457: I Want to Continue Singing

"However, before explaining the situation, I want to know how you noticed that… well, something was off about me."

After collecting herself, Ikuyo asked him a question.

"It wasn't that hard, really."

Chisato rested his chin on his hand and explained:

"Ikuyo, no matter what happens, you're always full of energy. That kind of attitude easily lifts the spirits of those around you..."

That sounds like a compliment.

Ikuyo smiled slightly.

"But today, the moment I saw you, even though you acted the same as usual on the surface, I didn't get the same feeling as I usually do. 

It felt like there was something hidden beneath your smile."

"Just because of that uneasy feeling, you concluded I was hiding something?"

"Of course not. The main thing was the reason you gave me on the phone. 

The Ikuyo I know isn't the type to be so careless—to still be dawdling at home on the day of an actual performance."

"So you noticed even back then..."

"Yeah, and then once you got in the car, I saw how red your eyes were. 

If it were just lack of sleep, the area around your eyes wouldn't be that red, right? If you think about it from the other direction, there's only one explanation."

She had cried.

That was something Chisato noticed right after Ikuyo got in the car.

He figured the others had probably noticed something was off too, but chose not to say anything out of consideration for Ikuyo's forced smile.

Ikuyo looked away in embarrassment.

Chisato smiled.

"Who dared to bully you, Ikuyo? Tell me. After the performance today, I'll go teach them a lesson for you."

He jokingly raised a fist. It was then that Ikuyo noticed—Chisato, who usually appeared unassuming and even a bit frail, had clearly defined muscles as he clenched his fist. 

The short sleeves of his shirt were stretched tight over his biceps.

The contrast caught her by surprise. But… It also made her feel a strong sense of security.

"Ikuyo?"

"Ah!"

"Spacing out all of a sudden?"

Under Chisato's concerned gaze, Ikuyo took a small step back, her eyes darting.

"N-No… I wasn't spacing out, I was thinking about how to say this!"

"If it's difficult, you don't have to force yourself."

"No… It's not that hard to talk about..."

She took a deep breath, calming her racing heart.

"I appreciate your kindness, Chisato-kun, but there's no need to get angry for me. The ones who made me cry today weren't villains or anything... It was my parents."

"...I see."

Chisato said it calmly, though he wasn't really surprised.

Due to differences in age, experience, and thinking, conflicts between children and parents within a family are only natural. Everyone goes through it at some point.

And seeing the dim, almost lonely expression on Ikuyo's face as she spoke, he could more or less guess what kind of disagreement had happened between her and her parents.

Ikuyo took another deep breath.

"My parents… they want me to quit the band."

"..."

Chisato scratched the back of his head with a troubled expression and looked up at the sky with a soft sigh.

So it really was that.

Back when they decided to seriously pursue music after the music festival, he had already warned them about the kinds of problems and difficulties they might face on this path.

At the time, all four members of Kesshoku Band had shown strong determination. Their practice sessions had remained steady, so he hadn't thought too much about it since.

But he hadn't realized that Ikuyo had been silently enduring pressure from her family this entire time, only for it to come to light now.

Why hadn't he noticed earlier?

"I'm sorry."

"Haha, that's strange, why are you apologizing, Chisato-kun?"

Ikuyo smiled, tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, and began speaking in a calm tone.

"When I first joined Kesshoku Band, my parents didn't say much. 

They didn't interfere either. They even gave me money to buy my guitar. I think, at the time, they saw it like I was casually joining a school club—a hobby for after school.

Honestly, I thought the same too. I really did join the band thinking it would just enrich my free time, and I became friends with everyone.

But after that, things gradually changed in unbelievable ways..."

As she spoke, Ikuyo's expression softened and calmed.

"Whether it's Bocchi-chan, Nijika-chan, Ryo, or the manager—they're all kind and warm people.

I really love being with them. Every day we laugh and play together, practice until we're exhausted and hoarse.

We went from not understanding anything, our messy playing just a jumble of noise, to gradually learning to keep time, to work together, and eventually to play beautiful music. 

I love that feeling of slowly growing with everyone.

And then, you stepped up, Chisato-kun. You gave us a chance..."

Her gaze turned to Chisato. Though she tried to suppress it, her eyes shone with a quiet light.

"Whether it was the songs you wrote or the opportunities you gave us through your hard work, you helped us stand on bigger and bigger stages. 

Even though I got nervous each time, I couldn't deny that I loved standing on stage with everyone.

It was during this process that I realized something had been missing from my life up until then... I found my goal—something I truly love and want to dedicate myself to from now on..."

As she spoke, Chisato remained silent, simply listening with gentle eyes, encouraging her to pour out all the frustration and anguish she had kept bottled up.

"So when the music festival ended and we all promised to keep going together, I was overjoyed. I jumped with happiness. 

There was no way I could say no—this was what I had always dreamed of. But when I told my parents, they didn't really agree with me."

"What they once thought was just a casual after-school activity suddenly became a major priority, taking up a lot more time. 

They were probably worried it would interfere with your responsibilities as a student, right?"

Ikuyo gave a wry smile.

"Yeah, that's just like you, Chisato-kun. That's exactly how they felt. 

At first, they weren't that forceful about it because we promised them we'd keep our grades steady while managing the band."

"But… something unexpected happened?"

"..."

Ikuyo blushed, puffed out her cheeks, and mumbled while looking down.

"Well… my finals didn't go that great. My grades dropped a little..."

She coughed.

"And that's one part of it. The other is… ever since the last concert, there's been a growing problem—harassment letters."

"Harassment letters?"

"I don't know if it's from some crazy fan or what, but we've been getting disgusting letters at my house every day. 

I've ignored them, but they just got worse. I reported it to the police, but there hasn't been much progress."

"On one hand, there's the decline in academic performance from focusing on band activities, and on the other, the ongoing harassment from that pervert. 

When you put the two together, there's plenty of reason to stop her for the sake of their precious daughter's safety."

The other party's explanation was very detailed, and Chisato had already come to clearly understand the source of the rift between her and her parents.

Meanwhile, for some reason, hearing the phrase "precious daughter" being used to refer to her made Ikuyo unconsciously squeeze her thighs together.

Though it was unspeakably shameful, she had just felt a slight shiver run through her whole body, as if a jolt of electricity had suddenly shot up from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, making her almost let out a moan. 

Fortunately, she bit her lip hard and held it in.

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Girl, how thirsty are you…

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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta

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