Outside STARRY, the rain hadn't stopped. In fact, it was coming down even harder as time passed.
In the heat of summer, downpours always seemed to strike without warning. Within just a short wait, the skies had already turned into swirling layers of ink-black clouds, like something out of Haru's own painting, "Rain of Summer," filled with heavy brushstrokes and deep, complex tones.
The pouring rain made it feel like all of Shimokitazawa had sunk into a misty, drenched haze.
"Whoa! It's raining so hard…"
Kita Ikuyo rushed into STARRY, panting, and couldn't help but voice her dismay.
She had even worn waterproof sneakers before leaving home, but her white socks still ended up soaked. The sticky feeling made her frown in discomfort.
Behind her, Yamada Ryo followed, her expression unchanged as always. Judging by their damp skirts and waterlogged shoes, it was clear the two had a tough time making it here.
As she entered, Kita instinctively glanced around the room.
"Doesn't look like there are many people today… My friends said they couldn't make it either…"
Seeing the nearly empty live house, her spirits sank further.
She stayed gloomy until she spotted Kazami Haru nearby. Just the sight of him seemed to lift a bit of that heaviness in her chest. For some reason, just seeing Haru put her at ease.
She didn't know why but yesterday, she'd missed him terribly.
She kept remembering those "dreams," and they left her feeling restless and even lost her appetite. She'd even had a bit of insomnia the night before…
But now, seeing him again, her mood quickly lightened.
Of course, if she could get a quick hug and soak up some energy, that would make it even better!
"Eh? That girl…"
Kita's eyes landed on Ijichi Seika in the corner, who was chatting quietly with a short-haired girl.
That girl's hair was as white as freshly fallen snow, and her face was delicate and cat-like, adorably beautiful. She was holding a tall glass of matcha parfait, slowly savoring it one spoonful at a time.
The pure look of delight on her face drew everyone's eyes to her.
This kid… she came to the live house this early even in weather like this?
"You two must be soaked. Here, dry off."
Haru stepped forward and offered a towel to Kita, which made her eyes immediately light up.
But Yamada Ryo moved faster. With a sly motion, she stepped in front of Kita and intercepted the towel right under her nose, snatching that important moment for herself.
Kita's brief joy deflated into a sour little pout.
"The air's so humid it's making me drowsy."
Ryo casually wiped her hands with the towel but didn't take it fully. Instead, she lifted her head and looked directly at Haru.
A faint glint flickered in her cool golden eyes. She gently tucked a strand of deep blue hair behind her ear, revealing a pale white earlobe beneath. Beads of sweat, mixed with raindrops, trailed down the soft skin of her neck.
The corner of Ryo's lips curved upward slightly. Her voice was languid and playful as she spoke—
"Haru, wipe me."
Wipe where? Judging by the position, he might have to think twice about it.
Haru nearly moved to help her on reflex, but suddenly felt several piercing stares boring into his back. A chill ran down his spine, and he instinctively froze.
Looking around, he couldn't find the source of the stares.
"Ryo, don't keep bothering Haru!"
Ijichi Nijika's voice rang out, clearly flustered for some reason.
She stepped in quickly to block Ryo's increasingly shameless request. Grabbing the towel from Haru's hand, she personally began drying Ryo's hair for her.
…Huh?
"Something's off. Nijika's being way too gentle today."
Ryo stared at Nijika suspiciously.
Just a single comment from her made the blonde girl holding the towel tremble slightly. Kita, off to the side, blinked and murmured, "I think Nijika-senpai's acting normal though?"
"She's not."
Ryo replied flatly.
Her pale golden eyes, sharp enough to see through anything, were fixed on Nijika's increasingly stiff expression.
"Normally, Nijika would throw the towel at my face and tell me to wipe myself, but today she's all gentle and even wiping my face for me? That's… weird."
"I would never do something like that!!" Nijika retorted, face now slightly red.
Of course Nijika knew she was acting strangely today. That ridiculous, delusional dream had clearly left some kind of impression. Just standing next to Kazami Haru made her want to sneak glances at his face and every time she did, it brought back embarrassing memories she wished she could forget.
She didn't expect Ryo's instincts to be that sharp—one glance, and she'd already picked up on Nijika's change in behavior. Now, Nijika's guard was up. She'd have to be extra careful from here on out.
There was absolutely no way anyone could know about that shameful dream.
Especially not Haru!
"All right, all right before we go on stage, let's warm up in the practice room," Haru suggested, trying to smooth over the tension he sensed in Nijika.
He had noticed it too—Nijika, usually full of energy, seemed oddly stiff today. He figured it was just nerves before the show.
As the de facto leader of Kessoku Band, Nijika was under more pressure than anyone here.
If she froze or made a mistake on stage, he'd have to jump in as the keyboardist and pull everything back on track.
"…"
Seeing Haru take the lead, Ryo finally gave a small nod.
But her suspicions hadn't faded.
Even if she hadn't seen much of Nijika's memories in the dream simulation, she could still tell Nijika held feelings for Haru that went beyond simple friendship. That much was obvious.
And after Ryo and Haru got married in that simulated future, Nijika had buried those feelings deep within herself.
That… was a regret Ryo couldn't ignore.
…
They spent a little time warming up in the practice room, and the results were surprising.
Despite being the one who'd seemed most anxious, Nijika turned out to be the most composed.
Her technique wasn't the most advanced in the band, but today her drumming was incredibly steady. Even Ryo gave her a rare look of surprise.
"I honestly thought, with this gloomy weather, we were heading straight for a 'disastrous performance' kind of plot twist."
"Ryo-senpai! Don't say scary things with such a straight face!"
Kita's exasperated comment only seemed to amuse Ryo. She raised a finger playfully and said, "Isn't that how it always goes in manga? Everyone gets nervous, people make mistakes, and the bassist has a breakdown and runs off stage."
"Isn't it usually the guitarist who runs away?"
Haru, fingers dancing lightly over the keys, added with a teasing grin.
"Geez~ Quit teasing me already!"
Kita, who had been tense just moments ago, was now cheerful and throwing in her own complaints, her bright yellow-green eyes full of playful exasperation.
Haru smiled toward Ryo's direction. With just one joke, she had lightened the atmosphere considerably. This was probably her way of helping everyone relax before the show.
He then turned to Nijika, who was still gripping her drumsticks, and smiled. "Nijika, you're in great form today."
"Ah… no, not really~"
Flustered, Nijika quickly waved her hands in denial, cheeks flushed.
She tried to hide her red face behind her crossed drumsticks, but that only made it more obvious. Her adorable reaction caught Haru's eye and he found himself sneaking a few extra glances her way.
The Nijika in real life really is something else…
Haru's mind drifted back to that "dream simulation", the one where he kissed Nijika. The memory was still vivid, burned into his mind. Just thinking about it made him feel like those three simulation slots had been well worth it.
No doubt he'd remember that for the rest of his life.
"…"
Only Ryo, watching from a distance, calmly observed Nijika's reactions.
She noticed how Nijika would subtly avert her gaze whenever she talked to Haru. It was such a small thing—but Ryo, ever observant, caught it easily. Her suspicions deepened.
At this rate, Nijika's probably already falling for him.
But why now?
Just a few days ago, she hadn't shown any signs of this kind of reaction. What had happened in the meantime, something Ryo didn't know, that triggered this change?
"The audience is almost here."
"As the warm-up band, we should probably start planning our escape."
Haru said this with a dead-serious expression, which caused Kita to freeze for a second, before realizing he was totally joking.
"Haru-san! Don't say things like that right before we go on! What if I start laughing during my song?!"
"Pffft—" Ryo let out an unrestrained snort at the mental image of Kita laughing mid-performance.
Everyone silently agreed not to bring up anything outside of the performance itself.
The atmosphere in the room was now so light that even Bocchi, who had been incredibly nervous, started to visibly relax. Until now, most of them had said their friends couldn't make it today and no one knew how many audience members would actually show up.
But at least right now, they were all calm enough to play their best.
Probably...
Watching Kazami Haru being teased at the center of the group, Hitori Gotoh felt a strange mix of envy and gloom.
It was because Haru was here that the previously tense and stifling atmosphere began to melt away. Bocchi, who'd been uneasy at first, could finally relax. Even the fingers holding her pick had returned to normal.
Just as Hitori was spacing out, Kazami Haru suddenly looked her way.
He raised an eyebrow slightly, narrowing his deep black eyes in her direction, and spoke in a soft voice—
"Bocchi, take it off."
His words triggered a ripple effect from the others.
Yamada Ryo and Kita Ikuyo both stared at Bocchi's face, seemingly deep in thought. Then, the two nodded in agreement at the same time. Even the kindest among them, Ijichi Nijika, gave an awkward little smile.
"Bocchi, off it goes."
"Gotoh-san~"
"Haru's right. Maybe it's time to, you know…?"
With their sudden consensus, the pressure crushing Bocchi's heart hit an all-time high.
"N-No! No way!"
"Standing on stage just like this… I can't do that!"
Gotoh let out a voice full of raw resistance.
Her hands clung tightly to the No. 5 paper bag over her head, the brown bag that hid her face always gave her a deep sense of security, like she was in that faceless mode you only see online.
In this form, even robbing a bank wouldn't be a problem!
"Haru made this just for me, and if I don't even have this—"
"Don't talk like I'm already dead."
Without expression, Kazami Haru tugged the paper bag from her head. In that instant, Bocchi shriveled like a salt-sprinkled slug, her body turning pale gray and melting on the spot.
She'd probably be back to normal in five minutes or so.
Bocchi would have to face the reality of performing barefaced sooner or later. There was no room for wishful thinking.
…
"Whoa, it's so stuffy in here—"
"I didn't expect it to be this kind of place. I thought all LiveHouses were like RiNG?"
Dressed in a pale green dress, the pink-haired troublemaker looked around curiously. Everything about STARRY fascinated her, the dim lights and heavy underground vibe made the space feel seriously oppressive!
That "Kessoku Band" was performing in a place like this?
Chihaya Anon had already started imagining just how hardcore the upcoming performance might be.
"Most LiveHouses are like this. RiNG's just a special case," Shiina Taki said with a casual tone.
Surprisingly, she kind of liked STARRY's dark, gritty vibe. It felt like the kind of place where heavy metal might erupt any second. That, to her, was true "rock."
She was just in a bit of a foul mood from getting soaked on the way here.
"Where's Haru?"
"Mmm~ He's probably backstage getting ready. He's up first tonight, after all."
The soft voice came from Nagasaki Soyo beside her. Takamatsu Tomori's amber eyes wandered curiously across the venue, but when she saw how sparse the crowd was, a flicker of worry flashed through her gaze.
There were barely any people here.
Probably because of the heavy rain outside, the brutal weather had driven away at least 80% of the audience.
It was almost time for the show to start, but there weren't even that many spectators inside the LiveHouse. Counting them all, maybe twenty or thirty, max.
Compared to RiNG, this turnout was... dismal.
"Huh? Isn't that Raana-chan?"
With sharp eyes, Anon let out a surprised shout, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
The elusive stray cat was quietly perched by the counter, enjoying "Good Kid Juice" and matcha parfait, offered by Ijichi Seika. The blend of sweet drinks and sweets made her squint with contentment, her cat-like mouth curving up at the corners.
Chihaya Anon's eyes lit up and she hurried over.
"Raana-chan, you came to see Haru's performance too?"
"Mm."
Eyes fixed on her matcha parfait, the stray cat nodded absentmindedly, answering with little interest.
Seeing her brought Anon a sense of relief.
After all, the three girls behind her were anything but harmless. Rikki, who acted the most tsundere, was actually a hidden "dagger." Tomori, who looked the most innocent, was a "lance" that could pierce through anything.
Even Soyo, whom Anon trusted most, had secretly gone out with Haru behind her back.
Only the sweet stray cat... was her one true "friend" in the band!
"Huh? Did you change shampoo, Raana-chan?"
Anon's nose twitched slightly. She had a sharp sense for scents, and something felt off.
Why did Raana smell like Haru?
She'd been around Kazami Haru constantly, even studying with him before the exams. If anyone knew his scent by heart, it was her.
So the moment she caught that scent, her heart stirred uneasily.
"You can tell that much?"
Shiina Taki couldn't smell a thing. The more she looked at Anon, the more she thought she was like a big pink-haired puppy, especially how she clung to Haru like it was second nature.
Just as Anon was about to say something more, Nagasaki Soyo gently tapped her shoulder and whispered with a soft smile, "Haru's about to go on!"
"Where?! Where?!"
Anon immediately turned her head, standing on tiptoe to see the stage.
Ijichi Nijika was already seated at the drums. Kita Ikuyo was nervously adjusting the mic, clutching her guitar. Yamada Ryo stood off to the side, expressionless as she tested her bass strings.
Kazami Haru, at the keyboard, hadn't stepped out yet. He glanced at the still-hesitant Hitori Gotoh beside him, then gently patted her on the back.
"Your turn, Guitar Hero."
"Eh… Ehh?"
His voice was low enough for only the two of them to hear. Hearing "Guitar Hero" gave Bocchi a bit of courage. She gulped hard, clinging to her guitar.
"Don't worry. I've got your back."
- - -
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