"Haha, Sura, don't be too serious."
Hachisuka Hidemichi waved his hand and laughed, "Hayato-kun is just a current high school student; how could he be a match for a professional resident singer like you?"
"Even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit! I will never take it lightly."
Kouzen Sura scrutinized Hayato with a sharp gaze, while Hayato, seeing that Nanao Akane seemed startled by this guy's appearance, was gently patting her hand, a gesture of comfort, though his smile was quite mocking.
"See, the idiot's going to suffer after falling for it."
Nanao Akane, on one hand, was lost in Kobayashi-chan's gentle actions, and on the other, was infuriated to the heavens by his mocking gaze, caught in an inescapable state of both ice and fire.
"I won't take it lightly, take it lightly, or the crown will fall!" Kouzen Sura said.
"...Oh," Follower Number One then realized: "Hayato-kun...is he going to play on stage? I thought bringing him here was just to borrow a guitar...and then he'd play a piece for us in private."
Kurashiki Reina looked at her in disbelief, was this girl an idiot?
Realizing this, Follower Number One quickly followed up, continuing, "Isn't that a bit inappropriate...? Hayato-kun doesn't seem to have much experience performing on stage, does he? Wouldn't it be too much to ask?"
"Are you stupid?" Kurashiki Reina raised her voice—not because she was scolding Follower Number One, but because the environment here was simply not suitable for speaking softly. "How could he perform in private? The decibels here wouldn't allow for private performance!"
"Ah!"
Follower Number One suddenly understood.
"Hahahahahahahahaha, since he's already here, I believe Hayato-kun won't refuse." Hachisuka Hidemichi played the "since you're already here" card, saying in a seemingly persuasive tone, "Don't worry, the guests here are very friendly and will be tolerant of you as a newcomer."
Nanao Akane also hadn't expected things to turn out this way.
Kobayashi-chan was almost out of it then, and it was only because of her loose tongue that he got caught in the other party's trap again...Thinking of this, Nanao Akane wished she could slap herself twice.
Damn it, I've caused Kobayashi-chan trouble again.
When she looked at Hayato with tearful, aggrieved eyes, the mockery in his dark pupils had vanished, replaced by a calm expression.
Not a hint of emotion could be seen.
"Sura, you go get busy first; just leave time for one song, let our Hayato-kun experience it too." Hachisuka Hidemichi said to Kouzen Sura.
Kouzen Sura sneered, "Alright, I'll let you know that the gap between us is like a chasm!"
With that, he turned his head, and his mysterious bangs "swished" as they swung.
Then he walked towards the stage.
During the process, someone from an unknown location threw him a guitar.
Kouzen Sura bounced onto the stage, and after a strum of his guitar, he grabbed the microphone and roared down:
"Are you ready guys!?"
"Aye aye captain!"
Everyone in the bar, whether drinking or not, raised their heads and responded loudly.
"I can't hear you!" Kouzen Sura shouted again.
"Aye aye captain!!" The bar guests shouted even louder.
"Yooooooooooo..."
Boom!!
With this as a fuse, the stage was ignited first.
As Kouzen Sura's heartbreaking singing filled the air, guests who had been sitting in their seats stood up one after another, some starting to sway their thin or plump waists to the melody.
Others were hyping up with the song.
Still others directly began drumming on tables, as if they had taken on the role of a drummer, even though they were tapping without any rhythm.
...And then the entire bar started to explode.
"Sura is as popular as ever." Hachisuka Hidemichi said blandly, his peripheral vision lightly glancing at Kouzen Sura singing and dancing on stage.
Then he directed his gaze towards Hayato, who was opposite him.
Nanao Akane's expression was somewhat displeased.
To be honest, she didn't like Kouzen Sura's attire, nor was she particularly fond of his singing style, but it had to be said that a resident singer was indeed a resident singer... His skill was strong, just by looking at the atmosphere that made the bar guests jump and dance, you could tell.
"Kouzen is the most popular resident singer in this bar." Kurashiki Reina said faintly to Hayato, while twirling her light blonde hair, "If you go up to take over during his performance, the audience might give you the middle finger and kick you off."
She paused and then said, "If you're not good at performing on stage, just go ahead and admit defeat. It's not shameful to lose to Kouzen and admit that your guitar skills aren't good."
Kurashiki Reina had guessed Hachisuka Hidemichi's "scheme" from the beginning, but she hadn't expected Hachisuka Hidemichi to use the method of having Hayato compete against Kouzen Sura… Although he didn't explicitly say so, having Kouzen Sura go on stage first, and then having Hayato take over, anyone could feel the vast difference in atmosphere.
Moreover, he would probably have to face the cold sarcasm of the audience below; if he had weaker psychological fortitude, he might even burst into tears.
Kurashiki Reina didn't care about Hayato's pride or emotions, but if he were to cry...
How should I put it, it would be quite unsightly, and it might hurt her eyes.
...But thinking about it carefully, if it wasn't in public, but rather crying bitterly to her in private, it wouldn't be a bad thing either...
Hmm? Am I trying to prevent him from being humiliated in public, but only want him to be humiliated in front of me?
Kurashiki Reina felt strange, but she didn't think further.
"...Reina is right." Follower Number One quickly agreed, "Besides, Hayato-kun, you're not in the guitar club, are you? It's not shameful not to be able to perform on stage~"
Now Follower Number One felt quite guilty; it was because of her unintentional remark that Hayato was in a dilemma.
"Eh, but," Hachisuka Hidemichi smiled coldly, "Hayato-kun's girlfriend made quite the boast... didn't she?"
Nanao Akane still didn't think Kobayashi-chan would lose to that Kouzen Sura... at least that's how it seemed to her. But the problem was that she had only ever heard Kobayashi-chan play """other than spring, love, and flowers""", and that song was clearly not suitable for this atmosphere... It was just that the environment wasn't right, not that Kobayashi-chan lacked skill... and the culprit responsible for him being in this environment was none other than herself.
Nanao Akane regretted it, but it was useless.
Hachisuka Hidemichi was very satisfied with the feeling of pushing Hayato into a corner... Look at him, so silent. Oh, the poor little thing, is he too scared to even speak?
Hayato lowered his gaze and moved his mouth, seeming like he wanted to say something but held back, yet he still wanted to speak: "Um, maybe it's not the best time for me to say this... but..."
"Hmm?" Hachisuka Hidemichi raised an eyebrow. Was this kid really going to concede defeat?
If he did, he wouldn't get to see his pathetic performance after getting on stage, so he had to provoke him further.
Just as Hachisuka Hidemichi was about to speak, he heard Hayato say:
"Where is the food?"
"...?"
"Hasn't it been delivered yet?"
"Huh?"
"You are a bit slow, Mister Bee Arrow." Hayato stood up helplessly, implicitly chastising Hachisuka Hidemichi with the attitude of "you are truly a poor host." He walked toward the exit while speaking: "Mister Kouzen Sura's song should be finished by now. I'll go ahead. I hope the food will be here when I get back."
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