The three of them arrived in Shimokitazawa, walking in a straight line with Ijichi Nijika in front, Gotoh Hitori in the middle, and Saiki at the very back.
[Sorry I didn't help you out, but I tagged along anyway to watch the show. That should be fine, right?]
Ijichi Nijika: "It's totally fine, Kusuo-kun. Just introducing me to another guitarist is already a huge help."
"By the way, do you two come to Kita-Shimashita often?"
[To be precise, this should be my first time too. I don't usually like going to crowded places.]
Gotoh Hitori: "I don't come here often either..." [A neighborhood this full of personality? No way I could handle it...]
"Really? No worries, we're almost at the live house."
Ijichi Nijika turned her head back and kept walking.
Gotoh Hitori kept her eyes on Ijichi Nijika the whole time. [Nijika really is so stylish! This is what a band girl should look like.]
Looking at the youthful, bright, and fashionably dressed Ijichi Nijika, Gotoh Hitori started feeling inferior again. [Unlike me in this frumpy tracksuit with terrible dark circles and slouched posture. My clothes probably even smell musty since I'm always holed up in the closet.]
(It's not that bad.)
Gotoh Hitori even lifted the hem of her tracksuit to her nose and sniffed. [Wait, no, that's just mothball smell.]
Saiki: ...
Gotoh Hitori leaned forward and gently sniffed at the ponytail tied to the left side of Ijichi Nijika's head as it swayed back and forth. [Nijika is completely different. She smells so nice. This is what a high school girl should smell like!]
(You should stop that, Gotoh. That kind of behavior isn't okay.)
Ijichi Nijika happened to turn her head and asked Gotoh Hitori: "Am I walking too fast?"
Gotoh Hitori immediately jerked her head away and returned to normal: "No..."
(This face change is way too quick.)
Ijichi Nijika started explaining: "The live house we're performing at today is called 'Hoshikuzu.' My sister is the manager there..."
(A performance live house, huh. Very band-like.)
Gotoh Hitori started getting nervous. [My heart is beating so fast.]
"So yeah, I work there part-time..."
Ijichi Nijika glanced back and noticed Gotoh Hitori's eyes just about to meet hers, so she quickly turned away again.
Ijichi Nijika looked at Gotoh Hitori and asked: "Gotoh-san, are you good at sports?"
"Well... I wouldn't say good, but for some reason in dodgeball I always manage to be the last one standing..."
(That's what you call maxed-out evasion stats.)
"Kusuo-kun, when we perform today, you can cheer us on from below. And my sister makes really good desserts."
[Got it. I'll cheer you guys on properly. Looking forward to it.]
"Kusuo-kun, what kind of relationship do you have with Gotoh-san? It feels like she's really comfortable with you."
[Relationship? Old classmates, I guess. We've known each other for a long time...]
While the two were talking, Gotoh Hitori's expression grew darker and darker as she walked in the middle. [Me performing guitar in a live house...]
Just thinking about the scene made Gotoh Hitori tense up, so she started comforting herself. [Come on, remember all those daily cultural festival stage delusions, and then the first solo performance at the super arena.]
In Gotoh Hitori's fantasy, a huge crowd of fans below was shouting loudly: "Hitori! Hitori! Hitori..."
(It's better to have some hope. As long as you have fantasies, there's a chance to make them real.)
In reality, Gotoh Hitori seemed to calm down a bit. She started muttering to herself: "I'm the woman who can make even martial artists tremble with fear..."
"Huh?"
Ijichi Nijika seemed to hear something and looked toward Gotoh Hitori.
The latter immediately went back to averting her gaze: "Nothing..."
Ijichi Nijika looked at Gotoh Hitori a little strangely.
Gotoh Hitori started getting nervous again, especially under Ijichi Nijika's gaze. [I hope she doesn't think she picked the wrong person...]
Meanwhile, Ijichi Nijika was thinking to herself: [Did I pick the wrong person...?]
(Are you two doing telepathy right now?)
Ijichi Nijika only thought about it for a moment and didn't dwell on it. She looked at Saiki. [Whatever. Even if Gotoh-san really can't do it, I can just have Kusuo-kun step in at the end. After all, he was the one who recommended her. If it really doesn't work, he'll probably help out.]
(You're treating me as backup now? I'm just here to watch.)
...
Ijichi Nijika suddenly spoke: "Here we are! Right here."
[Ma... Magic Mirror] Gotoh Hitori followed down the stairs. Looking at such a trendy place made her even more nervous.
"Good morning, everyone!"
[Excuse the intrusion.]
Saiki looked at the live house, which was a bit different from what he had imagined.
(Mm, very rock-style. Wonder if Gotoh will get even more nervous.)
Gotoh Hitori walked to the middle. [This is my first time in a live house. The oppressive feeling, the dim lighting... it actually makes me feel at ease.]
(Guess I was overthinking it.)
Ijichi Nijika leaned over toward the slightly tense Gotoh Hitori and asked with concern: "Gotoh-san, you okay?"
The latter put on a relaxed expression: "This place feels like home to me."
"No it doesn't."
(This isn't your house.)
...
Nearby, a few other girls were talking while carrying guitars and discussing.
Ijichi Nijika explained: "These are the other bands performing with us today..."
Gotoh Hitori seemed not to hear. She kept staring at the girls, feeling even more at ease inside. [They give off that scary band vibe, but in the end they're just a bunch of inconspicuous loners banding together. Everyone's just like me...]
(The bands I know don't give off this vibe at all.)
Ijichi Nijika looked toward the person who was peeking over and introduced: "This is our sound engineer."
Gotoh Hitori and Saiki looked at the sound engineer in front of them. Even though her expression was a bit gloomy, she was clearly a beauty.
"Good morning!"
(See? Told you.)
Gotoh Hitori started crying and apologizing: "Sorry, I was too full of myself..."
Ijichi Nijika was a bit at a loss: "Huh? What happened all of a sudden? Kusuo-kun, what's..."
[Ignore her. She's just atoning for her sins.]
Ijichi Nijika (=°Д°=)
At that moment, a short-haired woman in androgynous clothing walked over: "You're finally back."
Ijichi Nijika turned around: "Ryo."
Ijichi Nijika pointed at the two beside her: "This is an incredibly skilled guitarist, Saiki Kusuo. And this is his friend, the other guitarist I found for today, Gotoh Hitori."
"This is our bassist, Yamada Ryo."
(Yamada Ryo picture→)
Yamada Ryo turned to look at the two: "So which one of them is better?"
Ijichi Nijika looked at Saiki: "Well, Kusuo-kun is definitely the strongest guitarist I've ever seen. As for Gotoh-san, I haven't actually seen her play yet. I just heard it from Kusuo-kun, but her guitar skills are pretty decent."