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Chapter 69: Nishikigi Chisato
🕑 Added 2025-02-05 04:15:45 +0000 UTCThe guitar roared, pulling the last notes into the void.
It was a bustling weekend at the Shimokitazawa pedestrian plaza—
A place that should have been filled with noise.
But the moment that fierce guitar sound erupted—
The once lively atmosphere fell silent in an instant.
Without thinking, everyone turned their gaze to him—
To the young man standing a step above them all.
Minami.
The outdoor performance stage was nothing more than a set of stairs.
A setup so simple and shabby that it was barely worth calling a "stage" at all.
Yet, for some reason—
"Why does it feel like… he's at the center of everything?"
Nijika muttered, staring up at him.
It didn't make sense.
Minami was just a beginner.
He had barely touched a guitar before this.
And yet—
How could he stand so confidently?
How could he capture the audience's attention so effortlessly?
This kind of commanding stage presence was something that only came from countless performances, years of training.
Something impossible for someone like him.
And yet—
He had it.
More than that—
Nijika could feel it.
He was still improving.
Right here. Right now.
With every single chord he strummed.
His guitar roared, shredding through the air.
A blazing solo—raw and unfiltered.
And yet—
"Why…?"
Nijika's heart tightened at the sound—
Her voice barely above a whisper.
"Why does something so intense… sound so empty?"
The main guitar was heavy—its presence undeniable.
Long solos.
Violent chord sweeps.
Tearing harmonics that should have set her soul on fire.
It should have been passionate.
Explosive.
A voice screaming to the world—
But it wasn't.
Instead—
It sounded lonely.
Thin.
Like something was missing.
Why?
Why did something so deafening feel so… hollow?
Nijika didn't understand.
Just like she had never understood—
The girl who had once written this song.
But not understanding didn't mean she couldn't feel it.
A loneliness, vast and endless—
Like a black sea, slowly pulling her under.
In that moment—
She saw a vision.
A girl.
Walking alone.
Sitting by herself in class.
A scene blurred and distant, yet unbearably real.
In this world, she had never played the drums.
She had never met Bocchi, Ryo, Kita.
Had never formed Kessoku Band.
Her sister was always too busy—buried in band activities.
There was no one to talk to.
No one to share her interests with.
She brought her favorite things to school—
Hoping someone might notice.
But no one did.
Her desk. Her chair.
They were always the same—cold, lifeless, unmoving.
She watched her classmates talk.
Laugh.
She wanted to join them.
But in the end—
She just sat there.
Alone.
Telling herself—
That the liveliness belonged to them.
That she wasn't a part of it.
That she had nothing.
In this world, she had never started a band.
She had graduated high school.
Followed her parents' expectations.
Gotten a job.
And one step at a time—
She was slowly broken down by the weight of the world.
The daily grind.
The routine misery.
The lifeless repetition of it all.
She bought convenience store meals after work.
Because it was easier than cooking for one.
The future?
That was just some abstract word.
Something out of reach.
She ate.
Swallowed.
Didn't taste anything.
And then—
She came home.
To an empty house.
To cold silence.
To no one waiting for her.
She took off her coat.
Set down her bag.
Then, just out of habit—
She spoke to the empty room.
"I'm home."
She had always thought she could endure these lightless days.
But then—
She reached out.
Turned on the light.
And there, beneath the glow of the dim bulb—
She saw them.
Two lonely shadows on the floor.
One was her own.
The other was... herself.
That was the moment it became unbearable.
She pulled her knees to her chest.
And cried.
Her sobs echoed through the empty room—
Met with nothing but silence.
No response.
No warmth.
Only the endless void of the night.
Only the hollow loneliness of an empty room.
It's so cold here.
So lonely...
Can someone—
Can someone see me?
The vision faded.
Leaving behind only one thing.
Nijika's voice, screaming within her own heart—
A silent plea that went unanswered.
Only the endless darkness remained.
Only the aching loneliness that churned in her chest.
And then—
A sudden explosion of sound.
A guitar, ringing out, sharp and fierce.
It didn't just play.
It tore through the silence.
The shroud of loneliness—
Shattered.
The sky that had been so dark—
Flooded with color.
The song, once low and suffocating,
Shifted—
Completely.
It wasn't quiet despair anymore.
It was a scream.
A roar of defiance.
"I'm right here!"
"Can someone see me?!"
The chords burst forth—
Minami's hands strumming with relentless force.
The sound grew stronger.
Higher.
Louder.
Like a dead heart suddenly pounding again.
All the bottled-up emotions—
Everything that had been suppressed—
Exploded all at once.
The roaring guitar was impossible to ignore.
The rising tones made the once-suffocating emotions burn into something new.
The ocean of loneliness—
Boiled away.
And in that moment—
Everyone lifted their heads.
Because they could feel it.
Every note—
Every cry hidden within the music.
"Don't ignore me."
"I won't let my fear hold me back anymore!"
"I don't want to die in loneliness!"
A final whine of feedback rang out—
Drawn out long and raw.
The song ended.
And then—
Silence.
For a long time, no one moved.
No one spoke.
Until finally—
One person clapped.
Then another.
Then another.
And then—
Thunderous applause.
Even Seika, who had spent years listening to some of the best rock bands in Japan,
Found herself clapping before she even realized it.
Because this performance wasn't about skill.
It wasn't about technical mastery.
It wasn't about chord progressions or music theory.
It was something purer.
Something beyond words.
It was simply—
Beautiful.
If the first half of the song was a deep, unbearable loneliness—
A void that swallowed everything—
Then the second half was a fire igniting within it.
A desperate, furious struggle.
A refusal to be forgotten.
"This is insane."
Seika muttered under her breath, clapping as she watched Minami step down from the steps.
She was genuinely confused.
"How the hell is this his first performance?"
She wiped the corners of her eyes—
Annoyed to find them wet with tears.
She looked straight at Minami and grumbled.
"Hey. What the hell was that?"
Minami blinked, confused.
"Huh? Was it really that big of a deal?"
"Of course it was!"
Seika snapped, pointing to the crowd.
"Do you not see what just happened?!"
Because it wasn't just her.
It wasn't just Nijika.
Many of the passersby, who had simply stopped to listen, ended up teary-eyed, overwhelmed by emotions they couldn't explain.
One man in particular had completely lost it.
Tears streamed down his face as he suddenly fell to his knees, sobbing hysterically.
Between choked cries, he wailed to the sky—
"Keiko! I'm so sorry! Why did I cheat on you? I never even loved Hanako, Yuko, or any of those other women! I only love you, Keiko! Please forgive me! I love you!"
And with that, he ran off, still shouting as he disappeared into the streets.
...Nobody knew where he was going.
This performance... really hit people in a way that was almost unnatural.
Minami could only let out a helpless chuckle at Seika's words.
He knew exactly what she meant by "stage presence."
Because it wasn't his own.
He glanced toward his system inventory.
["Love Ends Here – Hitori Gotoh (Rock Queen) Learning Card"]
[When used, this card grants you temporary access to the musical understanding and stage experience of Hitori Gotoh, once hailed as the Rock Queen.]
Minami couldn't help but sigh.
So this is the power of "Rock Queen" Bocchi…
Just by activating her learning card, he had felt himself become her.
For a brief moment, he wasn't Minami anymore—
He was standing in the shoes of the very woman who once ruled Japan's rock scene.
A legendary guitarist whose skills were unmatched in her era.
An artist who had poured her soul into her craft, refining it to an unattainable level.
And the moment the card activated—
Minami had immediately understood the stage.
He could read the atmosphere.
He could control the crowd.
He could feel the unspoken emotions of the audience—
And manipulate them.
This… this was stage presence.
It was why, even though his music skills were only LV2,
He had commanded the entire street.
And now, his mind was flooded with a new understanding of music—
More than he had ever had before.
Even as he played, he had heard the notifications ringing in his head—
[Your "Music" skill has slightly improved. Current Level: LV2.]
[Your "Music" skill has slightly improved. Current Level: LV2.]
…
It hadn't leveled up yet.
But the learning card still had time left before it expired.
If he kept going at this rate, his guitar skill would soon reach LV3—professional level.
If he got to that point,
He wouldn't need Bocchi's card anymore.
He'd be able to develop his own stage presence.
"...Ugh… It's not just that."
PA-sensei sniffled, wiping away a stray tear as she commented,
"Minami-kun, what kind of person is your friend? That song just now was… something else."
Yeah.
She had never heard anything like it before.
It was as if the creator of that song had lived through an unimaginable journey of loneliness and self-doubt.
A life filled with quiet suffering—
Until they finally gathered the courage to scream back at the world.
"...Uh."
Minami let out a nervous laugh.
He wasn't sure how to answer that.
Because "I Don't Want to Die in Loneliness" wasn't just any song.
It was a piece born from the second timeline.
A song that had been composed by Bocchi and her bandmates in that reality.
A song that had become a national hit in Japan.
And with the cursed "Regret of Life" Guitar amplifying its emotions,
It was no surprise it had such a devastating impact.
"If you don't want to answer, that's fine," Seika said, saving him from having to make up an excuse.
"But you should go handle the crowd. Some of them clearly have questions for you."
Minami glanced over—
Sure enough, a group of audience members hadn't left yet.
They were all watching him, curious and eager to ask questions.
"Thanks," he said, flashing Seika a quick smile before heading over.
As expected, their questions weren't too difficult to answer.
Most of them just wanted to know if he'd be performing again.
Some asked for his LINE ID.
A few even asked for autographs.
Luckily, Minami had a lot of experience with social interactions.
Handling them was easy.
But what he didn't realize—
Was that behind him, standing silently in her pink tracksuit and pleated skirt—
Was Bocchi.
Her eyes shining with realization.
She finally knew.
No doubt about it.
This was the same song.
Before, she had been hesitant.
But now—
She was 100% sure.
Minami remembered.
Just like she did.
In fact—
He probably remembered more than she did.
A wave of disbelief washed over her.
Was this… even possible?
Was there really someone else in this world who shared her memories?
Bocchi clutched her hands together, nervously fidgeting.
Her fingers trembled slightly.
Her heart raced in her chest.
Minami-senpai…
If he had the same memories as her—
Then that meant…
The things she had seen in those fragmented visions.
The memories of them living together.
The memories of them dating.
The memories of them getting married.
The memories of her having his child.
T-Then…
That meant all of that was real…?
Bocchi's face turned bright red.
Her breath hitched in her throat.
Her legs nearly gave out beneath her.
T-Then…
T-T-That means…
D-Did that mean she was already his wife in another world?!
Her mind went blank.
Her vision spun.
And just before she could faint on the spot—
She let out a tiny, high-pitched squeak.
"Ueeeehhhh…"
Her heart raced with excitement.
A surge of indescribable courage welled up in her chest.
She wanted—no, needed—to ask him.
"How have you been lately?"
"Do you remember everything clearly?"
"Why do you have these memories but refuse to acknowledge me?"
"Minami-senpai… do you still love me the way you did in those memories?"
She clenched her fists.
I have to ask!
I have to know!
Taking a deep breath to fuel her determination, Bocchi stepped forward.
Nothing would stop her this time.
No one could stand in her way.
"Minami-senpai…"
She finally reached him.
She opened her mouth to speak—
And then—
BANG!
A sudden shove from behind—
The crowd split apart—
And before Bocchi could even react,
A girl in a red-and-gray uniform suddenly burst onto the scene and pushed her way through.
Right in front of her Minami-senpai.
"Oi, oi, oi!"
An energetic, lively voice rang out.
"That was awesome! What's the name of that song?! Can I get an autograph?!"
The golden-haired girl swayed as she moved, her silky white-blonde hair bouncing with every step.
Her bright red eyes sparkled playfully as she grinned—
And right in front of Bocchi's eyes—
She casually threw an arm around Minami's shoulder.
Ignoring Bocchi completely.
With an effortless, natural charm, the girl looked up at Minami and grinned.
"Hehe, my name's Chisato Nishikigi!"
"Cool name, right?"
"Just sign your name on my backpack strap! Oh yeah, what's your name, lil' bro?"
Her cheerful, fiery energy burned like a flame.
Her beautiful, mischievous face beamed up at Minami—
As if they'd known each other forever.
And Bocchi?
She stood there, frozen.
Comments
Klein Jose
oooofffft poor bocchi
