Hitori Gotou sat huddled in a corner, clutching her familiar guitar to her chest like a protective talisman. She still wasn't used to people talking to her directly let alone being dragged into performing with strangers just a few hours after meeting them.
Nijika Ijichi, with her signature bright smile, walked over holding a thick stack of papers. She stopped in front of Hitori and held the sheets out like she was offering a ticket to another universe.
"Hey, Hitori-chan! Here's today's setlist and the sheet music we'll be playing."
Hitori's eyes widened at the sight of the papers, as if she had just been handed an ancient artifact. She took them gently with both hands, cradling them as though receiving an invitation from the afterlife.
"Uh... what about the rest of the band members?" Hitori asked hesitantly, her hands trembling as she held the sheets.
"It's just the four of us" Nijika replied with a cheerful grin. "We're only doing instrumentals this time, no vocals needed."
Hitori immediately glanced around the room. There were four people: Nijika on drums, Ryou on bass with a face as stoic as a statue, Sakamaki Izayoi the one who played guitar like a god from the very first meeting and... herself.
She looked down at the sheet music, flipping through a few pages, her eyes scanning the riffs and chords.
"I can do this... this song's not that hard... I can definitely play this..." Hitori told herself, her eyes gradually lighting up beneath her messy bangs. She gave a small nod and clenched her fingers tighter.
"I have to make up for not singing! I'm good at guitar! I can do this... I will do this!"
Then, as if to boost her courage, Hitori solemnly raised one hand and... smacked it straight against her chest. Thump !
She'd suddenly struck her left chest with full force, as if to calm her wildly pounding heart or maybe intimidate it into silence.
Ryou, sipping water from across the room, raised an eyebrow at the move and muttered in a flat voice:
"Looks like a gorilla, doesn't she?"
Hitori froze, her hand still on her chest, eyes wide with panicked confusion.
"N-no, I didn't mean to do that..."
Meanwhile, Izayoi sat lazily on a tall stool next to the instrument rack, stretching as his blonde hair casually fell across his forehead. Nijika approached him with her usual friendly smile.
"Izayoi-kun, you can play an instrument, right? I overheard you and Gotou-chan earlier I have a feeling you're pretty skilled."
Izayoi gave a faint smile. "I'm okay, I guess, senpai."
Nijika clapped her hands enthusiastically.
"That's perfect! Ryou, lend him one of your guitars so he can rehearse with us."
Ryou glanced over at Izayoi, then stood up slowly and pulled an electric guitar from its case. She gave him a warning look as she handed it over.
"If you scratch it, I'm sending you the maintenance bill."
Izayoi raised an eyebrow as he caught the guitar, as if expecting the threat.
"Then I'll return it shinier than when you gave it to me."
Ryou let out a soft chuckle, the corner of her mouth twitching upward—a rare sign of approval.
Hitori watched the scene unfold, eyes sparkling. Part of her wanted to sink into the floor from secondhand embarrassment, but another part of her stirred with a strange new feeling—was she... fitting in?
She held her guitar tightly, glanced again at the setlist, and whispered:
"I have to give it my all... even if it's just an instrumental... this is where I'll start..."
And Hitori, after that gorilla-style self-motivation, now plugged her guitar cable into the amp, her mind starting to drift:
(I'm really about to perform... for real. For the first time, real people are going to watch me play guitar. Not through a computer screen. Not anonymous comments. Real people. Nijika-senpai, Ryou-senpai... and even Izayoi...)
Fear and excitement collided inside her like two ferrets trapped in a glass box. Still, Hitori forced herself to smile. She thought to herself:
(I have over 30,000 subscribers on my channel! Every practice video gets comments like "Amazing!" or "Guitar God!"... So that means I... um... I can do this.)
Her eyes flicked toward Izayoi. He was calmly tuning the guitar Ryou had lent him, his relaxed manner making it look like a casual weekend stroll. The kind of person who made Hitori feel oddly reassured... and slightly confused.
(He probably won't be surprised. He already knows I'm Guitar Hero. But Nijika-senpai and Ryou-senpai... they're definitely going to be shocked. Today's the day Gotou Hitori shines!)
She raised a fist slightly in the air, squeezing it like an anime protagonist preparing to unleash a finishing move.
"Alright!" Nijika called out, snapping everyone back to reality.
"Let's start the test run!"
"Yeah!" the other three responded in unison, a light buzz of excitement in the air.
Hitori gulped. Her hand trembled as she placed it on the strings, bracing herself for battle against fate... and her own nervous system.
(This is it! The moment I'll make them gasp... I have to play just like in my videos...!)
Everything was ready. The countdown began.
"Okay, one... two... three...!" Nijika's lively count rang out, followed by the thundering drums that kicked off what already felt like a real live show.
The first drumbeat made Hitori jolt so hard she nearly jumped out of her seat. She instinctively sprang up, almost falling off the stool, having forgotten she was still holding her guitar. But somehow maybe thanks to 30,000 hours of mirror practice in her room she regained her balance just in time to strum the opening chord.
A slightly off-key chord.
(I...I'll be fine... I'll be fine... Just stay calm, keep the tempo...)
Ryou started off the bass line, a warm, grounded rhythm that crept into every corner of the room like a sturdy skeleton holding the whole song together. And in the opposite corner, Izayoi began his rhythm guitar part gentle, precise, so seamless that it felt like he and the guitar had been born as one.
Hitori panicked the moment she heard how smoothly they were playing. She swallowed hard again and... sped up.
She didn't look at anyone. Not because she was focused. But because she was terrified.
(I... can't look at them! I can't make eye contact eye contact is the most dangerous thing in the universe... Better to just keep my head down, look at the fretboard, play like I always do... like I've done in every practice for the past four years...)
Her fingers started to follow the melody. But instead of syncing with the band's rhythm, she produced a "melody of her own" an isolated musical island adrift in the sea of sound.
Nijika played to the sheet music, Ryou's bass was sharp and precise, Izayoi kept a steady rhythm and even subtly guided the chorus.
...And Gotou Hitori was soloing in a different universe.
In her mind, everything was going great. Tempo? Check. Technique? Smooth. Expression? Adorably tense. She even imagined a virtual concert hall with thousands of fans cheering for "Guitar Hero."
But in reality...
It was a chaotic mess of offbeat rhythms, overlapping chords, and guitar sounds that felt like someone trying to transmit psychic signals through the strings creating a symphony from a parallel dimension.
As the song ended, Nijika hit the final drumbeat, Ryou plucked a low finishing note and Izayoi tilted his head slightly, closing out the piece. Hitori, however, was still mumbling through an endless solo... until she realized no one else was playing anymore.
She looked up. Silence. An eerily long silence.
Nijika, Ryou, and Izayoi all turned to look at her.
Three stares. Three expressions. But all saying the same thing:
Hitori... had played... terribly.
She froze like a statue. The sound of howling wind echoed in her head or maybe it was just her brain's panic siren.
(Huh... Huhhh!? What is this... Why... Why did this happen... I'm Guitar Hero! I have 30,000 subscribers... Every video I post gets praised for amazing playing... I've been practicing for four years...!)
The rehearsal room was deathly quiet, save for the faint hum of the amp still buzzing. Gotou Hitori or more accurately, the trembling shadow of her kept her head bowed, both hands on the guitar neck like a student being punished for ruining a group project.
The air felt heavier than lead.
Her tiny legs trembled slightly, though it was unclear if it was from shame or holding back tears. She'd dreamed of this first rehearsal countless times being awed, admired, maybe even autographing a fan's forehead in her fantasy. But reality... was brutal.
Yet instead of sighing or laughing, Sakamaki Izayoi merely smiled, walked up to her, and leaned down to whisper quietly.
"Hitori" he said, voice as soft as a feather but piercing straight into her chest,
"Do you know what you did wrong?"
Hitori flinched, unsure whether to nod or shake her head. She stammered:
"I-It's because... I didn't practice enough? Or maybe... the strings were loose? Or... the amp echo was off...?"
Izayoi smiled a smile like someone who just solved a college-level math problem while eating a sandwich. Then he gently pointed to his eyes.
"It's not your technique, Hitori. You actually played well. That's the truth."
Hitori looked up, a faint glimmer of hope flickering in her eyes.
"But..." Izayoi tilted his head, gaze gentle yet strangely sharp.
"You never looked at anyone."
"Huh... looked?"
He nodded. "In a band, looking is everything. Not just eye contact. Watching each other's breathing, their movements, their emotions. It's the silent coordination that makes music flow between people."
He sat beside her, gently patting her back like calming a rain-soaked kitten.
"But what about you?" Izayoi lowered his voice. "You kept your head down the whole time. You didn't see Nijika's cues, you didn't notice how Ryou transitioned between sections and you didn't even realize I slowed down to help you keep up."
Hitori was speechless. Each word hit her like a combo strike in a broken rhythm game, her fragile heart the final boss getting pummeled.
She opened her mouth to defend herself, but Izayoi spoke again this time in a voice so gentle it made her want to cry.
"I understand. You're not used to looking at others. You're afraid of eye contact. You're afraid of communication."
Hitori shrank back like a cat caught sneaking fish from the kitchen.
"...I didn't... mean to..." she mumbled.
"I know" Izayoi nodded. "Because you're the ultimate introvert."
"...Eh?"
"Ultimate!" he emphasized, swinging his hand dramatically like awarding a grade. "Final boss level in the game of introversion."
Hitori's eyes widened. She didn't know whether to feel ashamed or weirdly proud. But just as she was caught between bursting into tears and screaming back in protest, Izayoi smiled gently and offered his hand.
"And because you are, you're precious. But that's also why I want to help you learn how to play with others."
"...Learn?"
"Yeah" he nodded firmly.
"Learn to coordinate, just a little. You don't have to stare at anyone just feel the rhythm from everyone else. Sometimes a small tilt of the head, a glance, or even catching the beat of the drums is enough."
Izayoi stood up, brushed off his pants like he'd just finished a crash course in social psychology, then turned back to her with a bright smile.
"You're special, Hitori. But a single special piece doesn't make a band. A band needs connection. It needs a bit of courage... to look at the world."
Hitori stayed silent, gripping her guitar tighter.
(I... have to learn to look at people...?)
Izayoi's words still echoed in her ears. "Just a little bit..."
She bowed her head.
She thought of all the times she practiced alone in her room, the videos she posted to her Guitar Hero channel where nobody knew who she really was. She had never coordinated with anyone. Never synced with a friend.
And now, for the first time in her life, someone had pointed that out. Not to mock her—but to help her.
She lifted her head, her eyes misty but glowing with a strange light.
"...Yeah... I'll... try."
Izayoi smiled and gave a "good job" gesture. "That's the Hitori I know."
And Hitori?
She thought to herself:
(I'll try. I'll learn to 'look.' Even if it's just a glance. Even if it costs me the trembling of my very soul...)
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At that moment, Nijika turned to praise Izayoi: "You were amazing, Izayoi-kun. Seriously like a pro."
Ryou nodded quietly and even offered a rare comment:
"I think I'll keep that guitar after today if not, you'll end up stealing everyone's spotlight."
Izayoi just gave a soft laugh, his fingers gently running over the guitar strings as if the music still lingered.
"Well, I did play in a few orchestras and jam bands across a couple of countries while traveling the world. Nothing major."
"Traveling?" Ryou repeated, raising an eyebrow. "You mean... like world tour traveling?"
"Yup," Izayoi shrugged. "I've been to nearly every country in the UN."
At that moment, Hitori was truly about to... faint.
(Wait...what? Nearly every country?! Who even says that like they're talking about going to the corner store?!)
But Ryou, instead of looking surprised, just snorted softly. "I really hate genius types like you."
Izayoi scratched his cheek. "I totally get that feeling."
Nijika laughed. "Getting Ryou to compliment someone is rare. That seals it...we're fully staffed today! Both of you are awesome!"
Hitori looked at Izayoi, feeling a twinge of envy, but even more admiration. He had something she'd always longed for: the ability to connect, to express himself through music, and be accepted by others.
(I... want that too...)
She clenched her hand. A flicker of determination shone in her eyes.
Even though she was just called "super terrible" earlier, even though she messed up during rehearsal ,Hitori knew... this was only the beginning.
There were only thirty minutes left before the show began. In the rehearsal room of Live House Starry, the atmosphere was growing tense. The amps glowed silently, cables sprawled in tangled knots across the floor, and the flickering fluorescent lights overhead seemed to throb in sync with every anxious heart in the room.
Taking charge as today's leader, Nijika clapped her hands to grab everyone's attention:
"Alright! We're on in thirty minutes, so let's get ready!"
Hitori practically jumped out of her skin. Her heart hadn't even calmed down from the earlier rehearsal, when all three members had nodded in terrifying unison to say:
"Hitori played... really badly."
Just then, the only person who had kept his composure the whole time finally spoke up Izayoi's voice as calm as an afternoon breeze, yet to Hitori, it felt like the wind had suddenly changed direction.
"Oh, by the way, Nijika-san" he said, still looking straight at the bass leaning in the corner of the room.
"I'm not planning to perform tonight."
Both Nijika and Hitori froze. Ryou, still sipping water with her legs crossed, merely glanced over lazily.
"...What?" Nijika tilted her head, as if unsure she'd heard him right.
"What do you mean, Izayoi-kun?"
"I only came today to help Hitori" Izayoi replied, still with that unshaken air.
"To help her grow. As for performing, let's save that for another time, when the band's a bit more stable."
Hitori completely froze at those words.
"EHHHHHHHH!?" She stood stiff as a board, like the sky had just collapsed on her.
"You're... not going to perform with me?" Her voice trembled like a fragile blade of grass in a storm.
"Well... I'll join next time. Don't worry I'll be in the audience cheering you on with everything I've got."
Izayoi smiled casually, as if he'd just declined an after-school ice cream offer.
But to Hitori... it felt like the end of the world.
Before anyone could react, she bolted to the corner of the room and dragged out a huge empty plastic bin usually used for recycling. In just three seconds, she had crawled inside and slammed the lid shut.
"H-Hitori-chan?!" Nijika called out in panic, but it was too late.
Silence.
The fan hummed in the background. The room froze.
"...Okay, come on out now" Nijika sighed, walking over and tapping lightly on the bin with her foot, like trying to coax a cat out of a box.
"The show's starting soon, you know."
A shaky voice echoed from inside, muffled and desperate:
"I-I can't perform... Not without Izayoi... I'll mess up the rhythm!"
"Huh? But you're the guitarist?" Ryou frowned.
"Well, the band is still new and hasn't practiced much together, so it's not like we have super high expectations or anything" Nijika explained in a gentle, baby-soothing voice.
"My skill level's pretty average too, you know."
"I'm great, though" Ryou added flatly, face still emotionless.
"..."
A pause. Then Nijika sighed again: "For now, just come out of there, okay?"
She bent down, her face close to the lid.
"What's wrong, Hitori-chan? Talk to us."
"I... I'm useless... I can't play properly, I can't even MC... I can't do anything..."
Ryou raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms.
"When did you ever MC?"
"Ah... never. But if I did, I'd probably mess it up too... Maybe..." Hitori's voice drifted further away.
Inside the bin, she whispered like a ghost:
"I'm just... completely useless... I can't MC... Maybe... maybe I should perform a seppuku ritual onstage instead. At least the audience would remember our band's name..."
She pictured herself standing in the center of Starry's stage, lights shining from all directions, music fading until only the sound of a heartbeat remained... Then she'd take her guitar and stab herself in the stomach like some ancient rite.
"And then... the blood would stain the stage like acrylic paint..." Hitori muttered, voice hollow and monotone.
Ryou stepped back. "This girl... is way too rock."
"No, seriously, she's ultra rock" Nijika nodded, trying to keep a straight face.
Izayoi leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, laughing loudly.
"Hitori, I gotta admit you're a real indie artist through and through. But come on, get out of there. That bin must be suffocating."
"It's not... It's way more breathable than regular school life..." her voice echoed from another dimension.
Ryou turned to Izayoi. "You got any persuasion skills?"
"I do, but they only work on people with functional logic systems, sis."
Izayoi crossed his arms, tilting his head at the trembling bin like it might explode from delusion.
"Hitori" he called out, his voice calm.
"I know you're panicking. But if you don't come out of that bin, you'll always be just a shadow in your own life."
"...I'm scared, Izayoi..."
"I know. But even if you're scared, I'm here. I won't be performing, but I'll be behind the stage, cheering you on. So come on don't make your guitar play all by itself."
A pause.
Then... the lid creaked open. A tangle of messy pink hair peeked out, her face pale but eyes a little brighter.
"...You promise?" she whispered.
"If I break my promise... I'll crawl into that bin and swap places with you next time" Izayoi grinned.
"...Okay. But you have to bring pudding."
"Deal."
All three exhaled in relief. Ryou glanced at Izayoi.
"You're dangerously good at sweet-talking."
Izayoi winked. "It's my specialty."
With just over thirty minutes left until the show, the air in the rehearsal room was light but tinged with underlying tension. Nijika turned to Gotou Hitori, who was now hunched over, staring at the floor, clutching her guitar strap like it was the last life raft in a stormy sea.
"Don't worry" Nijika smiled gently, voice soft like spring breeze.
"Everyone in the audience today is a friend of mine. No strangers at all."
Hitori slowly lifted her head like a turtle peeking out of its shell. "F-friends...?" she echoed, her eyes wavering.
"Yep" Nijika nodded, hands on her hips.
"I just invited some schoolmates and a few folks from around Shimokita. No pressure, okay?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Yamada Ryou who had been leaning against the wall with the face of someone eternally tired of waiting murmured with her usual flat tone:
"I only have Nijika as a friend, though."
A thin veil of silence spread like smoke. Izayoi, lounging in a nearby chair with one leg crossed, raised an eyebrow and turned toward her like he was analyzing her statement under a microscope.
"Um... are you being serious?" he asked.
Ryou shrugged, expression unchanged. "Joking. But... not by much."
Hitori froze.
"H-holy crap... So she's lonely too..." she thought, a strange sense of gentle kinship blossoming in her chest.
Nijika quickly cut in. "Hey! Don't say depressing stuff right before we go on!"
Ryou turned to her with the look of someone contemplating a cruel but inescapable truth.
"I'm just being honest."
Izayoi let out a soft chuckle.
"Ryou-senpai really is... so honest it could knock someone off their chair."
"Well" Nijika rested a hand on her forehead, half laughing, half sighing,
"Today's just a trial performance anyway. Most high school girls don't really know much about things like 'technical performance levels', right?"
Immediately, as if a cold breeze had swept through the room, both Izayoi and Ryou shot back in perfect unison:
"That's a statement worth getting roasted for."
Their synchronized reaction was so perfectly timed, Hitori nearly choked on her water.
"Ah sorry!!" Nijika flailed her hands, flustered. "I meant... regular people who don't go to live shows much they'll just care about whether we look like we're having fun on stage..."
"Well" Izayoi nodded with a grin,
"As long as no one starts throwing eggs at us, I think we're good."
Still recovering from the chaos, Hitori quietly took a deep breath, her heart pounding in her chest.
She never thought she'd be able to talk so comfortably with anyone, let alone with a whole group like this.
"...Actually... I'm really happy" Hitori said softly, her voice barely above a whisper but still audible in the calm of the room.
"Because... no one's ever talked to me this much before..."
Nijika gave her a warm look.
"Really? Then that's even better. From now on, we'll talk to you all the time!"
Izayoi laced his fingers behind his head, grinning wide.
"Careful, Hitori. Once Nijika-senpai starts talking, there's no escape."
Ryou nodded. "True. And she's also not great at rejecting people."
"Hey!" Nijika gave Ryou a playful nudge, prompting the group to burst into laughter
all except Hitori, who could only smile with her lips pressed together, cheeks tinted pink, a strange but pleasant warmth blooming inside her chest.
Moments like this... were precious.
As the laughter faded, the room returned to a soft quiet not the heavy silence from before, but a gentle calm.
It felt more familiar now, like the four of them despite just meeting had somehow touched something that could be called "connection."
Hitori gripped her guitar strap lightly, hesitating as if she was gathering every ounce of courage in her body.
"...Actually..." Her voice broke the silence, drawing everyone's attention.
She looked up, her eyes uncertain but determined.
"I've... always wanted to start a band."
A moment of pleasant silence passed.
"...It's just... I never found any members."
As soon as she said it, Hitori bowed her head deeply, fingers twisting around each other.
"So... I usually just played guitar on my own, and... did covers of songs... then posted them online..."
Nijika blinked. "Wait, you post online?"
"Y-yeah..."
Izayoi folded his arms, giving Hitori a side glance, the corners of his mouth curling upward knowingly, though he said nothing.
Hitori's mind screamed:
Oh no... he totally knows who I am already...
Ryou set her guitar down beside the chair, resting her chin on one hand as she looked over.
"So what kind of music do you usually play?"
Hitori lifted her head slightly, grateful for a question that felt easier to answer.
"Ah... mostly songs by popular bands lately. From pop-rock, indie, to punk... stuff that's been loved these past few years..."
Nijika's eyes widened. "That's awesome!"
Hitori quickly waved her hands. "N-not at all... I just... wanted to be adaptable in case I ever formed a group..."
Ryou leaned an arm against her knee, her gaze lazy but attentive.
"I see... Makes sense. If you can play a wide range of styles, it's easier to gel with others."
Hitori nodded a little.
But then her shoulders sank slightly, and she bit her lip like she'd just swallowed a bitter pill.
"...But... in the end, when I do play with a group... I suck like this."
Her final words drifted into the air like a faint wisp of smoke.
But Nijika gave her a kind smile and gently patted her shoulder.
"Hey, don't worry. We've all been where you are. When you first start, no one gets the coordination right."
Ryou nodded. "Coordination isn't a skill... it's a habit. You get used to it after a few gigs."
Izayoi chimed in, nodding sagely.
"Or... you could just glance over at me during the performance to catch the rhythm. Just remember to blink, though. Otherwise, people might think you've gone into a trance on stage."
"T-trance...?"
Hitori felt like her world was spinning but this time, not from fear.
It was from the sheer number of kind people around her something she never imagined would happen in her life.
"...Thank you, everyone..." she murmured, a small smile forming on her blushing face.
Outside the practice room, the sounds of staff preparing the stage began to seep in
a subtle reminder that the performance was drawing near.
Nijika, now sitting cross-legged on the floor, hunched slightly forward, tapping rapidly on her phone, its screen glowing under the warm yellow light.
Then, suddenly, she looked up, breaking the silence with a question that seemed casual
but was clearly intentional.
"Hey... Hitori-chan, do you only play famous songs?"
Her voice was gentle and familiar, like asking a younger cousin strumming guitar in the living room but it made Hitori jump like she'd just been caught hiding a terrible secret.
"W-what? Uh... yeah, I usually just play songs that are... kinda popular..."
The answer slipped from Hitori's lips like a tiny, trembling sigh.
"Sounds kind of like... Guitar Hero, doesn't it?"
Nijika grinned mischievously, squinting at Hitori with a teasing glint in her eye.
Ryou also turned to face her, resting her chin on one hand.
"You know Guitar Hero, right? They're super popular probably around our age too."
It felt like an arrow had just pierced Hitori's heart. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. The air froze around her, stretching into a silence that felt like it lasted a century.
Wait... are they talking about me?
"I remember listening to a few of their clips the other day seriously talented!" Nijika went on, completely oblivious.
"But that nickname is kinda... cheesy, don't you think?"
Hitori felt her head spinning. Her heart thumped wildly and sweat started to bead on her forehead. She tried to smile, but it twisted awkwardly, like a drenched cat forced into a beauty contest.
"I even followed them! Turned on notifications, too. I'd love to perform with Guitar Hero just once..."
Nijika sighed dreamily, eyes sparkling like she was talking about a world-class rock star.
Hitori thought to herself, You literally just did.
But she only bowed her head and pretended to be focused on polishing her guitar strings.
Meanwhile, Izayoi quietly glanced over at her, the corner of his mouth twitching in a knowing smirk. It was clear he'd pieced everything together, but he stayed silent like it was their private little inside joke.
Under the warm amber lights of the Starry practice room, the atmosphere softened again after the surprise "Guitar Hero" conversation. Hitori remained hunched over her guitar, fingers nervously adjusting the strings. Her ears still burned from all the unintentional praise aimed directly at her.
Even though no one had realized the truth behind "Guitar Hero" she still felt as though her deepest secret was seconds away from being exposed.
Nijika continued, her voice steady but sincere:
"What I'm trying to say is... even the talented ones, the famous ones like Guitar Hero they've practiced a lot. We only see them onstage, not the long hours they spent training when no one was watching."
Hitori slowly looked up, eyes wide and blinking like a baby rabbit hearing the words effort leads to success for the first time. She stared at Nijika, a wave of emotions swelling inside her admiration, gratitude... and a bit of panic.
"I'll send you the link later. There's this one performance I've watched over and over it still gives me chills"
Nijika said, her eyes gleaming like a fangirl talking about her idol.
"You'll get it when you see it."
Hitori gave a small nod. Of course she'd get it. But even understanding didn't make being on stage any less terrifying. Just thinking about all those eyes watching her made her want to vanish into thin air.
She stood up and hugged her guitar close, like it was the only shield she had to survive the upcoming performance.
"I get it... but I'm still so scared..." she mumbled, her voice small as a whisper.
Izayoi, who had been quiet all this time, let out a soft sigh. His eyes swept the room before landing on a pile of props and miscellaneous junk in the corner. After a moment of thought, he walked over and pulled out... an empty cardboard box.
"This might work."
He tapped the box seriously, like he was unveiling a groundbreaking invention.
"If you're that scared of the audience, you could just play from inside here."
"...Huh?" Hitori blinked.
"Trust me" Izayoi nodded solemnly. "It's better than burying your head in the floor."
After a few seconds of hesitation, Hitori slowly... crawled into the box. Without a trace of resistance. She pulled it over her, covering herself completely except for two openings for her hands to reach the guitar.
"...Yup. This does feel like my natural habitat"
Her voice echoed from inside the box like it was coming from the depths of a mountain cave.
Ryou narrowed her eyes at the slightly trembling cardboard box.
"Should I even ask where you usually hang out...?"
"Probably the closet..." Nijika whispered, trying hard not to laugh.
From inside the box, Hitori's voice suddenly rang out, full of newfound spirit, like a glitched character evolving into a hero mid-game:
"Let's do this, everyone! For our new band!"
Nijika and Ryou stared at each other in surprise, while Izayoi just shrugged and smiled.
"See?" he said. "Mood boost achieved."
"Yeah, but inside a box..." Ryou chuckled.
"Maybe we need to install a mini fan in there or something."
Everyone burst into laughter, and from inside the cardboard fortress, Hitori thought:
Even if I'm inside a box... I'll still give it my all. Because I'm not alone anymore.
The practice room quieted once more after the emotional trial session. Nijika now sat cross-legged on the carpet, gently patting the drum head as she stared absently at the ceiling. Something seemed to pop into her head, and she turned to Hitori with a slightly puzzled look:
"Ah right... Hitori-chan, when we introduce the band members, what should we call you? Your real name's okay, right?"
Still curled in the corner hugging her guitar like a protective charm, Hitori froze for a moment. She replied quietly, eyes unfocused:
"Um... that's a little..."
"Then do you have a nickname?"
Nijika tilted her head, her voice feather-light.
Hitori looked up at the ceiling like she was searching for divine inspiration from the air vents, then answered truthfully:
"In middle school, people usually called me 'uhm' and 'hey'..."
"...Wait, what?" Nijika blinked. "That... that's not a nickname, sweetie..."
"I wasn't close enough with anyone for them to give me one..."
Hitori let out a dry chuckle, the kind that was more self-deprecating than funny.
The room fell into a brief silence, slightly heavy until Izayoi, who was lounging nearby with one leg crossed, suddenly spoke up:
"Hitori could go by 'Bocchi.' It means lonely. So... how about Bocchi?"
"Wha-!?" Nijika nearly dropped her drumstick.
"You're hitting sensitive spots again, Izayoi-kun!"
You'd think Hitori would shrink back like usual but she didn't. The pink-haired girl lifted her head, eyes shining like she was hearing her name called during roll call for the first time.
"I... really like it. Bocchi sounds kind of cute, actually. It's the first time I've ever had a nickname!"
Nijika froze for a second, then wiped at the corner of her eye (despite there being no tears):
"Aww, that's so sweet... I feel like crying now!"
Izayoi let out a soft chuckle.
"Then from now on, I'll call you Bocchi. At least... until I think you're brave enough to be called by your real name."
"... I'll do my best" Hitori replied with a tight-lipped nod.
A warm silence filled the room, as if a sliver of sunlight had just reached into the studio. But true to her usual offbeat timing, Ryou suddenly chimed in, her voice flat as always:
"But if her nickname's just 'Hey,' it's quicker to call. Saves keystrokes on digital instruments."
"You're so mean!!" Nijika and Izayoi shouted in unison.
The mood instantly shifted from emotional to mild chaos.
Hitori covered her face, giggling to herself. Everyone's so weird... but so fun...
She thought to herself: Being called Bocchi, having people talk to me, being noticed... I never thought a simple nickname could make me feel so close to others.
In the corner, Izayoi continued watching Hitori quietly. His gaze was calm, yet something flickered behind it a silent promise or maybe a quiet belief.
"Bocchi, huh..." he murmured softly.
The rehearsal room had finally calmed down after their trial performance, where everyone had laughed at Hitori's "less than stellar" group coordination skills and given her the nickname "Bocchi."
But before the atmosphere could settle completely, an unexpected question came from the light-pink-haired girl hugging her guitar.
"Um... I never asked, what's our band's name?"
Nijika, in the middle of tying her drum strings, paused and turned back to look at Hitori.
"Huh? You don't know?" Ryou, sitting nearby, answered lazily.
"Kessoku Band."
Hitori tilted her head, repeating the name like an elementary student learning a new vocabulary word.
"Kessoku Band...?"
Izayoi smirked.
"Yeah, kessoku means connection, unity... or if we're being casual, it's like those plastic zip ties."
Nijika immediately whipped around toward Izayoi, her face contorting.
"Hey! Don't ruin our band's image like that! Ugh, I swear I'm gonna change the name!"
Meanwhile, Hitori stood frozen. In her mind, a cartoon image flashed: the whole band tied up with plastic zip ties like supermarket goods, being hauled onto stage as an unmarked package. She shivered.
Izayoi just shrugged, arms crossed against the wall.
"At least it's strong enough to not snap mid-performance."
At that moment, Ryou glanced at her wristwatch.
"It's time."
As if someone had activated her survival instincts, Hitori instantly entered "stealth mode" and dove straight into the cardboard box in the corner of the room.
The dive was so smooth that no one had time to react. Nijika blinked, then rushed over and knocked lightly on the box.
"Bocchi-chan... are you seriously going to perform in there?"
"As long as you're having fun, that's what matters" Nijika said gently, sitting down next to the box.
"I once heard that music is a place where we express emotions through sound. We can practice technique later but emotions? You have to let them flow naturally, you know?"
Inside the box, Hitori was silent for a few seconds.
"Then... if I'm scared, that counts as an emotion too, right?"
"Well... yeah, technically..." Nijika replied with an awkward smile, but remained patient. "Which is why you need to come out even more."
Izayoi stepped forward, placed a hand on the box, and said softly:
"There'll be a next time for you to shine. But before that, you've got to step out this first time, Bocchi."
Hitori froze.
A next time...? I could really have a next time? she repeated to herself.
A warm feeling slowly crept into her heart. Not a burst like fireworks, but a small candlelight flickering, but enough to light the way forward.
She gently pushed open the box flap, peeking out like a shy little animal.
"I... I'll try." she said quietly, then slowly stepped out.
Izayoi gave a nod and lightly adjusted the strap of her guitar.
"Good." Nijika smiled brightly. "Let's go, Kessoku Band!"
Hitori blushed but still smiled. For the first time, something called "excitement" appeared in her heart.
The four of them walked out of the practice room, ready for their first performance where the stage lights not only shone on the music, but also lit up a new journey in the heart of Gotou Hitori, the little friend who now had a name that the whole group knew as "Bocchi".