Rock Girl Descends Beside Me!

Toyokawa Sakiko didn't know what to say, so she simply started cooking. She boiled the spaghetti until the surface was soft and the inside was crisp, then removed it from the pot. She added tomato sauce and basil leaves to the pot to enhance the flavor, then poured the sauce over the spaghetti.

So efficient…

She could be compared to me now. My instant noodle skills are also top-notch.

"I took home economics class very seriously," Toyokawa Sakiko chuckled softly.

Riki tried a bite and decided that Toyokawa Sakiko would be in charge of cooking from now on.

After dinner and filming the video, Toyokawa Sakiko realized she hadn't returned to her own space. Plus, she had gotten a little tomato sauce on herself while cooking. It was the perfect time to take a bath, but Riki was already in the bathroom.

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

"Speaking of which, the bath towels he bought are all printed with me. Could he like me?" Toyokawa Sakiko's heartbeat suddenly quickened, her eardrums buzzing.

"I'm done with my bath," Riki said, walking out of the bathroom while drying his hair. He saw Toyokawa Sakiko looking at him with a wary expression.

Riki: "?"

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

Riki looked confused. "Aren't we friends?"

Toyokawa Sakiko was a little angry for a moment. He bought merchandise of me and doesn't have any impure thoughts about me?

What a spineless guy!

Slap!

Riki was a bit bewildered as he watched the bathroom door close.

What was that about?

When Riki woke up, he was, as expected, back in the rental apartment. Toyokawa Sakiko had sent him a message saying she had already gone to school.

There wasn't much for Riki to do here. As everyone knows, university students are idle social rejects. He planned to just wander the streets like a delinquent when he received a message on his phone.

Kaname Runa: [Come over, Ring.]

Riki had originally wanted to stay away from Ring, that vortex of gravity, but then he remembered he had broken her bicycle yesterday, so he could only obediently go.

ba yi si jiu ling san qi jiu ba

"Welcome~"

As soon as Riki pushed the door open, he heard a familiar voice.

"That's great. Let's form a band."

Riki looked up. Nagasaki Sose rested her hands on her chin, looking like a gentle and kind mother.

But Riki knew her inner self was completely that of a scheming little sister.

Opposite Nagasaki Sose was a cheerful, pink-haired girl.

Chihaya Anon.

What a coincidence. He had just run into Chihaya Anon inviting Nagasaki Sose to form a band.

Nagasaki Sose also noticed Riki and immediately frowned.

You look at me, so I'll look at you too!

Riki snorted and walked straight to the performance stage in the back of the cafe. Kaname Runa was adjusting her worn-out guitar. She looked up at Riki and asked, "What instrument do you play?"

Not even a greeting. Are cats like this?

Riki looked at the instruments nearby and casually picked up a bass. He knew quite a few instruments, and his skills were decent. He'd be modest and consider himself the strongest in modern times.

Don't misunderstand, Beethoven, you're the challenger!

Modern Strongest vs. Ancient Strongest.

Voices were already starting to appear in Riki's mind.

'What do you think of Beethoven?' the instructor asked.

'He's incredibly strong. I even feel like he wasn't using his full power,' Riki sighed.

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

"No, I've only met him a few times," Nagasaki Sose replied with a standard smile, taking a sip of her black tea. She noticed Riki picking up the bass and playing with the silver-haired girl.

When she heard Riki playing the bass, she couldn't help but widen her eyes in surprise.

Chapter 9: God, Please…

Once Riki got his hands on an instrument, he became serious. He could goof around usually, but when it came to professional matters, he had to be fully prepared. That was the minimum professional attitude, otherwise, Riki wouldn't have gotten the gig at the bar.

He strummed the bass a couple of times, producing a low hum. The tuning felt a bit off, so Riki adjusted the knob to get it closer.

"This bass has been here for a while. Maybe you should switch," said Miss Rinrinzi, the shop assistant, as she walked over. They didn't refuse performances at Ring, especially with Cat Crown Prince Kaname Runa here.

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

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

Narita Michi, do you think you can win the GI next year?

Actually, I prefer you over Tokai Teio, second only to Oguri Cap.

Riki said to Kaname Runa beside him, "Are you ready? Just improvise, follow my lead."

Kaname Runa nodded.

"Eh, you're going to play here?" Chihaya Anon said excitedly.

Nagasaki Sose smiled and explained, "Ring is very welcoming to people who like to play, but most people still practice in the practice rooms. Besides, the bass he's holding is old, it probably won't sound very good."

At this moment, the two saw Riki sweep his hand across the bass, producing a deep humming sound that seemed to make the floor vibrate with the music. His expression was calm as his fingers continuously plucked the strings, the precise musical notes causing Nagasaki Sose to widen her eyes in surprise.

Then, a high-pitched guitar sound suddenly joined in. Kaname Runa strummed the guitar excitedly, her exquisite guitar skills belying her age. Riki guided the guitar sound, continuously plucking the bass. The music drew the attention of people outside the cafe.

"Who's playing inside?"

"I remember the silver-haired one is the Wild Cat from our school. I don't know about the guy."

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

"Could he be a professional?"

Chihaya Anon exclaimed, "So amazing."

It was far stronger than her own mediocre... ah no, her guitar skills that still had room for improvement.

This person is so amazing.

Nagasaki Sose also stared at Riki, never expecting his bass playing to be so good. And it was exactly the bass she specialized in. It was as if he had taken Sakiko's place beside her.

This guy is so annoying!

The music stopped abruptly. Riki put down the bass and looked up to see Nagasaki Sose looking at him. He smiled triumphantly. Seeing Nagasaki Sose's face darken made him even happier.

The strong must humiliate the weak!

I love seeing the Scheming Little Sister's dark expression.

She just gets cuter the more I look at her.

"That was fun," Kaname Runa said with a smile, picking up her guitar and leaving. She was as spontaneous as a cat, coming and going as she pleased.

Riki also put down the bass and noticed a group of people walking into the cafe, looking at him curiously.

Don't look, little sisters. I'm a devoted man. I only like pretty sisters like Sakiko.

"Hey, if you're not going to order anything, get out."

Riki turned to see Shiina Rikki, with black hair reaching her waist and a beauty mark at the corner of her eye. She was looking at him unhappily. Because of Riki, so many onlookers had crowded in, and cleaning up later would be a hassle!

"Rikki-chan, you can't talk like that!" Ririko said, hands on her hips, puffing out her cheeks.

Thank you, Narita Michi-senpai.

Riki was touched. He waved and smiled, "It's okay, it's really my fault. Give me a cup of... hmm, hot Earl Grey tea."

Shiina Rikki noted down the order expressionlessly and turned to leave.

Riki could understand. In his memory, all drummers were like those in K-On! who were yelled at by the old man. The drummers in his own year wandered the campus like soulless undead every day.

And Shiina Rikki had entered this stage even earlier than her predecessors, and she had even joined the Taku Team... I mean, Crychic, this black hole of gravity.

Of course, Riki felt Shiina Rikki also had her own problems.

After all, Shiina Rikki herself was the ancient Egyptian god of pressure. Even a passing Wild Cat would be met with a "Huh?" from her. She forgave no one, only pressuring everyone equally. Shimon.

Kaname Runa: "?"

Riki was about to find a seat when he suddenly noticed Nagasaki Sose looking his way, pointing to the seat next to her and gesturing for him to sit there.

If I listen to you, won't I lose face?

So Riki sat down next to Nagasaki Sose, Let's see what tricks you have up your sleeve.

Shiina Rikki was helping to make drinks backstage when Ririko walked over and said with a smile, "That boy plays the bass so well. Could he be a professional?"

"I don't care," Shiina Rikki said calmly. However, in her mind, she began to compare Riki's bass playing with that of her classmate Hachiman Mairin, and the result was that Riki was slightly better.

"He seems to know Sose-chan. Did they know each other before?" Ririko asked curiously.

Shiina Rikki's hands paused, her eyelids lowered.

"I don't care."

Since Crychic disbanded, she hadn't cared about anything.

On that rainy day, any one of them seemed to have sunk to the bottom of the sea, unable to escape.

"Your bass playing is really good. Are you a professional?" Nagasaki Sose asked.

"I'm a serious, top university student," Riki replied.

Nagasaki Sose said calmly, "Then, would you be willing to be our band's advisor for a while? I'm planning to form a band with Aine."

So, they're planning to revive Crychic?

Riki crossed his arms and thought for a moment. Honestly, he did want to help Toyokawa Sakiko. There were two reasons for her current distress: first, the series of changes brought about by her family's situation; and second, the bonds of the original five members of Crychic. And if nothing unexpected happened, three of the original members would be in Mygo.

It wasn't just Riki's skill that led Nagasaki Sose to propose this idea. The main reason was that she hoped to find out why Sakiko left by following the thread from him.

"Really!?" Chihaya Anon exclaimed excitedly. "If he's our advisor, it'll definitely be fine."

We'll definitely be able to perform at the school festival, shock everyone, and become huge stars at school!

Poor Aine didn't realize that all the gifts of fate were secretly marked with a price.

Riki thought for a moment. "I suppose I could, but I'm very busy. Working for free doesn't benefit me. If you could cover my year's supply of tea and coffee packets..."

"Deal," Nagasaki Sose said flatly.

Riki: "?"

Is this what they call a rich Japanese woman?

"No matter what price I have to pay, I will..." Nagasaki Sose murmured softly.

But the good times of the past can't come back.

Not for you, and not for Sakiko.

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

It started raining in Tokyo, the raindrops pattering against the cafe's glass.

But the rain in their hearts had never stopped since that day; it had always been a torrential downpour.