"Senpai, why did you suddenly go on stage and sing?!"
"Weren't you just supposed to accompany that band to the event?!"
"You didn't even give any notice beforehand! If I had known, I definitely would have come to support you!"
"And, and… the hat you wore on stage was definitely the one I gave you, wasn't it…"
As soon as the call connected, Iroha was already bursting with excitement, talking nonstop.
There was no need to guess—she had undoubtedly seen the videos circulating online and, without thinking too much, had immediately called.
Chisato sighed helplessly but patiently listened to Iroha's enthusiastic chatter. He finally managed to find a small pause in her speech to cut in, calming her down a little.
He promised to set up a time later to properly explain everything that had happened yesterday.
That was enough to satisfy her for now, and he was finally able to end the call.
After wasting a little time, Chisato followed through on his earlier thought and dialed Hitori's number.
The call rang for a long time, but there was no answer.
He then tried calling Nijika, but this time, the response was even more straightforward—the phone was turned off.
He didn't even want to bother trying the other two. Still, it was worrisome that he couldn't get in touch with them at such a crucial time.
After changing into outdoor clothes and putting on a mask, he headed out and took a taxi directly to the Starry club.
The Ijichi sisters' apartment was right above the Starry venue. To get there, he had to go around and enter through a side passage.
Since Seika, with her habit of being forgetful, had sent him on errands to the apartment a few times in the past, Chisato was already quite familiar with the way.
Once he arrived, he rang the doorbell.
There was no response from inside. No one came to the door.
Just as expected.
If Seika hadn't changed her old habits…
Chisato bent down and picked up the small potted plant beside the door.
Underneath it, he lifted the square wooden board, flipping it over. As he suspected, the key was tucked into a groove on the back.
He put the plant back in place, inserted the key into the lock, and turned it.
Technically, entering someone's home without permission like this could be considered trespassing.
But given their relationship, it wasn't likely to become an issue.
At worst, Seika would later ruffle his hair, glare at him, and grumble, "You've got some nerve, kid," before dropping the matter entirely.
Click.
The door opened.
"Seika-nee? Nijika? Anyone?"
The entrance was a mess. Several pairs of women's shoes were scattered haphazardly.
Chisato took in the sight and called out, raising his voice slightly. But there was no response.
Oh well.
He shut the door behind him, stepped inside without bothering to change into slippers, and walked toward the inner rooms barefoot.
"Ugh… The smell of alcohol is intense…"
The farther he went, the stronger the scent of alcohol became.
The layout of the Ijichi sisters' apartment was different from Chisato's own. Upon entering, there was a straight hallway with doors on both sides leading to different rooms.
At the very end of the hall was the living room.
Chisato headed there first, but he didn't see the four members of Kesshoku Band. Instead, he found Seika lying sprawled out on the couch.
Her jeans had been taken off and tossed carelessly onto the floor beside her. She was hugging a stuffed animal, sleeping soundly.
The TV was still on, broadcasting the news. Empty cans of alcoholic drinks nearly covered the coffee table, with more scattered on the floor.
The curtains were drawn, blocking out sunlight, making the room dim enough for her to sleep comfortably.
Chisato glanced away from Seika's fully exposed thighs and scanned the room. He found the remote, turned off the TV, and grabbed a thin blanket from the couch's backrest, draping it over her.
As he did, he faintly heard Seika murmuring something in her sleep, thumb in her mouth, softly calling, "Papa…"
If he were the mischievous type, he could have responded to her in kind, recorded it, and shown it to her when she was awake…
Yeah, that would probably get him killed. Better not push his luck.
Chisato quietly stepped away from Seika, picking up her discarded jeans and tossing them onto the couch.
He also gathered the empty cans from the floor and threw them into the trash.
As for the mess on the coffee table, he didn't have the energy to clean it up.
Just from looking at the scene, he could already make some educated guesses about what had happened.
No matter how much Seika loved drinking and how high her tolerance was, there was no way she had finished all that alcohol by herself.
Given that he hadn't been able to reach any of Kesshoku Band's members all morning, the conclusion was obvious.
There was only one possible truth…
Leaving the living room, Chisato headed straight for Nijika's bedroom, opening the door.
"As expected… The whole room reeks of alcohol."
Chisato wrinkled his nose.
Just as he had predicted, the four members of Kesshoku Band were sprawled out on the floor, fast asleep, just like Seika.
They must have initially had no plans to drink.
But after seeing their song's download numbers skyrocket in the middle of the night and witnessing their sudden explosion of popularity online, their excitement would have been impossible to contain.
In that state, it was inevitable that they would want to celebrate.
Maybe it was a unanimous decision, or maybe someone just casually suggested it—but either way, they had ended up drinking.
Since Seika ran a live house, she often kept extra alcoholic drinks and beverages in the apartment when storage space in the venue was tight.
And just like that, the biggest obstacle to the Kesshoku members drinking—being unable to purchase alcohol—was instantly removed.
Everything was already right there at home. No one could stop them.
So, naturally, they got carried away, and Seika—probably caught up in the mood—must have thought, "Just this once should be fine," and let loose with them.
And now, the result.
The four girls were sprawled out on the floor in a completely unladylike fashion, their skirts flipped up due to their reckless sleeping positions, exposing everything.
Despite the bed being less than two meters away, not a single one of them had managed to make it there.
That alone was proof of just how wasted they had been last night.
Sleeping directly on the hard floor like this, they would definitely feel great when they woke up.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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