Whispering You a Love Song ch23: Support, Confusion, and Determination.

p1
>Congratulations
>on passing the audition!

>Wah~
>Thank you, Hima-chan!
>I knew you'd pass~

>You three senpais were seriously cool!
>Aw, you're making me blush~

>By the way, how do you read your band's name?
>Lowry...lee...?
>It's read as "Laureley".

>Laureley!
>That's a cool band name!
>I see~
>Shiho-chan's the one who came up with it.

>Good for you, Shiho-chan.

p2
>...

>D-
>Did something happen with Shiho-senpai!?
>I'm as much in the dark as you are~...

>What's the matter, Shiho-senpai?
>Slowly does it~...
>...

>...-sses me of...
>Hweh?

p3
>Hearing something so incredibly frustrating really pisses me off!

>Pyeh

>I-I'm sorry, Senpai... Did I hit a touchy subject...?
>No, no.
>Not you, Hima.
>Sorry about that.

>It was my fr-...
>my former band member who said that.

p4
>Former...?
>Is she still hung up on that...?

>Ah.
>I never told you, did I?
>I was in another band with different members last year.

>Is that so!?
>I just assumed it was always the three of you!
>Yep.

>That band seems to have passed the audition too.

>What is it, Shiho-chan?

p5
>Is that what you're irritated about?

>It doesn't matter to me whether they pass or not.
>Then why are you so upset?

>We're gonna be having a battle at the culture festival
>against those guys.

>Eh?

>EEEH!?

p6
>>Entangled senpais and a confused kouhai.

p7
>Geez~
>Shiho-chan!

>What battle!?
>Nobody told me about this!
>Well, yeah. Cos I told you just now.
>Not what I meant!!

>At any rate, I'll be counting on you.
>Well
>We'll probably win by a huge margin, though.

>There you go, deciding stuff on your own again~
>Hajime-chan's not gonna like this.

>It'll be fine if you just persuade her with your cuteness, Momo.
>You really need to stop using me like that.

p8
>Is it really that irritating?

>It is.
>The one who threw down the gauntlet to us is a total moron.

>She went and said "What if we win?".
>Even though they're just a kiddy band...

>Do you hate your old band members that much?

>Not all of them, but

>I don't like the girl who invited me to the band
>and the one who took my place on vocals.

p9
>Sh-
>Shiho-chan,
>let's leave it at that... okay?
>What's got you all flustered?

>Were these girls really that cruel to you?
>Whaddaya mean?

>I mean,
>I wouldn't think they'd hate someone
>as kind as you, Shiho-senpai...

>H-
>Huh!?

>I'm not really kind or anything!
>Of course you are!
>You're totally kind~

p10
>Good for you, Shiho-chan.
>Quit making fun of me...

>I'll be cheering you senpais on,
>so please do your best.

>Thanks,
>Hima.
>Look forward to a performance that'll be even better than the one we did for the audition.

>Aah...

>Hima-chan, supporting us is... um...
>O-Only if you feel like it! Okay!?
>Momo, you should just be honest and accept the praise.
>There's no way I can~!!

p11
>Good work today~

>Good work~
>See you later, Hima-chan.
>Later~

>Aren't you going home with Hima?
>You always leave seperately.

>Hima-chan has a lover waiting for her.
>Ah... She did mention something like that...

>I'm jealous of how lovey-dovey they are~
>If you're jealous, Momo, then you should...

p12
>No, it's not something I should stick my nose in.
>Forget I said anything.

>Put-
>ting
>that
>aside,

>are you really gonna do this?
>This battle thing?

p13
>You probably thought I wouldn't get mad if you told me while Hima-chan was around, huh?
>Just to let you know, I'm not the one who suggested it, okay!?

>I wonder about that.

>You should trust your senpais!
>No~
>I don't like violence~!!

>You don't need to worry about it, Momo.
>Whether we win or lose won't affect you or Hajime.

>It's my fault that I got so irritated and accepted the challenge.
>But...

p14
>our goal remains the same.
>We simply have to perform better than anyone else.

>That's what we promised that day, right?

>You're right.

>I need to keep working hard.

p15
>What did you do today, Kino-san?
>We made prototypes for the culture festival!

>I see.
>Did you make anything good?
>I did, I did!
>Would you like some?

>Are you sure?
>Of course!

>It's a little something to celebrate you passing your audition!

p16
>Alright, I'll take you up on that...
>Thank you.
>No problem~

>Ah.
>Ah, that's right.
>There is one thing I wanted to do to celebrate you passing. May I?
>?
>Sure, but...
>What is it??

>Yori-senpai,
>well done on your audition~

p17
>Wh-
>Wha...

>Erm... What... was that...!?
>Fufufu~

>I love it when you pat my head, Yori-senpai,
>so I wanted to pat yours too.

>I finally did it.
>This was the perfect time to do it~
>You always do these things so suddenly...

>Ah.
>Did you not like it?
>Mrm.
>No... quite the opposite.
>It made me very happy...

p18
>Thank goodness.
>I'll be sure to give you plenty of them the next time we're alone!
>I'm not sure I'll be able to endure that in more ways that one...
>?

>What did you do today, Yori-senpai?
>It was mostly discussing what our main track should be for the culture festival, with a little bit of practise on top.

>Wah~
>I wonder what songs I'll be hearing at the festival?
>I'm really looking forward to it.

>Yeah.
>You should be.
>We're gonna work hard to make it a great performance.

>Ah...
>However...

p19
>...
>However?

>...The thing is
>something kinda bothersome came up...
>What happened?

>Well...
>Y'know how I was originally brought on as help during the freshman reception?
>I sure do!

>The one who did guitar and vocals before me is in a different band now...

>And it seems we'll be...
>battling them...
>at the festival.

p20
>Woah~
>You too, Yori-senpai!?

>I mean
>The truth is, my senpai in the cookery club also said she was doing a battle too!
>...

>I wonder if that's the hip thing right now?

>She said she was going up against the people she used to be in a band with...
>...

>Huh?

p21
>D-
>Don't tell me...
>Yep.

>That
>would be us.

>Eeh~!?
>How did that happen!?

>It was Mizuguchi.
>A lot happened between her and the other band's vocalist...
>Nyeh?

>You mean Shiho-senpai?
>Huh? You know her?

p22
>She's technically a cookery club member.
>She's been showing up more often lately.
>Is that so!?

>Sorry about this.
>I wasn't sure if I should say anything since it'd make supporting us awkward for you, Kino-san.

>Please don't worry about that at all.

>We shouldn't hide things.
>We're lovers, after all.

>Yeah.
>You're right.

p23
>But why are they battling?
>I sent Mizuguchi off to speak with Izumi-san
>and find out the true reason why she left the band.

>But it somehow turned into a battle by the time she got back.
>I-
>I see...?

>Mizuguchi told us "if we win, I'll have her tell us everything!"
>so I'm guessing they made some kind of bet...?

>I want to do my best to win for Mizuguchi's sake too.

>Will you
>cheer us on?

p24
>Y-
>Yes! Of course...

>But
>...um...

>It's not like I want Shiho-san and the others to lose.
>I mean, I do want you to win, Yori-senpai, but...

>You want to cheer them on too?
>Something... like that...

>You're making me kinda jealous.
>Hweh?

p25
>I-I'm sorry...

>Just kidding.

>It's that side of you that I...
>...

>That you?

>...

>...think is great.
>This is where you're supposed to say "that I love"!

p26
>I never expected that it was SS she was talking about...
>I don't like the girl who invited me to the band
>and the one who took my place on vocals.

>She meant Aki-senpai and Yori-senpai, didn't she...?

>This is definitely strange, Marota!
>Meow~

p27
>Shiho-senpai,
>Aki-senpai and Yori-senpai
>are all such good people, and yet...

>I don't like it.
>The idea that the people I love...
>are fighting each other...

>Why does Shiho-senpai hate those two in the first place!?
>Aki-senpai is her former bandmate, right!?

>I wonder if something happened?

p28
>This
>is gonna seem like I'm really poking my nose in, but...

>I want
>everyone to get along.