At this moment, Bocchi's phone rang.
She didn't realize it was her own phone ringing, but instead looked at Kita.
Kita froze for a moment, then reminded her.
"Gotou-san, your phone is ringing."
"Ah, sorry."
Bocchi surprisingly and doubtfully took out her phone, then got up and climbed out of this small space, avoiding Kita.
Kita, seeing her like this, quickly said.
"It's okay, don't mind me."
No, I just wanted to take the opportunity to escape... Bocchi didn't dare to refuse. She sat in place and looked at the call. It was someone she didn't know. After much hesitation, she answered.
"This is Gotou-san, right? I'm Hayato. Congratulations on making a friend. I'm watching you from the top of the stairs, so I won't disturb you. Next time, please trouble you to play for me. Also, I apologize, I just got your phone number from the teacher."
Hayato finished his words like a cannon, without giving Bocchi a chance to reply, and directly hung up the phone.
Bocchi was stunned for a long time before she blankly looked up the stairwell.
She saw a slender, elegant hand waving at her in the dazzling light, as if carrying the dust of heaven, then moving up step by step along the stair railing, slowly retracting.
The feeling of a beating heart.
What is this, so happy... So Ishikawa-kun really did come, and he even congratulated her on finding a friend, although it wasn't... She retracted her gaze.
For some reason, a sense of urgency arose in her heart, an eagerness to change herself.
She wanted to be able to say yes the next time Ishikawa-kun asked her to join a Band.
She looked at Kita, who still had an earnest, pleading look in her eyes.
After hesitating for a while, she gathered her courage and spoke to this person she had just met.
"Ah... um... I've never played in front of anyone else..."
Kita listened and lowered her eyelids in disappointment. Just as she was about to express understanding, she heard Bocchi say.
"If you don't mind, I can..."
"It's okay! The seniors, they..."
Kita immediately leaned forward excitedly, but her sunny smile only bloomed for an instant before slowly receding.
"They shouldn't be too strict, right...?"
She hesitated again and lowered her head.
"Eh..." Bocchi nervously leaned back.
"At least let the seniors listen. Gotou-san plays so well, it will definitely be fine."
Kita encouraged her... After school.
Bocchi regretted it, regretted it very much.
She even looked for a time machine for a while, and even sent herself a text message, with a timer set for the morning.
'Absolutely do not agree to Kita-san's request.'
After all the fuss, she slowly walked towards the livehouse several kilometers away.
It wasn't because of the distance that she didn't want to go, but because... "Then I'll leave it to Gotou-san. I've told Ijiichi-senpai, and she will pick you up."
"Huh? Where's Kita-san?"
Kita, when asked this, showed an embarrassed expression. She averted her gaze and said very apologetically.
"I won't be going. Good luck, Gotou-san!"
As she spoke, she clenched her fist and encouraged Bocchi.
Bocchi smiled, blood overflowing from her lips.
The memory ended. She walked alone by the roadside, where even the setting sun couldn't reach, her head down, looking at the small grass growing by the curb, her heart heavy.
What kind of senior would Kita-san's be? Hayato, waiting for the performance to start at STARRY, sat for a long time, only to see Ryo arrive alone.
She slowly walked down the stairs. After returning home, she had changed into her casual clothes and seemed quite excited about the performance.
"Where's Nijika?"
Hayato had a feeling, but he still asked.
"She went to find a Guitarist to replace Kita."
Ryo said, sitting next to Hayato with a bored expression.
"I have a feeling it's going to be a disaster."
Hayato affirmed.
"Mm."
Ryo nodded.
After a short while, Manager Hoshika walked over. She looked around, not seeing her sister, and asked the two of them.
"Where's Nijika?"
"She ran away."
Hayato, who never lies, said so.
"Huh?"
Manager Hoshika, who knew it was a lie, glared at him with the wild and fierce gaze of a former Band girl.
Hayato gave an awkward smile and waved his hand apologetically.
"She went to find a Guitarist," Ryo answered Seika's question.
"Now?"
Seika looked surprised, as if to say, 'Are you trying to trick me too?' But when she saw Ryo nod, she pressed her hand to her head, a headache forming.
"Later, please tell Nijika for me to practice diligently until the start! Really, that idiot sister."
Seika complained angrily as she walked out.
"The Manager is angry."
"Nijika is in trouble."
The two of them sighed together.
Time slowly passed. Even Hayato was starting to worry if something had gone wrong, when Nijika's cheerful voice rang out.
"Good morning."
He snapped out of his thoughts.
Indeed, for gloomy and dark people, 'Good morning' can be used as a greeting even in the evening.
He looked towards the entrance.
Behind Nijika, followed a timid girl with long pink hair, wearing a pink tracksuit top and a pleated skirt.
The two walked down the stairs, and Nijika introduced the store to her.
He didn't speak, just quietly watched the two of them.
Ryo pushed her chair back and stood up, walking towards them, and at the same time greeted Nijika.
"You're finally back."
"Ryo~"
Nijika called out Ryo's name with a smile, then introduced the person she had brought back.
"This is Bocchi-chan. She's the Guitarist Kita-chan asked to help out."
Hayato watched from his spot. Bocchi was clearly startled by Ryo's expressionless face; her expression was starting to look abnormal.
Then Nijika extended her hand to introduce Ryo to Bocchi.
But just as she spoke a sentence, Bocchi immediately bowed deeply and shouted.
"I am Bocchi! I am very sorry!"
Nijika awkwardly tried to smooth over the increasingly strange atmosphere, then looked around.
Hayato knew it was his cue.
With the elusive ability unique to Perverts, he flashed beside Nijika and Bocchi.
He placed his hands on their shoulders.
"Ladies, have you lost something?"
"Hayato-kun!"
Nijika was startled by Hayato and immediately turned her head, then stomped her foot in anger. She didn't mind Hayato touching her like that.
Rather, she knew how timid the person next to her was, and being scared like this by Hayato could make her run away.
He's usually so sensible, why is he suddenly like this now!
"Ah, Ishikawa-kun..."
Bocchi looked at Hayato, who was holding her shoulder, in surprise.
She hadn't expected Hayato to be here. Seeing someone she knew, she felt a bit relieved.
She even felt an irrepressible surprise.
Could it be that the Band she was temporarily joining was Ishikawa-kun's!?
Hayato looked at Bocchi, then suddenly got into character, pulling out a handkerchief from who knows where, wiping away tears, and said with a wronged expression.
"Sniff, sniff. Gotou-san must dislike me. She comes right away when others invite her, but ignores my invitations."
"Eh, eh, eh, no, no, I don't!"
Bocchi frantically waved her hands in denial.
"You two know each other?" Nijika blinked in surprise.
Hayato returned to his normal demeanor and said with a smile.
"Yes, Gotou-san is the Guitarist I wanted to bring in before."
"I see."
Nijika let out a long sigh of relief.
Indeed, even though Hayato-kun always likes to do strange things, he is still a very sensible person.
At this moment, Ryo remembered what Seika had asked her to tell Nijika.
"Speaking of which, the Manager said to practice until the start, right? She also complained angrily about Nijika going out, and she went out to buy some things at the same time."
Nijika looked at Ryo, startled, and even clutched her small hands in fear at the end.
Clearly, her angry older sister still held a lot of sway over her.
"No way!"
She quickly urged the others, pushing Ryo.
"Let's go to the rehearsal room before she comes back."
...In the past, the rehearsal room was only for three people to practice, but today there was an extra girl.
And the change that resulted was...
Nijika pushed Ryo into the rehearsal room, then mercilessly abandoned her, taking out their performance plan and sheet music from under the cabinet.
She glanced at Hayato, and seeing him make no move, she handed the few sheets of paper to Bocchi herself.
"This is today's schedule and sheet music."
Bocchi took the sheet music. She confirmed the Band members.
The one who brought her here earlier was Nijika; on the way, she said she was the Drummer. Ryo was the bassist.
Ishikawa-kun was... She saw Hayato walk to the set-up synthesizer; he was the Keyboardist. Plus Kita, who had previously said she couldn't play the Guitar.
Isn't this almost a full lineup?
Speaking of which, where's the vocalist?
"Um, the Band members are..."
"Everyone for this performance is here. This time, we're doing an instrumental performance."
Nijika said, helping her turn on the amplifier, then patted it, "Bocchi, use this."
"Ah... Mm."
Bocchi nodded awkwardly, then noticed Hayato's gaze from the side.
When she looked at Hayato, he gave her a bright, encouraging thumbs-up, then began testing the keyboard sound.
She also quickly checked the sheet music.
No problem.
She could easily play a song of this level, but without a singer, the performance would require more effort.
Moreover, this was also an opportunity for Ishikawa-kun to see her skills.
Nijika looked at the confident smile of Bocchi, who had joined temporarily, and relaxed a little.
Even she knew that finding a Guitarist two hours before a performance was too exaggerated.
And if the performance was too bad, her sister would kill her when she got home tonight.
She watched Bocchi's expression as she spoke.
"Then, without further ado, let's start from the beginning."
"Well, let's take it slow at first, then gradually get used to it."
Worried that she might be too impatient and overlook others' feelings again, she observed Bocchi. After tuning, she had a small smile, looking eager to show off.
Then she said.
"Let's begin."
She tapped her drumsticks, setting the rhythm.
A few minutes later.
Hum~
The song ended, and the lingering sound of the electronic instruments echoed in the rehearsal room.
Hayato sighed. Even though he had met Bocchi beforehand, allowing her to adapt to communicating with the others, it hadn't changed much.
"It's super bad."
Because the difference in performance before and after was too great, Nijika was so shocked that she said the opposite of what she was thinking.
She actually kept the phrase 'It wasn't bad' in her heart.
"Pfft."
It wasn't until she heard Ryo's uncontrollable laughter that she realized her mistake.
She hastily explained.
"No, no, ah, this..."
Amidst the confusion of the group, Hayato adjusted the glasses he had put on at some point.
"It seems we need to change our battlefield."
Then, his glasses glinted with an unreadable light, and he walked out.
Leaving the three with puzzled expressions.