[Calm down…]
When Gotoh Hitori saw it was Saiki, tears silently streamed down her face. She hugged his leg and wailed.
(⌇ຶД⌇ຶ) "I can't face my fellow villagers anymore…"
[Don't hug my leg. Your fellow villagers never had any expectations of you to begin with, so relax.]
Saiki covered Gotoh Hitori's mouth to remind her not to get too worked up.
A moment later…
After calming down, Gotoh Hitori faced Saiki with tears in her eyes and said: "I failed."
[Yeah, I can tell.]
(இωஇ ) "Wah～"
[But!!]
Saiki directly interrupted Gotoh Hitori's casting and said
[That doesn't matter. The contact was actually a success.]
"Where was it a success? I… I created two new black histories today…"
Gotoh Hitori turned around, picked up her guitar on her own, and started playing.
"Next up, please enjoy 'Double Black History, performed by Bocchi-chan'"
(Adapted from a true story on site?)
"Melancholic days, psychological shadows growing day by day…"
Saiki watched calmly without interrupting Gotoh Hitori's performance. He silently took out his phone and started recording.
Until Gotoh Hitori finished singing the whole song with tears streaming down: "I really want to forget"
Saiki put away his phone and silently clapped.
[Nice, very nice.]
Gotoh Hitori wiped her tears and looked at Saiki melancholically: "Saiki, what should I do next? I failed. How about you go ask her for me instead?"
Saiki switched out of clapping mode and glanced behind Gotoh Hitori.
[No… no need. Kita-san behind you still isn't coming out?]
"Huh? Kita-san? Where, where?"
Gotoh Hitori stood up and started looking around like an ostrich, craning her neck left, right, front, and back.
"Ah! I got found out."
Kita Ikuyo scratched her head and walked over from behind.
"Saiki-kun, Gotoh-san, hi."
[You know me too.]
"Saiki-kun is the top student in our year. How could I not know you?"
When Gotoh Hitori saw Kita Ikuyo, she got so nervous she hid behind Saiki, occasionally peeking out half her head to observe.
[What's wrong? You just performed a whole song in front of someone, and now that the audience is here, you're hiding again.]
"Audience…"
Gotoh Hitori pondered for a moment after hearing Saiki's words, then suddenly realized: "Could Kita-san be…"
[She was there from the beginning. Right when you started singing.]
Gotoh Hitori instantly turned to ash: "God is dead, Saiki-kun!"
Kita Ikuyo put her hands together in an apologetic gesture: "Ah! Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop."
Gotoh Hitori murmured from behind Saiki: "My youth is already over, my life is pitch black…"
(Your youth is just getting started.)
Kita Ikuyo: "Um, Saiki-kun, is Gotoh-san okay?"
[She's fine, no problem. Don't worry about it.]
"I… I see."
Saiki took the initiative and asked
[So, Kita-san, did you need something?]
Kita Ikuyo rested one hand on her chest and propped her cheek with the other: "Well, I saw Gotoh-san looked like she had something important to say but ran off without asking, so I got curious and followed!"
Kita Ikuyo's expression changed. She broke into a smile directed at Gotoh Hitori, who was still hiding behind Saiki: "I just didn't expect… Gotoh-san, I'm really touched. Your guitar playing is amazing. That performance just now was seriously captivating."
Gotoh Hitori gradually returned to normal after hearing Kita Ikuyo's praise.
A smile spread across her face, her ahoge on the right bouncing nonstop. To avoid being noticed, she buried her entire face behind Saiki.
Gotoh Hitori [She… she's praising me so hard. What a good person.]
(Pay attention to your mouth, Hitori. And don't drool on my clothes.)
Kita Ikuyo: "Um…"
Saiki reached back, lifted Gotoh Hitori out from behind him, placed her in front, and held her shoulders from behind so she was practically pressed up against Kita Ikuyo.
Gotoh Hitori Eh ●▽●
Kita Ikuyo continued asking: "Gotoh-san, are you in a band?"
"Mm, sort of."
The next second, Kita Ikuyo flashed a bright, youthful high-school-girl smile that was too dazzling for Gotoh Hitori to look at directly.
Gotoh Hitori [This face, this smile is too radiant, I…]
"So what were you coming to our class for earlier?"
(Finally asking the question.)
Gotoh Hitori couldn't look Kita Ikuyo in the eyes. She tried her best to avert her gaze left, then right, dodging: "Um, that is, I, lead, vocal, band, hand…"
[Speak properly.]
Saiki chopped down on Gotoh Hitori's head with his palm.
"Ouch ˃ ˄ ˂̥̥ "
Gotoh Hitori calmed down and faced Kita Ikuyo: "Um, so I'm looking for a lead vocalist/guitarist for our band, and I heard… heard from someone that you can play guitar and sing really well."
"I see."
Kita Ikuyo: "Sorry, Gotoh-san, I can't join your band."
Gotoh Hitori immediately got anxious: "Th-this, in our band I'm the only gloomy one, everyone else is really cheerful and outgoing…"
Kita Ikuyo: "Mm, it's not that I dislike you or anything…"
Gotoh Hitori kept trying to persuade: "On weekends we all get together for barbecue, every six months we hold a sports tournament, and after performances we ride around in a fancy limousine for celebrations. There are tons of activities."
(Hm? For real? This is the first I'm hearing of this. Didn't expect that from you, Hitori—you look all serious and socially anxious, but you're actually pretty good at spinning lies without missing a beat.)
Kita Ikuyo looked a bit troubled: "I don't really like bands that party all the time."
"And also, and also…"
(And also what? Do you go to the beach every day? Or ride roller coasters nonstop?)
Kita Ikuyo: "Um, to be honest with you, I don't know how to play guitar."
The scene fell silent.
"I only joined because of a senior. I lied and said I could play guitar to get in, but in the end I couldn't do anything, so I ran away."
[This story sounds really familiar, doesn't it, Hitori.]
Gotoh Hitori: "Couldn't do anything?"
Gotoh Hitori was a little surprised and also felt like she'd heard something similar somewhere before.
Kita Ikuyo plucked the top string of the guitar: "Isn't guitar just plucking this part? I thought this wooden stick was just decoration."
(This action would make actual guitar players go silent and pipa players cry.)
But now it was confirmed—Kita Ikuyo really didn't know anything at all. She was a complete and utter beginner.
"Gotoh-san, did you learn from someone else?"
Gotoh Hitori answered nervously: "No, I basically taught myself."
"Really? That's amazing."
Gotoh Hitori's cheeks practically melted after hearing the praise again.
"Right, Gotoh-san, could you teach me how to play guitar? Be my teacher!"
Gotoh Hitori (=°Д°=): "Eh!"
"You play so well. Maybe if you teach me, I can actually put in the effort."
"As long as I can learn properly, I can go back to that previous band and apologize to those seniors. Do you have time? After school, maybe?"
Gotoh Hitori: "I… I have part-time work at the demo hall after school…"
Kita Ikuyo: "That's fine. I can wait for you. Does the demo hall have a practice room? We can just do it there."
∑（〟〇О〇）