Chapter 294

She turned to look at the four people beside her, her golden side ponytail swaying gently in a confident smile.

Nijika is no longer the same as before, blindly forging ahead in band matters, nor does she shrink back in the face of setbacks.

Seeing their expectant expressions, Ishikawa Hayato suddenly opened his arms and hugged all four of them in one go, raising his voice and laughing as he spoke.

"Alright! Let's go back and practice now for tomorrow's performance!"

Okay~

They responded happily.

Tonight, all five of them are at Ishikawa Hayato's house again.

They practiced after returning from school until dinner time, and after resting for a while, they practiced until dark.

During their break, Ishikawa Hayato and Nijika sat on the sofa in the living room reading books; one was reading a high school textbook, and the other was reading a university textbook.

Nijika was originally reading manga, but seeing how seriously Ishikawa Hayato was studying, she couldn't be lazy anymore and started studying diligently too.

However, this kind of guided learning was not effective for Nijika, or rather, the presence of others prevented her from studying seriously in such a relaxed state. She only focused on watching for a while before her gaze involuntarily drifted towards Ishikawa Hayato.

His deep brown eyes were fixed intently on the book, his body and expression slightly tense yet relaxed.

Beneath his seemingly unkempt hair lies a high, straight nose, a sharp jawline, strong facial features, and a somber gaze.

Nijika was so engrossed in watching that she snapped out of it when she noticed the book in his hand and looked away.

Ishikawa Hayato had told her about his plans before; he would skip grades in his senior year of high school and university to speed up his pace, get ahead of the things he would need to do in the future, and get their lives back on track as soon as possible.

Nijika showed no objection to Ishikawa Hayato's bold act; she believed he could do it, after all, it was Ishikawa Hayato.

Even if he fails, with his grades, he'll definitely get into university.

However, if they succeed, they will be classmates in university. If Hayato-kun skips a grade in the same university, she will have to call Ishikawa Hayato- senpai.

Thinking about it that way, she felt a little happy.

As for Ishikawa Hayato's statement about becoming a doctor, one of the highest-paying professions in Japan, Nijika was only slightly proud.

She's not at the age where she only cares about looks and income, and she probably never will be.

However, this little bit of satisfaction gradually accumulated into contentment, making her so happy that she wanted to go to Ishikawa Hayato and act cute, want to be close to him, and even want to put her legs on his legs.

But Nijika could hold back; her main goal at the moment was to keep an eye on Ishikawa Hayato and prevent him from finding out about the surprise they had prepared for him.

Meanwhile, in the rehearsal room.

Earlier, when Ishikawa Hayato left, Ikuyo and Hitori, who had said they would continue practicing, sat behind Ryou, who claimed she would arrange the music, and watched her tune the synthesizer they planned to give to Ishikawa Hayato.

Hitori, Nijika, and Nijika bought this synthesizer together last weekend.

The money for the synthesizer was mainly split among the four of them, and another part Hitori from the income she earned from uploading videos, which her father gave her when she was feeling down at home.

After acquiring the money and deciding to purchase the synthesizer, the three secretly bought it during the two days that Ikuyo claimed she could hold off Ishikawa Hayato and inexplicably made the two disappear.

Looking at the synthesizer, Ikuyo thought of those two days when she looked at the two of them shyly and guiltily, thankfully they didn't notice her.

Since Ishikawa Hayato had placed the original synthesizer in the rehearsal room, it wasn't difficult for Ryo to adjust it after having a reference, since it was just a matter of making the settings similar to that synthesizer.

When they were almost done, Liang suddenly spoke.

"Bocchi, have you decided to do that?"

"Ah..." Hitori uttered a sound, then hesitated.

"It's alright, Hayato-kun will definitely be able to help."

Ikuyo didn't think it was a big deal, but she was prepared for the worst. She said with a smile, "Even if Hayato-kun embarrasses me and gets angry, I'll take the blame with you!"

Liang glanced at Hitori, whose features were about to distort from fright at her words, and calmly retorted.

Are you trying to encourage her?

Ikuyo then realized she had said the wrong thing, and gave a cute little smile with her neck tucked in.

After things calmed down, Hitori gradually calmed down as well.

"Well... let me think about it some more."

"Let's decide as soon as possible. Although it can be sent anytime, different times have different meanings."

Liang said, adjusting the synthesizer.

"This synthesizer was suggested, selected, and purchased by you, Bocchi, but everyone else also has a share in it. So, when you think it's appropriate, boldly submit it along with everyone else's share."

205. End (1)

The school festival is a stage, a stage for self-expression and for sharing youth.

That's true.

When it comes to self-expression, most people don't dare to show their true selves; they only reveal their smiling side.

What is youth? Is it just about being happy and carefree?

Or is it love? It can't be more than that.

The backstage area of Shuhua High School Auditorium was a bit dark; you could only see the path and steps by the bright stage lights.

This dark environment was usually Hitori's favorite place, a place that made her feel safe, but today she felt more uneasy than usual.

The roaring crowd and the excited shouts and cheers of the band on stage made her heart race.

This long-lost panic made her feel like she was back on stage for the first time.

At that time, she didn't know what a stage was, she didn't dare to face the audience, didn't dare to act on stage, didn't dare to show any of herself, was afraid that her true self would be seen, and was afraid that her true self would be denied.

She couldn't even accept the fact that strangers didn't accept her music.

Now, however, she feels that she really made a mountain out of a molehill back then.

Compared to complete strangers, it's so much harder to open up to the person most important to you and take the initiative to do something for them.

The deeper the affection, the greater the fears she felt towards her.

I'm afraid of not being accepted by the other person, afraid of being forced to comfort them, and afraid of creating distance between us.

This fear was amplified upon seeing the countless audience members in the auditorium...

My hands were trembling.

Not only her, but everyone else was a little nervous.

After observing the situation from the backstage edge, Ikuyo leaned against the wall with a sullen expression.

But she quickly adjusted her mood, letting her emotions out, clenching her hands to her chest and shouting as if she were both nervous and happy.

"Wow, there are so many people! I'm starting to get nervous."

"It should be over a thousand by now."

Liang stood on the steps, watching the band's performance on stage and the audience's reaction, his arms crossed and his fingers tapping incessantly.

After peeking at Ikuyo once, Nijika looked away, too afraid to look any further.

"That's a lot indeed..."

As she spoke, she turned to look at Ishikawa Hayato, and at the same time, the other three also looked at him.

They said they weren't nervous, but they were taken aback by the unexpected number and wanted to gain confidence from their leader.

However, Ishikawa Hayato was still looking at the corner, somewhat puzzled by the five guitars and his synthesizer that they had placed in the bag by the corner.

Why did you bring so many guitars? Did you bring even Hitori's original guitar, and Ikuyo's guitar as well?

But after noticing the gaze, he temporarily set aside his doubts and looked back in the direction of the gaze.

Seeing the four people's unease and hope that he would say something, he smiled, walked past Liang and Hitori, and looked down at the audience from the corner of the stage.

The space, which was larger than three basketball courts, was now packed with people. There were definitely at least a thousand people, and judging by the density, it could even be as many as 1,500.

It felt just like a real concert.

It's no wonder the band on stage was playing so hard and getting so excited; it's just a bit of a shame that the audience's reaction didn't seem very enthusiastic.

To be more precise... only a few students in the front row waved glow sticks out of courtesy, while most of the audience in the back just listened quietly.

After understanding the situation, Ishikawa Hayato turned to look at them and saw their curious and inquisitive gazes.

He was very satisfied.

The horribly crowded auditorium, the strange atmosphere, and the band's dejected mood on stage didn't seem to affect them much.

However, even a tiny flame must be extinguished.

Ishikawa Hayato walked back to the stairs with a nonchalant air and said to the four of them.

"I saw quite a few familiar faces; most of the music fans came at the last music festival."

After Ishikawa Hayato spoke, Nijika gradually smiled, but then said with a hint of disbelief.

"You're kidding... How could Hayato-kun possibly tell them apart from so many people?"

The others seemed to have calmed down as well, and looked at Ishikawa Hayato with the same questioning gaze.

"Come and see for yourself."

Ishikawa Hayato returned to the corner of the stage and waved to Nijika. Nijika walked up to him in confusion, followed by Ikuyo and Ryo.

Only Hitori sat quietly, lost in thought, watching Ishikawa Hayato Ishikawa Hayato, who didn't greet her much.

Reaching a corner of the stage, Ishikawa Hayato crouched down slightly and pulled Nijika closer to him.

With the two of them pressed together, he reached out and grabbed her small, soft hand, pointing with his finger towards a spot in the audience.

"You're referring to the person in the red shirt, right?"

"Hmm..." Nijika nodded nervously.

"The people next to you, are you Number One, Number Two, Number Three?"

"Eh..."

As Ishikawa Hayato guessed who Nijika was familiar with, he pointed and said.

"And then there's this guy over here, the one who chatted with us for ages last time when we bought merchandise, you should remember him, right?"

"Huh?"

"And this next lap, does it look familiar?"

Nijika recovered from the tension of the intimate contact, her emotions gradually became excited, but Ishikawa Hayato did not stop, and continued to point and talk.

"Also, those two pink-haired women are Hitori's parents, that's her younger sister, your older sister is in the front row here, and ignore the woman with the burgundy hair next to her. Ikuyo's parents are here..."

Upon hearing this, Ikuyo tugged at Ishikawa Hayato in surprise.

"Are your parents here too?"

Ishikawa Hayato laughed and released Nijika, then pulled Ikuyo over and pointed down below.

"Here."

Ikuyo's expression became strange.

"Why... why? They probably didn't know we had a performance today."

"Hey-hey..."

Ishikawa Hayato laughed, as if he were exploding with laughter.

In an attempt to gain favor with his girlfriend's parents, this man sold information about her performance.

"Hmm..."

Ikuyo puffed out her cheeks.

But he deflated at Ishikawa Hayato's gentle poke, earning her a disgruntled glare.

But Ishikawa Hayato laughed at her angry expression. He then turned to Ryo, who was standing by the wall, and said to her with a smile.

"And... if I'm not mistaken, Liang's former teammates and fans are here too."

Liang seemed completely unsurprised, asking calmly.