When they arrived at the dessert shop, Lucas Amaki and the others found a seat.
He picked up the menu and opened it.
He chose a few desserts with moderate sweetness.
After sending the menu to the front counter, he went back to sit down.
"Lu…Lucas-san, you seem to have ordered a little too much."
"Huh?"
Lucas Amaki was stunned.
He felt like he didn't order that much—everything he chose was something he could finish himself.
"Not too much, we've got someone else to help us clean it up."
"Huh? Are you treating me like a food waste disposal unit?"
"No."
Lucas denied it without hesitation.
"Desserts are here."
A cheerful female voice rang out.
She came over, carrying the desserts.
"…Kita-san?"
When Lucas saw the girl, he froze.
"Hey, Amaki-san."
Kita Ikuyo was also surprised.
She didn't expect to run into classmates this late—and of all people, it was Lucas Amaki!
"Kita-san, you work part-time here…?"
Lucas asked.
"Yeah."
Kita nodded.
"Um, Kita-san, can you sit down for a second? There's something I've been meaning to tell you."
Lucas had suddenly remembered there was something important he hadn't told Kita yet. Since they met here today, it might as well be now.
"Okay."
Kita took a seat.
"The person next to me is Gotoh Hitori, the band's guitarist. I remember you said you couldn't play guitar, right?"
"Uh… yeah, that's right."
Kita recalled the time she left the band because she couldn't play guitar.
"And Gotoh-san is the exact opposite of you. She can write songs and play guitar, while you can sing but not play. Your personalities are polar opposites too."
"Gotoh-san can teach you how to play guitar. I just ask one thing: don't pressure her too much."
"Mmm."
Kita nodded obediently.
"Hello, Gotoh-san."
Kita smiled and greeted her.
"Hel…Hello."
Gotoh Hitori responded nervously.
She looked at the cheerful girl in front of her, overwhelmed.
Kita Ikuyo was so cute and bubbly. In contrast, Hitori felt like a speck of dust that might get blown away by a passing breeze.
"By the way, Kita-san, your band's performing in five days. I hope you can learn from Gotoh-san before then."
"Yeah, okay!"
"Um, Amaki-san, do you know if Ryo-senpai has given our band a name yet?"
"Not yet. We'll probably confirm that when we meet her tomorrow."
"Okay!"
Kita nodded happily.
"Gotoh-san, please teach me tomorrow!"
Kita extended her hand.
"Uh-huh…"
Gotoh Hitori slowly reached out her hand in return.
"Lucas, come outside with me for a sec," Qiao Yu said.
"What's up?"
"You'll know when you get out there."
Qiao Yu walked behind Lucas and pulled him up from his seat.
"Qiao, what's going on?"
Once they were outside the store, Lucas asked in confusion.
"What band were you talking about?"
"Oh, that. Gotoh-san loves music—it's her dream. When she and I first went out for fun, we ran into a newly formed band. I kinda got pulled into it."
"I see. When you guys perform, make sure to call me."
"Alright, just give me the money and I'll buy you a ticket."
"Okay, I'll send you a message on LINE."
"Cool," Lucas said.
When they re-entered the store, Lucas was confused to see a few more desserts on the table.
"Why are there extra ones?"
"These are for Gotoh-san," Kita said.
"Thanks," Lucas replied and sat down.
He took out his phone and opened the band group chat.
[Lucas Amaki]: Found the runaway lead vocalist. If I'm free tomorrow, I can bring Gotoh and the lead vocalist over.
At that time, Nijika Ijichi was watching videos of live band performances. Suddenly, a notification popped up. She opened it immediately.
Seeing the message, she jumped up in excitement.
[Nijika]: Yes!!
[Lucas]: Alright then, same time after school tomorrow. You pick the meeting place.
[Nijika]: Same place as before.
[Lucas]: Got it. See you tomorrow.
[Nijika]: See you tomorrow!!
Nijika turned off her phone, ran into her room, and flopped onto the bed.
"That's… that's amazing!"
"Onee-chan, I won't let you down."
She remembered how her sister, Seika Ijichi, had once given up her passion for music to take care of her.
Back then, Seika wasn't that much older than Nijika, but she had taken on the burden of holding their crumbling family together.
They say when a family is about to fall apart, the eldest sibling will always choose to support it.
That was Seika's story.
Now, Nijika had inherited her sister's dream.
It had become her dream, too.
And one day, they would spread their wings—and soar.
***
"Lucas, your homeroom teacher is really incompetent."
Qiao Yu lay on the table and complained. He had helped with four classes today, and he was exhausted.
"I'll help you tomorrow," Lucas said helplessly. He didn't expect the homeroom teacher to be so lazy either.
"School is over anyway, let's go," Lucas Amaki said. He then took out his phone and opened LINE.
[Kita-san, please come to the entrance of Class 2.]
[Kita: Hey, I'm here (a smiling little bear.JPG)]
After reading it, Lucas glanced outside the door and indeed saw a girl with burgundy hair.
"Now that everyone is here, let's go," he said.
"Ah… Ah? A… Amaki-san, aren't you going to bring Ki… Kita-san along?" Gotoh Hitori asked.
"Yes, but she's already here."
"Kita-san, please come in," Lucas's voice rose.
"Hi, Gotoh-san, Amaki-san, and this classmate whose name I don't know," Kita said as she skipped into the classroom.
"Um, my name is Qiao Yu," Qiao Yu said awkwardly. Why hadn't he told anyone his name yesterday? Miscalculation, miscalculation.
"Now that everyone is here, let's go," Lucas said, picking up Gotoh Hitori's schoolbag and hanging it over her shoulder.
When Kita saw Lucas helping Gotoh Hitori carry her schoolbag so skillfully, her eyes lit up, as if she understood something.
After leaving the classroom and walking out of the school gate, it took them several minutes to reach the gathering point. As soon as they walked in, they saw Nijika and Seika Ijichi talking to Kikuri Hiroi.
"Sister Hiroi, we're here," Lucas Amaki said, walking forward.
"Hey, Lucas, Bocchi-chan, and the guitarist who ran away—you're here," Nijika said with a smile.
"Hi, Lucas, Bochi-chan," Ryo waved slightly.
When Kita saw Ryo, her expression instantly tensed. She turned around and wanted to run, but after taking a few steps, Nijika hugged her from behind.
"Why are you running?"
"I—I…"
"Oh, how happy," Ryo came over.
"Ryo… Ryo-senpai," Kita stammered.
"Kita, you're still here. I thought you…" Ryo didn't finish the sentence.
"I… What's wrong with me?" Kita asked.
Ryo let out a breath and started telling what happened to her at the time. When Lucas heard the first part of her story, he remembered the comparison photos that Ryo had given him. He took out his phone, opened the conversation with Ryo, and found the picture.
"Kita-san, you can take a look at this," Lucas said, enlarging the picture before handing the phone to Kita.
Kita took the phone, and the smile on her face instantly froze.
"Ryo-senpai, is that what you think?" Kita turned around and asked her.
"Um, ahem, didn't you run away at that time? And I happened to see a big truck, so I thought you…" Ryo stammered.
"Wow, Ryo-senpai, you're such a kind person," Kita said dejectedly.
"Okay, you guys better stop making trouble."
"Lucas, tell them what you're going to do today," Kikuri said.
"Okay, Miss Hiroi," Lucas replied.
"There are still four days until your band's performance. You need to prepare the lyrics and develop a good sense of teamwork within these four days. Then, you can teach Kita so she can perform at her best. As for some equipment issues, I, as your agent, will take care of them."
"If any of your instruments are damaged, please contact me immediately, and I'll go to the music store to buy a new one."
(Bruh 💀)
"Another thing is to get enough sleep the day before the show."
"Well, is anyone's instrument in need of repairing?"
"I—I," Kita raised her hand.
"Kita-san, what happened to your instrument?"
"My instrument… Because I was running away during training, my guitar accidentally hit the wall…"
"…"
Lucas shook his head helplessly.
"Okay, I'll pick one for you when I get back today."
"But, Lucas-san, a guitar costs a lot of money."
"It's a small matter. As a band manager, the one thing I can't lack is money. If you want to pay me back, you can wait until the band has enough accumulated funds before paying me back."
"Um!"
"Thanks!"
***
"Qiao, do you know anything about musical instruments?"
Lucas Amaki and Qiao Yu stood in the music store, looking at the many guitars hanging on the wall, lost in thought.
Lucas Amaki didn't know how to play any musical instruments. However, he did know one thing: the more expensive, the better. But with limited resources, he had to find a guitar with the best value for money.
"Don't ask me, I don't know either," Qiao Yu said, equally clueless.
"…"
Lucas Amaki decided to seek help from someone else. He opened his contacts and found a phone number he hadn't called in a long time. He dialed the number and waited quietly.
Then, the ringtone started to play.
[The moment Kutto appeared, it was over,
The atmosphere is good, but I can't move forward.
The wind was too strong,
Regularly and regularly,
I want to go underground…]
Lucas Amaki froze. Was he on the phone, or was that music?
Soon, the call connected.
"Lucas Amaki, do you still remember me?" came a friendly voice.
"…"
"Uh, ahem, of course I remember. You're my older sister."
"By the way, Hoshino Suzumu, how do you choose a guitar?"
Hoshino Suzumu sounded confused for a moment.
"You want to learn the guitar?"
"No, a friend of mine's guitar broke, so I'm helping her pick out a new one."
"Huh? You don't know how to choose a guitar, and you're helping someone else choose one?"
"If your friend is a girl, my suggestion is to pick one that's 30-40 inches. If it's a guy, go for one that's 41 inches or more. The price should be within 20,000 yen."
"But is your friend a man or a woman?"
"Female."
"Um??!"
"You actually played with girls behind my back?!"
"Forget it. I'm being honest. This is a member of my band. I'm the band's manager, and her guitar broke, so I'm responsible for replacing it for her."
"I see. But why are you the band's manager?"
"I'll tell you next time. I'm hanging up now."
"OK."
Lucas Amaki hung up the phone and called the store clerk over.
"Please help me take down this guitar. Thank you."
"Okay."
The clerk took down the guitar from the top shelf and showed it to Lucas. He weighed it, pretending to sling it over his shoulder. Just as Hoshino Suzumu said, guitars around 41 inches or more were suited for men, while this one was 39 inches—perfect for women.
Lucas walked to the front desk. "Boss, how much is this guitar?"
Lucas Amaki took the guitar off his shoulder.
The store clerk handed the guitar over to the boss. The boss checked the guitar and then handed it back.
"Young man, this guitar is worth 23,383 yen but I'll cut you a deal for 23,000 yen."
"Okay, can I pay with my mobile phone?"
"Sure."
"Well, thank you, boss."
Lucas Amaki paid, grabbed the guitar bag, handed it to Qiao Yu, and the two left the store.
"Qiao, next time you need a guitar, come back to this store," Lucas said with a chuckle.
"I think I will," Qiao Yu said, impressed by the kindness of the boss. They didn't even have to haggle, and the boss did it for them.
"But who did you call just now?" Qiao Yu asked.
"Oh, you mean Hoshino Suzumu? She's my childhood friend. Her father was a close friend of mine, and we went to the same school. Afterward, we both joined the legal profession."
"She's a year older than me, but she acts like a junior high schooler."
"Speaking of which, I still remember when she tried to take me to the bath before we even went to junior high, and I ran away."
"Because of her excellent grades, she was directly admitted to the Music Department of Beijing Language and Culture University when she was in her second year of high school."
"Hiss, I didn't realize the person who grew up with you is so amazing," Qiao Yu said, impressed.
At that moment, Lucas Amaki's phone rang. He pulled it out and saw that it was a message from Hoshino Suzumu.
[Hoshino Suzumu: Tonight, you should sleep a little longer and open the door for me.]
[???]
[Hoshino Suzumu: I asked your aunt, and she said you returned to your country and are still studying in Shimokitazawa.]
[ …]
Lucas Amaki was speechless. Why did his mother say everything? Did she also tell her about what happened between him and Gotoh?
[Hoshino Suzumu: I also heard from my aunt that you have a girlfriend. When I get there, take me to meet her.]
"…"
Lucas was completely struck dumb. His mother really said everything.