Their restricted abilities are refreshed every week.

While Shirakawa Haru was revising the music and lyrics, Ijichi Hoshika stayed in the rehearsal room to supervise the band's rehearsal and gave her opinions from time to time.

After finishing the band rehearsal, a huge feeling of fatigue surged into Ijichi Xingge's chest. At this time, she heard the boy next to her invite her.

"Sister Xingge, are you free tonight?" Shirakawa Haru put away her notes, gathered the black eraser crumbs on the table with a tissue and pushed them into the trash can, then cleaned the table. "I invited Yamada-san and Ijichi-san out for shopping and dinner tonight to make up for my neglect of the band. I think Sister Xingge is also a member of the band, so I'm planning to invite her... well, it's happening right now."

Her fingertips tapped erratically on the table, and Ijichi Hoshika felt a sense of irritation. She wondered if Shirakawa Haru always mentioned other people when inviting women. Even without Shirakawa Haru mentioning it, she'd have known he'd invited the End Band, but she'd been the only male invitation in her adult life, and she'd been a mere incidental one. This thought soured her mood.

"Want to come? We can go shopping after dinner," Shirakawa Haru said. "Ijichi-san said she wants to take some photos with the band and post them online for promotion."

"If I have nothing to do tonight, I'll come." Ijichi Xingge propped up her chin with one hand and looked at the noisy girls in front of her and said, "Just so you know, I won't let you take them to a place like a bar."

"I don't plan to go to that kind of place." Shirakawa Haru said.

Darkness enveloped Shimokitazawa, the streetlights already fully illuminated. Crowds bustled through the streets, and from above, the pedestrians and the rushing traffic formed a stark contrast. Just looking up, one could see the various electronic signs illuminated overhead, their artificial light brighter than the stars. Listening closely, one could faintly hear the creaking sound of a cheap tram rolling along the tracks.

Shirakawa Haru promised to take the band out for ramen after rehearsal, and now he is fulfilling his promise.

The girls who always hang out together are more energetic than him and leave him far behind.

Ichichi Xingge walked side by side with him.

"How long will it take to get to that ramen restaurant?" Ijichi Xingge asked dejectedly, thinking that as an adult woman, her physical strength really couldn't keep up with those teenage girls, but fortunately, she still had someone with her.

"Almost there." Shirakawa Haru checked the map on his phone. "It's the next intersection. It's the road that Ichichi-san led."

Shirakawa Haru and Ijichi Hoshika walked for a while, and as they were about to cross the next intersection, the girls in front of them burst into excited voices, "Is this the shop? It's so beautiful."

The beauty that Ijichi Hongxia talks about is not the beauty in the traditional sense, but a kind of beauty that is soaked in time and left by the erosion of wind and sunlight on the wall.

This is the beauty that can only be achieved after going through wind and rain.

Although this ramen restaurant is new, its decoration looks like it belongs to the last century. Various building materials have been treated to look old, and even the lighting is particularly dim, as if you are sitting under a paper lantern.

"I feel like Shirakawa-san's wallet is going to bleed a lot today." Kita Ikuyo said that this kind of decoration style of the store gave her a special sense of luxury. She wondered how much thought the owner put into the decoration.

"If I can't pay, I'll mortgage you here," said Shirakawa Haru.

Shirakawa Haru was joking, but his serious face always made the girls around him think he was serious. Goto Ichiri was frightened and hugged Ichichi Hongka, shaking and saying, "Don't sell me."

Take a seat and order.

While waiting for the restaurant to serve their food, the group discussed the issue of finishing the band's first song.

Shirakawa Haru brought Goto Ichiri's notebook full of lyrics here. He handed it to Yamada Ryo to show her, and then said to Goto Ichiri: "Ichiri, what do you think of these lyrics of yours?"

"That's totally unacceptable!" Before Yamada Ryo could even glance at the lyrics, Goto Ichiri snatched the notebook back. "I'm so sorry for betraying the band's intentions! So if you're going to punish me... could you please be gentle?"

She looked at Shirakawa Haru with tears in her eyes.

"Overall, it's pretty good." Yamada Ryo poured himself a cup of floral tea, took a sip, and said, "But it doesn't seem to have much 'personality'. It doesn't quite match your personality, Pochi-chan. How should I put it? It's like 'sunshine'."

"It's hard to imagine that these lyrics were written by Pochi-chan." Kita Ikuyo picked up the cold dish on the table with chopsticks and put it into her mouth.

"I think so too." Shirakawa Haru gently pulled the notebook from Goto Ichiri's hand and said, "Pochi-chan, although it may be a bit rude to say this, I still want to ask you, are you writing lyrics without 'Ichiri' in order to end the band?"

"Huh?" Goto Ichiri stared at Shirakawa Haru blankly.

Chapter 4.8: A Notebook Smelling of Ramen (k

"From your expression, I can probably guess that you've vaguely noticed this." Shirakawa Haru unfolded his notebook and pushed it to the middle of the dining table. The girls around him, because of their height, all put their hands on the table and raised their necks forward.

"Look, the lyrics of the first song are warm and bright, it should be written for Ijichi-san; the second one is too dazzling, I think you wrote it for Kita-san; the third one is cold, but there is a contrast in the second half of the lyrics, it is dedicated to Yamada-san... This song is for me?" he said.

"Really?" Ijichi Nijinka stared at the lyrics for a long time. "Just like Shirakawa-san said, the lyrics you wrote, Pochi-chan, seem to be related to us. I just had some feeling about it before, but after Shirakawa-san reminded me, this feeling is very obvious."

"But in these lyrics, 'Pochi-chan' appears so rarely, you could say it doesn't appear at all," Yamada Ryo said softly, looking at the lyrics with a rare serious expression. "More importantly, although some of these lyrics were written for me, they're too boring and meaningless."

"Hey, senpai, you're going to make Pochi-chan sad by saying that, right?" Kita Ikuyo put down her chopsticks, chewed the cold dish in her mouth vigorously and swallowed it, and hurriedly tried to defend Goto Ichiri, "Pochi-chan has obviously tried very hard, there's no need to say these lyrics like that."

"As Yamada-san said, this is indeed a problem with Ichiri's lyrics," said Shirakawa Haru. "A band without a true soul can't survive."

"The real soul?" Goto Ichiri thought about Shirakawa Haru's words.

"Yes, true soul." Shirakawa Haru pulled out his phone, opened YouTube, and found the music videos used by lesser-known bands in their promotional videos. These videos were very important to those bands, so they all used music videos that represented the band's style and were their own. "Look at it, although the quality of the lyrics created by these bands varies, they all have one characteristic: 'outstanding style,' their own unique style."

"I think your problem, Ichiri, is that you're too much in line with the mainstream," Shirakawa Haru said. "Japan is a country with a rich music and band culture. Just how many bands are there in the entire country? Imagine, while we were having dinner, there were probably several bands born in some obscure livehouse. They dream of success and fame, so they create songs that cater to the public's taste. Their starting point is certainly good, but along the way they have to face bands that are more mature than them and songs that are more templated."

"Unless a band is incredibly talented, it's impossible for a newly debuted band to win over its seniors. What's important for a band? It's about catching the listeners' eyes and ears, making them think you're a unique band that stands out among dozens or even hundreds of other bands. Only then can you be considered to have passed the first round of screening."

"So we decided we needed a song that reflects all of our personalities. Not just one person, but all of us. We had to find a way to incorporate all of our personalities into the lyrics. Most importantly, it couldn't be too monotonous; it had to be colorful, like a painting."

Shirakawa Haru took back the notebook.

The waiter brought bowls of ramen with smooth movements, and when the porcelain bowls were placed on the table, not a single noodle soup spilled.

Several girls retracted their heads and sat back, picking up chopsticks and soup spoons to stir the ramen. The fragrant and mellow ramen soup made them salivate.

Only Goto Ichiri didn't pick up the chopsticks. She took the notebook back from Shirakawa Haru and stared at the lyrics on it in a daze.

Too boring... Is there no personality for everyone who has ended the band?

Yes, because it was my first time joining a band and my first time writing lyrics for a band, I was afraid of messing up and disappointing them, so I kept imitating the lyrics of those mainstream bands, striving to not make mistakes even if I couldn't write good lyrics.

But this idea is wrong.

Even if you write lyrics that make "mistakes", it's better than being unknown!

Two worlds appeared in Goto Ichiri's eyes, and as she thought, the two worlds became farther and farther apart.

She is in a daze.

"Compared to blindly following the mainstream, I think it's more important to be able to express our own personality, just like what Shirakawa-san said." Yamada Ryo's blurry face was reflected on the surface of the scented tea. She put down her chopsticks, lowered her head, and pulled out a napkin to wipe the corners of her mouth.

After hearing Shirakawa Haru's thoughts, would she also think of the band she joined in the past?

"I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but ending the band wasn't the first I joined," Yamada Ryo whispered, his hand covering his forehead. "The band I was in before had lyrics that were innocent yet beautiful, and I loved them. But eventually, everyone fought harder and harder for fame, and the arrangements and lyrics became increasingly formulaic and templated. I got bored and tired of it, so I decided to quit. There was even a dispute when I left the band. If Hongxia hadn't invited me to end the band, I might not be playing music now."

"So, Pochi, you don't have to force yourself to write such boring and uninteresting lyrics. Don't feel pressured and just write lyrics according to your own style and preferences. Those of you who have ended your band now are definitely not gathered here because you want to be famous." Yamada Ryo smiled gently.

"But if that happens, the lyrics I write will become very dark and heavy... Isn't that a bad idea?" Goto Ichiri was still hesitant.

"Wouldn't it be interesting to let a winner in life sing this kind of song?" Yamada Ryo asked Goto Ichiri to imagine the sunny and cheerful Kita Ikuyo standing on the stage of the exhibition hall and singing gloomy lyrics with a smiling face.

"And Pochi-chan is much more cheerful now, isn't she?" Kita Ikuyo slurped her noodles, her chopsticks opening and closing, making crisp sounds. "With Shirakawa-san by your side, Pochi-chan can trust herself."

Because Qingjun is by my side, I can trust myself?

Goto Ichiri turned her head to look at Shirakawa Haru. The distance between them was obviously very close, but she thought that she was indeed "looking" at Haru-kun. "Looking" was too simple to express the surging feelings in her heart for Haru-kun, and "staring" seemed a bit frivolous, as if she was some kind of strange person.

Every time he became gloomy and fell into a spiral of doubt and denial, Qingjun comforted himself, and this time was no exception.

Goto Ichiri thought so.

Perhaps because the gazes beside him were too dazzling, his body felt a touch of warmth through the blue and white school uniform. Shirakawa Haru turned his head and looked at Goto Ichiri's small face, which was smiling for some unknown reason. He thought for a moment, wanting to praise her efforts, wanting to affirm her actions, but the words that came out of his mouth were simply: "Keep it up."

"Hmm..." Goto Ichiri responded in a weak voice.

"Pochi-chan, I was just about to ask," Yamada Ryo leaned over the table and reached out to Goto Ichiri, "Are you still going to eat ramen? If you don't, the noodles will absorb the broth and become soft. If you don't want to eat it, can you give it to me?"

After wiping it with a tissue, Yamada Ryo finally set her eyes on the ramen in front of Goto Ichiri. This was the reason why she had been staring at the ramen in front of Goto Ichiri after she had counseled him.

Yamada Ryo is truly a bit of an oddball. A serious, formal expression seems to last only a minute. She's straightforward and uninhibited, yet occasionally offers insightful life philosophies that touch the heart. Her dual identities—serious and earnest, yet frivolous and self-centered—give her a unique charm.

"Ah, please!" Facing Yamada Ryo's eager eyes, Goto Ichiri hurriedly pushed the ramen over, even with too much movement, and a lot of soup spilled out of the porcelain bowl as it slid across the table.

"Ryo, why are you like this again?" Ijichi Hongxia tapped Yamada Ryo's face, then asked Goto Ichiri, "Pochi-chan, aren't you eating? Is it because you're not hungry yet?"

"No, not really... I just got inspired, so I'm going to write the lyrics now!"

Goto Ichiri hugged the notebook tightly, and because her chest was too soft, the notebook slightly sank into her chest under her sportswear. Ijichi Hoshika looked at Goto Ichiri with her eyes wide open in disbelief.

"But Pochi-chan, we are in a ramen restaurant now. There are a lot of customers here. Can you handle it?" Ijichi Hongxia looked very worried.

"No, it's okay. As long as I'm with Haru-kun, I'm not afraid of anything." Goto Ichiri said quietly, her voice so soft that it seemed like she was talking to herself. Her palms were itching to move. She reached out and subconsciously wanted to pinch Shirakawa Haru's hand. "Besides, when there are more people around, I feel that feeling of being hated by the world, and I can get into the mood better..."

Feeling something hard, Goto Ichiri looked at his palm and found it was a pencil and eraser.

"I brought this with me when I went out, and I thought you might need it," said Shirakawa Haru. "Going out is a journey of finding inspiration. Inspiration can come at any time, perhaps at the next intersection, when you look up and see a billboard, or even right now while we're eating ramen."

"Luckily I brought a pen and eraser," said Shirakawa Haru. "It would be a shame if I couldn't seize the inspiration I had."

Goto Ichiri wrote furiously, the tip of her pen making a slight sound as it rubbed against the paper. From time to time, she would pick up an eraser to revise her notes, scattering black eraser crumbs.

Shirakawa Haru got up from his seat, walked to the front desk of the ramen shop and said something to the waiter, then paid the bill. He asked the waiter to help him pack a bowl of ramen and ordered five cups of green tea.

The tea leaves used in this shop are very high-quality, so the green tea that is provided free of charge in other ramen shops is charged here.

"Thank you." Shirakawa Haru took the plate from the waiter and said, "I can take it myself."

He walked to the dining table and placed cups of green tea on the tray in front of several little girls and an older girl.

Ijichi Hongka and the others all looked at Shirakawa Haru.

Shirakawa Haru said, "I'd like a cup of green tea to help me feel better. The waiter said the green tea here is very famous."

"That's just their way of boosting sales." Ijichi Xingge held her forehead with her hand, her expression speechless. She thought, even if you have money, you wouldn't spend it like this. "PA sometimes sells sour plum soup bought from other stores in the summer, claiming it's a special recipe and charging more. But it actually tastes just like regular sour plum soup."

"You want to make us happy, right?" Yijizhi Xingge said, "Thank you, but you make me feel like you are a stupid fool with a lot of money." He picked up the green tea and took a sip. He drank it too quickly and got burned.

After the band finished, the remaining girls also took a sip of green tea, imitating Ichichi Hoshige's style.

"It's delicious!" Kita Ikuyo said, "Thank you, Shirakawa-san. Next time I'll treat you to milk tea at the milk tea shop!"

"I don't want milk tea." Shirakawa Haru refused simply.

He thought about how he had gone to the milk tea shop to drink milk tea only a few times, but it seemed like something big happened every time.

The first time was with Chihaya Aine. She bought a couple's set meal, drank milk tea, and kissed him on the cheek. They took a photo, which the owner hung on the photo wall. The second time was during the band's team building. Although the atmosphere was harmonious, he noticed that Nagasaki Suyo had erupted in abnormal hostility towards Chihaya Aine. Chihaya Aine concealed her emotions well, but she still noticed a hint of anger on her face.

"Huh?" Kita Ikuyo's bright smile turned confused after being rejected by Shirakawa Haru, "So Shirakawa-san also rejects others?"

"Of course I'll refuse," Shirakawa Haru said. "I also have things I'm not good at dealing with. Since I can proactively avoid them, there's no need to force myself to face them... There's a question I've been wanting to ask for a long time. Why do you always call me 'Shirakawa-kun' one moment and 'Shirakawa-san' the next?"

"When you meet Shirakawa-kun, call him 'Shirakawa-kun', and when you meet 'Shirakawa-san', call him 'Shirakawa-san'." Ijichi Nikka answered with a smile, and the triangular shaped ahoge on the top of her head couldn't stop jumping.

"Is it that for Shirakawa-san, going to a milk tea shop to drink milk tea is something he is not good at?" Kita Ikuyo asked after taking a sip of tea.

"Something bad will happen." Shirakawa Haru replied.

"Maybe he was dragged by a girl to confess her love?" Yamada Ryo narrowed her eyes, "Kitao, you can ask me to go next time." Her intuition was extremely sharp. Although she guessed wrong, it was very close to the truth.

"Oh, really?" Kita Ikuyo acted cute towards Yamada Ryo, fiddling with her fingers, "I'm really willing to do that. Senior Ryo is willing to go shopping with me, drink milk tea at a milk tea shop, etc..."

The pencil, held upright at an angle, lay limply on the table, its short, thick tip spinning on the notebook paper, drawing gray arcs.

Only half of the translucent eraser was left.

Goto Ichiri scratched her hair and when she raised her head, she didn't know if it was an illusion, but the dark circles under her eyes had become a little darker in this short period of time.

She handed the notebook covered in the smell of ramen to Shirakawa Haru and said, "Haru-kun, I've written the lyrics. Can you help me take a look and see if these lyrics are okay? Let me make it clear first, I just wrote them casually, so don't be too confident... If you think they're not okay, I'll change them..."

Shirakawa Haru smoothed Goto Ichiri's frizzy pink hair, looked through the lyrics, and said to her, "It's very well written."

He handed the notebook to Ijichi Nikka, who looked at it and then handed it to Yamada Ryo.

The notebook with the lyrics was passed between the members of the band and finally fell back into Shirakawa Haru's hands.

"Oh...oh!" Kita Ikuyo exclaimed in admiration. "Pochi-chan, isn't this a great song?! Personally, I think these lyrics are fantastic! Especially the line 'Sparkling, dazzling, please don't be so bright', it really resonated with me."

This is the difference between Kita Ikuyo and Ijichi Nikka.

Shirakawa Haru looked at Kita Ikuyo's enthusiastic expression. Although both girls were extroverted and gentle, it was obvious that Kita Ikuyo was more willing to express her emotions, thus making the atmosphere lively.

"Pochi-chan... well done." Yamada Ryo flicked his thumb upwards at Goto Ichiri. "Very unique, I like it. Looks like our band won't be boring anymore."

"Ryo, are you encouraging Pochi-chan or suppressing her confidence?" Ijichi Nikka said to Goto Ichiri, "Pochi-chan is really talented. She can write such good lyrics in such a short time."

"Thank you!" Goto Ichiri accepted everyone's compliments with an embarrassed look on his face.

"Hey, have you guys eaten yet?" Ijichi Hoshika said. "If you're full, come back. I remember you have some rehearsal time tonight, right? You could try out Goto-san's lyrics."

Then she slapped her head and said, "Sorry, Goto-san, I forgot you didn't eat the noodles."

"It's okay... I can even skip dinner." Goto Ichiri clutched his chest. "I weigh more than many of the girls in my class. They keep asking me what I ate to get so big..."

"I just asked the waiter to pack up a bowl of ramen," Shirakawa Haru said. "We can't skip dinner. Writing lyrics is very physically demanding. Let's go back and eat."

"Ah? Hmm..." Goto Ichiri shook his body and leaned against Shirakawa Haru as if all his bones were pulled out and he became soft.

Hongxia's love rival is quite powerful.

Ijichi Hoshika looked at her younger sister Nijika who was discussing lyrics with Yamada Ryo.

Chapter 4.8: Nagasaki Sushi: Swan Dream (k)