"I think we should find a time when we're all free and sit down to have a calm conversation."
Leaning back in the bathtub, Chisato suddenly spoke.
Eriri, who was nestled in his arms and comfortably dozing off, slowly opened her eyes.
On the other side, Utaha, who was sitting on a small stool lathering herself with body wash, also stopped what she was doing.
Their reactions were eerily synchronized. First, they exchanged glances, silently communicating with each other before turning in unison to look at Chisato.
Chisato seemed to realize that his words came out of nowhere and chuckled to himself.
But this idea wasn't just a sudden whim. It stemmed from the observations he'd made over the past few days since Monday.
Regarding Kazusa and Hitori, ever since their conversation on Monday, Kazusa's attitude seemed to have truly reverted to what it was before the confession.
There was no trace of hostility or resentment—none of those negative emotions. Hitori, too, had gone from being anxious and on edge to completely at ease.
Seeing Kazusa's magnanimity in not holding a grudge, Hitori had gradually grown closer to her over the past few days.
She had even mustered the courage to bring snacks from home or share homemade cookies from her mother.
Though Kazusa never ate much, the fact that she accepted them at all spoke volumes.
Not only had she forgiven Hitori, but she was also slowly getting used to and accepting their daily interactions.
This was what Chisato had observed, which led him to make his decision.
If Kazusa could do this for Hitori, then while it might be difficult, there was still hope for Eriri and Utaha.
Getting them to peacefully coexist at this stage might be a challenge, but at the very least, they needed a basic understanding of one another.
He wanted to give it a try.
"Sorry, I know this is a bit sudden."
"No, you don't need to apologize. We were just surprised."
Eriri carefully chose her words before hesitantly asking,
"Is this something that Kazusa requested?"
It was the same question that Utaha had wanted to ask.
Chisato shook his head.
"No, this is just something I hope for."
"Then… Kazusa doesn't know about it yet?"
"Right. I wanted to hear your thoughts first. If it's too much for you, we can bring it up later instead."
After hearing this, Eriri and Utaha exchanged glances again.
After a brief hesitation, Utaha exhaled softly and shrugged, indicating she had no objections before resuming washing herself.
Previously, she had dared to intercept Kazusa mid-way and confront her with aggressive words, even when the situation was unclear.
Compared to that, Chisato's proposal was a trivial matter.
Besides, Eriri wouldn't be able to escape this time either—she was here too.
So, she could just sit back and let Eriri handle the whole thing.
With these thoughts in mind, Utaha agreed without much concern.
Since Utaha had given her approval, Eriri couldn't refuse either.
She nodded and, on behalf of both of them, responded to Chisato.
"If this is your wish, Chisato, then we'll go along with it."
And with that, the matter was settled on their side.
However, the next morning, the same proposal was met with an immediate and harsh rejection from Kazusa.
"No way!"
The moment Chisato brought it up, Kazusa immediately shot it down without a second thought.
Her bright eyes were filled with sharp defiance, and her unwillingness was written all over her face.
Chisato tried again.
"But sooner or later, you'll have to meet them. If you formally introduce yourselves now, things won't be as awkward in the future."
"Absolutely not. I won't feel awkward. Meeting them isn't necessary at all. I'm busy lately, and I don't have time for these meaningless things."
Kazusa flatly dismissed his proposal, leaving no room for negotiation.
She didn't even bother listening to any further persuasion, simply resting her head on the table and falling asleep.
Chisato sighed in resignation. If Kazusa was this resistant, there wasn't much he could do—he couldn't exactly drag her there by force.
He'd just have to inform Eriri and Utaha that the plan was temporarily shelved for now.
That being said, while Kazusa's relationships with the girls around him remained tense, things were looking good on the band's side.
Thanks to the birthday party the other day, where they had spent an entire afternoon together, their bonds had deepened significantly.
Drawing from the songs he remembered from his past life, Chisato carefully selected a few and recreated them for the band, urging them to practice for the upcoming Shibuya Music Festival.
Over the past few days, they had been encouraging each other, and their performances at Starry had become so polished that it was hard to believe they were a newly formed band.
Their social media accounts on platforms like Twitter were steadily gaining followers, and everything was progressing smoothly.
Chisato's initial plan was to have them participate in a few well-known music competitions, aiming for good rankings.
Then, with the help of TV and online publicity, he could release an album for them once the timing was right.
If all went well, he could achieve financial freedom before turning thirty, living comfortably off royalties and licensing fees.
Even though Youko had promised to send him a portion of her agency's revenue every year out of gratitude for saving her life.
As a man, it was one thing to joke about relying on a rich woman, but actually accepting such an arrangement felt uncomfortable.
He couldn't bring himself to take it without hesitation—it felt much better to earn his own way.
So, as the competition date drew closer, Chisato paid extra attention to the band at Starry, making sure to take care of them as best he could.
Buying drinks and ordering food when they were tired had become routine.
Sometimes, Ryo, the shameless one, would claim that playing the bass for long hours was making her shoulders sore, which might affect her performance.
Whenever she gave such an excuse, Chisato would roll his eyes at her before reluctantly letting her sit beside him so he could massage her shoulders.
Seika had even teased him multiple times, saying, "You're really starting to look like a professional manager, taking care of them so well."
Chisato didn't know if he was managing them well or not—he only knew that he was getting busier by the day.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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