"This is 'Guitar Hero,'"
Since it was basically impossible to expect Bocchi to introduce herself, Kamijou Mutsuki finally stepped in to introduce both sides.
"Gotō Hitori—you can just call her Bocchi-chan."
"Although she looks timid, she actually is easy to bully."
That statement was completely redundant!
And seriously, is that how you introduce your friend?
However, after hearing Kamijou Mutsuki's introduction, a certain scummy Ryō's eyes lit up with eagerness.
But before she could make a move, she was promptly suppressed by Nijika.
As for Bocchi herself…
Naturally, she was trembling and didn't dare say a word.
"This is Yamada Ryō,"
After introducing Bocchi, Kamijou Mutsuki began introducing the three girls from Kessoku Band to her.
"She possesses the same noble character as me!"
So this is Yamada Ryō?
Hearing her name, Bocchi's eyes flickered slightly.
But after listening to that introduction, she subconsciously took a step back.
The same as Kamijou Mutsuki?
Got it—a great demon king who likes bullying others!
"This is Nijika—someone who could become my mother—mmph~"
Before he could finish, Nijika, her face flushed red, immediately covered his mouth.
Don't say something that weird in front of someone you just met!
After being "disciplined" by Nijika, Kamijou Mutsuki could only change his wording.
"This is Ijichi Nijika—the Great Angel of Shimokitazawa!"
"Angel or anything…"
Although the nickname still made her blush slightly, it was much better than before.
"So Nijika is actually an angel~"
Ryō, standing nearby, teased in a playful tone.
"Angel-sama, please grant me tomorrow's breakfast!"
"…You can go hungry instead!"
"This is Ms. 'Return Home'—"
"Don't call me that!"
Before Kamijou Mutsuki could finish, Kita cut him off.
"Then… Shining Maruyama Aya?"
"What does that have to do with me?!"
Kita was completely baffled.
"This is Kita Ikuyo. She's the one who'll be learning guitar from you."
"You can call her Kita-Kita or Ikuyo-Ikuyo—she'll be very happy!"
"I won't be happy at all, hey!"
"Alright, Mutsuki, stop teasing Kita-chan."
In the end, it was Nijika the angel who stepped in and brought the conversation back on track.
"Um… Bocchi-chan, right? Calling you that is okay, isn't it?"
"Y-yes, it's fine…"
Seeing Nijika step close to her, Bocchi couldn't help but blush.
So gentle—just like Kamijou Mutsuki said, she really was like an angel!
After that, the interaction between the girls naturally went very smoothly.
With her extroverted "sunshine" energy, Kita easily got Bocchi to agree to become her guitar teacher.
And perhaps it really was fate—despite Kita not running away this time, Nijika still invited Bocchi to join the band.
In any case, although the process had a few twists and turns, the four-member band from the anime was successfully formed right in front of Kamijou Mutsuki.
"Then, let's all work hard together!"
Excited by Bocchi joining the band, Kita said cheerfully.
"From today on, we're a community bound by fate!"
"…Let's maybe not go with that."
Recalling the outcome of the last "community bound by fate," Nijika's expression turned a bit subtle as she replied.
Diagnosis: watched too much MyGO!!!!!.
This anime really does lead people astray!
She used to have such a cute junior, and now she's practically turning into a heavy girl!
What, she watches it too?
…Well, never mind then.
-----------------------------------
Although the performance had been a complete mess, the final result was good—and they even gained one Bocchi creature.
After that, there wasn't much left to say. Time quickly passed into the afternoon.
Kamijou Mutsuki didn't stay with the girls any longer. After politely declining Nijika's invitation to have dinner together, he left STARRY.
After all, he still had to head over to MyGO!!!!!'s side.
Since they couldn't use RiNG anymore, the girls were now practicing at the company.
And besides the rehearsal rooms for singing, there were also dedicated rooms in the company for the girls to rest and have afternoon tea.
When Kamijou Mutsuki arrived, he noticed that the atmosphere among the girls wasn't very good—especially Anon.
After all, just yesterday, Soyo had exposed her ambition to "abandon M and revive C," so it was impossible for that not to affect the others in the band.
On this point, Soyo herself probably felt it even more deeply.
The moment she stepped into the lounge, she could sense that something was off.
At school earlier, she had been full of confidence about convincing Anon and the others.
But now that she was actually facing them, Soyo instantly felt extremely guilty.
"Soyo, have a seat."
Seeing Soyo standing stiffly in place, Anon said with a smile.
"..."
It was the first time Soyo had felt such strong pressure from this pink-haired girl.
But since she was indeed in the wrong, Soyo obediently sat down in the chair across from Anon.
"Um… since everyone's here, why aren't we going to practice?"
After waiting for quite a while and seeing no one speak, Soyo could only brace herself and take on Taki's usual role.
"The live… isn't far off."
"Soyo, no one's in the mood to practice right now."
Hearing her words, Anon replied immediately.
"We heard that you didn't truly want to join MyGO!!!!!—you just wanted to use it to revive CRYCHIC."
"And when that happens, MyGO!!!!! will disband, so practice would be meaningless."
"Soyo-chan…"
Tomori also looked at Soyo with a complicated expression.
Of course, she couldn't possibly not miss CRYCHIC—but that was already in the past.
Moreover, rebuilding CRYCHIC would mean hurting Anon and Raana, and that was something she simply couldn't accept.
Taki crossed her arms, frowning as she looked at Soyo.
The band had finally stabilized—she really didn't want any more trouble.
As for Raana…
Parfait—delicious!
"Haha, Anon, you really like joking around!"
The pressure from the three expressionless girls was just too much. Even though she had been prepared to confess her true thoughts, Soyo instantly panicked and instinctively denied it.
"Well, since we're not practicing today, I'll head off first then~"
Realizing that things weren't going the way she had imagined, Soyo instinctively tried to buy time—planning to go home and think of a way to deal with the situation, or even persuade Anon and the others.
Soyo: O great wisdom, think of something for me!
Great Wisdom: Running away may be shameful, but it works.
Soyo: Got it!
"My mom is still waiting for me at home…"
Soyo stood up and turned to leave, her eyes locked firmly on the lounge door.
That was her escape route~
As long as she could reach that place…
"You can't leave."
However, Anon's slightly cold voice cut off all of Soyo's hope.
.........................