Does gravity make me stronger?

The old slave owner, Ichiji Hoshika, waved her whip in dissatisfaction. Urged on by her, the group scattered like birds and beasts, each heading to their respective work posts.

"Speaking of which, when is your next performance?"

Hachiman, who was assigned to clean the recording studio, struck up a conversation with Goto Ichiri, who was also working there.

Goto Ichiri stopped what she was doing, paused, and said, "Uh, the manager said we need to do a trial performance first. If it doesn't pass, we can't go on stage."

"So, how are your preparations going?"

"I...I'm not quite sure either."

Goto Ichiri hesitated slightly, her voice barely audible, clearly lacking confidence in passing.

After a moment's thought, Hachiman opened the door to the recording studio and looked outside.

The "barrel effect" states that the amount of water a barrel can hold depends not on its longest plank, but on its shortest.

The three members of the band were all experienced musicians, except for Kita Ikuyo, who was a complete novice.

It seems that the most crucial aspect of this trial performance is how to make Kita Ikuyo, whose weakness is this, stronger.

To be honest, I've been neglecting to pay attention to Kita Ikuyo lately because of RiNG's performance.

What level is her guitar playing now?

"How's Kita-kun's guitar going?" Hachiman asked abruptly.

"Um, I don't know if my assessment is accurate. To be honest, a girl like me shouldn't be commenting on them... Kita-chan should be able to play a simple piece smoothly, but I wonder how she'll perform in front of an audience..."

"Those guys are making pretty fast progress, really. I'm so envious of them."

Hachiman's lungs are itching with jealousy...

One Aine is one thing, but is Kita Ikuyo also a one-in-a-million martial arts prodigy?

I was incredibly envious.

"Ah, but this is also thanks to Goto-kun."

While admiring him, Hachiman didn't forget to exchange a few words of mutual flattery.

"Hehe, I didn't do anything."

Goto Ichiri touched the back of his head, feeling both happy and shy.

"Well, if I practice more these few days, there shouldn't be any problems, right?"

At this moment, Hachiman was like an old general on a theatrical stage, covered in flags.

Suddenly, Goto Ichiri turned around guiltily.

"Any other questions?"

"No, nothing..." Goto Ichiri hunched his shoulders, looking like he was covered in sweat and didn't seem to be alright.

Seeing her anxious expression, which practically screamed "something's seriously wrong," Hachiman immediately opened up.

'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry'

'If Hachiman knew that I was actually in charge of the lyrics for the new song, but I couldn't even think of a single word, he would definitely think I'm an idiot.'

'A girl like me not only exudes a gloomy aura, but I can't even write songs well, so my existence would be completely wiped out.'

'Pfft (autumn wind sweeps by), Pochi-chan is recycled into the trash can.GIF'

Why can your inner thoughts be animated into a GIF?!

Goto Ichiri didn't want to talk about it, and Hachiman didn't intend to ask either.

However, this unspoken understanding was ruthlessly shattered when Hongxia, who barged into the recording studio looking for instruments, casually asked, "How's the lyrics for Pochi-chan coming along?"

"Ah, yes... I'm sorry, there's really no progress on the lyrics. Could you give me a few more days?"

"Sure."

Goto Ichiri made a solemn promise, but deep down she had no confidence at all that she could finish the lyrics before the deadline.

So, it turns out that Goto Ichiri also encountered the same problem as Shoko.

Okay, I understand. Come on, have a bite of my elbow.

Just as Hachiman was about to use Black Flash to buff the opponent, Goto Ichiri suddenly grabbed his hand anxiously.

"Hachiman, please give me some advice!"

"Uh, you mean the lyrics Hongxia just mentioned?"

Now that things have been exposed, Hachiman will stop pretending.

"Yeah, actually I spent last week thinking about how to write lyrics that fit the End of the Band, but sorry, I'm just not cut out for cheerful lyrics!"

Before he finished speaking, Goto Ichiri changed from shaking hands to tightly hugging Hachiman's leg.

"Oh, right!"

"I understand, I understand, I'll help, so can you let me go first?"

Thank you!

After Goto Ichiri let go, Hachiman listlessly picked up the mop, found a seat, and sat down: "Speaking of which, you don't necessarily have to write such cheerful lyrics."

"In my opinion, Hongxia and the others probably also hope that you can write lyrics in your own style."

"Ugh?"

Hachiman's blunt remark was already beyond Goto Ichiri's comprehension.

'Does Hachiman mean that the band's first original song will be a gloomy and somber tune? Oyster oyster oyster...'

Goto Ichiri shook his head vigorously, trying to deny his opinion: "No, Hachiman-kun."

"Why? Can you tell me your reasons?"

As a facilitator, it is also important to listen to the other person's thoughts.

Goto Ichiri fiddled with his fingers and said in a very lonely tone, "Songs written by someone like me will definitely be very negative and pessimistic, which will damage the image of the Ending Band. I alone am enough for Yinjiao."

“If Hongxia and the others really cared about these things, they wouldn’t have asked you to write the lyrics.”

Hachiman simply shook his head.

"What's wrong with being a little dark? Those who write long, rambling articles and only like positive and uplifting things are just incredibly stupid."

He has always disliked those hot-blooded idiots who talk about hard work and struggle.

No, those hot-blooded idiots aren't the most annoying ones.

What I hate most are those who preach that only hard work can bring a good life, but in reality, they are strict with others and lenient with themselves, which is a double standard.

Thinking of this, Hachiman was already furious.

"As the saying goes, there is no light without a shadow. Behind every light there is darkness, so there is no need to be afraid of the darkness just because you are in the dark."

Danzo: Well said! Everyone, stand up!

Danzo: @Third Generation

Third Generation: An elderly person looking at a mobile phone.JPG

"...is that so?"

Goto Ichiri, standing nearby, opened his mouth wide. At first, he was completely confused, but after a while, he suddenly understood and became completely absorbed in the story, nodding repeatedly as he became deeply moved.

At this moment, Hachiman's eyes flickered slightly, and he sealed the deal with a final sentence: "Even the hidden horn has its own ultimate technique."

With a sudden "chua," as if struck in the most vulnerable spot in his heart, Goto Ichiri's body trembled!

"Even the most hidden corners have their own deadly techniques."

Goto Ichiri kept repeating Hachiman's words.

Hikigaya, you are the spiritual mentor of the Shadow Corner. Your words should be recorded in the Shadow Corner Bible!

Well, the above is for reference only...

"Ugh?"

Goto Ichiri stumbled, almost experiencing the frustration of seeing a beautifully made romance/adult film on the cover, only to find out it was some cheap, low-quality anime.

Speaking of which, those marketing accounts that use pretty girls as cover images to trick people into clicking should just die!

Uncle, I'm really angry.

Well, I can't get angry at all, but Ichiri Goto is indeed a little disappointed.

"What I mean is that being able to write in your own style is not necessarily a bad thing. Following the crowd may not make you feel out of place, but on the contrary, it also means that you cannot stand out from the crowd."

“Following the crowd will not make you stand out…” Goto Ichiri muttered to himself, seemingly pondering the meaning of the sentence.

After a while.

"I think I know what to do, Hikigaya-san, thank you!" Her eyes gleamed as she threw down the rag in her hand and hurriedly ran out the door.

Seeing Goto Ichiri rushing towards her in a panic, Nijika asked curiously, "What's wrong, Pochi-chan?"

"Um, I'll definitely finish writing the lyrics for the new song next week!"

Goto Ichiri finished speaking very firmly in one breath, then looked around anxiously, and finally said weakly, "Also, I think if the band is going to take a group photo, we still have to include Hachiman!"

Originally, after the band ended, they planned to take some group photos near Shinjuku to use as the cover of their future social media channel. If things went well in the future, they might even be able to use these photos as a basis for some merchandise.

However, only the four official members will go, and Hachiman is not among them.

At the same time, Hachiman, who had just walked out of the recording studio, overheard their conversation, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

What? I really don't want to take pictures, I really don't, and I'm not just being arrogant~

"Oh, it's Hachiman. Perfect timing, I was just about to tell you about this."

Seeing Hachiman, who was silently racking his brains, Nijika waved to him generously.

"what happened?"

"Here's the thing, we're planning to take some photos this weekend to use as promotional photos for the band. Hachiman, would you like to come along?"

"What am I supposed to do there?" Hachiman was about to refuse.

"Oh, you can be our photographer! And since you're an honorary member, I'd like to take a group photo with Hachiman Hikigaya."

"Ah, um, sure."

"Okay, I'll contact you on Friday... Uh, really?" Hongxia seemed a little incredulous.

"What's wrong? Of course, but you'll have to tell the manager not to schedule me for the weekend," Hachiman said casually.

"No problem, I'll talk to my sister."

"Okay, I'll contact you later. I'm going to clean the warehouse now." Hachiman waved his hand and casually walked to the other end of the performance hall.

"Poch-chan, we didn't forget about Hachiman. We didn't invite him last week because he was preparing for his midterms, so we wanted to wait until after the exams. But who would have thought that Hachiman would catch a cold so soon?"

Nijika, still standing in place, tightly grasped Goto Ichiri's hand, causing the latter to blush directly to the roots of his ears.

"I'm sorry, I misunderstood."

"It's okay."

Hongxia smiled knowingly, her cheerful demeanor dispelling the guilt in Goto Ichiri's heart.

However, she also had a slight worry in her heart.

Although many people believe that bands are a community of shared destiny, in reality, this small group is not as resilient as people imagine; in fact, it is quite fragile, and once it encounters setbacks, it will create irreparable rifts.

Therefore, in order to maintain this thriving but still extremely immature band, Hongxia must tread carefully and cannot afford to be careless in the slightest.

Chapter 101 100 A New Storm Has Appeared

Time flies. On Wednesday afternoon, Hachiman went to the record department, but when he planned to go again the next day, he received a notification from the system.

[Time remaining until synchronization ends: 1 hour, 11 minutes, and 22 seconds]

[Currently bound to: Nagasaki Motoyo]

A dark blue screen appeared in the void. Hachiman frowned, then with a wave of his hand, the screen disappeared.

Yes, the last time Hachiman and Suze met was that weekend. Five days have passed, and the two have barely even contacted each other, let alone met.

It seems unlikely that the two of them will meet today, but that's not a big problem; they should have a chance to see her this weekend.