Social Anxiety and the Rock of Loneliness

Nijika suddenly became interested and quickly walked to Ryo's room.

Near the room.

Nijika stopped, she said to herself.

"Hmm, I just want to see if they're having a lively conversation. Is it appropriate to interrupt now? I'm definitely not thinking anything weird."

She crossed her arms and nodded affirmatively, her movements causing her dress to sway.

"Mhm!"

Then, the girl's eyes immediately turned mischievous like a cat's, and she pressed herself against the door, eavesdropping inside.

"Take off your clothes!"

Amidst the passionate music, Ishikawa Hayato shouted like he was singing.

Nijika: ???

What are these two doing!

But she still suppressed her suddenly uneasy heart and continued to listen at the door.

"Show your primal self, form wings from filth, and fly~"

Ryo's voice, singing reluctantly, followed.

It's a song.

Nijika knew she had misunderstood. She breathed a sigh of relief. Good thing she hadn't rushed in directly, or she would have been terribly embarrassed.

But why did Ryo's voice sound so reluctant?

It was like she was being held hostage.

Could Hayato-kun be forcing her to sing?

Nijika's expression turned serious. But even if that wasn't the case, just the fact that they were singing such a strange song meant she had to stop them.

With that thought, she pushed the door open without a word and went inside.

"Hayato-kun, Ryo, we don't sing this song..."

Nijika stood at the door, holding the doorknob. Before she could finish speaking, she saw Ishikawa Hayato holding his phone and recording a video of Ryo, whose small face looked wronged and pitiful.

Seeing this scene, Nijika's mind went blank, and she cried out in shock.

"What... what are you two doing!"

44. Accomplices

About ten seconds before Nijika opened the door.

Inside Ryo's room.

Ryo heard Ishikawa Hayato's threatening tone and looked at his smiling face.

The quiet, somewhat cool girl leaned back further in the office chair. She crossed her legs, and her loose pants subtly revealed the curves of her legs.

"Shouldn't accomplices control each other's weaknesses?"

At this moment, the sixteen-year-old girl already had a hint of the future mature, aloof, and proud older sister aura.

"Oh, so what does Ryo want to do?"

Ishikawa Hayato sat back in his chair, looking curiously at the girl he still couldn't quite figure out.

Ryo leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, her body slightly hunched. She wore a gentle smile and happily spun the office chair.

"Nijika is coming up soon, and if we do this..."

Back to the present.

"What... what are you two doing!"

Hearing Nijika's voice, Ryo looked at Nijika with teary eyes, appearing pitiful and like she was being bullied by Ishikawa Hayato.

"Nijika..."

She reached out to Nijika with a sob.

Nijika hurried over and turned to shield Ryo with her own body.

"Ishikawa-kun, don't bully Ryo!"

She shouted angrily.

"Well, Ryo is doing it voluntarily."

Ishikawa Hayato smiled, seemingly unconcerned about angering Nijika. He poked his head out and smiled at Ryo behind Nijika.

Ryo glanced at Nijika, whose gaze had shifted to her, and gave her a look that said, "What are you talking about?"

After Nijika withdrew her gaze, she looked at Ishikawa Hayato, a look of confusion on her face, as if she had sensed something was wrong.

Meanwhile, Ryo secretly gave Ishikawa Hayato a faint smile.

Seeing Ryo's triumphant smile, Ishikawa Hayato felt helpless.

Why would this girl come up with a plan like this? It was as if she wanted Nijika to hate him.

Could this still be considered controlling each other's weaknesses?

He stood up, not wanting to delve deeper here, and walked towards Nijika with a smile.

"Hey, Hayato-kun, what are you doing?!"

Nijika, who had been in a protective stance, immediately got timid when Ishikawa Hayato approached. She showed a hint of fear and took a step back.

"It's nothing bad."

Ishikawa Hayato smiled slyly, his eyes narrowing.

He quickly approached Nijika, placed his hands on her shoulders, and amidst her flustered expression, pushed her towards the computer.

"Let's listen to the song we made."

Nijika's expression relaxed slightly upon hearing this. She mumbled, "You're just trying to smooth things over, aren't you... Fine, but if the song is too weird, I won't agree to sing it."

Still, she obediently let Ishikawa Hayato push her into the office chair and took the headphones he handed her.

Watching Nijika put on the headphones.

Ishikawa Hayato put on an adorably awkward smile in front of her and said, "Nijika is truly an angel~"

Nijika's gaze turned much colder, and she sighed.

"You're treating me like an idiot, aren't you, Hayato-kun?"

Although she said that, her expression showed no intention of digging deeper. She put on the headphones.

After watching Nijika click to play the song on the computer.

Ishikawa Hayato smiled and gave a thumbs-up to Ryo behind him, who had a look of sighing for some reason, with a smile that said he had it all figured out.

"Nijika is so easy to handle..."

Ryo said this, but she didn't notice Nijika's ears twitching slightly.

Ishikawa Hayato noticed that Nijika wasn't fully focused on the headphones, but he didn't say anything.

He looked relaxed, as if his mission was complete, and said to Ryo with a smile, "So, starting today, we're accomplices."

"Mm."

Ryo nodded calmly, looking at the man before her.

And then, she gradually began to understand the deeper meaning behind his actions.

"Let's make the band weird together. Don't you dare run away in disappointment that day."

"You're younger than me, yet you have the nerve to say that."

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, accomplice sister."

Secretly adjusting the volume of her headphones, Nijika completely relaxed as she listened to the calm and harmonious conversation behind her.

After that, she stopped paying attention to what the two of them were saying and, while listening to the song, picked up the lyrics with timestamps on the table and glanced at them.

But for just a moment.

Nijika's eyes went blank, and then she blinked several times as if in disbelief.

Behind her, the two noticed her reaction and looked at her curiously.

Nijika took off her headphones, suddenly stood up, her face taut as if she could no longer stand it, her fists clenched, and she roared with full of imposing aura.

"This song is to be sealed!!"

Ishikawa Hayato mischievously put on a pitiful act and pleaded loudly.

"Nooo!"

While Nijika would usually compromise a little, this time she refused to budge, shouting.

"It absolutely must be sealed! Kessoku Band is not a band that sings songs like this!"

"Pfft."

Ryo let out a small laugh, watching Ishikawa Hayato, who knew full well that this song couldn't be sung, deliberately teasing Nijika and begging her incessantly.

Just then, a ringtone sounded from Nijika's pocket, and she stopped arguing, pulling out her phone in surprise.

Ishikawa Hayato also stopped playing around at the opportune moment.

Nijika looked at the caller ID and asked in confusion, "Sister?"

It was only then that she suddenly remembered that she hadn't replied to the two messages her sister had sent earlier. As she was frantically preparing to answer the call...

Ishikawa Hayato suddenly grabbed her hand, stopping her from answering the phone.

Nijika looked at him, completely bewildered.

Ishikawa Hayato pulled her arm and led her to the window, peeking outside from a hidden angle.

They saw Seika, out of breath, standing at Ryo's doorstep. She held her phone to her ear, anxiously listening to it with all her attention.

Ryo, who had also found her way here, showed an amused smile upon seeing Seika.

"Truly sisters."

Nijika froze, then stomped her foot heavily as if furious.

"You two have terrible personalities!"

Finally, the group walked back to STARRY together.

However, Seika walked ahead alone like a lone wolf, while Ishikawa Hayato, Nijika, and Ryo followed behind.

Thinking about how they had seen Seika's astonished expression when they came out earlier, and how she had immediately blushed, then pretended to be nonchalant and quickly turned to walk away with tsundere flair.

The smile on Ishikawa Hayato's face wouldn't stop.

The two girls beside him looked at the guy with his head full of bad ideas with expressions of disgust.

Soon, Ishikawa Hayato had an idea.

Without giving Nijika a chance to stop him, and with Ryo watching with an amused smile, he skipped cheerfully towards the front.