God, I'm Begging You...

Toyokawa Sakiko had no idea what to say, so she simply started cooking. She boiled the spaghetti until it was soft on the outside but still firm inside, drained it, poured tomato sauce and basil leaves into the pot for extra flavor, then poured the sauce over the spaghetti.

That was quick...

She could almost compare with me. My instant-noodle skills were nothing to scoff at, either.

"I took home economics very seriously." Toyokawa Sakiko smiled faintly.

After tasting it, Riki decided that from then on, he would let Toyokawa Sakiko do all the cooking.

After dinner, once they had finished filming, Toyokawa Sakiko realized she still had not returned to her own side. A little tomato sauce had splashed onto her while she was cooking, so she figured she might as well take a shower—but Riki was in the bathroom.

Toyokawa Sakiko suddenly realized that she seemed to be living together with Riki now. The sound of water coming from the bathroom made her cheeks flush.

"Come to think of it, all the bath towels he bought have my face printed on them. He doesn't actually like me, does he?" Toyokawa Sakiko's heartbeat suddenly sped up, pounding in her ears.

"I'm done showering." Riki walked out of the bathroom while drying his hair and immediately saw Toyokawa Sakiko watching him warily.

Riki: "?"

"How do you see me?" Toyokawa Sakiko asked.

Riki said strangely, "Aren't we friends?"

Toyokawa Sakiko grew a little angry. You bought merchandise of me, and you don't have any fantasies about me at all?

What a spineless guy!

Slap!

Riki was puzzled as he stared at the closed bathroom door.

What was that about?

When Riki woke up, he had returned to the rented apartment as expected. Toyokawa Sakiko had sent him a message saying that she had already gone to school.

There was nothing much for Riki to do here. As everyone knew, college students were all useless social waste, so he planned to wander the streets and play the delinquent. Just then, a message arrived on his phone.

Kaname Runa: [Come to Ring.]

Riki had originally wanted to stay away from the gravitational vortex known as Ring, but since he had just broken her bicycle yesterday, he could only obediently go over.

ba yi si jiu ling san qi jiu ba

"Welcome~"

The moment he pushed open the door, Riki heard a familiar voice.

"Sure. Let's start a band."

Riki looked up and saw Nagasaki Sose resting both hands under her chin, looking every bit like a gentle and kind mother.

But Riki knew that deep down, she was completely a scheming little sister.

Opposite Nagasaki Sose sat a cheerful pink-haired girl.

Chihaya Anon.

What a coincidence. He had walked right into the scene where Chihaya Anon was inviting Nagasaki Sose to form a band.

Nagasaki Sose also noticed Riki and immediately furrowed her brows.

You're looking at me? Then I'll look at you, too!

Riki snorted and walked straight toward the stage at the back of the cafe. Kaname Runa was tuning her well-worn guitar. She looked up at Riki and asked, "What instruments can you play?"

She did not even say hello. Were all cats like this?

Riki glanced at the instruments beside him and casually picked up a bass. He knew quite a few instruments, and his skill was decent. If he was a little modest, he could call himself the strongest in the modern era.

Don't misunderstand, Beethoven. You're the challenger!

The strongest of the modern era versus the strongest of the ancient era.

Voices had already begun playing in Riki's head.

"How is Beethoven?" the instructor asked.

"He's incredibly strong. I even think he wasn't using his full strength." Riki sighed.

"Miss Sose, do you know that person?" Chihaya Anon asked curiously.

"No, I've only seen him a few times." Nagasaki Sose gave a standard smile and took a sip of black tea. She noticed Riki picking up the bass and playing alongside the silver-haired girl.

When she heard Riki begin playing the bass, she could not help widening her eyes in surprise.

Chapter 9: God, I'm Begging You...

The moment Riki touched an instrument, he became serious. He could fool around normally, but in a professional field, he had to be fully prepared. That was the bare minimum of professional conduct. Otherwise, Riki would never have managed to pass the bar dance exam.

He plucked the bass twice, producing a deep, buzzing sound. The pitch seemed slightly off, so Riki adjusted the knobs and tuned it a little better.

"This bass has been sitting here for quite a while. You should use another one." Rinrinzi came over and said, "People are welcome to play in Ring, especially with Cat Crown Prince Kaname Runa here."

"No need. I'm used to it. You can get back to work, Narita Michi." Riki said.

"Okay... But my name is Shinji Ririko."

Got it, Narita Michi. Can you win a GI next year?

Actually, I support you even more than Tokai Teio. You're second only to Oguri Cap.

Riki turned to Kaname Runa and said, "Ready? Just improvise and follow my rhythm."

Kaname Runa nodded.

"Wait, you're going to perform here?" Chihaya Anon asked excitedly.

Nagasaki Sose explained with a smile, "Ring welcomes people who enjoy performing, though most people practice in the rehearsal rooms. Besides, the bass in his hands is quite old. It probably can't produce anything good."

Just then, the two of them saw Riki sweep his hand across the bass. It gave off a deep, buzzing sound, as if the floor itself had begun vibrating with the music. His expression remained calm as his five fingers plucked the strings without pause. The precise music made Nagasaki Sose widen her eyes in surprise.

Then a high-pitched guitar melody suddenly rang out as well. Kaname Runa excitedly strummed the guitar. Contrary to her age, her guitar skills were exquisite. As Riki guided her, the guitar continued to ring while he plucked the bass. The music drew the attention of everyone outside the cafe.

"Who's playing inside?"

"The silver-haired girl is the Wild Cat from our school, I think. I don't know the guy."

"That boy is so handsome, and he plays so well."

"Could he be a professional?"

Chihaya Anon exclaimed in surprise, "That's amazing."

Compared with her third-rate—no, with her guitar skills that still had plenty of room for improvement, his were on an entirely different level.

This guy is incredible.

Nagasaki Sose also stared at Riki. She had not expected him to play the bass so well, especially since it happened to be the instrument she was best at. It was almost as if he had taken her place beside Sakiko.

What an irritating guy!

The music abruptly stopped. Riki put down the bass and looked up to see Nagasaki Sose staring at him. He gave her a smug smile, and when he saw her expression darken, he became even happier.

The strong must humiliate the weak thoroughly!

I just love watching the scheming little sister's face turn black.

The more I look at her, the cuter she gets.

"That was fun." Kaname Runa smiled, picked up her guitar, and left directly. She came and went as freely as a cat.

Riki put down the bass as well and noticed a group of people entering the cafe, staring at him curiously.

Don't look at me, girls. I'm a devoted man. I only like pretty girls like Sakiko.

"Hey, if you're not ordering anything, hurry up and leave."

Riki turned around and saw Shiina Riki, her black hair reaching her waist and a beauty mark at the corner of her eye. She was glaring at him unhappily. So many onlookers had crowded in because of him, and cleaning up afterward would be a hassle!

"Rikki, you can't talk like that!" Rinrinzi put her hands on her hips and puffed up angrily.

Thank you, Senior Narita Michi.

Riki was touched. He waved his hand and smiled. "It's fine. I really am in the wrong. Give me a cup of... Hmm, hot Earl Grey tea."

Shiina Riki expressionlessly wrote down the order and turned away.

Riki could understand. In his impression, every drummer had been yelled at by an old man like the one in Explosive Drummer. The drummers in his class wandered around campus every day like undead who had lost all traces of humanity.

And Shiina Riki had entered that stage even earlier than her seniors. She had even joined the Taku Team... I mean, Crychic, that black-hole-level gravitational center.

Of course, Riki felt that Shiina Riki had her own problems as well.

After all, Shiina Riki herself was the ancient Egyptian god of pressure. Even passing Wild Cats would be hit with a "Huh?" from her. She forgave no one and pressured everyone equally. Shimon.

Kaname Runa: "?"

Riki was about to find a seat when he suddenly noticed Nagasaki Sose looking toward him. She pointed to the seat beside her, signaling for him to sit there.

You say it, so I listen? Wouldn't that make me look completely spineless?

Riki sat down beside Nagasaki Sose. I'll see what kind of tricks you're planning.

Shiina Riki was helping prepare drinks backstage when Rinrinzi came over and said with a smile, "That boy plays the bass so well. Could he be a professional?"

"I don't care." Shiina Riki answered calmly, but in her mind, she had also begun comparing Riki's bass playing with that of her classmate, Hachiman Mairin. In the end, Riki was just a little better.

"He seems to know Sose. Did they know each other before?" Rinrinzi asked curiously.

Shiina Riki's hand paused, and her eyes lowered slightly.

"I don't care."

Ever since Crychic had disbanded, she had stopped caring about everything.

On that rainy day, every one of the five of them seemed to have sunk to the bottom of the sea, unable to pull themselves free.

"You play the bass very well. Are you a professional?" Nagasaki Sose asked.

"I'm a proper college honor student." Riki said.

Nagasaki Sose calmly replied, "Then could I ask you to coach our band for a while? I'm planning to form a band with Anon."

I see. She's planning to revive Crychic?

Riki folded his arms and thought it over. To be honest, he really did want to help Toyokawa Sakiko. There were two reasons for her current suffering. The first was all the changes brought about by her family's upheaval. The second was the bond between the five original members of Crychic. And if nothing unexpected happened, Mygo would include three of the original members.

Nagasaki Sose had proposed this idea not merely because she valued his skill. More importantly, she wanted to use him as a lead to uncover the reason Sakiko had left.

"Really!?" Chihaya Anon exclaimed excitedly. "If he coaches us, there's no way we'll have any problems."

We'll definitely perform at the school festival, amaze everyone, and become superstars at school!

Poor Aine had no idea that every gift fate offered had a price secretly marked on it.

Riki thought for a moment, then said, "That should be fine. But I'm very busy. Working for free won't do me any good. If you cover my tea and coffee for an entire year..."

"Sure." Nagasaki Sose replied indifferently.

Riki: "?"

Is this what Japanese rich ladies are like?

"No matter what I have to give up, I will..." Nagasaki Sose murmured quietly.

But the beautiful past could never return.

Neither for you nor for Sakiko.

Riki propped up his face and silently watched Nagasaki Sose, whose eyes were filled with determination.

Rain began to fall over Tokyo, pattering against the cafe windows.

But the rain in their hearts had never stopped since that day. It had been pouring ever since.