Chapter 15: Ryo Yamada the Wingman.
In the end, Hitori played to her heart's content. Performing is quite physically demanding, and by the time she snapped back to reality, Ren had handed her a drink.
"Thank you."
Hitori accepted the drink, feeling both honored and flustered as she thanked Ren.
"Bocchi-chan, your guitar skills are really impressive—almost professional level," Ren remarked with an amazed expression. He had initially thought Hitori was just an amateur who knew a little, but after listening, he realized her guitar skills were on a completely different level among high school students. In this aspect, she was terrifyingly strong.
However, her personality somewhat diluted this strength. If there were even a few more people around, it was hard to say if she could even perform at 30% of her ability.
"N-Not really, hehehe~"
Hitori couldn't handle praise well. Whenever she was complimented, she would break into a silly, proud grin, her heart blooming with joy.
"You should be more confident in this area. I'm telling the truth. Let's go grab something to eat and then come back to watch the band performances."
Unbeknownst to them, evening had arrived. Ren began moving on to the next step of his plan. After watching the performance at Starry last time, he still felt a bit unsatisfied. At RiNG, which was larger, had more bands, and was more professional, he doubted he would be disappointed.
"Yeah, this time it's my treat!" Hitori nodded nervously, remembering that Ren had paid for their meal last time.
Today, she had brought out her entire "dowry savings," but since she hadn't had a chance to give it to Ren, she decided to treat him to a meal instead.
"Alright."
Ren didn't refuse. He knew that if he kept giving without reciprocation, Hitori wouldn't feel at ease accepting it and might even be overwhelmed with guilt. That would be counterproductive. He had money, but there was no need to spend it that way—he had to address the root of the issue.
For Hitori, treating a friend to a meal was something she had always dreamed of, and she thoroughly enjoyed the dinner.
After eating, they returned to RiNG, just in time for the performances to begin.
"Good evening, everyone~"
The all-girl band on stage greeted the audience with lively enthusiasm and began their performance amid the crowd's warm response.
Both the atmosphere and the sound quality of the equipment were several levels above what Starry offered.
To make Hitori feel more comfortable, Ren didn't push to the front with her but instead watched from the very back.
Hitori stared blankly at the performance on stage, fantasizing about how wonderful it would be if she could be that outgoing and cheerful.
"Did you gain any new insights or learn something?"
After the first band finished their set, Ren turned to Hitori beside him. Besides deepening their bond, one of his goals in bringing her here was to give her a little push.
The atmosphere at RiNG and the band performances could offer Hitori some inspiration or realizations.
If Hitori had come to watch the live performance alone, she wouldn't have dared. It would have been difficult to truly absorb the atmosphere. Perhaps one day, her performances with Nijika and the others would be this lively too. If that were the case, the atmosphere she experienced today might not put so much pressure on Hitori.
"Everyone is so amazing," Hitori murmured. The last time she was forced to perform on stage, the response was terrible. It not only made her nervous but also left her feeling disheartened.
Now, witnessing the stark contrast between the atmosphere at RiNG and her own experience, she felt a mix of envy, frustration, and a faint but genuine motivation. She, too, wanted the audience to fill the entire venue when she performed on stage.
"In my eyes, your guitar skills are even better than those two guitarists. You can do it too."
Ren offered timely encouragement, and he meant every word. The truth was, Hitori's guitar skills were extraordinary. While Ren could detect some flaws in the guitarists of the band that had just performed, he found none in Hitori's playing when she was serious.
"R-Really?"
This time, Hitori didn't dare to grin foolishly with pride. Instead, she felt a bit insecure, completely unable to believe she was that skilled.
"Of course. You should trust my judgment."
Validation seemed important to Hitori, so Ren didn't hold back his praise.
Soon, the second band took the stage, and their conversation paused for the time being.
After watching the performance for a while, Ren suddenly felt an elbow nudge his arm. He turned to see Ryo, her expression as placid as ever, still chewing on a blade of grass.
"What a coincidence."
They had already met and were barely friends, though Hitori was closer to her. Still, Ren nodded in greeting.
"Hush money."
Ryo tilted her head slightly and stretched her hand out toward Ren.
"?"
Ren looked at her with a puzzled expression, struggling to follow her train of thought. What had he done to warrant paying hush money?
"You're trying to woo Bocchi-chan, right? Give me a thousand yen, and I'll keep your secret."
A glint of shrewdness flashed in Ryo's eyes. She hadn't expected to run into Ren and Hitori tonight.
But she couldn't be bothered to overthink it. A boy and a girl, classmates who claimed to be just friends hanging out—she didn't buy it for a second. There had to be something more.
Though expecting Hitori to make the first move was clearly asking too much, so the issue had to lie with Ren.
Beneath Hitori's gloomy, socially anxious exterior was a youthful and beautiful girl. With such a handsome guy and pretty girl together, what else could Ren be up to?
"...You really are a strange person."
"Thanks for the compliment."
Ren couldn't help but mutter the remark, and a faint, satisfied smile appeared on Ryo's typically expressionless face.
Seeing her like this, Ren couldn't help but chuckle wryly. Ryo didn't seem to be threatening him, but rather trying to find ways to scam money out of him.
Was Ryo really that short on money?
But judging by her demeanor and clothing, she didn't seem like someone from a poor family.
"Are you really that short on money?"
Ren chose to ask directly when he didn't understand. He had money, but he didn't want to be taken for a fool.
"Very short. I just bought a new bass recently and have been living on wild grass these past few days. I'm practically starving to death."
Ryo admitted openly. If she had money, would she need to extort Ren?
"Here, but you have to do me a favor. Remember to hint to Bocchi-chan that I'm pursuing her."
After thinking about it, Ren took out ten thousand yen and gave it to Ryo. He considered it paying for a wingman. With Hitori's personality, some things would be hard for her to accept if said directly.
For example, if he directly told Hitori he was interested in her.
With ordinary girls, they would probably blush and half-heartedly accept his confession. But if it were Hitori, she would most likely lack confidence, refute it, and then put herself down with various proofs.
But having a wingman was different. Ryo was a member of Hitori's band and spent a lot of time with her. Having her drop hints would allow Hitori to mentally prepare herself.
"No problem."
Ryo readily accepted the task, snatching the money so fast that Ren almost couldn't see her hand move.
After taking the money, Ryo of course wouldn't slack off. She stepped past Ren and walked over to Hitori's side, making sure Hitori noticed her. She planned to watch the performance together first, saving the wingman work for when they headed home, and it would be best if Ren avoided being around.
So after watching the performance together until it ended at ten o'clock, Ren left first to create an opportunity for Ryo to work her wingman magic.