The Starry Sky Performance Hall was packed like a can of sardines that night.
Seika had anticipated such a massive turnout.
Once she determined that the venue could no longer accommodate any more spectators, she decisively hung a "Full House" sign at the entrance.
Even so, a large crowd still lingered at the door, unwilling to leave.
This situation continued for several days.
During these days, everyone's daily routines had undergone slight changes.
Ever since that Sunday night, when Chisato took the stage on a whim—only for the overwhelming enthusiasm of the audience to nearly throw the entire venue into chaos—the band had temporarily stopped gathering at Starry Sky.
Chisato was also temporarily barred from working there. They would have to wait for the feverish hype to die down before resuming their usual activities.
None of the members of the band objected to this, and Chisato took the opportunity to give himself a rare break.
For the first time, he experienced the carefree life of a student with no club activities, where most of his time was his own to control. It was a rather pleasant feeling.
Meanwhile, people kept approaching them. A small number were fervent fans, but most were talent scouts from entertainment agencies looking to collaborate.
On this matter, Chisato followed Youko's advice—not to rush into any decisions. Besides, even if they were interested, it wasn't something that could be decided immediately.
The biggest issue lay with Ikuyo.
Although she had finally settled on the path she wanted to take for her future, there was still some resistance from her family.
She needed time to sort things out. From her reports, however, it seemed that her parents' stance had softened from outright rejection to gradual acceptance.
It was only a matter of time before they fully supported her decision.
As for Chisato, the attention he received from his music festival performance far surpassed that of the other four members of the band.
His voice had been too astonishing, and the atmosphere of the performance—just from watching video replays—was absolutely electrifying.
During this time, Dark Wing had reported that at least seven or eight people had been secretly following and photographing him—probably tabloid reporters.
It was annoying, but at least they hadn't entered the school or his apartment, so he could still tolerate it.
Ever since he set foot in class on Monday, his classmates had been looking at him with an odd expression.
But aside from his close friend Fukube and a few overly enthusiastic female classmates, things weren't too different from before.
One notable change, however, was with Eriri and Utaha. Because of the people tailing Chisato, the two of them hadn't been able to casually go out with him at all.
They couldn't even get close, let alone walk arm-in-arm. Even when leaving home or going out, they had to keep a certain distance apart.
They were quite resentful about this—not because their peaceful routines had been disrupted, but because ever since watching his live performance over and over again, they had been harboring this frustration.
Maybe they were upset that he had gone up on stage so suddenly?
Chisato secretly wondered.
Kazusa had also seen his performance video, though a little later than the others.
It wasn't until Monday noon, when she woke up from a nap on her desk and heard their female classmates making a fuss around her boyfriend, that she learned about it.
Her reaction was rather straightforward—she immediately dragged Chisato to the music room, shut the door, crossed her arms, and expectantly demanded that he sing on the spot.
No accompaniment, no atmosphere—just suddenly singing out of nowhere…
What happened that afternoon was a bit embarrassing, and Chisato didn't want to talk about it anymore.
But Kazusa seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed it.
Normally, she liked listening to piano pieces through her headphones, since playing the piano was the goal she had been striving for.
She needed to practice both her finger techniques and her ear's sensitivity.
However, one day, when Chisato got close to her, he realized that she was no longer listening to piano music—it was a recording of his live performance.
Well, well, another little fangirl added to the list.
And so, despite his efforts to lower his own popularity, time passed unknowingly, and they soon arrived at the end of June.
Ever since Kazusa had resolved to chase her dream again, she had been practicing the piano day and night, working tirelessly to regain her former skills.
Now, only a few days remain before her youth piano competition.
It was a morning like any other.
Saturday—no school.
Chisato sat on the couch in the living room, drinking porridge while watching the news.
Dark Wings flew in from the balcony window, landed on the coffee table, shook its head in an intelligent manner, and began preening its glossy black feathers.
Chisato nodded in satisfaction.
Finally, there were no more people lurking outside his apartment building.
For the past few days, even a simple trip downstairs to buy soy sauce had required extra caution, as there was always someone sneakily pulling out a camera to take pictures.
It was a bit over-the-top, but understandable—after all, the buzz he had created had been quite something.
But without any deliberate effort to sustain it, even the most intense hype would inevitably fade away. People's sense of novelty was limited.
Once the excitement passed, if nothing new caught their attention, they would naturally move on.
Everyone had their own lives and work—no one had the time to obsess over a student who just went to and from school every day.
No matter how well he sang or how explosive his stage presence was, once the hype cooled down, he no longer had enough value for people to invest their time and energy in him.
The only exception was a man named "Suzuki Ichiro," who remained persistent.
Even though Chisato had made it clear that he was still a student—and that the entire band prioritized their studies over entering the industry—this man continued to keep in touch with him in his own way.
Every five or six days, a package would arrive at his doorstep.
So far, there have been two deliveries. The first was an assortment of high-end desserts, and the second was an elegantly packaged box of tea leaves.
For Suzuki Ichiro, these weren't particularly valuable gifts—just small tokens to maintain his connection with a promising young talent. His primary goal was to keep his presence known.
Sure, the boy wasn't interested in the industry right now—but what about after he graduated from high school?
Young people often had strong convictions, but once they entered society, they would inevitably be swayed by material desires.
When that time came, all the careful groundwork Suzuki Ichiro had laid would finally pay off.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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