"Speaking of which, why does Asakura-kun know Kita?"
Inside the private room where the atmosphere had calmed down again, Ichiji Nijika asked curiously.
"She happens to be my reliable Employee No. 2." Asakura answered seriously while using french fries to spell out the words "Super Peace Buster."
"I'm really sorry for not being as reliable as Kita-chan then."
Kawaragi Momoka, serving as Employee No. 1, stared at him from the side with dead-fish eyes.
"Don't say it like that, I still trust you quite a bit in matters other than brewing tea and coffee..." Asakura comforted her with a chuckle.
"Is this the person you were talking about?"
Ichiji Seika, with Hiroi Kikuri still hanging off her (evidently the throw from earlier failed), looked toward Kawaragi Momoka and asked Asakura in a low voice.
"Who?" Yamada Ryo asked casually with her cheeks bulging as she heard Ichiji Seika's question.
"Then let me give a grand introduction..." Asakura cleared his throat and introduced her to everyone with great ceremony. "This is the former lead singer and guitarist of the band Diamond Dust, the author of 'Empty Box,' a representative of underground bands turning professional, and a musician whose songs reached a peak of 18th on the Oricon daily charts—a legend passed down through generations, Kawaragi Momoka!"
"No, I'm really not that impressive..." The subject of the introduction, Kawaragi Momoka, appeared somewhat restless.
After all, before meeting Asakura, she could barely afford to eat and had almost slunk away from Tokyo with her tail between her legs. She really didn't have the face to listen to him praise her like that.
"Not everyone can fit at this table." Yamada Ryo struggled to swallow the food in her mouth and gave a deadpan response.
"So wonderful!" Ichiji Nijika immediately believed Asakura's words, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Kawaragi Momoka.
"..." Similarly serving as a guitarist, Hitori silently turned into ash.
"Ah-wa-wa, Bocchi-chan, don't die in the sunset!" "Even if you're both guitarists and vocalists, Bocchi has her own charm... probably."
"What happened? Huh? What happened?"
The frantic mess between Ichiji Nijika, Yamada Ryo, and Kita Ikuyo actually gave off an unusually harmonious feeling.
'Traffic lights? It would be even more fitting if Yamada's hair were green. Speaking of which, that friend of Arisaka's seemed to have green hair...'
Asakura complained internally.
"However, I indeed have heard rumors about the lead singer of Diamond Dust leaving the band..." Ichiji Seika, as the manager of STARRY, had a fair amount of knowledge regarding news in the music industry. "Although the official statement said it was due to creative differences... could there be some hidden story?"
"No, although most band breakups are due to unfair distribution of profits and 'creative differences' is just a polite public excuse, on my side, it really was a disagreement over philosophy."
Kawaragi Momoka shook her head, her eyes filled with reminiscence of the past. "I once wanted to be in a band with them for a lifetime, but later during our development, we were asked to change the band's style and positioning. I really couldn't accept it, so I quit Diamond Dust."
After saying this, she suddenly laughed. "Speaking of which, before the underground band turned professional and debuted, we actually had a performance at STARRY."
"Really?" Before Ichiji Seika could react, Nijika spoke up first, her voice filled with surprise.
"Yeah, because the manager of STARRY is quite strict about the quality of music, being able to perform there was considered a form of recognition in the underground band circles—a sort of 'threshold' passed. We were quite unique back then." Kawaragi Momoka said.
"A band without individuality is no different from being dead..." Yamada Ryo said abruptly.
"Exactly..." Kawaragi Momoka agreed.
The two looked at each other, and an atmosphere of mutual appreciation inexplicably arose.
After they started chatting, the group of strangers quickly became familiar with one another—except for Hitori, whose "social anxiety level" rose as the number of people around her increased. However, with Asakura nearby to comfort her and the considerate Ichiji Nijika acting as the "Angel of Shimokitazawa" providing support, Hitori wasn't left feeling truly excluded or isolated.
Otherwise, Kessoku Band, which had just formed and completed its first live, might have disintegrated right there at the celebratory banquet.
"What a shame! If I had known today was the first live for Ryo-senpai and the others, I definitely would have come to watch!" Kita Ikuyo said regretfully.
"Skipping work just as you've started is not a good habit..." Asakura tapped her on the head. "And before you were forgiven by Nijika and the others today, did you really have the guts to come watch the live?"
Kita Ikuyo stuck out her tongue and gave a playful smile, then changed the subject to gloss it over. "Speaking of which, I didn't expect Gotoh-san to be so wonderful—she can play the guitar and sing!"
"Wh-wh-why do you know my name?!" Hitori asked in terror. "Is it a doxxing...?"
"Ah, wait, Gotoh-san, you didn't notice?" Kita Ikuyo was stunned for a moment. "We're classmates, though we're not in the same class."
"Even if you're schoolmates, it's normal not to know each other if you're not in the same class, right?" Asakura said.
"Well, I like to think I'm somewhat popular for my age. Plus, Gotoh-san is actually quite the center of attention."
"M-Majika?!" Hitori learned a shocking fact. "I... I thought no one ever paid attention to me..."
"It's because everyone is too intimidated to approach you casually..." Kita Ikuyo said. "At school, everyone says Gotoh-san is that kind of 'Ice Queen' from the music department."
"Queen... hehehe..." The girl's self-satisfaction overflowed, and she looked like a melting slime, letting out some rather unladylike laughter.
"Wake up!"
Asakura mercilessly woke her from her fantasy with a hand-chop.
"Ah! My super luxury yacht and my 100 super-duper-best-friends who love me!" Hitori let out a small wail and collapsed onto the table, lifeless.
"This kid is really interesting."
Kawaragi Momoka said with interest. "Although I thought so back during the Haneoka High School festival, now that I'm interacting with her, she's quite unexpected. She might have some special talent for Rock 'n' Roll."
"More than that. If we're strictly talking about guitar skill, she might not be any worse than you..." Asakura said.
"Oh?"
Kawaragi Momoka's eyes grew sharp.
Hitori, who was still slumped on the table pretending to be dead, began to tremble like a rabbit being eyed by a hawk.