Sendai livehouse enn 1st.
Exhibition halls are generally divided into several tiers. If we classify them simply by their equipment completeness and venue size, they can generally be divided into three types: large, medium, and small boxes. For example, STARRY is a typical small box.
As for Kessoku Band, who have not yet officially debuted as professionals, it is impossible for them to take the stage at a large box like SENDAI GIGS.
Therefore, a medium box like enn 1st is basically the limit for the girls at this point—if they want to take another step forward, they will have to wait until after they graduate from school and operate the band as a career for it to be possible.
Nighttime in Sendai carried a bit more moist chill than the daytime. The Japan lights on both sides of the street lit up, their rays drawing fine, broken reflections on the slightly damp ground. Quite a few people had already gathered in the block where the livehouse was located—audience members wearing band T-shirts, young people carrying instruments, and staff members smoking and chatting casually at the entrance. The air was mixed with a bit of alcohol and smoke, carrying that special messy yet reassuring atmosphere unique to a livehouse.
Asakura slowly executed a rather unpracticed parallel park with the old car, lightly turning the steering wheel and bringing the car to a steady stop right in front of enn 1st's entrance.
As soon as the car came to a stop, he casually pulled the handbrake and turned his head to glance at the girls in the back seat.
"We're here."
The car doors were pushed open one after another.
Just then—
"Been waiting a long time for you."
A familiar voice came from the side of the road.
Before Asakura had even fully leaned out, he had already recognized who it was. Placing one hand on the car door, he poked his head out to look, and sure enough, he saw that familiar figure on the nearby sidewalk.
Hiroi Kikuri was standing there with an instrument bag casually placed by her feet. Her face was bright with a wide smile, and her hand was raised high, waving at them.
It seemed she had been waiting for quite a while, yet she showed no impatience at all; instead, she looked to be in a very good mood.
Great. Asakura looked at her face, which was entirely devoid of the cautious expression typical of someone with social anxiety, and immediately made a judgment—this gal was, in all likelihood, already drunk.
"Why are you here?"
Asakura raised an eyebrow and asked with a bit of surprise, his gaze lingering on her for a moment.
No wonder he hadn't seen this gal coming over to freeload food and drinks these past two days; turned out she had run off to Sendai.
"For the joint live performance, of course! I've gotta eat, too, you know."
Hiroi Kikuri said as if it were the most natural thing in the world, taking a few steps closer as she spoke, a completely pressure-free smile on her face. She grinned, her tone light, breezy, and a little smug.
"I was also the one who proposed having Kessoku Band come fill the opening this time!"
When she said this, she even deliberately puffed out her chest, putting on a "hurry up and praise me" look.
The sound of a car door closing rang out beside them.
"Mm, though I hate to admit it, we still have to thank Kikuri-san for getting us this kind of opportunity."
Nijika rounded the car from the front passenger side, casually shutting the door. Once standing firm, she bowed her head slightly and spoke in a serious tone.
When she spoke, her expression was very proper, and even her posture unconsciously straightened up a bit, making her look like she was formally apologizing.
In reality, Kessoku Band's popularity was originally enough for them to participate in joint lives at medium boxes, and there would have even been no problem with them directly acting as the headliners.
However, after Kita Ikuyo joined as the main vocalist and the legendary "Bocchi-sama," Hitori, stepped back into the background to become a full-time guitarist, the band's popularity suffered a fairly noticeable drop.
Add to that the fact that throughout the entire summer vacation, both of them had their own individual matters to attend to; practice time was difficult to coordinate, and performance opportunities became sporadic. As a result, their performance throughout the whole summer vacation remained stuck in place, without much improvement.
Asakura pulled the key from the ignition and casually turned off the headlights. Listening to Nijika's words, he had a good idea of the situation in his mind.
"That's right!"
Hiroi Kikuri stood with her hands on her hips, stepped one foot forward, and leaned her whole body forward a bit. Wearing a look that said "I'm amazing," her tone carried obvious pride.
"Thank you, Kikuri-san..." "Fulfilling a vow."
Hitori and Yamada Ryo got out from the back seat. Just as they gained their footing, they heard Hiroi Kikuri's words.
The two of them barely exchanged glances, yet as if they had agreed beforehand, they bent down in front of her in synchronized motion, performing an exaggerated act of worship.
Hitori's movements were a bit stiff, but she still tried her best to press her forehead down.
Yamada Ryo, on the other hand, was expressionless, yet her movements were executed quite standardly.
"...Eh?"
Kita Ikuyo had just stepped out of the car, and seeing this scene, she was visibly stunned. Her footsteps froze on the spot, and a somewhat conflicted expression appeared on her face.
She looked at the two people kneeling down, then looked at Hiroi Kikuri who was smiling with full triumph. The corners of her mouth twitched slightly. In the end, she was too embarrassed to follow along with the same gesture on the open street. She could only stand to the side, not knowing where to put her hands. Her whole person looked somewhat like she was being isolated, standing there fidgeting nervously and looking downright pitiful.
"Nehahaha! You can thank me a bit more!"
Hiroi Kikuri laughed even more happily, even deliberately raising her chin, putting on an "it's not enough, bring on more" look.
Just as she was about to say something more—
Whack.
A crisp and decisive hand-chop sounded out.
"Ow!"
Hiroi Kikuri clutched her head, her whole body shrinking in an instant as her expression shifted straight from smugness to pain.
"Sorry, our family's idiot has brought you trouble."
Asakura looked over toward the sound.
A tall girl was standing behind Hiroi Kikuri, her hand not yet fully retracted, her movement clean and sharp.
Her short hair was cut neatly; the black strands carried a bit of natural messiness, but overall it didn't look untidy, instead highlighting her capable and experienced demeanor.
The ends of her hair rested against the back of her neck, swaying gently with her previous movement before quickly settling back down.
She was wearing a simple athletic jacket with the zipper pulled halfway up, a dark inner layer underneath, slightly fitted jeans on her lower body, and a pair of wear-resistant sneakers on her feet. Her whole person lacked any superfluous decoration, looking like someone in a "ready to move into action at any moment" state.
Standing there, there was almost no expression on her face. Her center of gravity was very stable, her shoulders naturally relaxed, her back straight. She didn't deliberately strike any pose, yet she gave off a very solid impression.
Those red eyes looked calmly at Hiroi Kikuri in front of her, without any obvious emotional waves, yet inexplicably making one feel a bit of pressure.
That wasn't ferocity, but rather that kind of calm that says "I won't waste words with you."
Asakura recognized her.
Iwashita Shima.
She was the drummer of SICK HACK, the band Hiroi Kikuri belonged to.
Previously, when Hiroi Kikuri drank to the point of losing control, she had specifically run over to drag the person away, and had even offered a gesture of apology to him and Shiina. The impression from that time was far too deep, so he recognized her instantly this time.
"Sh-Shima... it's not like that... I was just accepting the kids' worship!"
Hiroi Kikuri clutched her head while bending her waist, frantically defending herself with an exaggerated expression, her voice raising several pitches.
"Not your head! That's already weird enough, okay!"
A vein visibly popped on Iwashita Shima's forehead, but the expression on her face still didn't change much. Her voice, however, was kept very low and direct.
"Stop harassing the rookie band! Don't bring any more misunderstandings upon our band!"
As she spoke, her body leaned forward slightly, her gaze pressing down with an obvious sense of intimidation.
"But when the organizer and our fans see me doing all kinds of stuff, they all just say 'Wow, so rock and roll!' or something..." Hiroi Kikuri instinctively shrank back a bit, but her mouth was still stubbornly holding out.
"That's because they haven't realized your true nature!"
Iwashita Shima followed up almost immediately, without a single moment of hesitation in her tone.
Her frame wasn't particularly huge, but her overall proportions were very slender, with great shoulder-to-waist lines. Standing there, she appeared both light and solid, especially when she applied a bit of force, the lines of her arms and shoulders would naturally tighten, clearly showing the strength built from long-term drumming practice.
That kind of strength wasn't about exaggerated muscle, but stability and crispness.
When she put pressure on Hiroi Kikuri, that feeling became extraordinarily obvious.
Eh, could it be a physical physique that was naturally forged from hammering (?) Hiroi Kikuri?
Asakura's gaze unconsciously shifted slightly, looking toward Nijika beside him.
As expected.
Nijika was staring at Iwashita Shima's movements without blinking, standing completely straight, even unconsciously holding her breath a bit, as if she were seriously observing something.
That kind of feeling, rather than saying she was watching the excitement, was more like she was learning.
Yamada Ryo stood to the side, and after noticing this, she inexplicably shuddered, her shoulders twitching slightly.
"Is she very famous?"
Kita Ikuyo leaned a little closer to Nijika's side and asked in a low voice.
"Shima-san is quite a formidable drummer, you know, even among professionals her level is incredible..."
Nijika also lowered her voice to answer, her tone unconsciously turning serious.
"If my Drummer Power is eight thousand, Shima-san is over thirty thousand!"
What on earth is Drummer Power? Are you acting in Dragon Ball or something? What kind of weird power creep is this?
Asakura couldn't help but snort in his mind.
Kita Ikuyo and Hitori, however, very cooperatively showed a "so cool" expression, and even nodded along.
Just at that moment, Asakura's gaze swept over to Iwashita Shima's side.
On the surface, she seemed to pay no attention to this side at all, still staring cold-faced at Hiroi Kikuri.
However, her ears had already turned slightly red.
And that red was spreading downward from the tips of her ears bit by bit, very noticeably.
Clearly, she had heard the praise just now.
It was just that she seemed to have no idea how to respond at all, so she simply chose to pretend she hadn't heard.
Hiroi Kikuri noticed this too.
Her eyes visibly lit up.
Interestingly, when she wasn't drinking, Hiroi Kikuri was actually a somewhat slow-witted person with social anxiety, but as long as she touched even a little alcohol, her powers of observation would instead become abnormally sharp.
Just like right now.
She stared at Shima's slightly reddened ear, the corners of her mouth slowly curving upward.
And then—
"Kekeke..."
She couldn't help but chuckle softly, smiling with utmost malice.
She had no intention of helping to bail her out at all.
Whack.
Another hand-chop.
"Ow, that hurts—!"
This time was even heavier than before.
Iwashita Shima retracted her hand, her expression still unchanged.
She seemed to have no intention of continuing to waste time.
"Let's go, we need to prepare for our live."
After she finished speaking, her gaze swept over Kessoku Band's side and she nodded as a greeting, then turned around and walked toward the back door.
Her steps were very fast, clearly pressed for time.
As the only "normal person" in the band, there were many things she needed to coordinate; she couldn't stay outside for too long.
"Kikuri, hurry over after you're done chatting."
She threw out a line without even turning her head.
"Oh—got it~"
Hiroi Kikuri said while clutching her head.
"H-How should I put it..."
Hitori mumbled in a low voice, her fingers still clutching the hem of her clothes, her voice somewhat weak.
"I feel like... I just saw the future image of Nijika-senpai overworking in the same way..."
Asakura took a glance at her, unable to resist snorting in his mind.
You sure are self-aware.
After all, purely in terms of social anxiety, Hitori's degree was even greater than Hiroi Kikuri's in her normal state.
Hopefully, this kid won't get led astray in the future and turn into a drunkard.
The rhythm that had just been brought out by Iwashita Shima still lingered in the air.
That crisp and decisive atmosphere didn't immediately dissipate.
Hiroi Kikuri glanced at the members of Kessoku Band who were still standing where they were.
And then—
"By the way."
She scratched her cheek.
As if she had just remembered something.
Next, she stood straight again, placing her hands on her hips.
The expression on her face returned once more to that triumphant look from earlier.
"It's fine to continue, you know!"
"What?" Nijika asked instinctively.
"The worship."
"..."
She really forgets the pain as soon as the beating stops.
Asakura silently muttered in his mind.
Yet at this moment, a completely different kind of commotion sounded from inside the door.
It wasn't that straight, sharp sound of footsteps, but a somewhat dragging, rhythm-stepping yet casual stride. The sound of the soles making contact with the ground was light on one beat and heavy on the next; the rhythm wasn't stable, yet inexplicably made people feel that the other party didn't care about these details at all.
One could tell that the owner of the footsteps was an even more carefree gal.
Click.
The door was pushed open to a crack.
The dim light inside squeezed out from the gap, drawing a thin band of light on the ground. Immediately after, the first thing to flash out from that light was an extraordinarily eye-catching splash of gold.
Asakura's gaze was drawn over almost instinctively.
The door was pushed open completely.
A figure leaned lazily against the doorframe, one foot still inside the doorway while the other lightly stepped on the ground outside. Her body was slightly angled with her shoulder resting against the doorframe, having no intention of stepping out right away.
"Yahho~ Did little Kikuri make Shima mad again?"
As she spoke, the tone at the end of her sentence curved upward slightly, carrying a light, breezy hint of a smile.
That hair was a bright golden blonde that would glint faintly even under this rather dim indoor lighting. The strands weren't neat, possessing a natural fluffiness as if she had just woken up and hadn't had time to comb it yet, or as if she simply couldn't be bothered to tidy it. The tips of her hair curled outward slightly, a few strands resting on her shoulder and gently swaying as her body moved.
Leaning by the door just like that, her body was slightly tilted, her center of gravity seemingly ready to shift at any moment.
She raised her head.
A pair of clear, pale sapphire-blue eyes was revealed.
Asakura instinctively took an extra glance.
Interestingly, after living in this world for a while, he had slowly come to realize one thing—the hair colors of people in this world could be very wild, with pink, green, and purple not being uncommon, but the combination of "blonde hair and blue eyes" alone would instead be instinctively treated as a "foreigner."
It was almost equivalent to the label of "having European blood."
Even if the shape of the person's face was still East Asian, it was no exception.
Take Miss Sawamura-Loser-Spencer-Even-Her-Individual-IF-Route-Got-Axed-Eriri, for instance.
And the person in front of him was clearly of the same category.
Her pair of sapphire-blue eyes didn't carry a sharp sense of pressure like Iwashita Shima's; on the contrary, they looked very soft, even carrying a touch of warmth.
However, there was almost no feeling of "seriousness" inside them.
When her gaze landed on someone else, it always gave people an indescribable sense of dissonance.
It was as if she was looking at you, yet also looking at something else, even making people unable to resist doubting whether she was zoning out.
Her frame was slender with straight shoulder lines, and standing there, there was no extra tension about her whole person; instead, she appeared very loose. Yet this slackness was not weakness, but rather that kind of state where she "could move into action at any moment."
Her sense of power was kept well-restrained within.
However, what she was wearing formed a subtle contrast with this aura.
It was a yukata.
And it was worn quite casually.
The lapels were not fully straightened out, the collar slightly open and resting loosely on her shoulders, revealing her collarbones and the edge of the fabric inside. The sash around her waist was not tied tightly, making the overall lines look somewhat loose.
When she leaned against the doorframe, the fabric slid gently, as if it could slide down a bit more at any second.
That uninhibited feeling, overlaid with her overly eye-catching blonde hair and those blue eyes, would cause anyone at first sight to arrive at a conclusion—
This gal isn't a normal person either.
"Let me introduce you."
Hiroi Kikuri swayed her body, patted her chest after standing firm. Her head still carried a bit of flush from the alcohol, but her eyes were surprisingly clear, and her speech wasn't slurred either.
Completely unlike an average drunkard who doesn't know what they are doing.
"This is Shimizu Eliza, our band's guitarist," Hiroi Kikuri said. "She comes from Great Britain, you know!"
"Hello, everyone~"
Shimizu Eliza, whose name was called, immediately raised her hand, waved casually toward this side, and greeted everyone with a smile.
Her wrist was very loose and her movement looked very light, yet it was very natural.
Asakura noticed that when her gaze swept past everyone, it seemed to pause on him for a moment.
It wasn't long, but it was very clear.
"What's wrong?" Asakura didn't hesitate and asked directly, "Do you know me from before?"
Shimizu Eliza narrowed her eyes slightly, her smile unchanged.
"Although I don't know you, I have seen you before, that's all."
"?"
Asakura had a blank look on his face, his brows instinctively knitting together slightly.
Reasonably speaking, with an appearance of such high recognizability, if he had seen her, it would be impossible not to have the slightest impression.
Shimizu Eliza seemed to see his confusion as well, and didn't keep him in suspense.
"The guy who was pulling and tugging with a girl in front of Kashiwagi Eri-sama's booth."
When she said this line, her tone carried a bit of mischief, and the corners of her mouth curved upward slightly.
"..."
Asakura paused for a moment.
"Summer Comiket, huh."
He quickly reacted.
In a place like that, there were simply too many people.
All kinds of cosplay, all kinds of weird looks, "monsters and demons" everywhere.
In that kind of environment, Shimizu Eliza—who was merely blonde-haired and blue-eyed—was instead "the most normal type," so it was very normal not to leave an impression.
Wait a second, a person who calls Kashiwagi Eri "sama"... Could this gal be someone who likes collecting doujinshi too?
Why did I have to use "too"?
"However, I remember the girl next to you at that time..." Shimizu Eliza's gaze shifted over to the side again, landing on the members of Kessoku Band. She tilted her head slightly, her blue eyes carrying obvious curiosity, "seemed to look a bit different from these kids?"
"Isn't it normal for someone to have a few batches of friends?"
Asakura shrugged, his tone very casual, "Are the only friends you have just these few people in the band?"
"Sodayo."
Shimizu Eliza barely thought about it and directly nodded her head.
Her tone was as calm as if she were stating a matter of course.
Asakura: "..."
He opened his mouth, for a moment actually not knowing how to respond.
"W-What a coincidence... I-I am too!"
Hitori, as if finding a kindred spirit, leaned her body forward slightly and chimed in with a trembling voice.
Miss Nadeshiko will be sad, Hitori.
"That's right, that's right, me too."
Yamada Ryo beside them also nodded along, looking dead serious.
"Don't talk nonsense! It's clearly because you, Ryo, borrowed money from other classmates and then started unilaterally dodging them!"
Nijika pointed her finger over almost immediately, exposing her without mercy.
"..."
Yamada Ryo paused, slowly raising her head, her expression turning a bit weathered.
"From the moment they lent me money, there was a thick barrier between us..."
She spoke with absolute seriousness.
"Don't say it as if it's the fault of the people who lent you money! Besides, isn't everyone in Kessoku Band your creditors too..."
Nijika straight up complained.
"Also, if I'm not mistaken—"
Just at this moment, Shimizu Eliza's gaze shifted again.
She looked over toward Momoka, who was leaning next to the old car and hadn't come over to join the conversation. She narrowed her eyes slightly, as if confirming something.
"Could that person be Diamond Dust's lead singer, Miss Kawaragi..."
"It's the 'former' lead singer."
Momoka crossed her arms over her chest, leaning her back against the car door with her head tilted slightly, correcting her in a very flat tone.
"The current me is just an employee at a dessert shop, that's all."
When she said this, there was no extra expression on her face, as if stating something that didn't matter anymore.
Although she didn't mean to quit the music circle, before reforming a new band, she didn't intend to stay active in the circle.
"Oh my."
Shimizu Eliza shook her head gently, her hair swaying along with the movement.
Her voice carried a bit of lazy amusement.
"That really is a pity then. I quite liked 'Kara no Hako' [VOID]."
As she spoke, her gaze shifted over to the side, landing on Hiroi Kikuri, her eyes carrying a bit of banter.
"Kikuri too, right?"
Hiroi Kikuri opened her mouth, looking as though she wanted to chime in.
Yet unexpectedly, she couldn't pick up the conversation for a long while.
"..."
She was stunned for a moment and scratched her cheek.
Eliza tilted her head slightly.
Golden hair strands slid in front of her shoulders with this motion, and she blinked gently, looking at Momoka.
"Are you experimental?"
"It's just ordinary Alternative Rock, that's all."
Momoka answered flatly.
"Well..."
Shimizu Eliza responded, her body leaving the doorframe as she walked slowly into the livehouse.
The hem of her yukata swayed gently with her steps.
She took a few steps, then stopped as if recalling something, raising her hand to brush back the hair hanging beside her ear.
Her blonde hair drew a very short arc in the air before falling back to its original position.
She turned her head, looking at Hiroi Kikuri who was still standing outside.
"Kikuri, hurry up and come prepare too; our performance order is pretty early on."
Her tone was as light as if reminding someone of a very ordinary, minor matter.
"Osu~"
Hiroi Kikuri raised her hand and waved, then turned her head to look at Asakura and the others, her tone returning to that casual feeling once more.
"Well then, I'll head over first. You guys can prepare the instruments and stuff too, and move them to the backstage area first. The practice room before the show is open to performing bands for free, and the peanuts here are really tasty too~"
As she spoke, she took a step backward, looking as though she was already prepared to leave.
"Alright, alright, Kikuri-san, hurry up and go prepare too."
Nijika sighed, reaching out to give her a gentle nudge on the back.
"Hey—don't push—"
Hiroi Kikuri was pushed forward into a stumble, complaining while still obediently walking inside.
Her figure quickly vanished into the lights of the entrance.
Nijika retracted her hand and clapped her palms together, as if collecting her thoughts.
Then she raised her head, showing an expression full of energy.
"All in all, let's move our stuff inside first!"
"It's better if you girls go in first to familiarize yourselves with the environment; leave the heavy lifting of moving instruments and stuff to me."
At this time, Asakura spoke up.
"Eh, isn't that a bit bad? Handing over all the hard work to Asakura-kun..."
Nijika was clearly feeling a bit guilty in her conscience.
"I can't be of much help when it comes to the performance anyway, so just leave the manual labor to me." Asakura waved his hand nonchalantly. "Kawaragi, you go in together with Hitori and the others too. This is their first time performing out of town, after all; if you could impart some experience to them, that would be for the best."
"Well, since you put it that way."
Momoka shrugged, then clapped her hands at the girls of Kessoku Band and said, "Alright, don't interrupt boys when they want to act cool; that's basic courtesy, you know. Let me go in first."
Although Nijika and Hitori were both a bit uneasy, they still listened to Asakura and Momoka's words and went into the livehouse first.
Asakura slowly parked that old sedan at the staff entrance behind the Live House, then unhurriedly got out of the car, walked to the rear, opened the trunk, and lightly snapped his fingers.
In the next moment, the trunk that had been packed to the brim suddenly trembled lightly.
Under the effect of the spell [Snake], the instruments of Kessoku Band inside the trunk seemed to come alive at the same time, their outlines shrinking and writhing rapidly, turning into long, slender little snakes.
They slithered around shaking their heads, flicking their tiny tongues, and making subtle rustling sounds in the dim trunk.
Asakura casually raised a finger.
As if receiving an instruction, those little snakes immediately poured out from the trunk in single file, sliding quickly along the ground, flexibly climbing up the wall, and squeezing through the gaps in the ventilation ducts one by one.
In the narrow duct, their slender bodies meandered forward, crossing past each other yet without the slightest chaos, like a silent undercurrent quietly traversing inside the building.
Asakura followed unhurriedly on the side, occasionally moving a finger lightly, causing a few little snakes that slightly strayed off course to readjust their direction and continue forward.
A moment later, as Asakura arrived at the break room assigned to Kessoku Band by the Live organizer, a faint rustling sound came from the ceiling vent in the break room.
Soon after, a little snake poked its head out, followed by a second, a third—
They squeezed out from the vent one after another, falling onto the floor and rapidly gathering toward the center, their slender bodies intertwining and overlapping with each other.
The skeleton of the instruments was propped up again, the lines gradually fixing in place, and the texture of metal and wood re-condensed in the air.
In just a few seconds, those writhing little snakes turned back into familiar instruments—guitars, bass, drum kit, effect pedals, and cables, neatly stacked together.
After a short while, when Nijika pushed open the door and entered the break room, she couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.
She saw Asakura already sitting on the sofa in the break room, leisurely drinking tea and scrolling on his phone, while the instruments they had brought along were laid out neat and tidy on the side.
Why is it that Asakura, who moved so many things, arrived at the break room faster than us, and even looks so relaxed...
The girl felt somewhat puzzled in her heart, but apart from attributing it to him being exceptionally gifted, there didn't seem to be any other possibility.
It couldn't be that the instruments crawled over by themselves, right?
"Oh, Asakura... pretty capable, huh." Yamada Ryo, who entered the room afterward, was also surprised for a moment, but gave Asakura a thumbs-up to give him face: "Whenever I need to move stuff in the future, I'll ask you for help."
"No chance." Asakura rejected with a smile.
"Instant response? How cold-hearted?!" Yamada Ryo was shocked.
"Kita is here~" Kita Ikuyo poked her head in.
"Lately Kita's mental state is really envious. I remember you didn't really like your own name in the past, right?"
Asakura looked at the girl.
"Because while recording the Comiket a while back, I found that I needed to find topics to talk about. The topics used when casually chatting with friends at school felt like they easily led to awkward silences. At times like that, using my name to make puns is very convenient, and maybe it leaves a deeper impression on fans too."
Kita Ikuyo said open-mindedly.
"...Hitori, alone..." Hitori poked her head in.
"Hitori, you don't need to go out of your way to imitate Kita's boring pun jokes." Asakura said.
"Boring puns?!" Kita was shocked.
"I-Is it really no good..." Hitori was somewhat disappointed.
She had originally placed high hopes on imitating Kita's pun jokes.
"Alright, everyone, let's not waste time. Since Asakura-kun was kind enough to move the instruments over for us so quickly, let's use the remaining time to practice properly!"
In the end, it was Nijika who spoke up to put the mindset of Kessoku Band's general back on the performance.
"Although it isn't strictly necessary..." At this moment, Momoka also walked into the break room: "Practicing once or twice to get a feel for things is about enough. My recommendation is that after the live begins, you go outside to feel the atmosphere of the venue and adapt in advance."
"Mm, since it's Kawaragi-senpai's recommendation, let's do that."
As the leader, Nijika clapped her hands and made the decision.
☆
On the stage, the lights flashed, darkness and light intertwining, pushing the atmosphere to its peak in an instant.
The surrounding noise seemed as if it had been swallowed by this tiny Live House, and all attention converged upon that brilliant stage.
The band's name—SICK HACK—was clearly displayed on the big screen, while band members Hiroi Kikuri, Iwashita Shima, and Shimizu Eliza stood in the center of the stage, preparing to welcome the moment that belonged to them.
Their images flickered on the stage, not only because of the shifting lights, but also due to that intense musical aura radiating from them, making people unable to help stopping in their tracks to focus on their every movement.
At this moment, the atmosphere of the entire venue was completely different; the audience's gazes were focused on them, and many people had already begun swaying gently to the rhythm, yet no one dared to make too much noise because their presence was simply far too powerful.
"Although it wasn't mentioned much before," Nijika, who was standing backstage feeling the venue's atmosphere, whispered to everyone: "Actually, Kikuri-san's band is quite famous within a certain range. Though their number of fans isn't the largest, their loyalty is very strong."
"It's a band with a fairly distinct personal style after all," Momoka, who had been working in the industry for a while, had clearly heard of the band SICK HACK as well, and commented, "A style like psychedelic rock is just like durian; people who like it will love it, while people who hate it will despise it."
"—Clang~"
As she spoke, the sound of the electric guitar, along with Hiroi Kikuri's low humming, came from the speakers.
The guitar sound was crisp and carried a trace of trembling, like a swift wind penetrating this enclosed space.
Following right behind was the bass low end gradually joining the rhythm.
As the drummer, Iwashita Shima wasn't idling either, swinging her drumsticks into the air. With a loud strike, her drumbeats were like the beating of a heart, mastering the musical nodes with fast and precise movements. Every beat seemed to carry an invisible force, vibrating the chests of the audience.
Shimizu Eliza stood on one side of the stage, her guitar already vibrating continuously in her hands. Following the changes in notes, her fingertips were nimble and agile, with a lazy confidence mixed into her elegance.
Her long golden hair sparkled under the lights, and the expression on her face always carried a hint of an unbothered, lazy smile, yet every movement and every note of hers conveyed a strong emotion to the audience.
After the initial shock passed, as the three gradually got into the groove, the musical atmosphere grew richer and richer, and elements of psychedelic rock began to dominate.
Unlike ordinary rock that had a very clear sense of rhythm and was full of explosive force, the style of psychedelic rock was much thicker... or rather, more stream-of-consciousness.
As long as you caught the wavelength, there would be a feeling of "floating up."
Perhaps this was also the reason why Hiroi Kikuri had to drink herself dead drunk before every live?
Her bass began entering a progressive, layered arrangement, with notes breaking and reconnecting, as if constantly leading people through a tunnel of time and space.
Every note was unpredictable under her fingertips, like elusive light and shadows forming in the air, crossing countless times and spaces to release a marvelous, indescribable charm.
Asakura raised an eyebrow.
To be honest, he didn't particularly like the genre of psychedelic rock; judging purely by the quality of the music, he couldn't tell at all what was good about this stuff.
However, if viewed as a holder of a spell whose mind was far more sensitive than average people when appreciating music, SICK HACK's psychedelic rock indeed offered a starkly different experience from the previous bands, being much more impactful. Hiroi Kikuri and the others' emotions were like heavy oil paint, recklessly smeared across the space Asakura's spirit could sense.
To put it in more intuitive terms, their band's sense of presence and atmosphere was exceptionally good.
...Though he still thought it didn't sound very good, that was all.
Meanwhile, the four members of Kessoku Band standing backstage were currently completely awestruck by the scene before them.
They had never seen such a musical impact. Although in previous performances at STARRY, the girls had collaborated with many bands and experienced plenty of exciting, intense music, at this moment, SICK HACK's performance completely overturned their expectations.
Nijika instinctively frowned, holding her drumsticks tightly in her hand (God only knows why she brought them along with her), her eyes fixed on the movements of the three members on stage, seemingly trying to understand every single change in their guitar riffs and drumbeats.
Actually, in the past, Nijika's older sister, Ijichi Seika, had taken her to see Hiroi Kikuri's live. It was just that back then, Nijika hadn't formed her own band yet, and her appreciation of lives was limited to that of an audience member. But once standing from an insider's perspective, appreciating the other party's live from the standpoint of a "peer" or even a "competitor," the feeling was already night and day.
Even though Hiroi Kikuri herself hadn't changed at all, at this moment she displayed a side that was usually out of reach. That wild and free melody made Nijika unable to help feeling a sense of awe toward this band.
Yamada Ryo listened while bobbing her head.
Kita Ikuyo was somewhat stunned, almost forgetting how to speak.
As the band's lead vocalist, after her growth during this period, she was naturally not comparable to the KTV-level performer she was when she first joined Kessoku Band. But even if she had gotten used to the rhythm of music and could tacitly cooperate with the band to dedicate her vocals as perfectly as possible, the performance before her eyes suddenly made her feel that her understanding of a band vocalist had become narrow.
Unlike herself being carried along by the ensemble of Kessoku Band's other members, Hiroi Kikuri was the true core of SICK HACK. Her singing was the navigation guiding the music forward. That intense, irresistible wave of sound seemed to hit Kita Ikuyo's heart directly, every note like a bolt of lightning wrapping her whole self inside with shocking power.
Yamada Ryo listened while bobbing her head.
Hitori, standing beside her, wasn't shocked by Shimizu Eliza's guitar skills—as Guitar Hero, speaking purely of technique, she was actually above her. However, the girl herself quite liked SICK HACK's psychedelic rock. Hiroi Kikuri's lyrics, or rather her inner voice, resonated intensely with Hitori, who had likewise always been alone, so much so that an indescribable impulse surged within the girl's heart, making her want to play the guitar along with them.
At this point, the music entered a new climax section—Shimizu Eliza's guitar began colliding with Hiroi Kikuri's notes, their intertwining like two massive whirlpools, devouring and twisting around each other.
That perfect blend of rock and psychedelic music plunged the entire audience beneath the stage into frenzy, heating up the atmosphere in an instant to a level unprecedented by any of the bands before this live.
Only Yamada Ryo was still bobbing her head.
"What do you think?" Asakura asked Momoka.
"They've made even more progress since the last time I heard them," Momoka's fingers unconsciously wiggled slightly, as if instinctively playing something: "The evolution of the juniors is truly scary. If I don't work hard, I might get surpassed."
"Speaking purely of age, you might not be older than Kikuri, you know," Asakura reminded her.
"What a pity; seniority in this line of work goes by fame and experience too," Momoka said with her arms crossed over her chest, acting high and mighty.
Having officially debuted and even appeared on television, her experience was indeed older than SICK HACK's.
Even though she ended up performing on the streets after leaving her band, that is.
"Ugly Japanese seniority hierarchy," Asakura muttered.
"After Kikuri-san... in just a bit... it's, it's almost our turn."
Hitori said nervously.
"Speaking of which, there should be a voting segment in this joint live too, right?"
Yamada Ryo suddenly spoke up.
"What voting?" Momoka asked in confusion.
"It's about using admission tickets as credentials to vote for your favorite band in the joint live," Yamada Ryo said. "The organizers will also have the winning band perform an encore."
"When did this rule come about? There was no such thing back in my day," Momoka shook her head. "By doing this, aren't the organizers afraid of offending bands that don't get good rankings?"
"Because quite a few livehouses have closed down recently, and the range of choices for rookie bands has narrowed, so they have nothing to fear, right?"
Nijika sighed.
After all, the economy wasn't doing very well; even STARRY's income had dropped. Surviving in a small box like this was far more difficult than in medium or large boxes that had stable band tours.
"So, should we fight for first place?" Kita asked.
"Stand at the peak! ...Although I'd really love to say that, we didn't prepare an encore song, so it's not gonna work." Nijika shook her head.
"I also think... it's too attention-grabbing, not very good..." Hitori said in a low voice.
"Coward," Yamada Ryo offered an ambiguous evaluation.
Momoka, on the other hand, found it somewhat hard to understand.
"It's not that I want to dampen your enthusiasm... setting aside the consequences of aiming for first place... why do you guys have that feeling of 'if we want first place, we can definitely get it'?"
She looked at the members of Kessoku Band: "To say nothing of Kita's guitar level... as far as I know, hasn't your band only been formed for a little over two months? And you're all still students... among the bands that performed earlier, there were some with pretty good skill levels too. Isn't your confidence a bit excessive?"
"Well, if I have to say why," Nijika glanced at Hitori, and only then spoke with uncertainty: "Probably because I have a secret weapon?"
"The power of love is infinite," Yamada Ryo said nonsensical words deadpan. Because she had almost no expression as usual, it made it completely impossible to tell whether she was joking or not.
"Ryo-senpai is right," Kita chimed in.
"You guys..."
Momoka was completely unable to figure out what was going on, and could only scratch her head helplessly.
"You can't play in a band without ambition," Asakura touched his chin and suddenly spoke up: "If Kessoku Band can win first place in this joint live, as a reward, I'll give you a gift."
"Really?" Yamada Ryo's eyes lit up.
"For real, for real. Even if it's for my sake, use 『Guitar, Loneliness and Blue Planet』 on them!" Asakura nodded: "However, a declaration in advance: as long as others don't cheat, you aren't allowed to deploy Hitori first."
"Mm..." Yamada Ryo knit her brows.
What does "deploy Hitori first" mean?
Momoka looked at the trembling Hitori, unable to make heads or tails of it at all.
"Well, but just as the boss guy said, if you don't head for the peak when playing in a band, it's very easy to be buried by the avalanche of time," she said. "If you didn't prepare an encore song, just cover popular songs; don't be afraid of being in the spotlight, only mediocre people aren't envied by others! Treat every single live as the last performance of your career and give it your all—if there's anything I can pass on to others as experience, this is it."
"That's right, stand at the peak!" Asakura also encouraged the girls.
"Budokan!" "Tokyo Dome!" "Kohaku Uta Gassen!" "...Inage K's Dream"
"Why did something completely not on the same level as the others get mixed in there! Hitori, stand up!"
"Awoo..."
☆
After a period of intense and tight practice, the moment finally arrived for Kessoku Band to take the stage and perform.
"Boss guy doesn't look nervous at all, huh," Momoka looked at Asakura beside her, teasingly saying.
They weren't backstage at this time, but had gone straight over to the audience area instead. After all, compared to backstage, the front was obviously the direction from which one could best appreciate the performance effect of everyone in Kessoku Band.
"Kessoku Band? Kids I don't recognize." "Seems to be from around Shimokitazawa, used to be very famous." "They were really popular on the internet for a while back then." "Oh, I think I've heard of them, but there was no news after the lead singer changed." "Give me a break, what's there to see in a pure hype girl band..."
The surrounding people were all whispering.
However, most of them held rather negative or pessimistic views toward Kessoku Band.
The lights suddenly went out, and the whispering voices inside the venue abruptly stopped.
The audience area that had been noisy a second ago was left with only scattered coughs, the soft clinking of glasses, and a bit of bottom noise humming "Zzz—" from the speakers, like an electric current crawling over the skin.
Asakura stood silently in a slightly central position below the stage, his shoulders feeling hot from being crowded by the people. Most of Momoka's body was pressed against him—not because she wanted to take advantage of Asakura, but purely because it was far too crowded.
Asakura quietly activated [Scale], separating the surrounding people from himself and Kawaragi.
Although using the newly acquired [Awe] could also achieve a similar effect, if he did that, the vast majority of people around them probably wouldn't be in the mood to appreciate Kessoku Band's performance on stage.
On stage at this moment, the lights didn't turn on immediately; only a few thin backlights were provided, slicing down diagonally from above.
The audience couldn't see the faces clearly, only able to make out four shadows standing in their respective positions, like quietly aligning their breathing in the dark.
Then, the sound of the guitar suddenly rang out, immediately followed by the crash of the cymbal on the drum kit.
"Thump—"
The first hit wasn't a show of skill or fancy tricks; it was a straight, clean-cut strike.
Nijika sat behind the drums, her back held very straight, the movement of her raised wrist clean and sharp. Along with the guitar sound that pulled open the curtain like Hitori's, it was like the opening knock at the door, telling everyone: Stop chatting, their performance is about to begin.
The second and third beats followed right behind, the rhythm forcibly pulling the crowd's heartbeats to the very same beat.
The echo of the drumhead vibrating transmitted up from the floorboards; Asakura felt as though the soles of his feet were gently pushed, like standing next to some kind of machinery.
Next was the bass.
Yamada Ryo's sound came out very low, like a line flipping up from underground—unhurried and calm, yet solid enough that one couldn't ignore it.
She stood very composedly, with almost no expression on her face as usual, yet her fingers walked across the strings as if having a mind of their own: clean, accurate, and even carrying a bit of cool charm. No wonder a young girl like Kita would be captivated.
Only then did the lighting slowly brighten up a bit.
A warm-toned beam hit the drums, and the metal cymbal flashed for a second; a blue light swept across the neck of the bass, cutting Ryo's profile even colder; further to the side, Kita Ikuyo had already walked in front of the microphone, holding the rhythm guitar with both hands, her toes tapping the ground like a yellow oriole about to sing out loud.
Finally, in the innermost position—Hitori.
Her long pink hair looked like a soft shadow in the dim light, her entire person hunched up even smaller than usual.
With the lead guitar slung in front of her body, her hand rested on the strings, her fingers trembling slightly—not because of fear... well, there was a bit of fear mixed in, but even more of it was due to a kind of indescribable trembling, similar to the bushi-furuei [warrior's tremor].
Asakura looked at her, unable to resist comparing her current appearance in his mind with how she looked back when she hid inside a cardboard box.
She really has grown up.
In every way (wiping eyes).
"—Everyone! Good evening!!"
Kita's voice set the whole venue ablaze in an instant.
She smiled the moment she opened her mouth—a smile big, bright, and direct, as if turning the lights up to maximum. She waved at the audience, her voice coming through the microphone with a slight pant of excitement.
"We are Kessoku Band!!!"
Someone in the audience immediately responded—it seemed that even though this was an away game, fans of Kessoku Band had still specially traveled here to show support—and the cheers surged up like a wave, crashing against the ceiling to form a double helix.
Kita strummed her guitar, and as a crisp chord rang out, the melody pulled everyone's attention in like a rope.
Then she sang out loud, the rhythm of her body following the drumbeats, her footsteps light and brisk, occasionally reaching her hand out toward the audience as if inviting everyone to jump into her emotions together.
Nijika's drumming began to accelerate, pushing the tempo forward like shoving the entire song into a run from behind. Her expression was dead serious, a bit of sweat already glistening on her forehead, yet the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned.
Ryo still had virtually no expression, but her bassline propped up the entire foundation rock-solid. Standing there, she would occasionally glance up at Kita, then at Nijika, and finally sweep over to Hitori's side, as if confirming that everyone was on track.
Then, the lead guitar kicked in.
Hitori led with a short slide, the sound slicing through the air like the tip of a blade—bright and sharp.
Guitar Hero's strength wasn't just for show!
Immediately following, a denser cascade of notes fell, with zero hesitation or drag. Once her fingers started running across the fretboard, her entire body's nervousness seemed to be switched off by half.
That was the moment Asakura was most familiar with—
On stage, even though Hitori's face was still red and her shoulders were still slightly hunched, the second she started playing, it was as if she transformed into a different person.
She was no longer that socially anxious girl who would "instantly explode just from saying a word to a stranger," but a performer stuffing her raw emotions straight into the strings.
Every single pluck of the strings was full of force, smashing delightful notes into the audience's ears one after another.
Asakura felt thoroughly exhilarated listening to it.
Even without using the spell [Song], the girl's sheer skill and effort were enough to push her to a sufficient height.
It wasn't that exaggerated kind of "genius" or "sheer talent" (though that was certainly part of it), but something more grounded and solid: she was flinging all the voice she had suppressed for so long straight out from her fingertips.
At this point, the backing harmony was needed.
Hitori didn't hold a mic; she merely leaned a tiny bit closer to her microphone, her lips moving gently as the harmony she hummed clung to the main melody like a shadow propped behind it.
The sound was very light, yet spot-on, like adding a soft layer of light over Kita's lead vocals.
In that instant, the color of the entire song changed.
Kita was singing the hottest part, her voice bright and direct; the harmony Hitori hummed, however, was like a cautious breath pressed right up against her, making the melody more three-dimensional and far gentler.
It wasn't a case of actively deploying a heavy weapon like Hitori; rather, the song had been written this way from the very beginning.
Undeniably, from the moment Hitori started humming, the entire song was no longer on the same level as before.
In the audience, people began nodding along to the rhythm, some raised their hands, and someone shouted "Bocchi!" Although that person's voice was instantly drowned out by the music, Hitori clearly heard it—her shoulders twitched, her eyes widened slightly, and she almost made a misplay.
However, her superb technique enabled her to keep the guitar steady, avoiding any mistakes.
Then she saw Asakura down below the stage.
Asakura didn't shout, nor did he make hand gestures. He just stood there, looking at her steadily, as if saying: You are doing great right now, no need to be afraid.
Gazing at him, the girl suddenly felt as though her entire mind and body were being filled up bit by bit by something warm.
There's... nothing to be afraid of anymore, the girl said to herself in her heart.
Thus, she became even calmer, immersing herself even deeper into her playing.
The tone of Kessoku Band began to converge at this moment; it was no longer an ensemble where each played their own part, but like two people speaking the exact same words together.
The drums were the heartbeat, the bass was the spine, the rhythm guitar was the smile, and the lead guitar with that touch of backing harmony—was the impassioned confession hidden behind that smile.
Momoka knit her brows.
Amid the cheers below the stage, a few puzzled voices were mixed in.
Meanwhile, Asakura let out a sigh.
"Silky Hitori."
It wasn't that there was a problem with her guitar playing; quite the opposite.
She played too well, and her humming was far too amazing.
It was almost as if she had taken the love hidden in the deepest depths of her heart—the kind that could never normally be read from her constantly breakdown-prone face—and poured it all out in one concentrated, intensely fermented burst.
While it was sweet to the extreme, it also caused many sensitive people to notice where the problem lay.
Take Nijika, for instance—a charming blush rose onto the drummer girl's face.
'Bocchi-chan, what are you doing, Bocchi-chan! Isn't this making it look like our whole band is confessing to Asakura?!'
It couldn't be stopped.
Just as Hiroi Kikuri's vocals would lead SICK HACK's performance charging headlong into a psychedelic vortex, Hitori's guitar and humming firmly controlled the direction of Kessoku Band's entire performance, acting like a black hole from which even light couldn't escape.
Just when Nijika was about to give up and let them keep playing like this, Yamada Ryo suddenly took action. Her bassline plunged sharply downward, and Kita on the other side caught on immediately, pulling the chorus up to its highest peak, disrupting Hitori's flow state to a certain degree and snapping her back to her senses.
However, now was hardly the time to let Bocchi-chan realize what she had just done.
Nijika seized the opportunity, raising her hand for a heavy downbeat; the cymbal exploded open, its sound ringing through the venue like fireworks.
In past rehearsals, they had prepared contingency measures for unexpected situations during performances, and in most cases, it was Nijika, the drummer controlling the tempo, who issued the orders.
For instance, this current cue was the signal for Hitori to launch into a short solo.
Although Hitori hadn't fully processed what was happening yet—otherwise, the Mango Kamen [Mango Mask] might have reappeared in the world—she still instinctively kicked off a cool solo according to the signal from their rehearsals.
The girl raised her head, her long pink hair swaying with the movement. Her expression remained nervous, but her fingers showed not the slightest hesitation. Note after note connected seamlessly until a high note delivered a clean, sharp finish—so crisp it left people dazed.
A burst of shouts erupted from below the stage.
Some blew whistles, some clapped, and some held their hands high in the air.
In the next second, the cheers surged out like a lid being popped off a pot.
Applause, shouting, and whistling blended together, making the entire livehouse vibrate subtly.
Asakura stood silently in the middle of the crowd. He looked up at the stage, watching those two people.
Meanwhile, Momoka was looking at Asakura with a subtle, complicated expression.
Kita was panting, her face full of smiles as she bowed repeatedly to the audience; Nijika wiped away sweat while smiling with lingering fear, unable to resist sneaking a peek at Asakura below the stage before quickly shifting her gaze away; Ryo still had little expression, but the corners of her mouth were slightly curled up and her eyes were a bit brighter; Hitori, on the other hand—
Holding her guitar tightly, her face was burning red and her eyes were moist, looking as though she hadn't recovered from the wave of sound just yet.
She looked toward the stage.
Asakura happened to raise his hand at that moment, giving her a simple "OK" sign.
Hitori paused for a moment, then, as if finally understanding something, gave a subtle nod.
Her lips moved without making a sound, but Asakura could read them.
So he nodded back and silently mouthed 'Cream Puff'.
The girl was stunned, her face instantly flushing bright red.
No, no, no, you definitely didn't understand at all! She signaled to Asakura with her eyes.
Asakura nodded with an air of understanding, then mouthed silently once more.
'Cream puff, cream puff, cream puff.'
What on earth are you saying AAAAH! Hitori screamed in her heart, unable to stop herself from desperately shaking her head.
And so, Asakura heard the audience members beside him say, "This band's guitarist is way too rock and roll!" "Yeah, the set's over and she's still headbanging!" "As expected of a hot new rising band lately."
Asakura smiled, hearing only that very genuine thought in his own heart: Tonight, these four really look like a band.