"Correct!"
Hayato turned around, giving a thumbs up and a sparkling smile.
Ryo paused, then showed a slight smile that vanished just as quickly.
"Eh? Is that so?"
Kita's comment seemed to confirm why Hayato was called a Pervert—due to his exaggerated statement just now.
Nijika immediately breathed a sigh of relief; for a moment, she hadn't known what to do.
Although she had only known him for less than two days, she felt that Hayato's every action exuded genuine sincerity, and he wasn't a bad person.
When that female classmate said those things, she had worried for a while whether Hayato had gotten into some trouble.
"Don't scare me…"
She still complained softly.
"My apologies."
Hayato scratched his head, smiling as he insincerely asked for forgiveness.
But then he became a bit more serious and said,
"However, if you call me a Pervert, I'll be very happy."
After he finished speaking, the relaxed atmosphere suddenly stiffened. Amidst the constantly flowing crowd, the three lingering girls all had peculiar expressions on their faces.
The three looked at each other.
Nijika looked at Hayato in astonishment, then at the other two.
Ryo's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
Kita looked annoyed, as if saying, 'What nonsense are you spouting in front of Ryo-senpai?'
However, a moment later, Ryo walked towards Hayato, a gentle smile appearing on her calm, unruffled face. To Hayato, this smile made her seem a bit more playful.
She extended her hand.
"Weirdo. If you call me that, I'll be very happy."
She spoke in a similar sentence structure. Miss Kita, who had been moving freely nearby, froze at this sight.
Hayato took her hand, accepting her goodwill.
"Weirdo."
Ryo nodded in agreement and replied.
"Pervert."
Nijika, sitting on a box, wailed and clutched her head.
"My Band…"
Kita stared blankly at their clasped hands and murmured,
"How could he… how could he use such a method!"
After the farce ended, the two began tuning their instruments. The thumping of drums and the bouncing of the bass echoed in the open space.
Hayato walked over to the nearby flowerbed and sat down, watching the two tune their instruments with great interest.
His keyboard didn't need tuning like theirs, and watching them felt very interesting.
However, a gaze fixed on him made his scalp tingle.
Hayato turned to look, and Kita averted her gaze elsewhere. The scalp-tingling sensation disappeared.
He withdrew his gaze, but in less than two seconds, the feeling of being intensely stared at reappeared.
He turned back again.
Then, the two began a battle of shifting gazes.
This exceptionally cruel war lasted 20 seconds. Their gazes soared to the heavens, plunged to the earth, traversed mountains and rivers, and finally…
Hayato won.
This was natural; as a former socially anxious person, he was extremely sensitive to gazes.
And it wasn't self-praise, but his strongest point now was his thick skin; he could even make girls blush by staring at them.
Of course, whether the police approved was another matter.
Hayato followed the gaze of this freely moving young lady and found where her eyes landed: on his hand, which had just clasped Ryo's.
Suddenly, he understood everything.
Pushing aside the boastful thought of buying a bag of potato chips and licking his fingers after each one, Hayato looked at the two who were almost ready, awaiting the opening.
"Alright, let's begin."
Nijika leaned forward, looking towards Hayato. Her beautiful red eyes held a gentle smile, and her swaying side ponytail exuded vitality.
She exchanged a glance with Ryo and nodded.
The next moment, the drums began.
The solid foundation of the Band was laid, and the grand stage unfolded.
And the bass, which usually provided the foundation alongside the drums, now changed its role, leaping out from its deep undertone with a strong rhythm to become the protagonist of the music.
The bass solo had a rare kind of swagger; its deep rhythm seemed to dance on the drumbeats. Gradually, people around began to stop and enjoy this small ensemble.
No fanfare, no special theatrics, just the music, just the performers' self-immersed playing, and people stopped, people appreciated, people… Hayato glanced at Kita nearby, whose eyes sparkled with starlight.
Following her gaze, he looked at Ryo, who was at the center of the crowd, expressionless, completely absorbed in enjoying the performance.
She held her bass, her body swaying freely with the rhythm as she played. When performing, she had a special beauty, like Erato gently caressing a harp.
The instrument was like an amplifier for her inner self; the thoughts of this usually quiet girl peaked at the edges of the music.
It was cool, but even cooler was playing one's own voice.
Hayato confirmed his idea: he wanted to continue like this; this was what he wanted to do.
At the same time, Kita, who was nearby, also made up her mind.
A Guitarist, huh.
She was determined to become the woman who could stand by Ryo-senpai's side!
Their performance ended, and a smattering of applause broke out around them.
Nijika and Ryo bowed slightly. The audience, knowing the performance was over, began to disperse, and the bustling street quickly became desolate amidst the relentless footsteps.
Hayato looked back; Kita, who had been completely engrossed just moments ago, had left at some point.
"Hayato…"
But upon hearing Ryo's lazy call from over there, he quickly went over… On the way back, Hayato was still responsible for carrying the luggage.
The two didn't seem to have created much distance due to Hayato's self-exposure.
Walking under the night sky, on the street where neon lights constantly changed and shone, the two who had just performed in the crowd were now beside Hayato.
As dinner time approached, the surrounding crowd became hurried. The number of students was much smaller than before, and the number of office workers rushing home, occasional couples, and aimless people gradually increased.
Beside Hayato, Nijika thought about something for a long time before finally speaking.
"I'm sorry, Hayato-kun, for making you carry everything."
Hayato could feel that Nijika wanted to ask something but held it back, worried about various situations.
But he didn't explain directly; instead, he said,
"This aligns perfectly with the idea of Perverts helping each other, and besides, shouldn't Band friends assist and support each other?"
Nijika's expression was very easy to read.
She first froze, then showed a thoughtful look of 'could it be that way, it seems to be that way, oh, then it's fine,' and then, realizing she hadn't responded yet, she hastily nodded.
"Mhm, mhm."
Nijika is so cute.
Ryo, glancing at the two, asked about Hayato's intention to join the street live before the performance.
"Hayato, you mentioned earlier that you also planned to join the street live. Is that right?"
"Yes… I also want to join and play. I just feel it would be very interesting."
Hayato's words made Ryo raise an eyebrow, but he quickly continued,
"However, your performance was excellent. My skill is indeed still a bit lacking, but I've grown a lot."
"Don't underestimate music."
Ryo's faint tone revealed a hint of sharpness.
"Then, how about you listen to my current level?"
Hayato smiled, showing no sign of backing down. The heavy equipment seemed to be nothing to him.
Vehicle lights streamed across his face, making his never-fading confidence shine brightly.
"Eh, eh, you two… Hayato-kun, Ryo is very strict when she's serious!"
Nijika quickened her pace and walked in front of them, trying her best to mediate and calm them down.
"It's fine. Criticism helps people find flaws they didn't see, and also, just a heads-up, Perverts are very strong, you know."
"Yes, I will be very strict."
On the street that now felt like night, a Pervert carrying an instrument and two girls walked unhurriedly towards Starry.