After school the next day, while heading to club activities, Rinto was still thinking about what Yamada Ryo said yesterday.
He muttered quietly to himself:
"Momoka already has a guitarist-vocalist and a drummer, while Ryo and Nijika have a bassist and drummer…"
"What're you talking about, Senpai?"
Sumire Yoshizawa, whose skin had been increasingly smooth and radiant lately, affectionately intertwined her fingers with Rinto's, openly showing off their closeness in the corridor.
Thanks to the Yoshizawa sisters' endless displays of affection, Rinto had become famous school-wide—everyone knew he had a special relationship with these two sisters.
And while their relationship certainly was special—after all, just yesterday they had several intense, passionate, and prickly-unprickly-prickly-unprickly-prickly-unprickly sessions of deep rock 'n' roll discussions at the Hilton's luxury suite—but that wasn't the point.
The point was, because of the sisters' blatantly suspicious request, most students assumed they were dating.
But their close friends—like Takamaki Ann, Bocchi-chan, and Togawa Sakiko—had heard the sisters' explanation:
They claimed Rinto was "pretending to be their boyfriend to prevent other guys from pestering them."
Rinto still hadn't figured out why the sisters insisted on such a complicated setup: letting the average student think they were dating, while making sure friends like Ann thought they weren't.
Perhaps this was just the elusive and complex heart of adolescent girls. Whatever made them happy.
He replied, "I was just counting the missing members for the bands Momoka and my coworkers want to form."
Rinto took both girls' slender hands and playfully counted on their fingers:
"Momoka already has guitar and drums. My coworkers have bass and drums. So, collectively, they're missing bass, guitar, and possibly keyboards."
"So, I'm thinking about how I could match the right members to help both sides get started."
Feeling tickled by Rinto's fingers, the twins struggled to suppress their urge to jump into his arms for kisses, pretending to be serious instead:
"Rinto-nii is always so thoughtful~ But your coworkers are also girls, huh? …Bet they're cute too~?"
"Why does Senpai have such amazing luck with women? Is that some natural talent? Is it because you were born with the gift to attract useful women?"
Rinto: "What kind of useless talent is that? I never wanted such luck with girls. Can I exchange it for Persona levels instead?"
Jokes aside, the twins were seriously helping Rinto brainstorm solutions:
"The Light Music Club already has Bocchi-chan and Sakiko, right? Bocchi plays guitar, and Sakiko plays keyboards. If you match both of them to your coworker's side, doesn't that complete their four-person lineup?"
Hmm… Rinto imagined that scenario:
Bocchi, Nijika, Yamada Ryo, and Sakiko—
These four girls forming a band, performing under the live house spotlights…
"…All four of them are definitely beautiful girls and nice eye candy. But I absolutely cannot imagine Bocchi singing. It'd probably have to be an instrumental-only band."
"Ah…" The sisters immediately understood.
They'd gotten familiar enough with Bocchi to know that the introverted-to-the-point-of-plasmolysis girl definitely lacked the courage to play and sing simultaneously on stage.
Not to mention, none of them had actually heard Bocchi play guitar yet; they had no clue if she was any good.
But according to Rinto, Bocchi's bass instruction was extremely precise, and she knew textbook fingering by heart, so her level couldn't possibly be bad. He had full confidence in his introverted little hamster kouhai.
Ah—but Rinto suddenly recalled:
Yamada-shishou also mentioned a Shujin student would perform with them on Friday—a talented girl who could play guitar and sing simultaneously, apparently Ryo's fan.
If Bocchi joined, she'd only need to focus on guitar.
That sounded good; he could definitely recommend it.
Sumire then suggested, "How about another angle? What if Momoka-san's band took Bocchi-chan and Sakiko?"
Hmm… Rinto imagined again.
Two guitars weren't unusual in bands—one lead, one rhythm—and Momoka could easily handle vocals herself, solving the singing problem.
"But a band without bass would be tough, right? Even though I can barely hear bass lines in songs, everyone says bass is a band's soul. Could a soulless band really work?"
True enough.
Honestly, the twins didn't know bass's actual role in a band either, but somehow felt it was important.
As they discovered, assembling a proper band was surprisingly tricky.
"—Senpai. Kasumi-san, Sumire-san, good day."
When the trio reached the music room, Sakiko Togawa immediately stood from the piano, politely greeting them.
Sakiko's perfect smile and ojou-sama etiquette were always delightful; the Yoshizawa twins copied her refined greeting in return.
At the same time, Rinto noticed his adorable Bocchi-chan already sitting obediently in a corner, whispering an almost inaudible greeting.
Wasting no time, Rinto crouched in front of Bocchi, looking up into her hidden face:
"Bocchi-chan, are you interested in joining a band with other people?"
"Eeek—?! Senpai's selling me off to someone else?! 6д9"
What on earth was this girl always imagining? …Even the smiling Rinto was puzzled.
"You misunderstood. I'm working at a live house, and two girls there are looking to start a band. I was wondering if you'd be interested."
Rinto briefly described Nijika and Yamada Ryo, assuring her they were both very respectable (probably) girls.
He even stressed that Nijika's sister owned the live house—entirely family-run, zero pressure performances.
Under Rinto's gentle persuasion, Bocchi gradually relaxed, placing her hands obediently on her knees, carefully listening.
Rinto truly adored her sweet, well-behaved demeanor.
Introverted girls really did give off adorable, small-animal vibes. He gently continued:
"No need to rush. On Friday, they're performing with another student from our school. If you're free, would you do me the honor of going with me?"
Kasumi Yoshizawa chimed in teasingly: "Wow~ Rinto-nii's attack is fierce, instantly securing a date with little Bocchi~ I'm sooo jealous~ (monotone)."
"Ah-aba-aba-aba…" Bocchi, teased by Kasumi, immediately went into plasmolysis mode, causing that mischievous older sister to stick out her tongue cutely and retreat.
Since Bocchi didn't refuse, Rinto assumed she'd agreed.
Anyway, knowing Bocchi's inability to reject anyone, Rinto could probably kidnap her after school and she'd obediently comply without resistance.
That genuinely worried him, though.
What if there really was a playboy rock-scumbag in the club who forced girls to hotels with aggressive advances? She'd be in danger.
He had to responsibly protect this introverted, timid little hamster kouhai.
"Sakiko, what do you think?"
Rinto changed targets, approaching the piano.
Talking to Sakiko was easy and casual; his attitude clearly showed how close they'd become:
"The band also needs a keyboardist, so you'd definitely be welcome. If interested, I can take you to visit the live house today."
"Recommending me to a new band… Rinto-senpai, you're truly quite cruel."
Rinto was suddenly verbally abused by his elegant, beautiful ojou-sama kouhai. It felt great!
Yet despite her words, Sakiko didn't look the least bit displeased; she laughed happily, turning away from the piano to face him:
"My family affairs are quite busy, but I have indeed thought about joining a new band. Senpai, how are the members of this band? Are they talented enough to aim for professional standards?"
"Ah… I honestly have no idea."
Rinto answered truthfully.
He believed Yamada Ryo's level was genuinely excellent—far beyond peers, even approaching professional quality—but Nijika's level was still unknown, and the group's overall performance even less certain.
Sakiko nodded understandingly:
"Then let me consider it first. If Senpai invites me along on Friday, I could probably spare some time to watch the performance with you… Even a group date is still a date, right?"
"…Sakiko, you're deliberately teasing me with ambiguous lines, aren't you?"
Rinto finally realized this girl was purposely messing with him, as she covered her mouth, laughing mischievously.
But after a moment, she added:
"Setting aside your live house coworkers for now—if Momoka-san also plans to recruit band members, I'd be very eager to join."
Ohh—now Rinto was really interested.
As Momoka-san's number-one boyfriend fan, Rinto was truly delighted that Sakiko had also come to appreciate Momoka.
And since Sakiko was someone he'd personally converted from scratch, he felt even happier:
"Sakiko, I'm so glad you like Momoka too. Actually, she is indeed looking for members. Right now, it's just her and a drummer."
"I'll find a chance to introduce you to Momoka soon. But she's still in a slump right now, so it'd be best if we keep this quiet for now."
Togawa Sakiko: "—Perfect timing, then. Senpai, how about taking me to see one of Momoka-san's street performances?"
Sakiko's enthusiasm far exceeded Rinto's expectations. She approached eagerly, eyes sparkling with anticipation:
"I want to meet Momoka-san as soon as possible, to talk about music together. And if she's willing, I'd even love to write songs for her—I can handle both lyrics and composition."
"I greatly admire Momoka-san's performance skills. Such a talented musician experiencing commercial failure is a huge loss for the industry!"
Rinto: "…Sakiko, you really are into the commercial side, huh? The type who loves analyzing album sales and concert tickets?"
This girl must definitely be involved with stock trading and investments at home—truly a young lady from a wealthy family.
The Yoshizawa twins seemed to share the same thought, looking at Sakiko with newfound admiration.
That made Sakiko clear her throat shyly, smoothing her hair and keeping quiet.
Having no reason to refuse, Rinto replied cheerfully:
"No problem. I'll talk to Momoka about it when I get home. We can set up a street performance sometime soon—I'll let you know, so keep your phone handy."
Sakiko: "Alright, Senpai~ I'll be eagerly waiting for your call~♡"
Right in front of his two girlfriends, openly agreeing with another girl to call her at night, and even meeting up with her later…
Wasn't that scandalous? Totally scandalous! [○｀Д′○]
Yet Kasumi and Sumire loved it.
Seeing their dense, oblivious Senpai being so popular with girls made them feel deeply satisfied~♡
After that, Rinto continued practicing bass under Bocchi's careful guidance.
While Yamada Ryo was probably more professional technically, Bocchi's explanations were far more meticulous, empathically pointing out many common beginner mistakes.
These were clearly problems she'd encountered herself, all corrected through painstaking self-study.
She really was amazing.
Rinto's admiration for his shy little squirrel kouhai grew even stronger, making him tempted to pat her head.
But if he actually did that, he had no doubt she'd immediately collapse from nervous shock.
Unlike the similarly shy Tomori Takamatsu, Bocchi's introversion was of a far more sensitive and borderline insane variety.
So, for Bocchi's mental and physical health, Rinto decided to hold off on physical contact until she was a bit more comfortable, exercising strict self-restraint.
…Knock knock knock.
As Rinto practiced bass with the Yoshizawa twins chatting beside him and Sakiko providing gentle piano accompaniment, there was a sudden knock at the door.
Kasumi Yoshizawa immediately went to open it—and standing there was a strikingly cute girl with long pink hair.
Before anyone in the room could speak, the pink-haired girl excitedly burst out:
"Kasumi Yoshizawa-san? You're Kasumi-san from Class A, right? Oh my god, no way~! You actually joined the Light Music Club? I thought someone like you—a professional athlete—wouldn't join any clubs!"
"—Wow~! And looking closer, Sumire-san is here too! The twins really do stick together everywhere, huh? I'm so jealous of your closeness! And there's that second-year scumbag senpai—ah."
Realizing she'd accidentally let slip something rude, the pink-haired girl quickly covered her mouth with a loud smack, eyes darting away awkwardly.
What an energetic girl.
Her hair color was pretty close to Bocchi's, but she clearly had a much more outgoing and cheerful personality—her skirt was even daringly short.
This girl was a genuine ray of sunshine, causing Bocchi—Rinto's little introvert—physical distress, already frothing at the mouth from sensory overload!
"…She's…the one who was with Tomori…"
Rinto sharply caught Sakiko Togawa's muttering before she nervously covered her mouth.
Rinto immediately understood.
Sakiko previously mentioned wanting to discuss CRYCHIC with Tomori Takamatsu, but missed her chance because Tomori had been busy chatting with a pink-haired girl—one who had even seen CRYCHIC's original lyrics.
Clearly, this was that girl—a polar opposite to Tomori.
Taking initiative as the club president, Rinto stepped forward:
"Hello, can I help you? Did you want to check out the Light Music Club?"
"—Yes!" The sunny girl instantly replied.
Her smile was so dazzling that even Rinto felt blinded by it, slightly overwhelmed by her radiant cuteness:
"I'm Chihaya Aine from Class 1-C. Senpai, you can just call me Aine~!"
"I really want to join the Light Music Club! Actually, Senpai, back in middle school I was student council president, and during the school festival, I formed a student council band as the guitarist and vocalist~! So, I have experience, and my own guitar, and I'm super enthusiastic about club activities!"
Ohh…
It felt like asking for a pillow and instantly receiving one. Flooded by the sheer power of this energetic JK vitality, Rinto obediently nodded.