Chapter 221

At this moment, Liang spoke up, urging him coldly.

"Let's get down to business."

Kita and Nijika, who are quite perceptive of the atmosphere and other people's feelings, were taken aback by her sudden words.

If Ryo had only said this to Nijika definitely wouldn't have cared, but Ryo's deep tone Kita.

Coupled with Liang's strange reaction just now, she asked with a mixture of anger and worry.

"Liang, what's wrong?"

But Liang didn't respond, and just sat quietly by herself.

Kita looked at Ryo's current state and thought for a moment.

No, actually, there was no need to think at all. As a girl in love herself, she quickly noticed Ryo's gaze and the reason why he looked at Ishikawa Hayato after seeing Hitori.

Having faced and avoided her inner feelings all morning, she breathed a sigh of relief and put aside her heavy thoughts.

She dissuaded Nijika.

"Ijichi-senpai, Ijichi-senpai."

When Nijika isn't impulsive, she prioritizes observing the reactions and expressions of those around her before speaking, and she noticed Kita 'Kita shift in gaze just now.

Hearing the slight change in Kita's tone, she gradually understood.

She sighed, glanced at Ishikawa Hayato, and smiled.

"Let's talk about the CD packaging."

"Um."

The four responded in unison, then quickly sat down to prepare for the discussion.

Sensing that something was off about the atmosphere, Seika turned around and glanced at the group.

But at this moment.

Ishikawa Hayato, of course, wouldn't sit idly by and watch the girls worry about their own thoughts.

He smiled, resting his hand on the table and his cheek against it, speaking to Seika as if it were a trivial matter.

"Let's begin the Ishikawa family's internal discussion."

His attitude was so calm that none of the four of them reacted at first, and they responded blankly for a moment.

"Hmm... huh?!"

But the next moment, they were all startled by his overly bold and direct approach, Nijika jumped up.

She glanced quickly at her older sister sitting behind her and hastily denied Ishikawa Hayato's words.

"This isn't some internal meeting of the Ishikawa family, is it?"

Kita Nijika, who had originally intended to deny it, shut up after speaking, though she herself didn't notice that her expression seemed much more relaxed.

Ishikawa Hayato didn't insist, but simply smiled and brushed it off.

Nijika finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking at Ishikawa Hayato's sly smile, Nijika glanced at the others who seemed much more relaxed, and couldn't help but admire him while feeling sorry for herself, the one he had his eye on.

Seika seemed to sense something and scanned the five people for a while.

But they didn't pay attention to her, and even subtly started a conversation behind her back.

Just as Nijika started to get down to business, she suddenly remembered something. Feeling guilty, she put her fingers together, her index finger touching her lips, and said with a slightly apologetic and ingratiating smile.

Actually... what I wanted to talk about today is...

She shrank back shyly and asked the four of them for help.

"Could anyone come and help pack these CDs after school on Friday?"

Kita was puzzled; she wondered if she had missed something.

"Package?"

Hitori glanced at Ishikawa Hayato and responded hesitantly.

"Can..."

But seeing Nijika's evasive gaze and ambiguous expression, Ishikawa Hayato roughly understood what was going on.

He sighed and called her name solemnly.

"Nijika."

"Yes!"

Even though she was being addressed by a boy younger than herself, Nijika still sat up straight nervously and looked at him with a stiff expression.

"You haven't already bought the packing materials, have you?"

Ishikawa Hayato spoke to her in what seemed like a questioning tone, but he looked at her with a confident expression.

"Um..."

Nijika glanced at him shyly, lowered her head, and pointed her fingers weakly as she spoke.

"Because I saw that the packaging for the custom-made CDs was very cheap... and if it were any later, it wouldn't be ready for release... so..."

Hearing Nijika's presumptuous decision, Ishikawa Hayato wasn't angry at all; instead, he smiled brightly.

"Hmph, then Nijika owes me a photo of herself sitting upright on a drawing board."

Nijika was taken aback, but quickly realized what was going on and hurriedly called out.

"Wait, I don't owe Hayato-kun anything!"

Ishikawa Hayato gave a sly smile.

"I was just saying that my share should be repaid in this way."

The other three turned to look at the two of them, each saying something they didn't quite understand, making them feel left behind.

Kita cried out urgently.

"You two shouldn't get too caught up in your own little world; explain yourselves first!"

Nijika was suddenly startled, realizing that she had actually spoken to Ishikawa Hayato like this in front of other people. The anxious yet slightly amused expression on her face quickly disappeared.

While Nijika was adjusting her mood, Ishikawa Hayato, whose mood didn't need any change at all, turned to the three of them.

"Let me ask everyone first, do you think it's too plain and cheap to give away our CDs without any packaging?"

Having overheard the gist of Ishikawa Hayato and Nijika's conversation, Kita and Hitori thought for a moment and gradually nodded in understanding.

Kita stroked his chin and said, "Indeed... packaging is a very important part too."

Hitori agreed as well.

"Yeah, the other band CDs I bought online before had nice packaging, and they even came with posters, stickers, and other freebies."

"That's going too far," Ishikawa Hayato said, glancing at Ryo who hadn't spoken. Seeing that she seemed to have known all along, he continued.

"So Nijika and I discussed getting the CDs packaged, and I agreed, and that's how it ended up like this."

Nijika understood the support in Ishikawa Hayato's words and gave him a grateful look.

After understanding the situation, Kita smiled and said...

"No problem, I'll make time for Friday."

Ichiri nodded, indicating that there was absolutely no need to make a special effort to set aside time for Hitori.

Seeing that the others forgave her without saying a word, Nijika said with emotion.

"Thank you, everyone."

"Let's get back to the topic of the handwriting tablet photos."

Before Nijika's touched expression had faded, she looked at Ishikawa Hayato in astonishment.

He smiled mischievously, looking at Nijika's stunned expression, and asked.

"Do we need a vote to agree?"

Nijika, with mixed emotions, puffed up her cheeks in anger.

In the evening, it was Hitori and Kita's turn to work, with Nijika helping out and assisting from the sidelines.

There Nijika only four people working in shifts besides Nijika, who helps out at the store almost every day.

Ishikawa Hayato, who usually wouldn't stay at the store unless it was his shift, was there today as well.

With Nijika, and Seika Kita an eye on things at the shop, Hitori's safety wasn't a concern. He was just worried about whether Hitori could still work normally as usual.

Kita and Nijika both looked at him with disdain at his stay, knowing who he was staying for, but Hitori was very happy.

Ryo didn't leave today either; she sat next to Ishikawa Hayato and dozed off on the table.

Seeing that she wasn't lying there because she was in a bad mood, Ishikawa Hayato didn't disturb her. He browsed information about various musical instruments on his phone.

The two, who didn't need to work today, sat quietly amidst the increasingly noisy starry sky, doing their own things.

When it was time for the band to take the stage, Liang sat up straight, rubbed his tired eyes, and stood up.

She spoke to Ishikawa Hayato, whose gaze had shifted to her.

"Take me back."

"Um."

Ishikawa Hayato naturally wouldn't show favoritism, and after seeing that Hitori was still able to work normally, he had nothing to worry about.

Ryo walked straight to the door, while Ishikawa Hayato went to the bar.

Hitori seemed to realize that he was leaving and looked at him with some reluctance.

Seeing her like this, Ishikawa Hayato comforted her.

I'll come pick you up tonight if I'm free.

"Um!"

Then, he jogged to the door and saw Liang waiting for him at the top of the steps. He walked up briskly.

In the darkness, Ishikawa Hayato approached her, patted her shoulder with a smile, and asked.

"Liang, which home are you going back to?"

"New home."

Liang said, taking a step forward.

174. The commotion before the school festival (3)

The new corresponds to the old, and adding "new" to something that has just been acquired signifies recognition and acceptance.

Upon hearing this word from Ryo, Ishikawa Hayato couldn't help but smile.

He strode over to Liang, took her hand, and walked with her home, smiling as he spoke to her.

"Sister Ryo hasn't been to the new house for several days. I thought you'd forgotten about it."

He really acted like Liang's younger brother, clinging to her and talking to her.

In the darkness of night, passersby couldn't help but feel that the two were a combination of an energetic younger brother and a cool older sister.

Ryo, who appeared quite aloof, followed Ishikawa Hayato as he took her hand.

Her face betrayed no emotion; she simply stated her thoughts concisely.

I wasn't feeling well those two days.

Indeed, even today, Ishikawa Hayato could feel that his hands were colder than usual.

He thought for a moment and asked.

"So drinking warm beverages a few days ago was..."