As Riki approached, he heard the students below cheering like a tidal wave. In his experience, that meant the previous band had really won them over, which would definitely affect the bands that followed.
He knew this so well because he'd always been the one affecting the bands that came after him.
But this time, he'd have to fight against the odds.
"Are you ready?" Riki found himself taking the lead as he addressed the others. "So what if we're up against the tide? Just trust me."
"I'm the strongest."
Shioka: Sakiko, His Name Is Riki
Riki tuned the bass in his hands.
He'd already heard Sakurazaka Academy perform. They were very good—their skill put them among the best in high school. In the Chinese music scene, they'd be a freaking behemoth!
Brother Riki, which big brother are you taking a shot at?
"Are you confident?" Mikumura Shioka asked curiously, looking at Riki. Her short, pale-blond hair was silky smooth, and her stunning face had earned her a crowd of fans at school. On top of that, she was the lead singer of Sumimi, a talented group, and a beautiful girl in Tokyo who was constantly being offered advertising deals.
She was very curious about Riki. If he turned out to be an interesting person, she might even bring her best friend Sakiko to meet him.
Besides, he was pretty handsome.
"We'll win!" Riki said confidently. I'm the strongest.
Mikumura Shioka glanced at Riki, then asked Shiina Rikki curiously, "Is he your friend?"
She'd thought Shiina Rikki didn't like making friends, so she hadn't expected her to know someone like him.
"Well, not exactly..." Shiina Rikki hesitated. Riki was only helping their band with its music, and they didn't interact much otherwise.
Nothing more.
Riki couldn't stand hearing that and turned around to cut in. "Yes, we're friends."
Shiina Rikki froze. A faint smile appeared on her usually cool face.
"Students from Hanasakigawa, you can get ready to go onstage now~"
Riki and the three girls walked onto the stage. Looking out at the densely packed, rowdy crowd below, he estimated that there were over five thousand people—an unbelievably huge audience compared to Ring.
Riki noticed Shiina Rikki's face stiffen. She was clearly nervous about performing in front of so many people.
"Just imagine there are five thousand Akari's down there watching you," Riki whispered.
"That would make me even more nervous."
"Then imagine there are five thousand shadow clones of me watching."
"I can't do that." Shiina Rikki adjusted the drum set and spoke softly. "Aren't you nervous, Riki?"
"Not really. There were way more people at my high school and university, and I performed onstage every year." Riki adjusted his bass and answered casually.
He's amazing... Shiina Rikki looked at Riki, so calm and composed.
If only I could be like him.
If I asked him for help, would he teach me?
But we're not that close yet. Though... he did just say we were friends.
As a performer, Mikumura Shioka wouldn't show any nerves in front of the students. Still, she was surprised that Riki wasn't nervous either. He seemed even more at ease than she was, as if he were used to performing in front of crowds like this.
"I looked at the sheet music just now. Even if we play it perfectly, we still won't be as good as Sakurazaka," Riki said to Mikumura Shioka.
"What should we do?" Mikumura Shioka froze.
"You three play as usual. I'll just change the intro." Riki kept his eyes on the sheet music in front of him.
Huh?
Mikumura Shioka and the other two froze. They were about to start performing, and he was saying he'd change the music on the spot?
It wasn't impossible, but how could he do it in time if he was only starting now?!
"I'll ask the teacher to buy us some time," Mikumura Shioka hurriedly offered. She'd been working in Tokyo's music scene for over a year, and even professional musicians couldn't change sheet music on the spot, let alone play it immediately afterward.
"No need. I'm done. I mean, I've already changed it."
He'd almost made them misunderstand how long it took him.
"Let's start," Riki said.
The three girls exchanged glances. Shiina Rikki paused, then began tapping out the beat with her drumsticks.
The girls from the academy in the audience looked curiously at the performers onstage.
"Who's that boy? He's pretty handsome."
"But can he even play an instrument?"
"If we lose to Sakurazaka, the principal will make the whole school do a big cleanup again."
"Huh? No way!"
As the pretty students chatted, a powerful burst of music suddenly rang out.
The bass rumbled like a beast, and the floor of the auditorium seemed to tremble. The vibrations made their skin tingle, but for their ears, it was an absolute feast.
The bass seized everyone's attention at once.
"Isn't this... different from the music we wrote?" one student asked curiously.
"But it's more captivating."
Mikumura Shioka also stared at Riki in amazement. She couldn't believe he'd changed the intro in such a short time—and done such a good job of it.
Her manager hadn't been wrong. He really was a diamond in the rough.
That only made Mikumura Shioka more curious about what kind of person he was.
Riki nodded to her, and Mikumura Shioka understood. She began playing the lead guitar.
Needless to say, the whole crowd went wild!
The performance ended. Riki took off his bass and turned to look at the auditorium.
He'd almost called it Liyutang... no, the auditorium.
He hadn't expected to earn so much goodwill from Japanese schoolgirls. It would've been nice if Sakiko had been here too.
"Riki, you're amazing." Mikumura Shioka looked at him. "Do you want to debut? My manager would definitely welcome you."
She was certain that once her manager saw the recording of the school festival performance, he'd grab hold of Riki like a starving dog.
"I'm supporting a band right now. I don't have time to debut." Riki shook his head.
"A band?"
Yes. Your future band.
The Galactic Battleship assembled for Sakiko-bao.
Riki asked again, "How did we do against Sakurazaka?"
Mikumura Shioka smiled. "They didn't say so, but you could tell from their faces that they'd admitted defeat. We have you to thank."
Riki nodded and turned away to wipe the cold sweat from his brow.
Even for him, that had been pushing it.
He'd almost said: "Sorry, I couldn't make the esteemed Sakurazaka show their full strength."
As Riki thought about it, he noticed Mikumura Shioka was still watching him. Even he felt a little awkward under that stunning gaze, so he asked, "Is something wrong?"
"No, I hope you have fun at Hanasakigawa's school festival." Mikumura Shioka came back to herself and shook her head with a smile.
Riki didn't think anything of it and walked out of the auditorium with Shiina Rikki.
"Ring-ring—"
Mikumura Shioka took out her phone, smiled, and answered. "Good morning, Sakiko."
"Good morning, Shioka. There's something I'd like to discuss with you... Why do you sound so happy?"
"I just met someone really interesting, and he's amazing at bass. Oh, and he's handsome, too. I was thinking of introducing him to you."
"Is he someone you like?" Toyokawa Sakiko couldn't help teasing.
"No, it's not like that. His name is... Riki."
"...Riki?"
Riki: ?
"Are you saying his name is Riki?" Toyokawa Sakiko was silent for a moment, then asked again.
"Yes. Is there a problem?" Mikumura Shioka asked, puzzled.
"Is he pretty handsome, with noticeable muscles in his arms, nice eyes, and really good at music? Does he have a nice voice, too?"
"More or less." Mikumura Shioka thought it over, then asked curiously, "Why does it sound like you know him?"
"Not 'sound like.' I'm Riki's best friend."
So Riki was Sakiko's friend too?
Mikumura Shioka thought it over and glanced toward Riki, who was walking away.
Since he was Sakiko's friend, shouldn't she try to get along with him?
Besides, Mikumura Shioka was curious about Riki, too.
Riki was damn curious.
For a student who'd grown up in China, where school life was tightly controlled, a school festival like this—full of freedom, with lively girls chasing one another around—made him intensely envious.
"Here, you're the boy who performed onstage just now, right? These takoyaki are for you," said a girl at one of the class booths.
"Arigato, beautiful girl."
Riki accepted the takoyaki, then introduced Shiina Rikki beside him. "This is the drummer who performed onstage with me. She's Shiina Rikki, my good friend and bandmate."
Riki noticed Shiina Rikki secretly tugging at his sleeve. She turned her head away without saying anything.
The girl at the takoyaki stall looked awkward, too.
Riki said nothing and walked about ten meters farther on before asking Shiina Rikki, "Are you not on good terms with her?"
"No. I don't know her," Shiina Rikki said in a low voice.
"Then why did you pull me just now?" Riki asked.
It was like going to the supermarket as a child, while his mom chatted with an auntie she knew. He could only stand off to the side, feeling wronged and unable to say a word, wishing he could run off right away.
"It's just... I'm not very good at talking. When I talk to them, they don't really know how to deal with the way I speak," Shiina Rikki said hesitantly.
What did she mean? She could explain in more detail.
"Sometimes I'm just talking normally, but they seem really scared. I admit I can be a little harsh sometimes, but... in the end, I stopped talking to other people much."
I see.
"And that's how things ended up," Shiina Rikki said.
I haven't said anything this whole time. How are you answering so smoothly, Rikki? Can you hear my thoughts?
Did you steal my transmigration cheat?
Let me test it.
I like Akari. I like Akari. I like Akari. I like Akari. Akari likes you...
Riki saw that Shiina Rikki was still lost in her feelings and hadn't noticed a thing. Looks like nobody could hear his noble, righteous thoughts. What a pity.
Before you continue