Seeing Ming Hai's slightly frozen expression, Toyokawa Shoko grabbed the corner of his clothes in time, completely blocking his option of escaping.
"Don't worry, I don't mean anything else. I'm just curious."
"Aren't all girls like this? They want to hear other people's love gossip to use as a reference for their future~"
"I think there's nothing wrong with that, right?"
And behind this gentle and light voice...
-
A rehearsal room on the streets of Shibuya.
"Well... the sound system is fine. But the drum kit and other cables are not well maintained. If you play them a little more vigorously, they may show obvious wear and tear or breakage."
After carefully touching all the equipment in the training room, Ming Hai stood up and turned to Toyokawa Shoko, who looked full of surprise and admiration, and said:
"In order to avoid being asked by the boss to pay compensation later, it is better to tell the other party about these circumstances first. Even if this practice room has good reviews online, you can't be careless about issues related to your own rights."
"I understand." Toyokawa Shoko nodded, carefully wrote down the key points he said, and then couldn't help asking, "Don't you know how to play musical instruments? How come you suddenly become so proficient and can see any problem at a glance..."
"Didn't I tell you? I learned this for you during this period of time."
Ming Hai glanced at her and didn't say much, seeming to be still sulking.
Toyokawa Shoko stood there in a daze, her heart trembling suddenly, and she once again remembered his explanation to her just now -
"From the time I was born until I was fifteen, I have never been in love. No matter who I went to a cafe with, who I had afternoon tea with, or even who I studied for... you were my first time."
"Isn't it because we have goals to pursue that humans can make progress and become familiar with things that are unfamiliar to them?"
"You actually doubt my experience... Oh, never mind, let it be."
"Really, I'm not lying..."
Unconsciously biting her lips, she lowered her eyes and pinched her fingertips until they turned white. A slight pain of guilt and pity grew in her complex heart. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that her words and actions just now were unreasonable and excessive, just like a child who started throwing a tantrum when he couldn't get candy.
She understands her own immaturity, but she doesn't want to be a little brat who makes unreasonable troubles.
——So, what should I do to solemnly convey this apology and gratitude to him?
Was it like that afternoon, when I fed him candy with my own hands?
Or……
"Whoo~"
While Toyokawa Shoko was lost in thought, Ming Hai secretly breathed a sigh of relief behind her back.
For some reason, I felt a thrilling feeling of successfully avoiding a "BAD END" in a dating game, and I could even hear the sound of the other person's favorability rising.
"We just came out for afternoon tea, but she's already paying attention to my past relationships... Girls' thoughts are really jumpy."
"Fortunately, as long as I don't lie, Teacher Xiaoxiang won't be able to find evidence that I'm not telling the truth."
"It's been like this since we met, it's hard to imagine her mental state a year later..."
No matter how the future develops, at least for now, he thinks that this is the scene that should appear in the last frame of the comic.
[Today's victory or defeat——]
【Nami's complete victory.】
Volume 31: Chapter Chapter Now some people can't laugh anymore
After leaving the practice room, the sunset sank into the other side of the city.
The bright orange light dyed the entire sky, painting half of the airplane clouds, like naughty marks left by a child with crayons.
"I'll take you to the station."
Ming Hai said, taking out his phone and checking the messages.
Nagasaki Suyo: "Are you home yet? If you're still outside, why don't we just meet at the station?"
Glancing at Toyokawa Shoko who was following him silently, Minghai quickly tapped the virtual keyboard with one hand.
"I'm going home. What do you want to buy? If it's close to the apartment, let's talk about it when I get back."
As expected, the other party read the message in seconds, as if he was in a chat room, staring at it without even a moment's notice.
"It's a bass. I prefer to buy it in Ikebukuro. There's a highly praised performance hall there that can help you equip a complete range of music equipment at a price that's suitable for students."
'really. ’
Seeing the word "Beth", Ming Hai couldn't help but sigh silently in his heart.
There are coincidences everywhere in life - especially when restarting life under the arrangement of the world's will, there will always be coincidences, good or bad, that he needs to face.
Ming Hai has let it go.
Anyway, he is not afraid of his own shadow being crooked, so what does it matter if there are many coincidences?
Even if he was caught cheating in bed one day, he could defend himself with confidence, and all the arrangements from the world's will were not in vain!
"Okay, I happen to be near Ikebukuro, let me know when you get there."
"Then I'll trouble you~ I'll treat you to dinner tonight, just tell me what you want to eat!"
After casually replying to Nagasaki Suyo who seemed very expectant, Ming Hai slowed down his pace, walked to the girl's side, and broke the frozen atmosphere of silence that had begun without knowing when.
"Toyokawa-san, I don't have to appear when I meet the band members tomorrow, right?"
Toyokawa Shoko raised her eyes and looked at the boy who was walking side by side with her. She temporarily came back to her senses from her tangled thoughts and spent some time thinking about his question.
Then he gave his answer straightforwardly.
"I want to introduce you to everyone."
"Like something you would say." Ming Hai sighed and asked back, "How do you want to introduce me to them? I'm not a member of the band."
"My friend, the one who helped to establish the band, is an important person responsible for supporting us."
After she finished speaking without thinking, she frowned as if she was worried about something and cast a tentative look at him.
"Mr. Narumi, what I said... should be okay, right?"
"Although there is no problem, I think it would be better if I don't participate." Ming Hai spread his hands and said simply, "Anyway, I won't participate in your group training. Just call me when you need help. The rest of the time, just pretend I don't exist."
"How can that be done!"
Shoko Toyokawa rejected his suggestion without question.
"I can't do such a thing as using you as a tool. Since you have provided help to the band, the members must know your existence and thank you."
“But I don’t need their thanks.”
Ming Hai couldn't help but press his forehead in distress - this was the bad thing about Teacher Xiaoxiang, he was too easily obsessed with strange things.
Fortunately, he knew how to persuade.
"Calm down and think about it carefully. In a band composed entirely of girls, there is actually a man who doesn't play... doesn't it feel strange?"
"Not to mention that the atmosphere can easily become awkward, even if we want to open up and talk and deepen the relationship between the members, it's not an easy thing, right?"
"This……"
Toyokawa Shoko really wanted to say that she could lead everyone to get along with him in a friendly manner and not let the atmosphere become awkward.
But when she thought of her childhood playmate, Ruo Ye Mu, who was not only taciturn but also not good at interacting with men, she couldn't say anything that was obviously just making up stories.
Seeing that she began to show hesitation, Ming Hai immediately took advantage of the situation and pursued her.
"To put it more seriously, what if someone in [CryCHIC] shows up who hates me or hates men? You want me to be caught between you and the members who have finally been assembled?"
"Mr. Narumi, you don't have to be so pessimistic, right?"
Toyokawa Shoko finally found something to refute: "It is also possible that no one cares. You are very welcome to become our sixth member, right?"
"Okay, let me put it another way."
Ming Hai looked into her eyes, and suddenly became serious, and said solemnly:
"What if someone falls in love with me? Toyokawa-san, you don't want the atmosphere in the band to become weird because of a relationship between a man and a woman, right?"
"..."
Toyokawa Shoko fell silent.
She wanted to laugh at first, but suddenly realized that this possibility seemed terribly real...
After all, no one understood better than her what the charm of this young man in front of her was.
Even she was attracted to him in such a short time. If it was other girls - even his childhood playmates - who gradually got to know each other with his help and care...
It might actually be possible for a band to fall apart because of a relationship between a man and a woman.
——Good, now I can’t laugh anymore.
The corners of her mouth were frozen on her face, and she looked somewhat embarrassed and depressed.
Ming Hai pinched his thigh, frowned, and tried not to laugh at her change of expression.
It would be too arrogant to laugh at him, but he is not shameless enough to be that way.
"Do you understand? Whether they like it or not, as long as I don't appear in front of other members, CryCHIC won't have any unnecessary troubles."
After he finished speaking, he shrugged and walked forward in a casual manner.
"I just want to fulfill your dream. It doesn't matter to me whether you are thanked or not... Just let me support you silently."
-
Handsome is very handsome.
But unfortunately, after spending this afternoon together, Toyokawa Shoko has almost developed resistance. No matter how handsome or affectionate he behaves, she will not be easily shy now.
Not to mention, there was something that had been bothering her and she could not resolve it, and she was hesitant about what to do.
Soon, the two arrived in front of Ikebukuro Station.
"I have something else to take care of later, so let's just separate here."
After saying that, Ming Hai prepared to see her off to the station.
However, when he turned around, he found that Toyokawa Shoko was not only not listening to him, but her eyes were constantly looking around, as if she was a little uneasy and anxious to do something, but her feet remained motionless.
He was a little confused and was about to ask her what happened.
The girl suddenly raised her eyes and stared at the advertising screen of the commercial building in front of her. Her hesitant expression gradually turned into solemnity and awareness.
There was a sweater ad playing on it:
【The warmth in your body is worth a thousand words. 】
【Use hugs to convey your feelings, and let your close heartbeats express your innermost feelings. 】
[When you don’t know how to express yourself, use your actions to prove everything. ]
【——XX brand sweaters will always be your intimate spokesperson. 】
Ming Hai didn't follow her gaze because his pocket began to vibrate slightly at this moment.
Thinking it might be a message from Nagasaki Motoyo, he lowered his head and took out his cell phone. Just as he was about to click on the message, he found his wrist was suddenly grabbed.
The girl's nervous yet elegant voice then sounded.
"Please follow me!"
"Aha?"
Ming Hai, who was completely confused, hadn't reacted yet when he was pulled to the entrance of a small alley nearby by that soft, white little hand. As if to avoid other people's sight, he forced himself into the shadow in the corner.
Volume 32: Chapter Chapter Has it been conveyed? My current feelings.
As if breaking away from the tide, the bustling center of the station suddenly became quiet.
Ming Hai quickly came to his senses and glanced at the girl's tense and expressionless profile. In the end, he did not resist, but let her pull him to the dark and narrow corner.
My back touched the hard wall, but in front of me was a soft and warm feeling.
The petite figure just reached his chest, with a very proud and stubborn attitude, her head tilted back, her lips pursed, and her eyes staring straight at him with watery eyes.
