She finally noticed Kaito standing next to Bocchi. Her orange-red eyes blinked, and then she froze.
Yamada Ryou, who was still rubbing her head and muttering to herself, found it strange, 'Why did Nijika suddenly stop talking?'
Curious, she looked up.
And so, another stone statue appeared in the room.
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[Five Minutes Later]
In a practice room deep within the live hall.
"I deeply apologize for the earlier rudeness! Please, Kaito-kun, don't take it to heart!", Shimokitazawa's Archangel bowed at a ninety-degree angle, her crisp voice laced with shame. To think she'd fangirl over a stranger at first sight, and in front of her friends too.
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Chapter 19: Matchmaker Mode Kita, Deploy!
[ Shoutout to Mythical_Jacob & Knight_204 for joining patreon. Thank you very much.]
"It's fine," Kaito didn't care about this kind of situation at all.
If he had to fuss over every person who fell head over heels for him, then he might as well give up doing anything else for the rest of his life.
Compared to this kind of trivial matter, what intrigued him more was another small detail.
The girl in front of him had long, one-sided ponytail hair, looked about eighteen or nineteen years old, yet somehow had a very gentle aura, making people associate her with a loving mother.
But that wasn't the main point.
The main point was, the triangular ahoge on top of her head was actually floating in the air.
Where's Newton? Save us!
But thinking carefully... since even evil spirits existed in this world, a mere magnetic levitation ahoge didn't seem like a big deal.
"Not even blinking, is boyfriend-kun enchanted by Nijika's figure?", Yamada Ryou spoke indifferently from the side.
The blue-haired girl, after getting over her initial embarrassment, was the first to regain composure.
Maybe she was used to showing no emotion on her face daily, so even though her plump earlobes were slightly red, it wasn't very obvious.
'Figure?'
'Feels... not as good as Bocchi's.'
Although the girl named "Ijichi Nijika" did have a beautiful face and was full of vitality, making people naturally like her, still, nothing special.
"Ryou, what are you saying!"
Girls are actually quite sensitive to gazes from the opposite sex.
Even if Kaito just subconsciously glanced at her and then quickly looked away, it still made Nijika's pretty face flush red instantly.
To cover up her awkwardness, she raised her fist and pretended to be angry.
But her soft movements, rather than expressing dissatisfaction, looked more like a girl being shy after her thoughts were exposed.
"Ah ah, it can't be helped, after all, Nijika has already grown up."
Yamada Ryou held her face, on the verge of tears, "Wanting to form a warm family with the boy she likes is only natural, so even if you throw me away like a useless dirty rag, it's okay. I'll wash myself clean and reappear beside you"
"Like hell that kind of thing exists. And why the heck have you already defaulted to still clinging to me even after I get married!"
Nijika was both shy and angry. It was just a random bit of fangirling, how did it spiral into something like this.
And even if she did fangirl a bit, it's not like it's her fault.
Even Ryou herself stared in a daze for a while, how could Nijika be any different?
"Nijika really has fallen in love, actually disliking me for another guy," Gremlin Ryou pulled out a handkerchief from who knows where and started wiping away her 'tears' sadly.
"Even without Kaito-kun, I'd always dislike you anyway, so please don't push the blame onto someone else."
"You're not even denying the 'fallen in love' part anymore," Ryou muttered quietly, glancing at the calm-faced pretty boy, then at Nijika, with a hint of implication.
"Stop saying nonsense! Or I'll really get mad!", An angry, puffed-up archangel still had quite the intimidating presence.
Seeing that she'd finally suppressed Gremlin Ryou, Nijika patted her chest and showed an apologetic smile, "Sorry, Ryou's just like this... But she doesn't mean any harm, she's just purely a weirdo."
"I can see that," Kaito agreed deeply.
'Although she looks like a cold, expressionless ice queen, her personality is surprisingly different?'
From how she immediately borrowed money from Gotou Hitori upon meeting, she probably had some unreliable qualities too.
Might as well not call her Yamada Ryou anymore. Ryou Beggar seems more fitting.
"Hum hum~", Gremlin Ryou crossed her arms proudly.
"Which is exactly why I'm not praising you anymore!"
Nijika rubbed her forehead helplessly, already used to her friend being shameless and even proud of it.
"Tada~! We've brought back the drinks~"
Just then, the door to the practice room swung open. Kita and Bocchi entered with arms full of drinks, smiling.
"Please help yourselves! My treat!"
Nijika let out a sigh of relief and returned to her gentle smile, "Just think of it as an apology for earlier."
Kaito casually picked up a can of ginger ale. It sounded like some dark cuisine, but after taking a sip, it was surprisingly refreshing?
"Speaking of which, isn't the performance about to start?"
Looking outside through the practice room window, they could see the stage not far away and a crowd of spectators beneath it.
Although the lighting was dim, the atmosphere was clearly lively, with many people holding glow sticks, all looking excitedly toward the stage.
"Very soon, just two more minutes."
Nijika spoke, her tone a little envious, "No matter how many times I see it, I'm always shocked. Such insanely high popularity"
Also as band members, but compared to her, Bocchi, Kita, and Ryou's group "Kessoku Band" was like a newborn baby. Hadn't even had its first real performance yet, let alone gained any real fans.
Will the Kessoku Band also one day have a moment like this? The audience packed with loyal fans who came just to see them, flowers and applause everywhere they went.
While Nijika was still daydreaming, a huge cheer suddenly erupted from the performance hall outside.
Several girls in glittering stage outfits entered one by one, they were tonight's main act.
Although they hadn't been a group for long, each member was very skilled and cute, so they quickly attracted a large fan base and rose to fame.
After a short opening speech, a passionate and exciting performance followed one after another.
It was clear this band knew how to interact with fans, and they quickly fired up the crowd.
Having gotten used to the tranquil sound of the guzheng, experiencing a modern-style live performance for the first time was definitely refreshing for Kaito.
"Is boyfriend-kun very interested in live shows?", Yamada Ryou suddenly spoke from the side.
"Not really, I just find it fresh and new," Kaito casually replied, then felt a bit odd, "But Yamada-senpai, why do you keep calling me boyfriend-kun?"
"Obviously because... aren't you and Bocchi dating?"
Gremlin Ryou blinked her golden eyes, "Did I misunderstand?"
As soon as this topic came up, Nijika quietly perked up her ears, feeling a strange, subtle nervousness.
Like discovering a priceless gem by chance.
Just when she was amazed by it, if suddenly told it already belonged to someone, it was hard not to feel regret.
"That's totally not true!", Before Kaito could explain, Kita already jumped in to clarify.
Under the strange gazes of her friends and Bocchi's teary-eyed expression, the red-haired girl finally realized her reaction might've been a bit too much.
She quickly waved her hands and explained incoherently, "I-I-I I didn't mean Bocchi-chan is bad!"
"Even though Bocchi-chan is really cute, and if she dressed up properly she could totally debut as a girl idol, and Kaito-senpai is super handsome, the two of them really do look good together"
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Chapter 20: Ill Play Bass and Support You
'I match well with Kaito? Me?'
'No no no, KiKita-san must be just comforting me!'
Gotou Hitori's small face grew redder and redder as she silently lowered her head, but the little deer in her chest was helplessly thumping away.
Realizing that she seemed to be digging herself into a deeper hole, Kita grew a bit desperate, "Forget it, just pretend I never said anything, sob sob sob..."
"I indeed do not have a romantic relationship with Gotou-san," Finally unable to bear it, Kaito cleared his throat lightly and pulled the topic back, "We are just ordinary classmates and members of the same club."
"So, you're still single then?", Gremlin Ryou always had a way of extracting the keywords she was interested in from irrelevant information.
"In that case...", A pair of golden eyes lit up, the girl spoke in a solemn tone, "Please go out with me!"
Kita: "..."
Bocchi: "..."
Nijika: "..."
"I appreciate the thought, but please allow me to refuse," Compared to the girls who were stunned speechless, Kaito's reaction was much calmer.
Compared to the female demons in his past life who only had one thing on their minds. Knock him out and drag him back to the cave to get married, Yamada Ryou's methods were undoubtedly far too immature.
Drugging, ambushing... he had seen all kinds of illegal methods starting at three thousand years minimum, maximum death penalty. A mere confession from a little girl was hardly enough to stir his heart.
"Why are you refusing?", Yamada Ryou showed not a hint of shyness and said seriously, "I can play bass and support you."
"I'm not lacking money."
"Then you can support me instead."
Kaito: "?"
He shook his head, "Dating without a foundation of feelings is a castle in the air. Illusory and fragile."
That was a clear rejection.
"I see", Yamada Ryou pinched her chin in a pondering pose, "So it's a rare pure love type?"
"No problem!", She clenched her right hand into a fist, suddenly slammed it into her left palm, and declared righteously, "Doing children purely is also pure love! If we do it a lot then... mm... mm!"
To prevent this fool from saying anything even more outrageous and completely shattering the girls' beautiful ideals of love, Nijika acted decisively, immediately covering Ryou's mouth. Years of drumming had trained her arm strength, which a mere fragile bassist couldn't hope to break free from.
"Ahaha... Sorry, Kaito-san, I forgot to mention, Ryou actually suffers from severe mental illness. She's currently in an episode. I'll be sure to educate her properly."
"Mm mm! Mm mm mm mm!", Gremlin Ryou's voice was muffled, seemingly trying to argue something.
Nijika's face didn't change. She just turned her head slightly, her wine-red pupils seemingly devoid of highlights, "One more word and I'll shark you."
Yamada Ryou: "..."
The blue-haired girl finally calmed down.
Kita also laughed awkwardly on the side, trying to smooth things over and move past this scene.
After the featured band of Starlight's Night finished their performance, the mood of the bands that went on afterward noticeably dropped.
Not only did many audience members leave, but the atmosphere also couldn't compare to that of the earlier bands.
Two hours passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was already 7 p.m.
The last trace of sunset disappeared into the steel-structured modern city, and the fiery red sky gradually dimmed, replaced by ink-like darkness.
When parting with the others, the girl was still a bit reluctant and even wanted to ask for a photo of Kaito-kun to frame and hang up in the shop.
Firstly, it was eye candy. Secondly... maybe it could even attract more customers?
After all, most of the main customer base for STARRY was students from nearby schools, the majority of whom were girls.
But considering this was their first meeting, such a request would inevitably seem a bit too forward, so she suppressed the thought.
After leaving STARRY and returning to the apartment, as usual, he soaked in the bath for a bit.
It wasn't until Kaito put on his bathrobe, sat on the sofa, and habitually reached for the controller that he realized something serious.
'I... Seem to be getting lazier recently?'
He didn't even feel like doing his daily cultivation anymore.
The modern city was truly corrupting. Without making a sound, it had eroded the heart of a Nascent Soul Heavenly Lord.
'Forget it, better play a few rounds of games to calm down.'
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.
.
In the days that followed, it was peaceful.
Classes as usual, reading manga in the club room. Leisurely like retirement.
It was Miura Yumiko who seemed particularly enthusiastic.
She hadn't forgotten the promise she made when applying to join the club and went around gathering information about urban legends or strange happenings, trying hard to bring Kaito some business.
Unfortunately, although ghosts and monsters did exist in this world, their numbers were too few, and they weren't that powerful.
Relying on her strong social skills and wide network, Yumiko did initially hear quite a few ghost rumors.
But after a little investigation, they all turned out to be unreliable. Mostly just hearsay and baseless gossip.
After enough false alarms, Yumiko couldn't help feeling discouraged, even venting to Kaito, "Damn! Why is everything fake! I feel like I've been wasting my efforts..."
"Totally normal," Kaito picked up the black tea in front of him and took a light sip, "It's not like evil spirits are cabbages. If monsters and demons were everywhere, the human world would've already been renamed the underworld."
"Then why did I encounter one?", Yumiko pouted, still unconvinced.
"Because you're unlucky," Kaito shook his head, then looked in a certain direction, "Besides, there's someone far unluckier than you."
Poor Bocchi, who was curled up in the corner like a mushroom and suddenly got caught in the crossfire:
It was bad enough to awaken spirit sight for no reason... One evil spirit at home, and another encounter with the Lucky Child at school. If Kaito hadn't happened to be there, Bocchi-chan's seventh-day death ceremony would've already passed.
While the few of them were chatting, the clubroom door was suddenly knocked on, then someone came in.
