In the break room, plastered with stickers and graffiti, Kikuri Hiroi wiped the sweat from her face with a towel. She felt thoroughly refreshed after the performance, though it would be even better if she could have another bottle of shochu.
"Bocchi-chan, what did you think of our performance?"
"Ah, it was very good." Hitori Gotoh said so, but her spirits were somewhat low.
"Why do you look so down? Do you actually think the performance wasn't good?"
"No... no, the performance was really amazing. But, you were so dazzling, Big Sister. I feel like I can't be like you."
Hitori Gotoh just imagined herself standing on Kikuri Hiroi's stage facing so many spectators; her hands and feet couldn't stop trembling, and she wanted to crawl into a corner.
As expected, only people with cheerful personalities can shine like that on stage, right?
Jhin patted Hitori Gotoh's head: "Idiot, have a little more confidence in yourself."
"..." Hitori Gotoh couldn't think of any reason to be confident in herself.
"Actually, until high school, I was also a gloomy character hiding in the corner of the classroom."
"Eh?" Hitori Gotoh turned her head to look at Kikuri Hiroi in surprise. Whether it was their first meeting or her current performance, the label of 'gloomy' seemed impossible to associate with her.
Big Sister was also a gloomy person like me before? I can't tell at all.
Ah, it seems I've usually only seen Big Sister when she's drunk. What is she like when she's not drinking?
"You really relate to that, don't you?" Seeing Hitori Gotoh react to the mention of the classroom corner, Kikuri Hiroi smiled: "As expected, gloomy people attract each other."
"One day, I suddenly imagined my future. A life full of boredom; it was simply despairing."
"I wanted to try a completely opposite life, so I started playing rock, went to a music store to buy a bass, visited live houses as a guest. I felt so scared the first time for everything. Even drinking was to relieve the nervousness of my first performance."
"Everyone feels scared when trying new things. But Bocchi-chan, you've performed on the street and at STARRY, and you didn't rely on alcohol. Isn't that pretty amazing?"
"Just like your boyfriend said, have a little more confidence in yourself. If it doesn't work, use alcohol to build up your courage!" Kikuri Hiroi subconsciously extended her left hand, thinking she was holding shochu.
"Ah, no, um... I'm not of age yet, I can't drink." Being counseled by Kikuri Hiroi as a fellow gloomy senior, Hitori Gotoh gained a fingernail's worth of confidence.
That's right, I've already successfully performed twice. It's... it's just changing to a slightly bigger place with slightly more people. It's, it's no big deal.
Hitori Gotoh squeezed closer to Jhin to draw more courage from him, smiling faintly at Kikuri Hiroi: "If you have time, please come watch our cultural festival performance!"
As soon as these words came out, everyone except Eliza Shimizu and Shima Iwashita, who didn't know the situation, revealed gratified smiles. This meant Hitori Gotoh had finally made up her mind to participate in the cultural festival performance.
"Yeah! That's the spirit!" Kikuri Hiroi, fueled by alcohol, excitedly threw a punch at the wall.
Jhin steadily blocked her 'wallet-breaking disaster fist' with his right hand. Since she was the most suitable person—being both a senior and a gloomy person—to counsel Hitori Gotoh, Jhin naturally had to return the favor and help Kikuri Hiroi avoid this wallet-bleeding accident as thanks.
"Whoa!" Kikuri Hiroi snapped out of it, breaking into a cold sweat. She looked at Jhin gratefully, then held Hitori Gotoh's hands with teary eyes: "Bocchi-chan, can you lend me your boyfriend? With him around, I'll definitely be able to save a lot of money on broken equipment."
"N-No!" Hitori Gotoh blocked Jhin like a mother hen protecting her chick. Even if it was the senior who counseled her, she couldn't lend Jhin out: "Wh-what if Jhin refuses to marry me afterward?"
"Eh~ I'm just borrowing him during the performance. How could Big Sister possibly steal your boyfriend?"
The last time you made a guarantee like that, it was when you said you wouldn't scam a high school girl.
Hitori Gotoh's attitude was unusually firm. No matter what Kikuri Hiroi said, she wouldn't relent. In the end, the manager Ginjirou had to drag the pestering woman away.
After watching the performance, the group hadn't eaten dinner yet, so they decided to find a nearby family restaurant to eat.
Among the five people, Ryo was the only one without food in front of her.
Nijika completely ignored Ryo's stomach growling with hunger: "Since we've seen the performance and the cultural festival participation is settled, let's decide on the setlist for then!"
"According to Kita's intel, each band has fifteen minutes of performance time, so we can probably sing about three songs, right?"
Although the cultural festival setlist was important, Ryo's constantly growling stomach was obviously more attention-grabbing.
"Re-really, can't we share some food with Ryo-senpai?"
"No!" Nijika coldly rejected Kita Ikuyo's suggestion: "She never pays Bocchi-chan back; she needs to learn a lesson."
"Ikuyo~" Ryo covered the corner of her mouth where drool was dripping, feigning a pitiful look, hoping that the most sympathetic Kita Ikuyo would share some food with her.
"Ngh..." Kita Ikuyo couldn't withstand such an offensive. She tremblingly picked up her tomato pasta, preparing to give it to Ryo.
"Kita! Don't be fooled by the moocher in the band! The so-called '3B' that you absolutely shouldn't have as a boyfriend refers to Bassists, Bassists, and Bassists!"
Nijika's words clearly carried personal emotion. In reality, the '3B' referred to Bandman, Bartender, and Beautician.
"Alright, alright, Nijika, calm down. It wasn't easy for Bocchi-chan to decide to participate in the cultural festival. Let's let Ryo off the hook this time."
"Jhin, you're simply an angel!" Ryo never expected Jhin to speak up for her. She immediately turned her pitiful gaze toward Nijika: "Nijika, I absolutely won't borrow money from anyone again..."
"You really are... Jhin, your girlfriend is the one who isn't getting paid back. Why are you still speaking up for Ryo?"
"Heh... because the amount isn't that big, right? And I believe Ryo isn't the kind of person who absolutely won't pay it back, right?"
Nijika had almost forgotten that Jhin was rich. She shook her head helplessly: "Since you say so..."
Being trusted so much by Jhin, Ryo felt a sense of guilt. After all, she really had entertained the thought that if Hitori Gotoh didn't bring it up, she wouldn't pay it back. This made her unable to look straight at the smiling Jhin, and she lowered her head in silence.
That holy smile... if I keep looking at it, I'll be tortured to death by guilt.
"Waiter, please add an order of curry rice!"
"Why curry rice?"
Facing Ryo's question, Jhin scratched his head: "I saw you eating curry rice at the cafe before, so I thought you liked it. Should we change it to something else?"
"No need. Thanks for the treat."
This is taking my treat for granted... As expected of you, Scummy Ryo.
Jhin's mouth twitched. He greatly admired Ryo's skill in getting people to pay for her.
Once the curry rice was served, Ryo couldn't wait to spoon the white rice drenched in curry sauce into her mouth.
It was so delicious that crystal tears seeped from the corners of her eyes: "Jhin, you're so gentle. I like you."
"Yeah, yeah. And the truth?"
"I like your money." Ryo's answer was within everyone's expectations.
Ryo-senpai... she wouldn't happen to be a gold digger too, right?
In Kita Ikuyo's mind, the eyes on Ryo's cutout figure gradually turned into money signs, and the "Encyclopedia of Edible Plants" in her hand turned into a strange book called "How to Borrow Money." Her perception of Ryo was gradually heading in a strange direction.
Sated with food and drink, Ryo took a notepad and pen out of her school bag: "I've already thought of the setlist."
"Eh? So fast?"
"I was considering it back when I heard we might play at the cultural festival."
Nijika looked at the content on the paper and praised: "Oh, this arrangement is nice."
"For the second song, I want to add a guitar solo for Bocchi-chan." Ryo circled a song title and tapped it twice with the pen tip.
Hitori Gotoh and Kita Ikuyo moved their gazes from the setlist and immediately looked at Ryo, who had made this decision.
"This is you and Ikuyo's cultural festival, Bocchi-chan, so we need to give you a chance to show off."
Kita Ikuyo had no objections and was even happy for Hitori Gotoh. She knew her own guitar skills weren't yet at a level where she could play solo, so Hitori Gotoh being able to show herself in front of an audience was something she was happy to see.
"But using entirely original songs for the cultural festival performance... isn't that too ambitious?" Kita Ikuyo worried that not many people would buy into original songs and thought covering currently popular songs might be better.
Nijika felt Ryo must have arranged the songs this way to make Kessoku Band's name known, and agreed with her approach: "I think it's great. We should be ambitious!"
"If we don't perform well, it's fine. There are four of us anyway, so the pain can be divided into four equal parts."
"So you arranged it this way just to let us all experience your psychological trauma, Ryo..."
Jhin raised his hand: "Should I join in too? That way it'll be five equal parts."
"No way!" Nijika angrily pounded the dining table with her fist: "I begged you so much back then and you wouldn't join the band. Now you want to join just to watch us make fools of ourselves? I absolutely won't agree."
"Okay, okay, I won't join." Jhin pulled out a tissue and handed it to Nijika: "That pound splashed tomato sauce on your hand. Wipe it off."
"It's all because of what you said!" Nijika complained as she reached out to take the tissue from Jhin. The inadvertent touch of their fingertips made her remember that illogical, absurd wedding dream again, and her face turned completely red in an instant.
Ryo poked Nijika curiously: "Why are you blushing?"
"Is it turning yellow again?"
"A-Anti-cold wax!"
Good lord, are you two acting out Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy here?
Jhin retorted in his mind. Seeing that Hitori Gotoh hadn't spoken for a long time, he placed her small hand in his palm and asked softly: "What's wrong, Bocchi-chan?"
"Ah, I was thinking about the guitar solo."
"I see. Do your best. I believe in you."
"Mhm!"
"By the way," Jhin remembered that Hitori Gotoh's guitar would have a small problem at the cultural festival and decided to remind her. After all, reality wasn't a game: "Remember to check your guitar properly when you have time."
"I will."
Kita Ikuyo listened to their conversation, her heart full of conflict.
"Was I wrong to ask Jhin to submit the application form for Gotoh-san?"
If it were just a simple band performance, that would have been within Kita Ikuyo's expectations. But the guitar solo arranged by Ryo was completely outside her predictions. Kita Ikuyo's intention was to push Hitori Gotoh forward from behind as a companion, changing her social anxiety little by little. This wouldn't be too radical, nor too conservative.
Kita Ikuyo had long noticed the difference between Hitori Gotoh's skill when teaching her guitar in the Problem Child Countermeasures Club and when performing in front of others. She believed that as long as she used this method—like boiling a frog in warm water—to slowly let Hitori Gotoh get used to performing in front of people, she would be able to display her true strength.
However, the guitar solo was like an iron ball thrown into the pot. Not only did it hit the frog on the head, crushing it breathless, but it also smashed a big hole in the pot.
The moon climbed into the sky. On the empty street, only roadside billboards and streetlights accompanied each other in the night. The footsteps of Jhin, Hitori Gotoh, and Kita Ikuyo leaving STARRY echoed in the air.
The atmosphere was so quiet that Kita Ikuyo suffered greatly. Although Jhin, as the mastermind, had taken the blame for submitting the application form, it was actually her idea.
Gotoh-san won't just silently bear all the pressure, will she?
Thinking of this possibility, Kita Ikuyo felt even worse. She stopped walking, gripping the guitar bag straps tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force. She called out to Hitori Gotoh with a trembling voice: "Go... Gotoh-san!"
Hitori Gotoh was startled by her and turned around in bewilderment: "Ki-Kita-san, what's wrong?"
"Ah..." Kita Ikuyo opened her thin lips, feeling like her tongue wouldn't straighten out, unable to speak even half a sentence. She took a deep breath, looked at Jhin apologetically, plucked up her courage, and shouted her true feelings: "Actually, I was the one who asked Jhin to submit the application form for you!"
"Because I wanted to participate in the cultural festival with Gotoh-san, Ijichi-senpai, and Ryo-senpai!"
"But I didn't expect you to have to do a guitar solo at the cultural festival. You must be under a lot of pressure. I'm really sorry!" Kita Ikuyo bowed ninety degrees to Hitori Gotoh in apology. She kept her eyes tightly shut, not daring to breathe, prepared to be blamed by Hitori Gotoh.
"Th-Thank you."
Hitori Gotoh's sincere thanks made Kita Ikuyo straighten up and look at her in astonishment.
"A-At first I was indeed very worried, but now I'm actually a little looking forward to the cultural festival performance. This is also the result of you asking Jhin to submit the application form. So... I'm very grateful to you. Ah, as for pressure or whatever, please don't mind it. Going to school every day and working at STARRY is enough to get me used to high-pressure environments."
"Hey, Kita, didn't we agree to let me take the blame?" Jhin didn't blame her at all. Instead, he looked at Kita Ikuyo, this 'naughty child', with a helpless and happy gaze: "It's really great that Bocchi-chan has a friend like you who thinks of her."
"Mhm, Kita-san is a good person."
"I... I..." Kita Ikuyo choked up and wiped the corner of her eyes. She was incredibly fortunate to have been persuaded by Jhin and Hitori Gotoh to join Kessoku Band: "I will definitely practice even harder from now on!"
___
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