I became the emperor in the comic book series.

Upon hearing this, Yukino Yukinoshita's delicate and lovely face flushed slightly.

Except for the very beginning.

It wasn't too uncomfortable, though.

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P.S.: Over 4,000 words, two chapters combined into one, still 44 chapters to go. I'm a bit sleepy, I'll take a nap and continue writing when I wake up.

Chapter 162 Arrogant and Proud

It is cloudy in the northern marshland.

The temperature was just right, neither too hot nor too cold, perfect for going out. Higashino Akira wore light and casual clothes and headed out to Shuka High School, where Goto Ichiri studied.

After all, I had promised to go see her performance.

Although it was Kita who agreed.

But it's okay, watch me steal her hand!

On the way, I saw a familiar figure passing by a shop in the distance.

The other person seemed to have seen and recognized him as well, and after a moment's thought, they pulled their equipment and followed.

It's that little cat-like girl again.

"Don't you have classes?"

Looking at the girl quietly following beside him, Higashino Akira suddenly wondered if he had awakened some kind of catnip-like constitution. Even though they hadn't had much interaction, the girl was so obedient and clingy that she took the initiative to follow him.

However, upon hearing this question, the girl turned her head slightly and looked at him carefully, but still did not say anything.

But Akira Higashino could sense a kind of disappointment from her, as if she was complaining about why he asked such a boring question.

Akira Higashino stopped, and she stopped too.

He continued walking, and she continued walking too.

"Why are you following me?" Higashino Akira turned around and asked her.

Lena tilted her head, looked at him, then at the direction of Xiuhua High School not far ahead, and uttered a word: "Matcha Parfait".

After speaking, she closed her eyes, turned her head slightly to the side, and offered her little head, appearing to be completely at ease with closeness.

It looks more like a cat now.

Radio waves, sometimes hot, sometimes cold, and cute.

Higashino Akira gently patted the cat-like girl's head and shook his head.

"I have other things to do later, so I won't have much free time."

"Can't I?"

The girl opened her eyes and asked quietly.

It's not that it's impossible; Akira Higashino doesn't mind feeding his cat treats that bring him emotional pleasure, but he just doesn't have time right now.

"I'm going to see a show later."

"live?"

"right."

The kitten became interested and abandoned its plan to leave in disappointment.

Seeing the sudden look of anticipation on her face, Higashino Akira smiled and led the way into Shuka High School.

Then let's go along with it.

In any case, the school does not refuse outsiders to visit during the school festival.

The school festival at Xiuhua High School was unexpectedly lively, with students and tourists in all sorts of strange costumes coming and going, and colorful posters related to the school festival plastered all over the roadside.

Higashino Akira walked forward with the crowd, then grabbed a cute-looking girl dressed as a maid and asked her for directions to the auditorium where the performance was being held. He then thanked her sincerely and said goodbye as the girl blushed and looked shy, before turning and walking in that direction.

Behind her, as if stepping into some unfamiliar world, the cat, finding everything fascinating, paused to observe the girl for a moment before following closely behind the man.

The auditorium of Xiuhua High School was already quite full.

As soon as Akira Higashino entered, he saw the band members who had just finished their performance. Nijika was squatting on the edge of the stage next to Pochi-chan, seemingly cheering her on. Ryo was leaning against the wall, fiddling with his bass guitar out of boredom, while Kita was holding up his phone, seemingly filming something.

"Higashino-kun!" Kita, with his sharp eyes, was the first to spot him, waving excitedly, "Over here! Over here!"

Hongxia looked up and greeted him with a smile, her gaze quickly falling on the white-haired girl behind Dongye Ming.

"Um, who is this?"

“A kitten whose name I don’t know.” Higashino Akira turned to the side. “I met it on the way, and it followed me here.”

"Is she my younger sister?" Hongxia asked.

"No, we just met once, and it was a pleasant experience being familiar strangers." Higashino Akira thought for a moment, "You guys are from this school too?"

"Ah, Ryo and I are from other schools. We're mainly here to support Bochi-chan."

Hongxia shook her head vigorously in denial, "Our school festival isn't that lively, it's super boring."

However, Liang, who is usually so dismissive, for some reason seemed to be looking at Higashino Akira as if he were a heartless man, leaving Higashino Akira completely baffled.

Rakuna didn't say anything, but stood next to Higashino Akira, her eyes scanning back and forth between the girls and their instruments, as if she were evaluating something.

Hongxia glanced at her, feeling that something was off, and the words of complaint welled up in her mouth but she didn't have time to say them.

Because student council staff came over.

"The band is finished, you can go backstage to prepare. The next band to perform is you."

Nijika quickly called out to Ryo and Kita, then shouted backstage, "Pochi! It's our turn!"

A muffled sound came from the side, like a small animal whose tail had been stepped on.

Yabai, who had not been notified that her boyfriend-kun would be coming, suddenly saw his figure. She had prepared herself mentally and had a lot of performance experience to dare to stand on the stage, but suddenly felt a little nervous.

After the band ended, the girls left one after another and went backstage to adjust their state and check the instruments.

Akira Higashino, with a kitten he'd picked up on the street, watched the other students' performance in front of the stage.

To be honest, most student performances are out of interest and hobby, so it's hard to say they're very good, let alone professional. Fortunately, the girls performing were cute enough and the boys were silly enough, which made the parents and passersby who came to watch recall their own youthful days. So no one was too harsh on the students' performances.

There were quite a few familiar faces in the venue.

For example, two of Pochi's loyal fans were also present.

Also present were Bochi Sauce's parents and younger sister, Erri. The little girl waved enthusiastically to greet her older sister's boyfriend the moment she saw him.

Of course, there's also that arrogant, spoiled older sister with a sour face who's obsessed with her younger sister.

With her was her bassist junior, who always seemed drunk.

"Ha, what brings you here too?"

"Hey, long time no see, bro! I've seen your stand-up comedy videos before, they're really funny."

A bassist, seemingly drunk, waved happily at him.

however…

That video was actually a graduation speech.

"Right? An outstanding student representative who can't do stand-up comedy isn't a good boss."

Higashino Akira readily accepted, not bothering to argue with a drunkard, and looked at Ichiji Seika beside him.

"After all, I'm part of their group of friends and family. I usually have more free time, so what's so strange about me coming to see a performance? It's the store manager who's such a busy person, working from afternoon until late at night. Instead of taking a break, he came to see the show. He really cares about Hongxia."

"Mind your own business." The shop manager, who looked like a larger version of Nijika but whose personality was the complete opposite of her younger sister Nijika Ichiji, blushed when teased. Her tense expression instantly went out of control, and her flustered posture was actually kind of cute.

"Senior is so cute!"

A tipsy Hiroi Kikuri laughed loudly and boasted.

Then my head was punched by my arrogant older sister, who was furious with embarrassment.

"Shut up! Idiot! You drunkard, just keep quiet!"

"It hurts so much...!"

.........

Chapter 163 Against the Nation!

"The next band is the Ending Band."

Amidst the jokes and banter, a new round of stage announcements began, the curtain rose, and the entire band appeared on stage.

A wave of cheers instantly surged through the room, especially the dense shouts of "Kita!" that rose and fell, showing that this sunny and cheerful girl was exceptionally popular at school.

On stage, Kita thanked her classmates who came to support her.

Beside him, Goto Ichiri, who hadn't received any attention, felt both relieved and a little disappointed.

Well... just as I expected.

next second...

"Sister, you can do it...!!!"

Erli's childish voice suddenly rang out, as he jumped and waved to her, cheering her on. Beside Erli, her parents were also there. Her mother smiled gently at her, while her father, with tears streaming down his face, was recording a video with his DSLR camera.

"Xiao Du, we support you! Keep it up!"

These are the two fans who have always supported them.

And the classmates!

And, she's nodding at me, looking forward to her boyfriend!

But it wasn't quite what I expected...

Goto Ichiri paused for a moment, then his gaze gradually hardened.

"Hey! Pochi-chan, do your best!" Slumped limply at the edge of the stage, the drunken Hiroi Kiku shouted, waving a bottle with the slurred smile typical of an alcoholic. The strong smell of alcohol made the JK girl next to her recoil, trying to get away from this weirdo. "Look, look! I specially bought canned alcohol today, hehehehe! You'd better put on a cool performance!"

"Uh, that's strange, why are you ignoring me, Little Lonely?"

"I'm your older sister Kikuri, look, look!"

Kikuri Hiroi twisted and turned at the edge of the stage, waving her hands in an attempt to attract Pochi's attention.

Goto Ichiri looked away guiltily, not daring to look at her. If they recognized each other at this moment, her image in the eyes of her classmates would become even worse. Perhaps even her few fans would think she was a weirdo and stop supporting her.

Fed up with this drunkard causing trouble and delaying the start of the performance, the shop manager grabbed the idiot by the neck, choked her, and pulled her into his arms. "Hey, haven't you had enough?!"

In an instant, the drunken man who had been wriggling around suddenly straightened up. Even though he was drunk, he didn't dare to argue with the fierce Ichiji Hoshika. "Senior, I surrender."

On stage, Kita gave an awkward smile, choosing to ignore the scene without hesitation, and began his opening remarks.

"Our band, 'The End,' usually performs outside of school."

"We hope that our performance today will bring joy to both us and the audience!"

"If you're interested in us, please come to the live house to see our performance!"

"Then let's begin with our first song, presented by 'The End Band'!"

The guitar and drums sounded first, setting the rhythm, and the music began.

The arrogant shop manager, having temporarily spared the drunken junior, seemed to be watching seriously, but in reality, most of her attention was focused on her own younger sister.

Over there, Kita, the lead singer, had already picked up the microphone.

As an amateur singer without professional training, her talent is so strong that she is like a Valkyrie. She can sing all kinds of high notes and altered notes without going off-key or being unable to reach them. The timbre of her singing voice is completely different from her lively and cute speaking style. Instead, it has a slightly arrogant feel.

This is another new song that I haven't heard before.

Akira Higashino nodded slightly in sync with the music.

The cat beside her was the same; although its expression didn't change much, its joy at acknowledging the band's unique style and distinctive flavor was palpable.

Until the music reached its climax and the lead guitar really came into play, her slightly swaying figure suddenly stopped, her gaze fixed on the guitar on the stage, and after a long while, she turned to look at the man beside her.

"Are you leaving?"

"Ok?"