When Yukinoshita Shizuku had prepared the bento and woken Tsushima Kagami up once again, the two left for school together, beginning another unremarkable day of campus life.
...
After school, inside the convenience store where Yukinoshita Shizuku worked.
Having reached the end of her shift and changed shifts with a colleague, Shizuku, now back in her regular clothes, approached Tsushima Kagami, who was reading a manga nearby.
"We can go back now."
Tsushima Kagami closed the manga, put it down, and looked at Yukinoshita Shizuku.
"Shall we eat out before going back, or cook at home?"
Yukinoshita Shizuku thought for a moment before replying.
"Let's go back and cook. It's not good to always eat out."
Tsushima Kagami nodded.
"Do we need to buy any groceries to take back?"
"We bought quite a lot last time, so we shouldn't need to buy more."
The two chatted as they walked toward the store entrance.
Just then, a figure with golden hair wearing a pink jacket darted directly to Tsushima Kagami's side and hugged his thigh.
Tsushima Kagami and Yukinoshita Shizuku both looked down.
"Ehehe, Brother Kagami and Sister Shizuku."
"You really are here!"
"Did Little Nijika come to buy something?"
After exchanging greetings with Nijika, Tsushima Kagami asked with a smile.
Little Nijika shook her head, then turned to look at Mrs. Ijichi behind her.
Tsushima Kagami and Yukinoshita Shizuku looked toward Mrs. Ijichi as well.
Mrs. Ijichi nodded to the two with a smile, though her smile carried a heavy sense of worry.
"I am truly sorry. We were passing by, and this child insisted on coming in to see if you were here."
After speaking, Mrs. Ijichi took Little Nijika's hand again.
"Alright, you've seen your brother and sister. Let's go."
Little Nijika immediately looked unhappy. Just as she was about to say bye-bye to Tsushima Kagami, she suddenly tugged at his pant leg again.
"Brother Kagami, won't you come with us?"
Mrs. Ijichi scolded her again.
"Don't cause trouble for them."
With that, Little Nijika finally let go and waved her hand with a look of grievance.
"Bye-bye."
Just as Mrs. Ijichi gave an apologetic bow and prepared to leave with Little Nijika, Tsushima Kagami spoke up in time.
"Excuse me, have you run into some trouble? Is there anything I can help you with?"
Mrs. Ijichi's figure froze. After hesitating for a moment, she finally smiled.
"I will handle it. There is no need to trouble you and your sister, Kagami-kun."
Tsushima Kagami frowned deeply. After thinking for a moment, he spoke again.
"Is it an issue with Seika?"
Hearing the name 'Seika,' Mrs. Ijichi's smile gradually turned into helplessness.
At this moment, Little Nijika suddenly spoke up.
"Mom got a call from Big Sister's school. They said if Big Sister doesn't return to school, she's going to be expelled."
...
After discussing it with Yukinoshita Shizuku, Tsushima Kagami decided to accompany Mrs. Ijichi to the Livehouse named LOFT, which they had visited last time.
After buying tickets and entering, they headed straight for the adjacent Hall area.
Upon entering, they were met with the same noisy scene as before: dim lighting, explosive guitars, dense drumbeats, and various synthesized sound effects, making the audience shake their heads and sway their bodies as if they were on drugs.
Mrs. Ijichi, however, was in a state of turmoil.
Seeing that the band on the performance stage was not Seika's, Tsushima Kagami began searching the venue.
Yukinoshita Shizuku patted Tsushima Kagami on the shoulder. He looked at her, and she pointed with her hand.
"Over there."
Tsushima Kagami followed her finger. In a corner behind the performance stage, Ijichi Seika was standing with her arms crossed and a look of impatience on her face. In front of her was Tsukuyomi Komoe, who was persuading her about something, and Douraku Utage, who stood by looking as if her rage meter was about to fill up completely.
Apart from these three, Hiroi Kikuri and the Sound Engineer Lady were also being anxiously lectured aside by people who appeared to be their homeroom teachers and parents.
When Tsushima Kagami and his group walked up to Ijichi Seika, she was momentarily stunned, then spoke irritably.
"I already told Mom not to come over."
"Not only did you bring Nijika, but why did you bring them too?"
After speaking, Ijichi Seika looked at Tsushima Kagami and Yukinoshita Shizuku.
Tsukuyomi Komoe and Douraku Utage also looked at the two in surprise.
"Why are you two here as well?"
Just as Tsushima Kagami was about to answer Tsukuyomi Komoe and Douraku Utage, Mrs. Ijichi spoke with a face full of worry and urgency.
"Mom is just worried about you. I thought since Kagami-kun is your classmate, maybe he could help Mom persuade you."
"The school has already issued a final ultimatum. If you don't go back to school, Seika, you will be expelled."
"Aiya, I said just let them expel me. I don't want to go to school anyway."
"I told you all to stop trying to persuade me. It's so annoying!"
Tsushima Kagami also spoke up to ask.
"Ijichi-san, you can form a band at school too. It wouldn't interfere with coming to the Livehouse for performances after school. Why are you simply unwilling to return to school?"
Ijichi looked at Tsushima Kagami, and finally sighed helplessly.
"Yukinoshita-san, I will only say this once. I hope you won't get involved in our family affairs in the future."
"I find school very boring, and it takes up a massive amount of my practice time, so I simply stopped going."
Upon hearing this, Tsushima Kagami nodded.
"Then, is Ijichi-san planning to develop in the direction of a professional band?"
"Do you currently have a detailed plan for the future?"
"Do you have any intention of completing the band's lineup?"
"Where will the subsequent funding come from?"
"Does everyone have part-time jobs?"
"If the part-time job hours are too long or the schedules are staggered, will that also take up your practice time together?"
"Is there a specialized composer in the team?"
"If there is, can they produce stably?"
"Is there a concrete plan for commercialization?"
"If the band disbands halfway, is there a backup plan?"
"May I ask what your short-term plan is?"
A barrage of questions left Ijichi Seika's eyes spinning in circles.
"I... I..."
"We haven't thought about that much. We just feel that playing in a band together is fun."
Ijichi Seika slowly lowered her head, speaking with no confidence.
Tsushima Kagami suddenly let out an explosive shout, causing even the band performing on stage and the nearby audience to look over in curiosity.
"Are you looking down on Rock?!"
"Rock is not something for you to play house with!"
"No plan, no persistence—I only see you blindly running away!"
"When the day comes that your band hits a dead end, will the failed you shout something like 'Rock is boring, that kind of thing, I gave up on it long ago!'?"
"And then start longing for your school days, thinking 'It must be nice; if I had successfully finished high school back then, at least I would have had a youth that was boring but worth remembering,' right?"
"It's not like that!"
"No! No! No!"
"Yukinoshita, you don't understand anything at all!"
"Why do you all have to hinder me!"
Ijichi Seika, clearly shamed into anger by Tsushima Kagami's words, began to roar loudly as well.
Tsushima Kagami returned to his normal conversational tone and said with a smile.
"I indeed don't understand. However."
Tsushima Kagami's tone turned cold.
"People who ignore their family's concern are not fit to play Rock."
"Not fit to play in a band."
"Not fit to play scores that resonate with people."
"Not fit to sing songs that move the human heart."
"Who do you think allows you to play your Rock here with peace of mind?"
"Do you remember Shimizu Nayotake-san from our class?"
"At this time, she should already be on her way to her third part-time job."
After saying this, Tsushima Kagami pointed at Yukinoshita Shizuku.
"And this former young lady here, she just got off work from her convenience store part-time job, still hungry."
Hearing this, Ijichi Seika's body went limp. Just as she was about to slump to the ground, she was supported by Tsukuyomi Komoe.
Nearby, Hiroi Kikuri and the Sound Engineer Lady, along with their parents and homeroom teachers, had clearly heard what Tsushima Kagami said.
Hiroi Kikuri and the Sound Engineer Lady both looked aggrieved, no longer wearing the impatient expressions they had before.
Heh heh, watch me stand on the moral high ground and pressure you severely.
If you have even a bit of conscience, you must either support yourselves, working multiple long-term part-time jobs that eat up your band practice time until you slowly disband.
Or go back to school to enjoy a happy education, where you can at least enjoy band time during club hours and breaks.
Even if you just slack off, you have to finish high school for me!
While the audience watched the performance on stage and simultaneously paid attention to the drama on Tsushima Kagami's side, the band on stage finally finished their performance. It was now exactly Ijichi Seika's band's turn, and a staff member from backstage came over carefully to notify them.
Tsushima Kagami turned around directly.
"Let's go back."
Yukinoshita Shizuku nodded and followed behind Tsushima Kagami.
Seeing that Tsushima Kagami was leaving—and since he had only come because of her—Mrs. Ijichi took Little Nijika and intended to leave with him. Before leaving, she looked at Ijichi Seika one last time, wanting to say something, but it ultimately turned into a sigh.
Douraku Utage, who was on the side, also followed and said:
"I drove here. How about I drive you all back first?"
...
After the group left the Livehouse, Douraku Utage's car was parked on the street across the way.
"Our home is just nearby, so there's no need for Douraku-sensei to drive us."
"Thank you for today, Kagami-kun. We caused you trouble again."
After speaking, Mrs. Ijichi bowed deeply at the waist once more.
"Then, goodbye, Mrs. Ijichi and Little Nijika."
After exchanging farewells, the pedestrian light at the zebra crossing was green. Mrs. Ijichi held Little Nijika's hand, preparing to cross the road.
Tsushima Kagami had Yukinoshita Shizuku get into the back seat first and was just about to get in himself.
A sharp, piercing screech erupted at the intersection. Tsushima Kagami saw a box truck drift around the corner, its speed increasing rather than decreasing as it hurtled straight toward the Ijichi mother and daughter.
Mrs. Ijichi, who was halfway across the zebra crossing, saw it too. She was just about to pull Little Nijika back to dodge.
However, in her panic, she tripped herself. Nijika stopped crying and pulled at Mrs. Ijichi.
In the desperate moment, Mrs. Ijichi used all her strength to push Little Nijika far away.
And in that desperate moment, Tsushima Kagami directly activated the skill [The Cat Slipped]. For ten seconds, his reaction time, speed, and adaptability would all increase by six times.
Tsushima Kagami flashed to Little Nijika's side in a sprint. Looking at the angle of the approaching truck, he couldn't care less about injuries; he hurriedly used his strength to give her a forceful roll, sending Little Nijika tumbling away to a safe place.
Then he rushed in front of Mrs. Ijichi. Seeing the truck getting closer and closer, and having no time to help her up, his adrenaline spiked in the emergency. Combined with his current constitution bonus of 70 points of strength...
Tsushima Kagami was like a hercules. He grabbed Mrs. Ijichi and flung her out, throwing her entire body directly into the safe zone.
Finally breathing a sigh of relief, Tsushima Kagami looked at the truck, which was essentially already in his face. He handsomely brushed his hair back and gave a wicked smile.
Then the skill ended.
Tsushima Kagami was sent flying as the truck grazed him. The truck, accompanied by a massive bang, finally crashed ruthlessly into a thick wall across the street, setting off the alarms of nearby vehicles, which all began to blare at once.
...
Inside LOFT, Ijichi Seika was still on stage performing with Hiroi Kikuri and the Sound Engineer.
Tsukuyomi Komoe, the other two homeroom teachers, and the parents were waiting helplessly below the stage for their performance to end.
Ever since she was furiously scolded by Tsushima Kagami for not deserving to play Rock or be in a band, Ijichi Seika felt as if her soul had been sucked out.
She felt something was wrong everywhere now. The feel of the guitar was wrong, the chords were wrong, and even the voice she sang felt wrong.
She just felt... panicked in her heart.
Right in the middle of this completely out-of-sorts performance, she saw from afar that Douraku-sensei—the other class's homeroom teacher whom she had called a busybody along with Tsukuyomi-sensei—was walking toward her with fierce eyes and blazing anger.
She felt her heart skip a beat, as if something had shattered.
"Eh? Douraku-sensei, why did you come back?"
Tsukuyomi Komoe and the other homeroom teachers also saw the returning Douraku Utage and noticed her expression was not right.
They watched as Douraku Utage pushed through the crowd, came to the foot of the stage, leaped up onto the stage with a single bound, and then yanked the power cord connecting Ijichi Seika's guitar to the amp. Hiroi Kikuri and the Sound Engineer also stopped playing, and the audience below suddenly fell strangely silent.
"Douraku-sensei..."
Slap!
Before Ijichi Seika could say the rest, a loud slap became the main melody of this performance, echoing through the Rock Hall that should not have been this silent.
...
When Ijichi Seika, with a look of disbelief, tears in her eyes, and a bright red palm print on her face, sprinted out of LOFT and looked around in panic, amidst the crowd of onlookers and various noisy sounds, her chaotic mind finally saw Yukinoshita's sister kneeling beside a motionless Yukinoshita, crying incessantly across the street.
Lying on the other side were her own mother and younger sister Nijika, as well as a box truck not far away with its front completely caved in.
Just as she wanted to run over, her body went limp, and she fainted directly onto the ground.
...
At this moment, Tsushima Kagami, who was still lying on the ground with his hand in his hair and a wicked smile—a posture that was truly bizarre—had actually wanted to get up long ago, but found he couldn't move.
Tsushima Kagami had calculated the timing in his mind. He knew that while he couldn't dodge the truck, it would only be a minor scrape. Plus, with his current constitution, there wouldn't be any major issues, so he had prepared a handsome falling pose.
"Huh, does using up a skill have some kind of aftereffect like stiffening or backswing in a game?"
"Why wasn't there any notification?"
At this moment, he felt something hot and wet pattering onto his face.
Tsushima Kagami came back to his senses and saw Yukinoshita Shizuku looking down at him, crying her eyes out. She was frantically making calls on her phone while simultaneously afraid to move him for fear of secondary injury. She wanted to help him but couldn't do anything.
She was completely panicked, kneeling beside him and weeping incessantly. Even the words she was mumbling were so blurred he couldn't hear them clearly at all.
Sorry, I can't reach out to wipe your tears.
Just wait a little longer; don't cry so sadly.
Otherwise I...
Otherwise, later, when you find out I'm fine, I'm afraid you'll be embarrassed.
At this time, Tsushima Kagami's active brain recalled a title that often appeared in Yu-Gi-Oh! and Naruto which he had watched in the past.
Next Episode: The Death of Tsushima Kagami
____
New Story: Danmachi: But I am a God, time to make a family!
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