Are You Sure It’s Just a Lunch Group?

After school, Shin met up with Megumi Kato, Hitori Gotou, and Ikuyo Kita at the school gate. Together, they headed to the New Star LiveHouse in Shimokitazawa.

Shin briefly considered calling his driver to bring his car over so they could drive there, but he ultimately decided against it.

Megumi had expressed a desire to familiarize herself with the subway route to the LiveHouse, so she could visit Hitori Gotou and Ikuyo Kita by herself in the future.

Subways and Shinkansen in Japan operate under a peculiar system, with different companies managing different lines, making transfers inconvenient.

Since this was Megumi's first time going to a LiveHouse, she wanted to memorize the transfer route for future trips—she couldn't rely on Shin to drive her every time.

Thus, Shin decided to accompany them on the subway this time. It wasn't too far to Shimokitazawa, so it wasn't a big deal.

"Oh, Shin! Welcome!"

As Shin entered the LiveHouse with the others, they were greeted by a cheerful voice from Nijika Ijichi.

Nijika Ijichi, while also an extrovert, had a different style compared to Ikuyo Kita.

Unlike Ikuyo Kita's pure enthusiasm, Nijika gave off a friendly yet caring vibe.

Meanwhile, Ryo Yamada walked over upon seeing Shin, and under everyone's gaze, grabbed the corner of his shirt.

Just as the others were surprised by her actions, she looked up at Shin and said:

"Shin, I'm broke. Help me…"

Apparently, Hitori Gotou and Ikuyo Kita had relayed Shin's message to her, and Ryo Yamada had come to him directly for financial aid.

Seeing her shameless behavior, the others couldn't help but facepalm, while Shin's lips twitched as he asked:

"You don't look too great… Why didn't you message me?"

Ryo Yamada looked like she hadn't eaten for two days. It seemed she had spent all her money buying Ikuyo Kita's bass.

Nijika Ijichi had mentioned before that Ryo Yamada's family wasn't poor, but her reckless spending habits often left her broke.

The fact that she paid for Ikuyo Kita's bass in full was proof of her extravagance. Though her intentions might have been to ease Ikuyo Kita's financial worries, the consequence of bankrupting herself was undeniable.

What puzzled Shin was why Ryo Yamada didn't message him. Didn't she have his contact information?

"My phone got disconnected…"

Her response left everyone speechless. They knew she was broke, but not to this extent.

"Let's find a place nearby to eat and chat."

Seeing how Ryo Yamada clung to his shirt like he was her last meal ticket, Shin shrugged.

"Nijika, is that okay?"

"Well… I guess it can't be helped. Ryo's in no condition to practice anyway."

Nijika sighed with a wry smile, like a mother dealing with a mischievous child.

"Let's take a break today and go out for a meal. We can also meet Shin's friends."

As she spoke, her gaze shifted to Megumi Kato, surprising her.

Megumi hadn't expected anyone besides Shin to notice her right away. She had assumed she would be overlooked as usual.

"I'll lead the way! There's a place I've been wanting to try!"

Ryo Yamada immediately perked up, raising her hand enthusiastically.

At a nearby café, the four band members, Shin, and Megumi Kato settled in.

"Ah, I feel alive again."

Ryo Yamada showed no restraint, devouring three slices of cake without worrying about gaining weight.

"Thank you so much, Shin Kun. Why don't you just take care of me from now on?"

Having been fed, she grew more familiar with him, even adopting Megumi's nickname for him, "Shin Kun."

"Don't say such rude things!"

Nijika smacked Ryo on the head, clearly annoyed by her antics.

"Shin Kun—no, Shin, please don't mind her nonsense."

(T/N: They usually refer to him in his full Chinese name 'Qin Chuan'. It feels too troublesome for me the stick in Shin Kun, Ran Kun etc etc so I skip that)

Nijika nearly slipped into calling him "Shin Kun" herself but quickly corrected it. Her slightly flushed face betrayed her embarrassment.

Unlike Ryo, Nijika wasn't thick-skinned. Using such an intimate nickname for a boy for the first time naturally made her shy.

As Ryo wolfed down her food, the group introduced themselves and learned about Megumi's background.

They even found out about Shin's rooftop lunch gatherings with his schoolmates.

"That sounds great! Too bad Ryo and I aren't at the same school as you. I'd love to join," Nijika said wistfully.

In the band, Hitori Gotou and Ikuyo Kita attended the same school, while Nijika and Ryo went to another.

This meant Nijika and Ryo couldn't see Shin and his friends during school hours.

"But wouldn't the bench on the rooftop be too small?"

Leave it to Hitori Gotou to bring the mood down with a practical remark.

If Nijika and Ryo joined their lunch group, the bench would indeed be too crowded, but that wasn't something to bring up now.

Her comment did remind Shin, though—he began considering whether to bring another bench to the rooftop.

After all, while Megumi and the others were joking, Shin felt the lunch group might expand someday.

For instance, Eriri. She currently only came to see him after lunch, but who knew if she might join the group eventually?

Or maybe they could go all out and set up a table on the rooftop—after all, no one else used it anyway.

As for whether the school would object to Shin moving furniture up there…

If the school had a problem, they could take it up with the Shinomiya family and see how that turned out.

To be continued…

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