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V3 Chapter 12: Who is the woman this time?!
🕑 Added 2025-05-15 09:56:22 +0000 UTCThe next day at Haneoka, in the afternoon.
Even though the weather was sweltering, the classroom had already grown restless with the school day nearing its end. The teacher's writing on the board had become half-hearted, and the students weren't paying much attention.
Kazami Haru sat at his desk, calmly scrolling through the messages on his phone.
"Next month? So that's during summer break?"
They had already decided back at RiNG to hold a live show together with the members of MyGO, so Haru had started keeping an eye on various Live House promotions and event details, as well as prepping for the performance.
Of course, the bulk of the heavy lifting was still being handled by the ever-reliable Taki-nii.
Still, Haru tried to help out where he could. Otherwise, if she were left to deal with all that stress on her own for too long with no outlet… she'd end up taking it out on him, wouldn't she?
That's called "preventive maintenance."
"Taki-nii really is efficient. She already made progress on this?"
Haru raised an eyebrow at the documents she'd sent him on Line. They included notes on the melody section, some even marked in red for emphasis.
She'd even attached a short audio clip.
Just as he was about to plug in his earphones to listen to it, a notification popped up from the "Kessoku Band" group chat. The ever-great Nijika Mama had posted a promo image for "STARRY."
Their band's set time was written right on it.
"Hm?"
[Nijika: Our first live show is happening this Saturday! Hope everyone practices the new song Haru-san wrote by then! Also, everyone needs to sell five tickets each. Price: ¥1,500.]
[Nijika: Applause and cheers.JPG]
[Bass Weirdo: Thumbs up.JPG]
[Minister of Online Promo: No problem! I'll sell those five in a flash!]
[Minister of Online Promo: I wonder how many people will come? I'm super hyped~!]
[Nijika: Kita-chan, let's keep our expectations realistic, okay? We're still a brand new band. This time, what matters most is letting people know that Kessoku Band is making its debut!]
Nijika Ijichi really was the picture of kindness.
As the younger sister of STARRY's owner, Ijichi Seika, she must've known all too well how hard it was for new bands. Nijika clearly understood that most of the people attending this live show would be there to see the other acts.
It's not like nobody would buy tickets specifically to see Kessoku Band...
But it wouldn't be many.
Most of the audience would probably be like, "Well, I already bought the ticket. Might as well watch," and come in with zero expectations.
If their performance was even a little underwhelming, the crowd would probably zone out, stare at their phones, and ignore them completely.
Plenty of rookie bands had broken up just from not being able to survive that kind of pressure.
Still, it was better than being one of those school idols who'd worked their butts off practicing dances and songs, done all kinds of promotions and then stepped onstage to find literally no audience waiting for them.
"Too kind," Haru chuckled.
If Nijika was around, even if the performance flopped, she'd still smile and comfort everyone, wouldn't she?
But hang on, wasn't this still class time? How were they all replying to the group chat so fast?
Haru glanced at Kita Ikuyo in front of him.
Sure enough, while her face was turned toward the blackboard, her left hand was tapping away lightning-fast on her phone, her delicate fingers moving like she was shifting chords on her guitar.
"What about Bocchi?" Haru turned his head to the side.
There sat Gotoh Hitori, still in her signature pink-and-white tracksuit despite the heat, twisting her fingers over and over, clutching her head with wide-eyed terror, and repeatedly slamming her forehead into her desk.
Not ignoring the messages, just completely lost in her own world?
She was probably panicking because she didn't know how to sell her five tickets. Haru could sympathize...
"Still, five tickets, huh…"
Thinking it over, Haru realized he'd have to figure out how to sell his own five as well.
Truth be told, he didn't have many close friends.
Even if he sold tickets to all the MyGO girls, that'd only be four at most. After all, Raana never carried cash, being a cat and all, she wouldn't be able to buy a ticket.
"So that means the last ticket'll have to go to either Mutsumi or Saki-sensei?"
Asking Sakiko-sensei felt kind of awkward.
That was a whole ¥1,500, after all!
That gal was even more frugal than Haru—painfully thrifty, really. The kind of person who'd skip the drink coupon and calculate exactly how many days he'd need to live off bean sprouts just to balance the expense.
If Sakiko-sensei actually came to the live show, Haru would start wondering if the gal had a crush on him.
Buzz...
As Haru debated what to do, another message notification popped up on his phone.
He thought it'd be from Taki-nii about the live planning, but it was a DM from someone unexpected.
Ex-Wife No.1— Ryo-san.
The bass weirdo who usually only messaged him to ask about food or music, and was otherwise a total enigma.
[Bass Weirdo: I need your help with something after school.]
What's this about an ex-wife ambush?
Haru: ?
"Huh? She needs my help?"
He had no clue what she was up to, but he didn't have any plans after school today.
He had turned her down the other day to go on that date with Tomori at the planetarium. So this time, there was no way he was refusing.
Haru simply replied in her DMs: "OK."
[Bass Weirdo: Great. See you then.]
And that was it from her. No further explanation.
What did she mean, see you then?
Ryo-san hadn't even mentioned where they were supposed to meet up.
"Summer break is just around the corner, and in a few days we'll have our end-of-term exams. I hope everyone is preparing properly," said the homeroom teacher at the front of the class.
Kazami Haru raised an eyebrow. That didn't sound good.
Crap. That really wasn't what he wanted to hear.
Picking up on something ominous, he quickly turned to glance at Gotoh Hitori next to him.
Sure enough, she looked completely pale, like all the blood had drained from her face, as if she'd just seen Jotaro Kujo in a maid outfit saying "moe moe kyun" over an omelette. Her expression was pure terror.
…
Soon enough, the final bell rang and school was over.
Since the pink-haired gremlin had already arranged to practice guitar with Kita and Bocchi, the three of them naturally clustered together and walked toward the school gate with Haru tagging along.
"What's up with Bocchi today? She looks like her soul left her body."
Anon tilted her head and stared at Gotoh Hitori walking zombie-like beside Kita, guitar on her back, her expression completely vacant.
"No idea~ But Bocchi usually has one or two days like this," Kita replied brightly with her usual dazzling smile.
Seeing straight through her, Haru spoke up flatly: "It's probably because of the exams."
Most people didn't pay much attention to Hitori Gotoh, but Haru knew her better than most.
She kept saying she wanted to live off music in the future, practiced guitar over six hours a day, and had always been terrible at school. Naturally, once she got into high school, her grades were a mess.
"Exams? Shouldn't be a big deal," Anon said, confused, tilting her head again.
Back in middle school, she'd been student council president, and even now she was one of the top scorers in her grade. She didn't understand how anyone could be that bad at tests.
Still, compared to exams, there was something Anon cared even more about right now.
"Hey, Haru, are you really not practicing with us today?"
"ANON TOKYO's live is coming up soon too! And I still suck at guitar!" she pouted, puffing out her cheeks and giving Haru a playful punch on the shoulder with her little pink fist.
It wasn't that she needed him for guitar practice. Bocchi was there and far better technically anyway.
It's just that... most of her "motivation" wasn't really about the guitar at all.
"Sorry, I've already got other plans," Haru sighed.
It wasn't just that Yamada Ryo had asked him to help with something.
Truthfully, Haru needed to find time to talk with Ryo about the new song.
They'd written it together, and while they had poured everything into making it high-quality, they hadn't really considered how hard it would be for the guitarists to play.
This would be Kessoku Band's first real performance.
They hadn't been playing together for long. If the song was too difficult, it could lead to a total disaster on stage.
Even being the boss's little sister wouldn't be enough to get Nijika back on stage after that.
From Yamada Ryo's perspective, Bocchi who played lead guitar was under the most pressure but didn't have the skills to match it and Haru agreed. Even if Hitori Gotoh was a so-called "guitar hero," it wouldn't mean anything if she couldn't actually deliver under pressure.
And with exams coming up, who knew what state she'd be in on the day of the performance?
"A girl again? Is it a date?" Anon squinted, eyeing him suspiciously.
Gotta say, her intuition was scarily accurate.
"It's not a date. It's just band stuff I need to handle."
"The new song might need some tweaks, and since we've got the live show this weekend, I need to be fully prepared," Haru explained smoothly.
"It's about the new song? Then is it with… Ryo-senpai?" Kita asked, eyes sharp.
As soon as she said it, Anon's annoyed expression froze.
She'd heard from Kita about Kessoku Band's bassist and how she and Haru were unusually close.
In other words… potential rival detected.
With a sweet smile and her gemstone-grey eyes glowing faintly, Anon said, "You're performing at that place called STARRY, right? I'll definitely be there to watch!"
Seeing Kita's band perform live might help ease her nerves a bit before her own stage.
…Of course, that wasn't her only reason.
Anon wanted to meet this so-called "Ryo-senpai" in person to see if she was really as dangerous as Kita had implied.
"Whoa, that girl's super cool! But she looks kinda scary too?"
"Yeah, and check that uniform… Is she from Shimokitazawa High? Haven't some Tsukinomori students come here before too?"
Whispers buzzed around them as a crowd of students pointed toward the gate.
Haru, picking up on the keywords, slowly raised his gaze.
He had a bad feeling.
Without hesitation, he looked toward the school gates of Haneoka High.
"…Tch."
And there she was, a girl he knew all too well.
Shoulder-length azure hair, the tips of her bangs on the right side pinned with a black clip. Her stunning looks were laced with a magnetic presence that made heads turn at first glance.
She wore the standard Shimokitazawa school uniform: a plain white shirt and pleated skirt. Simple, yet it highlighted her tall, lithe figure. On her back was a jet-black instrument bag.
Yamada Ryo, at that moment, was lazily leaning against the wall, a lollipop in her mouth, golden eyes lazily scanning her phone.
PIC: Ryo
Haru: ?
He suddenly remembered what Ex-Wife No.1 had said earlier on Line.
"See you then."
So she meant she was coming here?
Now Haru understood how Sakiko-sensei felt, this was what it was like to have someone from another school come ambush you.
"W-Whoa! That girl's so pretty and she's wearing the Shimokitazawa uniform!"
Anon's eyes sparkled in surprise. It was her first time seeing someone both that handsome and beautiful at once. And she clearly played guitar too.
"But what's she doing here at our school? Is she waiting for someone?"
Still clueless, the pink gremlin hadn't noticed the shift in Kita's expression.
She had never expected Ryo-senpai to literally come wait at the gate. The sheer assertiveness left her speechless.
At least now Ryo and Anon were going to meet.
"Perfect…" Kita clenched her small fists, golden-green eyes flicking back and forth between Ryo and Anon.
Operation in progress!
"This is bad."
There was no other way to leave school, this path was unavoidable.
So Haru braced himself and walked toward Ryo.
The blue-haired menace seemed to notice him. Her bored expression shifted ever so slightly.
"Heh~"
She slipped her phone into the pocket of her black pleated skirt, and her deep golden eyes locked onto Haru with a teasing glint.
But Ryo also noticed the girls beside him.
Kita, Bocchi…
And the unfamiliar pink one.
Guitar on her back, standing that close to Haru, it didn't take long for Yamada Ryo to figure it out.
That must be Chihaya Anon, the one Kita had warned her about. Whether she was a threat still needed to be seen.
"Eh?"
Anon blinked in confusion. The cool girl was looking at her?
As she stood there, lost and completely unaware of the situation, Haru walked straight toward the girl. She kept her eyes fixed on him with a faint smile.
And that's when it hit Anon.
She wasn't being stared at.
Haru was.
"E-EH?!"
The realization hit Anon like a truck. Her brain short-circuited and her legs buckled slightly under the surge of panic and dread.
"W-Who the hell is that woman?!"
Just like with Wakaba Mutsu last time, another mystery beauty had suddenly appeared!
She had just been admiring how cool she looked, and now her inner alarm bells were deafening.
Yamada Ryo had it all—looks, aura, and even a killer figure. Anon couldn't compete with any of that.
How was she supposed to win this?! She had some theoretical knowledge in this area… but this was a whole new level of crisis.
The girl was so impressive, just standing there was enough to overwhelm her.
"…That's Ryo-senpai. She's our bassist in Kessoku Band," Kita murmured, a little bitter.
She stared at Ryo with quiet envy, able to walk right up and ask Haru out in the name of "songwriting collaboration."
Her tone dripped with subtle jealousy.
That was when Anon finally snapped back to reality.
The cool girl off in the distance, there was no mistaking it now.
That's the infamous Ryo-senpai. The one who might be a romantic rival.
But, wait a second…
That girl didn't show up in my dreams at all?!
