But considering that, aside from Hachiman, most of them were young women, even if most of them didn't drink, going home too late would still be somewhat unsafe.
"Okay, onee-chan~"
Ijichi Nijika put down the broom and happily went to call everyone in the lounge to go eat together.
Iris, Lala, Kaede and the others, after watching the performance, just greeted Ijichi Nijika and went home first. Their celebration would be late at night, so of course they didn't need to fight for time now.
Tonight, the number of people going to the izakaya for the celebration wasn't as many as imagined, but actually still quite a few.
From the Service Club: Hachiman, Gotou Hitori, Yukinoshita Yukino, Yuigahama Yui, Hayase Saki, Narahashi Miki.
From the Kessoku Band's side: Ijichi Nijika, Yamada Ryou, manager Ijichi Seika, sound engineer PA.
From the friends group: Miura Yumiko, Kitagawa Marin, Yukinoshita Haruno.
Roughly counted, it was already more than ten people.
If not for Hachiman helping to handle so many concert tickets, Ijichi Nijika would have had a few other classmates she knew well come over to support.
But since enough people had already come to support Hachiman's side, Ijichi Nijika didn't bother her good friends further.
Hmm… every time the band performed, they had to sell a quota of tickets. This time Hachiman helped by bringing a lot of people, but many of them clearly weren't interested in rock bands, they just wanted to check it out once.
She didn't feel right about troubling the Service Club again, so for the next quota she planned to invite good friends from other classes to come see.
As a considerate, gentle little angel, Ijichi Nijika had friends in quite a few classes. She could even call them out after school to shop or drink bubble tea, though she wasn't as close as Kitagawa Marin or Miura Yumiko.
Of course, inviting friends to support wasn't a long-term plan. No matter how many friends she had, she couldn't expect them to always come. Inviting them once or twice to experience it was enough, unless they really came to like rock.
Today's first unofficial performance had ended successfully, and it gave Ijichi Nijika a slightly unrealistic idea: maybe in the future she could go do street performances with Bocchi-chan and the others to attract fans.
However, if they really wanted to do street shows, they'd need to find a proper vocalist, and also solve Bocchi-chan's severe social anxiety, the fact she couldn't leave Hachiman's side.
The vocalist problem wasn't urgent for now, but Bocchi-chan's problem absolutely had to be solved. They couldn't possibly have every band performance with Hachiman holding her, directing Bocchi-chan and Ryou on her thighs and calves to play together, right?
Even if Hachiman was willing to spare time to help, she wasn't willing. Yumiko was their good friend, she didn't want to wrong Yumiko.
"Eh? Ryou and Yuigahama-san, why are you two outside the lounge? Where's Hachiman and the others?"
As she was almost at the lounge, Ijichi Nijika put away the messy thoughts flashing through her head. But unexpectedly found Yuigahama Yui with her pink dumpling bun head, and her regret-type childhood friend Yamada Ryou, standing in front of the tightly closed lounge door.
"Uh… the others are all inside…", Yuigahama Yui glanced at Miura Yumiko's good friend Ijichi Nijika, then glanced at the lounge in front of her, her gaze wavering between the two. After a while, she covered her burning-red cheeks and answered in a small voice.
"Marin and Yumiko are inside with Hachiman?"
Hearing this, Ijichi Nijika instinctively froze and quickly asked.
Was Marin matchmaking between Yumiko and Hachiman?
Or had Yumiko dropped the tsundere act and gone on the offensive, with Marin supporting at the side?
Or… was Hachiman all fired up, and since she wasn't there, he went to Yumiko and Marin instead?
"Not just the president and Miura-san, Kitagawa-san too, Saki, Miki, they're all inside. Just now, Bocchi-chan also went in…", Looking at Ijichi Nijika's unusual reaction, clearly knowing something, Yuigahama Yui's face grew redder and redder. Stammering, she spoke softly.
She had seen with her own eyes the not-so-big lounge, like a giant python that devoured people. Every so often, its mouth opened.
First, Miura Yumiko poked her head out and called Kitagawa Marin inside.
After that, Kitagawa Marin called Hayase Saki and Narahashi Miki.
Maybe because she called both Saki and Miki at once, and they were sporty athletes, it was quite a while before they called Gotou Hitori in.
At this point, even Yuigahama Yui, who had no experience, who had never even had a first love, who thought of herself as a virgin too shy to talk about it, couldn't help thinking too much about what was happening in there.
She didn't know why, even though Kitagawa Marin had already noticed something was off, even though Hayase Saki and Miki had red faces and evasive eyes, even though Gotou Hitori's legs were trembling. Still, they each went inside one after another.
But they definitely weren't in there playing some little game.
Although it had only been just over an hour, already four or five girls had gone inside.
Miura Yumiko, Kitagawa Marin, forget them, pretty and with good temperament, but not much muscle in reality.
But Saki and Miki, they were ace athletes who trained often in sports clubs, with full, plump chests and firm, round thighs. Especially Miki, at over 180 cm, her tall frame was outstanding even among guys.
They could swim, play volleyball, carry such heavy builds, their stamina must be crazy strong.
Their Service Club president was just too outrageous… too amazing… could a normal guy even be that amazing.
Wait a second, all the girls going inside seemed to have especially good figures.
Even Gotou Hitori, always shrinking, head down, bangs covering her eyes, never meeting anyone's gaze, not as pretty as the others, when she wasn't slouching next to the president, her figure seemed really good too.
Yuigahama Yui suddenly noticed the blind spot: Yukinoshita Yukino, as the vice-president, was completely out of step with everyone else.
"Th-this… how… how long have they been inside?"
Seeing Yuigahama Yui discovering Hachiman's special relationship with Miura Yumiko and the others, Ijichi Nijika also went quiet, then after a long time stammered again.
If it were just Yumiko and Marin alone with Hachiman, she would never casually suspect what was happening inside. At most, she'd think they were rewarding Hachiman, indulging his special hobby a bit.
But this kind of pulling one after another into the water — it was impossible not to overthink.
Hachiman and Yumiko progressed that fast?
But why Marin too? Even Bocchi-chan went in?
"About an hour or so. Not long after you left, we came out too, but you were busy over there and didn't notice us."
Yamada Ryou looked steadily at the tightly shut lounge door, answering in a flat tone.
"Then Ryou, why didn't you come call me?"
Looking at the expressionless Yamada Ryou, Ijichi Nijika was speechless. At this point, whatever she said, it was already too late.
An hour or more. If something was going to happen, it would've already happened.
Although she did want Yumiko and Hachiman to develop like this, it wasn't just Yumiko now, there was Marin and Bocchi-chan too.
Yumiko, Marin, Bocchi-chan were all friends. What should she do, who should she help?
"Call you to go inside and help?", Yamada Ryou blinked, staring at the endlessly complaining Ijichi Nijika.
'Suspicious… very suspicious…'
Miura Yumiko and Kitagawa Marin both had special ties with Hachiman. So what about Nijika, who often hung out with them?
Thinking of how Nijika's reaction to being held by Hachiman on stage, letting him remotely conduct the band, was unexpectedly mild. It was hard not to doubt Nijika's relationship with Hachiman wasn't any shallower than the others.
"...", Ijichi Nijika guiltily averted her gaze.
How to put it… yeah, if she were there, she probably couldn't stop anyone either. Everyone was going in voluntarily.
But at least she wouldn't just watch Marin and the others go in and do nothing.
Now even Bocchi-chan, with her social anxiety, had been called inside, how was she supposed to face everyone later?
On one side were her classmates, on the other side her bandmates.
Even if Bocchi-chan hadn't known Yumiko as long, this kind of thing couldn't be judged by order of arrival.
If it really were judged like that, then Yumiko should just give up. Aside from the Kaede and Suzume sisters who supposedly grew up as next-door childhood friends in the city, no one could compare with Hachiman's middle-school and elementary-school classmates.
"No wonder Hachiman can conduct us in ensemble, he really has personality… As expected, rock 'n' roll is about playing with w*men!", Yamada Ryou didn't have such complicated thoughts about the situation. Instead, she felt Hachiman had great personality, very fitting for rock.
Playing in a band meant smoking, drinking, and playing with w*men. Hachiman had taken "playing with w*men" to the extreme, his strength wasn't ordinary either.
Plus, Hachiman clearly was skilled in many instruments, just hadn't shown it yet. Maybe he was a hidden master.
Like Bocchi-chan: a master at solo, a newbie at ensemble, only able to barely play with them if Hachiman accompanied her.
The bassist and leader of her favorite band SICK HACK also drank while performing. That psychedelic rock style was fascinating.
Maybe Hachiman was the kind of weirdo who could only unleash his talent by playing with w*men!
"…Let's not even talk about how Hachiman isn't actually in a band, he's just here supporting us. Ryou, stop randomly defining rock!", Seeing the weirdo who liked to be called a weirdo spouting nonsense again, Ijichi Nijika was utterly out of patience.
What "rock 'n' roll is about playing with w*men," such a stereotype was too much.
Not all rock players or band members were guys, and not all had such hobbies.
"Then what now? The others are still waiting, right? Nijika, are you gonna knock on the door and go in to play with men?", Yamada Ryou pointed at the tightly closed lounge.
"…Ryou, just come in with me and call them out."
Ijichi Nijika no longer wanted to argue with Yamada Ryou. But she really couldn't keep waiting here.
Who knew how long Hachiman would take? They couldn't let everyone wait together.
But she was also worried if she went in alone, she'd end up like Marin. So she pulled Ryou along.
Even though Hachiman was too strong in that aspect, and so many of them couldn't fix his special hobby, Hachiman had never lost his reason.
With Ryou, who wasn't close to Hachiman, in front of her, she probably wouldn't have to worry something bad would happen to her.
However, while Ijichi Nijika thought this way, Yamada Ryou, ever so unique, didn't listen.
"You go in with Miura and put on that silver bracelet. I'll stay out here and use this instead."
Yamada Ryou looked at Ijichi Nijika while touching the black resonance choker on her own neck, speaking calmly.
Who knew what was happening inside? Nijika wouldn't even tell her what exactly she and Hachiman's relationship was.
Naturally, she couldn't just barge into a lounge that had already "eaten" several girls.
"I'm not wearing that bracelet! Ryou, just come in with me."
Ijichi Nijika shook her head without hesitation. Using that bracelet to improve coordination for a band performance was one thing, but in this situation. How could she wear that thing and let Ryou experience her shame?
Besides, Ryou couldn't activate the choker's resonance function from outside. And even if it did activate, Nijika's shame wouldn't lessen one bit. If anything, just imagining Ryou outside feeling her sensations would make her even more ashamed.
"Then I'll go find the manager. Nijika, you can go in yourself."
Seeing things going badly, Yamada Ryou immediately tried to bail.
She couldn't be sure if Hachiman was really "playing with w*men" inside, but the fact was, so many girls had gone in one after another, and it had gone silent.
Now Nijika even refused to go in alone, only daring to pull her along.
She was certain, it was dangerous inside.
"Didn't you say playing in a band is about playing with w*men? Hachiman's inside right now, what are you afraid of!"
Ijichi Nijika pulled hard on Yamada Ryou, not letting her slip away, whispering in her ear to persuade her.
"Hachiman's a guy, that doesn't count as playing with w*men!"
Yamada Ryou's face stiffened, her usually expressionless pale face now showing a look of "better die than give in."
By logic, men play w*men, w*men play men.
But in the face of danger, her bottom line was flexible.
If she could just talk big, she would never act herself.
While Ijichi Nijika and Yamada Ryou tussled, background character Yuigahama Yui suddenly spoke weakly, "Um, Nijika-san… the door opened again…"
"..."
"..."
Ijichi Nijika and Yamada Ryou's bodies froze, hands stopping their pulling at the same time, both turning to look at the lounge door that had quietly opened again, not long after Gotou Hitori had gone in.
———
Join in?
Or run away?
That was the question worth considering.
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