Aunt Xiangzi, how did you manage to live?

Feeling both amused and exasperated, Xiao touched her nose and didn't directly respond to Banami's words—but instead came up with another completely unrelated question.

"I'm telling you, Banami."

"Well?"

The blue-haired girl beside him also regained a relatively normal expression.

"If two childhood sweethearts who grew up together agree to form a band, and suddenly a third person appears out of nowhere, hoping to become an important part of one of them, or even wanting to replace the other person in her heart... what do you think of this person?"

"Unforgivable!! Anyone who steals a bite from the relationship between childhood sweethearts should be executed!!"

However, her normal state didn't last long before it collapsed again due to the hypothesis proposed by Kazama.

"Whether I eliminate the third party or not, I don't want to be dumped again...!"

"Don't assume you're the one who got dumped, okay?"

The two stood there quietly arguing without disturbing the other tourists who were also there to see the stars at the planetarium. Passersby assumed they were a young couple on a date, giving them a quick glance before walking past them.

But the girl around the corner heard their commotion and stopped herself from taking the step she was about to take.

She leaned against the wall, scrutinizing the two figures, her gaze finally settling on the boy's handsome amber eyes, which she couldn't look away from for a long time.

Chapter Thirty-Five: Night of the Sixth Magnitude Star (Bonus Chapter 2)

Despite being inside a planetarium with a beautiful view of the starry sky, Akatsuki and Banai seemed oblivious to the stunning scenery.

"No matter who it is, any 'fish-stealing cat' who tries to ruin the pure and innocent friendship between childhood friends should be punished... Wait, could it be that you, Kazama, are the 'fish-stealing cat'?"

At first, Banana realized the answer belatedly, but her gaze toward Kazama became increasingly subtle as she guessed the answer through her strong intuition.

"Oh dear... strictly speaking, I haven't become that 'fish-stealing cat' yet."

Then, feeling guilty, Akatsuki turned her face away, trying not to look at Banami's increasingly sharp gaze.

"Feelings don't have a first-come, first-served order, right? Besides, I don't want the kind of feelings that lead to romance. I just want to be closer to someone important to me... Although I can't tell you the reason yet, I can't tell you when I see you, Hachina..."

"That's really a completely unconvincing explanation."

Banami squinted and looked him up and down for a long time—in the end, she just patted his shoulder hard.

"Fine, but I trust you, Kazama. If there's anything you don't want to say, I won't force you to say it."

"...How thoughtful of you!"

This is a bit of a surprise. Xiao originally thought that after hearing this news, Banami would point her finger at him and yell, "What's the difference between what you're doing and being a mistress?"

She simply patted herself on the shoulder and said nothing more.

"Since you, Kazama, didn't mock my failed unrequited love, I certainly won't pry into your secret."

Miss Banami gave a graceful smile, but that wasn't the truth—she didn't press the matter simply because she also had a secret she couldn't be honest about with Kazama.

Banami still doesn't know how to explain the system-related matters to Kazama, so if Kazama is also hiding something from her, she will feel more equal between the two of them and thus feel relieved.

After all, how could she possibly say something like, "Actually, your system is tied to me"?

Moreover, the system's notification sound after Kazama's guitar solo last time made Hanami feel restless and unable to eat or sleep.

After this period of adaptation and extensive reading (mainly a lot of online novels), Banami has a general understanding of the scope of her abilities and authority.

Kazama Akatsuki's system-bound person is Yanami Anna, which means that the reward points obtained after the mission are to be arranged by her. That's why she subtly asked Kazama what he wanted most recently that day.

This could be considered a roundabout way of asking for my opinion, right...?

When Kazama sent her the message "I just want money," she was speechless for a moment, but she still respected Akatsuki's opinion and added the points to the money with some skepticism.

"Hanami... don't worry, I will definitely pay back the money I owe you before. How about I treat you to a meal later?"

When she finished reminiscing, Kazama seemed to be quite moved by her thoughtfulness and made this promise.

"You're treating me to dinner... Kazama, do you really have any money left? You never carry cash with you when you go out before."

"Yes, yes, my living expenses suddenly increased a few days ago, so don't worry."

...Looks like the money really did get transferred to this guy's card.

Now, the thought that had been lingering in Banami's mind, "maybe this system is just someone's prank," had to be shattered, and the points she added were indeed successful.

It seems she has no choice but to accept the new identity of "Kazama Akatsuki's system agent"... right?

"Hey……"

If you're just an agent or broker, you can't really become the main character.

However, she still couldn't tell anyone about the system's existence for the time being.

Let's keep this a secret.

"Hanami? Why do you look so listless? Are you suffering from heatstroke?"

Seeing the blue-haired girl suddenly droop her head and look extremely tired, Xiao's first thought was whether this girl had low blood sugar because of the hot summer.

"Cough... I'm fine. You should worry more about your own situation, Kazama."

Bana saw Anzu straighten up and clear her throat, seemingly having returned to her usual demeanor.

"What's wrong with my situation?"

Moreover, she successfully changed the subject, making Xiao somewhat suspicious of what she had just said.

"Yes, your situation. Do you really think your current situation is any better than that of a cat that's been caught stealing fish?"

The blue-haired girl solemnly extended her index finger; she rarely showed such a serious expression.

"Although I don't want to dampen your spirits, if you want to hang out with those band girls, be careful not to give your heart away... It's best to avoid contact with bands that have broken up but are still entangled."

Banami rarely utters such insightful opinions; at least, the impression she has cultivated in the past doesn't suggest she's the type to say such things.

This could probably be considered a kind of "pretending to be weak to catch a tiger" scenario.

"why?"

Xiao, finding this very interesting, pressed for more details.

"The reason is simple, isn't it? They clearly each have someone they can't forget. The drummer seems to have a soft spot for the lead singer who's like a little animal, and the bassist always seems obsessed with going back to the good old days."

Although Anna didn't overly emphasize her presence when most of the C-group members reunited that day, she took in everyone's actions.

"Well... these are already established small groups, so it's incredibly difficult for newcomers to squeeze in."

She could only use such tactful words to remind Xiao, after all, it wasn't Hanami Anna's style to explain the reasoning too clearly.

She always felt that the bonds between these girls in the band seemed a bit too heavy compared to those in typical bands.

Of course, this was just the feeling she got from one of the members.

"Oh, don't take my words too seriously. After all, I don't know the details. I just wanted to remind Kazama to take care of his emotions. Your emotions are the most important thing, you know?"

She returned to her usual carefree self, with an unstoppable smile on her face.

In reality, she just wanted to make amends by saying a few words. After all, it's a favor to remind someone, and keeping quiet is one's duty. In the face of complex interpersonal relationships, playing dumb and protecting oneself is the middle way.

"Alright, I'm going to rip you off really badly after we leave the planetarium. It's so hot, I want ice cream!"

“…Okay, okay.”

Akatsuki knew, of course, that the reason Banami said that was because she was genuinely considering his perspective and worried that he would be hurt—but Aunt Suze and the others probably wouldn't do anything to hurt themselves.

I think so...?

Just as the two were chatting and laughing, preparing to go to a seat where they could stargaze, they sat down.

[You have arrived at the mission area. Side quest: Night of the Sixth Magnitude Star. Please find the Triangular Blossom alone within the area and initiate the interaction.]

"...?"

The thought that flashed through her mind froze the smile on Banami's face.

With her keen observation, she picked up on a lot of information, and naturally, she didn't overlook the word "alone".

Chapter Thirty-Six: The Ultimate Gravity Field Center Appears! (Bonus Chapter 3)

Xiao, who was already seated, was quite excited. After looking around, he was certain that this planetarium was indeed the place he used to go with Hatsune Miku when he was a child, except that the facilities and environment were much older in his memory.

After returning to the timeline of decades ago, the entire planetarium has become quite new; perhaps the only thing that remains unchanged is the starry sky that can be seen through the lens.

Just as he was poised to lean back in his seat and gaze at the starry sky through the camera lens—

"...Hanami?"

The blue-haired girl who was supposed to sit next to him stood frozen in place for some reason, her expression becoming rather strange.

"Um... Kazama, I suddenly have a bit of an upset stomach and need to go to the restroom..."

Banai rolled her eyes and almost immediately thought of a way to escape.

"Eh?"

In a very short time, Banami's quick-thinking mind came up with another solution.

After all, the voice just said that Kazama's task was to find a girl named Misumi Hatsuka alone in the area and interact with her... which means that Hanami cannot stay by his side.

We need to find a way to find an excuse to split up with him.

And we also need to find a way to get him moving. This guy can't find his way just by sitting here. His name is Triangle Chuhua... This name sounds familiar.

"Oh, and I also want to eat ice cream... Could you please go to the entrance and buy me one?"

In any case, Anzu Hachimi quickly came up with a flawless plan.

"Please, Kazama-kun?"

She even went further, putting on a pitiful and pleading expression, which made her look like a cute little girl flirting with her boyfriend to passersby.

"Now? Well, it's not impossible..."

Although Xiao didn't quite understand why Banami suddenly had the urge to eat ice cream, she still got up from her seat and walked with her out of the observatory.

It's true that Banami has a very down-to-earth personality, but with her cute face, when she deliberately acts innocent, not many people can be heartless enough to refuse her.

Well, Xiao can't do that anyway.

"Go on, Kazama! I'll wait for you over at your seat after you're done using the restroom!"

"Okay, then don't run around."

"Oh dear, if I really wander off, you can just look for me."

"Does it really have to be this complicated, Hanami-kun...?"

After waving goodbye to Akatsuki who was leaving, Banami stopped wearing the warm smile on her face and slipped away from the corner of the restroom to the other side of the corridor to hide for the time being.

How else could I get you to complete the task, Kazama-kun?

Unable to explain the system to Kazama, Hanami could only resort to this clumsy method to find a way to get him to complete the task.

Speaking of which, the mission objective was something like Triangular Emerald... that Triangular Emerald?

Hiding in the shadows, she seemed to have thought of something, pulled out her phone, and opened a social media platform she frequently visited.

Mitsumi Hatsuka, the guitarist of the currently popular idol group Sumimi, is a celebrity who is often the subject of conversation among his high school classmates.

Why would the system bring public figures like Kazama and Mikami Hatsuka together...? Is there some hidden connection between them?

Things are getting stranger and stranger.

Banami put away her phone, turned around, and hid in the shadows.

--at the same time.

"Ice cream...that guy didn't tell me what flavor he wanted."

Next to the ice cream shop outside the planetarium, Xiao looked at the various menus jumping on the electronic screen with some worry.

Fine, I'll just pick his favorite one.

He ordered a vanilla ice cream from the waiter, paid, and then quickly walked into the planetarium with the freshly made ice cream. Following the route he remembered, he arrived at the observatory and looked around.

But they didn't see any sign of Anna Hanami.