Chapter 156

Nijika noticed the situation and quickly went over to pull Ishikawa Hayato back.

"Hayato-kun, what are you doing!"

Ishikawa Hayato's aura immediately dissipated, and he softened, whispering to Nijika with a wronged expression.

She glared at Bocchi.

At such close range, Hiroi Kikuri heard it too, and she waved her hands repeatedly.

"No, no, Otsuki-chan is always like this. Let me introduce you, this is Otsuki Yuyuko, the lead vocalist and guitarist of SIDEROS."

She then introduced a few more people to Otsuki Yuyuko, saying, "Otsuki-chan, these are the bands I mentioned earlier, the Kessoku Band."

Nijika also apologized to Otsuki with great poise.

"I'm sorry, my keyboardist has caused you trouble."

Normally, in this situation, the person involved should be brought in to apologize, but Nijika did not.

"No, it's nothing," Otsuki replied with a hint of arrogance. "I just feel that you can't make good music if you rely on others or if you're thinking about being in a relationship."

She finished speaking and quickly walked away.

Bocchi, who was practically named and shamed, didn't seem to care. It was true that playing the guitar was just her only hobby, and making good music was still a distant dream for her.

Her greatest happiness is walking on the path to a future where she can live well.

Even so, she was still somewhat downcast.

Ishikawa Hayato didn't say anything this time.

"Oops... I messed up. I was hoping to introduce Otsuki-chan to everyone."

Hiroi Kikuri scratched her head sheepishly and said, "That kid has a really sharp tongue, Bocchi-chan, don't take it to heart."

Bocchi nodded.

At that moment, Liang walked over with her phone and said...

"Is it that very popular SIDEROS?"

"That's right," Hiroi Kikuri replied happily.

"So she started the band three years ago, but kept firing members, and now the only members are Otsuki Yuyuko from the first year..."

Upon hearing Liang's calm and seemingly emotionless addition, Hiroi Kikuri's expression stiffened.

The five men looked terrified, clearly wanting to have nothing more to do with her.

"Well... there's a reason for that..." Hiroi Kikuri hurriedly tried to explain.

At this moment, a man with long hair tied in a ponytail, heavy dark circles under his eyes, and a slightly gloomy appearance in his thirties called out to Hiroi Kikuri in a very displeased voice.

"Hiroi, it's time."

He quickly came over and grabbed Hiroi Kikuri, complaining, "I couldn't have found you without Otsuki-chan!"

Seeing his menacing appearance as he approached, Nijika took a step back in fear, but Ishikawa Hayato calmly stepped in front of her to block his path.

"Hateful..."

Hiroi Kikuri was being dragged away, grumbled in dissatisfaction because she couldn't explain herself properly, but she gradually disappeared into the distance.

After the commotion subsided, the five people formed a semi-circle and looked at each other.

"I always feel like we're being looked down upon because of Hiroi..."

Ishikawa Hayato looked at the group of people, who seemed exhausted for various reasons even before the rehearsal had started, with a complicated expression.

Nijika said with a look of guilt on her face for causing them trouble.

"Stay away from her next time..."

"Um..."

After leaving the group and telling the shop manager Hiroi Kikuri Otsuki Yuyuko into the shop's waiting room, where she crouched down in a corner and began to withdraw into herself.

She thought nervously.

That man hiding here shouldn't be able to chase after us, right?

That was terrifying. The way the man remained silent after she finished speaking made him look like he was about to be killed.

But after a short while, she finally felt at ease and sat down in the chair.

Those two are the very special and incredibly strong people that Hiroi-nee often mentions? They don't seem like it at all.

One timidly leaned on the man, the other was more terrifying than the underworld when she got angry.

I thought it was some formidable rival that I needed to pay attention to, but it turns out it's just this level.

Honestly, why does Hiroi-nee keep talking about them?

As she was thinking, the door suddenly opened, startling her and making her jump.

"Senior, you're here! The rehearsal has started, aren't you going to take a look?"

The person who came was none other than her band's drummer, Hasegawa Manami.

Otsuki Yuyuko breathed a slight sigh of relief, but then she tossed her head and said with obvious disdain.

"Hmph, no way. None of the bands here can compare to us."

"That being said... but the Kessoku Band you were so concerned about is only scheduled for the third rehearsal. Such a high priority suggests the organizers really care about this band."

Hasegawa Manami naturally wouldn't mention that she was asked to come by Hiroi Kikuri.

However, Hasegawa Manami's last point was not made lightly. Whether it's the pursuit of music or the sense of responsibility towards the event, the organizers will tend to favor those bands with strong abilities.

Even events for new bands are like this.

They will pay more attention to and support bands that performed well in previous auditions.

After hesitating for a while, Otsuki Yuyuko gritted her teeth and said.

"No, they're just a third-rate band after all; there's no need to waste your ears on them."

Seeing Otsuki Yuyuko's expression, Hasegawa Manami knew that she was being stubborn again, so she left a comment.

"We're watching from that old spot with Hiroi-senpai. If you change your mind, you can come over."

As the door to the waiting room closed, the slightly cluttered waiting room, covered with various band signatures and traces, suddenly fell silent.

After a while, Otsuki Yuyuko began to hold her breath.

After a while, she clenched her fist.

After a while, she wandered around the room.

Finally, she flung open the door and said to herself.

"I was just bored, so I went over to listen for a bit!"

131. Cute Girl

"Hi everyone, this is Hiroi Kikuri from SICKHACK. It's that time of year again. Wow, seeing so many new bands every year makes me feel so young. Ah, I feel like my seniors said something similar back then..."

On the stage usually used for performances, Hiroi Kikuri, still somewhat drunk, swayed as she delivered her opening address.

The scene was rather strange: the audience was full of musicians carrying instruments, while a drunkard was speaking into a microphone on stage.

To Kita's surprise, the previously chaotic venue quickly quieted down after she spoke.

It's unclear whether it was Hiroi Kikuri's laid-back and casual tone, or her reputation, that made the many musicians in the venue stop talking and listen to her speak.

"Hiroi-san is actually holding a very serious opening ceremony."

Amidst the background noise of Hiroi Kikuri, Kita whispered to the people around him.

Nijika glanced at Kita, who seemed to admire her, and then at Hiroi Kikuri, who was still drunk on stage, rambling on about whatever came to mind. She sighed inwardly.

Is this what happens when someone makes a bad impression normally, but when they get serious, they can give people a refreshing feeling?

"Anyway! Don't worry about anything, even if you fail, there's a band to back you up. Perform boldly and freely! Oh, and you have to pay for the damaged equipment to the shop owner over there, Gin-chan."

Hiroi Kikuri casually raised her hand high and pointed to a corner.

Kita looked in the direction she was pointing.

The man with the ponytail who had pulled her away earlier was standing in the direction that Hiroi Kikuri was pointing to.

He was looking at the stage with a terrifying, forced smile.

Kita wasn't surprised at all. After all, Hiroi Kikuri's tone made it sound like she was certain an accident involving equipment damage would happen, so how could the store manager not be angry?

"Ah," Hiroi Kikuri seemed to realize the problem and corrected her.

"His name is Yoshida Ginjiro..."

Ultimately, the opening ceremony ended in a lukewarm reception.

Next, more formal staff from the organizers came on stage to explain the procedures.

This music festival lasts for three days, with seven bands performing each day, and a total of nine livehouses participating in the event.

Today's schedule includes a simple rehearsal to get a general idea of the band's skill level and style before arranging the performance order for the next three days.

The final rehearsal will take place on the morning of the performance day, and the official performance will begin in the afternoon.

After the show, the organizers will compile and publish clips of the most popular bands' performances from the past few days on the event's official website.

After the staff finished explaining the arrangements, the atmosphere in the meeting room became quite tense.

This arrangement and the suddenly frozen atmosphere struck them like a hammer blow.

They knew perfectly well that the staff were talking about rehearsals, but the competition had already begun.

Although this event is supposed to give new bands a chance, it ultimately depends on your own ability. If you don't have the ability, giving you the opportunity is useless.

According to the staff, there are currently 21 bands in the venue, competing to see who can get better performance time.

Furthermore, they will strive to attract more viewers to gain more exposure.

You could say that winning one step can lead to winning every step that follows.

The bands participating in this event are all new bands or relatively unknown bands, since there's absolutely no money involved.

Most people were prepared to fight their way through this incredibly popular event featuring nearly two hundred bands.

Of course, there are definitely bands like Nijika who are just there to ride the coattails of someone's popularity.

"Haha... Every year at the Seesaw Festival, there's a band that suddenly becomes famous."

Nijika smiled stiffly as she continued speaking to the silent group around her, and to Bocchi, who was clinging to Ishikawa Hayato's arm in fright.

"But it doesn't really concern us... as long as more people come to like our music because of this event..."

She became less and less confident as she spoke.

She had seen this scene before, but since there was no band at the time, she didn't feel much. But after experiencing it firsthand, she realized the pressure of the scene.

She had a feeling that some of them had already started to lose.

After listening to Nijika's words, Ryo turned to look at Ishikawa Hayato, and Kita, noticing this, followed her gaze.

Nijika and Bocchi also looked at him.

Ishikawa Hayato sighed as he watched the scene, then relaxed and smiled.

"I want to get first place... That's what I think, but the pressure would be immense. So, taking a step back, at least..."

He looked around at the four of them and said casually, "We need to have fun, otherwise this activity isn't for us."

Upon hearing his stated goal, the four men quickly relaxed.

It's unclear when it started, but Ishikawa Hayato has become their pillar of support.

Regardless of what he says, as long as he doesn't get nervous, they can gradually calm down.

It means "friendship first," right?