Nijika smiled as she bid farewell to her friends, then wearily left the livehouse hall and walked back to the rehearsal room.
As the rehearsal room door separated her from the hall, she let out a long sigh of relief.
The performance just now, in terms of its outcome, was a failure.
This was to be expected.
Bocchi couldn't find her rhythm during the actual performance and made frequent mistakes.
Kita, who had made a hasty appearance and was already unaccustomed to the stage, became even more chaotic under Bocchi's influence.
Even she herself had several problems.
However.
As the drummer overlooking the entire stage, she had always paid attention to the others.
Ryo continued to play self-absorbedly, looking as if she didn't care much about the performance's outcome.
And Kita-chan would occasionally steal glances at Hayato-kun in the back row.
She did too.
When she felt uneasy, seeing Hayato's radiant smile quickly calmed the panic caused by mistakes.
Although the reception wasn't good, the process was enjoyable.
Hayato-kun never followed the sheet music; instead, he played casually and messed around freely.
His playing seemed to know the performance was a failure, so he completely veered towards making it fun.
He even got some of the customers involved.
She was the same; bothered by his recklessness, hearing his free and happy sound, while complaining inwardly, she felt that making mistakes didn't seem like such a big deal.
With someone even more chaotic and high-spirited around, they felt like they were happily improvising.
If only Hayato-kun were a bit more serious… She leaned against the closed soundproof door and looked into the room. Inside the rehearsal room, Kita stood with her hands on her hips, smiling, and threatening Hayato.
"Ishikawa-kun, hand over the video."
"No! This will be a treasure passed down through the Ishikawa Family for generations."
Hayato hugged his phone tightly, refusing to let go, like a child afraid of having something snatched away.
He put on a full acting performance, much to Kita's stunned expression.
"Later, I'll tell my children," he lowered his voice, adopting an elder's tone, and pointed forward with his head down.
"If you ever run out of money, go find an aunt named Ikuyo and threaten her with this video for money!"
Kita's lips trembled slightly, angered by his smug expression.
She hesitated for less than half a millisecond, then yelled angrily.
"Hayato-kun, a person like you will never find a girlfriend!"
"How could that be!" Hayato's expression became serious.
His change in voice even drew some attention from Ryo, who was drinking and watching the show nearby, and Bocchi, who was squatting in a broken cardboard box.
"Even if I don't have one now, I will later! I'm a man who's going to build a harem!"
He clutched his phone, full of momentum, shouting like waves crashing against a cliff.
"Eh…"
Nijika and Kita both wore expressions of disgust, as if to say, 'What is this scum talking about?' and couldn't help but step back a bit.
Even Bocchi stared blankly at Hayato.
But hearing another voice in the room, Kita paused. She turned her head and saw Nijika entering.
She remembered she hadn't apologized to Nijika face-to-face yet, so she ignored the Pervert and bowed to Nijika, saying,
"Ijiichi-senpai, please forgive my rudeness that day. I am willing to accept any punishment!"
"Kita-chan, you're being too dramatic."
Nijika waved her hand, not minding at all, walked towards her, took her hand, and looked at it.
"It's great that Kita-chan's hand wasn't injured."
"Senpai!~"
Kita was moved to tears.
Just then, Hayato asked, ruining the mood,
"Kita also apologized to Ryo like that earlier, but what about me? Do you want to hear my punishment?"
He grinned slyly.
Kita was startled by his words and immediately retreated behind Nijika, saying in a feigned tough voice,
"Hayato-kun, I still remember you forgot to give Ijiichi-senpai the video of my apology!"
Oh no!
Hayato's face changed, and he immediately stood up, activating his Pervert ability, and made an invisible escape!
"Apology?" Nijika looked at Kita in confusion.
And Ryo also asked in confusion, "Didn't we already see the apology video?"
Kita realized the problem and asked blankly,
"When?"
"That Monday," Nijika replied, puzzled.
"Ish…ikawa…kun…"
Kita immediately understood she had been tricked, clenching her fists, gritting her teeth, but looking around, Hayato was already gone.
However, just as she had nowhere to vent her anger.
The rehearsal room door opened.
"This man was sneaking out just now. I caught him for you. Do you need me to call the police?"
Manager Hoshika grabbed Hayato by the back of his collar, dragging him back into the room. Hayato, who had failed to escape, covered his face, lamenting and holding his head… What a lively and interesting Band… But for her, it was too dazzling. Bocchi subtly emerged from the broken cardboard box and carefully walked towards the rehearsal room door.
They called her over to help, but her only useful temporary assistance was completely ineffective.
This Gotou water flea… she should quickly leave before being collectively judged, without attracting anyone else's attention.
Bocchi silently rehearsed in her mind how she would explain her departure later.
Only.
"Bocchi, where are you going?"
Ryo, who was watching the show with her by the wall, suddenly asked.
Eh!!
How… how to answer.
She nervously looked around but noticed that everyone else's gaze was also on her.
No… no, no… don't all look at me.
Bocchi's psychological defenses were constantly being destroyed and rebuilt by nervousness, and then she finally mustered her courage, no, gave up, and said,
"Um, I'll be leaving first…"
"Leaving so early?"
Nijika, who was detailing Hayato's crimes, turned around in surprise when she heard this, then hesitated and said with a smile,
"Then, Bocchi-chan, are you free tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow?"
Bocchi tilted her head in confusion. Is there another performance tomorrow? Although she was fine, would they still let her on stage? Her playing was… "Yes, Bocchi-chan's welcome party, and a celebration for the live show."
Nijika's cheerful and bright voice made Bocchi pause in confusion.
Welcome party?
"My welcome party?" she asked blankly.
"Mhm." Nijika nodded, then looked to the side.
Hayato, who she was staring at, then dramatically turned his head in confusion, as if he completely didn't understand what she meant, with his terrible acting.
Hayato-kun… Nijika's resentment was about to explode. He always coordinated so well with Ryo, but now he was playing dumb with her!
"Gotou-san, you should join us too."
It was the ray of sunshine herself, Kita, who came to the rescue this time.
"Oh, what grand words from a Guitarist who ran away midway?"
Hayato, who had just been playing dumb, now stood like a ghost behind Nijika and Kita, leaning on Nijika's shoulder as he said to Kita in a sinister tone.
Instantly, the smiling Kita's face turned pale, as if struck by an arrow, and she fell straight down, spitting blood.
You're not helping, you're just interrupting!
"Hayato-kun!!"
Just as Nijika complained, she heard Hayato say.
"However, as your senior, I still welcome you all. So, are you coming?"
Kita recovered, got up from the ground, and listened to Hayato's words, filled with confusion.
Ishikawa-kun didn't seem to be joking when he deliberately interrupted; it was more like he was trying to stop them.
And his current invitation sounded like a casual suggestion.
Why?
…Bocchi, who had felt a bit of joy and excitement from the two invitations, along with some nervousness, didn't know how to respond.
But seeing Hayato causing trouble over there, her heart, which had relaxed from not being nervously questioned, tightened again.
Was it because her performance was too bad and they weren't planning to let her join?
But then she heard Hayato ask in the same unpressured, take-it-or-leave-it tone as before.
She relaxed a little and reconfirmed her thoughts.
Bocchi lowered her head and was silent for a few seconds, then looked up and mustered her courage.
"I… I want to join."