Early the next morning, Amaya Yuu asked Anon about CRYCHIC via Line.
He originally wanted to ask directly about Sakiko, but considering that Anon might not know either, he turned to asking about CRYCHIC instead.
[Amaya Yuu: What exactly is the deal with CRYCHIC?
I feel like everyone gets a bit weird whenever that name is mentioned.]
Not long after the message was sent, Anon’s replies popped up one after another:
[Chihaya Anon: Why the sudden interest, Amaya-san?]
[Chihaya Anon: Actually, it’s just the band Tomori was in during her third year of middle school.
She was the vocalist.
Later, it seems the band disbanded because a member suddenly quit.]
[Chihaya Anon: That incident was quite a blow to her…]
[Chihaya Anon: The member who quit was apparently named “Sakiko” or something.]
Immediately after, Anon sent a link.
Watching the messages pop up on the screen, Amaya Yuu marveled at how everyone was so proactive, whether it was gossiping or recommending gossip.
He clicked the link, which redirected him to a band’s account homepage.
“…CRYCHIC, that’s how it’s pronounced, right?” He tried reading the band’s name again.
There was only one video on the account.
Amaya Yuu clicked play, and the first thing he heard was Nagasaki Soyo’s distinctive voice.
Then he noticed several familiar figures appearing in the video.
“As I thought, ‘Sakiko’ is Togawa Sakiko…” he muttered to himself, his gaze sweeping across the faces in the frame one by one, “Soyo, Tomori, and Taki.”
There was also a girl with exquisite, cute features and long green hair whom he didn’t recognize; she appeared to be the band’s guitarist.
Looking at Togawa Sakiko in the video with her bright smile and gentle eyes, Amaya Yuu could hardly connect her with the cold and distant girl she was now.
“She used to have such gentle moments…”
He combined the information about the band members in the video with the family changes Sakiko had unintentionally revealed before.
He roughly pieced together the sequence of events:
Sakiko’s departure from the band was likely related to her father being expelled from the Togawa family.
The pressure from the sudden family upheaval forced her to quit CRYCHIC, which directly led to the band’s dissolution.
And the band’s breakup undoubtedly deeply affected Sakiko’s mindset, possibly causing her to fall into self-blame or become withdrawn.
In her unstable emotional state, she might have hurt those who cared about her, like Tomori.
This situation of mutual hurt seemed to have fallen into a vicious cycle.
“It’s almost like…
a terrible positive feedback loop.”
Amaya Yuu finally figured out the key points.
Originally, he hadn’t planned on completing the task regarding Sakiko at all.
After all, the inside story of the heir to a giant conglomerate like the Togawa Group being expelled was an absolute secret no matter how one looked at it.
But he hadn’t expected to inadvertently find a breakthrough direction.
It seemed he would have to find another time to meet Togawa Kiyotsugu.
Since today was the weekend, he would head over there after buying his guitar.
Having made up his mind instantly, he looked at the frozen band photo on the screen.
His gaze lingered for a moment on Sakiko’s bright, smiling face before he closed the video.
“Tomori has already moved past the shadows of the past and joined a band again.” He put away his phone and brought his thoughts back to reality.
“As for Togawa Sakiko…
she still looks better when she’s smiling.”
Amaya Yuu went straight to the long-renowned “Echo Music” on a commercial street.
This was the instrument shop he felt would be pretty good after constantly comparing options on social media.
Although he had hesitated for a long time between an acoustic guitar and an electric guitar, he ultimately decided to buy an acoustic one.
Because while an electric guitar is relatively easier for a complete novice to start with, it also requires buying many other accessories at the same time.
An acoustic guitar, on the other hand, can be played directly once you take it home.
The entire shop looked very exquisite, and a “Hiring” sign was placed at the entrance.
“Would such a high-quality shop also be short of applicants?”
With such a question in mind, Amaya Yuu pushed open the heavy glass door.
A crisp sound of wind chimes and a warm woody scent greeted him.
Under the warm yellow lights of the shop, various guitars in the guitar section were displayed like works of art.
“Welcome.”
A middle-aged man with black-rimmed glasses and a gentle temperament looked up from behind the counter and smiled.
“Need help looking at instruments?”
“The owner is greeting me personally; they really do seem short-handed.” Seeing the nameplate on the man’s left chest that said “Manager,” Amaya Yuu thought.
“Yes, I’d like to choose a…
guitar suitable for a beginner.” Amaya Yuu tried to make his description sound like someone who had visited many guitar shops.
The owner smiled knowingly and led him to a wall covered with acoustic guitars.
“These are all solid-top guitars, very beginner-friendly.
Look at this one.” He took down a natural-colored guitar, “Spruce top, Sapele back and sides.
It has a clear sound and good resonance.”
Amaya Yuu took it carefully; the guitar was a bit heavier than he had imagined.
He imitated the posture of a guitarist he remembered and held the body.
His fingers clumsily followed the chord hand shapes he had memorized and placed them on the strings.
After pretending to fiddle with it for a bit, he handed the guitar back to the owner.
“Want to hear the tone?” The owner took the guitar, did a quick tuning, and casually strummed a melody.
The sound was clear and indeed quite touching.
But when buying things, one couldn’t just make a decision without even starting to pick and choose.
So he asked the owner to bring several other guitars at different price points for him to listen to.
But after comparing them over and over, it seemed the tone of the first guitar was still the most to his liking.
“I’ll…
still go with this one.” After going back and forth through three or four options, he finally settled on the original one again.
Even someone as thick-skinned as Amaya Yuu couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed.
“Seems like an honest owner, recommending the best one right from the start.”
While paying, the owner also carefully instructed, “A beginner’s fingers might hurt; just stick with it, and it’ll be fine once you grow calluses.
Also, remember to play for a while every day; a guitar needs to be ‘opened up’.”
“Thank you very much, I’ve really troubled you today!” Amaya Yuu stopped obsessing over the price and readily paid the full amount.
“I saw a hiring notice outside the shop earlier.
Is your shop looking for staff?” Taking advantage of the gap while the manager helped him pack the guitar, Amaya Yuu asked the question he’d had since entering.
“Yes,” the manager’s hands didn’t stop, but his tone became serious.
“However, I have high standards for staff; I’d rather have no one than someone unsuitable.
After all, this shop is my life’s work.
I hope my employees can truly understand and love music.”
He carefully placed the guitar into the case, handed his business card to Amaya Yuu, and gave a gentle smile.
“So, I will strictly vet the professional quality and sense of responsibility of any applicant.”
“I see.” Amaya Yuu took the business card and nodded in understanding.
“That’s certainly how it should be.”
Carrying the hard guitar case out of the shop, the cool morning breeze blew against his face, making Amaya Yuu feel refreshed.
The weight of the guitar case pressed realistically against his shoulder, and he remembered the task in the system to “Attract a hundred audience members.”
“Alright, the first step has finally been taken!”