Chapter 28: Gloomy

The next day, Ishikawa Hayato sat in the train.

Today, I’m still going to STARRY. Speaking of which, Nijika is really enthusiastic, always calling everyone together.

But is it normal for band members to gather this frequently?

Ishikawa Hayato didn’t know much about band activities.

He looked around the train and saw the two JK he met on the train last time again today.

Feeling bored, he snapped his fingers at the two girls and smiled brightly.

This made them excitedly huddle together.

This was Ishikawa Hayato’s take on their reaction:

'They must have seen through my pervert nature and were attracted to me.'

He was very confident in his inner beauty.

He got off the train and quickly walked towards STARRY.

Today, he was determined to be the first to arrive, and then elegantly savor hot cocoa amidst the surprised expressions of others.

But speaking of which, livehouses don't open on weekend mornings. Last time, Nijika must have opened the door just for him to get in.

As he was thinking that, he saw two figures stopped at the bottom of the staircase.

It seemed he couldn’t elegantly wait for others anymore.

He quickly walked over and patted Nijika and Ryo on the shoulders.

“What are you standing here for?”

“Woah! Woah!”

Nijika cried out in fright. Beside her, Ryo turned her head and glanced at Ishikawa Hayato.

And also at the bottom of the stairs stood Bocchi-chan, who didn't know the door was still locked and was still hesitating whether to open it, looked up in surprise.

“Bocchi-chan was pacing back and forth at the door just now, it looked very interesting.”

“Observing Bocchi-chan? It always feels like a very interesting thing to do.”

“Right?”

“You two, that’s enough! Ahh, Bocchi-chan! Don’t sink under the table!”

...

Kita Ikuyo, who had just pushed open the door and entered STARRY, paused. Hearing familiar voices, it seemed everyone had arrived, but what were they doing inside, being so lively so early in the morning.

She quickly quickened her steps, walked down from the corner, and greeted the four people sitting at a table.

“Good morning.”

However, what responded to her sunny smile was Ishikawa Hayato’s sudden, direct hit.

“Oh~ Ikuyo is here.”

Kita’s smile hadn’t had time to change before she fell straight down.

But as soon as she hit the ground, she sprang up like lightning and walked over under the surprised gazes of Nijika, Ryo, and Bocchi-chan.

Nijika looked at Kita-chan suspiciously and asked.

“Um, Kita-chan, just now?”

*Thud.*

Kita Ikuyo hit her head heavily on the table, making a loud sound as if desperately pleading.

“Everyone, please, from now on, just call me ‘Kita’.”

Ryo let out a meaningful “Oh~” and then turned her gaze to Ishikawa Hayato.

And Ishikawa Hayato nodded, indicating that was indeed the case.

Ryo covered her mouth, revealing a slight smile.

Ishikawa Hayato gave a mischievous smile, implying “I’ll leave it to you next time.”

Ryo nodded.

Seeing this scene, Nijika looked at Kita, who was still bowing her head, with pity. On the other side, Bocchi-chan was frightened by the blatant conspiracy and trembled in her chair…

“Okay~”

Nijika gently clapped her hands, then extended her index finger.

“The Kessoku Band’s first member meeting officially begins! Applause~”

*Clap clap clap~*

She said, leading the applause.

Even Kita, who had recovered her spirits, and Ishikawa Hayato, who was smiling exceptionally brightly, and Ryo, who looked indifferent, and Bocchi-chan, who silently gave a slight nod, all applauded together.

“And now…” She looked around at everyone.

Except for Ishikawa Hayato, who often met her and Ryo, Kita had only met them two or three times, and Bocchi-chan had only met them for the first time yesterday.

She paused, then awkwardly scratched her head and smiled.

“Speaking of which, we don’t seem to know each other very well yet, I have no idea what to talk about…”

Before the atmosphere solidified, Ryo took out a six-sided die from under the table.

“This is when you need to use this.”

“Not bad~” Nijika praised.

“Ryo-senpai is too wise!” Kita once again became a mindless Ryo flatterer.

Then suddenly, the four people present all seemed to hear a sound like a super ultimate skill activating, a *zing* sound.

Bocchi-chan quickly observed with her keen survival instinct.

The sound seemed to come from Ishikawa Hayato’s side. She looked at Ishikawa Hayato and noticed his gaze fixed on the bungee jumping side of the dice.

Hayato-kun… He wouldn’t really want to play this, would he… No, no, no… If she did something so attention-grabbing with a bunch of people watching, she would definitely… [ 'She made a huge fool of herself in front of other guests while bungee jumping, and the bungee jump made a terrifying sound.' ]

[ 'Her overly disgusting performance was posted online and spread across the internet.' ]

[ 'She was tried for disturbing social order.' ]

[ 'Finally, death penalty!' ]

Just as she was about to fall into her own pit of imagination, her elbow was nudged.

She snapped back to reality.

Ishikawa Hayato, who was sitting next to her, had a very relaxed expression, completely different from when he was preparing to unleash a super ultimate skill. Was it her imagination?

Then, Bocchi-chan noticed his finger pointing towards Nijika over there.

Nijika threw the dice. The six-sided die rolled on the table, and the terrifying purple side with the words “Bungee Jump” kept appearing in her eyes.

“What will come out~ What will come out~”

Nijika said with excitement.

And Kita also leaned forward, looking at the rolling dice with full expectation.

“Shalalala, shalalala~”

All four discerning members knew why she was so happy.

After all, this was an opportunity to openly learn about Ryo’s various preferences.

Perhaps only Bocchi-chan in the room didn't know why she was so excited.

The dice stopped.

Nijika read out the text on the rolled side, then looked up and smiled at everyone.

“Topics about music you like~ Short for…”

“Music talk~” Kita very cooperatively kept the conversation going.

“Hmm…”

Those two sunny smiles made Ryo and Bocchi-chan here quietly retreat a bit. However, Bocchi-chan bumped into Ishikawa Hayato as she retreated backward and repeatedly apologized to him.

Originally, it was fine with just Nijika radiating light, but now the combined warmth of the two made them instinctively want to find a cooler place to hide.

“Eh eh? What’s wrong, everyone?”

Nijika instantly panicked at the sight.

Ryo gave Ishikawa Hayato, who was smiling and not speaking, a strange look, then said to Bocchi-chan.

“Bocchi-chan, please.”

“Ah…”

Bocchi-chan was surprised to be the first to speak. She lowered her head and thought for a moment, then said with a gloomy expression from the bottom of her heart.

“Any song without a youthful plot, I can… ”

The four looked at her in confusion, and as Bocchi-chan explained, she immediately retreated into her own world as if to escape.

“The sea, fireworks, romance, why are such happy things written into songs… That kind of world is completely un relatable… Hearing those kinds of songs makes me feel depressed…”

“I used to listen to that band I loved back in my school days....”

Bocchi-chan mumbled gloomily.

“Hey—Bocchi-chan, hey—”

And Nijika kept calling out to this person who had fallen into her own little world, looking troubled.

Beside her, Ryo looked at Bocchi-chan expressionlessly, Kita cupped her face, looking at Ryo expectantly, and Ishikawa Hayato smiled, watching the chaotic scene.

“Please, don’t get lost in your own world, hey…”

Nijika then looked at the others, trying to seek help from them, but after looking around and seeing everyone preoccupied, she let out a mournful cry.

“Can everyone please be a bit more united?”

Finally, Ishikawa Hayato stopped watching the show and clapped his hands forcefully, the loud sound attracting everyone’s attention.

“Well then, it’s my turn.”

“Hayato-kun…” Nijika was moved to tears when she saw the conversation proceeding normally.

But Ishikawa Hayato’s expression froze after he finished speaking. He was stunned for a moment.

“As long as it sounds good.”

His words slightly surprised the others who had come back to their senses.

“I listen to everything from classical to hard rock, no genre requirements.”

“What a troublesome person.” Ryo commented.

Kita, who found this very ordinary and somewhat unlike Ishikawa Hayato, asked in surprise.

“Eh, is that so?”

“Well…that’s what they say.”

Nijika, seeing that everyone was interacting normally, joined the conversation.

“People who say ‘anything is fine’ are usually the pickiest, aren’t they? If they can accept anything in music, it means they only listen to what they truly love, so they’re the hardest to please.”

“I see…” Kita nodded in sudden realization.

Nijika smiled, holding up her index finger as if reminding them.

“By the way, I like hardcore punk, which is usually called Japanese punk and so on.”

Ryo also took over the conversation.

“I like techno-kayo. Recently, I’ve been into the trending songs from Saudi Arabia…”

Nijika, who understood Ryo’s habits very well, couldn’t help but retort.

“Don’t let that person with the glib tongue fool you…”

“It’s true…” Ryo’s calm expression only showed a hint of grievance in her tone.

Ishikawa Hayato didn’t think Ryo was lying. He tentatively asked,

“Ryo, are you planning to be responsible for the arrangements?”

Ryo nodded.

“Yes, Nijika knows nothing about this.”

She didn’t mention anyone else, but it was obvious.

Kita, who knew nothing about music... Ishikawa Hayato, who only started learning music when he joined... and Bocchi, whose actual skill level was unknown.

She was the only reliable one in the band.

“Ryo…”

Nijika, realizing her mistake, looked at Ryo in surprise, and at the same time, realized her silent efforts, bowing her head deeply.

“I’m sorry!”

Ryo saw her apology and said without ceremony,

“I’ve been wanting a bass recently…”

“No.” Nijika’s gaze instantly turned cold.

After the two of them finished speaking, Ishikawa-kun said to Ryo,

“Call me if you need help. I’m also a little interested in arranging.”

He himself was a keyboardist. If Ryo-senpai needed to add any decorative notes to a song, he would have to adjust the keyboard to play according to the requirements.

He also needed to find the arranger and the effect that he was satisfied with.

Even during arranging, it would be easier for the two of them to find the right feel by trying out various actual sounds of the keyboard together.

As soon as he finished speaking,

Nijika, Kita, and Bocchi all froze.

“Eh.”

Ryo picked up the drink in front of her and took a sip.

After she put down the cup, it made a soft sound, and she said nonchalantly,

“I won’t hesitate to use you.”