Desperately finding a guitarist... this no longer felt like a small matter.
And the performance was tomorrow! What was Ijichi-senpai supposed to do?!
As for going herself, Kita Ikuyo sighed.
She no longer had the nerve to show her face in front of them.
Ishikawa Hayato said, "You don't need to worry too much about the guitarist situation. If it comes down to it, I can imitate guitar sounds."
"And if you don't come, I'll tell Ryo and Nijika that Kita looks down on their playing, so she doesn't want to perform with everyone."
What a scumbag!!
Kita Ikuyo was so furious she nearly ground her teeth to pieces.
But once she calmed down, she understood what Ishikawa Hayato meant.
"I'll think about it."
The next day, even after arriving at school, Kita Ikuyo still didn't know whether she should go.
What if they messed up because they had to perform in such a rush? Wouldn't she just be watching them make fools of themselves?
When she got to class and saw Ishikawa Hayato getting along exceptionally well with everyone, she shot him a vicious glare.
He put on an awkward expression, hunched his shoulders, clasped his hands together, and repeatedly begged for mercy.
By lunchtime.
"Kita-chan, what kind of lunch did you bring today?"
"I never said I was sharing with you."
Kita Ikuyo chatted casually with her friends, but from the corner of her eye, she noticed a pink figure quickly passing outside the classroom.
She moved lightly, almost skipping along, as if she were looking forward to something.
But compared to that pink tracksuit, the guitar on her back drew Kita Ikuyo's attention even more.
A guitarist...
"Sorry, I need to step out."
Kita Ikuyo immediately packed up her lunch and chased after that figure.
From the hallway, to the stairwell, then beneath the stairs.
The figure vanished.
Kita Ikuyo's mind filled with question marks.
How had she lost her over such a short distance? After briefly questioning her life choices, she heard a guitar.
A guitar that sounded like it was singing in a low, anguished roar.
Gotou Hitori arrived at the place where she felt safe, her heart brimming with excitement.
Unable to contain herself, she took out her guitar and connected the small amplifier, the power supply, and all the cables.
I'll practice a little first.
She casually pieced together a tune using techniques like speed picking, tapping, hammer-ons, and pull-offs.
"Mm, no problem."
As the guitar's lingering notes faded.
She set the guitar down with satisfaction, then turned around, eagerly awaiting Ishikawa Hayato's arrival.
Would Ishikawa-san be surprised when he heard it? Ah, but he's probably already seen the videos online.
As she thought that, Gotou Hitori suddenly radiated an aura of utter despair, like she was about to die.
But the moment she turned around, she saw a dark silhouette in front of her. The silhouette looked at her with sparkling eyes and said.
"So amazing!"
Gotou Hitori jolted in fright, then let out a sigh of relief.
What the heck, it's just a ghost.
"You're Gotou-san from Class Two, right?"
The dark silhouette revealed her true form. Kita Ikuyo crouched in the cramped space, cupping her face as she smiled at Gotou Hitori.
"AAAAAH!"
Seeing that it was Kita Ikuyo, Gotou Hitori was even more terrified. Her body warped as she flew straight onto the wall, clinging to it like Spider-Man with an expression as though she had seen a ghost.
Kita Ikuyo was startled.
Honestly, she was a little hurt too. She couldn't understand why Gotou-san had become even more frightened after realizing it was her.
"Um... Gotou-san?"
Clinging to the wall, her heart pounding wildly, Gotou Hitori panicked for a while. Seeing Kita Ikuyo's awkward expression, she realized she had done something terribly rude.
She climbed down from the wall, thought for a moment, then tremblingly dropped to her knees in a dogeza.
"At least, at least let me live until I finish playing before you make your move!"
She shouted with a sob in her voice.
"Make my move?"
Kita Ikuyo tilted her head in confusion, but she quickly realized Gotou Hitori had misunderstood something and didn't dwell on it.
"Gotou-san, your guitar playing was so cool! How long have you been learning?"
Gotou Hitori got up from the floor. Seeing Kita Ikuyo blink as though she didn't mind, she relaxed a little and slowly sat up straight.
She spoke quietly.
"Th-three years."
"That long?!"
Kita Ikuyo covered her mouth in surprise, then immediately realized her words could be misunderstood and hurriedly explained.
"Actually, I wanted to ask Gotou-san for a favor."
As she said that, she thought of how Gotou Hitori had practiced for three years, while she had dared to join a band without knowing anything about guitar. She couldn't help feeling somewhat guilty.
She lowered her head.
"I used to think learning guitar would be easy, so I joined a band. But we're performing today, and I can't play guitar at all."
She raised her voice and earnestly pleaded with Gotou Hitori.
"Please, Gotou-san, could you perform in my place?"
"Uh..."
Gotou Hitori let out a troubled sigh.
The Performance (4)
At that moment, Gotou Hitori's phone rang.
She didn't realize it was her own phone ringing and looked toward Kita Ikuyo instead.
Kita Ikuyo froze for a moment, then reminded her.
"Gotou-san, your phone is ringing."
"Ah, sorry."
Gotou Hitori took out her phone in surprise and confusion, then got to her feet and crawled past Kita Ikuyo toward the outside of the cramped space.
Seeing her like that, Kita Ikuyo hurriedly said.
"It's okay, don't mind me."
No, I just wanted to use this chance to run away...
Unable to refuse, Gotou Hitori sat where she was and looked at the call. It was from someone she didn't know. After hesitating for a long time, she answered.
"This is Gotou-san, right? I'm Ishikawa Hayato. Congratulations on making a friend. I'm watching you from the top of the stairs, so I won't disturb you. Please play for me again sometime. Also, sorry, I just went to the teacher and got your number."
Ishikawa Hayato fired off the words like a machine gun, giving Gotou Hitori no chance to respond before hanging up.
Gotou Hitori stood there in a daze for a long while before blankly looking up through the stairwell.
Within a dazzling light that seemed filled with dust from heaven, a slender, elegant hand waved at her. Then, following the stair railing step by step upward, it slowly disappeared.
The feeling of her heart beating.
What is this? I'm so happy...
So Ishikawa-san really came. And he even congratulated me on finding a friend, even though that wasn't really...
She lowered her gaze.
For some reason, an urgent feeling rose in her heart. She desperately wanted to change herself.
She wanted to be able to say yes the next time Ishikawa-san asked whether she wanted to join a band.
She looked at Kita Ikuyo, who was still gazing at her with earnest pleading in her eyes.
After hesitating for a while, she gathered her courage and spoke to this person she had only just met.
"Um... I've never played in front of other people..."
Kita Ikuyo listened and lowered her eyes in disappointment. Just as she was about to say she understood, she heard Gotou Hitori say.
"If you don't mind, I can..."
"It's okay! The upperclassmen..."
Kita Ikuyo immediately leaned forward excitedly, but her bright smile lasted only an instant before slowly fading.
"They probably won't be too strict... right?"
She lowered her head again in hesitation.
"Uh..." Gotou Hitori nervously leaned back.
"At least let the upperclassmen hear you. Gotou-san plays so well, you'll definitely be fine."
Kita Ikuyo encouraged her.
After school.
Gotou Hitori regretted it. She regretted it immensely.
She had even looked for a time machine for a while. She had even sent herself a text message with a timer set for the morning.
'Whatever you do, don't agree to Kita-san's request.'
After all that fussing, she dragged her feet toward the live house several kilometers away.
It wasn't that she didn't want to go because of the distance, but because...
"Then I'm counting on you, Gotou-san. I told Ijichi-senpai already, and she'll come pick you up."
"Hm? What about Kita-san?"
When asked that, Kita Ikuyo wore an awkward expression. She looked away and said apologetically.
"I won't be going. Good luck, Gotou-san!"
As she spoke, she clenched her fist and gave Gotou Hitori a little gesture of encouragement.
Gotou Hitori smiled, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
The memory ended. She walked alone along a roadside untouched even by the setting sun, head lowered as she looked at the grass growing beside the curb, her heart heavy.
Before you continue