Then, with an unreadable gleam flashing across his glasses, he walked out.
He left the three of them looking confused.
Performance (5)
"Please, come out!"
Nijika pressed down on a burnable trash can and wailed into it.
"The performance is about to start!"
Anyone who saw this scene would feel sorry for the cute girl. Clearly, something was wrong with her.
But the next moment, a distressed voice on the verge of tears came from inside the burnable trash can.
"I-I really can't do it after all."
Clearly, someone with an even bigger problem was present.
"It can't be helped. We only threw this band together at the last minute."
Looking as though she had long since accepted it, Nijika smiled casually with her hands behind her back and comforted Gotou Hitori.
"I'm not that good at drumming either."
Honestly, she did not have high expectations for the upcoming performance. She only hoped they could get through it properly.
Ryo, however, proudly put a hand on her hip. "I'm very good at playing."
From inside the burnable trash can, the provoked Gotou Hitori let out a broken laugh.
Even the one thing I could be proud of has turned out like this. I shouldn't exist. I'm a water flea, a water flea...
Seeing that things were becoming increasingly impossible to move forward, Nijika called out helplessly.
"Just come out already. Don't run from reality."
Sounding as though she was about to break down, she awkwardly urged Gotou Hitori, who was hiding inside the trash can.
Even so, her voice remained gentle, and she did not dare raise it.
Meanwhile, Ishikawa Hayato stood in the men's restroom with a bag in hand, sending messages.
"Kita, something happened. Hurry over and help."
"I won't be fooled."
On LINE, Kita Ikuyo sounded like she had seen straight through him.
Ishikawa Hayato: "Then there's nothing I can do."
Kita Ikuyo: "Mm."
Ishikawa Hayato: "I can only upload that apology video to the internet, then spend a fortune buying ad space so everyone can watch it."
The second the message was read—
Kita Ikuyo: "I'll kill you!!"
Ishikawa Hayato: "We go on at 18:00. You don't need me to tell you what will happen if you're not here by then, right?"
"Also, I wasn't lying about something happening. If you come apologize before it's over, everyone will probably still forgive you. Otherwise, they'll really resent you for the rest of your life."
After sending the messages, Ishikawa Hayato waited for two minutes. When she did not reply, he changed clothes and passed through the live house lobby, setting off a burst of screams.
"If you're scared, how about playing from in here?"
Ryo pulled out a box for ripe mangoes from who knew where.
Nijika and Gotou Hitori stared blankly at her. Both of them were stunned by her earth-shattering idea.
But a moment later—
"It feels exactly like how I've always performed!"
Gotou Hitori's newly confident voice came from inside the ripe mango box.
Having gone farther and farther down the road of straight-man retorts, Nijika blankly stared at the cardboard box and could not help asking,
"What kind of place do you even live in?"
But Gotou Hitori, having entered her personal domain, had already forgotten herself.
"Everyone! Let's get hyped together tonight!"
Gotou Hitori's excited voice came from inside the box, making the whole box shake nonstop.
Even Ryo, who had just brought over the box, had not expected this bizarre sight, and she could not help commenting.
"It feels like she's become a different person..."
Seeing that Gotou Hitori—the cardboard box—was willing to go onstage, Nijika breathed a sigh of relief, then asked casually,
"By the way, how should we introduce you to the audience?"
She tilted her head uncertainly, her delicate side ponytail swaying.
"Ichiri-chan? Can we use your real name?"
Upon hearing that, Gotou Hitori quickly poked her head out through the opening she had just made and urgently, tactfully refused.
"Um, maybe not..."
"Then do you have a nickname?" Nijika asked in confusion.
"In middle school, people called me things like 'hey' or 'that one'..."
Gotou Hitori spoke gloomily, as though she had grown used to words that sounded sad, smelled sad, and made people cry just hearing them.
Even Nijika was startled. It was a topic she could hardly imagine.
"Do those count as nicknames!?"
Gotou Hitori knew that sounded too pathetic, so she hurriedly explained.
"I-I've never gotten close enough to anyone to earn a nickname!"
Ryo seemed to realize that she wanted a nickname after hearing that.
She was surprisingly considerate as she casually came up with one for Gotou Hitori, as though they had known each other forever.
"Hitori, alone." She blurted it out as if without thinking at all.
"How about Bocchi-chan?"
Nijika was dumbfounded by that nickname. It was a name often used for dogs!
Did this girl not think before speaking?
But...
Gotou Hitori—no, Bocchi—poked her head out of the box, her eyes sparkling as she cried out in delighted emotion,
"I-I-I'll be Bocchi!"
As she spoke, little stars of happiness seemed to pop up around her.
She was happy...
Nijika blankly watched the happy Bocchi.
At the same time, while the three were chatting enthusiastically, a pervert silently sneaked in. Hearing Bocchi's voice, he nodded in satisfaction.
He had arrived at just the right time.
But he crouched in the corner, waiting for an even more perfect moment.
Don't ask how he hid. A pervert could even climb into the corners of the ceiling.
"This is my first nickname." Bocchi's tone brimmed with leisurely happiness, and she smiled as though her whole body had melted into softness.
Nijika had known Bocchi for a while now, but this was the first time she had seen her like this.
Compared to Bocchi, Nijika felt a pang in her heart. Pressing a hand to her chest, she sighed softly.
"My tears are about to come out."
Encouraged by them and feeling their concern, Bocchi gathered some courage and asked,
"I still don't know your band's name."
That instantly put a strained expression on Nijika's face. As though she had been struck hard, she took a step back.
"It's Kessoku Band."
Ryo explained calmly.
Then, seeing Bocchi fall into confusion, Ryo covered her mouth and chuckled softly at the name she had proudly come up with.
"A masterpiece."
"That name is way too lame! I'm definitely changing it!"
Nijika waved a hand in despair and shouted at Ryo, then clutched her head and wailed in agony.
"Ahhh..."
"Why? Isn't it cute?" Ryo asked, confused.
"Ah... yeah," Bocchi replied.
Seeing even Bocchi agree, Nijika's wailing grew louder, but she quickly changed her attitude.
"Forget the band name for now. It's almost time for us to go on."
The moment she said that, Bocchi let out a frightened sigh and shrank back into the cardboard box.
"It's okay!"
Nijika smiled and reassured her.
"Even if we play terribly, the important thing is to enjoy playing."
"Music can easily bring out intense emotions in people."
Before Nijika could finish those heartwarming words, a terribly ill-timed figure appeared.
"Exactly. Happiness is the essence of everything."
Ishikawa Hayato made his entrance. He quietly turned on the synthesizer and played the sound he had tested earlier.
"Auntie press~ eh~~"
The three girls chatting were startled by the sound. They glanced at the suddenly blaring speakers, then immediately turned toward the keyboard.
The three froze.
What they saw instantly shook their minds.
Ishikawa Hayato wore a rough scarf like a strip of tattered cloth, iron bracers on his arms, and long boots...
As well as a loincloth.
Ishikawa Hayato usually looked like he had an ordinary build, but after taking off his clothes, he appeared strong and solid instead.
He did not have the huge muscles of a bodybuilder, but his smooth yet full physique found the perfect balance between a good figure and raw strength.
Paired with that outfit, he gave off a fashion sense so trendy it went beyond comprehension.
With a proud expression, he put his hands on his hips, struck a strange pose, and said,
"Even if we play badly, we just need to make them focus on something else!"
"Oh~"
Ryo was the first to recover. She exclaimed in admiration, then nodded.
"Very feasible. Even if we raise ticket prices, girls would still come to watch."
Nijika, who had just been speaking gently to Bocchi, was completely dumbfounded. Her mouth opened and closed, but she did not know what to say until several seconds later.
"Hayato-kun, put your clothes back on!!"
Before you continue