Chapter 362

The boy's response suggested either that he had no interest in the invitation or that he wanted to quickly end the conversation because Ms. Yamada Ryo wanted to leave.

Jiang Chengyangren also noticed that the girls remained silent while they were talking, only glancing back and forth to check their expressions, waiting for the boy to speak.

Jiang Chengyangren paused, realizing he had indeed misjudged the situation last time.

He said with a smile.

"I'll wait and see."

"Okay, let's go backstage and rest for a while."

Ishikawa Hayato gave a polite, slight nod and walked backstage.

After greeting them, Nijika and the others followed behind Ishikawa Hayato.

The five people had just left the venue and walked to the backstage corridor.

After checking that there was no one around, Ishikawa Hayato turned around and hugged Nijika tightly, rubbing against her fiercely.

"I'm so tired, it's so troublesome, I don't want to deal with adults."

Nijika was stunned for a moment, then her surprise at being suddenly hugged turned into a helpless yet gentle smile as she gently patted Ishikawa Hayato's back.

"Yes, thank you for your hard work, Hayato-kun."

A few seconds later, Ishikawa Hayato let go, and after Nijika also let go, he hugged Ryo without hesitation.

"Nijika's energy is satisfied, it's time to cool down!"

Ishikawa Hayato was somewhat surprised by this, but she laughed when he hugged her.

"Charging costs money."

Without hesitation, Ishikawa Hayato replied, "Tonight."

Seeing his decisive and efficient manner, Liang knew he was being inappropriate again, and showing her displeasure, she stepped on his foot.

Ishikawa Hayato let out a satisfied cry, then stepped back and said to Ryo in a serious tone:

"Please take off your shoes and stomp harder."

"Pervert." Liang Yantong rolled her eyes in disgust.

"Thank you for the compliment, weirdo. Next up, Ikuyo ~" Ishikawa Hayato, having temporarily satisfied his craving for coolness, looked at the next person.

Ikuyo knew she couldn't escape, so she helplessly opened her arms and let him hug her.

As Ishikawa Hayato embraced Ikuyo's delicate body, he heard her say something.

"Hayato-kun is probably just tired because he can't act like a pervert anymore."

"Yes."

Ishikawa Hayato patted her head.

Finally, when they arrived at Hitori, Hitori took a half-step forward with a hint of anticipation before being hugged by Ishikawa Hayato.

Ishikawa Hayato hugged her for a short while, nuzzled her cheek, and only asked when she didn't say anything.

"Is Hitori anything you want to tell me, Ichiri?"

"Ah..." Hitori hesitated for a moment, then secretly glanced at the other three. Seeing that they all had different degrees of faint smiles on their faces, she finally made up her mind to speak.

"No matter what Hayabusa chooses, I will support him, and I think... everyone else should feel the same way... so Hayabusa can relax a bit."

Ikuyo Hikari smiled, her playful tone light and cheerful. "Ichiri-chan, you probably don't need it."

Nijika replied, just as Ishikawa Hayato used to call her "team leader."

"Ikuyo-chan is right, don't worry too much about our opinions, Boss."

"But don't even think about cheating."

A light and refreshing supplement.

In the corridor, Ishikawa Hayato looked at the several beautiful and lovely girls who had become a little mischievous at some point. He felt a surge of energy and a sense of comfort, as if he had been healed.

With them by my side, I'm happy and have them to keep me company. Even if I'm not that weird, it's okay.

And since they trust him so much, there's no need to worry anymore. He'll just give them an answer after the performance, as planned.

He put his arm around Hitori's shoulder, leaned towards Nijika, placed his hands behind their shoulders, and then beckoned to Ikuyo and Ryo.

Ikuyo approached cheerfully, while Liang, though reluctant, walked over with a helpless air, as if propelled by her own feet.

The five of them instinctively formed a circle, their hands around each other's shoulders, and embraced one another.

They listened to what Ishikawa Hayato had to say.

"Then please make things easier for me and play as seriously as you usually practice."

"Um!"

Afternoon.

The five people listened to the host's opening remarks for the music festival from the side of the stage.

Holding the microphone, he stood on the stage, his voice passionate and stirring, speaking loudly to engage the audience.

"This 'Unconfirmed Riot' event aims to find bands with the ability to shine like diamonds among bands of their teens across the country, and this year we have received enthusiastic applications from more than 300 bands."

"The 30 bands that have been selected will have their performances reviewed today."

"Which two bands will make it from this venue to the Shin-Kiba FS venue depends on whether they can move everyone here."

"As witnesses to this next-generation rising star band, let's enjoy the last moment!"

"Then please welcome our guest, Sick Hack, to perform the opening song. We'll leave the warm-up to you."

As soon as the Ishikawa Hayato finished his impassioned opening remarks, the densely packed audience below became even more excited and expectant, caught up in the host's rhythm.

This host is quite good.

However, at this moment, at the host's prompting, a woman who was shaking her head and walking unsteadily from the other side of the stage came up.

She walked to the front of the stage, stumbled, cried out in panic, and grabbed the microphone, narrowly avoiding falling.

After standing up straight, Hiroi Kikuri said in a voice tinged with drunkenness and sorrow:

"... It's that time of year again to discover new musicians..."

Hiroi Kikuri sighed, her voice trembling with tears—no, she was already crying, "Seeing the promising musicians emerging every year, I... something's rising in my stomach... ugh..."

Hiroi Kikuri spoke, she suddenly covered her mouth, her whole body trembling.

Ishikawa Hayato covered his eyes, his head throbbing. He had been wondering why he hadn't seen Hiroi Kikuri; she must have gone to the toilet to throw up.

Why don't these organizers learn their lesson and insist on inviting Hiroi Kikuri to warm up the crowd? The venue, which was just a moment ago bustling with activity, is now as cold as the Siberian permafrost.

The fans who had been smiling excitedly in front of the stage stopped smiling.

Fortunately, some of Hiroi Kikuri's fans were there to support her, which prevented the situation from becoming too terrifying.

Hiroi Kikuri waved her hand, said a few words to the audience, and then began her performance.

But once she started playing, everything changed; the powerful rhythm of the bass made all the listeners feel as if their own heartstrings were being plucked.

The bass rhythm, coupled with the powerful guitar sounds, serves to halt the emotions of the music lovers, causing their senses to pause and sway along with the music.

The drummer, in particular, controlled the rhythm with his seasoned and superb technique.

For a moment, the entire venue fell silent, everyone listening in astonishment to the drunkard's incredibly impressive performance.

Ishikawa Hayato glanced at the girls beside him; their eyes held a defiant look.

A slight smile played on his lips.

It seems his use of his twisted intuition to draw lots and be the first to go on stage was pointless.

However, he would do the same thing again if given the chance.

He wanted to win more gracefully.

The music rose and fell, gradually coming to an end.

Amidst thunderous applause and some comments like, "This band is amazing, even though the lead singer looks like that,"...

After waving to the audience, Hiroi Kikuri walked down from the side towards the five people.

She managed to maintain her imposing aura for the first few steps, but her face turned pale as she approached Ishikawa Hayato. Still, she stubbornly reached out and patted him on the shoulder, saying:

"Keep it up, young man with a bright future!"

"I don't want to be associated with vomit, you should go to the bathroom!"

Ishikawa Hayato glanced at her as she struggled to hold back her vomiting, then looked at Iwashita Shima behind her.

The other person nodded, indicating that they would take care of Hiroi Kikuri, and smiled as they glanced at the five people.

"The stage is yours, good luck!"

"Yes!" the girls responded.

On the stage, where the curtains were drawn, Nijika adjusted the drumheads and cymbals.

The music played by Hiroi Kikuri still seemed to echo in the venue. Soon, they would be facing an audience who had been baptized by that psychedelic music.

But she wasn't nervous at all.

Nijika had heard about it from the musicians in the shop a long time ago.

There are two ways for a musician to grow: one is through talent and hard work, and the other is by joining a suitable band.

She wasn't particularly talented, but starting last year, her playing skills suddenly improved rapidly.

This should be attributed to the help of Hayato-kun and others.

Although it became a very 'chaotic' band, fortunately everyone was able to peacefully like the same person and happily practice and play together.

When I'm happy, there's someone to share the joy with; when I'm down, there's Hayato-kun and everyone else; when I'm practicing, I don't want to be the one holding Hayato-kun back in the band, so I work incredibly hard.

In this environment, she felt six months ago that... their band was no worse than Hiroi Kikuri's band.

Now is the time to confirm.

Outside the screen, the projector displays information on a white screen.

The Kessoku Band.

While the group was making their adjustments, the host's voice rang out.

"The first band to appear is The Kessoku Band, who topped Twitter's trending topics two months ago with their music video and became a hot topic last summer with their emotionally charged music and superb playing skills!"

The audience was crowded and noisy.

"The very first one is the Kessoku Band?!"

"I'm a little excited. Maybe the first show will be the end of the tour."

Are they really that good?

Listening to the surrounding noises, the parents of the children felt both proud and worried for them.

The higher you're praised at the beginning, the more devastating the fall will be if you stumble before you've even established yourself.

The curtain began to rise.

At that moment, on stage, Ishikawa Hayato tapped his instrument with his fingers, making a sound. The girls quickly looked at him, somewhat puzzled.

Ishikawa Hayato held up five fingers, then folded one finger a second later, and then folded another finger the next second, leaving only three fingers standing upright.

The four of them realized what was happening, smiled at each other, and after confirming each other's condition, watched as Ishikawa Hayato put away his last finger and Hitori strummed the guitar.

The light, languid sound of a guitar emanated from the loudspeakers before the curtain had fully risen and the audience could only see the stage floor.

The tranquil and gentle guitar music instantly dispelled the restlessness left over from the previous performance.

As the curtain rose to its highest point, Ikuyo held the microphone with both hands and sang softly.

Is another day coming to an end?

"Even if it's just a little bit, even the slightest change, have I changed at all?"