In the small basement, they wove together a sensory feast that made one’s scalp tingle.
Nijika’s mouth hung open, she even forgot to pick up her drumsticks.
The laziness in Yamada Ryo’s eyes disappeared, replaced by a feverish light.
Even the manager, Seika, who had been eavesdropping at the door, had walked in at some point, leaning against the wall with a faint smile at the corner of her mouth.
The song ended.
The sound lingered in the air.
Ai put down the guitar, a thin layer of sweat appearing on his forehead.
The consumption of Soul Resonance was indeed heavy.
But the effect was also outstanding.
The entire studio was silent for a full five seconds.
“That was… so amazing!!”
Ijichi Nijika was the first to break the silence.
She rushed excitedly to Ai, her eyes sparkling.
“Hey, hey! Are you a professional musician? Or a member of some big-name band? Do you want to join our Kessoku Band? Although we’re still weak, with Bocchi-chan here, we’ll definitely be amazing in the future!”
Ai looked at this “Angel of Shimokitazawa” who was full of positive energy and quietly took half a step back.
Too dazzling.
For a gloomy person, this kind of light was a bit blinding.
“I’m just a passing student.”
Ai said blandly, then looked at the Goto Hitori who had completely turned into a puddle of pink liquid slumped on the floor, making a “hehehe” silly laugh.
“Remember to write down the parameters.”
He pointed to the effect pedal.
“Yes… yes! Understood! Master!”
Goto Hitori snapped upright and gave an extremely non-standard salute, her face as red as a tomato.
Master?
Wasn’t that title a bit off?
Just then, Yamada Ryo, who hadn’t spoken, walked over.
She stared at Ai for a while, then suddenly reached out her hand.
“Lend me a thousand yen.”
Ai: “…?”
“Ryo! Don’t be so rude to a guest we’re meeting for the first time!” Nijika gave Ryo a frustrated hand-chop.
Ai looked at this scene of bickering that felt like déjà vu, and a long-lost sense of relaxation welled up in his heart.
This was the world of bocchi the rock!.
Compared to those evil spirits that could take your life at any moment, this was simply paradise.
“It’s getting late.”
Ai glanced at the clock on the wall.
If he didn’t head back, Yotsuya Miko would probably start overthinking again.
Moreover, the system notified him that his charisma points were undergoing a new round of settlement, and his body was starting to have a slight feverish reaction.
“Um… Um!”
Seeing that Ai was about to leave, Goto Hitori gathered all the courage of her life and rushed over with her guitar, blocking his path.
She lowered her head, not daring to look into his eyes, her body shaking like a leaf, but her voice was exceptionally firm:
“Next time… next time, can we… play guitar together again?”
Ai looked at her.
The girl’s bangs covered her eyes, but that feeling of longing was almost overflowing.
[Ding! Choice triggered.]
[Coldly Refuse: “No time.” (Bocchi will take critical damage and retreat into her shell)]
[Gently Agree: “Sure.” (Persona break warning)]
[Ambiguous: “Depends on your performance.” (Maintain the cool act while keeping her on the hook)]
Ai chose C without hesitation.
“Depends on your performance.”
He left those words, went around Bocchi, and walked toward the door.
When he reached the door, he stopped again and looked back at the pink girl who was still dazed.
“Also, don’t stuff yourself into a box next time.”
“It’s hard to pull out.”
After saying that, he pushed the door open and disappeared into the shadows of the stairs.
Leaving the four people in the studio staring at each other.
“So… so cool…” Nijika murmured to herself.
“He’s an interesting man,” Seika commented.
“He should be rich,” Ryo was still thinking about that thousand yen.
And Bocchi-chan, covering her burning cheeks, slowly slid down the wall, eventually turning into a cooked octopus.
depends on my performance…’
‘In other words…
as long as I perform well…
I can be with him all the time?’
‘Hehe…
hehehe…’
…Walking out of STARRY, the sky outside was completely dark.
The streets of Shimokitazawa were brightly lit.
Ai took a deep breath of the cool air, feeling the blood that had been boiling because of the performance gradually cool down.
He took out his phone.
Sure enough, the screen showed three unread messages.
All of them were from Yotsuya Miko.
[Fujiwara-san, are you still busy?]
[It’s started raining outside, remember to bring an umbrella. (Though I know you didn’t bring one)]
[I’m waiting for you at the station. If you don’t come… I’ll just keep waiting.]
Ai looked at the last message, his brow furrowing slightly.
This girl was getting bolder and bolder.
Was she threatening him?
Though it was a soft threat, that “heavy” flavor was already starting to show.
[Ding! Warning!]
[Detected that the target “Yotsuya Miko” is in a stacked state of “unease/self-persuasion/slight yandere.”]
[Due to the strong emotional waves caused by your performance at STARRY just now (though she didn’t hear it, a woman’s intuition is terrifying), she perceived a certain “threat.”]
[Suggestion: Go to the station immediately to comfort her, otherwise an indescribable paranormal event may occur tonight.]
Ai put away his phone and sighed helplessly.
“What a… troublesome girl.”
He tightened the collar of his school uniform and walked quickly toward the station.
The rain began to fall.
And at the end of the rain curtain, the girl with long black hair was standing at the ticket gate, her eyes gloomily staring at every passing pedestrian until—
She saw that familiar figure.