Noticing she'd been holding his hand this whole time, Nijika's cheeks flushed scarlet.
She let go at once, flustered, stepped back twice, then hurriedly changed the subject, words tripping over themselves. "I-if it's a bad fit, what do we do? The live is tomorrow…"
"We can delay a bit. But I won't let a band go on stage without a guitarist."
No one mentioned the little incident. Hoshina followed Nijika's lead and kept things practical.
Silence settled.
Then Ryō, who had been zoning out, suddenly spoke.
She looked at Nijika, then at Kai. Her tone was that of someone who enjoyed chaos.
"As for fans… how about Aoki just joins End? The band does have a pretty girl like Nijika."
"…"
Kai didn't answer at once. Ignoring the flaky part of her suggestion, he considered it.
If he forgot real life and put on fan-colored glasses, he would want to join End…
But he couldn't. His reality came first.
Most of his time was spent working. The little time he had free, he preferred to spend on math problems—his target had always been Todai.
Even if he agreed, he'd almost never be available for band activities.
Saying yes would be irresponsible to End—and to the years he'd spent pursuing his goal.
So he answered decisively, "Join the band… Sorry, I'll pass."
He didn't stop there, though. After a brief pause he added, "But the live issue isn't unsolvable…"
He'd earned ¥100,000 and "free-rolled" a master skill—no matter how he looked at it, he'd come out ahead.
Right now, the system hadn't offered a fresh option. To avoid more hassle—and for Bocchi's sake—Kai decided to nudge things back on track.
"I know a guitarist. She's pretty good. Apart from a quirky personality, she's solid across the board, and she hasn't joined a band yet. I think she'd fit you well."
Nijika perked up. "Then—Aoki-senpai, could you introduce her to us?"
He was about to share the intel that Bocchi would likely be at a nearby park tomorrow when a screen flashed up again, cutting him off—
The "Love-Obstruction Simulation" was back, tossing out another three invisible choices.
[Heroines Yamada Ryō and Ijichi Nijika need your help. Provide Gotō Hitori's contact. After thinking it over, you decide to…]
Option 1: Women are just obstacles—refuse Nijika's request, give a barebones tip, and leave STARRY. (No reward.)
Option 2: Coach! Put me in! Tell Nijika and Ryō you've decided to join End. Once they accept, officially join. (Reward: 500 points + a random Expert-level skill.)
Option 3: Help to the end—without Gotō Hitori's contact, promise to bring her to STARRY tomorrow, and then successfully do so. (Reward: 500 points.)
He scanned the options.
He'd planned to drop the hint and leave, but Options 2 and 3 were tempting.
Option 2 had richer rewards, but he really didn't want to join.
Option 3…
Shibuya had lots of parks, but ones near Shimokitazawa with a layout similar to Bocchi's were few.
By elimination, finding Bocchi tomorrow shouldn't be hard.
And persuading her shouldn't take too long.
So—
He reorganized his words and said, "I don't have her contact, but if you need, I can try to talk to her and bring her to STARRY tomorrow."
"T-then we'll be in your debt, Aoki-senpai! Thank you so much!"
She was curious how he'd contact someone he didn't know, but hope for tomorrow's live trumped that. Nijika bowed gratefully.
Kai waved it off, glanced at the wall clock.
Around 4:40. Less than half an hour until his other job.
His bar boss was lenient, but he preferred not to make her life harder.
"I can't help more today, so I'll head out. I'll do my best to bring that guitarist tomorrow."
"Eh? Leaving already? STARRY has a show later—don't you want to stay and listen?"
Nijika tried to keep him longer.
Kai shook his head. "I have a shift at a bar around five. Being late would trouble my boss. Sorry—next time."
"A bar shift…"
Nijika blinked, thinking back over the little details since they'd met:
The cheapest bento in his hand—the surrounding apartments near the park were all low-rent 1R units—no money for a guitar—a shirt washed pale—going to a bar job as a student…
He played so well—had Aoki-senpai… given up guitar because he desperately needed money?
Her mind supplied a melodramatic backstory of a fallen family and a pawned guitar. She swallowed.
Then she shook herself.
Looking back at him, she spoke with a slightly different feeling. "T-then please take care of your business first. Your own life comes first."
She ended it cleanly.
-------
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