The method to relieve tension...
Bocchi, Ryo, and Nijika were familiar with Rin's "special training." Only Kita was still oblivious, fueled by his motivational speech.
Standing at the front as the vocalist, Kita couldn't see the embarrassed glances being exchanged behind her.
Bocchi and Ryo had already mentally committed to being kept by Rin. Being in a band wasn't a lucrative career; the money they earned barely covered the wear and tear on their gear. Like manga artists or novelists, only the top 1% could survive without a side job.
Bocchi's grades were so bad she was in danger of repeating a year. College was a pipe dream. The thought of working a "real" job after graduation made her want to die. Being Rin's mistress seemed like a much better career path.
Nijika... she was getting a little addicted to the way he "relieved pressure." She had been shy at first, but the memory of stepping on Ryo's face while she licked her feet was something she couldn't stop thinking about.
Ryo... aside from her feelings for Rin, she had completely given up on "normal" societal expectations.
And Kita? She was just trying to follow in Ryo-senpai's footsteps.
"Since you're so spirited, Kita, let's start with you!"
"Ready!"
"Ahem," Rin cleared his throat. "Shame isn't an absolute concept; it's relative. For example, do you feel ashamed using the toilet at home? Do you feel ashamed singing in the shower alone?"
Kita shook her head.
"You need to treat this stage like your bathroom. Even if it's full of people, it's your bathroom. If you aren't ashamed, you won't be awkward. If you aren't awkward, you won't be nervous. And if you aren't nervous, you won't make mistakes!"
"To help you adapt to that feeling... take off your clothes!"
"No problem—wait, what!?"
Kita's hands instinctively went to her collar before she realized what he'd said. Her face turned crimson. "H-here!?"
It wasn't that she was unwilling to strip—she had already prepared herself for that at his house, and he had even "painted" her face there. But here? On the stage where they chased their rock-and-roll dreams?
"Exactly! Right here!" Rin stared at her with a dead serious expression. "You feel ashamed because your education told you to be. Your common sense says being naked on stage is shameful. That's why you'd feel ashamed even if no one else was here. That shame carries over to your performance even when you're fully clothed."
"You have to flip that concept on its head!"
"Uh..." Kita's lip twitched. "Is that really how it works?"
"If you aren't embarrassed, the audience is the one who will be embarrassed! If you don't feel shame, it doesn't exist!" Rin stepped up and patted her shoulder. "If you can be naked here without feeling shame, will you ever feel shy performing in clothes again?"
"I... guess not?"
"Not 'guess.' Definitely! By doing something far more shameful than a regular performance, the show itself will feel like nothing!"
"O-okay!"
The logic seemed sound in her head. Though it was her first time fully exposing herself to Rin, she followed his lead and pulled off her Kessoku Band track jacket.
Bocchi, Nijika, and Ryo were embarrassed to be on the stage, but since it wasn't their first time being naked for Rin, they followed suit.
Rin's gaze swept over the four of them, finally landing on Kita. His eyes traveled slowly from her face down to her chest. Kita followed his gaze, and their eyes met at her bust.
"Sigh..."
Rin let out a long, heavy sigh of disappointment.
Kita: "..."
Rin: "..."
The longer the silence lasted, the redder Kita's face became. Finally, she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest to hide herself.
"Wh-what!? Why the sigh!? So what if they're a little small!?"
Last time at his house, Rin had only seen her face. He had guessed she was flat-chested under her clothes, but this... it was barely more than a middle schooler's. She was roughly the same size as Sagiri—completely outclassed by Ami or Maki.
"They're just small! Nijika is the same!" Kita pouted, her eyes welling with tears. "I can't help my build! Ryo-senpai eats grass all the time, so why are hers so much bigger!?"
Ryo cupped her breasts and tilted her head. "Are they big? I thought they were just average."
"Slightly below average," Rin corrected, dealing a crushing blow to Kita. Even "slightly below average" was a mountain compared to Kita's molehills.
"Waaaaah!!!!" Kita sniffled, feeling utterly defeated. "Nijika-senpai is just like me!"
Nijika: "..."
Now two people were depressed. Nijika's size was a bit bigger than Kita's, but only by a hair.
If the four of them were ranked by bust size, Bocchi was the undisputed queen—her soft, heavy mounds far eclipsed Ryo's "below average" chest. Then came the flat-chested Nijika, and finally, the flattest of all: Kita.
In Kessoku Band, breast size was inversely proportional to social skills.
Bocchi >>> Ryo > Nijika > Kita
The sizes differed, but the sensitive spots were the same.
"Don't be sad. You're still growing. Maybe some massaging will help. Whether they're huge or flat, I love them all the same!"
"Really?" The teary-eyed Kita looked at Rin with hope.
"A man's body doesn't lie. I can get excited even if you're as flat as a board!" Rin cleared his throat and looked away. "Now is not the time for this. Start practicing."
"The sudden down—"
"STOP!!!!"
Rin cut her off before she could finish the first line.
"I'm the only one in the audience and you're this shy? Have you ever seen a lead singer hunch over like that? Chest out! Even if you're flat, be proud! Flat chests are a rare resource!"
"Ugh..."
Kita followed his order and puffed out her tiny chest. In the cool air of the AC, her pink nipples puckered and stood out. Flat chests have more concentrated nerves... they're quite fun to tease.
Rin moved behind Kita and reached around, cupping her tiny breasts. His thumb and forefinger accurately pinched her sensitive nipples. He gave the signal to start again.
However...
"The sudden down... ahhhhh~!"
A virgin girl, no matter how spirited, couldn't sing a line while being teased like that. Even Nanami, who had been "trained" by Rin countless times, would struggle.
The moment Rin's fingers twisted her nipples, Kita's body buckled, and her lyrics turned into a sweet, melodic moan.
"Your body is such a 'loser,' Kita," Rin teased, kneading her flesh.
"CEO!!!!!" Kita tried to push his hands away. "Physical sensitivity and shyness are two different things!!!"
"Hehe... you caught me." Rin stepped back in front of her. "I've realized your shyness goes deeper than I thought. Time is short, so we need a heavy-handed approach. To raise your threshold for shame, we need to do something far more extreme than just practicing naked."
"Extreme?" Nijika tilted her head.
"Masturbate! Right here on this stage!"
"M-m-masturbate!?" Kita shook her head frantically, her face pale. "No, no, no!!! That's way too embarrassing! I can't do it!"
"That's exactly why you must do it. Overcoming shame is the only way to become a professional band. If you can't even do this, how can you say you'll stay together forever?"
Rin unclipped the mic from its stand and held it out to her, a wicked grin on his face.
"Is just masturbating too much for you? Because I have things in mind that are much, much more embarrassing than that."