"This… this is the guitarist who ran away."
Kita Ikuyo trembled as she turned her head. Seeing her reaction made Ijichi Nijika even more certain.
Gotoh Hitori, who had just snapped out of her daze, said: "The guitarist who ran away?"
Ijichi Nijika: "Kita, why are you here?"
"I… I…"
Yamada Ryo, sipping her drink, stepped out from behind Ijichi Nijika and happened to see the panicked Kita Ikuyo.
The moment Kita Ikuyo saw her, she immediately dropped to her knees and bowed deeply: "I'm s-sorry! I'll do anything, please forgive me for what I did that day! Please trample me, humiliate me, abuse me as much as you want…"
Seeing people around starting to gather with strange looks, Ijichi Nijika quickly said: "Don't say things that could be misunderstood!"
"A-anyway, let's not stay here. So many people are watching, it's kind of embarrassing. Where's Kusuo-kun?"
Ijichi Nijika held the drinks and looked at the spot where Saiki had just been standing. It was now empty.
Ijichi Nijika felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Yamada Ryo, still drinking, pointing about 10 meters away at Saiki.
「◦㉨◦」 "Don't pretend you don't know us!"
...
Inside "STARRY," everyone sat around a round table, drinking and talking.
"So Kita, you actually can't play guitar?"
Kita Ikuyo: "Yep～"
"No wonder you never joined rehearsals."
Kita Ikuyo lowered her head. Guilt still swirled in her heart. She had thought she could face her former bandmates calmly, but now it seemed she still couldn't.
"Mm."
Gotoh Hitori [This is getting troublesome. Kita looks really awkward right now. How should I smooth things over for her?]
(Oh! A severe social anxiety sufferer actually wants to help smooth things over for someone else. Nice.)
Gotoh Hitori [Okay, time to speak up? Mm, ready.]
Gotoh Hitori looked at everyone, about to open her mouth and say something, but instantly swallowed her words. She turned to Saiki [Saiki…]
(That was all just self-comfort, right?)
[Nijika, you and Kita go to the same school. Haven't you seen each other around?]
Ijichi Nijika: "Nope, never seen her. Kita never mentioned anything to us."
[Kita-san, what about you?]
Kita Ikuyo scratched her fingers [How should I put it? At first I didn't know, but later when I heard, I secretly followed Yamada-senpai and the others… and gradually I got addicted to secretly watching from behind.]
(Another stalker, huh.)
"This… this is because I ran away. I was too embarrassed to face you all."
Yamada Ryo: "You suddenly went missing. I was really worried…"
Kita Ikuyo was deeply moved: "Senpai～"
"I thought you died. Lately I've been offering incense for you every day. Namo～"
In Yamada Ryo's mind, when she couldn't find Kita recently, she had hung her photo in the Buddhist altar and cried while offering incense.
(She really did cry. How touching.)
Ijichi Nijika: "No, don't just casually kill people off!"
Kita Ikuyo saw everyone chatting so calmly and cautiously asked: "Um… you're not mad at all?"
Ijichi Nijika said understandingly: "We didn't notice either, so there's that, and…"
"Now the problem's solved. That day Kusuo-kun already introduced us to the best guitarist, Bocchi-chan."
Gotoh Hitori, hearing the praise, subconsciously went floaty again: "N-no, I'm not that good."
Yamada Ryo: "She looks really happy."
Kita Ikuyo saw how easily everyone forgave her, but that only made her feel even more guilty. If they forgave her so simply, then what had all her time hiding and living in guilt been for?
[So Kita-san, your old band has forgiven you. You can relax now, right?]
"I…"
Kita Ikuyo suddenly realized something and looked at Saiki: "Saiki-kun, don't tell me you knew from the beginning that my old band was here!"
Kita Ikuyo felt a chill. Ever since meeting Saiki, he'd been so calm, and combined with how he comforted her earlier and stopped her when she tried to run just now…
Gotoh Hitori: "Saiki, did you know from the start? That's why you said Kita-san would be good as lead vocalist?"
Gotoh Hitori also felt like Saiki had known all along.
[No, I had no idea! Don't make stuff up. I only just found out now.]
Gotoh Hitori nodded: "Oh, I see!"
Gotoh Hitori [Saiki definitely knew from the beginning. You can tell just from his expression. He's someone who can't lie.]
Who is Gotoh Hitori? She's seen Saiki lie so many times in middle school. Now she can tell with one look whether he's lying or not.
(Why? My poker face is perfect!)
"Ah! Kusuo-kun, so the guitarist you mentioned earlier was Kita all along? You should've said so sooner. We could've come find her earlier."
"No!"
Kita Ikuyo stood up and looked at Saiki: "Saiki-kun, thank you. I know you knew from the start that I was from this band, so you brought me here, right?
But I can't. I betrayed and ran away once. How can you forgive me so easily?"
Kita Ikuyo bowed deeply to Ijichi Nijika again: "Please let me do something to make up for it. You can abuse me however you want."
Ijichi Nijika sighed helplessly: "No, I'm not going to abuse you!"
(Why does this person keep asking others to abuse her?)
"No matter what you make me do, it's fine."
Ijichi Nijika took a big sip of her drink, not knowing what to do: "This is really troubling."
Saiki was about to say something when Ijichi Seika, who had been facing away working on her computer, spoke up: "Then how about you help out in the demo hall today? It feels like it's going to get busy soon."
(So you were listening.)
Kita Ikuyo felt this wasn't punishment or atonement at all: "Th-this… this isn't enough!"
Ijichi Nijika agreed: "No, that's a great suggestion. If you can help, it'd be a huge help. Would that be okay?"
Gotoh Hitori [Problem solved just like that.]
Saiki felt it was fine too, and then
[Then, one coffee jelly please.]
Ijichi Nijika: "Kusuo-kun's getting ready to work? Shouldn't you be the one going inside to make it?"
Ijichi Seika: "Saiki kid, come help today too. The tuner guy has something come up again. You're still a temp, but I'll pay you, don't worry."