As a result, he received a glare from Seika Ijichi and retracted his hand with a sheepish smile. "Jhin, I'm acknowledging your status as Bocchi-chan's boyfriend more and more. You two are simply a couple made in heaven!"
"So... later at the afterparty, can I order a few more bottles of alcohol?"
Letting her drink too much wasn't good either. Jhin thought for a moment and proposed a condition: "If you, Big Sis Hiroi, can guarantee that you'll return home conscious, then no problem."
"Okay! It's a promise. You don't need to call me Big Sis Hiroi anymore, just call me Kikuri-nee! I don't mind!" Able to drink a few more bottles, Kikuri Hiroi immediately beamed with joy, and the alcohol fumes surrounding her dissipated slightly.
"Store Manager, can the sound engineer big sister come to the afterparty?"
Seika Ijichi raised an eyebrow, sighing internally at how Jhin handled things without a single leak, even remembering the person staying behind to watch the shop. She waved her hand: "That guy is watching the shop, she can't come."
"Then bring something back for her?"
"Sure, I'll tell her it's your treat."
The group arrived at the izakaya. After ordering their favorite dishes, the waiter first brought out the alcohol and drinks. Everyone sat on the tatami mats and began to chat idly.
"Kita, your guitar skills have improved a lot without us noticing."
Facing Hitori Gotoh's praise, Kita Ikuyo froze slightly, then revealed a faint smile.
So Bocchi-chan noticed...
"It's just chord accompaniment. I can't play catchy melodies like everyone else yet. Fortunately, I'm quite good at coordinating with everyone's performance. I'll practice guitar even harder in the future, so please guide me more strictly!"
"Ah, ah, that... um, I, I think... Kita's singing is very good. And since guitar isn't your main focus, being able to play like this is already very amazing!"
Hitori Gotoh comforted Kita Ikuyo with her clumsy words. Who knew she would burst out laughing with a pfft.
"I'm not discouraged. I just feel that everyone is very amazing, so I must double my efforts."
"I don't agree with that remark," Jhin suddenly interjected, glancing at her wrist with a look only Kita Ikuyo could understand. "Kita is already in a state of overworking. It's better to give yourself more time to relax."
"Ikuyo has been practicing hard whenever Bocchi-chan wasn't around recently. She was tense like a wound-up clockwork spring; she looked very tired." Ryo complained about Kita Ikuyo's state a while ago while eating cold kelp, a side dish for alcohol.
"!? Was that so?" Hitori Gotoh only just realized Kita Ikuyo had been so desperate during this period. Before this, her brain had been occupied by the two matters of practice and remedial lessons, and she hadn't noticed at all.
"Yeah, sometimes Kita was so tired she couldn't even lift her arms." Nijika, like a worrying old mother, rambled on about Kita Ikuyo's various past behaviors. "If Jhin hadn't told me not to worry, I would have wanted to make you go back and rest for a few days."
"Ahaha, so everyone realized..." Kita Ikuyo thought no one had noticed, but it turned out they just saw through it without saying anything.
Jhin raised his hand and knocked on her head, neither lightly nor heavily. "You can't do this in the future. The guitar string breaking this time was also because of your high-intensity practice, right?"
"Mm... sorry. If only I had checked it beforehand."
"I don't mean to blame you. I just hope you won't overwork yourself again. Everyone is caring for you in their own way, so leave some time to look at your surroundings."
"I will."
Kikuri Hiroi sipped a mouthful of shochu, blinked, looked at Jhin, then turned to look at Seika Ijichi and herself, muttering in confusion: "Why do I feel like Jhin is more of an adult than me and Senpai? He's so articulate when enlightening people."
"Isn't it normal for someone who can establish a record company in their student days to be a bit mature?" Seika Ijichi wasn't willing to lower her status and be filled into the same childish category as her alcoholic junior. "You're the only one who's like a kid, don't drag me into it."
"Senpai, with that tsundere and awkward personality of yours, you aren't much more mature than me."
Jhin took out his phone. He received a message from Nymph on [momotalk].
Nymph: "Master, Kazuki asked me to record Kessoku Band's performance. I've already sent it to her."
Jhin: "Mm, got it."
Nymph: "Kazuki also said to ask you for the reward."
Jhin: "...Fine. Let's agree beforehand, I can't accompany you to do a durability survey report this time."
Nymph: "Then can I perform the opening act with Kessoku Band?"
Jhin: "You should just continue doing the durability survey with me..."
Nymph tilted her head, her small face full of puzzlement.
Why did Master suddenly agree to do the survey report again?
She definitely doesn't know that humans are animals who like to compromise.
Nymph: "Okay, I understand."
Jhin wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Compared to demonic sounds filling his ears, he preferred being drained dry by the little angel. Although the latter harvested tens of millions times more life, at least it wouldn't affect others. Jhin was moved by his own hero-like self-sacrifice.
I've silently saved many people again. Truly too great. It's simply their loss if the Nobel Peace Prize isn't given to me!
He put down his phone, took a sip of Happy Water, and asked the waiter for grilled chives and grilled oysters. Tonight was bound to be a fierce battle. Although these things didn't have actual effects, they were better than nothing; at least they could give Jhin a fingernail's worth of psychological comfort.
"Nijika, Ryo, remember to come to STARRY next weekend. I'll take you to the record company to record the album."
"Next weekend, that fast?"
"Your current songs are enough to make an album. Plus, people were asking about it at the Cultural Festival. Strike while the iron is hot; doing it at a time like this will also help boost your fame."
"OK, we'll remember."
To be able to officially release an album so soon—Nijika hadn't dared to think about it before. The time, energy, and money required were simply too great. Relying solely on themselves to do it, they definitely couldn't have achieved it.
Nijika was immersed in the anticipation of the debut album and didn't even pay attention to Ryo handing her own used drink to Jhin.
____
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