Chapter 354
Nijika's eyes widened, and she entered gourmet mode, marveling at the still-cooking hot pot.
"The irresistible aroma of the beef is simply irresistible; each bite feels like simultaneously enjoying delicious ice cream and a satisfyingly filling stew! It's amazing!"
"Seriously! It feels a level above the beef at the hotel."
As Ikuyo spoke, she quickly grabbed some chopsticks from the hot pot, while Nijika, who was a beat slower due to the music, watched the terrifying battle and stopped, waiting.
In an instant, several pairs of chopsticks were quickly vying for the premium beef in the hot pot.
After the fight ended, all that was left in the hot pot was ordinary beef that Ishikawa Hayato had added later, which wasn't fully cooked.
Watching the still-cooked beef floating in the broth, Nijika blinked blankly, a slight look of regret on her face.
In this struggle, Ishikawa Hayato showed no mercy to the girls, taking exactly half of them.
He's not the kind of man who gets led around by girls. If he wants a harmonious harem, he has to take the initiative. He can't wait until his girlfriends start arguing before thinking about how to properly divide them up.
After stuffing a piece of beef into his mouth, he looked at the bowls of the others and saw that Hitori's bowl didn't have much beef, and Nijika's bowl seemed to be completely empty.
He then picked up two pieces from his own bowl and spoke to Hitori first.
"Hitori, ah~"
Hitori didn't care how much or how little of this high-grade beef he ate.
But when he saw the chopsticks that Ishikawa Hayato extended and the beef he was holding, he blinked, and joy welled up inside him, causing him to open his little mouth happily.
Ah~
Ishikawa Hayato dodged Ryo's sneak attack and successfully fed the beef to Hitori.
He then looked at Nijika, took more, and said to Nijika, "Nijika ~"
The regret on Nijika's face vanished instantly, and she opened her mouth wide with joy.
Ryo watched the satisfied look on Nijika's face as she was being fed, then glanced at the half-eaten beef in Ishikawa Hayato's bowl. He silently placed his own bowl next to Ishikawa Hayato's, tapped him with his finger, and opened his mouth again.
"Ah."
She knew she had eaten too much and that Ishikawa Hayato wouldn't give her any, so she took her share and asked Ishikawa Hayato to feed her.
Amused, Ishikawa Hayato took her bowl and fed her the beef she had picked up.
"Wait, Hayato-kun, I want one too!"
When Ikuyo saw that the other three had been fed, she immediately became anxious. Holding a bowl, she ran around in circles with a happy face, held the bowl out to Ishikawa Hayato, and opened her mouth.
But Ishikawa Hayato wasn't a docile feeding machine. He picked up the beef from Ikuyo's bowl, brought it closer to Ikuyo's mouth, and then suddenly pulled it back, pretending to stuff it into his own mouth. Ikuyo was immediately flustered and didn't know what to do.
Only then did he take the beef back to feed her.
Then the girls fed the rest of the beef to Ishikawa Hayato. Perhaps because they had seen how Ishikawa Hayato had bullied Ikuyo, Ishikawa Hayato also got teased.
I was even rudely fished out several times.
Liang Du was overjoyed and smiled broadly.
After finishing the best dishes, the group slowed down and leisurely ate the various side dishes.
A must-do when eating hot pot is chatting while waiting for the food to cook.
Having recovered from the earlier food-grabbing frenzy, Ishikawa Hayato watched as Ikuyo picked up her phone again.
With a slight smile on her face, she quickly tapped on her phone.
Ishikawa Hayato pondered for a moment and said, "By the way, there's something Ikuyo also needs to decide on."
"Huh?" Ikuyo looked up from her phone in surprise.
"Regarding whether or not to go to the Uncertain Riot next year."
Although they had talked a few times, and Ishikawa Hayato also felt that he should go, and Ikuyo didn't seem like she would refuse, he still wanted to ask, because communication between people isn't something you can just decide based on your opinion.
What's more, he was with four girlfriends and was supporting a family.
"Of course I went."
Ikuyo smiled broadly.
Ishikawa Hayato looked at the others, and none of them had any objections, so it could be considered that everyone agreed.
"Okay, then let's consider the music to play on the Uncertain Riot. We have two options for now: one is to choose music from our upcoming album for promotion, and the other is to create a new song."
After Ishikawa Hayato finished speaking, he looked at the four people and then at Ikuyo, suddenly realizing something.
"Oh, making a new song is none of your business, Ikuyo, you can continue playing on your phone."
"What do you mean, Hayato-kun?!" Ikuyo immediately shouted with a furious laugh.
"Hayato-kun, don't bully Ikuyo-chan," Nijika said with a light laugh, smoothing things over as she picked up some meat from the hot pot, dipped it in the sauce, and thought to herself.
"If possible, I still hope to create new music. It's not that I think the current music is bad, but I feel that we can create even better music in six months."
"Hmm..." Ishikawa Hayato hesitated for a moment, then nodded and looked at Ryo.
Will feeling cool put you under pressure?
"Just focus on your work," Liang said, taking a mushroom from the pot to eat.
Ishikawa Hayato chuckled softly, which was taken as an agreement. After a moment of silence, he got a little hungry, so he picked up some konjac noodles from the hot pot and put them on top of his bowl.
"That's about the task allocation for the next six months."
He was still thinking when Nijika finished eating the meat in her bowl and said...
"I'll take care of the housework, Hayato-kun and Ryo will focus on composing, and Ikuyo will help Bocchi-chan write lyrics. You can also come and help me when you have time."
Looking at her earnest yet smiling expression, Ishikawa Hayato wondered, "Is Nijika planning to move in permanently?"
Hitori nearby, noticed that Ishikawa Hayato was looking at Nijika. She followed his gaze and, seeing Nijika's natural expression, realized that was also possible.
But this was something she was already used to, so she didn't pay much attention to it. More importantly...
Ikuyo's face showed a determined expression, as if he absolutely did not want to be underestimated. He clenched his fist and nodded forcefully.
"Um."
Hitori Ikuyo's serious expression, Ichiri felt a tremor in her heart.
Ikuyo is a quick learner, and she's a little worried that Ikuyo might produce very good lyrics.
It wasn't that she was afraid of jeopardizing her position as a lyricist, but rather that Ikuyo worried that if Yudai created a truly outstanding youthful song, then through constant practice, twenty percent of her being would be evaporated by the ever-repeating youthful energy!
The four people's gazes gradually settled on Hitori's dazed yet frightened face.
Nijika smiled as she looked at Hitori's face, "It's been so long since I've seen Hitori like this."
"Hmm." Ishikawa Hayato smiled and reached out to touch Hitori's hair.
Hitori immediately snapped out of her reverie and nodded, "Ah, sorry, I was daydreaming."
"It's alright, you've done very well this Hitori year, you've made great progress."
"Ishikawa Hayato encouraged me," he said.
After clearing away the dishes, the five of them chatted about how they would spend the New Year.
Ishikawa Hayato suggested spending the New Year's Eve in the bedroom, and Ryo and Hitori agreed, but Ikuyo and Nijika wanted to spend it in the living room, which felt more like New Year's.
The five of them started arguing as the New Year countdown began.
There's nothing we can do about it; everyone has their own ideas, but when the number of people is odd, a vote can be used to decide.
The natural result was that I went to bed and waited for the New Year to arrive.
They changed into their pajamas together in the room. Ikuyo glanced at her phone and then looked at Ishikawa Hayato with a strange expression, asking him a question.
"Is Hayato-kun planning to celebrate the New Year in some weird way?"
Ishikawa Hayato instantly understood the implication of Ikuyo's words, and to prevent others from speculating, he quickly spoke up.
"Don't listen to those hopeless couples' comments! I just think that getting up early tomorrow to visit the shrine, and then staying in a warm, cozy bed until we're sleepy waiting for the new year, doesn't that sound pretty good?"
"It's no different from usual."
Nijika grumbled, but still got into bed, and the others followed suit.
Sitting on the bed, Ishikawa Hayato held Nijika in his arms, watching a TV program that wasn't very loud, waiting for time to pass.
The five of them usually go to bed relatively early, around 10:30 pm.
Of course, the girls didn't usually go to bed this early; they were all night owls. Ikuyo and Nijika were a little better off, but Ryo and Hitori stayed up until they finished what they wanted to do before going to sleep.
It can be said that it was under Ishikawa Hayato's guidance that their sleep schedule was adjusted, and they have already gotten used to this sleeping time.
Tonight, while patiently waiting for the New Year in bed, Ishikawa Hayato deliberately turned down the volume and turned off the lights. Before long, all three girls from Ikuyo started to doze off.
Ikuyo didn't feel sleepy because she was chatting with friends on Line.
But after a while, she noticed the situation of the people next to her, hesitated for a moment, and ended the conversation on Line.
She glanced at the time, 11:43 PM, then looked at Ishikawa Hayato, who was gently embracing several people, and asked softly.
"Hayato-kun did this on purpose?"
Ishikawa Hayato smiled and shook his head, "No, I didn't expect them to get sleepy so quickly either."
Ikuyo glanced at their dazed expressions, and Nijika noticed her gaze, asking without fully opening her eyes.
"Ikuyo-chan, what time is it?"
Ikuyo smiled mischievously and said, "It'll be a long time."
"Then remember to wake me up..." Nijika said, closing her eyes again.
Ikuyo quietly observed the three of them for a while, and seeing that they were all still, she approached Ishikawa Hayato with a smile and said.
"Hayato-kun, it seems I'm the first person to wish you a Happy New Year."
"That might be a little difficult." Ishikawa Hayato glanced at the three who were almost asleep, then looked at her. "I'll have to wake them up early later."
Ikuyo then realized that if she were to be the first to offer greetings, everyone else would have to sleep through the New Year. Just as she was feeling a little regretful, she heard Ishikawa Hayato whisper something to her.
"But the last kiss of the year..."
Before he could finish speaking, Ikuyo leaned over the edge of the bed and leaned closer.
After a long kiss, Ikuyo silently put away her phone, lay down in bed, and closed her eyes.
Ishikawa Hayato knew she also wanted to be woken up together later, so he didn't disturb her.
He had a girl sitting in his lap, two girls leaning on either side of him, and another lying down beside him. Ishikawa Hayato sat quietly between them, covered with a blanket, watching a low-volume television program, embracing them as they awaited the new year.
This joyous year felt both short and long to him.
Time that's fun and exciting always seems to fly by, but when you think back on it, it feels incredibly long. There are so many things that you can't recall them all in a short time, even if you try to remember them quickly.
He still remembers how it all started; he wanted to use music to help and heal some people, and he will continue this plan. But along the way, he has discovered people who are even more important to him.
They share a common path with him, possess various endearing personalities, and also experience different kinds of loneliness.
But now they move forward together, live together, face the storms of the future together, and take care of each other.
For a moment, Ishikawa Hayato felt much more at ease as he faced the decades to come.
There were also quite a few troubles that required his serious attention.
Ishikawa Hayato looked down at their adorable sleeping faces and smiled.
While he was thinking, Nijika opened her eyes again. She looked at the white wall of the projection TV screen and saw that the Kohaku Uta Gassen had ended. She suddenly woke up.
She almost bumped into Ishikawa Hayato's chin when she sat up straight, but luckily Ishikawa Hayato dodged quickly, otherwise they would have been in pain for the New Year.
Nijika didn't notice the relieved expression on Ishikawa Hayato's face behind her. She glanced at the time, 11:57 PM, and quickly shook the others to wake up.
"Everyone, wake up!"
Several people woke up one after another, including Ikuyo, who had been pretending to be asleep.
I almost fell asleep.
After waking the others, Nijika turned around and looked at Ishikawa Hayato.
Her smiling eyes held a hint of relief, as if to say that she never expected Hayato-kun to make a mistake.
But at this moment, she stopped complaining.