to still be available."

Liang took the book, flipped through it, and quickly said...

"Not the same book."

Ishikawa Hayato was surprised; he didn't know how she recognized him.

But after Liang finished speaking, he looked up at him and said, "It's different now."

He smiled. Things were different now; their relationship was beginning to change.

"Can I tell everyone that the incomparably beautiful Sister Ryo is my girlfriend?"

"You can only say that when you start dating them."

Having finished speaking, she turned and walked in another direction at a slower pace than usual.

Ishikawa Hayato watched her retreating figure, but she neither turned around nor stopped. Her back view gave the impression that she had suppressed all her emotions and kept them hidden in her heart.

All that remains is a striking silhouette and a strong sense of individuality that passersby might notice.

Time quickly passed to the next day.

On the clanging tram, Nijika grumbled angrily to the only member who hadn't arrived.

"Seriously, he was late for work yesterday, and he overslept at rehearsal today. That guy is such a worry!"

"That's just how Ryo-senpai is."

Hearing the words beside her, Nijika turned her head and sighed when she saw Kita looking completely unconcerned.

She hadn't expected Kita to be able to endure the cold to this extent.

But judging from her happy appearance, it seems that it's not just because of the cool weather, but also because she's going to a bigger stage.

However, Nijika felt that the person next to Kita definitely didn't think so.

On the other side of Kita, Bocchi's eyes had darkened. She placed her hands on her knees, trembling uncontrollably, her gaze fixed on the ground.

He was still muttering something to himself.

Nijika glanced at the person in their group who was furthest away from her.

Seeing that he was sitting next to Bocchi but didn't comfort her, Nijika couldn't help but take out her phone and send a LINE message.

Why don't you try to comfort Bocchi-chan?!

Nijika herself didn't know why she didn't just speak directly, but instead used LINE to communicate with Ishikawa Hayato.

Soon after, Ishikawa Hayato replied to her via Line.

"She's calmed down now, but she'll still be nervous later. We need to save our ultimate move for a crucial moment."

Nijika away her phone and sighed.

This guy is always acting unserious, but he's incredibly cunning.

However, the thought that there was someone in the band who could be reliable at least once or twice made her feel much more at ease.

Putting aside the unease of their previous performance failure, she waited for the train to take them to Shinjuku.

130. Noisy

Shinjuku was a familiar place to the group of people who had grown up in Tokyo, except for Bocchi.

But this time, after getting off the tram, they immediately felt that this place gave them a different feeling.

Looking around, I noticed quite a few people carrying musical instruments, walking in twos and threes.

Kita awkwardly tugged at his guitar bag and said to the three of them, looking slightly nervous.

"It seems like there are more bands performing here."

"Ah, um."