Chapter 197

Nijika had thought Hitori those words in her mind, but when she heard Kita's words, she nodded repeatedly.

"Uh-huh!"

Seeing that both of them were supporting him, Nijika Ishikawa Hayato felt more resentment than dissatisfaction, as it was a form of retaliation for his previous rejection.

He crossed his arms proudly and responded to Nijika.

"How could Heaven possibly punish me?"

Nijika gave a disgusted look with her cat-like eyes.

Ishikawa Hayato really gets carried away with just a little praise.

She felt that even the terrifying downpour outside the station couldn't dampen this person's spirits.

The four seemed completely unconcerned about the heavy rain outside or being stuck at the station, continuing to joke and play as usual.

Kita how happy everyone was, Kita chuckled and took out her phone to check on the situation.

"It looks like this rain is going to last until tonight."

"Well, with this heavy rain, it's too dangerous to walk back. Let's wait here."

Nijika didn't even need to look outside; the loud, continuous sound of raindrops hitting various places was enough to explain everything.

They were essentially left behind at the station.

But they weren't in a hurry, since filming was already finished and they were working at night, so there was nothing urgent to do.

Only Nijika let her sister know she was safe; the others didn't even need to tell their families.

Ishikawa Hayato looked thoughtful upon hearing their conversation.

But he soon noticed that someone seemed to have disappeared.

He turned his head and looked around. Against the wall next to the four people, he saw Liang sitting on the ground, leaning against the corner of the wall.

She closed her eyes, her head slightly tilted against the wall.

He clearly intended to go to sleep right there.

Seeing her like this, Ishikawa Hayato was both amused and exasperated; she adapted way too quickly.

He then remembered something and turned to look at Kita.

A few months ago, he might have heard Kita, "Ryo-senpai is so free, so cool!" while looking at Ryo with sparkling eyes.

And now.

Kita looked at Ryo with a strange expression, as if she didn't know what to do.

This amused him to himself; it seems that even the filter of good looks can shatter one day.

But he didn't say anything, and looked around again.

He noticed that there were many more people waiting in the station when he looked around.

At first glance, most of them appear to be people leaning against the wall, looking at their phones to pass the time, talking on their phones, or looking around anxiously.

He glanced at the three of them again. To avoid blocking the way, they moved to Ryo's side, and Nijika, as if defending Ryo, started talking about all sorts of things Ryo did to be lazy and sleep.

At first, she seemed to want to say a few good words for Ryo, but gradually she couldn't find anything good about Ryo, and under Hitori's trembling gaze, it turned into a trial of Ryo.

Ishikawa Hayato went to check on Ryo again, and sure enough, she had cat ears that seemed to be sticking up on her head, quietly eavesdropping on the trial proceedings.

He sensed that Nijika was about to be subjected to various inexplicable extortion attempts again.

Although the four of them seemed oblivious to their surroundings, he didn't want them to rest in such a place after a long day.

He went to the door and looked outside. It was raining heavily. One or two pedestrians on the street were holding umbrellas, but they still ended up getting soaked.

Next to him, others were looking out just like him, their faces filled with hesitation. Some even impulsively ran outside, only to be drenched again.

In just a few seconds, the living person turned into a drenched chicken.

After the man ran back soaking wet, Ishikawa Hayato took out his phone and checked the ride-hailing app, only to find that there were no taxis available at that time.

But he still booked a ride.

Although he knew that other people probably wouldn't want to pay for the ride and wouldn't let him pay, and might even complain about it, it was still better than being stuck in a tiring place like the station.

He thought about it and decided to give it a try first, and if there was no chance, he would go with plan B.

The three people to his side clearly saw him holding his phone and making those gestures.

Ishikawa Hayato returned and explained his idea to the four of them.

"Everyone's tired, and we're not getting proper rest here, so why don't we..."

They immediately understood Ishikawa Hayato's thoughts. Nijika glanced at the two people beside her, as if informing them or observing their reactions.

But before Ishikawa Hayato finish speaking, she hurriedly refused him.

"It's okay! Don't call a taxi, I'll wait here."

Hitori and Kita realized the situation and hurriedly agreed.

"Okay! Let's wait here."

Taxis in Japan are quite expensive. Although the girls aren't poor, supporting the band's activities and maintaining their own expenses leaves them with little money, even with part-time jobs.

They wouldn't be willing to spend that money.

As for asking Ishikawa Hayato to pay for it, they wouldn't accept it without a specific reason.

Ishikawa Hayato's smile carried a hint of helplessness.

Okay, let's go with plan B.

He rallied his spirits, smiled, and said to the four of them.

"Let's buy some disposable raincoats and go to my and Hitori's house together. Our house isn't far from here, and we have a washing machine and dryer, and a big bathroom. We can all take a shower and relax..."

This time, he wasn't interrupted by the sound, but rather stopped abruptly, embarrassed, as Kita and Nijika's gazes quickly shifted from contemplation to disdain.

After Ishikawa Hayato shut his mouth, Nijika gradually turned into a deep smile and asked.

"Hayato-kun, what does 'everyone' mean?"

As she spent time with Ishikawa Hayato, she gradually became more vigilant about various traps.

Seeing that his linguistic trap had been exposed, Ishikawa Hayato hunched over in grief, clutching his chest and speaking with great difficulty.

"It just means that I'm not included today."

Hearing what Ishikawa Hayato said, Nijika put aside her subconscious wariness of Ishikawa Hayato and began to seriously consider his plan.

She didn't mind causing him trouble to this extent, and it didn't matter whether she rested at the station or at Ishikawa Hayato's house. She also had a slight desire to visit Ishikawa Hayato and Hitori's house.

She glanced outside and saw that it looked like a downpour was about to start, then turned to Kita and Hitori for their opinions.

"What do you think Bocchi-chan and Kita- chan?"

"Our home is indeed very close."

It was rare for Hitori to express his thoughts so quickly, while also showing a hint of anticipation for their arrival.

Kita glanced at Hitori, then back at Ryo, before finally meeting Nijika's gaze.

Both of them had the same expression in their eyes. "With so many people around, Hayato-kun probably won't do anything."

They looked around the station again, which was filled with all sorts of people stranded due to the heavy rain, and finally agreed.

"Then let's go."

Liang, who had seemed to be sleeping the whole time, stood up, yawning and covering his mouth, after the two made their decision.

This surprised Nijika slightly; she thought Liang would complain a bit, after all, she would have to brave such heavy rain and get soaked.

It's amazing that someone as lazy and averse to trouble as Liang would agree to this.

However, thinking about the situation in the team, she gradually became wary again.

But she didn't show it. Seeing that everyone agreed, even in the face of such heavy rain, Nijika smiled and raised her fist.

"Then let's not delay! Let's go!"

Amidst the responses from the other four, the five of them went to a convenience store, bought disposable raincoats, put them on, and braved the heavy rain to rush towards the Ishikawa house.

The five people walked briskly in the heavy rain, getting soaked by the downpour, and could only keep quiet.

Walking together in the heavy rain made them feel like they were walking home from school together on a rainy day, a rare experience for the five of them who were in different schools.

Seeing their friends around them, covered in raincoats but still soaked to the bone, looking disheveled, they felt a strange sense of amusement.

Amidst the boy's suppressed chuckle, the girls also giggled softly in the heavy rain, but then looked at him with reproachful eyes, as if he had led them astray.

155. Open the door

While Ishikawa Hayato carefully protected the wrapped camera and various equipment, keeping an eye on the surroundings, they soon came to a stop in front of an apartment building, as if fleeing a disaster.

Under the eaves of the apartment building, they took a short rest in the pouring rain of the city.

Nijika stood at the outermost edge of the apartment roof, still wearing her raincoat. She picked up the soaking wet raincoat and shook off the rainwater, saying something uncomfortably.

"Wow... even with a raincoat on, I feel completely soaked."

Although they were soaked, they were all wearing dark-colored clothing today, so nothing could be seen through their clothes.

Some of them were so flat that you couldn't even see their curves after their clothes stuck to their bodies.

As Nijika sighed, Nijika, who was behind her, turned around Kita and looked at Ishikawa Hayato, who was hiding behind her and had put his index finger to his lips to silence her.

She glanced into the apartment again. If she remembered correctly, this was the place Ishikawa Hayato had mentioned he and Hitori had stayed at a few days ago.

That day, when Ishikawa Hayato was giving the apartment address, only Nijika was not present, and only Nijika was completely unaware of Ishikawa Hayato's address.

Kita noticed the security camera and card reader at the entrance, then glanced at the closed glass door and the elevator without buttons.

Her gaze turned to Ishikawa Hayato with an extremely strange expression.

Ishikawa Hayato slyly eyed Nijika, who was still gazing into the distance, seemingly just taking a short rest.

He tiptoed confidently toward the card reader, swiped his card with a smile, opened the door, and waved to Kita.

Hitori, who had already taken off his raincoat, lowered his head and gave up on the rescue, silently following Liang, who seemed indifferent to the situation, inside.

Kita that she doesn't listen to Ishikawa Hayato; she knows that Ryo and Hitori are already dating Ishikawa Hayato, and her only partner in the band now is Nijika.

If they don't form an alliance with Nijika and look after each other, both of them will be defeated one by one by Ishikawa Hayato!

She hurriedly went over and pulled Nijika, who was still waiting to continue, and said to her.

"Ijichi-senpai, we've arrived! You're going to be left behind!"

"Huh?!"

Nijika turned around in surprise and looked into the apartment after hearing Kita's words.

She watched as everyone else took off their raincoats and stood clean and refreshed in the apartment, then looked down at herself, looking silly in her raincoat.

Instantly, Nijika's cheeks puffed up with anger.

She called out to Ishikawa Hayato, who was huddled inside with an embarrassed smile.

"Is Hayato-kun not welcoming me?!"

Inside the elevator, Ishikawa Hayato, with a large bag on his head, calmly watched the elevator floor climb higher and higher.

After venting her anger, Nijika belatedly looked at the elevator, whose interior decorations were extremely elegant. She looked around and finally asked Hitori for confirmation.

"Bocchi-chan, is this the right place?"

Hitori nodded, feeling apologetic for having just abandoned Nijika.

"This is the right place..."

Nijika remained silent for a long time, then gave Ishikawa Hayato a strange look before asking Hitori a question.

"Is Bocchi-chan's family also very wealthy?"