Chapter 295

Where?

When Ishikawa Hayato came over to point it out to her, Ryo bumped into him while carrying the ball, glanced casually in the direction Ishikawa Hayato was pointing, and then looked away, her eyes, curved under her beauty mark, staring straight at Ishikawa Hayato.

It seems her former teammates couldn't even hold her attention for half a second, and the surprise attack here is just too exciting.

After flirting with Ryo for a bit, Ishikawa Hayato turned to look at Hitori. Only Ichiri was still sitting in the chair backstage, but her gaze had somehow shifted to the corner of the wall, seemingly to the guitar that Ryo had borrowed from Ikuyo.

That expression didn't suggest that he had stopped casually.

He walked down, back to the backstage area.

Behind him, the three noticed that as he walked toward Hitori, they all pretended to look outside. Unlike Ishikawa Hayato, they knew what Hitori was struggling with.

They had tried to comfort Hitori privately many times since last night, but to no avail, so they could only wait and see what Ishikawa Hayato would do.

"Hitori, what's wrong?"

Ishikawa Hayato sat down next to her and asked her directly.

His abrupt question brought Hitori back to reality instantly, and she nervously began to speak.

"Ah..."

Hitori sighed, feeling a pang of unease. Had she really changed?

But after thinking it over, she began to organize her thoughts.

"I... Falcon, if I... do something wrong... you will... ah... no."

Ishikawa Hayato watched as Hitori frantically shook his head, looking distressed at his own clumsy words. He then glanced at the guitar case he had initially thought Ryo had lent to Ikuyo.

With his exceptional memory, he roughly understood the situation and comforted her by pulling her into his arms.

"Hitori 're going to do it with this right idea in mind, I won't blame you no matter what. Be confident and go for it."

Actually, just hearing Hitori try to express his vague thoughts was already a great comfort to Ishikawa Hayato.

In Hitori past, if things were chaotic, he would either enter a strange state and become withdrawn, or he would stop saying anything.

Nestled in Ishikawa Hayato's broad chest, Hitori instantly felt healed.

Although they often hugged, this hug felt especially precious to her in this uneasy situation.

It reminded her of their first embrace in front of the train station.

After a short while, the two separated, but Hitori stepped back a little and reluctantly reached out to grab Ishikawa Hayato, but his hand stopped.

Ishikawa Hayato affectionately patted her head.

Hitori lowered her head slightly, making it easier for him to stroke her.

She smiled slightly at the ground as she spoke.

"Falcon, I want to be someone you can rely on."

Ishikawa Hayato paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Looks like I'll have to work harder then, I'm pretty strong."

After the matter was resolved, the others exchanged glances, exchanged a few words, and pretended to know nothing as they continued on their way.

Just as they reached the backstage area, intending to say something to the two men, they heard the lead singer of the band on stage regretfully stop performing.

Their performance, unable to engage the audience or provide a truly satisfying experience, came to an end.

At the same time, members of the school festival's organizing committee came from behind to give the announcement.

"The Kessoku Band, it'll be your turn soon."

"Good."

After the others responded, Ishikawa Hayato watched the executive committee member's figure disappear around the corner before turning back to the four of them with a smile.

"Let's all form a circle."

Nijika looked at him and immediately thought of the action she had wanted to do before, so she walked over and asked expectantly.

"Do you mean to fold your hands together and then raise them while saying 'Oh'?"

As she spoke, the five people had already stood together, forming a small circle.

"Not bad, Night Raid, Group 69.49'36135, let's do it." Ikuyo said happily.

But Ishikawa Hayato shook his head, denying it.

Unfortunately, no.

While the four girls were wondering what was going on, he stepped forward, opened his arms, and caught them off guard, embracing them tightly in his arms.

Ikuyo and Ishikawa Hayato Nijika, leaned on Ishikawa Hayato's shoulder, while Hitori and Ryo's shoulders were pressed inward by him.

Even though they were both petite and Ishikawa Hayato was quite large, to be honest, it was a bit of a stretch for them to hug like that. However, after they realized what was happening, they cooperated and leaned towards him.

With subtle differences, but all four sweet and soft girls nestled in his arms, Ishikawa Hayato said with a light breath.

"Luckily, my arms are long enough, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to hold him."

"I see..."

Nijika pressed her face against Ishikawa Hayato's chest, but sighed in disgust.

Liang looked down.

"It really isn't beyond your reach."

"It's time to go on stage..."

Ikuyo, who was making a similar gesture to Nijika, grumbled softly.

Hitori smiled slightly.

Although it was a bit crowded and hot, none of them tried to break free.

Ishikawa Hayato knew that the others would continue to cling to him like this for as long as possible, but he wasn't just doing it to satisfy his own desires.

"Let's have a pre-battle mobilization meeting like this!"

The four of them quieted down and listened to what Ishikawa Hayato had to say.

"As you all know, so many of you have come here today for us. But don't be nervous or worried. Just relax and play the piece as you normally would, and we'll succeed."

As Ishikawa Hayato spoke, his gaze swept over the four of them, lingering on Hitori for an extra half a second.

"It would be even better if you were more relaxed and free. Enjoy playing!"

"Um."

Behind the curtain, the five people were each tuning their instruments.

The four, who never slacked off in their practice, quickly tuned their instruments. Only Nijika, whose task involved tightening the drumheads and adjusting the cymbals, was a little slower.

Ishikawa Hayato, who finished adjusting the setup fastest backstage, glanced at the three people in front of him.

Ryo and Ikuyo both carried the musical instruments he had given them, but Hitori still carried her original guitar.

Did you take the wrong one?

Was it intentional?

Ishikawa Hayato knew that Hitori's guitar could break down at any time, but after thinking it over, he entrusted everything to Hitori.

This is not only about trusting her, but also about trusting that they can help her if problems arise in Hitori.

"Next up is 'The Kessoku Band'."

Upon hearing the announcement, the five people who were already prepared exchanged glances and smiled easily.

The next moment, the stage lights came on.

The bright lights made Hitori look up; the light was so dazzling it almost made him dizzy.

She looked straight ahead again, and the number of people in her line of sight increased as the curtain rose, to an unbelievable degree.

As they looked down at the audience, the audience was also looking at them.

Once the five figures became clear, someone shouted.

"Kessoku Band!"

With the leader shouting frantically, the entire quiet place began to come alive.

"Come on!"

"I've been waiting for so long!"

Let's put on a fantastic show!

The overwhelming force of thousands of people swept onto the stage.

206. End (2)

People standing on the stage cannot hear the conversations of the audience below.

But backstage, Ikuyo's parents could hear people around them talking about the Kessoku Band's new song from the moment they entered, and expressing how great it was to perform in such a large venue, without having to worry about not being able to buy tickets, etc.

It felt like everyone around me was a fan of the Kessoku Band.

Even so, they didn't feel that so many people came specifically to see their daughter's band perform.

They just thought they happened to run into a fan group that came together, and they were also surprised by how popular the school was, wondering how the school festival could attract so many people.

Until the stage curtain was drawn, the figures of the five people appeared before them in the light.

"Kessoku Band!"

The roar that erupted after one person shouted out so eagerly startled them.

It was as if everyone in the entire auditorium was calling out their band's name, their shouts echoing in anticipation of their music.

The stark contrast made them wonder if the quiet scene they had just witnessed was an illusion.

The sound startled Ikuyo on stage, but she quickly put on a bright, sunny smile and said...

"Thank you so much for coming to our school festival. We didn't expect so many people to come and watch our performance..."

From below the stage, someone shouted, as if to express that they had come specifically to see the five-person performance.

"We've been waiting for you to come on stage for a long time!"

Hearing this expectant voice, Ikuyo smiled slightly, her gaze sweeping across the crowd, but noticing her parents who had also arrived, she nodded slightly.

Before the curtain rose, she didn't really know how to face her parents who came to see her perform.

It's not just because she's surrounded by her boyfriend's other girlfriends, but also because she doesn't know how to present her usual self to her parents.

But when she saw her parents standing in the crowd, she felt a sudden sense of relief.

He revealed his usual cheerful expression, raised his fist, and happily cheered along with the atmosphere.

"Then let's get started right away!"

Hearing Ikuyo's unconventional words, the other four, even knowing her personality, showed expressions of helplessness.

However, the group has been honing their skills in performances for a long time and has become accustomed to Ikuyo is becoming more and more familiar with the stage and more and more unrestrained in her performances.

Moreover, this can definitely liven up the atmosphere instantly.

Under Ikuyo's skillful guidance and ability to read and lead the atmosphere, the entire auditorium erupted in excited chatter once again.

Although it's not exactly a case of desperate selling, tickets for the Kessoku Band performances are definitely getting harder and harder to buy.

The few stars in the sky are no longer enough for the development of just a few people.

Therefore, the audience members who came today were worried that they wouldn't be able to see the performance or get good seats, so they waited here early. They were finally able to see the performance, so they wholeheartedly agreed with Ikuyo's impatient suggestion.

After the sound subsided, Ikuyo looked down at the audience and withdrew her slender hand holding the closing ribbon. The girl's red hair swayed with her agile movements, and she smiled mysteriously.

"Our playlist is a bit special today, hopefully someone will notice. Let's begin."

"The first piece is 'If I Could Become a Constellation'."

Her rising intonation enlivened the atmosphere of the entire auditorium.

She then turned and made eye contact with the others. After confirming that everything was correct, Nijika took the lead and struck the drums. The moment the first drumbeat sounded, the once lively auditorium fell silent.