Why Not Form a Band for Life

After a moment of hesitation, she immediately started the next song.

Volume, set to maximum.

"Eeeeeeeeee—"

This day was Saint Gotou's day of suffering.

So much so that when Ryo opened the door to come in, she had an expression that said, "You're a bit too extreme." Naturally, she wasn't here to fight for Ichiri's human rights; she had her own methods for helping Ichiri find inspiration.

"This is a song I made for the new album," she said, handing over a USB drive.

"Didn't you say it wasn't finished yet?" Shiko asked.

"It was actually almost done back then, I just refined it a bit more," Ryo replied. "Bocchi, give it a listen. You should be able to find some inspiration."

Shiko understood and took it, pausing the playback on her computer. She looked back at Ichiri, who seemed to have given up on everything.

"How's the effect?" Although Shiko admitted she was a bit wicked, her fundamental goal was still for the new song.

"..." Ichiri was slow to respond for a moment before starting to speak, "It feels like... I really can... I want to curse, curse all the normies... Hehehe..."

"Hehehe... May the world be destroyed... You don't need to tie me down anymore, I'll do it myself..."

Seeing Ichiri like this, Shiko actually started to worry. "Are you okay? Did I go too far? How can I atone?"

"It's fine, Bocchi's always like this," Ryo said nonchalantly. "As a mid-break, why don't you listen to mine first?"

"A masterpiece..." After listening to Ryo's composition, Ichiri was so moved she was about to melt.

Shiko leaned closer to Ryo, her expression tense. "I really did go too far, didn't I?"

"It's just because my music is inherently a masterpiece," Ryo said proudly instead.

"If I broke her, I'll hang myself right here," Shiko was on the verge of tears.

Ryo glanced at Shiko. "Don't catch it from her."

Ryo's song indeed played a significant role. With the assistance of the bombardment of "youthful" music, Ichiri slowly regained her confidence.

"Ryo-chan, what were you thinking about when you were composing?" Ichiri looked at Ryo.

Ryo's answer was simple: "Composing my own song."

After confirming multiple times that Ichiri had truly returned to normal, Ryo and Shiko left the room.

Chapter 25: Ichiri's Strongest Emotion

Ichiri looked at the screen. Next, she had to punish herself. After enduring such torment, she had indeed regained some of her original state, and some words and phrases came to mind. So, there was no choice, for the sake of inspiration... She clicked the mouse, but clicked in the wrong place. Instead of the songs within the range Shiko had designated, another band's music started playing...

This band felt familiar to Ichiri. She remembered Shiko mentioning them, something about "Pastel*Palettes." She also remembered the sparkling look in Shiko's eyes when she mentioned them, which was quite rare for Shiko. She must really like this band.

She continued listening. This band was an idol band... All the members played instruments, and their guitar and drum skills were exceptionally high.

However, since they were idols signed to a management company... based on Ichiri's impression, their songs should be provided by the company, right? Such songs would somewhat pander to trends. Ryo-chan probably wouldn't like songs that pander to trends... But Shiko liked them so much, her eyes would light up every time she mentioned them... No, that's not right. My feelings for Shiko shouldn't affect this. I've already decided to write my own lyrics. I'm not very interested in mainstream music, although as a Guitar Hero, I play it often... But... she continued listening. The lead singer's voice blended perfectly with the bass, guitar, keyboard, and drums, as if they were one. In paspale's music, she heard their bond, their joy. paspale's pure emotions gradually infected her.

Even though the music was provided by the management company, their feelings while playing were genuine...

The resentment Ichiri had slowly accumulated towards trend-following bands began to dissipate.

Meanwhile, Ryo and Shiko were discussing the band.

"About the band I mentioned last time..."

"paspale? I've heard them live a few times," Ryo nodded.

"How is it? How is it?" Shiko's idol otaku soul flared up again, and her sudden closeness made Ryo a little uncomfortable.

Ryo organized her thoughts. "While I'm not really into idols, I can tell they're playing seriously. I don't dislike people who are serious, at least."

Before Shiko could react, she felt a subtle glare from behind.

She turned her head, and Nijika was standing behind her. During the meeting, when Shiko proposed her plan, Nijika had strongly opposed it. After all, she didn't want to force Bocchi, and she felt Shiko's motives were a bit off. However, in the end, Shiko, as Ichiri's Best Friend, assured them of her thoughtful consideration behind the proposal, and the plan was reluctantly approved. But now, seeing Bocchi's state, she was astonished by her own foolishness back then. But since it was done, and it actually seemed to have some effect, she should complain less and focus more on Bocchi's mental and physical well-being.

Pushing open the backstage door, she was surprised to see someone else there. Little Kita was sitting next to Little Bocchi, her eyes sparkling, staring at her intently. Bocchi, on the other hand, wasn't looking at the computer, just spacing out.

"What's wrong?" she crouched down and quietly asked Kita.

"I don't know, she's been like this for a while," Kita shook her head.

"Then you..."

"I'm trying to understand Gotou-san," Kita seemed to be glowing all over. "If I can't help this time, it must be because I don't understand Gotou-san enough! As long as I keep observing her, understanding her, and entering her life, I'll definitely be able to help next time!"

The hushed voices of the two reached Bocchi's ears. She suddenly felt a "yang" energy more brilliant than those "youthful" songs. She raised her head, not daring to look directly at Kita-san's sun-like radiance. This change reminded Nijika of her original purpose for coming here. She stood up, looked around, sniffed carefully, and then touched Bocchi's forehead to check her condition.

Bocchi felt restless and inexplicably received several more "starlight" gazes. "Wh-what are you doing?" she asked cautiously.

"Bocchi, it's okay even if you can't find inspiration. You really don't need to force yourself to look at things you can't accept," Nijika grabbed Bocchi's shoulders and earnestly persuaded her.

"Ah." Ichiri understood. She was actually having some trouble with this. "Actually, even after listening to so many 'youthful' songs, I still don't have any inspiration..." She buried her face in her arms, about to sink back into her world of self-pity.

Nijika looked at her helplessly. "Although I've never written lyrics... Since Bocchi's strongest original emotions have faded, why not focus on the strongest emotions you have right now?"

Ichiri's body suddenly trembled, as if she had realized something.

Seeing that it was effective, Nijika quietly pulled Kita away, not wanting to disturb her. She decided to go scold little Shiko first.

Nijika's parting words still echoed in Ichiri's mind.

What is... the strongest emotion I'm feeling right now? Ichiri thought about the two most important things to her: Shiko and the band.

Could it be... writing a song for Shiko... No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! Shiko had written several songs for her, so she should logically write one for her too, but if she did that with the band's work, wouldn't it be like--! She wasn't that kind of person...

Ichiri's face flushed red from her own imagination. She shook her head desperately, finally managing to cast the runaway thoughts out of her mind.

Then, the band... the band... Ichiri gradually calmed down. Another similar, but broader emotion began to fill her heart. The band. Yes, it was in the band that she was first accepted by a group, her second home outside of her family.

This time, it was like this.

Little Nijika wanted to care about me.

Gotou-san wanted to understand me.

Ryo-senpai helped me with her own achievements.

Although our personalities and preferences are different. But everyone helped me in their own way when I was in trouble! This was almost unimaginable before. In elementary and middle school, if I had any difficulties, I could only bear them myself, or find a teacher if it was really necessary. In high school, I had Shiko by my side, but Shiko was similar to me back then, and she could only listen to many of my worries. And now, she has companions who can not only listen to her, but also understand and help her.

I am no longer alone!

The corners of her mouth turned up unconsciously.

"I have inspiration!" Little Bocchi shouted with a volume she could never normally produce, in the empty backstage.

That evening, everyone gathered in front of the backstage door.

Ichiri stood at the entrance and handed over the finished product she had finally written.

Kita took it first.

Chapter 26 Before Waking Up (Happy Birthday, Yuuyuuko~)

That day, just as Ikuyo Kita was about to escape from Starry, it was the most introverted Gotou-san who stopped her.

Kita had naturally made many friends since childhood. Her cheerful personality, cute appearance, and excellent social skills allowed her to navigate life with ease. Not only socially, but she also performed at a normal level academically. Without a doubt, she was the object of everyone's envy.

But, was this really good? Kita always had this question in the back of her mind. Was living a life that was so "ordinary" and "natural" truly the life she wanted?

It wasn't that she was unhappy with her interactions with her friends. Nor did she have any complaints about her current life. But when she read interviews about freelancers, she always wondered: "Beyond the 'ordinary,' what kind of scenery is there?" Could I see it with my own eyes?

So, when she saw that blue figure on the street, seemingly detached from the world, she was deeply captivated.

When she looked back, she had already spent two years' worth of allowance and New Year's money to buy a "guitar"—though she later realized it was a multi-string bass.

But it wasn't until she actually joined the band that Ryo-senpai was in that she realized her impulsiveness. No matter how much she practiced, she couldn't keep up with the seniors, and she caused trouble for everyone because of her lies... Did someone like me really have the right to stand on the same stage as the senpai I admired?

"Yes!" At that time, it was Gotou-san who told her.

She opened the lyric book handed to her by Gotou-san.

"Whoa, this is heavy," Ryo said bluntly, expressing her thoughts.

"Uh... it really is a bit..." Nijika didn't want to hurt Little Bocchi's feelings, but she couldn't find any other suitable adjective.

"As expected... it's too heavy..." Ichiri lowered her head.

For Ichiri, who had experienced seventeen years of loneliness, what was Kessoku Band?

For herself, who had been playing alone for a long time, who had been hiding behind a computer screen for a long time, it was the first time she had a nickname, the first time someone needed her to perform on stage, the first time she had companions belonging to the same group, everyone cooperated with her, and she cooperated with everyone, playing songs together, they even called someone like her "friend," and helped her when she was in trouble...

Could she really be this happy? Or was this just a dream?

If this was just a dream, Ichiri wished she would never wake up. No, she couldn't wake up. This illusion called "Kessoku Band," she would continue to have it forever, forever. Nothing could interrupt it, and even if it was interrupted, she would just roll over and force her brain to return to that dreamland!

This was the song Ichiri wanted to write now, the emotion she wanted to convey! The magma suppressed in her heart erupted all at once, burning through her limbs and controlling her as she wrote line after line.

Such words probably wouldn't be accepted, right? Everyone was shining brightly; could they tolerate such darkness and heaviness from me?

"It's so heavy... but, I'm so happy, Gotou-san."

Kita smiled.

Since coming to this world, everyone had been working hard, and she could see it all. Whether it was in the band or in combat, Kita, who stayed by everyone's side, could easily notice the traces of their overt and covert efforts.

But she couldn't work as hard as they did. She had wanted to work hard before, because she lived in this group, and when others worked hard, she also needed to work a little. But this external motivation was far from enough.

In music, she was still the worst in the band. But so what? There were no audience members to judge anyway. In a dark corner of her heart, this thought had always lingered. Ichiri had mentioned once that she had decided to pursue a career in music, so it was normal to work a little harder; Ryo simply liked it; Nijika—Kita seemed to have heard that Nijika had an unfulfilled dream in reality, related to the band, and she had to keep working hard.

But she couldn't find any of these motivations. Why did she join the band? To do something together with everyone, that was one reason, and she was doing that every day now. She wanted to form a partnership that transcended friendship and romance, and through long-term cohabitation, she had indeed developed such feelings. Most importantly, she wanted to embark on a path deviating from the "ordinary" and have a different life. This had already been achieved the first time she opened her eyes in the wilderness.

What about combat, then? Their combat modes had gradually gotten on track, and with Miss Niiki covering them, injuries were rare. The fear and anxiety from when they used to go out hunting had gradually been replaced by habit. It seemed there was nothing else to work hard for.

So, what should she work hard for?

Everyone said she was the most dazzling person, even CiRCLE's nickname for her was "KIRAKIRA." But Kita knew that she was no longer like that.

There was nothing dazzling about her.

Watching everyone else work hard, Kita could only wander, trying to find her direction.

And at this moment, Gotou-san, with her passionate lyrics, showed her her deep and profound emotions.

Kita suddenly realized what she meant to Gotou-san. No, not just herself, but the entire Kessoku Band must have a completely different perspective in Gotou-san's eyes compared to her own.

And Ikuyo Kita was the lead singer of Kessoku Band.

"Gotou-san," Kita looked up, tears welling in her eyes.

"I will definitely work hard to become a lead singer who can repay this feeling!"

This time, it was Gotou-san again who gave her the motivation to move forward.

Hearing these words, Ichiri raised her head. Kita was radiating light all over, but such light didn't feel blinding to her.

"Yeah, even though it's heavy, I accept Bocchi's feelings too!" Nijika also smiled, "After all, I'm the captain of Kessoku Band!"

"It's not entirely incomprehensible," Ryo agreed with the lyrics.

My lyrics were successful! The thought spun in Ichiri's mind. She smiled without realizing it. She felt like she should say something, but nothing came out.

But there was one person present who was different.

Shiko looked at the lyrics. She read them over and over, staring at the title written at the very top, again and again:

Before Waking Up

The hand holding the notebook tightened, and tightened, almost trembling.

"...No."

Shiko's pained tremor destroyed the pleasant atmosphere.

Everyone looked at Shiko, who was holding the notebook. She didn't realize it, her whole body stiff, her pupils dilating sharply, muttering unconsciously.

"...No... What is this..."

She looked up, looking at everyone, yet seemingly looking at no one: "Where is That Band?"

Shiko's voice was too quiet, and no one could hear her clearly.