"Then next…"
After Nijika submitted the performance application and composed herself, she returned to continue the Band meeting.
"Practice probably won't be possible… So what else do other Bands do…"
"Disband."
Ryo interrupted.
"Ryo, don't speak!"
Nijika seemed to still harbor resentment over the disastrous Band naming earlier.
But after she finished speaking, she looked at the other two and relaxed slightly when she saw that they didn't agree with Ryo.
They usually didn't spend much time together, and she wanted to use this opportunity to get to know them better.
What should they do… "How about we go take a group photo of the Band?"
As she was thinking, she suddenly heard Hayato suggest this.
"Good idea!"
Kita immediately sparkled with Kita energy again, her gaze fixed on Ryo, instantly lost in happy imaginings.
Kita's heart was known to all.
Nijika sighed, but then smiled. Although there wasn't a single normal person in the Band except her, she somehow felt that this was how people who played instruments were supposed to be.
She raised her hand, and the red ribbon on her wrist trembled.
"OK, Let's go."
"Oh~"
…As the group walked onto the main road, the special combination of three girls and one boy made Hayato feel as dazzling as a harem king.
He could even feel some normies glaring at him with 'die, die' looks.
"Kita-chan is in the same school and class as Hayato-kun, right?"
"Yes, what a coincidence."
Nijika and Kita walked ahead, chatting, while he and Ryo walked behind.
Seeing the two in front chatting so animatedly, Hayato glanced at Ryo beside him.
She still looked emotionless, her eyes half-hidden by her bangs, gazing straight ahead.
She wore a neutral black shirt and black carrot pants, which gave her a strong sense of independence while also making her appear tall and elegant.
Hayato thought for a moment. Although both of them belonged to the category of strange people, there didn't seem to be any topics they could chat about.
He casually brought up a topic.
"Where does Ryo usually go to hang out?"
Kita, who was ahead, stiffened when she heard this topic.
To directly ask a woman about her whereabouts, what a frivolous man!
Speaking of which, she was a bit curious, Hayato didn't seem particularly familiar with them, how long had he been in the Band?
She then asked Nijika.
"Ijiichi-senpai, how did Hayato-kun meet you guys?"
Because it was only two days ago, Nijika remembered it very clearly.
"It was just this Wednesday, Hayato-kun suddenly came to us and said he wanted to join the Band."
"Wednesday was… this week's?"
Kita was stunned.
"Mm."
Nijika nodded affirmatively.
Seeing Nijika nod, a sense of absurdity grew in her heart. After only knowing each other for a few days, he was already calling her by her first name, and not even adding 'senpai.'
This man definitely harbored ulterior motives!
Hayato's voice came from behind.
"A second-hand clothing store? I've never been there. I usually like to go to deserted places, just like Ryo."
Ryo-senpai is in danger!!
You can't communicate with such a frivolous person.
"Is that so? Where do you usually go?" Ryo asked.
"Open spaces, like a seawall by the sea, or flat fields," Hayato replied.
"Won't it be boring?"
"It's very comfortable to relax in a wide-open space."
After Hayato finished speaking, he naturally invited Ryo, "Do you want to come and experience it?"
Wh…wh…what is this man saying!
This progress is too fast!!
Kita's eyes were blank, chaotic colors swirling in them.
Go to a deserted place to relax, experience something… how could she allow such a thing to happen!
Ryo-senpai will be protected by her!
She was afraid Ryo would be lured by this guy and agree. If she agreed, it would be too late.
Instantly, her gaze scanned around, shops, streets, wire fences, tall buildings, unusually styled houses.
She found it.
"Uh, there's a nice wall over there."
She hurriedly interrupted Hayato and Ryo's conversation, pointing vaguely at a small house decorated in a summer style not far away.
Hayato paused.
He instinctively made an invitation, that was close, that was close.
He used to take people to those places so often, it was almost second nature… The four of them turned their attention to that shop.
Ryo, Kita, and Hayato stood against the side wall of the shop, while Nijika stood a few steps away from them, confirming the angle.
Nijika extended her index finger and thumb, forming a rectangular frame with both hands, aiming it at the three of them.
"Kita-chan is amazing, it perfectly matches our background."
"No, no, I just happened to see it…"
Kita hadn't expected the random spot she found to be satisfactory. She hoped Ijiichi-senpai wasn't just saying that to go along with the atmosphere, otherwise, she felt her guilt would increase.
"Well then, I'll go ask if we can take photos here."
Nijika said, and like a gust of wind, she scurried into the shop, her golden ponytail fluttering with her movements.
"I also…"
Kita hadn't finished speaking when she suddenly remembered Hayato standing next to Ryo.
At this moment, the two were discussing things about performing.
Even a normal conversation gave her an immense sense of crisis.
"I can't leave," Kita cried inwardly.
A moment later, Nijika skipped out of the store with a smile.
"They said we can take as many pictures as we want."
"Then let's hurry and take one."
Kita frantically interrupted their conversation.
No matter how much guilt she felt, Kita didn't regret it. Ishikawa-kun definitely wasn't good enough for Ryo-senpai!
She would stop him even if it meant being kicked to death by a horse!
Hayato, interrupted by Kita, found it amusing. Seeing Kita so intent on stopping him from talking to Ryo was very interesting.
In fact, he had sensed the same feeling from Ryo.
The two scoundrels silently and tacitly played a trick on this guy, constantly stealing glances at Kita's ever-changing expressions even while chatting casually.
However, when it was time to do serious work, he stopped messing around.
Hayato walked forward, set up the tripod he had been carrying, and placed it on the open ground.
"How about this spot?"
He asked the others.
Nijika mounted the camera and checked the frame on the camera's display screen.
"A little more to the left, OK."
After confirming the position, the group began to continuously set the timer, take photos, and reconfirm the position.
It was only when he started to feel a bit bored that Hayato began to act inappropriately.
After setting the timer and getting ready to pose for the shot, Nijika suddenly felt a gust of wind beside her.
She instinctively turned her head and met Hayato's gaze, though their gazes were inverted.
Nijika hadn't yet understood the situation when her heart suddenly sank, realizing something was wrong.
Click.
But no one looked at the camera that had just taken the picture; the three girls stared blankly at Hayato, who had landed back on the ground.
Hayato flashed a peace sign, laughing perversely and smugly, then walked to the tripod and took down the camera.
The three of them, full of questions, crowded around.
Then, they saw in the image their own gazes shifting away from the front.
"This photo can't be used," they sighed inwardly.
What was most shocking, however, was that beside the girl posing cutely, a boy appeared in the frame as if hanging upside down.
He stood perfectly straight, inverted from above, as if he had been Photoshopped in later.
At the same time, his gaze met Nijika's directly.
This scene created a bizarre sense of absurdity.
"Hayato-kun…"
Nijika, feigning anger, directly called Hayato by his surname.
"Just taking normal photos is so boring, don't you think a photo like this is more fun…?"
Hayato gave an ingratiating smile.
That look made Nijika both angry and amused, but she still kept a straight face.
Through their interactions over the past few days, she had noticed that Hayato often did mischievous things, and if she didn't tell him off, he would only get more outrageous.
At the same time, Hayato was also very carefree and didn't mind being lectured by girls.
So she didn't treat him too politely.
"It's a bit scary… but quite unique," Kita said after looking at the photo, then turned to Ryo.
Ryo seemed quite pleased, but after a moment's thought, she shook her head.
"The photo is interesting, but it doesn't fit our Band's style."
"Guh."
After being continuously rejected, Hayato fell to the ground with a defeated expression.
The three girls looked at this utterly unrefined guy with amusement and helplessness.
"Next one, don't lie there."
Nijika, hands on her hips, urged him… After taking several shots, they thought they were almost done.
Hayato's phone rang. He looked at the three of them, who were confirming the photos, and moved a few steps away to answer the call.
"Brother… do you remember?"
Hayato held his phone away and checked the time.
Then he said in a very calm tone,
"I've been waiting for you all morning. Where are you?"
"You're lying…" On the other end of the phone, a sigh was heard, and the voice was melancholic, "I'll send you my location."
Hayato didn't even look at the location. He hung up the phone and walked over to the three, who were discussing which photo would be best for their Band's artist photo.
"Sorry, I have to leave first. There's something I need to complete with my life."
Nijika, hearing Hayato's strange words, looked up blankly.
"Are you okay…?"
She asked Hayato worriedly. For some reason, she felt that Hayato wasn't joking.
"I'm fine. I'll be going now."
Hayato nodded with a solemn expression, then took out his phone to confirm the address and got into a sprinting stance.
Under the bewildered gazes of the three.
Whoosh.
He transformed into a gust of wind, disappearing from their sight with incredible speed.
A few minutes later, since Hayato had left, the three of them had nothing else to do and planned to return to STARRY before parting ways.
Just then, Kita's phone chimed. It was an Instagram post from someone she followed. Puzzled, she took her phone out of her pocket.
Whose Instagram post was it at this time?
She only followed a few people, and none of them seemed to have any special plans today.
She lit up the screen and glanced at it.
Hayato's.
"I didn't put him on mute when we just followed each other…" Kita sighed inwardly.
But she was also curious why Hayato had run off so quickly.
She opened Instagram and looked.
In the picture, Hayato and a girl were sitting in a dessert shop, the new one she and her friend had gone to that day.
The girl was holding the camera, likely with a selfie stick, smiling brightly, looking so happy it almost overflowed.
Across from her was Hayato, wearing a helpless expression, resting his chin on his hand and looking towards the camera.
Hayato actually had a girlfriend!?
Kita immediately cheered up, but after looking closely, she noticed the text below.
'Having dessert with my sister at the newly opened dessert shop.'
Kita, who had been full of joy and ready to show this picture to Ryo-senpai, immediately drooped her head in disappointment.