The weather in Tokyo at the end of spring and the start of summer wasn't particularly hot.
A gentle breeze occasionally passed by, carrying with it a pleasant, refreshing chill.
After finding the exact address on the map, Aoki Kei headed out toward the train station.
Although the livehouse Nijika had mentioned wasn't that far from his apartment, walking there would still waste a bit of time.
So he decided to spend a few hundred yen and take the train instead.
He swipes his suica, waited on the platform for a bit, and after a short five-minute ride, got off at the station closest to STARRY.
Following the directions on Google Maps, he walked for a few minutes and soon arrived at the livehouse, which was currently empty and devoid of customers.
"Excuse me," he called out politely.
He knocked on the door, but without waiting for a response, he pushed it open and stepped inside.
The place was unusually quiet, probably because it hadn't opened for business yet.
Unlike typical bars, the atmosphere here wasn't so much lively as it was heavy but in contrast, STARRY, being a livehouse, had a strong stage presence and a palpable vibe of performance.
Aoki took a brief glance around from the entrance.
But before he could take a step farther inside, a slightly lazy-sounding voice cut through the still air.
"We're not open yet. Come back in half an hour."
He froze mid-step.
Following the voice, Aoki turned to see a blonde woman sitting behind the front counter
—She bore a noticeable resemblance to Ijichi Nijika but looked significantly older and more mature.
After a brief pause, Aoki immediately realized who she was.
The woman behind the counter was the manager of STARRY—Ijichi Seika, Nijika's older sister.
Since the place hadn't opened yet, she had mistaken Aoki for a customer and casually told him to leave.
Aoki opened his mouth to explain, but before he could say anything, another voice jumped in from the back of the shop and cut him off.
"Wait, onee-chan! He's not a customer—he's the temporary guitarist I just text you about!"
That familiar voice—and the figure he'd just seen earlier today in the park.
Ijichi Nijika poked her head out from one of the side rooms, dragging along another girl with short navy-blue hair and a completely expressionless face.
"You came, Aoki-kun! This is STARRY, the place I told you about," she said cheerfully, gesturing around the venue.
"The one who was about to kick you out just now is my older sister—she's the manager here. And this girl next to me is my friend and our band's bassist, Yamada Ryou."
She glanced toward the entrance and gave a quick introduction of everyone present.
"Nice to meet you," Aoki responded as his gaze swept across them. "I'm Aoki Kei—the one who agreed to help out as your temporary guitarist."
Ryou didn't react much.
When she saw Aoki, she simply gave a small nod and a quiet "mm," then remained as blank-faced as ever, trailing behind Nijika like a shadow.
Seika, however, raised an eyebrow, clearly puzzled.
'A temporary guitarist… with no guitar?'
Her eyes scanned Aoki from head to toe with thinly veiled skepticism.
Before she could even ask, Nijika voiced the exact concern that was clearly written all over Seika's face.
"Um, Aoki-kun…" she said with a slightly awkward tone after he finished his introduction. "Did you… forget to bring your guitar?"
Aoki Kei only slept around five hours a night.
The rest of his time was spent working nonstop to scrape together a living.
Even then, most of his wages barely covered tuition, rent, and basic meals.
Buying a decent guitar something that would cost him tens of thousands of yen—was completely out of reach.
So, no—he hadn't forgotten to bring a guitar.
He hesitated briefly.
He'd already lied to Nijika once, and the guilt from that still lingered in his chest.
This time, he chose to be honest.
"I don't have a guitar," he said bluntly. "They're too expensive. I can't afford one."
"…?"
Nijika's cheerful expression froze.
'A guitarist… without a guitar?'
Compared to the one who vanished without a word—Kita Ikuyo—this guy didn't seem much more reliable…
From where he stood by the door, Aoki Kei could clearly see the doubt in Nijika's eyes.
He quickly cleared his throat and tried to reassure her.
"Don't worry. I might not have a guitar, but I can definitely play."
Then he paused, suddenly remembering he hadn't had a chance to test out the Master-Level Guitar Skill he'd just exchanged points for.
A little uncertain about how smooth the first use would go, he added—just to cover his bases—
"Uh… probably."
"..."
Nijika's already-wobbly smile grew even more strained.
The air grew awkward and heavy, a brief silence settling in around the livehouse.
A few seconds later, Nijika let out a dry laugh, clearly trying to dispel the tension.
"Ahahaha… Guitars really are expensive these days, huh? But don't worry! We've got some spares here at the shop—it's totally fine…"
Then, after a short pause, she added in a more careful, almost comforting tone—perhaps worried that Aoki's skills weren't up to par and hoping to soften the blow in advance:
"Also, I mean, aside from Ryou, my drumming still isn't that great… We're just an amateur band right now, so please don't feel pressured, Aoki-kun…"
Aoki Kei blinked but didn't respond right away.
Although he had a pretty good idea of what Nijika might have misunderstood, now didn't seem like the right time to explain...
So after a few moments of silent deliberation and failing to come up with a good excuse, Aoki Kei simply gave a small nod.
Seeing his response, Nijika unable to bear the awkward tension lingering in the air—quickly broke the silence.
"Then—onee-chan, could you go check the storage room for a spare guitar? I'll show Aoki-kun around a bit... Aoki-kun, this way."
She turned back to him and waved him over.
Although STARRY wasn't particularly large, it had everything a live house needed.
As he followed Nijika's lead, she gave him a quick tour of the shop's layout.
Since there weren't any customers at the moment, they were able to make a short round through the venue before the store manager finally emerged from the storage room.
She was carrying a spare guitar that had gathered some dust from disuse.
"This one isn't great quality. I couldn't find the more expensive one right now, so... you'll have to make do with this," said Ichiji Seika, handing the guitar over to Aoki Kei.
He wasn't picky about quality, he didn't really care what he played.
"That's fine," he said casually, accepting the guitar. "As long as it makes sound, that's good enough."
Seika didn't respond right away.
But as she passed the guitar over, her expression once again showed a trace of the same suspicion as before.
When Kei took the guitar from her, his index finger had briefly brushed the back of her hand—and something felt... off.
His fingertips were far too smooth.
For someone who supposedly knew how to play guitar, that just didn't add up.
Even if he hadn't developed thick calluses or blisters, there should've at least been some roughness or wear on his skin.
Her curiosity now piqued, Ichiji Seika took another long look at Aoki Kei.
Judging by all the little details she'd picked up earlier, this boy didn't look like someone who could play guitar at all...
She glanced at Kei again, then at Yamada Ryo and Nijika standing behind him.
After a moment's hesitation, Seika finally voiced her doubt.
"So... how good are you at guitar? Want to try playing something with this one and show me?"