Let's be real here.
When Nijika mentioned their guitarist kept finding excuses to skip practice, Rinto already sensed this would end badly.
Sure, maybe something genuinely came up, but the odds were slim. Most likely, it was deliberate avoidance.
But Nijika had a good heart—honestly, her best trait.
Even as she led the group toward STARRY, she kept worrying about the absent girl:
"If she's delayed by something minor, that'd be fine, but I hope nothing bad happened… Ryo, she's your fan, right? Could you maybe try contacting her again?"
Trashy Ryo: "Mm, sure thing. When I get home, I'll set up an altar and burn some incense—Ow! (';ω;｀)."
The second Ryo's garbage-tier comment left her mouth, Nijika's Electric Dragon Drill jabbed straight into her temple, harshly scolding her for cursing someone.
Nijika really was a good girl. Rinto felt a sudden surge of fatherly warmth.
"Don't worry, Nijika," Rinto comforted her, watching as she pinched Ryo's cheeks. "I thought something like this might happen, so I brought Momoka and Nina as backup. Today, let's rely on them to hop on stage first and buy tickets later—the cost's on me—"
Momoka: "Ah, sorry, but I didn't bring my guitar today."
...Wait, what?!
Rinto stared in disbelief at Momoka, standing relaxed and empty-handed. He couldn't believe he'd been betrayed like this.
Today, Momoka had dressed simply, just wearing a round-neck knit top.
Her slender neck was adorned with a slightly wider choker than usual, cleverly hiding the strawberry marks Rinto had left behind.
She'd swapped out her usual black tights for flashier thigh-high stockings and leather garters—a rocker-chick look perfect for the live house vibe.
This tomboyish, rocker-sister style immediately made Rinto want to drag her off to the dressing room... No, wait, this wasn't the time for that.
He quickly realized Momoka had done this intentionally.
Rinto immediately pulled Momoka aside, quietly confronting her under the curious gazes of the surrounding high school girls:
"Why? You knew you might need to help out today. Why are you being so stubborn?"
"...I'm an adult woman in my twenties. Mixing in with a bunch of high-schoolers? Even if you're shameless, it embarrasses me."
Momoka stubbornly avoided eye contact, turning her head aside guiltily.
Her weird obstinacy kicked in again, lips pouting slightly:
"It was already bad enough yesterday when you tricked me. But today is these kids' official performance, right? It's a rare chance for them to go on stage. Performing with someone like me—a last-minute older fill-in—would definitely leave regrets."
"It's not like I can join their band permanently. Better to face the pain now than drag it out. Even if they crash and burn today, they'll get a proper chance next time."
"Momoka…"
Faced with his stubborn older girlfriend, Rinto had no words left.
He wasn't exactly innocent himself, and he knew it.
He'd also exploited Nijika and Ryo's situation, hoping they'd fall short just so Momoka would step in.
He figured if Momoka got a taste of playing again, feeling the joy of performing on stage with a band, she'd quickly get hooked again, despite her stubborn mouth.
But Momoka's obstinacy ran deeper than he'd imagined.
She'd drawn a firm line, convinced she absolutely couldn't team up with genuine high schoolers like Nijika and the others.
To put it plainly: "I can't hold them back."
This self-destructive woman, really... Rinto couldn't help getting annoyed:
"You masochistic rocker-girl, your mouth's the only tough thing about you. Just you wait tonight—I'll make you cry and beg me to stop."
"...~~~."
Momoka said nothing, just pursed her lips as her face flushed deeply.
That reluctant, half-pushed reaction was so tempting, Rinto nearly gave in... But let's omit the rest.
Anyway—
Since Momoka absolutely refused to perform, Rinto could only apologize to Nijika.
"Sorry, Nijika. Momoka didn't bring her guitar today, and she isn't feeling well either... Should I ask someone from another band if they can lend us a guitarist?"
"Ah~ no, it's okay!"
Nijika immediately waved her hands, "Rinto-kun, you've already done so much for us! We're really grateful, you know. You've helped plenty already."
"And honestly, Momoka-san or Nina-chan would've been fine, but I don't want to pull in someone random either."
The adorable Shimokitazawa angel giggled, her flushed cheeks irresistibly cute:
"This is our very first live performance. We want wonderful memories, so I'd rather perform with someone close to our age."
"It's just a shame the girl we originally planned for can't come. Her name even sounded a lot like 'guitar,' so I thought it might've been fate or something…"
Nijika's voice gradually trailed off.
She stared fixedly behind Rinto, flames flickering to life within her pretty scarlet eyes.
Rinto followed her gaze—and saw: a guitar!
Afraid of the cold (self-proclaimed), Bocchi—AKA Gotoh Hitori-san—was currently wearing a tracksuit over her uniform, faithfully carrying her beloved guitar on her back.
Right! It finally clicked for Rinto too.
They had another guitarist right in their own Light Music Club!
Although Bocchi's solo performance last time had reached disaster-level anxiety, Rinto knew it was just nerves.
With her obvious skill in sheet music and finger techniques, she was clearly an experienced player. She could easily handle this!
With a single glance, Rinto instantly joined Nijika in a desperate conspiracy.
They rushed toward Bocchi together, each grabbing one of her hands!
Rinto: "Please, Bocchi! If you agree, I'll grant you one—no, a hundred wishes! Anything you ever want from me! Let's be friends forever!"
Nijika: "Me too! Me too! You're Bocchi-chan, right? Also from Shujin? What year are you? Where do you live? What's your favorite food? Your hair's so beautiful—how do you care for it? From now on, we're friends for life, okay? Please join and play with us right away!"
"Awaaahhh—(6д9)!"
Bocchi had never before endured such an intense double strike from overly-friendly extroverts, instantly blinded by the dazzling sparkles from these flashy normies (?).
Naturally, her inferiority complex immediately exploded.
Currently gripping her hands were two people: one, a soft-handed, sweet-smelling blonde JK beauty—an entirely different species from gloomy Bocchi herself—an upper-caste girl, and incredibly nice at that.
The other was the kind senpai who'd accepted Bocchi's gloomy self, providing her—a complete social outsider—a place to belong, and introducing her to lots of people…
But...what exactly counts as a "friend"?
Can joining the same club automatically make us friends? Isn't that kind of shallow?
After all, the only reason I joined the Light Music Club was to fill numbers... Maybe no one actually likes me? Maybe they secretly think I'm annoying?!
Yes, yes, that's exactly right... Bocchi wept (';ω;｀).
The greatest tragedy of socially anxious pessimists was spiraling into endless negativity, killing interactions before they even started.
The more warmly people like Rinto and Nijika invited her, the more Bocchi tortured herself, convinced she couldn't meet their expectations.
Better to refuse outright...
Bocchi, holding back tears, prepared to speak—
"Gotoh Hitori-san, don't run away."
Unexpectedly, Sakiko—another underclassman Rinto had brought along—spoke up suddenly.
She steadied Bocchi's trembling back, meeting her shaking eyes.
With determination as solemn as a confession, Sakiko declared clearly:
"This is your chance to make friends and become human. Even if you can't believe in yourself, trust in us who believe in you."
"...Togawa-san (';ω;｀)."
Bocchi still wasn't used to calling her by name.
Yet this ojou-sama classmate—someone she assumed would never bother with her—had chosen now to encourage her…
Sakiko-chan really is a good person… whispered a little angel in Bocchi's mind.
"Ah...I-I'll do my best!"
At last, Bocchi embraced her guitar with trembling arms, joining the group amid cheers.
Thus, fast-forward directly to the performance.
Once Seika-san arranged everything and the group tuned up, the four-member band finally stepped onto the stage.
Guitarist: Bocchi.
Bassist: Yamada Ryo.
Drummer: Ijichi Nijika.
Vocalist: Iseri Nina.
Nina shrank timidly, staring at the dense audience below:
"E-e-everyone... Do I really have to be up here?"
She turned shakily toward Nijika:
"Nijika-chan, didn't you say we'd perform instrumentally without vocals? Maybe I can just get off stage—"
"Ah, we did think that at first, since we barely rehearsed," Nijika replied with a radiant smile, a stark contrast to Nina's nerves. "But we reconsidered. Nina, you sing Momoka-san's songs so well—it'd be a waste not to show it off! And Bocchi-chan, you can play Empty Box, right? So let's do it again! Let the audience hear how amazing it can be!"
"Y-yeah!"
For Bocchi, this was her first stage performance. Though her hands were already sweaty from nerves, she carefully tuned her guitar.
Of course, she was terrified.
Even performing for a handful of people in the Light Music Club had caused her to freeze up, let alone this huge crowd of strangers.
But…
Many people who supported her were watching.
Senpai Rinto, who'd given her a place to belong and introduced her to many friends.
Togawa-san, whose poetic lines she didn't really get, but who seemed to cheer her on regardless.
And Nina, who was introverted (?), socially anxious (??), and possibly more prone to choking than Bocchi herself (???).
There's an old saying—
When someone socially anxious meets another even more socially anxious, their sense of superiority is ignited: "I have to set a good example!"
Bocchi felt exactly this about Nina, assuming without permission that Nina was worse off socially.
Yet Bocchi hadn't realized Nina was simply short, with a cute round face and a childish hairstyle.
In reality, Nina had already turned 17—fully two years older than Bocchi!
Facing this senior rocker, older than herself, who'd fulfilled Bocchi's ideal of dropping out of school—
Bocchi, unaware of this, spontaneously felt the urge to look after her!
And besides, Momoka-san was watching too!
Bocchi saw their mutual idol—the original creator of Empty Box—standing with Rinto in the audience, watching with an unreadable, mysterious smile.
But if she didn't do her best now, when else would she?!
Nijika: "Alright, everyone ready? Here we go… 1, 2! 1, 2, 3!"
With Nijika's drumsticks counting off, Empty Box began—this time without Momoka.
Unlike yesterday's rehearsal with Momoka and Nina, Bocchi hadn't rehearsed even once with Nijika's group—truly thrown on stage without preparation.
Still, she managed to keep up... Well, sort of.
"Ah, she rushed it."
Sakiko, intently watching from the side, quietly voiced regret at Bocchi's mistake.
Given it was her first performance and her fear was understandable, Bocchi naturally slipped up.
She played furiously, head down the entire time, not daring to glance at her bandmates, completely absorbed in her frantic rhythm.
Her rushed playing disrupted everyone's timing, causing the guitar to speed ahead.
Ryo, the most skilled, barely managed to hold things together, using her bass's heavy sound-wall to stabilize the performance.
But Nijika's drumming quickly fell into disarray, the girl clenching her teeth to prevent total collapse.
At that moment, Nina stepped forward!
"Is this useless map the reason we're still helpless?"
As the song transitioned into the chorus, Nina's voice—tense with emotion—suddenly softened dramatically.
Holding the mic, she strode boldly across the stage, turning completely away from the audience to face Bocchi directly!
Practically leaning into Bocchi's face, she forced the guitarist—still looking down—to finally notice her.
"Even after pushing ourselves too hard, maybe the outcome stays the same."
…!
In those brief six or seven seconds, Nina's voice—overflowing with intensity—poured directly into Bocchi's heart.
"Stuffing our own empty boxes to the brim, yet still peering into everyone else's."
"And, in the end, still unable to put on even a clumsy, fake smile."
Nina began moving again.
Mic in hand, she fully commanded the stage, mastering the flow with only her voice.
Bocchi gritted her teeth, stomped fiercely, and with the song's climax approaching, unleashed everything she had!
—Empty Box was Nina's favorite song! Everyone loved it!
And the original idol-creator was watching from the audience! She had to get it together!
This was her tribute to Momoka's guitar-playing... she had to perform perfectly!
"...Eh?"
At the instant Nina's singing paused briefly, the audience erupted into cheers for the suddenly astounding musical climax, and—
Both Rinto and Momoka froze simultaneously.
Their eyes locked onto Bocchi, whose performance skill had suddenly soared.
Focused, precise, and powerfully emotional.
And that guitar... a classical guitar entirely out of place for her age…
Momoka immediately turned, staring at Rinto in shock:
"That girl—is she Guitar Hero?"
"...I just realized it myself."
Rinto shared Momoka's astonishment.
With such skill and that guitar, she clearly was Guitar Hero—the top-tier streamer from the platform.
Momoka had always considered her a rival.
She recognized Guitar Hero's skills as equal to her own but held a complicated dissatisfaction toward her, mainly because she never produced original songs.
Momoka had guessed Guitar Hero was a high-schooler, but never imagined she'd be this introverted girl…
"...So, that's how it is. Such an outstanding girl was right by your side all along."
Momoka suddenly relaxed, breaking into a peaceful smile.
The surging black sludge melted from her heart, washing away the remnants of her pride and self-esteem.
She genuinely felt happy for Rinto, and for those promising juniors like Nina and Bocchi.
Yet amid this passionate performance and the audience's feverish cheers…
There was no longer any place left for her.