Chapter 167

He said it with a very calming smile.

"Hello, Mr. Ishikawa. I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Jiang Chengyangren, the manager of J-Sketch."

After he introduced himself, all three of them except Kita's eyes lit up, Nijika even whispered a call.

"J-Sketch?!"

"Nice to meet you."

Ishikawa Hayato showed no change in expression. He smiled and accepted the business card, while politely offering his own, waiting for the other party to get to the point.

Seeing Ishikawa Hayato's attitude of asking him to get to the point, Jiang Chengyangren didn't exchange many pleasantries.

"Then I'll get straight to the point. I'd like to invite you and Ms. Gotou Hitori to form a duo and join our company."

While they were talking, music fans on the other side of the venue were struggling to leave and enter.

The venue was already packed, and now people were leaving while others were coming in, quickly turning the small space outside the Shinjuku Folt store into a chaotic mess.

But staff were also working hard to disperse the crowd.

But some people still stopped to talk.

Many of the fans knew each other, one of the departing fans said to the fans who had just arrived at the venue.

"You're too late; you've missed the best show at this music festival."

The newly arrived music fans looked puzzled.

"What? The best show has only just begun?"

The fan smiled without saying a word, then turned and left.

But on the other hand, the band that gave them a fantastic performance is now facing a life-or-death dilemma.

"I noticed before that Ishikawa-san and Gotou- san are a couple, right? Your skills are exceptional even among professional musicians, and it's extremely rare to find someone your age with such a level of talent. Please, both of you, come to our company as a duo."

Jiang Chengyangren's expression and tone were extremely serious, and he didn't mention anything about the compensation, as if to say that if you have this idea, the compensation will definitely not disappoint you.

The girls froze, looking at Ishikawa Hayato.

Faced with the invitation from the leading company, how would he respond? Everyone knew that Bocchi would definitely go with Ishikawa Hayato; if he accepted, Bocchi would certainly follow.

Ishikawa Hayato hesitated for a moment, then turned to Bocchi, who was sitting with his hands on his lap and his body tense, and asked.

"What are Bocchi's thoughts?"

Bocchi's expression panicked for a moment; she was about to reply, "If Falcon goes, I'll go too."

But seeing the scrutinizing look in Ishikawa Hayato's eyes, she knew he didn't want to hear those kinds of words.

Bocchi lowered his head and thought for a moment.

She quickly raised her head, and under the gaze of the other four members of the band and the eyes of the five adults who had not yet left, she spoke slowly and haltingly.

"I want to stay in the band. I'm happier with everyone. I don't want to leave Nijika and the others. Besides... it feels a little scary to suddenly step into a completely unfamiliar world."

She knew that Ishikawa Hayato wanted to hear her thoughts after careful consideration.

She also tried her best to express herself fully.

Ishikawa Hayato chuckled lightly, then turned to Jiang Chengyangren and spread his hands.

That's what she thought.

"Pity."

Jiang Chengyangren showed a slight hint of regret, then walked out very nimbly.

He knew that the boy in his eyes had already made his decision, and further words would be pointless.

After Ishikawa Hayato closed the door, Nijika breathed a long sigh of relief, but when she saw Ishikawa Hayato looking at her with a wicked smile, she immediately became angry.

He could have said "NO" with such certainty, but he deliberately breathed heavily, making her extremely nervous.

However, since there were still outsiders present, she didn't show any dissatisfaction towards Ishikawa Hayato.

She looked at the only outsider in the room.

Sato Aiko relaxed immediately when she saw that the group wasn't being led by the record company.

Although she had considered recommending record companies to them, that wasn't important. For her, the most important thing was...

Seeing that they had finished their business, Sato Aiko walked quickly from the side of the room toward the sofa. As she was about to pass the sofa, the four girls all looked at her with a hint of wariness.

She turned around and walked over to Bocchi, shouting excitedly almost face-to-face with him, to Bocchi's horrified gaze.

"You must be the Guitar Hero teacher!"

Seeing that the girl, who looked even younger than her, didn't go towards Ishikawa Hayato, Bocchi breathed a sigh of relief.

But the next sentence made her freeze.

Are we... are we about to be exposed?!

Bocchi wasn't too nervous, after all, Hayabusa and Nijika already knew her identity.

But she had a very bad feeling about it.

The group, who had been exhausted, weren't so tired after the commotion; they just lazily watched the extremely excited "girl" before them.

Kita that Bocchi was frozen in place, Kita asked to confirm.

What are you talking about...?

The "girl" turned her head in shock when she saw that Kita didn't know.

Suddenly, a hint of anger crossed her face. She pointed at Bocchi with her palm and spoke in a tone as if introducing an important person.

"This Guitar Hero teacher is an extremely skilled high school guitarist with over 1000 friends on LINE! Her boyfriend is the ace of the basketball team, a very popular and famous 'super social butterfly' online!"

Sato Aiko rattled off all of Bocchi's boasts on the internet, like spilling beans.

Although Bocchi changed many of the video descriptions and deleted his self-introduction when Ishikawa Hayato saw her YouTube account, longtime fans like her already remembered it all.

Upon hearing this introduction, the last thing Bocchi thought of before she fainted was...

J-Sketch! I'm going to J-Sketch now!

This band can't stay here anymore, Falcon, take me away!

As soon as she finished speaking, Kita glanced at Bocchi, who was already foaming at the mouth, and affirmed without hesitation.

You've mistaken me for someone else.

Aside from the superb guitar skills and the fact that it features high school students, the rest of the content has absolutely nothing to do with Bocchi.

Sato Aiko was dumbfounded; such a firm and immediate answer?!

But she trusted her ears and her intuition as a die-hard fan.

She looked at Bocchi and said decisively.

"Impossible! That unparalleled playing effect, that relaxed feel from head to toe, that distinctive pink hair, that noble guitar that exudes status—it's definitely Guitar Hero Teacher!"

She was so excited that she was practically drooling.

Seeing that this person was so persistent, Nijika was about to help Bocchi cover up when she noticed that Bocchi, who had just fainted, was now touching the back of his head and showing a silly smile as he was being praised.

She immediately stopped talking, her cat-like eyes flashing.

After all, the truth couldn't be hidden any longer.

Meanwhile, as Kita was about to explain for Bocchi, Ryo tapped Kita's arm with his finger.

"Ikuyo."

Kita was taken aback and looked at Ryo.

Liang was holding a phone, and the thumbnail of a video on the phone showed a person playing a guitar, only half of their body visible.

Kita stared blankly at his phone, blinking for a moment.

It was only half of the body, but the clothes, the guitar, and the posture were exactly like Bocchi's.

She then confirmed it.

"It's Gotou-san..."

"Right! This is what the Guitar Hero teacher looks like in real life, so cute!"

When Sato Aiko heard that the others finally agreed with her, she turned around and started staring intently at Bocchi's expression, which went from ecstatic to horrified in an instant.

Before long, she felt her vision suddenly rise, and her whole body was lifted up.

"Don't pretend I don't exist just because I didn't care. There's a limit to harassment."

Ishikawa Hayato lifted her up with one hand, making eye contact with her.

Sato Aiko glanced at him, then at the floor.

He lifted her up with just one hand, and it seemed so easy.

She calmed down immediately and sincerely apologized.

"I'm... I'm sorry."

Ishikawa Hayato didn't respond, but picked her up and carried her out of the room, placing her outside.

Just as he was about to return to the waiting room, Sato Aiko arrogantly stepped on the floor and pointed at him, yelling.

"Don't think you can monopolize Guitar Hero Teacher! I'll investigate your band's affairs thoroughly..."

Before she could finish speaking, Ishikawa Hayato walked directly up to her, looking at her with a kind expression.

"Please continue."

Sato Aiko looked at the tall figure in front of her with fear. She swallowed hard and said with tears in her eyes.

"Don't hit me with your head like a ball..."

Ishikawa Hayato smiled, reached out and patted her head, then walked back to the waiting room.

139. Mask

When Ishikawa Hayato returned to the waiting room, he was met with a chaotic scene.

Kita sat on one side of the sofa, looking at the past that Bocchi hadn't been able to completely delete from his phone, and hesitantly said to the half-dead Bocchi.

"Gotou-san... what are these...?"

"Lord Bocchi, with so many views, you must have made a lot of money. Please give me the money to keep safe."

Liang then sat down next to Bocchi, smiling and speaking to her in a flattering voice.

Bocchi's once beautiful face was now completely devoid of features, leaving only a black line swirling around it.

If it were someone unfamiliar with the place, they would probably be terrified by Bocchi's appearance, but everyone here is a familiar face, so they don't take it to heart at all.

Nijika, who was supposed to stop all of this, was staring at the floor, seemingly deep in thought and not yet back to her senses.

Seeing this scene, Ishikawa Hayato began to wonder if Bocchi regretted staying here.

But he didn't delve into it further, and instead cleared his throat.

"Cough cough."

Suddenly, everyone's enthusiasm shifted to him.

Kita even walked over to him with his phone to confirm.

"Hayato-kun, you know that Gotou-san is Guitar Hero, right?!"

Liang, who was standing next to her, also noticed and showed her curiosity through her actions.

Ishikawa Hayato nodded and answered.

"Yes, I know."

After they started talking, Ishikawa Hayato realized that they seemed to be overly excited, as if they were trying to hide their true feelings.

"You don't happen to have an account too, do you?" Liang asked tentatively.