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With an extremely complicated expression, Ijichi Hoshige pursed her lips slightly, probably trying to make her face look a little friendlier.
"There are some things I need to talk about... Anyway, follow me."
After taking a quick glance at Ichichi Hongxia who looked a little dazed not far away, Ichichi Xingge turned his head back cruelly.
It seems that Hong Xia has seen through it...
However, although she hated this kind of tacit understanding, Ijichi Xingge had no choice but to bite the bullet, pull up the strange Nakagawa Nobuyuki, and walk towards the lounge.
It actually looks quite strange. After all, Ijichi Hoshika is still much shorter than Nakagawa Shin, and there is a subtle sense of incongruity.
And Hongxia, looking at Nakagawa Nobuyuki being pulled away by Ijichi Hoshige, suddenly seemed to know something and sighed softly.
"Eh? Just now, we did pass...right?"
Kita, who was the best at reading the atmosphere, immediately noticed the subtle change in the atmosphere and said a few words in a somewhat uncertain tone:
"It shouldn't be the kind of thing where... failure causes hallucinations and illusions... right?"
Kita Ikuyo's voice became smaller and smaller.
"No, no... that kind of setting is too old-fashioned..."
Even though she was still complaining as usual, Ijichi Hongxia's sudden look of worry definitely showed that she was not joking.
"It's not a big deal... I'm just, I'm just a little worried."
With a slightly unpleasant tone, Ijichi Hongxia gently buttoned up the top sleeve of her shirt to block out the cold air that was constantly pouring in from her neck, and spoke softly.
"Xingge won't break his promise."
Shaking his head at Kita Ikuyo who looked flustered, Yamada Ryo's voice was still as steady as usual.
"Cheer up a little... and Pochi."
As he spoke, Yamada Ryo nodded on the head of Goto Ichiri who was in a daze.
"……Oh."
Maybe next time.
This time, I have used up all my courage... Next time, I must hold on to Xin.
I...had a hard time mustering up the courage.
...I want to cry.
"Alright, alright! Now that we've passed, don't be so depressed!"
Finally, it was Ichichi Hongxia who let out a long sigh. Even though her mood was as complicated as a mixture of mixed feelings, she still smiled and clapped her hands.
……
"... Nakagawa, if you're smart enough, you should be able to figure it out."
Ijichi Xingge, who didn't care about her image at all, sat down on the old table and chair in the corner of the lounge with her legs spread out, muttering with her head down.
“…Ms. Xingge, do you not want to let the closing band pass…?”
There is no need to think about it too carefully. Just think about the hesitation and indecision of Ijichi Hoshika when the approval was announced, and Nakagawa Nobuyuki will immediately understand.
But...why?
With his brows slightly furrowed and some doubts lingering in his mind, Nakagawa Nobuyuki looked in front of him, where Ijichi Seika was taking out a thin cigarette in a distracted manner.
Fires flickered and smoke filled the air.
"Ahem, ahem...Anyway, I want to hear your opinion, Nakagawa."
The depressed mood in his heart lingered, and he took a little too much on the first puff. Even though Ijichi Xingge was already accustomed to this taste, he was still caught off guard and choked a little.
However, even so, Ijichi Hoshika's eyes were fixed on Nakagawa Nobuyuki.
He stepped back slightly without leaving a trace, avoiding the unpleasant smell of tobacco, and then Nakagawa Nobuyuki spoke with a lot of questions:
"…What do you think?"
Ijichi Hoshika in front of him also didn't say much, and explained in a muffled voice: "Anyway, I really want Hongxia to play in a band... Nakagawa, do you want to draw one?"
The cigarette box that was handed over stayed in the air for a few seconds. Yidizhi Xingge suddenly remembered something and quickly withdrew his hand.
"I almost forgot you can't smoke... Really, you don't act like a little kid at all."
Only then did Ichichi Xingge let out a long sigh and put the cigarette he had already smoked back into the box.
Afterwards, perhaps he was having some psychological struggle, Ichichi Xingge's brows were sometimes furrowed, and sometimes relaxed, but he didn't say a word.
Nakagawa Nobuyuki could naturally see Ichichi Hoshika's hesitation, so he was quite tactful and did not say anything. Instead, he pulled a chair over and waited quietly for Ichichi Hoshika.
Time moves forward quietly in silence.
Finally, after flicking off the long, unburned ash that had accumulated on the cigarette butt and finally figuring something out, Ichichi Xingge spoke in a low voice.
"…Do you have anything to say, Nakagawa?"
Seeing that Ijichi Hoshika in front of him took the initiative to bring up the topic, Nakagawa Nobuyuki naturally took over the topic.
It was just silence, as if what he said could stump Nakagawa Nobuyuki, who was a team leader in a customer service company.
"Since you don't want Hong Xia to play in a band, why not just announce that you don't approve it?"
Although it was a question, Nakagawa Nobuyuki's clear facial expression did not look like he was confused at all. On the contrary, it was as if he already knew the answer and was waiting for it to be announced with confidence.
"...So, that's why I hate this about sensitive little brats like you."
After gently extinguishing the cigarette in his hand, Yidizhi Xingge propped up his neck and tapped the slightly aged and discolored plastic tabletop, his voice sounding a little tired:
"To my surprise, a brat like you passed the message to me... Hiring you as a clerk is such a waste of talent."
After a slight pause, Ijichi Hoshige looked at Nakagawa Nobuyuki in front of him.
"...You probably guessed it. I wanted to announce that it was not approved... and just let Hongxia continue playing this [playing house band]."
"…But the level of ending the band is higher than I thought it would be… a lot higher."
"…So, I really can't have the heart to say that."
Muttering gloomily, at this moment, Ijichi Hoshika probably didn't regard Nakagawa Nobuyuki as a junior at all, but treated him as someone of the same age as herself.
"If that's the case, then why don't we just let Hong Xia have fun?"
This time, Nakagawa Nobuyuki was really curious.
After all, it's just a band. In this era of big girl bands, bands seem to be quite common, right? If you want to play, why not just have fun? Why don't you want Hongxia to play in a band?
"...Of course that's fine, but -"
As he spoke, Xingge tried hard to shift his gaze away from the cigarette box and clenched his fists tightly.
"...I don't want Hong Xia to become someone like me."
"...Hongxia, you should study hard and eventually get into a university."
"So, Nakagawa, I have something I want to ask of you."
Ijichi Hoshige sighed with mixed feelings and looked at Nakagawa Nobuyuki who was frowning in front of him.
246
Chapter 246: It’s best to continue with the band or something!
"So, Nakagawa, I have something I want to ask of you."
In the Starry lounge which had not yet opened, under the dim lights, Ijichi Hoshige made a request to Nakagawa Nobuyuki with a serious expression.
"No, no, wait a minute, Manager Xingge."
Nakagawa Nobuyuki's face froze, and he quickly stretched out his hand and made a [STOP] gesture, interrupting Ijichi Hoshika who was talking to herself.
"The biggest problem is... why can't Hong Xia continue to play in the band?"
Spreading out his hands, Nakagawa Nobuyuki asked with a puzzled look on his face.
And to be honest, what does "someone like me" mean... Opening a LiveHouse in Shimokitazawa is actually a pretty profitable business, right? Especially with the market conditions in recent years?
Moreover, although [Starry] cannot be called the leader in the industry and cannot be compared with [CiRCLE] and [RiNG], it is definitely comparable to the scale of LiveHouse such as [Galaxy] on the shopping street.
It can be seen from the fact that Starry opens at a certain time every day, but there are still a lot of customers coming to support it every day... Logically speaking, shouldn't the older sister encourage her younger sister to play in a band?
"... Nakagawa, you've seen what Hongxia has been doing recently."
Perhaps knowing that Nakagawa Nobuyuki would definitely not agree if she didn't show some persuasiveness, Ijichi Hoshige finally gave up asking further questions and suddenly changed the subject.
"Hongxia is always very serious about her studies, and the same goes for the band."
Yidizhi Xingge lowered her eyes, with a hint of guilt flashing in her eyes.
"Every morning when I get up, Hongxia has already prepared breakfast... Sometimes, I can still see Hongxia unconsciously absent-mindedly tapping the air with her fingers at the dining table."
"...I originally thought that I was an open-minded sister because I used to be in a band and I should definitely support Hong Xia."
"…But when Hong Xia really started a band, I started to get worried."
Perhaps he had finally found someone to whom he could pour out his grievances, for the usually stern and cold-faced Ichichi Xingge became particularly talkative at this moment.
"Playing in a band or something like that will definitely have an impact on Hong Xia's studies. I know I shouldn't worry about this, but... Alas."
Sighing and scratching his head, Yidizhi Xingge did not hide his extremely depressed look of headache at all.
"Most bands...it's actually hard for them to break up before they actually gain enough fame from performing, let alone anything further...you know that Hachiman Kairei, right?"
Nakagawa Nobuyuki nodded.
"Many bands don't actually plan to find a long-term bassist...because as long as they spend money to hire a [mercenary], people will naturally be willing to come to the show, right?"
"It would be great if Hongxia and the others could do that, but what if..."
Yidizhi Xingge paused, and all his words turned into a helpless sigh, and he fell silent.
"…So, Nakagawa, go and persuade Hongxia?"
"Actually, isn't [playing house band] pretty good?"
"At least, you can still smile happily, right? You don't have to worry about profits, publicity, or anything like that... Just study hard first... How about that?"
The lounge seemed a little stuffy. I don't know if it was because the air in the lounge was not circulating well, or because Nakagawa Nobuyuki's constant silence made the atmosphere like this.
When I feel depressed, I feel a wave of unpleasant sighs.
…Really, how did I become such a boring adult?
It's really hard to imagine that asking others to "study hard" or something like that would actually come out of my mouth.
"I think... even if I don't tell you, Hong Xia will be able to handle the relationship between the band and the school, right?"
Looking at Ijichi Hoshika in front of him with a complicated, hesitant expression, full of emotion and a hint of sadness, Nakagawa Shin shook his head, but did not nod or shake his head, but asked back softly.
"If Hongxia and the others weren't so skilled, I would probably feel the same way."
Yidizhi Xingge's expression, which was already gloomy, became even more difficult to describe at this moment.
"...The quality of these two songs is indeed very good, but it is precisely because of this that I am afraid that it will give Hongxia and the others the wrong impression - something like "Being a band is actually very simple"..."
"Finally, if I ever get stuck in some kind of creative deadlock..."
...I had promised my mother that I would always keep Hongxia smiling.
To let Hongxia bet on the probability between the band and the school...I don't think I'm that brave.
"…It really makes me feel that they have a close sisterhood."
After understanding what Ijichi Hoshige was worried about, Nakagawa Nobuyuki sighed softly. In that sigh, there was perhaps a little envy.
After all, this kind of thing is something I have never experienced before, and hearing about it makes people yearn for it.
I'm also juggling between being in a band and going to school, so it would be nice if there was someone to worry about my studies.
…Having said that, I actually didn’t spend much time on the classroom.
"Anyway...Manager Xingge, you probably just want Hongxia to pay more attention to her studies, right?"
After clearing his throat, Nakagawa Nobuyuki changed the subject, as if he had thought of something, and immediately asked.
"As for the band...if it's okay--"
"Wait a minute, Manager Xingge, tell me first... is it true that Hong Xia really doesn't want to play in the band?"