Rock Girl Descends Beside Me!

Chihaya Anon's pupils contracted, her lips trembled, and she took a step back.

Her face was grim. She clenched her fists, suddenly turned, and ran, heading straight out of the cafe.

Shiina Riki was taken aback by her intense reaction and froze for a moment.

"Aine-chan," Tomoyo said quickly.

Nagasaki Sose also looked surprised, but as she watched Anon run out of the cafe, the corners of her lips couldn't help but curl up slightly, revealing a satisfied smile.

This way, it was all according to her plan.

Suddenly, a figure flashed in the corner of her eye, and he also chased after Chihaya Anon.

Nagasaki Sose was momentarily stunned watching Riki chase after Chihaya Anon, staring blankly at his retreating back.

"I-I'm not running away!"

Chihaya Anon ran until she was out of breath, hands on her knees to catch her breath, and gritted her teeth as she recalled what Shiina Riki had said to her.

What was wrong with caring about clothes, style, and names? Her guitar skills wouldn't improve overnight anyway!

"Chihaya... classmate?"

Suddenly, a voice came from ahead. Chihaya Anon looked up and saw two girls by the fountain. They were classmates she knew from middle school. Her face immediately stiffened, and she stood frozen.

"It really is Chihaya-chan! How was your study abroad in England? Is it vacation time there already?" one classmate said excitedly.

"Huh? But Chihaya-chan's uniform is from Haneoka. What's going on?" the other classmate asked curiously.

Chihaya Anon felt her ears buzzing. The sharp voices made it almost impossible for her to hear the sound of the fountain.

Studying abroad in England.

She had failed, so she had run back.

Riki was right. She had been avoiding facing it all along, so this must be her punishment.

Looking down, lost, Chihaya Anon suddenly heard a familiar voice.

"Studying abroad in England? No, no, no, she went to study in China midway as an exchange student and is now on vacation. As everyone knows, spring is a holiday season. I'll teach you some Chinese: Hello, Xiaolongbao, goodbye, I love China." Riki walked over and said to the two classmates, using some Chinese.

"Wow, that's amazing! It's authentic Chinese!" the classmate exclaimed.

Sakura Girl, that's enough.

You call that innocent?

You want me to change my name to Litang Riki, is that it?

Riki turned back and smiled at Chihaya Anon, saying, "Let's go somewhere nearby to talk."

Chapter 57: Sakiko: Stop Getting Close to Riki

"Goodbye! Next time I'll show you my animal friends."

Riki waved goodbye to the two Sakura Girls Chihaya Anon knew.

My pet snow leopard can really do backflips.

It can even talk.

Although, I usually tell my snow leopard to shut up.

Riki and Chihaya Anon sat on a bench in front of the fountain. The splashing water made the pigeons flap their wings and fly up, scattering a shower of white feathers. He looked at Chihaya Anon's absentminded expression and pointed to a nearby vending machine, saying, "Do you want something to drink? How about some coffee?"

"Ah... Yes." Chihaya Anon nodded.

"So you're saying yes?"

Riki asked cautiously, wanting to confirm, to prevent another Sarajevo incident in the cucumber world. He didn't want to be defeated five times in a second by the Cucumber Swordswoman again.

"Ah? Of course." Chihaya Anon nodded, confused.

Why would he even ask that?

Had he encountered something strange?

"Okay, here you go!"

Chihaya Anon fumbled to catch the coffee falling through the air. With a flick of her finger, the coffee can popped open with a "bang." Holding the can, she muttered, "Riki, how do you see me? I originally wanted to study abroad in England, but I only stayed for a while before running back because I couldn't stand the environment there. Now I can't even play the guitar well. Have I just been running away all this time?"

"I haven't studied abroad," Riki said.

Riki's high school classmates did go to universities in Old England after graduation, but those brutes were naturally abstract Haicheng brats. Even with language barriers, they could curse Old England's Brexit for causing cross-border tariffs and various operations from Old America. They were internationalists, truly. But Anon was clearly pure and kind, so this method wouldn't work for her.

"However, I do have experience in music. Some members felt that the goal could be lowered and not be so tiring, while some members felt that not getting first place was a crime. They argued fiercely." Riki said.

It's just like you and Riki.

Chihaya Anon asked curiously, "Is that Riki's band? I'd love to see what a mature college band is like."

"So how did you resolve it in the end?"

"There was no way." Riki spread his hands. "You might misunderstand something, thinking that all conflicts between partners can be resolved. But more often, you coexist with the conflict. Although there are arguments sometimes, and occasional spats, you ultimately move in one direction."

"Eh? That's too difficult for me!" Chihaya Anon complained, then asked curiously, "What place did you get in the end?"

"There wasn't a ranking, only a special national award. Two people got carried away and didn't play according to the sheet music, which made Principal Haicheng below the stage laugh."

Chihaya Anon swung her legs and said, "Well, I'll try to work harder then. Although Riki is very strict."

Keep it up, you too, Knight of Encouragement.

"Let's go back then."

"Sorry, I said too much," Shiina Riki said, lowering her head.

"It's not your fault, Riki. Someone had to say those things to her," Nagasaki Sose said softly.

Just then, she saw Riki returning with Chihaya Anon, and Anon's expression was clearly much happier.

Nagasaki Sose looked at Riki and narrowed her eyes, then put on a dignified, worried smile. "Anon-chan, you're back. We were worried about you."

"Sorry, sorry!" Chihaya Anon clasped her hands together. "It won't happen next time. But Riki has problems too, so I won't reflect on myself."

"Huh?" Shiina Riki frowned.

Good, the Taku Team had returned to its harmonious state.

Riki nodded and said to Takamatsu Akari, "Then the only thing left for the upcoming performance is Akari's lyrics. I'm looking forward to it."

"Mhm, I already have an idea," Takamatsu Akari said, smiling at Riki.

No, why are you looking at me?

Is the black hole targeting me?

Damn it, full speed ahead, Uncle's gonna accelerate!

Nagasaki Sose was watching when her phone suddenly received a message. She froze.

Toyokawa Sakiko: [I have something to tell you tonight.]

Sakiko... chan?

Under the dim streetlights, Nagasaki Sose saw Toyokawa Sakiko in the park and hurried over with a smile.

"Sakiko-chan!" Nagasaki Sose exclaimed in surprise. "I didn't expect you to contact me first. I'm sorry I'm late."

"No need to apologize, I came early," Toyokawa Sakiko said plainly. She looked at Nagasaki Sose's face, then shifted her gaze away.

"What did you want to see me about? I'll listen to anything you have to say, Sakiko-chan."

Toyokawa Sakiko looked up at Nagasaki Sose. "Although I don't think it's the case, you still haven't given up on the dream of reviving Crychic, have you?"

Nagasaki Sose didn't answer. She twirled her brown hair with her slender fingers, looking at her shoe tips and smiling without speaking.

"You really think that way?" Toyokawa Sakiko couldn't believe it.

"No, it's a little different from before," Nagasaki Sose said softly. "I just want everyone from Crychic. But it's okay if a few more people are added. It's just that I might forget to notify them for regular activities and Lives. It can't be helped, the curriculum at Tsukinomori is quite heavy, so it's normal to forget some things."

"You are truly the epitome of selfishness," Toyokawa Sakiko frowned.

"Perhaps what Sakiko-chan says is true."

"Then what about Riki?" Toyokawa Sakiko looked straight at Nagasaki Sose. "Is Riki also someone you can discard?"

Nagasaki Sose remained silent for a long time, only twirling her hair. After a moment, she smiled and said, "Why bring up Riki? This has nothing to do with him, it's just between us."

"No!"

Toyokawa Sakiko said decisively, "It has everything to do with it, because Riki is someone important to me. If you try to use him, I will be very angry. He's smart, but he trusts his friends deeply, even you. So if you try to betray him, I will absolutely not forgive you!"

Someone important...

Nagasaki Sose bit her lip.

She herself didn't know what position Riki held in her heart.

That person was reckless, annoying her, yet giving her a sense of security... But if she let him into her heart, Crychic wouldn't be the sole focus anymore.

That couldn't happen.

"I'm speaking to you as Riki's friend. If you think Riki isn't important to you, then please stop approaching him," Toyokawa Sakiko said coldly, turned, and left.

Nagasaki Sose returned home, put on her pajamas, and lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"I'm not wrong. What I'm doing is not wrong," Nagasaki Sose whispered. She looked at the teddy bear on her bedside table, hugged it tightly, and her voice came out muffled from inside.

"I'm not wrong."

Once the performance is over, all this sadness can end.

Everyone will return to my side.

***

Seeking votes~

Chapter 58: Sweating Bullets, Akari

"You went to see Sose?"

"She still seems to be thinking about Crychic. I heard it from Mutsuki, and since I was worried, I went to see her. I didn't expect things to be just as I thought," Toyokawa Sakiko said.

"She only thinks about herself."

"It's normal for children from single-parent families to be a little stubborn," Riki thought. He remembered a friend from a single-parent family who liked playing gacha games, and Riki treated him the same way, even adding him as a friend.

Riki was young and just registered to play.

"That's no excuse. I also…" Toyokawa Sakiko trailed off.

She now only had her father left. To outsiders, she might seem excessively stubborn, unwilling to accept help from others, but her pride was the only treasure she had left. If she accepted any more charity, she might break.

Riki also realized this.

Sakiko was also from a single-parent family. What if Sakiko-bao also became addicted to gacha games in the future?

It's fine. I was level 60 in Arknights and level 120 in Genshin. Sakiko-bao, I can carry you.

But you're still a high school JK. As for gacha games, you can explore that world later.

"If her problems only involved me, I wouldn't care, but the crucial point is that she's willing to hurt even you. I can't stand that," Toyokawa Sakiko shook her head.

"It's fine. My mental fortitude is thick. Even VTubers can't handle pressure like I can," Riki comforted her.

"VTubers…?" Toyokawa Sakiko asked curiously.

"Oh, right, you don't have VTubers here yet… Forget it. They are things that shouldn't exist in this world. Even I find that community a bit too abstract."

Watching those things is worse than watching dancers in the video section. At least those dancers don't mentally abuse you and give Riki whiplash.

He frowned and gave a critical one-click triple like.