Just now in the downstairs lobby, Hoshino Miru had only caught a fleeting glimpse. Now seeing this girl working in the shop again, he felt somewhat emotional inside.
As expected, another beautiful girl. He wondered who served as the visual representative of their band.
Hoshino Miru walked to the counter, looking at the expressionless girl. Though she had smooth long hair and a beauty mark, she didn't have that gentle, cute feeling. Her delicate face carried too much indifference. Her slightly pointed chin combined with rounded contours - her eyes and brows radiated some kind of aggression, immediately making people feel she was an extremely difficult type to get along with.
"What would you like to order?" Shiina Ritsuki seemed to be receiving two ordinary customers, showing no emotional excitement from seeing her former teammate.
Wakaba Mutsuki followed behind Hoshino Miru, slightly hiding her body. She didn't notice someone observing her from a corner nearby.
Hoshino Miru knew Wakaba Mutsuki didn't like talking, but he hadn't expected Shiina Ritsuki's attitude toward Wakaba Mutsuki to be so ordinary - so ordinary it seemed somewhat cold.
"I'll have a coconut milk latte. She'll have mango juice." Hoshino Miru turned to look at Wakaba Mutsuki beside him. "Does Mutsuki want dessert?"
Wakaba Mutsuki shook her head. If it weren't for Hoshino Miru being here, the moment she saw Shiina Ritsuki, she wouldn't even be in the mood for mango juice.
"Alright, we'll just have these." Hoshino Miru turned back around, inadvertently looking at Shiina Ritsuki's arms. Because she wore short-sleeved work uniform, he could see her exposed arm skin - fair and tender.
Drummers often had to use drumsticks to hit cymbals and drum surfaces, and also had to step on pedals with their toes. Thus Hoshino Miru discovered her arms didn't have too much softness but rather had vague muscle lines - looking very healthy and comfortable.
Hoshino Miru shifted his gaze to the girl's small chest area, where her name was written - Shiina Ritsuki.
"What are you looking at?" Shiina Ritsuki interrupted Hoshino Miru's scrutiny. "If you're ordering now, the total is 450 yen."
"Sorry, sorry. I was just thinking about whether to greet you." Hoshino Miru came to his senses. "You used to be a drummer?"
"No need for greetings." Shiina Ritsuki glanced at Wakaba Mutsuki behind him.
Though she didn't know the specific relationship between the two, it looked like Wakaba Mutsuki had already told Hoshino Miru about past events.
"My name is Hoshino Miru. As you can see, Mutsuki and I are good friends." Hoshino Miru said. "Currently practicing guitar together. Please take care of us."
"I can see that. No need to tell me." Shiina Ritsuki was too lazy to know his name. She wasn't Nagasaki Sose - she didn't care about him and Wakaba Mutsuki at all.
[Target: Shiina Ritsuki] [Intimacy: 2] [Status: Because of the band's dissolution, can no longer see a certain person. Currently in a very negative emotional state.]
"No, it's necessary." Hoshino Miru glanced at her personal panel. "Because you're Mutsuki's former teammate. She doesn't like talking, so I came to say hello."
"Huh?" Shiina Ritsuki immediately felt displeased. Was he saying she had no manners by claiming he was being polite?
"Even if everyone had an unpleasant falling out because some idiot quit the band, there's no need to pretend not to see each other now, right?" Hoshino Miru truly felt this girl had no manners.
"What do you know!" Shiina Ritsuki became even more irritated. What right did some guy who suddenly appeared have to lecture her?
"True, I don't understand." Hoshino Miru placed both hands on Wakaba Mutsuki's shoulders. "I only know she waited downstairs for a long time. She wanted to come in but didn't dare, while someone pretended not to see."
Wakaba Mutsuki felt somewhat at a loss. She didn't know why Hoshino Miru would argue with Shiina Ritsuki.
Shiina Ritsuki was immediately silenced, though still very stubborn: "Whether she comes in or not, what does it have to do with me? Do I have to go up and say 'welcome' to everyone I see?"
"No one's requiring you to do that. Just as a friend, I'm simply somewhat displeased."
In fact, Hoshino Miru was very displeased. Knowing Wakaba Mutsuki didn't like talking, not greeting earlier was one thing, but now meeting with an ignoring attitude as well.
Though Wakaba Mutsuki had never said it out loud, Hoshino Miru remembered very clearly from their first meeting - Wakaba Mutsuki's distress at that time wasn't an act.
Between friends, occasional quarrels were normal, but this kind of ignoring and coldness was too hurtful.
Hoshino Miru didn't believe Wakaba Mutsuki could do anything that would make people cold war with her. Combined with how she rarely spoke normally, it wasn't hard to guess her previous state in the band.
Therefore, Hoshino Miru seriously suspected they very likely had never valued Wakaba Mutsuki.
Having not cared before, naturally they wouldn't care now either.
This way, Shiina Ritsuki not taking Wakaba Mutsuki seriously had a reasonable explanation.
"So you want to argue with me?" Shiina Ritsuki glared at him.
"I wouldn't do something so boring. Rather, I find it strange - in your eyes, what exactly is your band?" Hoshino Miru paused. "A temporary group that ended on bad terms?"
"Isn't it all that person's fault? Suddenly inexplicably wanting to quit the band, ending up making Tomori so sad!" Shiina Ritsuki gritted her teeth, feeling Hoshino Miru was deliberately mocking. "You should go ask that person why she said such irresponsible things!"
"So this matter has nothing to do with Mutsuki?" Hoshino Miru wasn't as excited as her. "You're just angry at Toyokawa-san for arbitrarily quitting the band?"
"What do you mean 'nothing to do with it'? She personally said those words back then!" Shiina Ritsuki said coldly. "She personally admitted that being with us, she was never happy."
Hoshino Miru was stunned for a moment, instinctively looking at Wakaba Mutsuki and finding she had already deeply lowered her head.
"Ahaha, Ritsuki, no need to be so angry." A gentle, pleasant voice came from nearby. "At that time, Mutsuki definitely didn't mean it. No one wanted to see the band become like that later."
Shiina Ritsuki crossed her arms and snorted coldly.
Hoshino Miru turned his head and saw an unfamiliar girl slowly walking over. Not only was her voice pleasant, she also looked good when smiling - the type who at first glance would seem like a gentle, considerate girl.
"Sorry, I accidentally overheard you and Ritsuki talking and couldn't help coming over." The girl showed a trace of apology, then smiled slightly at Hoshino Miru. "Nice to meet you. I'm Nagasaki Sose, a friend of Mutsuki and Ritsuki, and also the band's bassist."
That's right - seeing the two about to argue, Nagasaki Sose of course couldn't help standing out.
The hat and sunglasses used earlier for disguise, she'd already put in her bag. Now she pretended to have just happened to encounter Hoshino Miru and Wakaba Mutsuki.
If Wakaba Mutsuki asked, Nagasaki Sose had even prepared her reason.
Because Shiina Ritsuki worked here, as a friend, coming to take a look was very normal, right?