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V3 Chapter 6: Ryo, the You of Now
🕑 Added 2025-05-12 12:34:07 +0000 UTCYamada Ryo had heard before that Kazami Haru was in another band.
She also knew that Haru was secretly giving guitar lessons to another girl. But because she had never seen the girl in person, Ryo couldn't judge how much of a threat she posed.
Still, the fact that they were practicing at home already meant the risk level couldn't be anything less than a solid B-rank.
Letting a girl hang out alone with Haru at his house put Ryo, who lived far away in Shimokitazawa at a huge disadvantage. Plus, she had no idea what the girl's true intentions were.
If that girl had any other feelings for Haru, being alone together was extremely dangerous!
Thankfully, both Kita and Bocchi had gone with him for the practice. That helped break up the perfect alone time, and if the girl did have any romantic intentions, Kita's presence would serve as a distraction, slowing things down.
"Come to think of it, I've never met the other members of Haru-kun's band. I can't even imagine what they're like," Nijika said with a curious blink.
Ikuyo Kita's smile lit up, flawlessly bright and eager. She had been waiting for someone to bring this up.
"That girl is actually our classmate! She's really cute and sweet, so she's super popular. And she gets along with Haru-kun really well, she even calls him 'Harumi' like they're super close!"
"Whaaat?! That's way too close!" Nijika gasped, covering her mouth in surprise.
As an active high school girl, Nijika knew exactly what that meant. When a girl gave a guy a cutesy nickname, that was basically a confession of affection in disguise!
Realizing this, she stole a quick glance at Kazami Haru.
Was their quiet keyboardist secretly a massive flirt? As someone who knew him well, Nijika was keenly aware of the feelings Ryo had for him and Kita wasn't exactly subtle either.
"…"
Ryo gave Kita a meaningful look, nodding slightly in thought.
Ikuyo… was that a deliberate attempt to provoke me against this mystery girl?
Gotcha
Ryo could see through her instantly and in this case, she wasn't lying. Kita had described a textbook "threat." That kind of bright, sweet, and ambiguously affectionate girl was a serious concern. Ryo mentally upgraded her to an A-rank danger level.
But that didn't mean Ryo was entirely distracted by this "Chihaya Anon."
The most dangerous person here was still the one who looked the most harmless, Ikuyo Kita.
While Ryo was deep in her thoughts, the Great Angel of Shimokitazawa raised her hand and cheerfully announced, "Alright! Let's get started with today's band activity!"
"Where are we doing the shoot today, Nijika-senpai?" Kita asked, excited, a hint of giddy curiosity in her voice.
"A photo studio? A mysterious alley? or one of those Akihabara cosplay photography cafés?"
Nijika smiled as she lifted one finger, answering slowly, "Well… we can't afford any of those!"
"The band doesn't have the budget to hire a photographer. We'll have to do it all ourselves."
After all, Kessoku Band was still a rookie band. They hadn't even had their first live performance. Everyone was busy saving up just to cover the venue and ticket costs.
Professional photos were way out of budget.
"As a broke band with zero funding, I was lucky just to borrow a camera from my sister. So we'll have to find a good-looking street for the shoot."
"We've got the whole day, let's take our time finding the right spot."
Kazami Haru looked up at the blazing sun, eyes narrowing at the harsh UV light.
He thought Shimokitazawa was a perfect place. Even walking through the streets with the band, he could feel the unique artistic vibe. In this subculture haven, remnants of past bands still lingered in every corner.
It was like past and present intersected here.
The area still bore the marks of its earlier era. Narrow alleys were lined with fading graffiti, and yellowed flyers clung to crumbling walls like forgotten stories.
"…What's this?"
While Kita and Nijika chatted and pointed excitedly at a vintage shop, Haru's eyes were drawn to one particular wall—a crumbling flyer, warped and water-damaged.
It was an old band promo. A group photo of the members still faintly visible.
And among them, one bassist looked eerily familiar.
Even though the ink had run and the image was warped, Haru recognized her instantly.
Yamada Ryo.
"Haru? What are you looking at?"
Ryo appeared like a ghost, tapping him on the shoulder.
Following his gaze, she spotted the ruined flyer. Though the text was mostly illegible, the photo was unmistakable.
It was her. With her old band.
Surprisingly, Ryo didn't react negatively.
Her past with that band wasn't a secret and being the carefree, independent type, she didn't mind others knowing, but even so, when it came to Haru, she did care, she wanted to know what he thought.
But he stayed silent for a while.
"Not going to ask anything?"
She tilted her head, puzzled by his lack of response.
Haru simply replied, "Is there anything to ask?"
"No matter what happened before, it doesn't really have anything to do with the Ryo of now."
Writing songs to chase fame and trends was one path. Choosing to stay true to yourself, no matter the pressure, was another.
They just had different ideals, that's all.
"But I think the Ryo I know now is the best version of you."
Ryo was beautiful, of course. Anyone could see that.
But for Haru, it was her solitary strength and unwavering authenticity that made her truly attractive.
"Nijika and the others are getting ahead. We should catch up."
With that, he turned away from the wall and walked toward Nijika, leaving Ryo standing there in silence.
The warm sunlight filtered between rooftops, casting a soft glow over the cracked pavement. A cool breeze stirred the trees beside the wall, their branches rustling gently.
The speckled light shining through the leaves fell on Ryo's flushed cheeks.
Her ears felt kind of warm.
"By the way," Kita said suddenly, "don't most rock bands include a little self-intro clip from each member in their promo videos? They usually cut those together and add them at the start, right?"
"Se-Self intro?!" Hitori Gotoh sucked in a sharp breath.
That kind of thing was pure torture for her!
Back when she had to introduce herself to her high school class for the first time, she'd written out a lengthy speech the night before, hundreds of carefully chosen words, all to make a good first impression.
And then, when it came time to speak—
Her mind went completely blank.
All those sentences melted into useless mush.
"N-Nope nope nope nope nope—I can't do it! I'll die!"
Just hearing the word "self-introduction" sent Bocchi into a panic. She shook her head violently like a bobblehead, whipping up enough force to stir the dust on the street.
Nijika gave an apologetic smile to Kita.
She didn't even need to say a word, Ikuyo Kita already understood.
They'd have to skip that idea.
"But without self-introductions, it's really hard to convey each member's personality and charm…"
Nijika muttered as she held her head in both hands, looking a bit troubled.
"Ah! Then how about we bring our instruments along?" Ikuyo suddenly lit up. "If everyone poses with their own instrument, wouldn't that instantly show their traits and personalities? Plus, it would totally give off that cool 'rock band vibe'!"
"Rejected~"
Nijika drew a big X in the air with a helpless smile.
"That only works for guitarists and bassists, doesn't it?! Drummers are stuck with just two sticks and look kinda silly, and if a keyboardist holds their keyboard in front, it covers their whole face!"
"…Nijika could just hold a snare and a kick drum in each hand," Yamada Ryo suggested dryly, raising her right hand.
"Like that's even possible!"
Blushing and flustered, Nijika waved her drumsticks around in mock anger as she chased after the ever-stoic Ryo, who clearly enjoyed teasing her.
The playful chase made Kita smile with envy. She even stole a glance at Kazami Haru beside her.
"In any case, let's just try shooting photos in different places for now!"
After a while, Nijika decided to keep things simple. They'd take photos wherever it felt right, and later choose the best ones for promo use.
Click!
A new photo popped up on the camera screen, but it looked completely ordinary. It didn't convey anything band-related at all.
"Hmm… this really lacks any kind of rock band feel."
Nijika furrowed her brow thoughtfully.
"For a rock band, what if we all just flipped off the camera?" Haru suggested casually, showing his middle finger as an example.
"No no no! That's totally not okay!" Nijika cried out. "And seriously, Haru-kun, when will you stop clinging to these outdated rock band stereotypes?!"
Just imagining that scene made Nijika shake her head frantically. These photos were meant for press kits and promotions, there was no way they could use something like that.
What kind of image would people have of Kessoku Band?!
"I think we should try it."
"I totally support Haru-kun's idea! Right, Bocchi?"
"Ah… u-uhm…"
To Nijika's shock, not a single person objected. She felt like the only sane one in the room. The supposed angel of Shimokitazawa began to feel a sharp pain in her temple.
"…Fine. Let's try it."
Click!
Another photo appeared on the screen. This time, all five members were flipping off the camera with blank expressions. Somehow, even with her usual radiant smile, Ikuyo's middle finger pose looked weirdly appropriate.
When Nijika saw it, she nearly passed out from shock.
Coming to Shimokitazawa was a mistake.JPG
"No no NO! Let's try something normal this time! Haru-kun, get in the center!"
Nijika deleted the cursed image with a trembling finger, haunted by the thought of her older sister seeing it.
Click!
Another group photo was taken by the wall. The five of them rushed to see it, only to reveal… a very strange composition.
"Th-this one feels… kinda off?"
"Haha… I thought it was fine, actually."
Both Nijika and Kita smiled awkwardly. Bocchi was too scared to even open her eyes during the photo, so she couldn't bring herself to look.
Haru let out a sigh.
Being the only guy in the band meant the four girls automatically placed him in the center, C-position.
In the photo, Kazami Haru leaned casually against the wall with one hand in his pocket. Ryo rested her elbow on his shoulder with a straight face, while Kita tilted slightly, beaming with joy.
Nijika bent slightly, flashing a peace sign in a cute pose, and Bocchi stood stiffly, eyes tightly shut, face ghost-pale from fear.
Rather than a band photo—
"This feels like a harem," Ryo said flatly, cutting straight to the heart of the issue.
"Ryo!"
Nijika clamped a hand over Ryo's mouth, blushing furiously. Her comment had hit too close to home to even laugh off.
"Sigh~ guess I'm just too handsome for my own good."
Haru shook his head solemnly. The sheer confidence in his voice gave Nijika an odd sense of déjà vu.
"…Fine. I'll just stand on the far left then."
After spending most of the afternoon shooting, they finally finished taking all the pictures.
Because they spent a lot of time just wandering and chatting, by the time they wrapped up, it was almost evening. The bright sky had begun to darken.
"Phew~ It's finally done~"
Nijika stretched her slender frame with a relieved smile. Her soft, adorable face glowed under the setting sun, and her clear crimson eyes squinted gently.
Small and delicate as she was, she radiated an energy that made her glow with life.
The clouds above blazed like fire, and the sunset filtered through, casting a golden hue over her flushed cheeks. For a moment, the angelic girl looked downright divine.
I think I just saw an angel—
Kazami Haru suddenly felt the impulse to abandon all simulations and just propose to her on the spot.
"Ah~ I had so much fun today! And we took so many good photos!"
"I'm going to save all of them!" Ikuyo Kita beamed, proudly raising her phone.
Today had been a huge win for her.
Photos of Haru-kun, GET~
The only regret was not managing to close the distance between her and Haru more.
She felt their relationship was already beyond simple friendship.
If another chance came to take the next step, she'd confess without hesitation and if it worked, she'd never let go, seal the deal instantly, make it official, and leave all the other scheming women in the dust!
Just imagining it made her heart race with satisfaction.
"M-Me too, please…" Bocchi said, her mood sky-high.
It was the first time she'd ever been invited out to hang with friends. And taking so many group photos? It was almost overwhelming.
Once she got home, she had to print 200—no, 300 copies of the group photo!
Kita glanced around and said with a hopeful tone, "Hey, everyone! Are you free after this? Want to go to karaoke?"
They had to go! No matter what, she had to try!
What if Haru-kun confessed to her there, just like in her dreams?
What if?!
"Kita-chan really loves karaoke, huh~ Do you have a favorite artist?" Nijika asked with a teasing smile.
"I'm obsessed with Sumimi! Especially Misumi Uika, her vocal technique is everything I strive for!"
Kita's eyes practically sparkled like stars as she spoke, her voice brimming with excitement.
"I've got something tonight. I need to talk to Haru," Ryo said flatly.
That one line from the blue-haired devil instantly froze Kita in place.
Even Nijika, her best friend, was too stunned to react, her mouth hanging open slightly.
At this hour? Alone? With a guy?
What exactly did they need to "talk" about? The origin of life?
Haru, caught off guard too, looked like he wanted to say something, before he could speak. Bocchi, who had been silent for a long time, spoke first with a weak voice.
"Ah… I think Haru-kun already has plans with Takamatsu-san tonight."
