Tokyo Psychic

She glared at Kurusu Akatsuki with a hint of embarrassment and said, "Please spare me such a rude joke!"

"Oh, sorry, I was just kidding," Kurusu Akatsuki responded with a surprisingly cool attitude. "Seriously, I'd like to invite you to join our band."

"I refuse." He answered almost without thinking.

Kawahara Momoka was getting a little irritated. "You're the guitarist, and she's the lead singer. What can I do if I join your band?"

"We need a lead guitarist."

"...You're holding a big G50s worth half a million, and you want to be the rhythm guitarist in a band?!" Kawahara Momoka looked even more shocked and confused than when she faced the sudden confession just now.

Kurusu Akatsuki gave a hypocritical smile, "Because I like watching Ms. Kawaharaki play."

Kawahara Momoka shuddered suddenly. "Thank you for your 'liking'... but could you please hide your murderous intentions? I really can't think of how my joining the band can help."

She finally understood now that Kurusu Akatsuki had said that on purpose just to provoke the crying girl he had picked up.

Kurusu Akatsuki's smile, his disguise torn off, grew increasingly sinister. "Haha, about this matter, we have to ask our lead singer, who mumbled and fumbled for a long time into the microphone, couldn't utter a single lyric, then inexplicably said something about wanting to concentrate on studying, and finally ran off two or three kilometers away. Isn't that right, Ichi Serina?"

The last bit of charming and ambiguous atmosphere in the carriage disappeared completely. Jing Qinrenna tremblingly bowed to Kurusu Akatsuki with her hands clasped together. If conditions allowed, she would probably perform a dogeza on the spot.

Momoka Kawahara watched their interactions, and her mood unexpectedly brightened. "I see, so you want me to guide her to become a qualified lead singer?"

"Of course, it's also because my guitar skills are not good enough." Kurusu Akatsuki finally chose to save some face for Ii Serina.

Kawahara Momoka bit her lip lightly, her eyes wandering for a while, "I agree."

"Did you agree to date me?" Kurusu Akatsuki said something irrelevant and nonsense.

"It's the band! The band!"

Before Kawahara Momoka could refute, a trembling voice came hurriedly from the back seat of the car.

Jing Qinrencai suddenly became angry.

Kurusu Akatsuki looked at the city sky outside the car window and finally smiled heartily.

Seeing this smile through the rearview mirror, Kawahara Ki Momoka couldn't help but shudder.

What a scary boy.

The road ahead was gradually cleared.

The van continued to drive on the overpass tremblingly.

*

Finally back to Starry.

Momoka Kawahara opened the trunk, picked up a box of beer with some difficulty and walked towards the underground livehouse.

Kurusu Akatsuki also picked up a case of beer and followed her. "Ms. Kawaharaki created a hit song like 'Hola no Bako,' so why are you struggling financially now?"

Jing Qinrencai, holding a beer bottle in each hand, quickly pricked up her ears to eavesdrop.

“Diamond Dust” is her favorite band and “Empty Box” is her favorite song.

She was also very curious why when she first met her idol, he was wearing ugly work clothes and driving a cheap van to deliver goods.

"Oh, 'Hollow Box'... I left the copyright to my former band members." Kawahara Ki Momoka chuckled, appearing open-minded and relieved.

The door of the livehouse was open, and familiar voices could be heard discussing topics such as "hourly wages and working hours".

Kurusu Akatsuki walked into the gate carrying a beer box and saw the daughter of the big creditor holding a part-time job contract with many traces of revisions, and bowed earnestly to Ichichi Seika to express her gratitude.

At this time, noticing the footsteps in the stairwell, Shoko Toyokawa paid attention and her expression immediately became quite surprised.

"Amamiya...Amamiya-san?"

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033. Loan and Loan (Two in One)

STARRY's recording studio.

The newly formed rock band was facing the crisis of disbanding before it had time to formally practice and get used to each other.

For a band like this that is "brand new" and has no fame or fan base, the only option they have if they want to perform at a Livehouse is "box office cooperation."

Livehouse, or performance hall, provides venues and facilities for bands; bands need to attract customers to buy standing tickets to provide sufficient traffic for the performance hall.

In order to ensure revenue, the exhibition hall will set targets for the performing bands, and the profits exceeding the targets will be divided between the two parties according to the ratio agreed in advance.

If the number of guests attracted does not meet the target, the band will need to spend money to make up the difference in tickets.

In short, before the band became famous, its expenses in all aspects were very high.

"Ms. Kawaharaki used to be the lead singer of Diamond Dust, right? Can I... Sorry, I'm sorry." Ijichi Hongka looked at Kawaharaki Momoka who looked embarrassed, and her request stopped abruptly.

Yamada Ryo nodded and looked at the people around the table. "Without a sufficient fan base, then in the short term, we might need to spend tens of thousands of yuan on various expenses, including performance quotas and equipment costs, for a single performance."

At this time, because she was embarrassed to refuse the invitation of the store manager's sister, Shoko Toyokawa, who chose to temporarily play the keyboard player in the band, suddenly felt a little short of breath.

Kurusu Akatsuki, who was penniless and heavily in debt, was sweating profusely.

Even Kawahara Momoka fell silent after fumbling with her empty wallet for a while.

Sensing the subtly bad atmosphere, Yamada Ryo raised his hand and said, "That's what I said, but I only have 1,000 yen in my pocket right now."

Ijichi Hongxia's eyes were also wandering, and she was a little unable to maintain her smile. "Haha, well... I'm just an ordinary high school student. Actually, my pocket money is just the little bit my sister gave me."

With her eyes still red, Jing Qinrencai felt as if she had accidentally stumbled into a pyramid scheme. "That means not only do we have to rehearse after school, but we also have to work part-time for several days to earn enough money for the performance..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yamada Ryo stood up without warning, and in full view of everyone, he clasped his hands together and half-bowed towards Kurusu Akatsuki, who was carrying an expensive guitar on his back. "Master Amamiya, I don't want to work part-time. Please, before the performance, please lend me the money that's just enough to cover the corresponding share of standing-room tickets. I'll definitely pay you back when I get my pocket money next month!"

Ijichi Hongka tugged at the corner of Yamada Ryo's clothes with a panicked look on her face, "Ryo! It's so presumptuous of you to borrow money on the first day we met!"

Then she quickly explained to Kurusu Akatsuki, "Ryou's family runs a hospital, and they've always given her a lot of pocket money. It's just that she often spends lavishly on musical instruments she never uses, and she likes to spend ahead of time. Plus, she has a very strange personality, so..."

Yamada Ryo was stunned for a moment, then turned and gave a thumbs-up to the worried-looking Ijichi Nikka. "It's okay. Amemiya-san looks like a wealthy, prestigious young man. He might have just gotten into a fight with his family and deliberately smashed hundreds of his collection of katanas, amulets, rings, and the like, and then stormed out to play in a band."

Kurusu Akatsuki's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

He had just recently urgently dealt with more than 300 collectible items in the Velvet Room, including samurai swords, rings, amulets, and a large amount of gold, silver and jewelry.

Whose subordinate is this woman named "Yamada Ryo"?

How deadly every move.

If that intuition that always works for him hadn't been activated, Kurusu Akatsuki would have almost thought that she had awakened a superpower like foresight and was testing his background.

Kurusu Akatsuki forced a smile and said, "Although I carry a guitar worth half a million dollars, I'm actually living in poverty."

Yamada Ryo showed an expression of sudden enlightenment and punched his palm. "I see, is this the setting of the 'Prince in Distress'?"

Kawahara Momoka, Iiseri Nina, and even Ijichi Kouka on the opposite side all focused their curious gazes on Kurusu Akatsuki.

At this point, it can no longer be concealed.

After a brief hesitation, Kurusu Xiao took out his mobile phone, opened the photo album, and showed the girls at the table the photos he had taken a few days ago when he was bored and sorting out his debts.

The phone passed around the table.

Seeing the shocking eight-digit number in the photo, everyone fell silent.

The invisible pressure was like a mountain pressing down on their heads.

Ten million in debt.

This is enough for STARRY to hold a concert every day for a whole year.

Just imagining such a huge debt would suffocate these high school students.

"Wait, wait a minute! Um, the Toyokawa written in the photo just now..." Jingqin Renna suddenly stuttered and asked Kurusu Akatsuki.

The keyboard player who was temporarily recruited to fill in the gaps sat up straight and said, "Yes, it's me."

Everyone's attention once again returned to Kurusu Akatsuki.

"My parents owe Toyokawa's family about two million." Kurusu Akatsuki told the truth.

"That is to say, Xiangzi is actually..."

"My family has fallen on hard times, and my current situation is similar to Amemiya-san's," Toyokawa Shoko said calmly. After being kidnapped by gangsters and taken to the hotel that day, she felt as if a barrier within her had collapsed.

In front of a group of "colleagues" and "victims" who had no contact with her campus life and almost no intersection with her life trajectory... perhaps she had been looking forward to having such an opportunity to talk... Now Toyokawa Shoko naturally talked about the disaster that came out of nowhere and almost ruined her life.

She ran from Kita-ku, Tokyo to Setagaya-ku, away from her original social circle, and now she has completely put herself in the position of a "mercenary".

At the same time, Jing Qinrencai showed a confused expression.

"Don't you think it's strange? This is clearly a debt owed by Amamiya-san's family, so why has it become... Sorry! I'm so sorry!!"

Jing Qinrencai was halfway through her words when she finally realized the truth, and her little face turned pale in an instant.

She kicked off the chair and stood up, almost kneeling down to perform a small combo of dogeza and seppuku for Kurusu Akatsuki—

Kurusu Akatsuki calmly pushed the tearful Jing Qinai back to her seat.

The already heavy atmosphere in the recording studio was now so cold that it seemed like ice could form at any moment.

"Nina, that's too much." Even Ijichi Hongka spoke weakly for Kurusu Akatsuki at this moment.

"Jingqin-san, you..." Yamada Ryo hesitated, finally managing to utter a comment. "You were born to play rock music."

Momoka Kawahara covered her face in pain.

She had originally planned to teach Jing Qinrencai until she could sing and then find a way to leave the band, but now she can't leave at all... These kids are more troublesome than each other. As the only adult in the band, she can't let go at all.

On the first day of the band's formation, the rhythm guitarist and keyboardist both looked like they were about to be driven to suicide by life.

"Everyone, let's rehearse now. It's almost STARRY's opening hours, and I'll have to work part-time then."

Kurusu Akatsuki seemed nonchalant. "Rock music was created for times like this, wasn't it?"

"A group of guys with their hearts full of stories, shouting or playing hysterically on the stage, venting those emotions that have nowhere to go."

He stood up casually, guitar in hand, seemingly unconcerned with the discussion that had just taken place in the studio. "Don't waste time."

"Since we can't afford to fill standing-room tickets, we can go on a 'roadshow' on the streets. Many rock bands got their start by doing street shows. We can also try to build up fans little by little like them, and when we have the skills, we can make a fortune by performing at a livehouse."

"This is too rock 'n' roll." Yamada Ryo was about to complain subconsciously - but Ijichi Hongka rushed over and covered her mouth as soon as Yamada Ryo uttered the first syllable.

Toyokawa Shoko stared at Kurusu Akatsuki for a long time, then nodded and walked to the electronic keyboard and sat down without saying a word.

She had promised the store manager of STARRY, Hongxia Ijichi, that she would try her best to stay in the band and help until the band found a more suitable keyboardist.

The distraught Jing Qinrencai staggered to the microphone.

Her idol, Momoka Kawaharaki, had already picked up the guitar she had brought out from the van and squatted on the ground to look for a suitable audio cable.

No one took the initiative to mention the various troubles and difficulties that might be encountered in a "street roadshow".

It seemed as if they all tacitly agreed to embark on this thorny road of becoming a band.

......

About an hour passed.

STARRY will be opening soon.

Kurusu Akatsuki and Toyokawa Shoko both left the recording studio to prepare for part-time jobs, Iserele Jina was going to attend cram school in Shibuya, and Kawahara Momoka seemed to be going to work outside as well.

The studio quickly emptied out.

"it is finally over."

Ijichi Hongka hugged Yamada Ryo and let out a cry of relief.

Yamada Ryo touched her forehead and said, "But, we have to do our homework next, right?"

Ijichi Hongka's expression froze immediately.

Yamada Ryo sincerely sighed, "Even though he's a newcomer, he decided to start his rock career with a street performance. That's really bold."

"After all, it seems that Amemiya-san and Toyokawa-san don't have any better choice..." Ijichi Hongka said cautiously.

"Hongxia is so gentle. Even though everyone in the band is in trouble, she still tries hard to take everyone's feelings into consideration."

"Liang, don't comfort me."

"Hehe, are you touched? Then treat me to ice cream at dinner."

*

"Want some ice cream? I made a trial portion."