Shimokitazawa, STARRY Live House.
The performance hall sat completely vacant after the gig concluded.
Shimokitazawa’s Greatest Angel, Nijika Ijichi.
The eccentric genius, Ryo Yamada.
And the severe social anxiety sufferer, Hitori Goto.
The three sat clustered around a table, currently conducting the band’s very first post-performance meeting.
”Alright—!” Nijika clapped her hands together.
“Though the reception for today’s performance wasn’t great, it doesn’t matter!
Our band is officially established, and things will only get better from here on out!”
Sitting beside her, Ryo Yamada remarked expressionlessly, “There were indeed a lot of blunders today.”
Hitori Goto sat slumped in her chair, curled tightly into a ball.
“S-s-sorry…
it’s all my fault…”
”It’s totally fine!” Nijika waved her hands in a hurry.
“It was our first live show, so it’s completely normal to get nervous.
Right, Ryo?”
”Mm.
During my first performance, I also played three wrong notes.”
Hitori Goto gingerly lifted her head a fraction.
”However, that didn’t happen during the second show.”
Hitori’s head dropped right back down.
Nijika’s smile stiffened for a fraction of a second, and she delivered a swift kick to Ryo’s leg beneath the table.
”In any case!” Nijika decided to completely ignore this weirdo to steer the atmosphere back.
“What we need to discuss today is the future direction of the band.
First up is the roles of the band members.”
”Ryo is the bassist, Hitori is the lead guitarist, and I am the drummer.” Nijika counted down on her fingers.
“Right now, we’re still missing a vocalist and a rhythm guitarist.
Actually, the vocalist can pull double duty on rhythm guitar, so the absolute key position is the vocalist.”
”It’s such a pity we actually had a vocalist before, but she skipped town the literal day before the concert.”
Just as Nijika was lamenting the loss, Ryo Yamada’s phone began to ring.
”Hello,” Ryo pressed the phone to her ear.
Whatever was being articulated on the other end remained muffled and unclear.
Ryo’s expression maintained its characteristic deadpan demeanor throughout.
”…Mm.”
“…Oh.”
“…Understood.”
Once the call disconnected, Ryo uttered a striking line.
”The vocalist, Madame Go-and-Never-Return, has been resurrected.”
The performance hall fell deathly quiet for several seconds.
”…Huh?” Nijika wore a look of pure bewilderment.
“Resurrected?
What do you mean resurrected?
And who on earth is Madame Go-and-Never-Return?”
Hitori Goto’s hand trembled violently, nearly spilling her orange juice.
R-resurrected?
What does that mean?
Is it the previous vocalist?
Does this mean she’s coming back now?
What happens to me if she returns?
My guitar playing is so terrible, and my first live show was nothing but a string of blunders.
If the vocalist comes back, does that mean I’ll just be…
”Hitori, are you alright?” Nijika’s voice snapped her back to reality.
“Your complexion looks awful; you’re turning completely blue.”
”I-I-I-I’m totally fine!” Hitori Goto waved her hands frantically.
“I was just wondering what resurrected meant.
Is the band’s previous guitarist coming back?
In that case, should I just drop out now?
For a person like me…”
”Stop, stop, stop!” Nijika hurriedly cut off the spiraling internal monologue.
“Ryo, explain.”
”Hiroto just called me,” Ryo said.
“He said he found a vocalist for us.”
Nijika froze.
”The one who skipped town previously,” Ryo supplied.
“Ikuyo Kita.
Hiroto calls her Madame Go-and-Never-Return.”
”Ehh-ee-ehh—?!” Nijika bolted upright from her chair.
“That girl who ran away?
She’s willing to come back?”
”Probably.”
”What do you mean ‘probably’!
What exactly did your friend say?”
Ryo thought for a moment, tilting her head slightly.
“Hiroto said Madame Go-and-Never-Return is willing to come back and surrender herself.
Furthermore, she’ll be bringing a powerful external aid along, stating that as long as we follow his method, we can secure this powerful aid.”
”Go-and-Never-Return…” The corner of Nijika’s mouth twitched.
“What kind of absolute nonsense is this?”
Just as she was about to press further, Ryo spoke up again.
”In exchange, Hiroto requested that I inform him of Hitori Goto’s class placement over here.”
”Eh?”
Initially, Nijika was merely slightly puzzled, finding the condition completely bizarre.
But on second thought, why would he ask for Bocchi-chan’s class placement?
She stared at Ryo’s expressionless face, a dark premonition welling up in her heart.
”So…
he asked, and you just gave it to him?”
”Mm,” Ryo Yamada nodded, crisp and concise.
”What do you mean ‘mm’!” Nijika slammed her hands on the table.
“And how on earth did you even know Bocchi-chan’s class?!”
Ryo’s gaze drifted slowly toward the backpack resting beside Hitori Goto’s chair.
Attached to the side of the bag was a small keychain accessory holding her student ID.
”I accidentally caught a glimpse of her backpack just now and saw it.”
”Was that truly an accident?!”
Ryo offered no response, simply lifting her drink to take a sip.
”Ryo!”
But Nijika had no time to press the issue right now.
She whipped her head around to look beside her.
Hitori Goto was already done for.
To be precise, from the exact moment she heard the phrase ‘inform him of Hitori Goto’s class placement,’ Hitori began sliding down her chair like a scoop of ice cream melting under a blazing sun.
A person I don’t even know…
Requested my class information…
Requested my class information…
Inside Hitori Goto’s brain, those specific words were currently blasting on loop at maximum volume.
Corresponding imagery materialized right along with it:
A highly suspicious figure clad in dark sunglasses stands right at the entrance of Class C, uttering in a deep, booming voice: “Hitori Goto, step outside for a moment.” Then, the eyes of the entire class lock onto her simultaneously, and she immediately drops dead.
Social death.
Quite possibly physical death as well.
”Bocchi-chan!
Bocchi-chan!” Nijika frantically waved her hand in front of her face.
“Breathe!
Breathe!”
No response.
She had entirely liquefied into a puddle.
Nijika turned her head, gearing up to interrogate Ryo Yamada further.
”There is no need to worry,” Ryo spoke up.
“He is a good person.”
Like absolute magic, Hitori Goto instantly stopped melting.
Her swirly, dazed eyes slowly regained their normal focus, and her limp body gradually pushed itself back up, piece by piece.
She lifted her head, staring at Ryo Yamada.
A good person…
Ryo-senpai said that person is a good person.
Although she hadn’t known Ryo-senpai for very long, Hitori harbored an excellent impression of her.
After all, Ryo-senpai appeared so deeply respectable; a person deemed a “good person” by her couldn’t possibly be bad, right?
But it’s still so terrifying…
a stranger coming to look for me is so terrifying.
Various horrific scenarios began playing out in her mind once more, her face cycling between pale white and deep blue.
Watching Bocchi-chan’s tensed face, Nijika let out a sigh.
She turned back toward Ryo Yamada, crossing her arms over her chest.
”Ryo, why exactly do you think he’s a good person?”
This was a highly critical question.
Nijika had known Ryo Yamada for a very long time.
Ryo’s general attitude toward the vast majority of humanity hovered around “decent,” “whatever,” or “unimportant.” For her to proactively use the label “good person,” the individual either had to be genuinely virtuous or had to have done something that locked in her validation.
Facing the question, Ryo Yamada didn’t hesitate for a single second.
”Because he lends me money.”
The performance hall fell dead silent once again.
Hitori Goto promptly dissolved back into a puddle of water.
Lending money makes someone a good person?!
Isn’t this standard of judgment a bit…
a bit too arbitrary?!
Nijika’s mouth twitched as she stared at Ryo, before turning back to offer continued comfort to Bocchi-chan.
”It’s fine, Bocchi-chan.
Despite Ryo phrasing it like that, I’ve honestly never seen her keep many friends around.
For Ryo to speak of him this way means the person’s character is trustworthy at the very least.”
Bocchi-chan nodded her head mechanically.
And so, carrying an intense mix of trepidation and anticipation, the group watched the clock tick down until Saturday afternoon arrived.
Yukinoshita Yukino arrived at the entrance of STARRY Live House, bringing Ikuyo Kita right along with her.