Even without turning around, Aoki Kei instantly knew who had spoken just from the voice and the tone.
His mouth twitched slightly as he turned his head to look behind him.
Short, light-blue hair.
A flawlessly beautiful face.
She didn't show much expression, yet her features were so well-defined it was like looking at a piece of art.
Just as he expected, it was Yamada Ryo.
"If Ichiji-san heard you say that, she'd probably whack you over the head with her drumsticks," Aoki Kei said, shooting her a deadpan look.
Ryo blinked, ignoring the jab entirely. Instead, she changed the subject without a care.
"Aoki-san, are you here to buy an instrument?"
"Yeah, I'm looking to buy a guitar…"
Aoki Kei answered casually, deciding not to dwell on Ryo's usual offbeat comments.
But as he looked at the girl in front of him, it suddenly clicked—despite her deadpan personality, Ryo knew her stuff when it came to instruments.
She'd even heard him play and understood his level. If he could get her help choosing a guitar...
He glanced at her again, a spark of hope lighting in his eyes.
"…Your scheming look is way too obvious," Ryo said flatly, taking a step back.
"What? No way," Aoki Kei said, smiling politely. "I just thought, you know, maybe Yamada-san could help me out."
"If it's about borrowing money, then—sorry, I—"
"No, no, not that," he cut her off quickly. "You're really knowledgeable about instruments, right? I was hoping you could help me pick a guitar that suits me."
Ryo tilted her head slightly, a faint look of curiosity in her eyes.
"You want me to recommend one? But you're way better at playing than I am."
"Well… technically I can play well, yeah, but when it comes to the technical specs—materials, models, what's suitable—I'm totally clueless."
"…Oh."
Her expression softened slightly, as if something had piqued her interest.
After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Then do you have any requirements?"
It was almost the same question the store clerk had asked earlier.
Said clerk, upon noticing the two talking, had tactfully stepped away.
Aoki Kei gave it some thought and then said, "I guess... budget around 60,000 yen. I want something durable, with a solid body and decent build quality."
"…?"
Ryo stared at him for a second, then gave him a strange look and scanned him up and down like he was some kind of oddity.
"Aoki-san, no matter how durable the body is, a guitar isn't meant to be used like a shovel or a pickaxe," she said seriously.
"No, not like that!" Aoki Kei clarified quickly. "Just something that'll last a while. Though… being able to use it as a shovel would be kinda metal. Imagine busting out a solo in the middle of a live, then suddenly start digging. That's rock and roll."
There was a short pause.
Ryo said nothing, but then raised a thumb at him, completely deadpan.
Sixty-thousand yen budget, durable build—after silently giving her thumbs-up, Ryo turned to the guitar display.
She studied the options for a bit, then pointed toward a sea-blue guitar on the wall.
"How about that one? It's affordable, durable, and the tone's pretty solid too."
Despite her usual lethargic aura, she suddenly became unexpectedly enthusiastic when talking about instruments.
Aoki Kei followed her gaze, noting the serious glint in her eyes, and after a moment's thought, gave a nod.
Sure, Ryo was unreliable most of the time, but when it came to music gear, she was always spot-on.
He doubted she'd ever mislead him about something like this.
With that in mind, he confidently chose the guitar she'd pointed to.
He pointed it out to the clerk, confirmed the size, and watched as a brand-new one was brought out.
Without hesitation, Aoki Kei paid for it on the spot.
His decisiveness even made Ryo blink in surprise.
"You're not gonna think it over a bit?" she asked.
He shook his head.
"I'll give it a try first. Since you recommended it, I doubt there'll be a problem. As long as it makes sound, that's all I need."
'This kind of blind trust was oddly misplaced,' Ryo thought.
They hadn't exchanged more than twenty words before today.
Still, she didn't seem bothered by it.
She gave a tiny nod and shifted her focus—then her gaze landed on the price tag of the blue guitar: 46,000 yen.
Her eyes darted toward the bass section.
She stared at it for a few seconds before quickly looking back at Aoki Kei.
Blinking, her expressionless eyes lit up just a little.
"Aoki-san, your budget was 60,000 yen, right? That guitar cost less than that… You've still got some left, don't you?"
Just as Aoki Kei was accepting the freshly packaged guitar from the clerk, he heard her question and couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.
"You're not even trying to hide your ulterior motives…" he muttered.
With his new guitar slung over his back, Aoki Kei walked out of the music store, already reconsidering his life goals—specifically, whether or not he really wanted to become a corrupt politician after all.
After all, if someone like him who'd change his mind just because a cute girl pleaded with him—ended up running a country, there was a solid 80% chance it'd collapse.
…Then again, considering the current state of most Japanese politicians, maybe that emotional instability was actually a prerequisite.
Which meant maybe caving to Yamada Ryo's puppy-dog eyes and agreeing to lend her money was the most politician-like move he'd ever made.
Lost in such absurd thoughts, Aoki Kei exhaled deeply as he stepped out of the store.
He pulled out his phone and checked the time.
A little while before four.
Not exactly a luxurious amount of time.
The live show at STARRY started at five.
Kessoku Band wouldn't be the opening act, but they wouldn't be far into the lineup either.
And before then, Aoki Kei still had to find one specific person—Hitori Gotou—who was likely off swinging alone in some park near Shimokitazawa.
Glancing behind him at the sluggish pace of Yamada Ryo who now had a brand-new bass strapped to her back Aoki Kei urged her on.
"Yamada-san, seriously, stop dawdling. We're gonna be late."
Taking full advantage of his position as the one who lent her money, Aoki Kei had also roped her into helping him.
Though frankly, she didn't seem like someone you'd ever count on.
"Why don't you go on ahead? I'll catch up soon. If not, then—"
Ignoring her sleepy mumbling, Aoki Kei opened Google on his phone and searched for nearby parks around Shimokitazawa.
Using the process of elimination, he narrowed it down to three possible spots.