Next Target, 400PS!
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"Huh?"
Marin Kitagawa's words caught Megumi Kato off guard. She clearly hadn't expected this.
"What's wrong? Don't you want to play with us, Megumi?" Marin asked.
"..."
'YOU BETTER MEAN PLAYING VIDEO GAMES!!' However, meeting Marin's eager gaze, Megumi swallowed her refusal. "Sure."
"Hehe! I knew you were the best, Megumi!" Marin threw her arms around Megumi with a bright laugh, clearly thrilled that she was into this kind of "Game." Megumi stiffened at first, but remembering their past antics, she didn't bother struggling. After all, they had already been much closer than this. A simple hug was nothing.
"What about you two, Yukino, Hitori? Do you want to play too?" Marin turned her hopeful gaze toward Yukino Yukinoshita and Hitori Gotou.
"Um..." Hitori shook her head shyly.
Yukino, on the other hand, looked a bit disappointed. "Sorry. Something came up at home. Maybe next time!"
If Kai was playing games alone with Marin, Yukino might have been a little worried. But with Megumi tagging along, Yukino didn't think twice about it. After all, it wasn't like three people could mess around together. It just went to show that Yukino was still lacking in experience. She had no idea about the joys of a three-player game.
Besides, Yukino wasn't making excuses. She really felt bad about missing out. Hanging out and playing games with friends sounded fun, but she had just gotten a text from her older sister saying she was moving back home for a few days to celebrate some good news. Yukino couldn't turn her down.
"That's a shame." Marin didn't push the issue. Instead, she flashed an eager grin. "But promise me you'll come next time!"
"I will!" Yukino nodded with total sincerity, oblivious to the hidden meaning.
"What about you, Hitori?" Marin turned back to the pink-haired girl. Given Bocchi's timid personality, it was usually hard for her to say no to anyone.
"S-Sorry!" Hitori stammered.
Marin felt a pang of regret at losing another player, but her curiosity quickly took over. "Do you have other plans, Hitori?" Usually, Hitori wouldn't reject an invitation unless she was actually busy.
"Y-Yeah!" Hitori nodded. She looked embarrassed but also practically vibrating with anticipation. "A-Actually... I joined a band."
On the outside, she still looked like a nervous wreck, but her heart was doing backflips. She had finally done it. She finally joined a band. It was exactly like she always dreamed. She would tell her friends the big news, and they would immediately shower her with amazed cheers and excited congratulations.
However—
"A band?" Marin tilted her head, looking a bit confused.
"..." The rest of the Service Club fell dead silent.
This was nothing like she imagined. The corners of Hitori's mouth froze mid-smile, and she began trembling like a leaf.
"I-It's nothing..."
'As expected, I'm still just a useless paramecium. I'm sorry for wasting your time with my stupid, insignificant life updates.'
"Hahahaha!" Before Hitori could spiral any further, laughter erupted across the room. Kai was the first to crack up, and even Yukino couldn't hold back a soft chuckle.
"Eh?" Hitori froze, totally blindsided by their reaction.
"That's not going to cut it, you know!" Kai shook his head with a warm smile.
"??"
As Hitori blinked in confusion, Marin leaned in with a wide grin. "He's right! If you get this nervous just talking to us, what are you going to do when you're up on stage facing a massive crowd? You can't freeze up like that!"
"You definitely need to practice, Hitori!"
"Guys..." Hearing their words, tears began pooling in Hitori's eyes. She actually thought they didn't care about her at all.
"Alright, alright!" Kai reached out and ruffled her pink hair affectionately. "We're your friends. With your guitar skills, Bocchi, you'll rock that stage! Sooner or later, you're going to be the brightest star up there!"
"Y-Yeah!" Receiving Kai's encouragement struck a chord. Visualizing herself shredding on stage while the crowd chanted her name sent a jolt of pure adrenaline through Hitori's veins. "I'll do my best!"
Watching her get fired up, Kai just smiled and didn't say anything to burst her bubble. Instead, his mind started racing.
Hitori's band had to be Kessoku Band. Aside from Hitori on guitar, the lineup included Nijika Ijichi on drums, Ryo Yamada on bass, and Ikuyo Kita on vocals. Every single one of them was a main heroine.
He could farm a ton of system rewards from them. His efforts in befriending Hitori were finally paying off.
Following Kai's lead, Marin, Yukino, and Megumi all chimed in to encourage her. As friends, they genuinely wanted to see Hitori succeed.
"Yeah!" Listening to their cheers, Hitori smiled brightly, nodding her head repeatedly. This was great. Being congratulated by her friends felt better than anything in the world.
At the same time, Hitori kept stealing quick glances at Kai out of the corner of her eye. Like a timid hamster, she would peek and immediately look away, terrified someone would catch her staring. But she just couldn't help herself.
In Hitori's mind, she owed her new band entirely to Kai. If he hadn't told her to hang out at the park after school, she never would have been scouted in the first place.
It was all thanks to him.
'Hehe!' Thinking about it made her smile even wider. Didn't this prove that she and Kai were destined for each other?
Hitori thought she was being stealthy. In reality, aside from the notoriously dense Yukino, both Marin and Megumi easily picked up on her strange behavior. Those sneaky little glances were just too on-brand for Bocchi.
Catching on, Marin's smile grew even more devious. She missed her chance today, but next time... there was no way Hitori would turn them down. Adding another player to the roster meant they could test out way more game modes.
Megumi noticed Marin's scheming look but just shook her head and stayed quiet.
"By the way, since you joined a band, you must have a gig coming up, right? When and where are you playing?" Kai asked suddenly. Hitori was his golden ticket to meeting the rest of Kessoku Band. He wasn't about to let this chance slip by.
"Y-Yeah!" Not suspecting a thing, Hitori nodded eagerly. She was desperate to show off in front of her friends and prove how cool she looked on stage.
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However... Hitori was so lost in her fantasies that she completely forgot to consider if she actually had the guts to perform in front of a live crowd.
"Our first gig is next weekend!"
"That soon?" Yukino looked surprised. If they just formed the band, shouldn't they spend more time rehearsing? How did they book a show so fast?
"B-Because everyone else is really good!" Hitori truly believed that. Since the rest of the band was so talented, playing a show early shouldn't be an issue, right?
"I see!"
Knowing Hitori's secret identity as 'Guitarhero', Yukino didn't doubt her. She just nodded. If Hitori said her bandmates were talented, they had to be the real deal.
"Alright then. When the gig rolls around, WE'LL ALL GO WATCH TOGETHER!" Kai decided.
"Yes! I can't wait to hear you play, Hitori!" Marin agreed instantly. There was no way she was missing a fun hangout like this.
Yukino and Megumi nodded in agreement. It was their friend's first concert. They had to be there to support her.
"Hehe!"
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