Rebuilding Sakamichi in a chaotic worldline

Chapter 23 Burning Sound Strike

"Why is Kubo-san in Osaka? Did you come here because of me?"

Nana hurriedly ushered the uninvited guest who had appeared at the door into the house. While frantically searching for a clean towel, she asked with a strange feeling.

"Of course, do you think I know a lot of people in Osaka?"

After taking the towel the girl handed him and drying his hair, Rito looked around and found that the dance studio was really rudimentary, without even a chair. After thinking for a moment, he simply sat down on the spot.

"Nishino, please sit down too." He patted the floor next to him, looking at Nanase who was biting her lip and seemed a little uneasy.

Nana sat down cross-legged beside him. Perhaps because she was sweating, she didn't dare to get too close and kept a distance of about one body length.

"You've had a tough time these past few days," Rito said first, her voice lower than usual, sounding particularly gentle amidst the pattering rain outside the window. "It's my fault, I should have known you'd run into trouble."

Nana Sai's shoulders trembled slightly, she gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, and shook her head slightly: "It was my fault, I chose to desert."

"That's exactly what I was worried about." Rito sighed, paused, and then looked at the medical bandage tightly wrapped around the girl's leg. His voice seemed to carry a hint of mist: "Nishino, I've told you before, being an idol and singing and dancing are two different things. You have your strengths, but it's just not your time to shine yet."

"But..." Nanase looked up, her expression sorrowful, "Everyone has become the real Nogizaka46 now. In my absence, perhaps I'm the one who's superfluous..."

"Of course you're not." Rito couldn't stand it anymore and decisively interrupted him, moving a short distance in her direction. "Don't forget, the ace in the story always appears last."

"What kind of ace am I? People like Neru and Nagi are the real ace." Nanase was clearly a little skeptical. The visual dominance of the two first-generation stars was still too strong. And it wasn't just her; most of the remaining first-generation members were still in the ugly duckling stage before they had transformed, and it was easy for them to doubt themselves.

"Who said that? I really like Nana Sai."

Amidst the pattering rain, a male voice, tinged with laughter, suddenly rang out.

Nana suddenly raised her head and stared at him blankly.

The rain was still falling outside the window, tapping against the French windows with a soft patter. The bright incandescent light in the dance studio shone glaringly, illuminating Rito's profile sharply. His gaze was serene, not like he was joking, but he didn't explain what he had said before either. He just looked at her quietly, as if stating something perfectly natural.

Several seconds passed before Nanasai regained her composure, her voice as soft as a feather: "...Really?"

"Really." Rito nodded. "I didn't say it before because I didn't want to put pressure on you. If you think this will make you more confident, I can be more obvious about it."

Nana looked at him, her eyes suddenly reddening, but she stubbornly refused to let the tears fall. She lowered her head and whispered, "Don't say these things now. I just decided to work hard on my idol career, Kubo-san, what am I supposed to do now that you're saying this?"

Rito raised an eyebrow in surprise, then burst out laughing.

"Hey, Nishino Nanase, don't overthink it. I'm not confessing my feelings to you."

"I know." Nana sniffed and rolled her eyes at him. "I just wanted to remind you that as an executive, you should be more professional. If you say things that set expectations for your idols but then fail to deliver, you might get a backlash."

"Alright, I'm relieved to see you still have the energy to argue with me." Rito stood up, dusted off his pants, and said, "It's getting late, I should find a place to sleep. You should go home and rest too. Don't train for the next few days, wait for the teacher's instructions."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the door.

"Kubo Rito."

The sound of hurried footsteps, accompanied by a call to his name, made him stop in his tracks.

"I just had a fight with my mom before I left, and I don't want to go back so early. Can you stay with me a little longer?"

The girl's voice was soft, but it was just enough in this quiet place. Rito turned to look at her, thought for a few seconds, and then reached for the switch.

With a "snap," the glaring incandescent light went out, and the streetlights outside shone through the glass, illuminating the dark rainy sky.

Nana walked to the only light source in the room and sat down against the wall. Soon Rito came to her side, and she closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Do you know Muse?" Nanase's lips trembled slightly, her voice a little muffled.

The rain continued to fall, raindrops constantly sliding off the edges of passersby's umbrellas. In the distance, streetlights cast warm yellow halos in the rain and mist, and occasionally a car would drive by, splashing water as its headlights pierced the darkness before quickly disappearing back into the rain.

"Are you talking about the Muse? Or the group from Love Live!"

Rito thought for a moment and answered hesitantly. Although Nanase didn't understand the content of the second half of his sentence, she could vaguely guess that it was about some anime series. She rolled her eyes speechlessly and patted his arm lightly.

"Of course, you're my original muse. You might not believe it, but when I saw you through the window just now, I suddenly felt like I had an epiphany. My understanding of singing and dancing has completely taken a leap forward. Don't you think it's possible that you, Kubo-san, are my muse?"

What the hell? Muse? This is the power of spending money! I spent 25 times in a row to get you to level 3. What did you expect?

Rito chuckled inwardly. He knew better than anyone what was going on with Nana Sai's changes, but he couldn't tell anyone else about it, so he could only smile and remain noncommittal.

"I'm serious, Kubo-san, what kind of attitude is that?"

Having stagnated for so long, Nana was finally seeing a glimmer of progress and was enthusiastically sharing her feelings when she was dealt a blow by Rito's indifferent attitude, which made her furrow her brows and scold him repeatedly.

"Alright, alright, you've been training so hard, it's normal to improve. That's called accumulating knowledge and experience before making a breakthrough. What does it have to do with me? You're overthinking it."

Of course, Rito wouldn't admit that he had any credit for it. Even though Nanase explained repeatedly, he still had a shameless expression of not listening and wouldn't admit the strange-sounding title of Nishino Nanase's muse.

Unable to argue with him, Nana suddenly raised her head, her nose brushing against his jawline, making him feel ticklish. Just as Rito was about to turn around and ask her what was wrong, a warm and soft touch unexpectedly landed on his cheek.

"If you're not my muse, then I can only explain my feelings for you as love at first sight. Kubo Rito, you choose one."

The girl slowly retreated until her entire face was hidden in darkness, leaving only her large eyes flickering at an incredibly fast frequency.