Shortly after Kessoku Band finished their live performance, a video titled "[suki-san and Kessoku Band's Live Performance of 'Loser' is Mind-Blowing!]" was quietly uploaded to Yutube.
The "Be original/Rock Band Project" was already a hot topic, and once this video was tagged with "PVC Project," it coincidentally and logically achieved an astonishing number of views in a short time.
One hundred thirty thousand.
In just one hour, it hit 130,000 views.
The video's content proceeded to blow up the Yutube music scene, which had been quiet for some time.
Because the person filming was some distance away, the video quality was a bit blurry, and the audio, muffled by the crowd noise, was also unclear.
But that clearly wasn't enough to stop the video from going viral.
One hundred thirty thousand views, and over a hundred comments.
[So good! Even with this video and audio quality... is the band called Kessoku Band? The vocalist is incredible! I was hooked after one listen!]
[Wait, suki-san sang? A live version? At the PVC project? I'M IN KYOTO! WHY DIDN'T I GO!?]
[After 'Lemon' and 'That's Why I Gave Up on Music,' this is suki-san's next masterpiece... The style is completely different, but the core feeling is somehow similar... As expected of him. Catchy and amazing, as always!]
...
And the top-rated comment, with over a thousand likes:
[It's been a long, long time since music has moved me like this. From 'Lemon' to this new song, 'Loser,' I've been following suki-san since he started. From my amateur perspective, most of the music industry is just chasing trends, creating the same cookie-cutter pop songs for mass appeal. But suki-san is different. His music gives me a completely different feeling. I believe 'suki-san' is a presence who can, by himself, rebel against the entire Japanese music industry! His work is the cry of a rebel!]
The user who posted this was named "Flower Under the Starry Sky." He wasn't a music professional, but rather a famous director in the animation industry.
Because of his high profile, his comment was quickly pushed to the top.
And because he had reviewed the video and Kessoku Band's performance, the video's popularity accelerated even faster.
Meanwhile—
The members of Kessoku Band, having already bought their tickets and entered the aquarium, were completely unaware of any of this.
...
The Kyoto Aquarium was surprisingly nice.
It had a full range of aquatic life; at least, Aoki could see creatures he both recognized and didn't.
But that was secondary. The main reason it was nice was the air conditioning. It was sweltering outside, so an air-conditioned aquarium was, in Aoki's opinion, excellent.
He operated under the mindset of "I paid to enjoy the AC," right up until the dolphin show.
Aoki wasn't particularly interested in the dolphin show, but he wasn't opposed to it. Nijika and Hitori felt the same. Kita Ikuyo, however, was extremely excited about it.
As for Yamada Ryo...
Miss Ryo indicated that rather than watching dolphins, she would prefer to find the deep-sea anglerfish exhibit.
In fact, after she mentioned it, Aoki also felt a flicker of interest in seeing a fish he'd never encountered in real life.
But as he watched Miss Ryo get dragged toward the dolphin stadium by Nijika, Aoki silently dismissed the thought.
The drummer's grip looks pretty strong. Better to just go with the flow.
In the end, they all decided to go to the dolphin show together.
They bought their tickets just before the show started. Aoki didn't want to rush to their seats, so he offered to go buy some cold drinks first.
Since the show was about to start, he told the girls to go ahead and find seats, and he would join them after.
Ryo, Hitori, and Kita agreed. Nijika, however, offered to go with him, saying it would be easier to carry everything back together.
Aoki didn't refuse. After splitting from the others, he and Nijika headed toward the aquarium's drink stand.
It's worth noting that on the way, following the map, Aoki happened to spot the deep-sea anglerfish exhibit.
They looked a bit like the "Chomper" from Plants vs. Zombies—so ugly they were almost cute.
Considering Miss Ryo would probably like such a weird thing, Aoki stopped to take a couple of pictures.
The anglerfish were close to the drink stand. After taking the photos, he and Nijika walked a little further and arrived.
The stand was busy. The owner, a middle-aged man, was working alone and was completely swamped.
After waiting in line, it was finally their turn.
The owner, his back to them as he mixed a drink, first asked, "What can I get for you?" He then quickly finished and turned to face them.
He seemed to be a naturally enthusiastic and outgoing person. Upon seeing Aoki and Nijika, he let out a hearty laugh and immediately started his sales pitch.
"For couples, we have our Passion Fruit Couple's Heartbeat Iced Tea and our Hawaiian Passion Milk Tea! 30% off if you're a couple!"
Aoki and Nijika were about the same age, so it was an easy mistake to make.
But it was a simple misunderstanding to clear up.
Aoki paused, opening his mouth to speak.
However, before he could say a word, Nijika burst out first.
Her voice was stuttering, a bright red blush covering her cheeks. Steam was practically rising from her head.
"T-T-T-T-That... N-No, that's not it! We're not a couple! J-Just friends! S-So, please... please don't misunderstand!"
Her explanation was a bit loud. Not only did the owner hear it, but everyone in line behind them heard it loud and clear.
Aoki felt several pairs of eyes land on him, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
The drink shop owner froze for a second, then laughed even more heartily.
"Hahahahaha! I get it, I get it! So, what can I get you two? All our new items are 30% off!"
Nijika went silent. Aoki, though exasperated, took a breath and replied,
"Then, what are your new items?"
The owner cleared his throat and replied in a serious tone,
"The Passion Fruit Couple's Heartbeat Iced Tea, and the Hawaiian Passion Milk Tea."
"..."
Nijika's face was now completely crimson.
Aoki glanced at her, then back at the owner.
After another few seconds of silence, he pulled out his wallet, took out a few bills, and said, "Five Hawaiian Fresh Fruit Juices, please."
...
The owner stopped teasing them. After Aoki ordered, he just called out "You got it!" and turned to make the drinks.
A moment later, he handed Aoki five sealed cups.
Under the curious stares of the people still in line, Aoki motioned to the still-blushing Nijika, and they headed back toward the dolphin show.
Despite her original claim that it would be "easier to carry" if they went together, Nijika was still in such a state of acute embarrassment that she didn't even notice Aoki was carrying all five drinks. She just followed half a step behind him, her face still bright red.
Halfway back, she finally snapped out of it.
"A-Aoki-senpai, the drinks... I can take half."
"Oh." Aoki glanced at her, nodded, and handed her two of the cups.
He just made a simple sound of acknowledgment and didn't say anything else.
They walked a bit further, and Nijika, still half a step behind, spoke up again.
Her voice still held a slight tremor as she looked at his back.
"Um... Aoki-senpai, does it... bother you? Being mistaken for my boyfriend?"
"Bother me?" Aoki paused, slightly confused. He slowed his pace until he was walking beside her. "It doesn't bother me at all. I was more worried it might be bothering you..."
"N-No, it doesn't! I only shouted that explanation because I was so embarrassed..."
"Yeah, I could tell. You're pretty cute when you're shy, Ijichi-san."
Aoki nodded as he replied.
When his words reached her ears, the blush that had just started to fade immediately rushed back, spreading all the way to her earlobes.
...
They watched the dolphin show, had grilled fish for lunch, and wandered around a bit more in the afternoon.
Before they left, Kita spent a lot of money at a claw machine trying to win a commemorative seal plushie.
She did not win the seal plushie.
Around 2 PM, the group left the aquarium.
Later, as they were retrieving their luggage from the station lockers...
Aoki was quick, since he only had his guitar and a few changes of clothes.
While waiting for the others, he suddenly remembered the anglerfish pictures.
He opened LINE, tapped on the contact "Weird Bassist," and sent the photos.
He added a caption: "It's super ugly, but I thought you'd like it, Miss Ryo."
On the other side, Ryo, having retrieved her luggage, heard her phone buzz.
She pulled it out, unlocked it, and saw the message from Aoki.
She blinked, staring at the anglerfish for a moment, then read the last line.
[Weird suki-san: It's super ugly, but I thought you'd like it, Miss Ryo.]
She hitched the bass case higher on her shoulder, the corner of her mouth ticking up almost imperceptibly.
Her fingers tapped the screen, about to reply, when a familiar voice interrupted her.
"Um... Ryo."
Nijika, her own bag on her back, had come up beside her.
Her voice was hesitant, tinged with a strange, faint nervousness.
"I heard Kita mention this before, so I was just curious... Th-That is, Ryo... are you and Aoki-senpai... dating?"
Ryo glanced down at her phone, then up at her friend.
She gave a simple shake of her head. "Nope."
"So it was a misunderstanding?"
"I told Kita a joke that went a little too far. She must have misunderstood," Ryo explained, her voice lazy and flat.
"I-I see... I was just curious, so I had to ask... Do you... like Aoki-senpai? Or does he like you? I mean... in a way that's more than friendship..."
The blue-haired girl blinked again.
She was silent for only an instant, then shook her head.
"Nope."
-------
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