Yamada Ryo looked at the two with a blank expression: "So which one of you is better?"
Gotoh Hitori pinched her hands together: "It should be Saiki who's better."
Actually, when Saiki had played guitar earlier today, Gotoh Hitori had hidden outside the door and secretly listened. She had already heard Saiki's guitar skills and thought they were incredibly impressive.
"Oh~"
Yamada Ryo stared at Gotoh Hitori.
Gotoh Hitori: [So scary, she's glaring at me.]
Gotoh Hitori bowed her head and bent at the waist: "I... I'm Gotoh Hitori. Sorry, I'm the one who's no good. Really sorry. I'll leave right now..."
With that, she actually turned around like she was about to walk away.
[Hey, where are you going?]
Saiki reached back and grabbed Gotoh Hitori by the collar.
Ijichi Nijika stepped in and waved her hands to smooth things over: "Th-this is fine, don't leave! Ryo just doesn't have very expressive features..."
"This..."
Gotoh Hitori looked at the so-called inexpressive Yamada Ryo.
Ijichi Nijika continued: "And if you call her a weirdo, she'll actually be really happy..."
Gotoh Hitori looked at Yamada Ryo in slight disbelief. [Really?]
When Yamada Ryo heard Ijichi Nijika describe her like that, her cheeks practically melted. She waved her hand: "I'm not happy at all."
(This clearly looks like she's very happy.)
Gotoh Hitori felt relieved: "That's good then."
Ijichi Nijika returned to her usual expression: "Right, the manager said we should practice properly before going on stage..."
Then she looked at Ijichi Nijika: "Also, the manager found out you stormed off angrily to buy stuff after leaving the venue last time."
"No way!!"
Ijichi Nijika blinked nervously and started pushing Yamada Ryo: "While she's not back yet, let's hurry to the practice room."
After taking two steps, she turned back toward the two who were still frozen in place: "Gotoh-san, Kusuo-kun, hurry up and follow!"
[Do I have to go too?]
"It's fine!"
Once they entered the practice room.
Gotoh Hitori looked around and saw no one else: "Where are the other band members?"
Ijichi Nijika handed the sheet music to Gotoh Hitori: "Today it's just us. We're only playing instruments, no singing."
Saiki looked at the scene in front of him. [I'm not the one performing today. Isn't it kind of disruptive if I come in and watch you practice?]
Ijichi Nijika waved her hand carelessly: "It's fine, Kusuo-kun. Just act like an audience member today."
"And you seem skilled not just at guitar, but bass, drums, and other instruments too. Just listen and give us feedback. That's okay, right, Ryo?"
Yamada Ryo glanced up at Saiki: "Mm, whatever."
[Alright then.]
Saiki found a spot to sit down, figuring it would be nice to listen for a bit.
Gotoh Hitori took the sheet music from Ijichi Nijika, examined it carefully, and declared with full confidence: [Mm, the difficulty of this song isn't too bad. But since there's no vocalist, the performance needs to be even more energetic. My guitar skills are pretty good. I can do this, I can do this...]
In the end, she pounded her chest like a gorilla to psych herself up.
(If she can pull it off smoothly, that would be ideal...)
Yamada Ryo quietly observed Gotoh Hitori: "Gorilla..."
Gotoh Hitori plugged her guitar into the amp and picked up her pick. [If they've heard what I can play, they might be really surprised.]
Gotoh Hitori: [After all, I'm pretty popular online. I have 30,000 followers. Even though only Saiki here has actually heard me, he thought it was pretty good too. Come on...]
(Yare yare daze, if she can pull it off smoothly, that would be great. To be honest, I've heard her play and yeah, she's good when she's by herself. But now...)
Ijichi Nijika: "Alright, let's start..."
One song later...
Saiki had the exact expression of "as expected."
Ijichi Nijika snapped out of her daze, looked at Yamada Ryo, exchanged a glance, and confirmed: "Super terrible..."
Critical hit!!
Gotoh Hitori was already covered in black lines: [Wh... why? I'm Guitar Hero! I have 30,000 followers!]
Ijichi Nijika looked at Gotoh Hitori, feeling a bit guilty. While glancing at Saiki, she tried to comfort her: "Th-that was just a joke... well, not really a joke... anyway, sorry, Kusuo-kun..."
Saiki stepped forward and patted Gotoh Hitori on the shoulder.
The latter turned around with teary eyes and looked at Saiki: "Saiki~ Is it really that bad?"
Saiki nodded and comforted her.
[Yeah, it really is that bad.]
"Mm, sorry... I shouldn't have shown up for this..."
Saiki explained.
[Gotoh, there's nothing wrong with your guitar skills. But in a band performance, coordinating with living people is extremely important. However...]
[Your social anxiety is way too severe. You can't even look people in the eye. When you play, you completely ignore everyone else. No matter how strong your playing ability is, once it's in a band setting, it becomes fragile. You might not even reach the level of a water flea... okay, maybe a little better than a water flea.]
"Water flea isn't the point!"
Gotoh Hitori, after hearing the explanation, collapsed onto the floor: "Hello everyone, I'm the plankton Gotoh..."
[Don't be so discouraged, come on.]
Ijichi Nijika: "How did she suddenly turn into a comedian who can't be cheered up?"
Gotoh Hitori lay on the floor, clenching her fists tightly. Her art style gradually turned grayscale like a cat: [And so Gotoh Hitori turned to ash. From then on, she never touched a guitar again. The Gotoh arc in " Crossover: My Daily Life as a Transmigrated Psychic" ends here...]
"Dun dun dun dun dun dun..."
A hypnotic ending BGM played in Gotoh's mind, and in the credits that appeared, it read "Gotoh Hitori played by Water Flea Plankton Water Flea..."
(Hey, don't be so pessimistic. You've only appeared in a few chapters and you're already trying to end your arc? That reader who specifically asked to see you is still reading...)
"Gotoh-san, you can't do this. The performance is soon..."
Ijichi Nijika tried to persuade Gotoh Hitori, who had crawled into the combustible trash can.
Gotoh Hitori, hiding in the combustible trash can, shook her pink head back and forth: "I-I-I... I really can't do it after all. Please just have Saiki help you guys instead."
"This..."
Ijichi Nijika: [Well, it's not impossible, but we already called someone here and then kicked them out. That doesn't feel right.]
Ijichi Nijika spoke to comfort her: "It can't be helped. This is a temporary band anyway. Look at me—my skills aren't that great either. I don't play very well."
Yamada Ryo put her hands on her hips confidently: "My skills are really good."
(Don't add insult to injury.)
Gotoh Hitori heard the finishing blow and started trembling: "Heh heh heh heh heh..."
Ijichi Nijika waved her small hands: "Anyway, turn around first. Don't escape reality yet..."
Ijichi Nijika shook Saiki: "Kusuo-kun..."