After lunch, Shin was stopped by Ikuyo Kita, who wanted to speak with him alone.
Once everyone else had left, only Shin and Ikuyo Kita remained in the classroom.
Seeing the deep blush on Ikuyo Kita's face, Shin could guess what was coming—she was probably going to try to sort out her overflowing emotions.
Ikuyo Kita really loved the band, Kessoku Band. Although she had initially joined because she admired Ryo Yamada, the "senior" in the group, she had genuinely grown to love everyone in the band.
Because of this, Ikuyo Kita definitely didn't want to hold the band back.
While she had told others that she "didn't know why" she was feeling so unsettled, deep down, she knew exactly what was bothering her.
"Shin... You probably already know why I've been so out of sorts, don't you?"
Ikuyo Kita looked at Shin nervously, but when she saw his calm expression, she puffed out her cheeks, seeming a bit annoyed.
Shin clearly knew why she was so tense, yet he remained so composed and didn't say anything. How mean of him.
"I only just figured it out," Shin said with a smile—and he wasn't lying.
Although he had known through his ability to sense "Ki" that Ikuyo Kita had overheard his and Megumi Kato's... activities, he had only just realized how much it had affected her, to the point where it was interfering with her ability to play in the band.
"Honestly, doing something like that in the clubroom... I haven't been able to sleep well for days," Ikuyo Kita said, lightly stomping her foot.
Then, with a small run, she threw herself into Shin's arms, hugging him tightly and burying her face in his chest.
"You have to take responsibility for this. Whatever I do next, you can't resist."
(Nani?!?!)
Fortunately, Ikuyo Kita didn't go as far as Megumi Kato had.
While she had been deeply unsettled by what she had overheard between Megumi Kato and Shin, Ikuyo Kita wasn't as bold as Megumi Kato.
After holding Shin for a while, Ikuyo Kita decided that "this still isn't enough to let out all my pent-up emotions" and went for his lips.
Shin obediently followed her lead, not resisting at all. He simply responded to her kisses as she initiated them.
This went on for quite some time, until Ikuyo Kita was almost out of breath. She finally pulled away, her face flushed, and without saying another word, she grabbed her guitar and fled the clubroom like a startled rabbit. It was unclear whether her actions had actually helped her feel better.
...
"That was quick."
When Shin returned to the classroom and sat down at his desk, Megumi Kato, sitting in front of him, turned around and looked at him with a slightly surprised expression.
When Ikuyo Kita had asked Shin to stay behind earlier, Megumi Kato had already guessed what might happen.
Eriri and Hitori Gotou clearly hadn't noticed anything, but Megumi Kato was far more perceptive.
She had initially thought that Shin and Ikuyo Kita might miss a few classes, but to her surprise, Shin was back before the end of lunch break.
Had it only been about ten minutes? How could Shin, with his stamina, be done in just ten minutes? Was Ikuyo Kita some kind of super succubus?
"What are you thinking? We didn't do *that*," Shin said, giving Megumi Kato a slightly exasperated look.
Just because they had done *that* didn't mean everyone else would do the same with Shin.
Sure, kissing was intimate, but it was still a far cry from what Megumi Kato had done with him.
"Hmm... Is that so?" Megumi Kato's expression seemed to brighten a bit, perhaps because she had heard that Shin and Ikuyo Kita hadn't crossed that line.
"In that case, Kita should be able to play normally with Kessoku Band after school today, right? She's been feeling really guilty these past few days."
"You've really gotten close to Kessoku Band, huh?" Shin said, watching Megumi Kato talk about the band as if she were their manager.
"Why don't you join Kessoku Band? Interested?"
In the original story, Megumi Kato had been quite free-spirited, often being pulled into clubs and activities she had never tried before.
But now, her future had clearly changed. She hadn't gotten into gaming or similar hobbies, but she had become increasingly familiar with Kessoku Band.
During their recent casual chats, Megumi Kato had even mentioned which bands she had been listening to lately and the emotions she had picked up from their songs.
It seemed that Megumi Kato was becoming more and more interested in music, a stark contrast to her original trajectory.
"Well... I'm a bit interested, but I think I'll pass."
This wasn't the first time Shin had suggested that Megumi Kato join Kessoku Band. The last time he had brought it up, she had outright refused, but this time, she hesitated slightly.
Of course, after hesitating, she still declined, but not because she had no interest in the band. Instead, it was for another reason:
"Kessoku Band's lineup is already solid—guitarist, bassist, drummer, rhythm guitarist and lead singer... If I were to join, the only role left would be keyboardist."
She sighed:
"But the requirements for a keyboardist are way too high. It's not like rhythm guitar, where you can pick it up quickly. If I were to start learning now, there's no way I'd catch up in time."
When Shin heard this, his first thought was the "Hyperbolic Time Chamber"—if Megumi Kato practiced in there, couldn't she "master it in a day"?
But he quickly dismissed the idea.
Not only would it be hard to explain the existence of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, but even Megumi Kato wouldn't want to spend a year alone in an empty room practicing the synthesizer, right?
Just thinking about it sounded like torture.
Although Megumi Kato hadn't officially joined Kessoku Band, given how close she had become with the members, it was almost as if she had.
She wasn't a performer, but she was more like a support member.
During lunch, Hitori Gotou and Ikuyo Kita would occasionally talk about the band's situation, and they often mentioned how much Megumi Kato had helped them.
It was clear that they already saw her as an indispensable part of Kessoku Band.
To be continued…
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