Chapter Ten: Gurgle, Gurgle, Gurgle, Gurgle

"Thank you, everyone!"

The four bowed together in thanks and waited for the result.

Marina didn't keep them nervous for long.

"Technically, you still have some shortcomings. Gotou-san, I've also watched Guitar Hero's videos, and your live performance is still far below the level you showed in those videos. Kita-san, the vocalist is the face of the band, so you can't keep staring at your feet. Nijika-san, you're putting in too much force, while Ryo-san is too immersed in her own world." Marina, in work mode, pointed out their problems without mercy. "Still, overall, it was pretty good. You really look like a band now."

After finishing her critique, Marina returned to being their friend. She put on a kind smile and turned to Shiko. "What did you think, Shiko-san?"

Shiko's eyes sparkled.

"Spectacular!" She didn't have any other thoughts! She had watched Kessoku Band's live performance in person, with only two people in the audience! It was glorious. Nothing more needed to be said!

If there was one flaw... "Guitar and Loneliness and the Blue Planet" was different from the version in her previous life. That was all.

Seeing Shiko's excitement, Marina smiled as well. "It really was."

She turned her gaze back to the four people onstage, who were waiting nervously. Her expression suddenly grew unusually solemn.

"One last question. Did you give it your all?"

Shiko turned to look at Marina. This was a question often asked in Bang Dream by the important senior figure Tōko, the owner of livehouse SPACE and Rāna's grandmother.

The four members of Kessoku Band looked at one another and answered, "Yes!"

Marina returned to her original smile.

"Then you pass!"

They passed.

...We did it? Endless joy surged through Ichiri's entire body.

Kita-san rushed over and shook Ichiri's shoulders like a child. Ichiri no longer had the energy to feel embarrassed.

"We did it." "We did it!" It seemed as though everyone was shouting.

Yes, they had done it. That was the only thought in her mind. All the pressure and all the anxiety had been overcome.

Once she relaxed, stomach acid suddenly surged up.

Ichiri only had time to say, "I'm sorry," before running to the corner and throwing up.

While everyone descended into chaos, Marina took out a camera. "Everyone, shall we take a picture?"

"Ah, then Bocchi, come here quickly. We'll clean up the floor later... One, two, three—"

"Cheese!"

That evening, the six of them held a celebration banquet. Unlimited drinks, unlimited fried chicken, unlimited fancy desserts—everyone could eat as much as they wanted.

Every light that could be turned on was switched on! The hall was as bright as day. Shiko had prepared ribbons, balloons, and a banner.

At the dinner table, Marina first offered a simple toast. "Congratulations on passing CiRCLE's audition!"

"Oh—"

Several glasses filled with different drinks clinked together in midair, splashing liquid from one glass into another.

Kita suddenly thought of something and said it casually. "I heard the custom of toasting originally came from the need to guard against people poisoning one another."

"Huh?" Nijika took a sip of orange juice. "How would that help?"

"Look, the drinks all splash into each other's glasses. If one of them contained poison, wouldn't the person who added it end up drinking some too?" Kita explained.

"Actually, I added something just now." Ryo suddenly darkened her expression.

"Huh?" Kita took her seriously. Her face turned green as she tried to force herself to throw up what she had just swallowed.

The dinner table was as noisy as ever. If anything, the only difference between today and usual was the atmosphere.

Watching everyone already digging in, Marina found a chance to join the conversation. "Although you passed my audition, you still can't perform live for now. After all, you don't have an audience. Once we return to reality, I'll apply to the owner about this."

"Thank you very much." Nijika set down her glass and encouraged everyone. "All right, we still need to keep working hard on our next new song!"

"Yeah!" Three different voices responded.

Then Nijika turned toward Shiko and Marina, her gaze solemn. "Before that, we also need to thank you two for your help."

"Huh?" Neither Shiko nor Marina had expected this.

"Miss Marina designed the band merchandise for me, and Little Shiko made it." Nijika explained.

"Miss Marina also coached me on guitar! And all the housework was done by Miss Marina and Wu-san!" Kita added.

"Shiko gave us suggestions for the song too." Ryo chimed in.

"And... and she helped me revise the lyrics..." Ichiri shrank back slightly.

Nijika clapped both hands together to sum things up.

"To thank you both, we made something ourselves!"

She reached beneath the table and took out two gifts that had been hidden there for a long time.

Two palm-sized stone statues.

"Is this... us?" The two stared at their chibi figures sitting on the table, finding the sight rather novel.

Kita began explaining where they had come from. The two gifts had been made using rocks from the wilderness as raw materials. Kita had melted them, Ryo had shaped them, Ichiri had cooled them, and Nijika had provided vocal support.

Shiko looked at the stone statue given to her.

Honestly, it didn't look like her at all.

But it was a gift from Kessoku Band.

Shiko suddenly felt her vision grow blurry.

I'm so happy. I've never been this happy before.

Happiness spilled from the corners of her eyes. Shiko hurriedly covered them, but everyone still saw.

"Shiko..." Ichiri panicked a little.

"She's definitely fine. Shiko-san is just too happy." Marina smiled and gently patted Shiko's head. She was deeply comforted by the scene too, but her self-control as an adult kept her from showing it too obviously.

Shiko wiped her eyes and quickly turned around. From the bag behind her, she took out four glow sticks. "I also have gifts for everyone in Kessoku Band... to celebrate you all passing the audition... Although I created the materials with my ability, I assembled everything myself... They can only glow with fluorescent powder, because I don't understand electronic components and couldn't make that part..."

The four glow sticks were pink, yellow, blue, and red. It was obvious that their maker was clumsy at handicrafts. The four accepted the simple gifts and were speechless for a moment.

Marina stood as well. "Speaking of which, I prepared some things too, though they can't compare with everyone else's..." She went into the café and came out carrying a large cake. Written across the top in jam were the words, "Congratulations to Kessoku Band on Passing the Audition."

The five of them quickly cleared the table to make room for the cake.

"There were still some ingredients left in the café, all of them brought from reality, so I made a cake."

This was the most dazzling day of Shiko's life so far.

That night, several of them lay in adjoining beds. Shiko heard Kita and Nijika quietly discussing something. This is enough, she thought. Even in this world, the band girls can happily pursue their dreams, and one day...

The earth began to tremble.

"Boom!" An ominous rumble came from beneath the ground.

Shiko expertly climbed out of bed, but this time there was no figure standing at her bedside. Everyone had gotten up, and they were thrown into confusion in the darkness.

"An earthquake?" Kita felt along the wall for the light switch.

"Do earthquakes happen here too?!"

Marina was the first to stabilize the situation. "The shaking isn't too strong. Don't worry, everyone. I'll go take a look."

"I'll go too!" Shiko was the first to respond.

"I'll go too!" The others followed suit.

In the end, everyone gathered before the door leading to the roof. Through the glass, they saw a huge, indistinct shadow in the distance. Beneath the towering structure that cut off the starry sky, the shadow encountered no obstacles.

They were inside CiRCLE.

The shadow was still far away.

CiRCLE had always been able to effectively block the monsters' senses.

Even so, everyone held their breath and didn't dare make a sound.

The shadow was simply too large. Large enough to make them despair.

After an unknown amount of time, the black shadow finally vanished from their sight, and the shaking gradually faded. The group silently returned to their beds, but the excitement of passing the audition was gone.

Chapter Ten: Gurgle, Gurgle, Gurgle, Gurgle

The next day, everyone rose very early.

"We've never seen this thing before, right?" Shiko looked at the deep opening before them, her scalp tingling slightly.

They had already reached the place where the shadow had passed the previous night. It was at the foot of a snowy mountain they had never crossed. The original terrain had been completely transformed. Drag marks and cracks were everywhere, making it look like a disaster zone after an earthquake. The most obvious change was the cliff before them. It had originally been nothing but rock, but the intense tremors had exposed an opening.

"Should we go in?" Nijika turned to ask them. "Or should we go back and discuss it first?"

"We don't even need to guess what Miss Marina thinks..." Shiko sighed.

"No!" As expected, Miss Marina didn't hesitate at all.

To everyone's surprise, Shiko was the first to object. "But this is our only chance to make further progress right now. Because of what happened last night, all the nearby monsters have fled. We haven't seen even one today! Before those monsters return, searching this cave is our only path forward. Besides, although we can maintain a normal life by hunting for now, we haven't made any progress toward approaching that tower or returning to reality! We've never encountered an opening like this before. This is our only chance!"

The group had already tried approaching the towering structure, but even after walking for an entire day, they had not gotten any closer. They might be able to reach it by traveling for days or months, but that would mean abandoning CiRCLE, their perfect base.

"That's right. There's nothing wrong with living like this, but I still want to return to reality and go back to my sister," Nijika agreed with Shiko. At the mention of her sister, a rare trace of bitterness appeared on her face. "And Kessoku Band can only advance further in reality. What about you?"

The others also expressed their agreement. Several pairs of eyes stared straight at Marina.

The two sides faced one another for a long time.

"Phew..." In the end, Miss Marina sighed, her expression complicated. "Tomorrow."

"Huh?" they asked in unison.

"We'll set out first thing tomorrow morning. That's my bottom line." Marina collapsed onto the sofa and covered her forehead. "Get ready. All of you, and me too..."

Everyone gave a small cheer. "Miss Marina can't bear to leave us either. She needs to prepare herself mentally too~" Kita teased.

Now, the group carried their backpacks and stood at the cave entrance. Nothing nearby had changed, and the journey there had been calm and uneventful. They had seen no monsters. Their packs contained emergency food, water, and a series of necessary tools, all in case Shiko was not with them. Bone-chilling air poured from the depths. Looking inside, they could see nothing. The sunlight illuminated only a shallow area.

Just like the throat of a wild beast.

"Just like we discussed, Ryo will scout ahead first. Once we're inside, I'll provide the light, and Shiko will mark the path with fluorescent powder. Everyone, be careful." Nijika gave one last reminder. Her expression was more serious than anyone else's.

"Yes." Everyone answered in unison.

Taking a deep breath, Shiko stepped into the cave.

Nijika's light illuminated the stone wall ahead. It looked like a natural cavern, with no trace of human construction. Ryo lightly plucked the strings, and the visible sound waves reflected off the narrow cave walls, forming layers of echoes.

"It's very deep inside." Ryo issued a warning. "I haven't seen anything moving yet. The slope isn't too steep, and we can go up or down."

As they advanced, their footsteps were especially distinct. Ryo stroked the strings once, pressing down the sounds.

"I'm the strongest here," Ryo said expressionlessly, delivering a line straight out of a mob character's script.

"Yeah, yeah, we know. Hurry up and lead the way." Nijika casually humored her while slowly moving the light forward, worried that a ghost might suddenly leap out.

In places the sunlight couldn't reach directly, no one knew what might be hiding. Nijika's light could illuminate only a small area around them, while the rest was shrouded in their fear. With each step forward, another section nearly identical to the previous ones appeared in view, while the path behind them sank back into darkness. Even Kita had little to say in such an environment. She merely gripped the corner of Ichiri's clothes nervously, using flames to help illuminate the rear of the group. Gradually, everyone fell silent. Only the sound of footsteps echoing through the cave surrounded them.

There was only one passage. It was spacious, but the ground gradually became more rugged, forcing them to support themselves against the rock walls. The walls were extremely dry and icy to the touch. Occasionally, exposed minerals could be seen. There was no sign that any living thing existed here—or ever had.

"Uuh..." A sharp shriek suddenly rang out.

"What was that?" Kita nearly collided with Ichiri.

"It should just be the wind. Don't be scared." Shiko comforted her from behind.

"Boom!" A tremor came from within the rock wall.

"Was that the wind too?" Kita asked, trembling.

"Probably not..." Ryo answered in Shiko's place. The next second, she released the hand braced against the wall and grabbed Nijika. "Take cover!"

In the next instant, the rock wall on the left exploded. Ryo instantly raised a sound barrier, blocking the flying stones and dust. Ichiri's wave of water followed immediately. With Ryo's assistance, the water dispersed into mist, and the dust soon settled. Illuminated by the flames, a giant arthropod separated the five of them. Nijika had fallen beside Ryo, while on the other side, Shiko had dragged Ichiri and Kita into a heap atop a sponge. The group quickly scrambled to their feet and looked toward their attacker.

It was completely white, its body a round sphere covered in smooth armor. Long, slender legs grew randomly from the shell, as if someone had snapped the legs off who knew how many spiders, stuck them into a body, and then removed its head. From its appearance, there was no way to tell how the thing was supposed to move. Yet in the next second, it nimbly marched countless legs forward and rolled toward Kita and the others.

"Clang, clang, clang!" Instead, it crashed into several iron pillars. Several of its legs became stuck between the gaps, leaving it temporarily unable to move. A fire serpent immediately followed, roasting the enemy until it smelled delicious.

"Is everyone all right?" Seeing that the enemy had been completely eliminated, the group didn't bother checking themselves and hurriedly regrouped.