There Are So Many Geniuses in Omni-Anime! What's Wrong with Adding Me?

"Yeah!"

He was deeply relieved. He probably wouldn't need to sing along with her today.

He turned back and exchanged glances with Shiina Rikki and the others. Everyone signaled that they were ready and made their final preparations.

"Good~ luck~"

"Hey! Moca!"

"Asahi-chan and the others look really cool when they play~!"

At the side of the stage, several familiar heads peeked out, quietly cheering them on.

"Uh..." Shiina Rikki swallowed. She hadn't been nervous before, but now the nerves suddenly hit...

Soon, she raised her drumsticks, clicked them together twice, then struck the cymbals to announce the start.

Ogura Asahi wasted no time either. A dazzling guitar solo followed immediately, sending the atmosphere soaring to a climax.

Just over twenty seconds later, the vocals began:

"I raced here with a yearning heart. I'm sorry I couldn't do anything."

"You wouldn't even let me share your pain."

"To live~ with innocence, never looking back."

"..."

The lead vocals weren't impassioned. They sounded almost like a straightforward account of her innermost thoughts. Paired with the fiercely energetic guitar, they evoked someone holding on to herself and searching for who she was in a mad world, instantly resonating with the listeners.

More and more people gathered below the stage. Some had heard the performance through the doors, while others had been called back and dragged over by their friends.

Before long, the venue was more than half full.

Somewhere toward the middle rear, Toyokawa Shoko watched the five people onstage, her clear amber eyes flickering.

"Is that... Ogura-senpai?! Why..."

"So the band and new bandmates she mentioned were Sōse, Rikki, and the others?"

"This is their new song... It's incredible."

As she listened to their breathtaking performance, Toyokawa Shoko's mind was in turmoil.

That stunningly beautiful, cool figure in white was unmistakably