Social Anxiety and the Rock of Loneliness

Ryo was briefly taken aback, then a faint smile flickered across her face before vanishing just as quickly.

"Eh? Is that so?"

Kita Ikuyo's remark seemed to confirm exactly why Ishikawa Hayato was called a pervert—that over-the-top speech just now.

Nijika let out a sigh of relief; for a moment, she hadn't known what to do.

Even though she'd only known him for less than two days, she felt that everything Ishikawa Hayato did came from a place of genuine sincerity, and he wasn't a bad person.

When that female classmate said what she did, Nijika had worried for a bit that Ishikawa Hayato might have gotten himself into some kind of trouble.

"Don't scare me like that..."

She still let out a small complaint.

"Sorry about that."

Ishikawa Hayato scratched his head, grinning without much seriousness as he sought forgiveness.

But then his tone turned a bit more earnest.

"But if you called me a pervert, I'd be really happy."

The relaxed atmosphere suddenly froze after he said that. Amid the constant flow of people, the three girls standing still all wore strange expressions on their faces.

The three exchanged glances.

Nijika looked at Ishikawa Hayato in shock, then glanced at the other two.

Ryo's eyes had widened a little in surprise.

Kita Ikuyo wore an annoyed expression, as if to say, "What are you spouting nonsense in front of Ryo-senpai for?"

But a moment later, Ryo walked over to Ishikawa Hayato. A hint of a gentle smile appeared on her calm, expressionless face—a smile that, to Ishikawa Hayato, made her look a bit playful.

She held out her hand.

"Weirdo. If you called me that, I'd be happy."

She spoke in a similar manner, and the ever-composed Kita Ikuyo froze at the sight.

Ishikawa Hayato took her hand, accepting her goodwill.

"Weirdo."

Ryo nodded in acknowledgment and replied.

"Pervert."

Nijika, sitting on the crate, wailed and clutched her head.

"My band..."

Kita Ikuyo stared blankly at their clasped hands and murmured.

"To think... to think he'd use such a tactic!"

After the farce ended, the two began tuning their instruments. The thumping of the drums and the twanging of the bass echoed across the open space.

Ishikawa Hayato walked over to the flower bed nearby and sat down, watching the two tune their instruments with great interest.

His keyboard didn't need the kind of tuning those two did, and he found the process fascinating.

But then, a gaze fixed on him made his scalp tingle.

Ishikawa Hayato turned to look. Kita Ikuyo averted her eyes, and the tingling sensation vanished.

He looked away. Within two seconds, that intense stare was back.

He turned again.

And so began their battle of dodging gazes.

This brutal war lasted twenty seconds. Their eyes darted everywhere—through the sky, across the earth, over mountains and seas—until finally.

Ishikawa Hayato won.

Of course he did. As a former social anxiety sufferer, he was extremely sensitive to stares.

And not to brag, but his strongest point now was his shamelessness. He could even stare a girl down until she blushed.

Whether the police would approve was another matter.

Following the ever-composed young lady's gaze, Ishikawa Hayato found the target of her stare: the hand he had just shaken with Ryo.

In an instant, he understood everything.

Pushing aside the thought of buying a bag of chips, licking his finger after each one, and showing off, Ishikawa Hayato looked at the two who were almost ready, waiting for the show to begin.

"Alright, here we go."

Nijika leaned forward, glancing in Ishikawa Hayato's direction. Her beautiful crimson eyes held a gentle smile, and her swaying side ponytail brimmed with energy.

She exchanged a look with Ryo and nodded.

The next moment, the drums sounded.

The solid foundation of the band fell into place, and the grand stage unfolded.

The bass, which usually laid the foundation alongside the drums, had this time flipped its role, leaping out from the low-end backdrop to become the protagonist of the music with a powerful groove.

A bass-led melody carried a rare kind of coolness, the deep rhythm seeming to dance atop the drumbeats. Gradually, people nearby began to stop and appreciate this small ensemble.

No fanfare, no special gimmicks—just music, just the performers lost in their own playing. And yet, people paused, people appreciated, people...

Ishikawa Hayato glanced at Kita Ikuyo, whose eyes were sparkling not far away.

Following her gaze, he looked toward the center of the crowd, where Yamada Ryo stood expressionless, completely immersed in enjoying the performance.

She held her bass, her body swaying casually with the rhythm as she played. There was a particular beauty to her when she performed, like Erato gently stroking a harp.

The instrument seemed to be an amplifier for her inner voice. This girl, who rarely spoke, let her thoughts crest into peaks at the edges of the music.

It was cool. But what was even cooler was playing your own sound.

Ishikawa Hayato confirmed his resolve. This was what he wanted to keep doing—this was what he wanted to do.

At the same time, Kita Ikuyo beside him had also made up her mind.

A guitarist, huh.

She was definitely going to become someone worthy of standing beside Ryo-senpai!

When the two finished their performance, a smattering of applause rose from the surroundings.

Nijika and Ryo gave a shallow bow. The audience, knowing the show was over, began to disperse, and the lively street quickly turned cold under the merciless footsteps of the departing crowd.

Ishikawa Hayato looked back. Kita Ikuyo, who had been so entranced just moments ago, had already left without him noticing.

"Hayato..."

But hearing Ryo's lazy call from over there, he hurried over.

On the way back, Ishikawa Hayato was still the one handling the luggage.

The two girls didn't seem to have grown distant because of Hayato's earlier self-exposure.

Stepping onto the streets under the night sky, where neon lights flickered and shifted, the two who had just performed at the center of the crowd were now walking beside Ishikawa Hayato.

As mealtime approached, the surrounding crowd grew hurried. The number of students had dropped significantly, replaced by office workers rushing home, the occasional couple passing by, and aimless wanderers—all gradually increasing in number.

Beside Ishikawa Hayato, Nijika seemed to be thinking about something. After pondering for a long while, she finally spoke.

"Sorry, it's all on Hayato-kun to carry this."

Ishikawa Hayato could tell that Nijika had something she wanted to ask, but was holding it back out of concern for various reasons.

But instead of explaining directly, he said, "This fits the idea of perverts helping each other out, doesn't it? Besides, shouldn't bandmates support one another?"

Nijika's expression was very easy to read.

She was stunned for a moment, then her face shifted through a series of thoughts—Could it be that... yeah, that does make sense... oh, then it's fine—before realizing she hadn't responded yet and hurriedly nodded.

"Mm-hmm."

Nijika was so cute.

Ryo glanced at the two of them from the side and brought up what Hayato had said before the performance about joining in.

"Hayato, earlier you said you also wanted to join the Street Live. Is that right?"

"Yeah... I want to join in on playing too. It just seems really fun."

Ishikawa Hayato's words made Ryo raise an eyebrow, but he quickly continued.

"But your performance was amazing. My skill really isn't there yet, but I've grown a lot."

"Don't underestimate music."

A hint of sharpness leaked through Ryo's calm tone.

"Then how about hearing where I'm at now?"

Ishikawa Hayato spoke with a smile, but showed no sign of backing down. The heavy equipment seemed like nothing to him.

The light from passing cars flowed across his face, illuminating the confidence that never left it.

"Hey, hey, you two... Hayato-kun, Ryo is really strict when she's serious!"

Nijika quickened her pace to stand between them, trying her best to mediate and calm things down.

"It's fine. Criticism helps you see the flaws you can't find yourself. Besides, fair warning—perverts are pretty tough."

"Mm. I'll be very strict."

On the street that was taking on the feel of night, a pervert carrying instruments and two girls walked unhurriedly toward the stars.

11. Facing the Sky

Ryo really didn't hold back at all...

Ishikawa Hayato sat on the train heading home, phone in hand, jotting down all the feedback Ryo had just given him.

On the off-peak train, even the rapid tapping of his fingers on the screen was clearly audible.

He rather liked this feeling of being able to hear every single one of his own movements.

Looking back on today, though it wasn't exactly harmonious yet, it was still a day where their relationship took a step forward—and he'd successfully exposed himself as a pervert.

It was a satisfying day for Ishikawa Hayato.

Not that he'd ever had an unsatisfying day.

The only pity was that he didn't get the satisfaction of rubbing it in their faces.

But after coming back, the reaction from Big Sister (Ijichi Seika) was pretty amusing.

Ishikawa Hayato smiled, stuffed his phone back into his pants pocket, and gazed calmly at the houses and scattered lights streaking past the dark window.

Over ten minutes ago, at STARRY.

"...That's about it. There's still a lot to work on. As a keyboardist, you're completely unqualified."

After Ishikawa Hayato finished playing, Ryo crossed her arms with a haughty expression, looking every bit the master.

She corrected him without the slightest mercy, her tone so ruthless it was almost frightening.

Midway through Ryo's lengthy critique, Nijika had been frozen stiff by her exaggerated attitude, only snapping back to reality at that moment.

"Ryo, you've gone too far!!"

This wasn't judging him by a beginner's standard—she was demanding he meet the level of someone ready to perform on stage!

Sure, being strict was one thing, but this was way overboard.

After scolding Ryo, she turned to Ishikawa Hayato, who was standing behind the keyboard, and offered him some reassurance.