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V2 Chapter 18: Aren’t We a Rock Band?
🕑 Added 2025-05-09 13:14:04 +0000 UTC"I'm truly, deeply sorry!!!"
Fear. Trembling. Nerves. Cardiac arrest.
Ikuyo Kita was on her knees on STARRY's floor, tears shimmering at the corners of her eyes as she frantically apologized. Across from her sat Ryo Yamada, one leg crossed over the other, chin resting on one hand, expression completely unreadable.
So scary, Ryo-senpai's eyes are terrifying!!
Back at the ramen shop, she hadn't come face-to-face with Ryo, so the intimidation hadn't hit her that hard. But now, with nothing in between them, the full weight of Ryo's silent pressure crashed down like a thousand bricks. Kita's mind was completely blank.
Why is this happening?
She had thought Ryo-senpai looked so cool before… so why was she instinctively afraid of her now?
"I—I didn't know how to play guitar at all! That's why I panicked and ran away before the performance!"
"I'll do anything! Just please, senpai, forgive me!"
With her brain running on empty, all Kita could do was keep apologizing. She bowed over and over, slamming her head into the floor with the force of a pile driver. Thump. Thump. Thump. Each hit sounded heavier than the last.
Nijika Ijichi flinched at the sound and rushed forward to stop her.
"It's okay, Kita-san! Ryo and I were never mad at you to begin with!"
"There's no need to be so scared! Really, it's fine~"
Nijika gently patted Kita's shoulder, trying to calm the sheer panic in her eyes.
But even with comfort, Kita didn't dare raise her head. Ryo-senpai's icy stare was still fixed on her, sending chills down her spine.
"Really, it's fine! I didn't even realize you were struggling, so I'm partly to blame too."
"And the performance still turned out okay in the end, we finished it successfully."
"If you hadn't run away back then, I wouldn't have gone out to take a chance, and I wouldn't have stumbled upon Bocchi-chan and Haru-kun! That's how we ended up getting both a guitarist and a keyboardist at the same time!"
Nijika glanced toward Bocchi, her eyes twinkling with gratitude.
It really was one of those blessings in disguise.
"Our band exists now because of that. So honestly, we should be thanking you, Kita!"
Nijika softly stroked Kita's head, helping her finally calm down.
Her gentle words soothed Kita's nerves and subtly took some of the blame onto herself, just to make Kita feel less guilty. She didn't want her to carry the burden of that mistake alone.
Kazami Haru nodded silently from the side, impressed once again.
Nijika's greatness needs no words.
With someone as kind as her, it felt like she could forgive anything.
Even if you got married to her and later cheated, she'd probably smile and say she was also at fault, still shining with the warmth of the sun—while secretly wiping away tears in the dark, letting her tiny pearl-like drops fall quietly…
And once you understood just how gentle she was, you'd think about her day and night, consumed by guilt and regret for ever betraying her.
In the end, you'd have no choice but to kneel before the divine goddess Nijika and beg for forgiveness.
"…Haru-kun, is there something on my face?"
Nijika's sharp girl instincts picked up on the intense gaze Haru had been giving her and asked curiously.
"I was just thinking… if I married Nijika, I'd definitely be happy."
"Eh?! Wha—come on, don't say weird stuff like that!!"
Nijika's face flushed bright red in an instant.
She was flustered, not angry—just desperately trying to hide her embarrassment.
Fidgeting with the tips of her golden ponytail, she twirled it nervously around her finger. Her cute face now wore a pink hue, and her eyes darted away in every direction.
That line… it totally caught her off guard.
Even though she knew he was probably just teasing her…
Kazami Haru, you jerk! Don't just drop lines like that on girls, it's misleading!
Ryo Yamada's eyes gleamed with a strange light. Her pale golden gaze locked onto Nijika from across the room. She gently nodded, as if confirming something yet, in the end, said nothing at all.
No one could guess what she was really thinking.
Kita Ikuyo was left stunned, her eyes darting between Haru and Nijika. She opened her mouth to say something but couldn't get the words out.
Is this why Haru has so many girls swarming around him?!
It's because his smooth-talking mouth keeps stirring the pot!
If she wanted to keep an eye on him at all times, Kita would have to summon every ounce of courage she had.
"I still feel awful about what I did, Ijichi-senpai…"
"Please! Punish me however you see fit!"
Her serious expression put Nijika in a bind. She had no idea what kind of "punishment" to give.
She glanced toward Haru for help, but before Haru could even react, Ryo calmly chimed in:
"Then how about a full nude dogeza."
"Y-Yes ma'am…"
Kita shakily reached for her collar, ready to strip down and perform the infamous apology kneel.
Nijika's face froze in horror.
She jumped forward in a panic and grabbed Kita's hands.
"Whoa, whoa! If you keep going, this chapter won't pass Patreon censorship!"
"But… aren't we a rock band?"
Ryo spread her arms with a calm, matter-of-fact tone.
"Haru, tell Nijika what rock bands are supposed to do."
"Uh… smoke, drink, and chase women?"
Kazami Haru answered immediately, no hesitation. That's how rock bands always were in his head.
Like the drummer secretly crushing on the vocalist, the vocalist in love with the keyboardist, and the guitarist tangled up in a messy triangle. Meanwhile, the poor bassist was the only one still loyal to the band's original dream.
Wait, seriously?!
Bocchi stared wide-eyed. Was this what real rock bands were like?
"Exactly," Ryo said, quite pleased with the response, her head held high.
"If you're truly sorry, then what's a little full-on dogeza compared to that?"
"Come on, Ikuyo."
"You're not seriously saying… you don't even have that much resolve, are you?"
Kita's eyes began to swirl with confusion, sweat pouring down her forehead. She swallowed hard and reached for her buttons without a word.
The nonsense coming out of these people's mouths was about to make Nijika's head explode.
"You guys!! Stop giving people such a weird idea of what rock is!!"
