Thank You, Riki

Nagasaki Sose was a bassist, also known as the legendary Concert Invisible Person. Supposedly, one day Crychic forgot to call her onstage to perform. When she hurried over, Toyokawa Sakiko happily told her, "You played really well just now."

Of course, that was all something Riki had made up. One of his classmates had been in that situation, and Riki had been the one to say those words. As a result, he still hadn't managed to get the classmate to add him back on WeChat.

As for the other members of Mygo, Chihaya Anon was in charge of guitar, Shiina Riki was the Explosive Drummer and Pressure Player, and Takamatsu Akari was the Lead Singer. As for the cat... the cat wandered around.

—I just don't understand why this cat gets to wander around everywhere! Someone explain it to me!

Because she was the Cat Crown Prince, and the Ring owner's biological granddaughter.

"Riki...san, can you play guitar? I remember you played bass at the Cafe before," Chihaya Anon asked curiously. If Riki couldn't play guitar, she could teach him as his senior.

"No need. I'm pretty good at it," Riki said, shaking his head.

"Don't be shy! I performed in front of the whole school when I was in middle school!" Chihaya Anon boasted.

"Same here," Riki said, delighted to have found a kindred spirit. "When I started university, more than a dozen National First-Class Singers were staring at me."

"...?" Chihaya Anon.

National-level?

Did I hear that wrong?

Actually, Riki really did have exceptional talent. Otherwise, his advisor wouldn't have left him to his own devices. When the advisor first met Riki at the start of term, he'd been overjoyed, thinking he'd found Beethoven reincarnated. Half a semester later, after getting to know him, his heart had sunk as he realized that something must have gone wrong when Beethoven was reincarnated. Somewhere along the way, Riki had spent two years studying at Deyunshe and learning traditional customs before being born.

Seeing Riki as a lump of gold with an indescribable shape, the advisor had wanted to nurture his talent, but had no idea how to teach him, so he'd had to leave him alone. Still, that proved just how outstanding Riki's talent really was.

"He's obviously joking. I've never heard of anyone that impressive," Nagasaki Sose said casually as she picked up her bass.

"What? So he was joking." Chihaya Anon let out a sigh of relief. She'd nearly thought her own third-rate... full-of-potential guitar skills were terrible.

Chihaya Anon joked with a giggle, "Maybe Riki's a genius from another world."

"Hell?" Shiina Riki said offhandedly.

Kids, that wasn't funny. Riki's face darkened.

But he really was from another world.

Riki... er, Riki picked up a guitar in the practice room and strummed it a couple of times, producing a loud sound. After confirming the guitar spirit was pleased, he nodded.

Riki swept a pick across the strings. His precise notes and blistering speed left the others astonished.

"You're really this good at guitar, too..." Chihaya Anon said, a little nervous.

Shiina Riki was also very surprised. "That's professional-level, isn't it?"

"Professional!?" Chihaya Anon exclaimed in disbelief. "How do you compare to Sumimi's Mikumura Shioka?"

Riki was two years older than the high schoolers, but he'd studied a wide range of instruments and spread his energy thin. Against Mikumura Shioka, who was also at a professional level and quite exceptional, he was indeed at a disadvantage. Keeping a straight face, he said, "We're about even."

"About even!?" Chihaya Anon exclaimed, admiration in her eyes. "Then how do you compare to everyone else...?"

Teacher Aine, stop asking! I'm starting to sweat. Do you really need me to admit I'm just a tiny bit worse?

Give me a little face.

My specialty is composing, okay?

From the corner, Nagasaki Sose watched Riki with a frown. Why had Toyokawa Sakiko sought out someone like Riki, who was so good with instruments? Was she dissatisfied with the members of Crychic?

She had no way of knowing the truth. All she could do was get it out of Riki.

The first practice session hadn't gone very well. Takamatsu Akari couldn't get her voice out, bassist Nagasaki Sose put in no effort, Shiina Riki started applying pressure, and Chihaya Anon's amateurish playing was on full display in front of Riki...

Seeing the Taku Team's atmosphere sour, Riki tried to lighten the mood. "Anon just needs to improve her guitar skills a little. The rest of you just need to focus more."

As their music instructor, he did his share of work, too. After all, he was living off Nagasaki Sose.

His words did improve the mood in the practice room a little. Riki was not only a boy, but also very talented, so it was much easier to hear it from him.

"Remember to practice at home," Shiina Riki said to Chihaya Anon, his tone cool.

"I don't need you to tell me that!" Chihaya Anon snapped.

When Riki noticed how late it was and was about to head home, Takamatsu Akari took a few small steps toward him and quietly said, "Thank you, Riki. Otherwise, everyone wouldn't have come together."

Watching Takamatsu Akari walk away, Riki smiled and left Ring. He happened to see Nagasaki Sose up ahead.

"Heading home? We can walk together; it's on my way," Riki said.

"Don't come near me. I hate you," Nagasaki Sose said expressionlessly.

Riki didn't take offense. Their routes really did happen to overlap, so he left some distance between them as they walked. He also took the opportunity to enjoy the sights of Tokyo. Not everyone got to go on a free sightseeing trip, especially with a down-on-her-luck noble heiress along for the ride.

As he was thinking that, Riki saw that Nagasaki Sose seemed to be having a little trouble up ahead. Several delinquent boys with brightly colored hair surrounded her. Nagasaki Sose clutched the hem of her skirt and trembled, putting on an angry expression.

"Miss Tsukinomori, how about I take you to play Pachinko for some excitement..." one of the delinquents said with a leering grin as he blocked Nagasaki Sose's way.

"Is there a problem with you bothering my friend?" Riki asked with a smile, patting the boy on the shoulder.

"?" The delinquent boy.

Chapter 12: Thank You, Riki

By any reasonable measure, Nagasaki Sose was a young lady from Tsukinomori, a school for the wealthy, and a beautiful girl to boot. She had all the makings of someone who'd attract unwanted attention. Until now, though, she'd been a hidden shut-in who only went between home, school, and Ring, and hadn't realized it.

It wasn't until the delinquent reached out and grabbed her hand that Nagasaki Sose began to panic.

She was a girl with a little cunning and a fair amount of intelligence, but she was still just a high schooler. She didn't have much ability to fight back against delinquents.

"Is there a problem with you bothering my friend?" Riki asked with a smile, his hand on the delinquent's shoulder.

"Your friend?"

What else, your mom?

Are you guys Batman? Going out early in the morning to look for your parents?

Riki smiled without saying anything. The delinquents frowned and glared at him. Seeing that he wasn't backing down and had started rolling his wrists, they changed their expressions, all stepped back, then turned and ran.

"Since she's your friend, we'll let it go..."

Once they'd run off, Riki explained, "Those delinquents are all bullies who pick on the weak. Don't think they're good at fighting. They're actually the ones most afraid of a fight. If they run into someone reckless, their heads could get smashed in... If you're scared, I can walk you home."

"Who said I was scared!" Nagasaki Sose said, holding her trembling arm and refusing to admit it.

Nagasaki Sose took a deep breath to suppress her fear, then shuffled toward home.

After walking a few meters, she looked back and saw that Riki had already left. She nervously rubbed her fingertips together.

I only said I wasn't scared. Why'd you leave so quickly?

Wasn't it on your way?

Fine! I'm not scared anyway. It makes no difference whether you're here or not!

Nagasaki Sose clenched her teeth and walked on with her head down, but she grew more and more uneasy, afraid she'd run into delinquents like those from before. Suddenly, someone came around the corner. Still shaken, Nagasaki Sose let out a scream.

"Ah!!"

"Holy crap, you scared me!" Riki jumped. "I only went to buy a Coke. Was that really so scary?"

"You... didn't leave?" Nagasaki Sose asked, stunned.

Are you cursing me?

Are you a special-grade jujutsu sorcerer?

Riki rolled his eyes and continued toward home.

Nagasaki Sose hurried after him. Riki was really annoying, but following him did make her feel a little safer... Just a little. No more than that.

Nagasaki Sose and Riki walked slowly, one meter apart, with Riki in front. Every so often, someone glanced their way with a strange expression. What was the relationship between these two?

They were too far apart to be a couple, but too close to be strangers... Could they be a couple in the middle of a cold war?

"Mom, look at those two arguing. Are they a couple?" a child in the park said, pointing at Riki and Nagasaki Sose.

"Haruka, you can't say things like that!"

Hearing them, Nagasaki Sose's ears turned red. She should've known better than to walk with this guy. Now people were getting the wrong idea.

Nagasaki Sose nervously rubbed her fingertips together. She wasn't some genuine villain, after all. Riki had definitely saved her just now, but she found him annoying, and saying thank you was really difficult.

"Hey..." Riki suddenly spoke.

"Ah, yes!" Nagasaki Sose jumped.

I didn't call you to attention. Don't keep startling like that.

"Which way is your home?" Riki asked. He was going to escort Nagasaki Sose home. She might hate him, but as a mature, handsome man, he couldn't just leave a girl who'd been so scared she'd jumped to attention without seeing her to her door.

Nagasaki Sose realized that, too. She hesitated, then pointed to the right. "This way."

"Let's go."

With his hands in his pockets, Riki walked ahead. Sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell across his face, giving him a youthful, vibrant air. The Tokyo high school girls walking home nearby stared at him, but the moment they saw Nagasaki Sose following behind him, they understood.

Taken.

"This is it, right? Go on home," Riki said, standing outside the upscale apartment building and turning to Nagasaki Sose.

"Um..." Nagasaki Sose hesitated. She wanted to thank him, but the words were stuck in her throat.

"I know you admire me, but I heard Tokyo girls show their chests when they say thank you..." Riki said hesitantly.

"How could that possibly be true!" Nagasaki Sose snapped, then turned and hurried into the apartment building. Halfway there, she stopped and turned back, saying fiercely, "Thank you!"

Why'd you have to shout so loud?

You have none of the traditional virtues of a Yamato Nadeshiko.

Riki sighed, speechless. He still had to take a ten-minute detour to get home. He shouldn't have played the hero.

Nagasaki Sose watched Riki's departing shadow through the floor-to-ceiling window, until he disappeared from view.

"What an annoying guy," Nagasaki Sose murmured.

If you were going to show up, why couldn't you have come sooner? Why wait until now to ruin our Crychic...

"Soyo, what annoying thing were you talking about?"

"Oh, Mom, you're back. I meant I ran into an annoying cat on my way home. Really annoying, extremely annoying, but... not all that annoying, I guess..."

What was this child talking about? Nagasaki's Mom looked puzzled.

Once the half-price stickers went on the bentos, Riki fought his way through a pack of ravenous office workers just off their shifts and managed to grab two.

Hmph, this place has become my hunting ground. From today on, I'm a wolf. Those office workers are, at best, dogs. They're no match for me. Maybe I should come up with a cool nickname like "Ice Demon Man."

"If you are a dragon, that's good too."

I mean, I'm a wolf, you idiot.

"I got them." Riki pushed his way out of the crowded supermarket, held up the plastic bag, and smiled at Toyokawa Sakiko.

"That's amazing!" Toyokawa Sakiko smiled.

Looking at Toyokawa Sakiko's smile, Riki sighed, remembering a conversation he'd had with his advisor when he first started university.

"Riki, what do you think of the law protecting minors?" His advisor stood tall and dignified, watching his genius student with eyes full of expectation, waiting for him to offer some insightful opinion.

"Teacher, I'm not afraid." Riki pondered for a moment. As a sensei, I won't give up on any of my students. They're all my wings.

"?" The advisor.

Afterward, the advisor was so angry that he came down with a high fever for two days.

Speaking of which, Teacher Da Xiang seemed to be underage, too... Riki thought, looking at Toyokawa Sakiko's pretty profile.

That jawline was so lovely, her eyes so big, and that collarbone so fair...

"Are you listening to me?" Toyokawa Sakiko waved her fair hand in front of Riki. "You can have this one with more meat. Boys need to eat more meat to grow."

I've already grown plenty, but thanks anyway, Sakiko-bao.

The two returned to the rented apartment. Toyokawa Sakiko was getting a little used to their recent routine. She went to school and work, then came home with Riki and ate dinner. The quiet but cozy life made her want to keep things this way forever.

"Click!"

Just as Toyokawa Sakiko was about to eat, the light suddenly clicked off. She froze for a moment, then realized she'd forgotten to pay the electricity bill. Her deadbeat dad was even less likely to pay it.