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Chapter 180: A Song Completely Different from the Simulation!
🕑 Added 2025-03-06 10:00:00 +0000 UTCA sea of people.
Standing on the stage inside the gymnasium, looking out—there was a dense, endless crowd.
A wave of heat.
Even though autumn had already set in, the sheer volume of voices crashing together felt like a heatwave surging through the venue.
This was a real performance.
Completely different from the Starry venue(first gig), where a typhoon had kept most people away.
Just standing on this stage, Hitori Gotou could feel the difference in scale between the two.
"Do your best, Onee-chan!"
That cheerful voice came from Futari Gotou.
Her father, wearing an excited expression, was holding her up, while her mother stood beside them, smiling warmly.
Family always had a way of bringing comfort.
Even for someone like Hitori Gotou.
She wanted to smile back at them—
But at that moment—
"Bocchi! Kikuri-neesan came to see you!"
The slurred, drunken voice of Hiroi Kikuri rang out.
"Who is that?"
"Someone showed up drunk to a school event?"
"Is she dangerous?"
"Wait, who the heck is Bocchi?"
A chorus of whispers spread through the crowd.
Hitori immediately averted her gaze in embarrassment.
D-Disaster!
She shouldn't have invited her!
"Huh? Isn't that Minami-senpai from Year Two standing next to her?"
"Wait… it really is him!"
Huh?
Hearing that, Hitori hesitantly looked toward the audience.
And there—
She saw him.
Minami Shouji, lifting his head, looking directly at their stage.
As if he had noticed her gaze, he gave a small, almost imperceptible nod.
The meaning was clear.
Just as he had told her before the festival began—
"Show me your coolest side… Hitori."
"Mm."
She whispered softly.
As if answering him—
Or maybe answering herself.
Yamada Ryo said nothing, only glancing at Minami before quietly returning to adjusting her equipment.
With that—
Kita Ikuyo stepped forward to begin the introduction.
"Ah… We are Kessoku Band, an active band outside of school. We hope our performance today will leave you all with great memories."
She took a deep breath.
"If you're interested in us, please come visit our performance hall later!"
She bowed!
The audience responded with enthusiastic applause.
And in the midst of that applause—
The rhythm of the drumsticks struck.
With that signal—
The performance began.
Minami Shouji lifted his head, listening to the familiar melody, nodding to himself.
As expected, they were starting with this song.
The first song was called "Never Forget".
And according to his memory from the simulation—
The next song should be "If I could be a Constellation".
This followed the setlist from the Bocchi the Rock! anime as well.
However, in the original anime—
Due to Hitori Gotou's guitar strings snapping mid-performance, they had only played two songs.
But this time—
That wouldn't happen.
He had already taken care of her guitar in advance.
So the third song—one that hadn't been performed in the anime—should be played here as well.
Applauding to warm up the atmosphere, Minami then waited for the second song, "If I Could Form a Constellation with You".
But—
The instant the lead guitar solo began, Minami immediately sensed something was off.
"This isn't If I Could Form a Constellation with You."
His eyes widened slightly in surprise.
No—
This was a completely different song!
From just the opening notes, he could tell.
But why?
If things had followed the simulated events—
Then the Kessoku Band's setlist should have already been finalized for this festival.
Wait—no.
A realization hit Minami like a bolt of lightning.
Something obvious.
His presence was a variable.
He never truly believed in the butterfly effect.
But—
His involvement with Kessoku Band, his tutoring, his influence—
Of course, it would cause deviations between reality and the simulated events.
To put it simply.
The simulation was nothing more than a kind of "glimpse into the future."
And with Minami Shouji's presence, the future changing was inevitable.
This unfamiliar song—no doubt—was one of those changes brought about by his involvement.
"...I wonder what kind of song it is."
Minami lifted his gaze toward the four members of Kessoku Band.
Without the foresight of the simulation, this was his first time purely listening to their live performance.
It felt… surprisingly nice.
And at that moment, he noticed something—
Hitori Gotou, having just finished her solo, was quietly watching him.
In her blue eyes, there was an indescribable gleam.
A faint light—like a firefly on a summer night.
Weak, yet enough to draw attention.
"The song is called Please Tell Me."
Hitori's soft voice carried through the air as she whispered the title.
Then—her fingers lifted once more.
BZZT!
The guitar roared to life!
And with it—
Came the first lyrics!
"I often find myself thinking about things I don't need to think about."
"Because even if I think about them, they have no meaning at all."
"I am not strong enough to face this part of myself—this swirling mess of self-loathing!"
Her fingers glided rapidly across the strings—
Then pressed down—tight!
A sharp, urgent note tore through the air.
Hitori's blue eyes locked onto Minami.
Her lips pressed together.
A look of pain—but also determination.
She kept playing.
The guitar screamed!
The guitar roared!
As if she were shouting through it.
Every lyric—
Woven together like a reflection of her heart.
"I am an awkward person!"
"I don't know how to express myself!"
The drumbeat pounded—
Like a hammer striking Minami's chest.
"When you're happy, just laugh out loud!"
"When you're sad, just cry it out!"
"But when you feel empty… what are you supposed to do?"
"Please tell me!"
"Please tell me!"
Her voice cracked.
The sound of her guitar dragged Minami into her world.
The world of someone trying to overcome her fears.
The world of someone trying—just as he had taught her—to push past her social anxiety and insecurities.
"What should I hope for?"
"What exactly is happiness?"
"Is being with you… happiness?"
"Please tell me!"
"Please tell me!"
The tempo quickened.
Faster.
Faster!
"Why am I so happy when I'm with you?!"
"This feeling of wanting to be by your side!"
"This feeling of giving my all when I'm with you!"
"Please tell me!"
"Please… tell me!"
"I'm begging you… tell me!"
The lyrics poured out like a confession.
And all the while—Hitori Gotou's eyes never left Minami.
This was her stage.
And in her world—
There was only him.
Her slender fingers never stopped pressing against the guitar strings.
The pick swept across them, leaving an afterimage in the air.
Sweat dripped.
This—
This was the result of her month of practice.
BZZT—
With the fading reverb of the lead and rhythm guitars lingering in the air—
The song ended.
And for a brief moment—
The entire venue was dead silent.
Then—
A storm of thunderous applause erupted!
The booming guitar—
The carefully refined lyrics and melody—
They deserved every ounce of this reaction.
"I never expected… she would grow this much in such a short time."
Hiroi Kikuri, whose eyes were always lazily half-closed, suddenly widened them.
She stared at Hitori in genuine surprise.
It wasn't as if she had never heard Hitori perform before.
But back then—her playing still carried traces of hesitation and nervousness.
It was deeply tied to her personality.
Some musicians thrived under pressure, bringing out their full potential in high-stakes performances.
But others—
No matter how skilled they were, struggled to perform when it mattered most.
And yet—
Just from this one song…
Kikuri could feel the overwhelming change in Hitori Gotou.
"And if someone was able to push her to this level—"
She looked at the girl still softly panting on stage.
Then—
Her gaze shifted to Minami Shouji.
Minami…
That person Hitori kept singing about…
That was you, wasn't it?
A smirk curled onto Kikuri's lips.
Interesting.
This situation was far too interesting.
Because from her perspective—
It wasn't just Hitori Gotou who liked Minami.
There was someone else as well.
Her eyes flicked toward Ryo Yamada, her fingers resting on her bass.
One more song left.
She wondered—
What kind of development would come next?
Minami Shouji was still processing what had just happened.
The song just now…
It carried an unmistakable resemblance to "I Don't Want to Die in Loneliness."
He had given that song to Kessoku Band before—
And now, it seemed like Hitori had spent a long time thinking about it…
And wrote this song as a result.
Her lyrics—
They were practically a direct confession.
Minami instinctively looked up.
On stage, she still looked as fragile as ever.
Now that the song had ended—
And their eyes met—
She quickly lost her courage again.
Her beautiful face hid once more behind her long bangs.
But—
That was enough.
She took a deep breath.
And prepared for the final song.
She had already conveyed everything she wanted to say to Minami.
Words had never been her strong suit.
But through music—
It was different.
Hitori Gotou took a deep breath—
And prepared for the next song.
At the same time, her gaze drifted toward Ryo Yamada.
If she remembered correctly, the next song was hers…
"The song is called Only My Sound."
Before Hitori could even finish her thought—
Ryo's deep, husky voice—so naturally relaxed yet magnetic—resounded through the mic.
"So it really isn't [If I Could Be Constellations]… huh."
In the audience, Minami Shouji shook his head.
That much was obvious.
Just from what he had seen so far, things had already diverged completely from the simulation.
But that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
"Only My Sound."
Minami thought to himself.
He had never heard of this song before.
But just as he was considering it—
The bassline began to play.
Deep.
Resonant.
Like a thick wall of sound—
Yet it blended in so seamlessly with the atmosphere.
There was no warning.
No cue.
Just the heavy, gritty pulse of the bass carrying its weight.
Then—
The drums joined in.
Chaotic at first.
But as they settled into a rhythm—
The lead and rhythm guitars exploded forward, one after the other.
And then—
From Ryo's lips—
The lyrics spilled out.
"Not for others, not for fame!"
"No dreams! No expectations! Who the hell cares about any of that?!"
"I don't wanna hear anything else!"
"Only my sound keeps playing!"
"Only my sound keeps roaring!"
"I don't wanna hear anything else!"
The lyrics—
They were completely reckless.
Unapologetically free.
And that was exactly why—
They were the perfect fit for Ryo Yamada.
Because that's the kind of person she was.
Someone who did whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted.
Completely untamed.
Or at least…
That's how it was supposed to be.
Her amber eyes—
Drifted past the crowd.
Beyond the sea of people.
And landed on him.
"I'll be fine on my own!"
"I say those words with fake confidence!"
"If I could walk forward alone—"
"Then I wouldn't have fallen for someone, would I?"
"Then I wouldn't long to see them, would I?"
Her voice—
Distant.
Yet so full of depth.
Like an echo carrying through the night.
And in an instant—
Minami was pulled back into that very moment.
That night.
The night Ryo suddenly showed up at his door.
"I missed you, Minami."
Standing there in the dim light—
With the midnight wind brushing against her—
She looked like a goddess of the night.
A sight he wouldn't forget.
Yeah.
She had missed him.
So she came to see him.
That was all there was to it.
Was that… really so strange?
"So why do I feel so lonely?"
"My words—my voice!"
"I only want you to hear them!"
"Only my sound!"
She pressed down on the bass strings.
The pick ripped across them.
"Only your sound!"
"Nothing else but my sound!"
Her voice soared—
And at the same time—
She let loose an improvised bass solo!
Since when…?
Since when had her bass playing become this good?
Somehow—
Her skill had already caught up.
"Nothing else but your sound!"
"I don't wanna hear anything else!"
"I don't wanna hear anything else!"
Her bassline—
After that final climax—
Began to simmer down.
Like it was building up tension again—
Lurking beneath the surface.
Waiting.
Just like Ryo herself.
She always looked so detached.
So indifferent.
But beneath that—
Burned something far more intense than anyone could ever imagine.
Like fire buried beneath ice.
The bassline swelled.
Slowly.
Building.
And just before her next note—
She parted her lips from the mic.
And whispered to herself—
"Minami…"
Soft.
So soft that no one else could hear it.
And in her voice—
Was a kind of warmth—
That she had never once shown before.
Ryo Yamada—
The one who never cared.
The one who never followed the rules.
The one who did whatever the hell she wanted.
The only voice she ever wanted to hear—
Was his.
"Only My Sound."
"Only Your Sound."
