Chapter 488

Chihaya Aine quickly spoke up.

"What do you think, Lamp?"

Ignoring her reaction, Shiina Rikki looked directly at Takamatsu Akari.

"Hmm..."

"..."

Ogura Asahi sipped his tea, his eyes darting back and forth between the group.

A bunch of cunning guys, each with their own agenda—including himself, hey, this band, sooner or later... No way, he won't allow it!

"What do you think of this live performance, Lamp?"

"I... I..."

Takamatsu Akari lowered her head uneasily, then glanced at Chihaya Aine, hoping to draw strength from her.

"Um?"

The words Chihaya Aine once said came to her mind, "But, isn't it enough to just try your best without wasting your energy?"

This thought came to mind.

"Um."

She nodded very slightly.

"Ha..."

Shiina Rikki smiled contentedly and happily.

What does Asahi-chan think?

Nagasaki Sōse sought his opinion.

"I'm fine with anything."

"Then it's decided!"

"Huh?!?"

Chihaya Aine let out a mournful cry.

"It's okay!"

Ogura Asahi gave her a gentle yet powerful look. "Trust me, Aine-chan, you are now fully capable of handling the rhythm guitar part!"

"... real?"

"Just trust me as your teacher, I'll help you with any problems."

"Hmm... I understand! I'll give it a try!"

"..."

Chapter 447 Who's singing "Returns"?

"It's over? Then disband?"

"You! Why are you thinking of running away again? Can't you have any team spirit?!"

"Eh~ Okay, then I'll go and tell Kasumi-senpai for you?"

The escape plan failed, Ogura Asahi clicked his tongue lightly, glancing at the preparation room leading to the Live unit behind him.

"I'll let Rinrin-ko-jie know about that tomorrow."

Shiina Rikki her arms and leaned back, not really paying attention to this.

"... You're not good at talking to your seniors?"

He glanced at her casually, not fooled by her appearance, and immediately exposed her, then took a sip of tea.

"Uh, um..."

Shiina Rikki's features froze, and she glared at him.

"But it's okay, I know the whole Popipa group very well, I can help you."

"Unnecessary!"

"What about Afterglow? I'm quite familiar with them too."

"You, you—when did you meet Afterglow and the others?!"

Shiina Rikki slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, swallowing nervously as he stared intently at her.

The dull sound drew the puzzled and curious glances of the other three.

"They're from Haneoka too, so it's not surprising I know them—oh right, if you run into them next time, don't say I'm from Hanasakigawa!"

Oh, right, she's a die-hard AG fan.

Thinking of this, he narrowed his eyes slightly, a smirk playing on his lips, and teased, "How about it? If you'd like, I can get you a group autographed photo of them... a limited edition!"

"..."

Shiina Rikki's fair skin rippled, caught in a mental struggle.

The choice between bowing down and submitting to him, or refusing AG's autographed photo, is far too difficult...

Just when she was about to give up, Ogura Asahi seized the opportunity to change her tune, forcing her to temporarily shut up what she wanted to say.

"By the way, Aine-chan! If you're not confident, how about you give a live performance?"

"Huh?"

Did you bring a guitar?

"Yes! I brought it!"

Chihaya Aine looked at the light green guitar placed on the wall to one side.

Since joining the band and receiving coaching, she has always liked to carry it with her—because it's cool and satisfies her vanity.

"Then let's give it a try. How about the piece—the one you wanted to learn last time, the one I taught you called 'Returns'?"

"Ah~ that song by Otae-senpai?"

She instantly perked up, jogged to the side, and took the guitar out of the black box.

Because she heard him call her Otae, she followed suit and called her that too.

At first, he didn't understand why he called Hana-dono Tae, who was also a third-year student, "senpai," but now he understands everything.

"Yes, this piece seems perfectly suited for a guitar Solo."

"But the vocals... or is it Solo?"

Chihaya Aine cast a hesitant, pleading look at him.

"You can sing if you want."

"Eh... it's not that it's impossible, but I don't sing as well as Asahi -senpai..."

She chuckled and scratched her head with a wry smile.

"Okay, then you play yours, I'll take care of the vocals for you."

"That's great! Thank you!"

After a brief preparation, under the watchful eyes of four pairs of eyes, Chihaya Aine began to showcase her debut in the group.

?~?~??~?~‖~??...

After the notes had been playing for about ten seconds, he inhaled and exhaled, then exhaled the lyrics:

"まれたplaceからしれて(leaving the place where I was born)"

"This is my dream (I just realized what kind of dream I was having)"

"Looking up at the distant sky"

"..."

Apart from the two performers, the other three were hearing their music for the first time.

Even Shiina Rikki, who was in the same class, had never heard him perform or sing before.

Come to think of it, he doesn't seem to have really performed in Hanasakigawa much... even though quite a few people in Haneoka have already heard his amazing skills.

How about we have some fun in the Hanasakigawa River next time?

Even if they find out, the teachers won't dare to do much about it. Maybe they'll even create a club for him like they did for the Tsurumaki Kokoro Astronomy Club...

"Hmph~ Putting aside that most infuriating girl for now, her guitar playing is actually pretty good... surprisingly."

"Wow, that's great! Aine-chan's guitar and Asahi-chan's song!"

"Better than me..."

Takamatsu Akari was so shocked that she was stunned, and then she lowered her head in self-consciousness and melancholy.

"That's not true! Deng sings much better than that guy!"

Shiina Rikki pressed down on her shoulder to encourage her.

But this did not comfort her; Takamatsu Akari remained silent.

Faced with reality, even the praise from extreme fans...

Just as the song was about to end, a roar that drowned out the voices of the two came from the room behind them:

Who is playing "Returns"?!

Ogura Asahi and Chihaya Aine stopped what they were doing at the same time, and all five of them turned their eyes toward the direction of the sound.

The next moment, a woman dressed in the same matching outfit as Shiina Rikki (Bushi) and with two "cat ears (stars)" on her head rushed out from the inner room!

"Hey~ Kasumi ~ Don't suddenly rush out! What if you bump into someone?"

With a troubled expression, Yamabuki Saya sighed helplessly and followed after her.

"Ah! Little Asahi! Found it!"

Toyama Kasumi spotted him in an instant, ignored her teammates' attempts to stop her and immediately rushed over to him.

"Yoshi~ Yoshi yoshi~ It's been a few days, Kasumi-senpai, how have you been lately?"

Ogura Asahi stroked the head of Toyama Kasumi, who was hugging him tightly and nuzzling his face, and pinched her two stars.

"Very energetic!"

"Very good!"

"Did Ogura-kun come with Classmate Shiina and the others today?"

Yamabuki Saya, who had caught up with her captain, was used to his infatuated behavior and asked him a question.

"Yeah, I got dragged into the band's routine meeting."

"A band? Little Asahi, have you joined a band?!"

Toyama Kasumi leaned on his shoulders and straightened up, utterly shocked.

"I just joined a few days ago."

"Still with Rikki-chan?!"

"I'm very sorry, that's how it is~"

He wiped his eyes sadly.

What do you mean?!

Shiina Rikki's sharp gaze swept over.

"I never expected Ogura-kun to join Classmate Shiina's band... Isn't that great? You two are both Good Child."

Yamabuki Saya pressed her cheek with one hand and smiled at her.

It might be a bit impolite to say that to her, but the way she looked was exactly like a wife watching over her child... She definitely learned from being a mother, right?

"It's just because we're in the same class."

Shiina Rikki turned her pale pink cheek to the side, not wanting to dwell on the matter.