My love is abyss mode

Chapter 142 Killing Three Birds with One Stone (4.6K)

Colored spotlights instantly illuminated the cool face of the short-haired girl with blue hair. A simple three-person band stood on the stage, greeting the scattered audience members below.

Momo Shirakawa sat in front of the brightly lit control panel, watching the performance through the glass on the side of the stage. The lead singer's voice echoed through the speakers in the dimly lit room.

The drum kit was a bit too loud, almost overpowering the main sound—she slid down the knob to balance the instruments and vocals, glancing at the unlocked door with a hint of unease in her eyes.

Already gone?
Should we have phrased it differently? Or is it that the idiot couldn't think of any topics to talk about with girls besides "sleeping"?
What a useless man.

After the band's performance on stage ends, there will be a few minutes of free time. If Kuronuma Kiba hasn't come home yet, I can call him in to study, Shirakawa Momo thought to herself.

Let's use the excuse that "the band needs a trustworthy sound engineer backstage during performances." After all, he's part of the band, and he can't just pretend to be an audience member offstage.

Thinking of this, Shirakawa Momo's golden eyes showed a hint of disdain as she continued to focus on the performance on stage.

Click.

Amidst the sounds of various musical instruments echoing in the room, the soft sound of the door opening was particularly captivating.

She glanced coldly at the door, and when she saw Kuronuma Kiba walk in, she immediately suppressed her smile and adopted an indifferent expression: "What is it?"

His voice was calm, but his tone was stern, effectively burying his recent thoughts.

Kuronuma Kiba stood outside the door for a long time, but couldn't think of any important business that he needed to discuss with Shirakawa Momo. However, he had a useful tool in mind—Shiona Shinkai.

According to the principle of "an eye for an eye," helping Matsuzaka Kanon is what he should do.

Shinkai Shiona is an important member of the band, and Shirakawa Momo is currently the person who knows her situation best, so this is a topic of common interest for the two of them.

"Is Shionai's drum really okay? Do you have any contingency plans?" Kuronuma Kiba asked.

Hearing him address Shinkai Shionai by her first name, Shirakawa Momo curled her lip, too lazy to even look at him, and said coldly, "No, you're going to plead for her?"

"No, Kanon told me that Shiona's emotions have been unstable lately. Do you have any clues?" Kuronuma Kiba walked behind her, his gaze passing through the glass as he looked at the drummer on the stage.

These opening times are usually for relatively unknown bands, those that have just debuted.

The three-person band on stage specially made performance outfits. The drummer wore a tight blue top paired with a white pleated skirt, and the delicate branches and fruits could be clearly seen from the side.

Shinkai Shiona's figure is even better than the drummer on stage, making one look forward to seeing her in the same sitting posture on stage.

You definitely can't see it from below the stage because the drum set is blocking the view, so Kuronuma decided to wait until the performance to go backstage and enjoy the show from the side, just like right now.

"No, she's been perfectly normal these past few days."

Shirakawa Momo thought about it carefully for a while, then nodded to confirm her previous statement: "My emotions were very stable, and finally there was no sound of things being smashed disturbing my sleep the night before the camping trip."

Because of the strange noises she heard in the middle of the night, she once considered moving away.

"Kanon definitely didn't say that for no reason. I sometimes want to repay her for her hard work these days."

Kuronuma Kiba habitually raised his hand to rub Shirakawa Momo's head. Her short black hair had grown a bit longer; it used to only reach her jawline, but now it touched her thin shoulders.

"Your act of giving up those thoughts about Shionai is the best way to repay her." A strange sense of powerlessness crept into Shirakawa Momo's voice.

“I really want to help Hanon. Shiona is probably avoiding her. If you cooperate a little, at least the two of them can meet smoothly.”

"and then?"

"Kane didn't tell me anything else."

"So annoying." Shirakawa Momo slapped Kuronuma Kiba's hand away, turned her head and glared at him, her face full of displeasure.

He wanted to ask her for help, but he didn't even know the specifics. What a useless man.

If we stand idly by and do nothing, things will only get more complicated and may even lead to a worse outcome.

Kuronuma Kiba and Shinkai Shionai are absolutely out of the question!

Thinking of this, Shirakawa Momo patiently took a deep breath and held out her hand to him: "Give me your phone, I'll go ask Matsusaka what's going on."

"I'll give you her contact information."

"can."

Having obtained Matsusaka Kanon's contact information, Shirakawa Momo kept an eye on the stage while chatting with her on her phone.

Kuronuma stood to the side, quietly watching the performance on stage.

After the three-person band finished performing their three songs, the stage lights dimmed, and the next band began helping the drummer carry the drum kit onto the stage.

When the lights came back on, Shirakawa Momo put away her phone and rubbed her temples, looking exasperated. "It's not as simple as you think. You really want to help?"

“Of course.” Kuronuma Fang turned his gaze from the stage to her delicate profile.

The next band was all male, nothing interesting.

Seeing his serious expression, a hint of surprise flashed in Shirakawa Momo's eyes, but it disappeared in an instant.

She initially thought that Kiba Kuronuma's motivation was "Shiona Shinkai's outrageous figure" or "hiding her sister's vanity," but Kanon Matsuzaka's purpose was to correct Shiona Shinkai's mistaken ideas, which was clearly contrary to Kiba Kuronuma's original intention in coming to Tokyo.

Ha, at least he still has some conscience.

In any case, since Kuronuma Kiba has made up his mind, I should help him—Shirakawa Momo pondered for a moment, then confirmed one last time: "Have you thought it through? Shiona-chan is in a state where you can eat her anytime."

"I may be a bit of a jerk, but I still care about you guys." Kuronuma Kiba met her gaze with a serious look, his eyes filled with determination.

On the road to the future, we must follow the lines drawn by principles.

Now that you've chosen Hatsushika Ryo, Shirakawa Momo, and Matsuzaka Kanon, you must take responsibility to the end and shoulder the burdens you should bear, such as taking care of their feelings.

As for Shinkai Shionai, let's leave it to fate for now.

Putting aside whether it's illegal to fool idiots, her annoyance level is just too high, making it a bit hard for Kuronuma to accept.

"Let's repair the relationship between Kanon and Shion first, and we can talk about other things later," Kuronuma Kiba added.

On the bright side, this is also accumulating experience in handling interpersonal relationships. The rift between Hatsushino Ryo and Shirakawa Momo, and the old and new grudges between Shirakawa Momo and Toyama Chitose, may all require him to deal with in the future.

While gaining experience, you have a reason to spend time with Shirakawa Momo to deepen your relationship, and you can also gain Matsuzaka Kanon's gratitude—killing three birds with one stone.

Regardless of his motives, in Shirakawa Momo's view, Kuronuma Kiba finally had something that could be considered "serious" to do, and she had to support him.

She nodded slightly, looked at the stage in front of her, and said in a calm tone, "Okay, come home with me tonight."

"what?"

"Let's observe Shionai-chan up close first; Matsusaka didn't explain it clearly enough."

"You're willing to help?" Kuronuma asked in surprise, not expecting her to agree so easily.

"It's not to help you, Matsuzaka said he's willing to owe me a favor."

As always, Shirakawa Momo was stubborn and refused to admit that she only agreed because he asked: "Besides, Shionai-chan is a band member, and as the leader, it is my responsibility to care about her mental health."

"You're quite responsible."

"Tsk, now go and appease your girlfriend, tell her not to come and bother you tonight."

"it is good."

Kurogane Kiba turned and left the sound room to go to the rehearsal room to find Hatsushino Ryo.

In the spacious room, only the sound of a guitar echoed as Chitose Toyama practiced an original piece; she was quite familiar with the other two songs as well.

When Kuronuma first met her on the streets of Shibuya, Toyama Chitose was performing the songs "Gunjo" and "To the Night".

Hatsushiro Ryo sat quietly on the drum stool, admiring the music. Her beautiful face was expressionless, and her bass guitar was lying in the corner, as if she had no intention of practicing at all.

For her, memorizing the score is very easy, and she can play it accurately. The only problem is that she lacks emotion.

Kuronuma Kiba walked to Hatsushino Ryo's side, and seeing her raise her arms and open them, he leaned down and hugged her, whispering in her ear, "I've already thought of the date plan for tomorrow. We'll hang love locks at Tokyo Tower, then go shopping in Shibuya, and have a picnic at Yoyogi Park at noon, how about that?"

Actually, there was no need to think at all. When they first started dating, Hatsushiro Ryo had made a list of 100 things to do; just a few items could fill a whole day. "..." Hatsushiro Ryo nodded, her short white hair brushing against her cheek, causing a slight itch.

She glanced at Chitose Toyama, then leaned close to Kiba Kuronuma's ear and whispered, "Aren't we doing it tomorrow?"

"Is the rehearsal in the afternoon? We can take a nap together."

Kuronuma Kiba turned his head and gently kissed her cheek, inhaling the rose scent in her hair, and said in a conciliatory tone, "I want to go see Momo tonight."

Before he could finish speaking, Hatsushiro Ryo's face visibly darkened, her wine-red eyes staring directly at him, and she pouted in an angry expression.

Seemingly feeling that such an expression was not enough to express her dissatisfaction, she withdrew her hand from Kuronuma Kiba, pulled down the corner of her mouth with two fingers to indicate her unhappiness.

The young lady is still adorable.

Kuronuma Kiba straightened up, rubbed Hatsushika Ryo's head, and gently comforted her: "Kane asked Momo to help with Shiona's matter, be good."

"..." Hatsushiro Ryo stared at him without saying a word, clearly unable to accept the food slipping away easily.

Judging from the current situation, we must first satisfy Hatsushino Ryo and feed her before we can go find Shirakawa Momo with peace of mind.

"How about now?" Kuronuma Fang looked around and asked tentatively.

The rehearsal room can be locked because the LiveHouse is located underground and has no windows. The only problem is the security cameras, which can be turned off by Inada Masaharu.

However, there is no bed at all. The sofa for resting is placed close to the wall to save space, and the other thing is a drum stool.

As if afraid he might change his mind, Hatsushiro Ryo nodded emphatically, looking at Toyama Chitose and communicating with her through his eyes.

You can go home now.
"Huh? Then what's the point of gathering tonight?" Chitose Toyama's voice suddenly rose a few decibels as she asked with dissatisfaction.

"I'll be back in a bit."

Kuronuma believed that Hatsushika Ryo could drive Toyama Chitose away, so he quickly fled the rehearsal room, crossed the backstage corridor, and headed to the lobby to find Inada Miyabi.

Guests entered one after another, and Inada Masashi, who was in charge of checking tickets, was quite busy. When he learned that Inada Masashi wanted the key to the monitoring room, he simply handed him a bunch of keys.

Fortunately, there were labels on the keys, and each room in the backstage area also had a door number.

Kuronuma first went to the street outside to find Hatsushino Ryo's driver to retrieve his marriage certificate, tore it up, and threw it into a roadside trash can. Then he went to the monitoring room to turn off the surveillance in the long-term rental rehearsal room.

On the way back, they ran into Chitose Toyama, who was leaving with a furious expression and carrying his guitar.

She glared fiercely at Kuronuma, sneered, and left without looking back.

Kuronuma chuckled in response, returned to the rehearsal room, turned around and locked the door, a soft, warm touch pressed against him from behind.

A new scene, the band rehearsal room in the LiveHouse, is now unlocked.

When we saw Hatsushiro Ryo off from the LiveHouse, there weren't many people in the lobby. It wasn't that business was bad, but rather that the peak customer traffic had passed.

As I descended the narrow concrete steps to the ground, the late autumn breeze swept away the sweat from my vigorous exercise, stealing away the heat, and the chill immediately seeped into my skin.

Kuronuma Kiba opened the car door and waved for Hatsushino Ryo to get in. She brushed aside the strands of hair that were ruffled by the evening breeze, and unlike her usual expressionless face, she looked over with watery eyes, and even her lips seemed to have a moist feel to them.

"My mother said that you should come home with me when you have time to have dinner with her."

The voice was clear, with a hint of weary satisfaction.

"Do you have to go?"

Kuronuma asked somewhat reluctantly, saying that compared to Shinkai Shiona, the nagging female elders were more annoying, like having a mosquito that could never be killed buzzing around your ear.

"Okay, when you have time, no rush."

As Hatsushiro Ryo got into the back seat of the car, she waved goodbye to him reluctantly, her eyes seeming to say, "I'm looking forward to next time."

She still spoke up, even with the driver present: "I'll wait for you tonight."

I probably won't be going home tonight.

"It's ok."

"Ok."

Kuronuma closed the car door and watched the black sedan slowly drive away until the red taillights disappeared from sight before returning to LiveHouse.

The young lady is truly insatiable, but she's not exactly annoying.

Thinking to himself, he pushed open the door, stopped at the ticket checkpoint, leaned against the table for support, and took out the key to return to Inada Masashi: "Masashi-nee, can we please not turn on the surveillance cameras in our rehearsal room from now on?"

"What if something unexpected happens?" Inada Miyabi asked, biting her straw as she drank her coffee.

A laptop sat in front of her as she counted the tickets she had collected that day and calculated her earnings.

Kuronuma Kiba pointed towards the door and said in a nonchalant tone, "If anything happens, the young lady of the Hatsushino family can compensate you with an even better shop."

I mean personal safety.

"No, trust me."

"Tsk, and you still say you haven't been involved in any ambiguous relationships with a bunch of girls." Inada Miyabi rolled her eyes at him, revealing a speechless expression of condemnation for being a scumbag.

If you can make a "V" sign with both hands, you could almost be drawn directly into Toyama Chitose's favorite manga.

"Sister Ya, I must state that my relationships with everyone are very clear, and I do not have a bunch of girls."

Kuronuma, looking utterly wronged, held up three fingers and declared righteously, "Momo and I are friends, Ryo is my girlfriend, Kanon is Ryo's permitted lover, and you are my favorite older sister—"

"Stop, don't drag me into this."

Inada Miyabi picked up a rubber band, tied the neatly stacked tickets together, opened the drawer and put them in: "I don't like my younger brother, especially that womanizing scumbag bassist younger brother."

Clearly, the second half of the sentence is the key point.

"This is prejudice against bassists."

Kuronuma was indignant. There are clearly many people in bands who are promiscuous and there is no difference between guitar and keyboard. Why target the bassist?

"Are you going to hang yourself with a bass string?"

Inada Miyabi casually made a joke, then put on a serious expression, looking at him earnestly with his caramel-colored eyes and saying, "I do have a bit of a prejudice against your band, this isn't yours, is it?"

"Probably not?" Kuronuma Kiba guiltily looked away, glancing at the final performance on stage.

Given that, excluding himself, three of the six members of the band who include the manager have a real relationship with him, how many people are still plotting against him?

"Well, it's normal for people in bands to have relationship problems."

Inada Masashi sighed helplessly and tried to soften his tone as he said, "However, I've heard many stories of bands breaking up because of relationship problems, so you should be careful."

"I understand." Kuronuma Fang nodded, keeping her words in mind.

The band carries too much weight. If they disband due to emotional disputes, wouldn't their relationship become even more complicated?

I suddenly feel a lot of pressure and must be careful with my words and actions.

However, matters of the heart are almost entirely uncontrollable, especially given Shinkai Shiona's unstable emotions and Toyama Chitose's favorite little schemes, leaving one at a loss for what to do.

"Sister Ya, do you have any suggestions?" Kuronuma Fang asked.

"I've never been in a relationship."

Inada Masashi spread her hands, indicating her helplessness, and stared at him with an idiotic look: "You want me to give suggestions because you're afraid the band won't disband soon enough?"

"Okay, I'll go find Tao first."

Seeing the stage lights go out, Kuronuma Kiba strode backstage and headed to the sound room.

(End of this chapter)