As her gaze dropped, Nijika realized she had been holding Aoki Kei's right hand the entire time.
A deep blush immediately spread across her cheeks.
She quickly let go, took two flustered steps back, and tried to change the topic with a shaky voice.
"Wh-What if it doesn't work out? The live is tomorrow…"
"We can delay the live a bit if needed. But I won't let the band go on stage without a guitarist," Seika Ijichi interjected, following Nijika's lead and defusing the awkward moment.
The rest of the group tactfully said nothing about the small hand-holding incident.
The air settled into a momentary silence.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Yamada Ryo who had been zoning out suddenly spoke up.
She glanced at Nijika for a moment, then shifted her gaze to Aoki Kei, her tone mischievous, as if enjoying the drama.
"If it's about the fanbase issue… why not just have Aoki join Kessoku Band? I mean, we've got a beautiful girl like Nijika in the group."
"…"
Aoki didn't respond right away.
Ignoring the half-joking tone in Ryo's words, he seriously considered her suggestion.
If he set aside the realities of his current life and viewed things through the lens of a fan, then yes, he really would like to join Kessoku Band.
But the truth was, before he could even think about joining a band, he had to deal with his real-life responsibilities.
Most of his days were spent working part-time jobs, with barely any free time.
And whatever time he did have, he preferred to use for solving more math problems—after all, his goal had always been to get into the University of Tokyo.
In other words, even if he agreed to join Kessoku Band, he would hardly have any time to actually participate in band activities.
Saying yes now wouldn't just be irresponsible to the band, it would also be a betrayal of the goal he'd been chasing for years.
So, after weighing everything, Aoki Kei gave a firm answer.
"Joining the band… sorry, I'll have to pass."
But even as he declined, he didn't stop talking.
After a brief pause, he continued.
"Still, the live performance… there might be a way to solve that."
He'd earned a hundred thousand yen and walked away with master-level guitar skills for free, it was a total win no matter how you looked at it.
However, the system hadn't triggered any new rewards for a while now.
Considering the potential complications of staying involved with the band and thinking about what was best for Bocchi-chan.
Aoki Kei decided it was time to nudge the story back on track.
"I know a guitarist. She's really good—great technique, reliable, though her personality is… a bit eccentric. She's not in any band right now, but I think she'd be a great fit for you all."
Nijika's eyes lit up at the suggestion.
She had already been bracing herself to postpone the live.
"Then—Senpai! Could you introduce her to us?"
Aoki Kei, who had intended to keep things simple and just pass along info about Bocchi-chan possibly showing up at the park tomorrow, opened his mouth to speak.
But before he could get a word out, a glowing screen suddenly appeared before his eyes, interrupting his train of thought.
The long-silent "Romantic Block Simulation Game" interface popped up again—just like last time—and presented him with three new options only he could see.
————————————————————————
[The main heroines, Yamada Ryo and Ijichi Nijika, need your help. Regarding providing contact info for Gotoh Hitori, you decide to:
————————————————————————
[Option 1]:"Girls are just trouble"—Refuse Nijika's request, give them a vague tip, and leave STARRY.
(Reward: None)
[Option 2]:"Coach! I wanna play guitar!"—Tell Nijika and Ryo you've decided to join Kessoku Band after thinking it over. If accepted, officially become a member.
(Reward: 500 points, Random Expert-Level Skill)
[Option 3]:"Helping 'til the end"—Without having Gotoh Hitori's contact info, promise Nijika that you'll bring her to STARRY tomorrow—and successfully follow through.
(Reward: 500 points)
————————————————————————
His eyes scanned through the three options.
The idea of simply dropping the tip and leaving STARRY faded from his mind.
He focused on the latter two.
Although Option 2 had a more enticing reward, he genuinely didn't want to get involved in the band right now.
Option 3, on the other hand…
Shibuya had lots of parks, sure—but the ones near Shimokitazawa with layouts that resembled those from Bocchi the Rock! weren't that many.
Using simple elimination, it shouldn't be too hard to find Bocchi-chan tomorrow.
And convincing Gotoh Hitori to come to STARRY probably wouldn't take that long.
All in all—
After reorganizing his thoughts, Aoki Kei spoke again.
"I don't have her contact info… but if you need, I could probably talk to her tomorrow and bring her to STARRY."
"Th-Thank you so much, Senpai!" Nijika bowed quickly, deeply grateful.
She was a bit curious how he'd manage without a phone number, but more than that—his words had reignited her hope for tomorrow's live.
Waving off the thanks without a word, Aoki Kei glanced up at the clock on the wall.
It was around 4:40 PM—less than thirty minutes until his next part-time shift.
Though the bar's manager was pretty understanding, Aoki Kei still preferred not to be late if he could help it.
He looked away from the clock and said, "If I can't help with the guitar today, I'll head out. I'll try to bring her over tomorrow."
"Huh? Leaving already? There's a performance later—Senpai, don't you wanna stay and watch?"
Nijika tried to persuade him to stick around a bit longer.
But Aoki Kei shook his head firmly.
"I have a shift at the bar at five. I'd rather not make things hard for my boss. Sorry—next time, for sure."
"Working at a bar…" Nijika murmured softly, her eyes blinking as pieces of a picture slowly came together in her mind.
The cheapest bento in hand when they first met, the run-down 1R apartment near the park, not having money for a guitar, the faded school shirt, and now… working at a bar after school?
He played guitar so beautifully…
Could it be—Senpai gave up on music because he desperately needed the money?
In her mind, Nijika imagined Aoki Kei reluctantly selling his guitar and abandoning his dream due to financial hardship.
She swallowed hard at the image.
But just as quickly as her thoughts drifted, she snapped herself back to reality.
Looking at Aoki again, her expression had subtly changed.
"Then… please take care of your things first, Senpai. That's more important."
Taking a quiet breath, the girl ended the conversation.