270: Small Success

After the crisis at the bar was resolved, thanks to the Dark Wings, Chisato's life seemed to have returned to a calm state over the next few days, following the quiet and undisturbed pattern he had expected.

Touma, the classmate at the next table, had been turning her head to look at him more frequently lately.

The school-weary girl she once was had disappeared, and it seemed as though another independent personality had emerged to replace her. 

Her attitude toward others and her approach to learning had completely transformed.

She no longer exuded that cold and exclusive aura all the time. Most of the time, she smiled, her sharp eyes softening and narrowing slightly, echoing the slightly raised corners of her lips.

Not only had the teacher's perception changed, but most of the students in the class also began to see her in a different light.

The girls around her now occasionally said hello to her—something that had been unthinkable before.

Chisato, however, remained the same as ever.

He spent most of his time at school with Kazusa, and during his part-time job after school, he was accompanied by Hitori.

It is worth mentioning that he had previously given the song "LOSER" to the band, and they officially performed it in front of an audience at Starry on Friday night. 

The feedback was not just good; it was explosive, with applause and cheers that nearly lifted the roof.

Such a result did not elicit much reaction from Chisato. 

The song was well-known and widely sung in his previous life before he brought it to the band, so it was within his expectations that it would generate such an enthusiastic response from the audience.

Everyone in the band was very excited. 

Even Seika couldn't help but slap Chisato on the shoulder after watching the live performance, casting a suspicious and playful look in his direction.

At nearly thirty years old, she was not as easily fooled as the four inexperienced girls in the band.

Not saying a lot of things didn't mean she lacked doubts; she simply kept them to herself.

The previous song, "I'm Sorry for Being So Cute," was also written by Chisato for the band.

Once can be considered an accident, but having such high-quality songs twice in a short period of time was quite concerning.

"I said, Suzumiya, have you been lying to us all along? It's not that you don't know music theory; on the contrary, you are extremely proficient and possess excellent creativity and talent, right?"

"Let me guess: the reason you chose not to tell the truth is that you find it boring to reveal the foreshadowing early on." 

"Instead, you enjoy being behind the scenes, controlling the situation, and revealing your strengths at a critical moment to capture our admiration and hearts."

It can only be said that Seika is worthy of being a store manager; her years of social experience had come into play.

Although most of her guesses were off the mark, a few were spot on.

Chisato's reply was simple:

"It's okay, store manager. You'd better stop reading those romance comics and find a boyfriend quickly. It's just because you're too idle that you're thinking about unnecessary things all day long."

This response was quick and accurate, like a sharp sword stabbing Seika's chest, instantly making her feel ten years older.

The issue of love had always been a painful topic for both her and her teacher friend, who was of a similar age and worked at the school.

That night, Seika uploaded the previously recorded song to the Internet. 

The result was self-evident: the popularity of the song's video skyrocketed at a terrifying speed. Within a few hours, it climbed to the top of the real-time popularity list in the music division!

The number of private messages in the backend of the band's official account immediately exploded to 99+. 

The manager of the online account, Kita Ikuyo, couldn't sleep a wink all night. 

Although her panda eyes were boiling, she still happily responded to fans who liked their band, thanking them one by one.

By the weekend, when Chisato finished his part-time job, the number of followers of the Kesshoku Band's official account had exceeded 200,000.

The popularity of the single "LOSER" was still rising. Presumably, as time went by, it wouldn't be long before the number of followers exceeded 100,000.

Time passed happily until the next Tuesday.

At 4:30 in the afternoon, the last class of the monthly exam was completed.

After the teacher collected the test papers and announced the end of school, almost all the students breathed a sigh of relief.

The students on duty stayed behind to clean up, while the others packed their schoolbags, put their benches on the tables, and left the classroom in groups.

Chisato, along with Kazusa, changed their shoes and walked toward the school gate amidst the crowd.

"How does it feel?"

"Mr. Suzumiya's tutoring during this time has been somewhat helpful. At least I can write most of it."

"Just the accuracy can't be guaranteed, right?"

Chisato laughed.

Kazusa's lips curled up, and she hummed, 

"That doesn't stop me from being confident. Remember the promise you made to me before."

"I remember. Wait until the results come out. Everything will depend on them."

The two had made a pact that if Kazusa's grade ranking improved by fifty places compared to the last exam, they would take time to go to the beach to watch the sunrise together.

Her original grades had been at the bottom of the class, but after studying hard, she could achieve this goal easily.

The results of the monthly exam would be released the following Monday, with the outcomes available in five days.

The two of them strolled out of the school gate while chatting casually.

As they stepped onto the sidewalk, a silver car parked on the side of the road, defiantly ignoring the traffic ban sign, honked its horn to get their attention.

Then, the driver's window lowered, revealing a stylish woman wearing sunglasses who smiled and waved at them.

"Mother?"

Kazusa murmured in confusion. Ever since she entered junior high, her mother had never come to pick her up after school.

Could she be passing by for some reason?

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