Social Anxiety and the Rock of Loneliness

No! Stop it!

"What... is it?"

Gotou Hitori's face twisted into a broken expression again, but Ishikawa Hayato could faintly read a please don't from her features.

Ishikawa Hayato realized he'd pushed her too far and reined in his teasing attitude.

"Actually, I saw Gotou-san carrying a guitar yesterday... and my band's short a guitarist right now. Want to join? Aside from me, it's all girls."

A band... a band!

Gotou Hitori lifted her head. Someone actually wanted to invite her!?

Was this a dream?

She stole a glance at Ishikawa Hayato, then looked away.

He seemed like a good person. A little scary, but she'd just agree...

"I'll think about it."

Gotou Hitori said that and lowered her head.

She wanted to die...

What was she even saying...

But Gotou Hitori understood herself.

She wanted to join a band, but meeting new people right now was too hard. The thought of greeting strangers she didn't know made her feel like she couldn't take a step forward.

"Alright, if you decide to come, find me."

Ishikawa Hayato looked at Gotou Hitori, who was already shorter than him and now hunched over, wilted and deflated. He held back the urge to pat her head and left her with one last line.

"Gotou-san always eats here, right? It's a bit gloomy, but not bad. I can come find you here again, can't I?"

Seeing Gotou Hitori give a slight nod, Ishikawa Hayato smiled, waved casually, and walked back to his classroom.

Watching him disappear, Gotou Hitori realized one thing clearly.

There was no running away now...

Her eyes went as dead as a fish's.

Classes ended for the day. Ishikawa Hayato, carrying thirty-five kilograms of weighted gear, pondered how to naturally reveal himself as a pervert in front of the other band members.

Being a pervert wasn't easy either.

This pervert, troubled, headed toward Starry.

Walking down the sun-warmed streets, the world radiated a soft, gentle kindness. Every sound around him was youthful and lively—a beautiful time he'd never forget.

Amid it all, Ishikawa Hayato noticed the chatter among students around him was even livelier than before.

As he idly observed his surroundings, his phone buzzed with a LINE message.

He pulled it out and checked.

It was from Ryo.

"Coming today?"

Ishikawa Hayato unleashed his astonishing finger speed and shot back a reply.

"You'll see me at the Starry entrance in 4 minutes and 12 seconds."

Apparently not expecting such a fast response—or maybe stunned by it—Ryo replied after a few seconds.

"No rush. Don't overdo it."

An angel. An angel!

After being moved, doubt crept into Ishikawa Hayato's mind. Was Ryo really this considerate?

Filled with question marks, he quickened his pace toward Starry.

Ishikawa Hayato should have known better than to be moved so early.

"Time to repay your debt."

Ryo, in casual clothes, carrying her bass and hauling an amp, said to Ishikawa Hayato.

Rewind a dozen minutes.

When Ishikawa Hayato arrived at Starry, he found only Nijika's sister—the manager—busy behind the counter. The other two girls were nowhere to be seen.

Strange. Earlier, Ryo had sounded like she was urging him to come.

He set his keyboard on the table and asked Nijika's sister, Ijichi Seika.

"Manager, Nijika and Ryo aren't here yet?"

Ijichi Seika, busy at work, shot him a glance. She didn't seem to favor this man getting close to her sister.

"Today I'll be late."

She said no more, turned and grabbed a rag to clean the equipment, then only after a moment tossed out a faint remark.

"How's the studying going?"

Studying?

Ishikawa Hayato naturally knew Seika wasn't asking about his school grades—it could only be the keyboard.

As a degenerate, how could he lack confidence in himself?

"I'm very satisfied."

Even as a beginner, he showed not a shred of humility, declaring it proudly.

Ijichi Seika, stiffened for a moment by the answer, turned back with a strange smile and a hint of mockery.

"Oh? Then show me."

Ishikawa Hayato took a breath and puffed out his chest.

This is what I've been waiting for!

No, wait—just one person isn't enough to blow the whole place away.

He couldn't pull off a cool flex and enjoy the dumbfounded looks on people's faces.

But Ishikawa Hayato sure as hell wasn't backing down here and letting Ijichi Seika look down on him. Even if the place was empty, he'd drag the plankton over to listen to him play.

"Then excuse me for borrowing the stage."

Instead, he greeted her politely, unzipped the keyboard bag, hugged the keyboard, and climbed onto the performance stage.

Ijichi Seika quickly went to turn on the stage power in the shop, deliberately not reminding him to go up via the backstage entrance out of mischief.

After setting up all the stage equipment, she sat on a chair, propped her hand on the table, rested her cheek on it, and watched from afar as Ishikawa Hayato fumbled around blindly on the stage.

"The spare amp is the one on the left. Yeah, just plug it straight in."

After all that fuss, showing his complete incompetence in front of someone, Ishikawa Hayato didn't feel even a hint of embarrassment.

Still with a perfectly composed expression, he said to Ijichi Seika.

"Next, I'm going to play a piano piece. I spent some time practicing it yesterday, and it's currently my best level. Please listen to 'The Street Where the Wind Resides.'"

Ijichi Seika nodded indifferently. She was curious how far a beginner could go, and when that arrogant look of his would finally crack.

Seeing his sole audience nod, Ishikawa Hayato closed his eyes to adjust his mindset, gently laid his long fingers on the keyboard, and the keyboard, already tuned to the right timbre, let out a crisp piano sound.

The sound of a gentle breeze strolling drifted out from the amp, floating through the black rock atmosphere of the livehouse.

This song was one Ishikawa Hayato had loved in the past. He'd listened to it countless times, so as soon as he learned to play, he didn't hesitate to perform it.

Though the playing wasn't smooth, and the wind born from the keyboard stumbled a few times along its stroll, it didn't care at all, didn't look back, just kept moving forward on its own.

Ishikawa Hayato didn't show any hesitation, worry, or doubt over any mistake either. Instead, he looked as if this was exactly how the song was meant to be played, with a calm certainty.

Below the stage, Ijichi Seika sat up straight, serious.

Music conveys emotion, and live performance reveals a part of the performer's feelings and thoughts.

Even a stumbling performance is no exception.

At first, hearing it, she was surprised.

After all, even this level would take a month or two of practice to reach. But then she remembered he had a sister at home who played piano—maybe the musical atmosphere in his family was excellent—so she let it go.

But later, she noticed how unshakably firm his playing was. Even when he made a mistake, he didn't hesitate.

That firmness didn't seem like something honed through long-term practice. It came from a heart that was incredibly resolute and strong.

This guy's inner strength is abnormal!

After finishing, Ishikawa Hayato smiled and bowed, then, before Ijichi Seika could stop him, pulled out the amp plug.

"Wait!"

"Huh?" Ishikawa Hayato's hands didn't stop, and he dumbly yanked out the plug.

Boom!!

A thunderous roar exploded right in front of Ishikawa Hayato.

By the time Ijichi Nijika arrived, what she saw was Ishikawa Hayato sitting at the back table of Starry, covering his ears with a look of bad luck, and her sister behind the counter, her mouth curved into a wavy line, barely holding back laughter.

What happened between these two?

But Nijika didn't dwell on it. She smiled and walked up to greet him.

"Hayato-kun, are you ready?"

His ears still ringing, Ishikawa Hayato looked up, confused, at the two who had changed into casual clothes.

"What?"

Seeing his bewilderment, Nijika paused and turned to look at Ryo behind her, but Ryo passed by her with a calm expression and placed the amp in her hand in front of Ishikawa Hayato.

"It's time for you to repay that favor."

Ishikawa Hayato: ???

Seeing Ishikawa Hayato's complete lack of understanding, along with Ryo's smug, good-for-nothing demeanor, Nijika roughly guessed what had happened.

She also figured out why Ryo had taken the initiative to notify Ishikawa Hayato.

"Hayato-kun, let me see the message Ryo just sent."

Ishikawa Hayato obediently pulled out his phone, but Ryo, with a serious expression, pressed down on his hand.

"No."

He heard her say that, and glancing at the megaphone on the ground, he immediately understood the situation.

Yeah, he'd been roped into being a pack mule—and tricked into showing up for it, no less.

Nijika narrowed her eyes at Ryo, putting on a fierce face, but Ryo wasn't scared at all. In the end, Nijika dropped her head, clearly at a loss with her.

She didn't bother arguing with Ryo any further. Seeing that Ishikawa Hayato still didn't grasp the situation, she quickly explained to him.

"Today, I was planning to let you see our performance and what a band does, so Ryo and I are going to do a street performance. Hayato-kun, come watch too."

"Hayato carries the luggage," Ryo added.

"Carry it yourself!"

Nijika wasn't about to let Ryo have her way. She hurried forward, picked up the megaphone, and huffily shoved it back into Ryo's hands.

A performance put on just for him.

Nijika waifu!!!