He is an idol and a childhood sweetheart.

"Asakura..."

For him, what impact and determination did the loss of Asakura bring to him?

For him, is the hard work of this year and a half because of the past, or is it for the future?

To him, what kind of existence is Asakura?

Higuchi Enka closed her eyes and listened to her own heartbeat that had become a little chaotic for no reason.

"By the way...when did he get the habit of smoking?"

"It must have been the night he got drunk. The first cigarette he smoked was the one I gave him."

"……Ugh."

I don't know whether to thank him or blame him.

Chapter 8: Relationships that need to be deciphered through gesture code

After the two-hour performance, the guest band also ended their live session for the day and handed the stage over to the DJ and other guests.

Kento Watanabe finally took off his listening earphones and stretched out his hand to fan his warm ears——

"Thank you for your hard work, Watanabe-kun."

"It's not hard or hard, today's performance was very successful - eh?"

Kento Watanabe, who turned around, naturally saw Enka Higuchi standing next to Murakami.

"Higuchi? Why are you here?"

"Of course I brought it. Since she wanted to confirm your current work status, I naturally wanted to let her take a good look at how you look at work."

As Murakami spoke, he smiled and gave him a thumbs up:

"You look very handsome today too, Watanabe-kun."

"Why don't you say hello to me...like when they're talking in the middle of the song."

"It's just that you have to observe without knowing it so that you can better confirm the situation... Don't you think so, Higuchi-san?"

"……kindness."

Higuchi Enka nodded slightly.

"Indeed... I saw a very convincing picture."

"Haha... As long as you are satisfied."

After taking off his headphones, Kento Watanabe's eyes and expression returned to the peaceful and gentle state of the past.

"You've been standing there for a long time, haven't you? Let's go back to the seats outside and take a rest... By the way, Murakami-kun, please bring a chair over here."

"Haha, this is indeed my negligence. I'm sorry."

"So...it's because of your carelessness that you can't find a girlfriend."

"I don't need that stuff. I can survive as long as I have this Livehouse... And since I don't have a girlfriend, you have no right to criticize me, right?"

Murakami couldn't help curling his lips and retorted:

"Aren't you with thick eyebrows and big eyes also born single like me?"

"Oh, this

Can you still say this after seeing my Higuchi? "

As he spoke, Kento Watanabe walked up to Higuchi Enka and proudly made a show-off gesture——

"Did you see? I have such a cute childhood sweetheart! It's not me and you who are bragging, but Higuchi and I have been together since we were very young... Hey, Higuchi? Wait, wait until I finish bragging before leaving. !”

As expected, Higuchi Enka didn't give Watanabe Kento time to brag again, so he just turned around and left.

When Murakami saw this scene, he couldn't help laughing.

"What, are you two acting in some sitcom?"

"Well, that's actually the relationship."

Kento Watanabe scratched his head in embarrassment.

"Not to mention that our relationship is not that good in the first place, and Higuchi is also a big kid who is already in her second year of high school. It is natural for her to keep distance from her neighbor's brother. Not to mention that I have given her this year and a half. I’ve caused a lot of trouble, and maybe she’s starting to hate me now.”

"Huh? Hate it? Is that really true?"

Murakami looked at where Higuchi was standing just now, and whispered thoughtfully:

"If she was facing someone she hated... would she really stand there and watch quietly for an hour without moving?"

In addition, not to mention the questions she just asked herself, this is obviously a behavior that is caused by her great concern for Watanabe.But when facing himself, the child's attitude did cool down very deliberately, well...

"Murakami? Did you just say something?"

"...It's nothing. Hurry up and accompany Higuchi-san. I'm going to contact the DJ to come on stage and say hello to regular customers."

"Yeah, I got it."

Kento Watanabe was not polite after hearing this. After waving to Murakami, he turned around and hurried over to Higuchi Enka's seat...

...................................................

"Sorry, I accidentally said something arrogant just now!"

As soon as he returned to his seat, Watanabe Kento immediately lowered his head to Higuchi Enka, clasped his hands and said:

"Just think of it as a little lie told out of vanity by an unworthy adult!"

"…………"

(Although I really don’t want to cooperate with that kind of joke, but he can’t apologize so sincerely, right? Or does it mean that in his opinion, what he said just now has really reached the level where he needs to apologize to the person involved? What the hell did this guy do to us? What do you imagine the relationship between them to be like?)

(But...well, it's not surprising. After all, we have been getting along with each other in this way since we were children. To him, I may not be the kind of being who can be easily joked about.)

(But, what if the person who was made a joke just now was Asakura...?)

Higuchi Enka let out a long sigh when he thought of this, and Kento Watanabe became even more panicked when he saw this scene.

"Uh... Well, as compensation, I'll treat you to something to eat! You can order it here, or you can go somewhere else! Please don't be angry again!"

Under the ridiculous premise of "one and a half years", Kento Watanabe, who was already extremely cautious about Higuchi Enka, really didn't want to cause any more discomfort to the child.

"...No need, just stay here."

Realizing that her sigh seemed to arouse a greater reaction from the other party, Higuchi Yuka returned to her usual poker face.

"At this point, looking for other stores will only waste more time, right?"

"That's right! Ah, here, use my mobile phone to order food!"

"kindness."

Higuchi Enka took the mobile phone handed over by Kento Watanabe, and before Kento Watanabe said the lock screen password, he unlocked the lock screen with the gesture password in advance, and entered the site through the QR code on the table. meal page.

"Oh... I actually still remember it. My gesture password is obviously quite complicated."

"Are you looking down on my memory?"

"Not at all! I'm just a little surprised that you would remember such an insignificant thing."

"……………………"

(It doesn’t matter what you say, this guy...)

Higuchi Enka looked at Kento Watanabe's face. However, after glancing at the awkward and cautious smile, she did not continue the topic. Instead, she lowered her eyes and asked in a calm tone:

"What about you...don't you need to eat something?"

"Ah, so... that's right."

At this time, Kento Watanabe also realized that he had been fasting since he got up. After two hours of concentrated work, his body also needed a certain amount of calories.

"You order it first, I'll take a look at it later."

"……kindness."

Then, Higuchi Enka began to browse the menu, while Watanabe Kento held his chin with his hand and quietly watched Higuchi Enka ordering.

Although his attitude is cold and his way of speaking is a bit irritating, he is still a good kid who cares about others...

Even when facing annoying people.

Realizing this, Kento Watanabe's smile softened slightly.

(It would be nice if I could become a little better... Haha, although

But it's unlikely. )

To have such a cute and beautiful childhood sweetheart is enough for Kento Watanabe to be proud of.To ask for too much more than this would be a bit too greedy.

Let's leave it at that.

Anyway, so-called childhood sweethearts... isn't that what they are?

Kento Watanabe looked at Higuchi Enka and thought in his heart.

Chapter 9: One-man show after the wine glass

In order to better serve customers who stay in the livehouse until late at night, the menu here can be said to be quite rich.

Snacks, desserts, staple food, basically everything.

In the end, Higuchi Enka chose lemon tea and cream pasta, while Watanabe Kento ordered a hamburger set... plus a glass of cold beer.

When she saw the beer on the table, Higuchi Enka subconsciously frowned. However, just when she was about to say something, she suddenly thought of Kento Watanabe when he was working just now. At the same time, she also thought of Murakami. After thinking about what he said about his efforts over the past year and a half, Higuchi Enka still swallowed the words he was about to say, and turned his head to eat in silence.

"By the way, now you should be able to report to your uncle, aunt and others with confidence, right?"

Halfway through the meal, Kento Watanabe suddenly raised his head and said:

"Although it is indeed my fault that I have not been home for a full year and a half, I am indeed working hard here."

"...It does seem to be the case."

After putting down the fork, Higuchi Enka took the napkin and gently wiped the corners of his mouth.

"I just heard about your current situation from Mr. Murakami... During this time, you seem to have worked hard to do a lot of things."

"Huh? Wait a moment..."

Hearing what Higuchi Enka said, the corners of Watanabe Kento's eyes even twitched slightly.

"What did Murakami tell you?"

"Well, I've talked about various things. Whether it's in the past year and a half... or before that."

After feeling Kento Watanabe's gaze, Enka Higuchi immediately turned her face away:

"In short, I have tentatively learned about your situation over the past year and a half. As for the reason why you have been refusing to go home, I also roughly understand it."

"Wow...didn't I find out a lot of things..."

A trace of embarrassment appeared on Kento Watanabe's face:

"How should I put it? It's not a bad thing to be praised by others for your hard work, but if you haven't achieved any results yet, it's a bit..."

"It doesn't mean you haven't made any achievements, right? At least the way you worked just now is enough to prove something."

Higuchi Enka said while looking at the stage below.

"Didn't Mr. Murakami praise you before?"

"It's not the same thing."

After hearing this, Kento Watanabe shook his head, and then a self-deprecating smile appeared on his face:

"No matter how well the backstage work is done, it is meaningless as a producer. Rather, I don't even have an artist under me, and I can't even be called a producer...until I find the next one. Before I became an artist and cultivated her into a talent, I was just a loser with nothing.”

"You can't use hard work as an excuse to comfort yourself."

After saying that, Kento Watanabe raised his glass and took a big gulp of beer.

"…………"

Seeing Kento Watanabe's self-pitying look, Higuchi Enka suddenly recalled what Murakami said about him getting drunk here.