Bocchi-chan, I've Already Become Your Shape

He guessed the guy was probably troubled about something. Since he was wearing the same school uniform, he was likely a fellow student.

Although the guy didn't look like someone who would buy an expensive instrument, Toyokawa Shoko still decided to go over and help him.

Bai Qiu turned his head slightly. What caught his eye was a pair of side ponytails tied from sky-blue hair, delicate cheeks, and pale golden eyes.

Was she a shop assistant?

If he hadn't clearly seen her work uniform, he would have thought he'd run into some young lady from a wealthy family.

Bai Qiu couldn't help feeling a little impressed. High-end shops really were different—even their shop assistants had the air of young ladies.

And another thing... Miss Shop Assistant, are you a succubus?

You actually managed to make even his normally calm heart beat a little faster. But that was all.

Though he was amazed by the shop assistant's looks, Bai Qiu quickly came back to his senses.

Right now, his eyes were fixed on the Electronic Keyboard. Besides, it was perfectly normal for girls in Music Anime to be pretty.

He had to learn to get used to it.

Thinking about it that way, Bai Qiu found it perfectly reasonable.

Beside him, Toyokawa Shoko blinked and waited for his answer.

"Do you have any Electronic Keyboards suitable for beginners?"

Bai Qiu turned to look at her and gave her a polite, friendly smile.

"A beginner? Could I ask whether you've studied piano before, or whether you're learning the Electronic Keyboard from scratch?"

Toyokawa Shoko thought it over briefly, then asked.

Bai Qiu gave it some thought. When he'd exchanged for the reward, he'd chosen level-one piano skills.

Generally speaking, people who had studied piano

found it easier to get started on an Electronic Keyboard.

After all, the two had quite a bit in common.

Of course, if there was an Electronic Keyboard option next time, he'd definitely exchange for that skill directly.

"I've studied a little piano, I guess."

"I see..."

Toyokawa Shoko pondered for a moment, then walked over to the rack opposite them and pointed to a keyboard.

"If you've studied piano, I'd recommend this Yamaha Electronic Keyboard, the PSR-F52."

As she introduced it, Toyokawa Shoko thought it might fit Bai Qiu's budget.

"This model is very popular with beginners. It costs 70,000 yen."

Bai Qiu walked over to the keyboard, intending to try it out.

But his attention was drawn to the blue-bodied Electronic Keyboard beside it.

So Bai Qiu asked, "What about this one?"

Toyokawa Shoko replied, "This model is the PSR-E383. It has upgraded performance and is also lighter."

"But it's a custom blue model, so it's more expensive. It costs 150,000 yen."

"To be honest, I wouldn't recommend it."

She shook her head gently. Most Electronic Keyboards had black bodies, and the PSR-E383 cost more mainly because its color was uncommon.

In her eyes, it wasn't worth the price.

If she'd been her old self, she wouldn't have cared.

"But you can try playing it," Toyokawa Shoko added with a gentle smile.

Try it out? Since this was his first time playing one, Bai Qiu was looking forward to it.

As he placed his fingers on the keys,

he couldn't think of any tune, but his fingers seemed to have muscle memory of their own and began moving over the keyboard on instinct.

He wasn't playing particularly fast. It was only a simple trial, and Bai Qiu was deliberately holding back.

Gentle notes slowly rang out, ♪, ♪, ♪...

Toyokawa Shoko listened patiently, watching Bai Qiu's hands closely. She felt a little surprised.

He seemed a bit unfamiliar with it, but his fundamentals were solid.

For someone who'd only studied a little, that was already quite good.

The sound abruptly stopped.

Bai Qiu liked how it felt to play.

"I'll take this one."

He spoke softly, having made his decision.

No particular reason. He just liked blue.

Toyokawa Shoko froze. That was so decisive—wasn't he even going to haggle?

She'd thought Bai Qiu would choose the first one after trying them out.

Plenty of customers did that. They just wanted to try playing.

"Wouldn't you... like to think it over?"

The moment the words left her mouth, Toyokawa Shoko began to regret them.

What was she saying?!

Her wages were actually tied in part to her sales performance.

The more Bai Qiu spent, the higher her commission would be.

But he was a student too, and Toyokawa Shoko couldn't bear to see him waste his money.

Bai Qiu sensed her kindness and smiled softly. "Yeah, I'll take this one. Thanks for your help."

"If I get the chance, I'll trouble you again."

"Mm... sure."

Toyokawa Shoko didn't try to talk him out of it again.

It seemed he wasn't short on money.

The receipt was printed, the code scanned, the payment made, and the case slung over his shoulder.

Bai Qiu left the instrument shop feeling thoroughly satisfied.

[Purchased an Electronic Keyboard recommended by Toyokawa Shoko. Received 300 Notes.]

Bai Qiu couldn't help stopping and glancing back at the shop.

So that was another way to earn Notes? Could someone who met the system's criteria as a musical instrument girl really show up like this? Did that mean he should come by and shop more often?

Then again, it made sense. She worked at an instrument shop, after all.

Toyokawa Shoko... That was a nice name.

He thought he'd seen it somewhere before.

Never mind. He should get home first.

Bai Qiu set off again, eager to get home and play.

At the bookstore next door, a girl with short blue hair covering one eye and a beauty mark beneath the other eye was also coming out.

Yamada Ryo was carrying a stack of books so tall it reached above her head.

Bai Qiu was carrying an Electronic Keyboard.

Both of them were immersed in the happiness of having made a purchase.

By some twist of rock-star intuition, Yamada Ryo happened to glance at Bai Qiu's instrument case.

The case was rectangular. It was probably an Electronic Keyboard.

Not a Bass... Then no problem.

The two passed each other without a word.

Chapter 5: Bocchi-chan, I've Already Become Your Shape

A week had passed since Bai Qiu bought the Electronic Keyboard.

That also meant he'd spent a week at this school.

So far, Bai Qiu hadn't gone out of his way to approach Goto Hitori or Kita Ikuyo.

Mainly, he hadn't found an opportunity.

Besides, as he remembered it, the main story of Kessoku Band wouldn't start for a while.

And since it was the beginning of the school year, everyone was pretty busy.

Still, Bai Qiu had noticed that he ran into Kita Ikuyo around campus quite often.

After all, she was a sunny, popular girl, kind to everyone and great at making friends.

Her reputation was already spreading.

In places where the popular kids hung out, and wherever groups of girls gathered,

her bright red hair always stood out.

That wasn't to say Bai Qiu had done nothing all week.

On the contrary, he'd had a fulfilling week.

First, he'd pieced together some bits of information that might or might not be useful.

For example, Kita Ikuyo was in Class 1.

Akiyama Mio, Tainaka Ritsu, and Kotobuki Tsumugi were in Class 2.

He and Yui were in Class 3.

Goto Hitori was in Class 5, at the far end of the hallway, and sat in the last row.

He'd also learned a few things about the system.

For instance, the System Mall could be refreshed, but refreshing it cost Notes.

The first refresh cost 100 Notes.

Notes were hard to come by, and Bai Qiu didn't have anything he urgently needed at the moment.

So he hadn't refreshed it.

Also, level-one skills were equivalent to beginner-level ability.

Level two corresponded to amateur level, level three to professional level, and level four to master level. Level five might be the level of a once-in-a-century—or even once-in-a-millennium—prodigy.

And the ability granted by the system at each level could be considered top-tier for that level.

Most importantly, Bai Qiu had discovered that he could earn a small number of Notes simply by listening to the songs Goto Hitori uploaded to her "Guitar Hero" account.

He couldn't earn any by leaving it on in the background.

Some videos only gave him two or three Notes, while others gave him seven or eight. A rare few even gave him around ten.

It seemed to depend on the video's quality and popularity.

Each video only rewarded him once.

The amount was small, but there were plenty of videos!

When he first discovered this, Bai Qiu had been excited, full of enthusiasm and energy.

Guitar Hero, my hero.