Chapter 238

"Isn't there someone here who hasn't passed their makeup exam yet?"

But Liang gave an inexplicably arrogant reply.

"I've already caught up on my high school coursework."

"Real?"

Nijika didn't seem to believe Liang at all. She asked Liang a few questions to test his knowledge.

But to her surprise, Liang was able to answer all the questions correctly.

She turned to look at Ishikawa Hayato in surprise, thinking the two of them had been having a great time over the weekend and had forgotten everything.

Ishikawa Hayato chuckled smugly.

I tutored Liang over the weekend.

Nijika without saying a word. After a while, Ishikawa Hayato also shrank back in embarrassment.

After all, Nijika had just confirmed with him that morning whether he had slept with Liang, and he had honestly answered "yes".

This is the price of honesty.

Kita noticed the awkward atmosphere in the room and steered the conversation forward, speaking with a delighted smile and an admiring tone.

"I have to say, as expected of Hayato-kun- kun, now everyone can find some time to go out and have fun."

Ishikawa Hayato gave Kita thumbs-up, but Kita glanced at him dismissively, his gaze not lingering on him.

Hearing what Kita said, Nijika was stunned for a moment and quickly stopped him.

"Hey! Kita- chan, wait a minute!"

She looked around at the group and said emphatically, "Now that the make-up exam is over, we should get back to practicing and performing. This is a crucial time for the band."

Recently, they've had too much practice time due to the start of school, make-up exams, and some personal matters.

While someone was having a great time over the weekend, Nijika kept checking on the delivery and reviews of the mini-album.

Amidst the numerous positive reviews, she saw many messages expressing anticipation for their performance. They needed a proper debut performance to maintain their popularity; a substitute performance like the one last time wouldn't do.

It would be best to hold more performances, or try to get performance opportunities in other venues to increase the number of fans.

"Eh..."

Only Kita a long sigh, feeling inexplicably dissatisfied.

Ishikawa Hayato noticed Hitori and Ryo's reactions and reminded Nijika.

"Nijika, you haven't forgotten that we made a promise to go out and have fun together after the makeup exam, have you?"

Nijika was startled. Only after Ishikawa Hayato reminded her of the promise made before the start of the school year did she realize her mistake. Feeling guilty, she gave an awkward smile and clasped her hands together in apology to Kita.

"Oh, sorry, sorry, I accidentally forgot."

Because so much has happened since the start of the school year, and her mind is preoccupied with one thing, she really can't remember some of the little things that happened before.

"Oh, yes, it's okay."

Kita paused for a moment before responding, and judging from her expression, she seemed to have forgotten as well.

Even so, Nijika looked at Ishikawa Hayato with renewed worry and said to him.

"But we haven't been practicing much lately, it's about time we did a few live performances..."

Ishikawa Hayato placed his hands on the table, chuckled, and explained to her.

"Going out for fun in the morning or at noon for a day or two, and then practicing in the evening, won't have any impact. Besides, everyone is already tired from studying, so having some fun will make them want to practice even harder, right?"

He then made one last, reassuring gesture to the others.

Hitori: "Hmm..."

Liang: "That's right, it's fine to go somewhere to have some fun."

Kita clenched his fist excitedly and said, "Just like Hayato-kun said, having the idea of going to play later allows me to work even harder now!"

She also seemed quite eager to go out and have fun with the group.

Within this underground space, the long-lost Kita Radiance finally shone forth.

Kita!

Nijika, Hitori, and Ryo, under the intense light, managed to step back slightly, but it seemed they had adjusted to Kita's radiance.

Nijika breathed a sigh of relief. She had been a bit hasty just now, but after Ishikawa Hayato's analysis, she understood the situation.

If it's just a day or two of fun, then there's really no problem. In fact, making a plan to go out and have fun can give everyone a little more motivation to work hard after the make-up exams.

She looked up as she finished thinking, and met Ishikawa Hayato's gaze, which seemed to be asking if this solution was acceptable.

She nodded slightly.

Ishikawa Hayato smiled.

She paused, then looked away.

As Kita began to look at Nijika with suspicion, Ishikawa Hayato said to the four of them.

"Then it's time for practice, and..." He raised his voice slightly and said to Seika, who was sitting at the bar.

"Manager, when are you going to give us a headlining spot so we can be the center of attention for a day's performance?"

"I won't give it to you, you idiot."

Seika, whose favorability towards Ishikawa Hayato remains negative, said without hesitation.

But her words angered Nijika, who turned around and shouted angrily.

"Elder sister!"

Seika paused, but did not speak.

Ishikawa Hayato chuckled inwardly; this arrogant and haughty older sister was probably already mentally arranging their performance opportunities.

He stood up and spoke to the four men.

"Let's go practice for a while."

The four girls agreed, and as they stood up and headed towards the rehearsal room, Ishikawa Hayato, who was lagging behind, said to Seika.

"Then I'll trouble the store manager to suggest a good date."

Seika didn't finish speaking, giving him a cold glance.

Ishikawa Hayato smiled and quickly slipped away. He still wanted to build a good relationship with Nijika's family, but there was no rush; he could take it slowly.

Upon arriving at the rehearsal room, Ishikawa Hayato saw that all four of them had already taken out their instruments and started tuning them. He quickly walked to his usual spot.

Just as he was passing by Hitori, he heard a very subtle, discordant sound coming from the guitar strings as Hitori twisted them.

He stopped and looked at Hitori, who was still completely unaware of what was happening. When she looked over, he smiled without saying anything and walked away.

After all, this isn't something that needs to be rushed.

Once everyone was ready, the group practice began.

And then... it's over.

Nothing much happened during the break, except that Ishikawa Hayato played and sang randomly during the intermission. His impromptu and strange lyrics made the others laugh helplessly. Ryo also brought out a new song, and Hitori also brought out lyrics that he had been writing at home for two whole days.

When they saw the lyrics, they were all taken aback by her changed style.

Liang's assessment was, "Although it's still a bit gloomy, Bocchi, you've changed; it's for the better."

The group practiced for a while longer, and as it drew nearer the start of their work, they began packing up their instruments.

It was only when everyone had started packing up their instruments that Ishikawa Hayato spoke to Hitori.

"Hitori, you've been using your guitar for a long time, haven't you? Have you thought about getting a new one?"

She paused in her Hitori the guitar bag, looked up at Ishikawa Hayato, and hesitated before speaking.

"Well... I don't have any money..."

"Yeah."

Ishikawa Hayato simply responded casually, though he noticed that Hitori didn't really want to change his guitar.

He didn't force her; he slung the keyboard bag over his shoulder, walked over, and said to her.

"Tell me when you want to exchange it, and I'll buy you a new one."

Hitori glanced at Ishikawa Hayato's keyboard case before responding.

"Ah... um."

Only Kita left work today; as a busy socialite, she needed to make up for the lack of presence she had lost in social circles for so long.

Hitori stayed behind to accompany Ishikawa Hayato home. Having passed her makeup exam, she spent the day practicing in the rehearsal room.

She, who usually endures long hours of lonely practice, took a break today and looked at her guitar, which she had borrowed from her father and used for nearly four years, and then glanced at the keyboard stand that Ishikawa Hayato had left in the shop.

She slowly touched the surface of the instrument, hesitated for a moment, and then showed a disappointed expression.

950180909

By evening.

As Ishikawa Hayato put away his cleaning tools, Ryo wiped the countertop and various machines with a dry cloth, and his part-time job for the day came to an end.

For some reason, Seika, who usually goes to deposit money or stays for a while at celebration parties for performances at this time, did not leave today.

But this made things convenient for Ryo and Ishikawa Hayato were working part-time today.

After packing up all his tools, Ishikawa Hayato returned to the performance hall lobby. He passed Ryo, who was dozing off at a table, and walked towards Hoshika, who was looking at the computer with one hand supporting his chin and the other moving the Seika.

He nimbly moved within Seika's attack range and asked with a smile.

"Manager, can we go back now?"

"Go back quickly."

Seika didn't even look at him.

"So indifferent..."

Ishikawa Hayato slumped his shoulders listlessly, then suddenly switched to a cheerful tone. "Then I'm going to find my lovely Nijika-chan."

After he finished speaking, he turned around, swung his arms, and skipped away.

Behind him, Seika stared at him with murderous eyes, while before Ishikawa Hayato even reached the backstage entrance, Nijika had already walked out from backstage.

Ishikawa Hayato, unfazed by the terrifying gaze behind him, smiled and walked towards Nijika.

"Nijika-chan, I haven't hugged you much today, let me hug you."

"Eh..."

Nijika was stunned for a moment. She glanced at her sister and Liang in the room, and her expression turned helpless.

She grabbed Ishikawa Hayato's arms as he tried to hug her and pulled him backstage.

Seika and Ryo both turned their attention to the two people, but after they entered the backstage area, the backstage door was closed, either by Ishikawa Hayato or Nijika.

One of the two people inside looked nervous, even as if asking, "Where's my knife?" The other chuckled as he looked at the closed door.

The backstage corridor was dimly lit, and it was there that Nijika, hands on her hips, lectured Ishikawa Hayato Nijika.

"Hayato-kun! You can't do this to me in front of my sister, can you?"

She clearly didn't want to provoke Seika, and even less did she want to do anything like showing affection in front of Seika.

"Eh... but doesn't my older sister already know we're dating? Ryo should know too, so it's okay, right?"

Ishikawa Hayato objected in a coquettish manner.

Nijika lowered her head and thought for a moment, then raised her head again and said with a serious expression.

"No!"

"So strict..." Ishikawa Hayato smiled, but the smile on his face was extremely cunning.