Why Play in a Band If Not for a Lifetime

"Thank you, everyone!"

The four bowed together, awaiting the results.

Marina didn't keep them in suspense for too long.

"Technically, there's still room for improvement. Gotou-san, I've watched your Guitar Hero videos, and your live performance is still far from the level shown in them. Kita-san, as the vocalist, you're the face of the band; you can't keep looking at your feet. Nijika-san, you were trying too hard, and Ryo-san was too lost in her own world." Marina, in her professional capacity, pointed out their flaws without mercy. "However, overall, it was pretty good. You've definitely started to look like a band."

After her critique, Marina returned to being their friend. She smiled kindly again and turned to Shiko. "Shiko-san, what do you think?"

Shiko's eyes sparkled.

"Amazing!" She couldn't think of anything else! To see Kessoku Band perform live, with only two people in the audience! It was magnificent, no words needed!

If there was one downside... it was that Guitar and Loneliness and the Blue Planet wasn't the same as in her past life. That was the only thing.

Seeing Shiko's excitement, Marina smiled too. "Indeed."

She looked back at the four nervously waiting on stage. Her expression suddenly became unusually serious.

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

Shiko turned to look at Marina. This was a question that Tsuzuki Shifune, a senior figure in Bang Dream, the grandmother of Kanon, and the owner of the livehouse SPACE, often asked.

The four members of Kessoku Band looked at each other and answered, "Yes!"

Marina returned to her usual smiling demeanor.

"Then, you've passed!"

Passed.

...We did it? Endless joy surged through Ichiri.

Kita-san lunged forward, shaking Ichiri's shoulders like a child. Ichiri no longer cared about being shy.

"We did it." "We did it!" It seemed like everyone was shouting.

Yeah, we did it. That was the only thought in her mind. All the pressure, all the anxiety, had been overcome.

Once she relaxed, stomach acid suddenly surged.

Ichiri only had time to say "Excuse me" before she ran to a corner and started vomiting.

While everyone was in a chaotic mess, Marina took out a camera. "Everyone, want to take a picture?"

"Ah, Bocchi, hurry up! We'll clean the floor later... One, two, three,"

"Say cheese!"

That evening, the six of them held a celebration party. Unlimited drinks, unlimited fried chicken, unlimited stylish desserts – they could eat as much as they wanted.

Every light that could be turned on was on! The hall was as bright as day. Streamers, balloons, banners – Shiko had prepared them all.

At the dinner table, Marina started with a simple congratulation. "Congratulations on passing CiRCLE's audition!"

"Ooh--"

Several glasses filled with different drinks clinked together in the air, spilling from the rims into other glasses.

Kita suddenly thought of a topic and blurted it out. "I heard that the habit of clinking glasses originated as a way to guard against poisoning."

"Eh?" Nijika took a sip of her orange juice. "How would that work?"

"See, the drinks spill into each other's glasses. If poison was added, wouldn't the person who added it also drink it?" Kita explained.

"Actually, I just added something." Ryo's face suddenly turned serious.

"Eh?" Kita took her seriously. Her face turned green as she tried to spit out what she had just drunk.

The table was as noisy as ever. Rather, the only difference today from usual was the atmosphere.

Watching everyone already digging in, Marina found an opportunity to interject. "Although you passed my audition, you still can't perform live yet, as there are no audience members. Once we get back to reality, I'll apply for that with the owner."

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

"Ooh!" came three different responses.

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

Huh? Shiko and Marina hadn't expected this.

"Marina-san helped me design the band's merchandise, and little Shiko made them." Nijika said.

"Marina-san also gave me guitar lessons! And Marina-san and Wu-san have always done the housework!" Kita added.

"Shiko gave suggestions for the songs." Ryo chimed in.

"And, and you helped me change the lyrics..." Ichiri shrunk her head.

Nijika clapped her hands together as a summary.

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

She reached under the table and brought out two gifts that had been hidden there.

Two palm-sized stone statues.

"Are these... us?" The two looked at their chibi versions placed on the table, finding it quite novel.

Kita started to introduce their origins. These two gifts were made with rocks from the wilderness as raw materials. Kita was responsible for melting them, Ryo for shaping, Ichiri for cooling, and Nijika for hyping them up.

Shiko looked at the stone statue given to her.

Honestly, it didn't look like anything.

But this was a gift from Kessoku Band to her.

Shiko suddenly felt her vision blur.

So happy. She had never been this happy before.

Happiness overflowed from her eyes. Shiko quickly covered them, but it was still seen.

"Shiko..." Ichiri was a little flustered.

"It'll be fine, Gotou-san is just too happy," Marina said with a smile, patting Shiko's head. She was also very pleased to see this scene, but her self-control as an adult kept her from showing it too obviously.

Shiko wiped her eyes and quickly turned around, taking out four glow sticks from the bag behind her. "I also have gifts for everyone in Kessoku Band... Congratulations on passing the audition... Although the materials were created with my abilities, I assembled them myself... They can only glow with fluorescent powder because I don't understand electronic components, so I couldn't make them..."

The four glow sticks, pink, yellow, blue, and red, clearly showed the maker's clumsiness in handicrafts. The four took the simple gifts and were speechless for a moment.

Marina also stood up. "Speaking of which, I also prepared something, though it's nothing compared to yours..." She ducked into the cafe and brought out a large cake with "Congratulations Kessoku Band on Passing the Audition" written on it in jam.

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

"There were some ingredients left in the cafe, all brought from reality, so I just made a cake."

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

At night, the girls lay on adjacent beds. Shiko could hear Kita and Nijika still discussing something in hushed tones. This is good, she thought. Even in this world, band girls could happily pursue their dreams, and then one day...

The earth trembled.

"Thump!" An ominous sound came from underground.

Shiko skillfully got up, but this time no one was standing by her bedside. Everyone stood up, in a chaotic mess in the darkness.

"An earthquake?" Kita fumbled for the light switch on the wall.

"There are earthquakes here too?!"

Marina was the first to stabilize the situation. "The tremor isn't strong, don't worry everyone, I'll go check the situation."

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

"I'll go too!" The others also took action.

Finally, everyone gathered at the door leading to the roof. Through the glass of the door, they saw a blurry, colossal black shadow in the distance. Beneath the tower that cut off the starry sky, the shadow encountered no obstacles.

They were in CiRCLE.

The shadow was still far away.

CiRCLE had always been good at hindering the monsters' senses.

However, everyone held their breath, not daring to make a sound.

The shadow was too big. So big it made them despair.

After a long time, the black shadow finally disappeared from sight, and the tremors gradually subsided. The girls silently returned to their beds, the excitement of passing the audition gone.

Chapter 10: Gurgle Gurgle Gurgle Gurgle

The next day, everyone woke up very early.

"You haven't seen this thing before, have you?" Shiko's scalp tingled slightly as she looked at the deep cave entrance before them.

They had reached the place where the black shadow had passed last night. This was at the foot of a snowy mountain, a place they had never crossed. The original terrain at the foot of the mountain had been completely changed, with drag marks and cracks everywhere, like a disaster area after an earthquake. The most obvious was the cliff face in front of them. This was originally just mountain rock, but under the effect of the strong earthquake, a cave entrance was exposed.

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

"You don't even need to guess what Marina-san's thoughts are..." Shiko sighed.

"No!" As expected, Marina-san didn't hesitate.

To everyone's surprise, Shiko was the first to object. "But this is the only chance for us to advance further. Because of what happened last night, all the nearby monsters have run away, and we haven't seen even one today! Before those monsters come back, searching this cave is the only way forward. Moreover, although we can maintain a normal life just by hunting now, there has been no progress on how to approach that tower or how to return to reality! We've never encountered a cave entrance like this before, this is our only chance!"

Previously, they had attempted to approach the tower, but even after walking for a day, there was no sign of getting closer. If they spent days or months on a long journey, it might be possible, but that would mean giving up CiRCLE, an excellent base.

"That's right. While living like this isn't bad, I still want to return to reality and be with my sister," Nijika agreed with Shiko's point. Mentioning her sister, a rare hint of bitterness appeared on her face. "And only in reality can Kessoku Band advance further. What about you guys?"

The remaining girls also expressed their agreement. Several pairs of eyes stared intently at Marina.

The two sides confronted each other for a long time.

"Sigh," Marina finally sighed, her expression somewhat complicated. "Tomorrow."

"Huh?" The girls asked in unison.

"We'll set off early tomorrow morning, that's the bottom line," Marina slumped onto the sofa, covering her forehead. "Get ready, you guys, and me too..."

The group let out a small cheer. "Marina-san can't bear to part with us either, and needs to prepare herself mentally~" Kita teased.

Now, the girls, with their backpacks on, stood at the cave entrance. Nothing had changed in the vicinity, and the path they took was also calm, with no monsters in sight. Their backpacks were filled with emergency food, water, and a series of necessary tools, prepared for situations where Shiko wasn't around. A biting cold emanated from the depths. Looking further in, nothing could be seen; the sunlight only illuminated a shallow area.

It was like the throat of a fierce beast.

"As we said before, Ryo will scout inside first, I'll provide light once we're in, and Shiko will use fluorescent powder to mark our path. Everyone be careful," Nijika reminded them finally. Her expression was more serious than anyone else's.

"Yes," everyone responded in unison.

Taking a deep breath, Shiko stepped into the cave entrance.

Nijika's light illuminated the stone walls ahead. It looked like a natural cave, with no signs of artificial work. Ryo lightly strummed her guitar, and visible sound waves reflected off the narrow cave walls, creating layers of echoes.

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

As the group proceeded, their footsteps were particularly noticeable. Ryo strummed a chord, muffling the sounds.

"In here, I'm the strongest," Ryo said expressionlessly, delivering a line fit for a low-level enemy.

"Okay, okay, I get it, lead the way already," Nijika replied dismissively, slowly moving her light forward, worried a ghost might suddenly jump out.

In the places where sunlight couldn't reach, who knew what was hidden. Nijika's light could only illuminate a small area near them, with more regions shrouded by their fear. As they took a step forward, a section similar to the one before appeared in their vision, while the path they had just walked returned to darkness. In this environment, even Kita didn't have much to say, only nervously clutching Ichiri's sleeve, using her flames to provide auxiliary lighting from the rear of the group. Gradually, everyone fell silent, surrounded only by the sound of footsteps echoing between the cave walls.

The passage was a single, wide one, but the path underfoot gradually became rougher, forcing them to walk while holding onto the cave walls. The rock walls were very dry and felt cold to the touch. Occasionally, exposed minerals could be seen. There was no proof of any life existing or having existed there.

"Woooo—" A sharp shriek suddenly echoed.

"What was that sound?" Kita almost bumped into Ichiri.

"It's probably just the wind, don't be scared," Shiko comforted from behind Kita.

"Thump!" A vibration came from the rock wall.

"Is that wind too?" Kita asked, trembling.

"Probably not..." Ryo answered for Shiko. The next second, she let go of the wall and grabbed Nijika: "Take cover!"

The very next moment, the rock wall on the left exploded. Ryo instantly erected a sound barrier, blocking the flying debris and dust. Ichiri's water waves followed immediately, and with Ryo's assistance, the water dispersed into a mist, quickly settling the dust. In the glow of the flames, a giant arthropod blocked the five of them. Nijika was on the ground next to Ryo, while on the other side, Shiko pulled Ichiri and Kita down onto a pile of something soft. They quickly got up and looked at the approaching enemy.

It was entirely white, its body a perfectly round sphere covered in a smooth carapace, from which thin legs sprouted randomly. It looked like someone had broken off countless spider legs, stuck them onto a single body, and then removed its head. From its appearance, it was impossible to tell how this thing moved, but the next second, it nimbly moved its countless limbs and lumbered towards Kita and the others.

"Clang clang clang!" It ended up crashing into several iron pillars, its legs getting stuck in the gaps, immobilizing it for the moment. Fire snakes immediately followed, roasting the enemy until it smelled delicious.

"Are you guys okay?" Seeing the enemy completely destroyed, they didn't stop to check, quickly regrouping.