My fiancée Yukino

When Goto Ichiri met Luo Bai's gaze, her social anxiety flared up again. She shrank back and whispered, "I, my name is Goto Ichiri..."

Luo Bai smiled and said, "Hello everyone, it seems you had a good chat while I was away?"

Hoshino Ai nodded and said, "That's right. Kita has already apologized and said he's willing to join the band and practice his guitar. Although time is limited and Kita isn't quite at the level to perform on stage yet, with Goto here, we should be able to handle Friday's performance, right?"

Luo Bai looked at Goto Ichiri in surprise: "You're actually willing to participate?"

Goto Ichiri whispered, "Um, Hoshino-kun said he could help me get a signed album from my favorite band..."

"Hmm, that's fine too. As long as the performance goes smoothly, the album and stuff will be easy."

After putting down the cake box, Luo Bai said to Yi Di Zhi Xing Ge, "I brought some delicious cake. Manager, could you please bring out some cutlery? There will be some for everyone."

Ichi Seika nodded, and then went to the counter to get the cutlery.

Nijika Ichichi exclaimed happily, "Yay! The guitarist came today, and he even brought a cake! That's awesome!"

Soon, Ichiji Hoshika brought over the plate and fork, and Luo Bai also opened the cake box.

As soon as it's opened, a rich and captivating fragrance fills the air.

The girls present, even those who had eaten plenty of such things, still looked completely captivated by the aroma.

Ijichi Hoshika looked at the beautiful cakes in front of her in surprise and said, "I've never seen cakes with this kind of aroma before. They must be very expensive, right?"

Luo Bai distributed cakes to everyone with his tools, explaining, "These cakes can't be bought outside, and the ingredients are indeed quite rare, but you can rest assured, they're all all-natural and there won't be any harmful substances in them. Well, as for whether they're expensive or not, if you were to sell them elsewhere, they would definitely be very expensive, not much cheaper than those so-called luxury goods. Of course, cakes are for eating, as long as they taste good, don't worry about anything else."

After receiving their desired cake flavors, everyone eagerly cut a piece with their forks and put it in their mouths.

"good to eat!"

"tasty!"

"This is paradise!"

Exclamations of surprise rose and fell. Even Goto Ichiri, who was initially shy, stared wide-eyed at the cake in front of her in disbelief.

"This is the first time I've ever tasted anything like this..."

Hoshino Ai took a satisfied bite of the cake and said with a smile, "Hehe, isn't it delicious? This cake isn't produced in large quantities, you know. We only get to eat it once or twice a month, and sometimes even less. But I didn't expect to have some today. Luo Bai, were you just going to get the cake?"

Luo Bai shook his head and said, "No, I had to take care of some things temporarily. After I finished, I went back with Brother Yu Sui and the others, and when I saw that there were any, I just took them. Yukino and the others also have some. I'll bring them back when I get back. Don't worry about eating them."

Hoshino Ai nodded happily and took another big bite of cake.

Soon, everyone finished their cakes.

A slice of cake is quite large, and even though it's delicious, it's still a lot for girls' appetites.

Patting his stomach contentedly, Yamada Ryo said softly, "My first full meal of the day..."

Ichiji Nijika looked at Yamada Ryo speechlessly: "It's only the second week of school, and you're already broke?"

"Maintaining my bass guitar, buying new clothes, pre-ordering two new albums—the money's just disappearing way too fast..."

Ichiji Nijika shook her head repeatedly: "Can't you spend the money a little slower?"

Kita Ikuyo excitedly took out her wallet.

"Senior Liang, may I lend you some?"

Just as Yamada Ryo was about to reach out, Ijichi Nijika grabbed his hand.

"Don't even think about it. And don't lend her any money, Kita. She hasn't even paid back the two thousand yen she borrowed from me last month! Pay back what you owe me first, or you can go eat grass!"

"But I have no money for food now..."

Seeing Yamada Ryo's pitiful appearance, Ichiji Nijika sighed.

"Alright, let's have dinner at my place, I'll cook."

Meanwhile, Ichika Hoshika, having recovered from the deliciousness of the cake, clapped her hands and said, "We'll talk about dinner later. Now that we have a new guitarist, let's practice and get to know each other better. Your performance is just a few days away."

Volume 1: Chapter 549 The Little Lonely One Joins the Band (1/2)

After ten minutes of discussion and preparation backstage, Ijichi Nijika, Yamada Ryo, and Goto Ichiri finally came out.

However, standing on the stage were two humans and a cardboard box labeled "Ripe Mango".

And Goto Ichiri, naturally, is in this box.

Seeing this, Hoshino Ai tilted her head and said, "Social anxiety? Is it really that exaggerated?"

Luo Bai laughed and said, "Most aren't that exaggerated, only Goto Ichiri is unique. But having friends around would probably make things much better. What do you think of Xiao Ai?"

Hoshino Ai said without hesitation, "I don't know her guitar skills yet, but aside from her social anxiety, Goto is indeed a very cute girl with a good personality. She's not difficult to get along with. It's just that she's sometimes too cautious, which she needs to improve. And she said that she's been practicing guitar for a long time, so it would be a shame if she didn't showcase her talent on stage."

Luo Bai reached out and ruffled Hoshino Ai's hair, saying, "Then, I'll leave this to you. Is that alright?"

Hoshino Ai nodded vigorously, saying expectantly, "Hmph, helping a socially awkward person change is a rare opportunity, and I'm very interested in it!"

As they were talking, the performance on stage began.

Unfortunately, although Goto Ichiri is quite skilled, her coordination with the two of them was very poor because it was her first time playing together, even worse than Hoshino Ai's performance.

After all, Ai Hoshino had undergone various professional trainings, and her personal perception had been enhanced through the practice of breathing techniques and magic. Therefore, cooperating with Nijika and Ryo's performance was not difficult for her.

Three minutes later, the performance ended. Even without Ichiji Seika saying anything, the three of them knew that the performance had been very poor.

Ichishika glanced at her dejected sister, then looked thoughtfully at the box of mangoes.

Although the performance was poor, she could tell that the extremely socially awkward guitarist was highly skilled, but seemed to have never had any experience playing in ensembles, which was why he didn't perform well.

However, these are not problems. As long as you are willing to practice, the level of coordination can naturally be improved.

Clapping her hands, Ichiji Seika looked at the three people on the stage and said, "Alright, that's enough for now. Come down and rest for a bit. If you want to practice, you can continue later. After all, there are only a few days left until your performance, so make the most of the remaining time to practice."

After packing up her instrument and coming offstage, Goto Ichiri, clutching her guitar, said tremblingly, "I played terribly..."

Hoshino Ai smiled and came closer, patting Goto Ichiri's head. Amidst Goto's startled expression, she said happily, "Nothing's wrong. Band playing is different from solo playing. Teamwork is very important. It's normal that you didn't perform well today because it was your first time playing together. Just practice together more later."

Ichi Nijika also came over and encouraged, "That's right, that's right, let's keep working hard! Goto-kun, can you join our band? Please!"

Although Yamada Ryo didn't say anything, his eyes still revealed obvious anticipation.

Looking around, Goto Ichiri realized everyone was staring at him, and he trembled even more violently, shrinking his neck in.

But in the end, she mustered her courage and whispered, "Well, I'll try again..."

"awesome!!!"

Nijika Ijichi said happily, "Now our band has four members, it's finally complete! Kita-kun, even though you haven't started practicing guitar yet, it's okay, try singing first, and Goto-kun will teach you guitar!"

"Huh?! I'll teach you?"

Goto Ichiri was stunned. She didn't even know how to work with the band herself, yet she was expected to teach others?

Seeing the lively scene, Luo Bai smiled, plugged in his earphones, and then found the "Guitar Hero" account on YouTube.

Seeing the same guitar that Goto Ichiri was holding in the video, Luo Bai confirmed the other party's identity.

Of course, I already knew that, but it was just a precaution.

Xiao Gudu's account is doing quite well. Although it's just about uploading videos of himself playing guitar, he has gained over 30,000 followers thanks to frequent updates and his excellent skills.

Although Luo Bai didn't know the specifics of the advertising and streaming revenue from YouTube, it was still enough to make a considerable amount of money.

Given Xiao Gudu's personality, he probably forgot about it, and may not even know that it can make money; he was just recording and uploading.

However, Luo Bai doesn't need to worry about that; her family will naturally take care of it.

After resting for a while, the three girls went back to practice.

After gradually getting used to the environment, Goto Ichiri also tried not to hide in the mango box, but to stand in front of everyone and play the guitar.

After the beginning

After a period of adjustment, I finally relaxed during the third song, and my teamwork with my partner improved.

After practicing these songs, Ijichi Hoshika was completely convinced that this temporary guitarist, who had been brought in by Hoshino Ai, had a near-professional level of skill and was more than capable of playing alongside her younger sister and Yamada Ryo.

The only drawback is that the other person has always played alone and has never played in a ensemble before, so they have zero experience in this area and need to practice more.

Then there's the issue of social anxiety.

However, Ichika Ichiji believes that both of these problems can be solved with time, and once they are solved, Goto Ichiri will be an extremely outstanding guitarist.

Tilt her head and look at her shop.

Isn't this the perfect place for someone to overcome their social anxiety?

Practice is over, and that's about it for today.

After sitting down and having a glass of water, Ijichi Seika looked happily at Goto Ichiri: "Goto-kun, thank you so much! Let's continue practicing here tomorrow! Kita too, come along tomorrow!"

Kita Ikuyo nodded vigorously, clenching her fist, and said, "I'll do my best! Oh, by the way, Hoshino-san, will you be coming again tomorrow?"

Hoshino Ai glanced at Luo Bai beside her and said, "I won't be coming tomorrow. I already took the day off today. I still have to go to some club activities, although there's not much to do in our club. Let me think about it, I'll come over on Wednesday the day after tomorrow!"

After saying goodbye to the Ijichi sisters and Yamada Ryo, Rakuhaku, Kanao, Hoshino Ai, Goto Ichiri, and Kita Ikuyo came out together.

Looking at the sunset, Luo Bai turned to the two girls carrying guitar bags and said, "I don't need to cook dinner today. I'll drive you home."

Volume 1: Chapter 550 Mai's New Play (2/2)

After some polite refusals, the two girls were pulled into the back seat of the car by Hoshino Ai, while Kanao sat in the passenger seat.

Because it's a large SUV, there's plenty of space; the back row is big enough for three slender girls to sit together.

Holding his guitar, Goto Ichiri looked at Luo Bai in the driver's seat with extreme tension, wondering if the other person was really okay driving.

Kita Yuyo didn't have this problem. She had already seen Luo Bai drive to school from the school parking lot, so she was excitedly looking at the interior of the car.

"What a beautiful car! I remember that Mr. Hiratsuka from our school also has one, right?"

Luo Bai, who was driving, nodded: "That's right. After seeing my car, Ms. Hiratsuka kept saying she wanted one too, so we got her one in a different color."

"Oh, I see. Does that mean you two are close friends with Hiratsuka-sensei? She even substituted for one of our classes last week. I thought Hiratsuka-sensei was quite serious!"

Is it serious?

Luo Bai blinked and said with a smile, "I think it's fine. That's how she is when she's teaching. She mainly wants the students to listen attentively. As for our relationship, it's really good. She often comes over for meals."

"Is this even possible? I've never heard of someone having such a good relationship with their homeroom teacher before!"

Kita Ikuyo looked completely surprised.

Hoshino Ai, standing to the side, chuckled and said, "Hehe, it's mainly because Hiratsuka-sensei isn't serious in private, and she and Yukino-nee's family have known each other for a long time. She was also Haruno-nee's homeroom teacher when she was in Soubu High School. It's hard not to know each other. Ah, Haruno-nee is Yukino-nee's older sister, and she was also the student council president two years ago."

"I really didn't know that, this is the first time I've heard of it!" Blinking, Kita Ikuyo had another question pop into her mind, "If Haruno-senpai was the student council president, why didn't Yukino-senpai do it? She's so outstanding, she should be able to easily be elected student council president, right?"

Hoshino Ai shook her head and said, "Because I'm afraid of trouble, plus all sorts of other things, I'm not considering it. Being Senior Saint Emperor is pretty good now, isn't it? She's very popular!"

Kita Ikuyo wholeheartedly agreed, saying, "That's true. That upperclassman is really popular, and she's also very beautiful. She looks like a rich girl, but she's very approachable. Right, Goto-kun?"

"Ugh?"

Startled by being called by name, Goto Ichiri nodded belatedly.

"Yes, that's true. They seem to be from a completely different world than me..."

Seeing Goto Ichiri's condition, Kita Ikuyo said with a wry smile, "Oh dear, it looks like it's really serious."

Hoshino Ai looked at the socially awkward girl sitting to her right and smiled, "It's okay, these symptoms will definitely improve once you get to know her better. Besides, looking at her up close like this, Goto-kun is really cute, it's just that her bangs are a bit long, have you considered cutting some of them?"

"Ah! No, no, no, no!"

Upon hearing that she was to have her bangs cut, Goto Ichiri shook her head frantically, looking utterly resistant.

"Okay, okay, I won't cut it."

It took repeated reassurances to calm Goto Ichiri down.

Looking at the bangs that were almost touching her eyes, Hoshino Ai felt her OCD was about to kick in. She thought to herself that she would definitely find a chance to fix her bangs properly.

Twenty minutes later, Luo Bai drove Goto Ichiri home.

Although she was shy, the girl still thanked him sincerely before getting off the bus and leaving.

Next was Kita Ikuyo. After dropping this junior off at home, Luo Bai drove back to the villa.

When they got home, everyone else had already returned. Yukino was in the kitchen preparing dinner with Shinobu and Mai.