How can my simulation be a real love?

Yawata Kairin blinked and answered very honestly.

Teriyaki sauce has a unique sweet and salty flavor. Although it may sound a bit extreme, you'll find that it tastes really good once you try it. At least people like Kazami Naru, who prefer sweeter flavors, like it.

Seeing that Hachiman Kairin had similar interests to him, Kazami Mei smiled and pointed to the condiments on the stall: "In that case, I recommend the combination of bonito flakes and seaweed, and then try drizzling it with teriyaki sauce."

"Is that so?"

Without a second thought, Hachiman Kairin decisively chose the combination recommended by Kazami Naruto.

Although she has a straightforward personality and a handsome appearance that is rare for a girl, her actions when she tastes takoyaki are surprisingly ladylike, which makes Kazami Mei turn her head.

"I see."

Just by tasting the combination that Kazami Naruto had mentioned, Hachiman Kairin's calm and composed emotions began to fluctuate slightly.

She nodded approvingly at Kazami Naruto while gently placing the bass instrument case against the side of the wooden chair.

Holding the takoyaki, Hachiman Kairin sat down on the wooden chair, intending to savor the delicious treat. However, when she saw that Kazami Mei didn't seem to be sitting down, she turned her head in confusion.

"Kazami-kun, it's not convenient to eat standing up."

"There are seats here, please sit down."

She held the food box in one hand and made a polite "please" gesture with the other.

"Then I would rather obey your orders than be respectful."

Although Hachiman Kairin always has a cold face and seems unapproachable, she actually has a polite and gentle personality. As long as you are willing to get to know her a little, you will easily develop a liking for her straightforwardness.

At least for now, Kazami Naruto, whose mind is a bit confused, doesn't feel any psychological burden when interacting with a straightforward person like Hachiman Kairin.

"The last time I ate this was the last time."

Having not eaten anything before, Kazami Naruto was indeed a bit hungry. He picked up a small ball of dumplings with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.

But the moment he bit into the meatball, the intense heat gushing out from the dough beneath the skin taught him a harsh lesson. The scalding heat, like the bursting soup of a pissing beef ball, immediately caused a layer of fine sweat to appear on Kazami Naruto's forehead.

Seeing his somewhat stiff expression, Hachiman Kairin clearly guessed what was going on.

She slowly swallowed the meatball in her mouth, then calmly took out a box of chocolate-flavored milk jelly from the music box.

"Please use it if you don't mind."

"Thank you."

Kazami Mei took the drink and gulped it down before she felt a little better.

Before I knew it, I was attacked by a dead takoyaki.

We really have to thank Yawata Kairin for discovering and helping us in time. No wonder even the arrogant Riki can become good friends with Yawata Kairin.

At this moment, Kazami Mei genuinely thought this woman was incredibly cool.

"Hachiman-kun, are you going to get a part-time job?"

"I'm going to perform at RiNG later, but I still have some time."

While eating takoyaki, Hachiman Kairin responded earnestly, making people marvel at how she was still running around to various livehouses in this sweltering heat. No wonder she has served as the strongest support bassist for thirty bands.

As the saying goes, every time someone learns the guitar, there will be one more guitarist in the world.

But if you learn bass, there will be one more band in the world.

But if she were Yahata Kairin, there would be thirty more bands in the world.

Kazami Mei sincerely admired Yawata Kairin, a working warrior, especially since her bass skills were the highest Kazami Mei had ever seen. If converted to simulator levels, Yawata Kairin might have Lv.3 bass skills.

She is a true genius at her age.

hum-

The sudden vibration of her phone made Yawata Kairin pause slightly in her takoyaki eating.

Yawata Kairin slowly placed the lunchbox on her lap, picked up her phone to answer the call while her eyes remained on the takoyaki. She spoke calmly without changing her expression, "Hello? Yes, I'm already on my way."

"Ok?"

After uttering a questioning tone, Hachiman Kairin's gaze gradually shifted from the takoyaki to her right side.

Kazami Naruto, who was marveling at how Japanese takoyaki actually contained octopus, suddenly noticed that Hachiman Kairin's gaze was fixed on him. So he leaned back slightly to try and avoid her gaze.

As it turned out, Hachiman Kairin's light green eyes, like jade, were still fixed on his face.

Without hesitation, Hachiman Kairin faced Kazami Naruto with her expressionless, indifferent face, and slowly spoke, her tone carrying a hint of inquiry—

"Kazami-kun, there's something I'd like to ask you for help with."

9

Chapter Nine: The Job Is Still Chasing Me

Damn it, I'm still being chased by my job.

Kazami Mei stared at the LiveHouse in front of him with a somewhat subtle expression, but after circling around, he still ran over. Hachiman Kairin, who was walking beside him, remained expressionless and turned to look at him.

"Kazami-kun, thank you so much for coming to help."

With an air of nonchalance, Hai Ling casually carried her instrument case and thanked Feng Jianming in a calm tone.

"No need to thank me, of course I need to be paid."

What kind of compensation do you need?

Upon hearing this, Hachiman Kairin blinked, seemingly starting to seriously consider the matter.

Kazami Mei raised an eyebrow and said, "Chocolate milk pudding."

Yawata Kairin: "I see."

He had only agreed to do her a small favor; after all, Kazami Mei didn't have anything else to do today.

This is also to thank Hailing for the chocolate milk pudding.

As for the help needed, it was naturally Hachiman Kairin's 'part-time job', because the band she needed to support had encountered some problems this time, and the lead guitarist who was originally scheduled to come missed the train.

This band's live performance is scheduled relatively early in the schedule.

By the time the lead guitarist arrives again, the band's live performance will probably be over.

The band had already decided to give up, but then, by sheer coincidence, the amateur keyboardist Kazami Mei appeared next to Hachiman Kairin, which was practically telling her that the right person was right there.

When she went to STARRY to support other bands before, Yawata Urin happened to witness the End Band's live performance.

When the band’s rhythm was disrupted, Kazami Mei, who was the keyboardist at the time, remained calm. He led the whole band with his impromptu solo and excellent keyboard skills, which made Hachiman Kairin realize how high his keyboard skills were.

If he's willing to come and help, he can easily take over as the lead guitarist for a solo.

"Kazami-kun, do you need me to borrow a keyboard from the staff?"

"No need, my keyboard just happens to be kept at RiNG."

Kazami Mei glanced in the direction of the practice room and began to sigh inwardly.

Thanks to Shiina Tatsuki, who rented a practice room at RiNG for half a month in advance to prepare for this month's live performance, both her own drum kit and Kazami Naru's keyboard were stored in the practice room to save time.

Now, as long as the person is present, they can go on stage to perform at any time.

Unexpectedly, Kazami Mei's first taste of this convenience was with Hai Ling, a mercenary.

"I see, that makes things much more convenient."

Hachiman Kairin nodded slightly, her deep, mysterious green eyes remaining calm as she glanced indifferently at the black-haired boy in front of her.

"Oh dear? It's Kazami-kun?"

Ms. Rinko Maji, who was in charge of arranging this live performance, immediately spotted Kazami Naruto standing next to Hachiman Kairin.

As RiNG's most reliable staff member, she was very familiar with almost all the band members who performed here, not to mention Kazami Akira, who was recognized as Rakuna's 'owner' by Rakuna's cat, and she was particularly impressed by her.

But I didn't see him with Xiao Lixi today. Why is he with the 'mercenary' Hachiman Kairin instead?

It's strange, he seems to be familiar with every girl.

……

Since the last live performance by the band ended, Kazami Naruto's playing skills and music theory level have improved dramatically after using the trial card. Now, her pure keyboard skills can always be maintained at a level above Lv.3.

In addition to his performance experience and hardcore skills, if he performs well, he can be just as good as a professional.

Hachiman Kairin, who brought Kazami Naru to the backstage, said a few words to the three band members who needed support, and then casually took out a sheet of sheet music and handed it to Kazami Naru. This was the song that needed to be played in this live performance.

Her deep, calm emerald eyes stared at his face as she spoke in a gentle voice, "Kazami-kun, is thirty minutes enough?"

"let me see."

Before the performance, Kazami Mei immediately became serious.

With his calm, dark eyes fixed on the sheet music in his hands, he then, without turning his head, rapidly played a series of melodies on the piano keys in front of him with one hand. The standard 3/8 time signature, combined with the smooth legato playing, resulted in not a single misstep.

"This guy's keyboard skills are amazing!"

"Yeah! He looks about the same age as us..."

The band's drummer stared at Kazami Naru with a somewhat astonished expression, and even the lead singer next to her nodded in agreement. Kazami Naru, with her black hair and black eyes, held the sheet music in her left hand without expression, while her right hand was playing blindly.

too exaggerated.

Even if you are very familiar with the keyboard layout, you can't possibly type every key accurately without looking back, right?

Not to mention that this was a score that Kazami Mei had never seen before.

It took less than a minute to play the intro so smoothly and completely?

"..."

Hachiman Kairin stared intently at Kazami Mei's profile, a strange glint flashing in her calm eyes.

As the support bassist, she had naturally read the sheet music in advance, so she was able to play it skillfully on stage as soon as she arrived. However, Kazami Mei, the untrained keyboardist, was just a temporary addition that she had pulled in.

He rushed over to help without any preparation, and after just a casual glance at the sheet music, he immediately memorized the rhythm of the entire piece.

And after the first trial run, one can perform a flawless and fluent piece.

Great.

Even Hachiman Urin, who had served as a support bassist in thirty bands, had never seen a keyboardist of his caliber. His excellent improvisational skills surprised her even more than her previous live performances.

"No problem, get ready to go on stage."

While Hachiman Kairin was still pondering, Kazami Mei had already unexpectedly played the entire piece.

His incredibly calm words seemed to possess a unique power, immediately causing the hastily assembled band to subconsciously begin to follow his rhythm, even Hachiman Kairin nodded in agreement.

Come on stage!

The team's coordination was poor due to the hasty formation, but Kazami Mei's keyboard perfectly filled the role of lead guitar, and she even had time to help adjust the rhythm guitar that was making mistakes, cooperating with Hachiman Kairin who had the same idea.

Despite it being their first time playing together, the two surprisingly displayed an unspoken understanding and coordination.

The two didn't seem like they were performing together for the first time; rather, they seemed like comrades who had collaborated countless times.

……

The live performance on stage lasted only fifteen minutes, but the excellent performance earned the band responsible for warming up the crowd applause. The band members, who had never imagined they would have a perfect curtain call, were incredibly excited.

"Thank you so much! Please accept this!"

Thanks to the excellent performances of Kazami Mei and Hachiman Kairin, the hastily assembled band successfully weathered the crisis. The lead singer, who was the leader, smiled and handed a brown envelope to Hachiman Kairin.

The funds stored there were the support money for this performance.

"I did receive it, thank you very much."

With her usual indifferent expression, Hachiman Kairin nodded her thanks to the band's lead singer.

The ruthless mercenary, Hai Ling, thanked him with the money and then turned and left with a flourish.

"Kazami-kun, this is your reward."

Having received her payment, she immediately took half of the funds from this support effort, and handed the stack of banknotes towards Kazami Naruto with a smooth, effortless motion, much like a Dove chocolate bar.

"Thank you, then I'm welcome."

Of course, Kazami Mei wouldn't refuse the reward she deserved.

After all, in Hachiman Kairin's eyes, he had already incurred a favor by agreeing to help. If Kazami Mei didn't even want the reward this time, it would seem rather unreasonable for her.