"So, is it true, Eriri-san? Were you really fighting with Kasumigaoka-senpai over Shin-kun this morning?"
As expected, during lunchti, Ikuyo Kita looked at Eriri with a curious expression, bringing up the topic that had been the subject of student discussions all morning.
However, upon closer inspection, one could notice a hint of wariness in Ikuyo Kita's expression beyond re curiosity.
Not just her—even gumi, sitting nearby, cast a sowhat concerned glance, as if waiting for Eriri to give a definitive answer.
Even Gotou Hitori looked slightly nervous, as if worried about how she could possibly compete if Eriri were to openly admit her feelings.
After all, among the lunch group, Gotou Hitori was the least confident—even though, with a little effort in her appearance, she could easily pass as a proper beauty.
"I already said it wasn't like that! I was just stopping Kasumigaoka from getting close to Shin!"
Eriri's face flushed red—whether from embarrassnt or anger was unclear—as she waved her fork around irritably, as if Kasumigaoka were right in front of her.
"I—I was just trying to protect our lunch group! If Shin gets taken away by Kasumigaoka, he might not be able to eat lunch with us anymore, right?!"
Her words did carry so logic—if Shin were to get tied down by a girlfriend, he'd naturally prioritize having lunch with her instead.
Of course, while her reasoning made sense, none of the girls were fully convinced that Eriri had no feelings for Shin.
They were all girls who held so degree of affection for him, and they could more or less guess each other's thoughts—Eriri was undoubtedly a potential rival.
However, not every girl had realized this yet.
"Y-Yeah… if Shin-kun gets a girlfriend, he won't have anywhere to eat lunch anymore…"
Gotou Hitori chuckled awkwardly, seemingly genuinely believing Eriri's explanation.
After all, Gotou Hitori was socially anxious, with extrely limited interactions outside of this lunch group and the after-school Kessoku Band.
Expecting her to read between the lines was simply asking too much.
Even gumi Kato, Ikuyo Kita, and Eric couldn't help but look at her with pity—competing with Gotou Hitori for Shin almost felt like bullying.
"L-Let's talk about sothing else!"
Ikuyo Kita quickly changed the subject, forcing an awkward laugh before turning to Shin.
"Shin-kun, Kessoku Band has a performance tonight. Would you like to co watch?"
After weeks of practice, Ikuyo Kita had finally managed to integrate smoothly into the band's performances.
Though still sowhat inexperienced and limited to just a few songs, she was now capable enough to hold her own.
As the vocalist and secondary guitarist, she didn't need to be as technically skilled as Gotou Hitori—just good enough would suffice.
Even though Kessoku Band hadn't yet finished writing their original songs, Ikuyo Kita felt it was ti to perform in front of Shin at least once.
She had hesitated to invite him before, fearing she might embarrass herself—but now, she had finally mustered the courage.
"Tonight…? Sure, I can make it."
Shin nodded—in fact, he also had plans to visit Shimokitazawa after school to et with Kiryu.
Earlier that morning, Kiryu had sent him a ssage, requesting an in-person eting at the Kiryu Group headquarters to discuss sothing important.
Since Ikuyo Kita had extended the invitation, he figured he could drop by the live house after his business with Kiryuu was done.
"E-Eh?! T-Tonight?!"
Gotou Hitori, however, seed startled—likely not expecting Shin to actually accept.
After all, they had occasionally invited him to watch their practice sessions before, but he had always been busy. It had been a while since he last visited the live house.
She had assud Ikuyo Kita's invitation would end in rejection as well, but to her surprise, Shin agreed.
Now, she was the one panicking—performing in front of Shin?
Though they had only known each other for a few weeks, Shin—who had helped pull her out of her social anxiety—already held a place in her heart no less important than family.
In other words… this was practically performing in front of family!
Anyone who had ever perford on stage knew that playing for family was the most nerve-wracking experience. As a result, Gotou Hitori began trembling uncontrollably.
"Hey, stop shaking. People might think so yakuza showed up to watch you perform and scared you stiff."
Shin noticed her trembling and couldn't help but comnt.
"…Y-Yes!"
At his words, Gotou Hitori imdiately stopped shaking—just like how she had been instantly subdued by Shin's presence before.
This made her wonder if she had been completely tad by him—to the point where even her fear reflex could be suppressed with a single command.
"I'll go tell the others right away!"
Delighted that Shin had accepted, Ikuyo Kita bead and imdiately pulled out her phone to relay the news to Nijika Ijichi and Ryou Yamada.
After sending the ssages, she turned to Eriri and asked:
"Eriri-san, will you co too?"
She had invited Eririseveral tis before, but Eririhad always declined.
"Hmm…"
Eriri hesitated. Her previous refusals weren't because she disliked Kessoku Band—she had simply been too busy with doujinshi preparations.
For a while, she had been rushing ho after school to handle printing, sales, and booth reservations, leaving no ti to watch the band's practice sessions.
But now that the doujinshi sales were over, she did have free ti after school.
"Shin-kun will be there too, you know?"
Just as Eriri was wavering, Ikuyo Kita added in a sly tone, as if reminding her.
"T-Then… I guess I'll go take a look!"
Under Ikuyo Kita's prompting, Eriri finally agreed.
However, her reaction made it painfully obvious that her interest wasn't in the band itself. gumi's gaze toward Eriri grew noticeably sharper…
To be continued…
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