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thump.
Chihaya Aine turned over slightly, her face flushed, and stared at the bright light on the ceiling.
His fingers slowly touched his wet lips, but the moment they touched them, he retracted his hand as if he had seen something embarrassing.
...I am too brave.
...Because, because Xinxin kissed me yesterday...so of course I have to take revenge.
It’s all Xinxin’s fault. Why is he so tall?
Not only did I have to stand on tiptoe... I also had to... I had to hug Xinxin's neck to kiss her face.
Ahhh! Really, I feel so shy when I think about it!
It's like this on the street... hehe... it's so embarrassing to show off your affection.
But... Xinxin's stunned face is so cute... Hehe, I should have taken a picture earlier.
And...you also gave me earrings?
Really, don't make it so obvious.
If you want to see me wearing something... you can just tell me quietly... of course I will wear it and show you.
Gently stroking her own face which was still hot due to the residual warmth, Chihaya Aine buried her head back into the quilt with a silly smile, and her calves, which had not yet taken off their socks, began to shake happily once again.
-
Today's [Starry] opening hours are still the same, and Nakagawa Nobuyuki has long been accustomed to it.
"Hey~ Nakagawa-san, you came just in time~"
Hearing the sound of the door, Ichichi Hongxia, who was squatting on the stage adjusting the drum set, immediately poked her golden little head out from the side of the standing drum, looking very excited, and greeted Nakagawa Nobuyuki.
"Why do you say the same thing every time you come here... NPC?"
He closed the door behind him and looked at the hardworking Ijichi Kouka in front of him, and Nakagawa Nobuyuki continued to complain.
“Because this sentence is the most useful…”
Ijichi Hongxia wiped the beads of sweat from her face, still holding the drum key in her hand, slowly adjusting the strength of the pedal.
"Where are they in Yili?"
Nakagawa Xin unloaded the liquid box used to hold drinks from the beverage machine with ease, and took the beverage powder from the cupboard, while still not forgetting to ask about the other members of the band.
After all, as for the last Live, although the final effect did look good, Hongxia was obviously too nervous... plus there was Ichiri, a guy who always made her feel uneasy, and it always felt a little dangerous.
"Ah... As for Pochi-chan, Ryo just pulled her over to her sister's side, and told her to overcome her fear or something..."
dong dong.
After gently testing the strength of the pedal, it still felt a little heavy. With a funny look on her face, Ijichi Hinikaka answered Nakagawa Nobuyuki's question while continuing to kneel on the stage and carefully adjusted the drum set.
"Are you sure you won't make Yili faint immediately..."
When Nakagawa Nobuyuki, who was adding a large, cheap bottle of mineral water to the liquid box, heard these words, his brows twitched. The image of Goto Ichiri foaming at the mouth and fainting in front of Ijichi Seika suddenly appeared in his mind.
“Goto-san——!”
It seemed like I could hear Kita's anxious cry from far away... I hoped it was just my illusion.
"Is there anything I can help with later?"
I pushed the liquid box back into the beverage machine and the buckle made a crisp sound.
"Just wait a moment, Nakagawa-san is watching us from below..."
As she spoke, Ijichi Hongxia's face suddenly straightened, and she immediately looked extremely serious, raising her fist high: "Next! The first step to the martial arts hall - or something."
As soon as she finished speaking, the aura of Ijichi Hongxia disappeared, and she smiled embarrassedly: "The martial arts hall is still a little far away... Nakagawa, you won't laugh at me, right?"
Nakagawa Nobuyuki stopped what he was doing and slowly looked at Ijichi Kouka who was looking at him warily for a few seconds...then he turned his eyes away.
"What do you mean? This is worse than just laughing!"
Ichichi Hongxia waved her fist angrily, and with her spines puffed up like a puffer fish, she immediately hid behind the drum set again and ignored Nakagawa Shin.
Seeing the reaction he wanted to get, Nakagawa Nobuyuki naturally laughed and apologized to Hong Xia in a gentle voice.
Although Hongxia still wanted to pretend to be angry, the triangular hair on her head became visibly excited when Nakagawa Nobuyuki apologized.
...Really? Isn't this just betraying yourself?
Of course, after all, the band had to finish the Live performance before Starry opened, so this relaxing time did not last long.
As the whispered chattering sounds got closer, Kita Kita and Miss Liang, who were whispering, immediately appeared from the corner of the corridor.
Maybe it was because it was almost time for the Live acceptance, Kita, who was usually a super optimistic person, finally looked a little nervous.
Miss Liang was still as calm as usual. After seeing Nakagawa Nobuyuki, she just nodded slightly at him.
Goto Ichiri...
At this moment, Goto Ichiri was still hanging on the neck of Ijichi Seika, who had a look of resignation on his face. His condition seemed... actually not that bad.
Of course…although his complexion looked normal, he had actually been gone for a while.
“Nakagawa-san! Remember to help everyone record the first live performance later… After all, the band already has a lot of fans now that it’s over!”
Although Kita seemed a little nervous, he still came over and whispered to Nakagawa Nobuyuki who was looking at him expectantly.
"Zhonghe, I'll settle the performance fee later."
Miss Yamada, with a calm face, naturally put on her bass and reminded Nakagawa Nobuyuki without turning her head.
"That kind of thing is too much..."
Although the author complained unnecessarily, Nakagawa Nobuyuki still nodded to Ijichi Kouka, who was sitting upright next to the drum set, waiting for others to go on stage.
He could feel that, although she didn't say it, Miss Yamada was also worried about others, so she had such a seemingly stupid conversation with him.
...But, Manager Xingge wouldn't reject them, right? After all, their level is pretty good.
After taking a quick glance at Ichichi Hoshige's pretty face, Nakagawa Shinnosuke felt an inexplicable worry in his heart.
243
Chapter 243: Flipping the Rock...
"… Nakagawa-san, are you really not going to join us? We had a great roadshow together before!"
Kita Ikuyo, who was carrying a guitar on her back, looked at Nakagawa Nobuyuki who was just smiling and shaking his head in front of her, smacking her lips with some regret.
I originally thought that if Nakagawa-san was there... I would be able to sing seriously, but it turns out that Nakagawa-san didn't plan to attend...
But it’s okay! I’ve been practicing for a long time now, and I’m sure I can pass the store manager’s inspection!
...However, nowadays many bands consist of five members. From what I remember, many newly debuted girl bands also consist of five members.
As expected, I should go back and try to persuade Nakagawa-san! Although Nakagawa-san seems to be playing both sides...
Just like this, Kita blinked her big eyes. Maybe it was because it was almost time to go on stage, so everyone was not so nervous at this moment.
"Alright, alright, this is your acceptance live after all, right? What's the point of me going up there?"
Shaking his head helplessly, Nakagawa Nobuyuki sighed and patted Kita's shoulder: "You will definitely pass, don't be nervous... and don't be afraid of losing."
"Yili, are you okay too?"
In the backstage, after encouraging Kita-san, whose morale had been slightly boosted, Nakagawa Nobuyuki turned around and looked at Goto Ichiri who was standing aside.
Well...it's pretty much the same every time.
However, this time, Ichiri seemed to be much bolder. Although his face was still pale, he tried hard to stand in front of Nakagawa Nobuyuki, as if he was waiting for something.
“…No, no, no, it’s okay!”
His shoulders trembled suddenly, probably because he was startled by his name being called, and Goto Ichiri, who was staggering, immediately stood up straight.
"Nobu, Nobu-san, if it's okay... can you show me the song from before?"
Goto Ichiri, with his head down, was obviously a little nervous, and his lips were trembling...but it didn't seem to be entirely because of the performance.
"…It's not complete, but if you want to take a look, I'll give it a try."
Some people were puzzled as to why Goto Ichiri suddenly brought up this, but Nakagawa Shinya didn't say much. Instead, he gently touched Goto Ichiri's pale pink head, smiled and half-bent down.
“…Then, Nobu-san…wait, cheer me up later!”
Feeling the familiar breath of Nakagawa Nobu, Goto Ichiri just shrank his fair neck and closed his eyes tightly, as if he had a very different emotion from usual? He quickly instructed Nakagawa Nobu in front of him.
If you lower your head at this moment, you can probably see Goto Ichiri's eyes quietly opening.
"Okay, go on stage. I can do anything like that without you having to tell me."
Nakagawa Nobuyuki's face straightened, and he used a little force to pat Goto Ichiri on the back, causing Goto Ichiri, who had just bent over, to stand up subconsciously.
"Yes Yes!"
Similarly, after nodding to Ms. Ijichi Kouka and Ms. Liang on the stage, Nakagawa Nobuyuki closed the door leading to the stage from the backstage.
It's of course possible to go directly from the stands, but if you go up from here, it will be closer to a normal live performance.
...It seems that Manager Xingge also takes this matter very seriously.
Thinking of this, Nakagawa Nobuyuki quickened his pace and walked towards the stands.
There wasn't much time left before the doors opened, so I'd better get to the front desk as soon as possible.
By the time Nakagawa Nobuyuki poked his head out from the corridor while jogging, Miss PA and Ijichi Hoshika had already taken their seats in front of the stands.
Miss PA still looked sleepy as usual, and I felt a little sleepy just by looking at her.
Ijichi Xingge crossed his legs with a serious expression. His face was 80% similar to Hongxia's, but not as gentle as Hongxia's. It was just slightly frozen.
Leaning on the table at the side, Nakagawa Nobuyuki looked at Ijichi Hoshika, who had a very serious expression, and nodded with some approval.
Sure enough, if we want to accept the inspection, we have to make such a grand show first.
pong——
The clear sound of cymbals suddenly echoed in the Livehouse.
"…Hi everyone, we are the Ending Band!"
Hong Xia gently pointed at the microphone, took a deep breath, and spoke with some determination.
I should be nervous... I was already nervous last night!
I can even play it normally with so many people...but now there are only a few people, so it is definitely not a big deal for me!
"Next... is our first original song - [Guitar, Loneliness and Blue Planet!]"
Yes...the first one.
In order to pass the inspection and so on...it's all thanks to Pochi-chan and Ryo.
The light was a little blinding for a moment.
The drumstick held by the fingers seemed to have its own consciousness as it flew towards the drum surface that had become a little gray due to being hit thousands of times.
The thumping sound...Is it a heartbeat or a snare drum? I can't really tell.
But if it was a heartbeat, it was definitely not a nervous heartbeat... it was an excited heartbeat - super excited.
Next, along with the sound of the heartbeat, came the trembling sound of the steel strings of the guitar and bass.
The humming of the bass... must be vibrating faster and more violently than a mortal heart...
What about the guitar...guitar...which one should I listen to first?
Ahhh… It’s just an acceptance live with not many people around, but I’m so excited… Isn’t that a bit inappropriate?
The music was getting more and more intense, as if it wanted to vent all the recent depression...but Ijichi Hongxia's hands did not move even a little faster because of the excitement in her heart.
[No matter how dazzling you are, please don't be so dazzling. ]
[Wouldn't my dark shadow become more obvious? ]
【…】
[Just encourage my increasingly noisy heart! ]
On the other hand, the lyrics written by his own subordinates just flowed out from Goto Ichiri's mouth.