Aspiring to be a girl in a band

She didn't read any "horror" in those blood-red eyes; she was simply expressing her feelings.

The first thing that came to mind when she saw the lamp was a black mamba snake, but the snake in front of her didn't seem as deadly as a black mamba.

Could it be a Japanese rat snake...? No, no, no, that would mean it's completely non-venomous, and its eyes aren't red either.

Think about it.

"As expected, the red-eyed green viper... is the closest match..."

[It would look even more like it if the hair wasn't pure black]

The girl named Takamatsu Akari nodded secretly, as if she was satisfied with her conclusion.

What is this...?

Arakawa Kirika raised her eyebrows slightly.

This was the first time she had ever met someone who was completely unafraid of her and had even launched into a lengthy discussion about snakes right in front of her.

Could it be...?

Arakawa Kirika considered a possibility: did the girl with short gray hair in front of her not realize that she had spoken her thoughts aloud?

That's... so interesting.

It seems the days ahead won't be boring.

Arakawa Kirika, who originally transferred schools because of Shoko, seems to have discovered new fun.

Moreover, she began to vaguely feel that the Takamatsu lamp in front of her looked very familiar.

Because she was in a good mood, Arakawa Kirika was willing to spend more time searching her mind this time, and so she remembered.

Isn't that gray-haired girl the super hardworking lead singer from Crychic?

I remember his name was... Takamatsu... what was it again?

Arakawa Kirika, unable to recall the other person's name, decisively gave up trying to remember it, since the person was right in front of her and she only needed to ask.

After a brief moment of surprise at their first encounter, Takamatsu Akari quickly recovered.

She recognized the person in front of her... a very tall man.

But the name...

name……

Gao Songdeng fell into a low mood because she felt that the other person must know her, which was why they came over, and that the other person might greet her in the next second.

She simply couldn't remember the other person's name.

After all, Arakawa Kirika wasn't a member of the band; she only occasionally appeared alongside Wakaba Mutsumi.

She was neither a friend nor a companion who had given him warmth and spent wonderful times with him. It's probably normal that he doesn't remember her, right?

But wouldn't that be really awkward...?

She might think I'm an oddball, and then... I'd drift further and further away from my goal of becoming human.

That's what Deng thought, so she made up her mind.

We need to escape.

Escaping may be shameful, but it's always useful.

So she immediately stood up, with no intention of communicating with Arakawa Kirika, and turned and ran.

"Takamatsu... classmate?"

The voice from behind startled Takamatsu, causing his body to tense up completely, and his foot, which had been about to step out, comically stopped in mid-air.

Sure enough... she really did recognize me...

What should I do now? Should I respond? But... others know my name, yet I can't recall their names...

It seems that Gao Songdeng's inner turmoil will not be resolved in the short term.

Arakawa Kirika looked at the other person's frozen expression and the foot that was stuck in mid-air.

I immediately felt an extraordinary sense of joy.

Arakawa Kirika chased after Bazou Go`~Baling Liuwu went up and walked to Takamatsu Akari's side, and then she said.

"I just transferred here today and I'm a little lost. Could you tell me where the principal's office is?"

This is not a lie.

Arakawa Kirika hates lying to others, just as she hates lying to others.

Before enrolling, she resisted the urge to investigate Haneoka Academy.

She decided to enroll with a completely clueless mindset, in order to preserve the novelty of the ordinary school for her as much as possible.

"Eh..."

Takamatsu Akari was caught off guard by Arakawa Kirika, but since the other party had already come close to her, it would be too impolite to run away. So she could only grit her teeth, stand still, and think of a solution.

This is it... this is it.

Arakawa Kirika excitedly wanted to bite her fingers.

She deliberately approached Gao Songdeng to strike up a conversation because she sensed Gao Songdeng's inner struggle.

The purpose was to enjoy the sight of the other person looking so troubled.

Unfortunately, Arakawa Kirika's joyful mood did not last long.

A bell rang on campus, snapping Deng out of his daze.

"Um... I have to go now, I have to go..."

The lamp felt as if it had been granted a pardon. Although it still couldn't communicate properly with the other party, at least it was saved.

...Takamatsu successfully escaped.

"Hmm... running away because you didn't want to be rude to me... doesn't that just make you even more rude? How interesting."

Arakawa Kirika immediately understood Takamatsu Akari's behavior pattern—more like someone who is oblivious to others and immersed in their own world than someone with social anxiety.

She was excited because this was the first person who was completely unafraid of her. The reason the other person ran away was not out of fear, but out of embarrassment.

As she watched the departing figure, Arakawa Kirika's lips curved into a distinct smile.

"To dare to turn one's back to the Hunter and run away is a major taboo."

Arakawa Kirika subconsciously licked her lips.

She now has a new target.

Volume One: Chapter Twenty-Seven: New Prey

The atmosphere in Class A of the first year was a little strange at this time.

The school bell had rung for a long time, but no teacher had come in.

These girls, who had just entered high school, were already used to Monday's first class starting with a speech from their homeroom teacher.

But today, no one has shown up yet.

Since there were no teachers around, the students naturally began to discuss it.

"No one has come yet. Is the teacher sick?"

"Wouldn't that be a huge win? I wonder if we can leave get out of class early?"

"You're dreaming. Even if the teacher is really sick and takes leave, a substitute teacher will come."

……

Sitting in the second-to-last row, not by the window, Takamatsu Takamori was feeling quite down.

Only then did she realize how inappropriate her behavior had been.

"I'm so stupid... really."

The lamp sadly buried its head on the desk.

She chose to run away because she didn't want to leave a bad impression on Arakawa Kirika.

But the act of running away itself will leave a bad impression...

Messed up again...

Looking at the array of stones in front of him, Deng immediately lost interest in admiring them and silently put the stones into his pocket.

From childhood to adulthood, the girl named Takasatsu Teng felt that she didn't belong in the world.

What others consider "common sense" is something she cannot understand at all.

And the things I like are often categorized as oddities.

This troubled her greatly, which is why she always longed to become human.

To be able to interact with others normally, just like an ordinary person.

……

Suddenly, footsteps grew closer, and Takamatsu Akira, who was very perceptive, was the first to notice them.

She listened carefully.

The footsteps weren't the kind of rhythm one person could make, so there were at least two people about to enter the house.

Takamatsu's pupils dilated slightly; she remembered that the girl seemed to have mentioned it before.

[Just transferred here today]

And things unfolded exactly as the lamp had predicted.

Their homeroom teacher, accompanied by Arakawa Kirika, entered the classroom.

The classroom quickly returned to silence.

The homeroom teacher quickly wrote Arakawa Kirika's name on the blackboard... This surprised everyone.

They had seen transfer students before, but what surprised them was that this particular transfer student had their name written by the teacher, and the transfer student looked as if it were perfectly normal.

"So high..."