Ljichi Nijika stepped in awkwardly to smooth things over; as the only normal person (probably) in Kessoku Band, she was the one in charge of external communication.
Ai didn’t answer immediately.
He walked into the studio, and the cold air he brought with him instantly cooled the sweltering room by several degrees.
He walked straight to the drum kit and looked at the Goto Hitori who only had half of her butt sticking out.
“Come out.”
His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an unquestionable authority.
Bocchi-chan, who was trying to crawl inside, froze.
This voice…
this cold yet familiar voice, like the low notes of a cello…
it was the guitar god who gave her the effect pedal!
It’s over, it’s over, it’s over!
The great god saw me in this pathetic state!
And I even made the divine tool he gave me sound as awful as a pig being slaughtered!
I’m going to be killed!
I’ll definitely be made into a pink guitar pick and thrown into Tokyo Bay!
Goto Hitori tremblingly, like a snail just out of its shell, bit by bit moved out from behind the bass drum.
Her face was pale, her eyes were wandering, and she didn’t dare look at Ai’s face at all.
“Um… I… I…”
She tried to explain, but her tongue felt tied in knots.
Ai sighed.
He squatted down and reached out his slender fingers, pressing them onto the effect pedal.
“The Gain is turned up too high.”
As he spoke, he skillfully adjusted the knobs.
“The Tone is also too sharp. This Gibson has humbucker pickups, so the output is naturally high; there’s no need for such aggressive parameters.”
His movements were as smooth as flowing water, his fingertips dancing on the knobs as if caressing a lover’s skin.
With his adjustments, the original piercing electric noise disappeared, replaced by a thick, warm, yet powerful distortion floor noise.
“Try it.”
Ai stood up, looking down at Bocchi.
Goto Hitori was stunned.
She stared blankly at the effect pedal on the floor, then stole a glance at Ai. Get faster updates on g.com.
No scolding?
No mocking?
He was still that familiar, cold-faced but unexpectedly reliable person…
She swallowed, tremblingly picked up the guitar, and pressed her fingers onto the strings.
Strum.
Boom—
A full, powerful, and grainy power chord tone erupted from the speaker.
It was an authentic roar that belonged to rock music.
“It… sounds good!”
Ijichi Nijika’s eyes lit up.
“Is this the sound Bocchi-chan has been looking for?”
Even Yamada Ryo raised an eyebrow.
“Oh? He’s got some skill. Seems he’s not just a pretty face.”
Goto Hitori’s hands were shaking.
But this time, it wasn’t out of fear, but excitement.
This was…
the sound she wanted!
As long as she had this sound, she wouldn’t just be trash that produced noise, she would be…
Guitar Hero!
[Ding! Goto Hitori Affection Value +100!]
[Current Favorability: 35/100.]
[Description: You descended from the heavens at her most awkward and self-doubting moment, not only solving her technical problem but also demonstrating a level of professionalism that won her over. In her eyes, your current image probably comes with a two-meter-high holy light.]
Ai looked at the girl who had started giggling again with pink flowers floating around her, thinking to himself: job done.
“Since it’s tuned, play a song.”
Ai suddenly spoke.
Moreover, he didn’t just watch.
He glanced at another spare guitar sitting nearby and, without asking if he could use it, picked it up.
“An ensemble?”
Yamada Ryo crossed her arms with interest.
[Guitar Shredding (Mastery)] skill loaded.
[Soul Resonance Performance (Lv.1)] skill loaded.
He looked at Bocchi.
“Can you keep up?”
Goto Hitori was startled by this sudden invitation, but when she saw Ai’s deep eyes, the instinct named “guitarist” inside her body awakened.
“I… I can!”
Ai nodded.
He started.
It wasn’t a complex piece, but a simple Funky rhythm that tested timing immensely.
Zheng—
Crisp syncopated notes rang out.
Ai’s playing was very steady, as steady as a precision machine, but every note was wrapped in an indescribable emotion.
It was a confession belonging to a “loner,” the vulnerability and strength that only show in the middle of the night.
This emotion instantly struck the hearts of everyone present.
Especially Goto Hitori.
She felt as if she was being sucked into a black hole.
That boy’s back was so lonely, yet so powerful.
‘He…
is the same as me.’
‘But, he is stronger than me.’
‘I also want…
to stand by his side!’
Bocchi-chan’s fingers moved.
The guitar sound that had been somewhat hesitant seemed to have a soul injected into it at this moment.
The pink Guitar Hero had awakened.
Her signature explosive and emotionally venting solo swept into the rhythmic foundation Ai had laid down like a storm.
Two guitars.
One black, one pink.
One cold, one hot.