Tokyo Soft Rice King.

"Yes, after all, waiting like this is not a solution. The performance has already been postponed once, and if it is postponed again, the audience's patience will be worn out."

"But if there's no prior rehearsal, a hastily assembled band is prone to making mistakes, right?"

Ultimately, student bands are all amateurs, and suddenly changing members will most likely result in a terrible performance due to a lack of coordination.

"The band performance is the grand finale of the cultural festival. If it fails, it will have a very negative impact on the reputation of our school's cultural festival..."

As the student council president, what Miao-senpai cares about most is the school's image and the success or failure of the cultural festival, since it concerns her personal reputation.

"But if we can't find Makoto in the end and the performance has to be canceled, people will say that we can't even organize a school festival properly. It won't just affect the reputation of the school festival, but also the reputation of our school, right?"

Upon hearing this, Senior Sister Miao frowned, revealing a displeased expression.

Anri Hitomi knows how to persuade Miao-senpai. For people with aspirations, you just need to start with what they care about.

Saionji Makoto looked at Anri Hitomi with admiration and nostalgia. She hadn't seen Hitomi like this in a long time. She was just like when she was a child... no, even more 'shrewd' than when she was a child.

"And as long as we can guarantee the performance will be a success, that's all that matters. I have a highly recommended candidate for this, and that's this rising star right next to me, Ziyin."

Anri Hitomi pushed out Ziyin who was next to her, and even added her name in a particularly affectionate way, even though she had called her by her full name when they were just confronting each other.

Ziyin, on the other hand, remained expressionless and cold to outsiders.

"Oh……"

Only then did Senior Sister Miao look at Ziyin, and after seeing her appearance, she paused for a moment. However, as the student council president, she had seen many more big scenes, so her reaction was much smaller than that of ordinary people. She quickly regained her composure and asked.

"Is this person also a student of your school?"

Since Shion is currently wearing the sailor uniform that is the school uniform of Shirayuri Girls' High School, Senior Sister Miao naturally regarded Shion as "a member of the student group who came to visit our school's cultural festival along with Saionji Mako".

Although Shion Murasaki no longer attends school, the school still retains her student status. Theoretically, she is still a student at Shirayuri Girls' High School, so the serious Saionji Maju nodded in agreement.

"Yes, she is a student at our school... So, Hitomi, do you want Murasaki no Miyabi to replace Makoto in the performance?"

"That's right, Shion is very good at singing. After all, her dream is to become a voice actress and singer."

When Anri Hitomi introduced Shion, she added "singer" after the original voice actress without permission, which directly exposed that this was all her conspiracy.

Saionji Machi was naturally aware of this matter, since she had asked Shion in person, so she chimed in to help.

"Yes, I also think this is a good idea. Murasaki no Miyako's voice is really nice, and she is wholeheartedly focused on her career. She is the most suitable replacement."

"I see……"

After thinking for a moment, Senior Sister Miao also felt that this was a good idea.

If she were a student from another school, she might have hesitated, but Shion Murasaki was Shion's student. This girls' high school and Hibiya High School were partner schools, and the two schools had a good relationship from the beginning.

Having Ziyin sing on stage would not only promote exchanges between the two schools, but also serve as a 'surprise' for the students, especially the nosy boys who have long wanted to meet Bai Baihe's young ladies.

Furthermore, with the endorsement of Saionji Machi, the student council president of Shirayuri Girls' High School, it made Mio-senpai feel that this was a very feasible alternative.

The successful hosting of the cultural festival is related to the school's reputation, and Senior Sister Miao certainly doesn't want any trouble to happen in her student council, so even if it's a gamble, she's decided to go all in.

So, Senior Sister Miao solemnly bowed her head and entrusted the matter to Ziyin.

"Then, on behalf of our school's student union and the cultural festival executive committee, I would like to sincerely invite you to help us complete the performance program for the cultural festival... Regardless of success or failure, our school will express our sincere gratitude to you, and I will also provide you with performance remuneration in my personal capacity."

That's a nice way to put it. It doesn't put pressure on the other person and conveys the message that they won't be blamed if you fail. It also mentions that there will be performance fees, giving people a "give it a try" feeling.

Therefore, at Miao-senpai's earnest request, all the behind-the-scenes personnel focused their attention on Zi-yin.

That was the feeling she had experienced before, and was experiencing again now—the feeling of being enveloped by gazes.

She hadn't felt this way in a long time, so long that she even felt a little nostalgic.

I used to hate it so much and feel really uncomfortable... Although I wouldn't say I like it now, I don't feel uncomfortable anymore.

Ziyin suddenly realized that Anri Tong was right; she had been protected too well by the wise ruler.

Thinking this, Ziyin looked at Kuroba Akira, which to others looked like Ziyin asking for the opinion of this unassuming man.

The focus then shifted to Akira Kuroba.

But at this moment, Kuroba Akira completely ignored the gazes of those around him and only smiled at Shion.

"You can refuse. If you don't like it, you don't have to sing. You have the right to refuse."

Instead of encouraging Ziyin, he said something that went against the situation, causing the curious looks of those around him to turn into dislike.

Most people thought, "How can this person be so clueless? How can they say something like that at a time like this?"

Only three people had different attitudes.

Only then did Senior Sister Miao look at Kuroba Akira properly. She hadn't really noticed this boy before, but she did recognize him. In fact, she remembered the names and faces of all the students in the school.

Having access to all the information within the school, she naturally knew that Kuroba Akira and Anri Hitomi were suspected of dating, and that there were rumors of a love triangle circulating in the newspaper club during the day... It seems that this Murasaki no Miyako Shion is the third person in the love triangle.

She knew how outstanding Anri Hitomi was, and had invited her to join the student council as secretary several times, but she had refused each time. Shion was a girl who had been recognized by Saionji Makoto, and just looking at her appearance, she was already a top-tier beauty. And both of them had taken a liking to this boy... It seems that Kuroba Akira also has his merits, and she can pay more attention to him in the future.

This is how women's opinions of men are synchronized. When a man is admired by many good women, the first thing other women think is not "He's a jerk!" but "Is he really that good?" Their curiosity about him turns into basic liking, and thus his overall reputation among women rises.

On the other side, Saionji Makoto looked at Kuroba Akira with an appreciative gaze and a satisfied smile. Although she was not clear about the emotional entanglement between 'Hitomi-Akira-Shiro', Kuroba Akira's act of protecting 'his woman' made her feel that he was a very manly man, which was very much in line with her aesthetic sense.

In addition, there was the matter of Takanashi Mirai, which was ultimately resolved by Kuroba Akira. She was thinking of thanking Kuroba Akira in person, so her goodwill towards Kuroba Akira increased even more.

And Anri Hitomi smiled as always. She knew that Kuroba Akira would definitely favor Shion. No matter what anyone said, he would not let her receive outside attention easily. He would protect her from harm as if she were a fragile egg.

After all... she was his treasure.

Even with all the preparations made, if Kuroba Akira gives the order, Murasaki no Miyako no Shion will absolutely refuse without hesitation, rendering all the arrangements futile.

However, the egg was mature enough, and Hitomi Anri had provided enough 'catalyst'.

The chicks should be hatching by now.

"I will go, wise ruler."

Ziyin shook her head at Kuroba Akira, then smiled.

"I also want to vent properly... After all, I'm really angry right now because of someone."

Singing is indeed a great way to vent, especially when facing pressure, setbacks and negative emotions. You can sing a song to your heart's content and pour out all your emotions, such as joy, anger, sorrow and happiness, through the microphone.

Kuroba Akira nodded, then took out the hair tie she had taken off earlier.

"If you hate showing your face, you can change your hairstyle or wear a mask. I remember the drama club has masks that partially cover the face... Wearing a mask is fine, right, Senior Miao?"

Senior Sister Miao didn't care at all, and nodded with her arms crossed.

"Of course, it's already a great help that Murasaki-kun is willing to perform on stage. I can understand why she doesn't want to show her face. Wearing a mask will also make her more mysterious, and I think the audience will react better."

"That's good... Then Ziyin, you should still put on the mask."

"...Is it really possible?"

Originally, Ziyin had already mentally prepared herself to appear in public today, but Kuroba Akira gave her the option to take a step back.

"Yes, you don't need to force yourself. We already know your determination, and that's enough."

Then Kuroba Akira turned to look at the class president, who shrugged and smiled, indicating 'I have no objection'.

Of course, she wouldn't dwell on whether Ziyin would show up or not; as long as Ziyin was willing to stand on the stage, her plan would have already succeeded.

After receiving the class monitor's approval, Kuroba Akira turned back to Shion and spoke again.

"And although it is very rare, as far as I know, there are also famous singers who do not show their faces even when they hold live concerts."

In fact, there are many singers in Japan who do not show their faces. The most famous one is a certain Ms. Ado... who truly conquered her audience with just her singing voice.

Even when singing live, they will wear masks or use special lighting to prevent the audience from seeing their true faces.

Of course, he won't participate in any variety shows; he's just a pure singer.

If it's this kind of stage performance, Akira Kuroba thinks it's fine to let Shion appear in the public eye.

"You can choose to 'be yourself'."

"……Um!"

"Well then, time is running out. Murasaki no Miyako, why don't you go and look at the song list with the band members? Pick a song that you can sing and that they can also play, and we can change the song list on the spot."

"Ok."

After that, Ziyin went to look at the music while tying her hair into pigtails, mainly because there wasn't enough time and she didn't have time to braid it into pigtails.

After finalizing the lead singer selection, Miao Xuejie and the others breathed a sigh of relief. At least they had a backup plan. As long as they could get through the performance, they could have a proper celebration at the bonfire party afterwards.

"Okay, so we've found the lead singer. Now all that's left is the guitarist... Is there anyone here who can play guitar?"

Senior Sister Miao asked a question, but no one raised their hand, and the scene became silent.

Even those who can play guitar wouldn't dare to volunteer at this time, since they would be held responsible if they messed up. If they only have a mediocre skill level and keep playing wrong notes on stage, they would just be making things worse.

"Sigh... if we really can't find one more, we should be able to manage with one less guitarist..."

Just then, the curtain behind the stage was pulled open, and a weak voice sounded at the entrance.

"Excuse me... Excuse me, is Akira, uh, Kuroba-kun here?"

All eyes turned to her.

Mirai Takanashi seemed a little scared. She was already a bit shy, and after starting to stay at home, she became even more afraid of being stared at.

Being stared at by so many people suddenly made her a little uneasy, and she gave a dry laugh.

"Everyone's here... Haha... Uh... Did I arrive at the wrong time?"

Kuroba Akira snapped his fingers, pointed at her, and shouted.

No! You've come at the perfect time!

The future has arrived.

The performers have all arrived.

Chapter 245 The Magnificent Cultural Festival, Part Seventeen

The timing of Takanashi Mirai's appearance was so perfect that Kuroba Akira thought it was even the class president's arrangement.

But then she thought about it again. The fact that she would come to watch the band performance on the second day of the cultural festival was something only Kuroba Akira knew, and she hadn't told anyone else. So her appearance must really just be a coincidence.

Actually, when Kuroba Akira and the other two came backstage, Takanashi Mirai happened to see them, so she followed them.

However, because she was a little shy, she didn't dare to go backstage. But after waiting outside for a while, no one came out, and the band's performance was also postponed. She couldn't suppress her curiosity and wanted to come in to see what was going on, but she was caught by Kuroba Akira.

"Look what's happened! The guitarist has come knocking on our door!"