Chapter 193

Nijika looked at Hiroi Kikuri sitting in the next seat with a mournful expression; she hadn't invited her.

This was their band's celebration party, and naturally, it was all paid for by the band as a whole.

When Nijika thought about how they worked hard and earned money from selling merchandise to buy alcohol for this drunkard and contribute to his drunkenness, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the money that was being wasted meaninglessly.

"This guy has a very keen sense of smell. It's best not to hold a celebration party according to common sense. It would be better to hide for a few days."

Seika, holding her untouched wine glass, earnestly recounted her experience of avoiding drunkards to Nijika.

"Hey, hey, senpai, don't do this." Hiroi Kikuri's blissful expression, overwhelmed by alcohol, suddenly crumbled.

She quickly highlighted her own value, raising her wine glass as she spoke.

"The more people drink, the better the wine tastes."

"That's true."

Ishikawa Hayato, sitting opposite him, nodded in agreement.

But his act of defecting to the enemy immediately drew a furious glare from Nijika. Her face was stern, and her pupils seemed to be crushed by her displeasure.

Ishikawa Hayato quickly added.

"However, you can only drink 3 pitchers."

"Eh~~!!" Hiroi Kikuri sighed, but didn't seem to care much.

"That's not bad either, you're still the best, young man."

She took another small sip, the light illuminating her flushed face, and said, "How much longer until I can drink again, young man? Drinking with you must be so much fun!"

Ishikawa Hayato had absolutely no interest in anything that could numb him.

"I don't drink."

Amidst Hiroi Kikuri's sigh, Ishikawa Hayato glanced at Nijika.

She sat between PA-san and Seika across from her. After hearing Ishikawa Hayato limit Hiroi Kikuri's alcohol intake, she breathed a sigh of relief, picked up her orange juice, took a sip, and turned her gaze to the other people chatting at the table.

Her smiling expression suggested that the conversation from a while ago hadn't affected her mood at all.

Looking at her, Ishikawa Hayato recalled the latter part of their conversation when they were at the front desk together.

That was when the first band started MCing.

From the front desk of the Starry Night theater, one could hear the lead singer's impassioned words, but his enthusiasm did little to break the eerie atmosphere.

Within this small space, inexplicably, closeness and distance each occupied half the space.

After a moment of silence, Nijika glanced cautiously to the side and apologized for her overreaction.

"Even though I said those things before, Hayato-kun, I'm still very grateful to you."

She paused after speaking, and seeing that he didn't seem inclined to reply, she continued.

"You've helped me so much with the band's affairs that I don't know how I can ever repay you."

As she spoke, she sighed inwardly. If Ishikawa Hayato hadn't been so promiscuous and if no one in the band liked him, she probably would have tried dating him.

After she finished speaking, she vaguely sensed a slight smile from the person next to her, and she quickly glanced at them.

As expected, Ishikawa Hayato smiled very easily.

Nijika knew very well how quickly Ishikawa Hayato would take advantage of her kindness, so she immediately said seriously.

"Don't get too cocky, I really hate you right now."

Ishikawa Hayato didn't dwell on Nijika's previous attitude of saying yes but then suddenly changing her mind.

He was only certain that Nijika had granted him the right to make a move against her, as requested.

"Is that so... I didn't give Nijika much help, I just tried my best to achieve it at the speed I hoped for and the progress Nijika wanted."

Nijika was taken aback.

"The pace I want..."

She was very clear about the progress she had been keeping to herself.

Summer concert, release of demo CDs, winter album release.

But she only said it once.

Nijika took a deep breath to calm herself down.

"I really hate Hayato-kun right now, so trying to please me won't work."

"Yeah..."

She heard Ishikawa Hayato say that beside her, followed by the sound of clothes rubbing together slightly.

Nijika turned her head and saw Ishikawa Hayato standing up and leaning towards her.

He pressed his hands against the two walls on either side of her, forcefully blocking all her escape routes, leaving her only able to shrink back in the chair.

She stared wide-eyed at Ishikawa Hayato, ignoring the noise below, focusing only on his domineering presence and his dialogue.

"But I really like Nijika."

"Whether it's Nijika's strength or weakness, her gentle warmth like the Nijika, her strong planning skills, her slight penny-pincher nature, or her occasional sharp tongue that's quite amusing..."

Nijika felt as if every word he said struck a chord in her heart, and her mood was disturbed again. She gritted her teeth and whispered.

"This isn't the time to say something like that! I'm angry!"

Ishikawa Hayato smiled slightly and obediently moved away.

Nijika pressed her hands on her knees in frustration.

After a long silence, Ishikawa Hayato spoke very calmly.

"Actually, when Nijika said she disliked me but still gave me a chance to date, I breathed a sigh of relief."

"If Nijika is only dating me because of a promise and has no other intentions, I would be a little worried."

"If you don't know why you like someone, and you blindly start a relationship for reasons unrelated to liking them, wouldn't that be a terrible relationship?"

Nijika glanced at him furtively, and seeing that he wasn't looking at her, she breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"She's clearly someone who's juggling multiple relationships..."

She stopped talking as she spoke.

After a while, the band finished their announcements and began playing, and only then did Ishikawa Hayato bring up the important matter.

"Speaking of which, what did Nijika want to talk to me about in private?"

Nijika said in a muffled voice.

"I just want you to pay attention and not get so caught up in random things that you forget about the band."

"A mess of things..."

Ishikawa Hayato covered his face and sighed. This was supposed to be a life-changing event.

"It's all such a mess, yet so many people are actually dating you. Hayato-kun, you must have used some kind of trick!"

Nijika, her anger rising again, raised her voice slightly to question him.

Looking at the petite girl whose imposing manner couldn't hide her guilty conscience, Ishikawa Hayato asked her a question.

"So, what methods did I use on Nijika?"

"This..."

She was speechless. She also knew very well that the others had gradually fallen in love with Ishikawa Hayato through their interactions with him.

She didn't know how Ishikawa Hayato won over the others or how he got them to accept the current situation.

But given that he dares to openly and honestly say he wants to have a harem within such a small circle, and even frankly discuss his relationships, there's no need for him to resort to any tricks.

On the contrary, she was more worried about whether her actions would disrupt the current balance.

"Poor..."

After Nijika finished speaking, she suddenly realized that Ishikawa Hayato had once again steered the conversation back to her. Startled, she quickly changed the subject.

"Speaking of which, everyone's playing skills are getting better and better."

"That means being in a relationship can help improve your skills..."

Before Ishikawa Hayato could finish speaking, he noticed that Nijika was pouting and glaring at him fiercely, so he smiled and quickly waved his hand.

"Just kidding, just kidding."

He stood up with a sigh and said regretfully.

"When Nijika called me over, I thought I could get closer to Nijika, but I didn't expect..."

He lowered his head pitifully.

"Who told you to be a womanizer?"

Nijika smiled triumphantly as she accused them, but she realized her mistake as soon as she laughed.

She should be very angry right now.

She shut her mouth, clenched her fists, trying to regain her anger, and told herself that the man next to her was a scumbag who played with girls' feelings.

But the anger from before seemed to have vanished without a trace.

She could only replace her anger with reason.

"Hayato-kun, move to the corner and stay away from me."

Ishikawa Hayato obediently leaned against the wall.

He's so well-behaved now!

Nijika, who wanted to rouse herself to anger, felt powerless.

But then I heard Ishikawa Hayato say something.

"Well, speaking of the band, we should be getting some buzz right now. We could take advantage of this to make a music video and release it online, along with a message under the video announcing that the CD is finished and going on sale. That should make us a lot of money, maybe even enough to produce an album."

Damn it! We're getting back to serious business now.

It wasn't because Ishikawa Hayato was a womanizer, but because she felt that her anger didn't seem to scare him; instead, he was leading her around. Nijika's anger flared up again.

She let out a heavy sigh; she had finally reached her breaking point and spoke to Ishikawa Hayato, who was deep in thought beside her.

"Hayato-kun, stick your head out and let me hit you down."

"Ah?!"

Ishikawa Hayato was dumbfounded.

Back to the present, PA-san said to Nijika across from him.

"Today's recording was perfect, and it should all be finished the day after tomorrow."

"Really!? Thank you, PA-san!" Nijika said excitedly.

"What... what..."

Hiroi Kikuri curiously joined the conversation.

"Regarding CD production, we plan to produce a simple CD of a few songs for sale first."

Nijika explained.

"Sigh... only starting now..."

While they were chatting animatedly across from each other, Hitori, sitting next to Ishikawa Hayato, was being pulled aside by Kita on her other side to ask what they wanted to order.

Although Hitori stuttered a bit, she honestly told him what she wanted to order and discussed the various snacks on the menu with Kita.

For a moment, the dinner table was bustling with activity, while the area around Ishikawa Hayato and Ryo was eerily quiet.

The two drank beverages and ate snacks while listening to other people's conversations.

Ishikawa Hayato kept an eye on Hitori's side; because of Seika and PA-san's arrival, she gradually became flustered again.