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Of course, Asakura wasn't so reckless as to just show up at her door.
Although he hadn't exchanged contact information with Gotō Hitori, he did have Ijichi Nijika's contact information, after all, he had said earlier that whether Kessoku Band could perform at the Founders' Festival needed to be 'researched, and she would be notified later.'
And since Ijichi Nijika was the leader of Kessoku Band, Asakura naturally got her contact information.
"Hello? Is this Nijika?"
"Yes, this is Ijichi Nijika. It's Asakura-kun, right? Has there been a result regarding what we discussed earlier?"
The girl's voice on the other end of the phone sounded a bit nervous.
"That's right, it's about the Founders' Festival. Unfortunately, since all the information about Kessoku Band came from my side, it's not that easy to decide."
"I see…"
The girl's voice sounded a bit disappointed.
Asakura could even imagine her cowlick drooping.
So he continued: "Therefore, I plan to bring others to visit STARRY in person. Does Kessoku Band have a live performance today? Oh, don't worry, we'll pay for the tickets and juice."
"Actually, regarding that…"
The girl's voice on the other end of the phone seemed even more dejected. "My sister, the manager of STARRY, thinks our level isn't good enough, so she temporarily hasn't approved our live performance application…"
After saying that, Ijichi Nijika probably worried that Asakura would take advantage of the situation and say he didn't need them to perform at the Founders' Festival, so she immediately added: "But we practice diligently every day in STARRY's practice room! If you come here, we can play for you, and since it's not a live performance, you don't even need to pay for tickets!"
"Then I shall humbly accept."
Asakura readily agreed.
Anyway, his goal was just Gotō Hitori; whether it was a live performance or not didn't matter.
He hung up the phone and looked at Yuigahama Yui, who had been observing the whole time: "That's how it is. After school, let's go to that Livehouse called STARRY together."
"A Livehouse… I've never been to a place like that before!"
Yuigahama Yui said happily.
"Hmm? Enjoying meals like steak and pizza while listening to music, it sounds like a pretty good place~"
Yanami was looking at Asakura with an 'I want to go too' expression.
"No, a Livehouse isn't a karaoke bar. Most of the time, people are packed together inside, and they don't offer any food except for mediocre drinks. They don't even allow outside food."
Asakura said.
So Yanami's look of anticipation quickly disappeared visibly.
Meanwhile, Yukinoshita Yukino on the side was looking at Asakura thoughtfully.
School dismissal arrived in an instant. Yanami quickly left the clubroom, saying something about 'potato chips on sale in the next city.' Yukinoshita Yukino, on the other hand, seemed to want to stay at school a bit longer to enjoy the peace and quiet. So Asakura took Yuigahama Yui and left school directly, boarding the train for Shimokitazawa.
"Asakura-kun wants to invite that band to perform at the Founders' Festival?"
On the train, Yuigahama Yui asked curiously.
"Mainly that guitarist, she makes me a little curious."
Asakura mused: "If they can successfully iron out their differences, then the whole band can go on stage, no problem. Otherwise, it might just be the guitarist performing solo."
Honestly, Asakura didn't think they could iron out their differences in such a short time. Moreover, from the previous situation, Kessoku Band couldn't even be considered a complete band—they didn't even have a vocalist!
However, the Founders' Festival wasn't a formal live event. Those kinds of events usually have certain revenue requirements, so the bands that can perform on stage usually have some fans and popularity built up, which helps sell tickets.
But the Founders' Festival was just a school event, so there were naturally no such requirements. Therefore, as long as they could work together to a certain extent, enough for most students not to notice any off-key notes or strange parts, then it would naturally meet the requirements. In this process, if Gotō Hitori could perform at her normal level, it would be a bonus.
"Are all Livehouses like this in the basement?"
Upon seeing the entrance to STARRY, Yuigahama Yui exclaimed in surprise.
"No, this is just an exception."
Asakura said as he led the girl inside.
The basement interior wasn't narrow, but the subtly oppressive atmosphere still made Yuigahama Yui feel a bit uncomfortable.
"It feels a bit… hmm, cramped and dim? This must be an exception too, right?"
"…Unfortunately, this situation is the reality for most Livehouses. While grander, more luxurious Livehouses do exist, there's no need for us to go there."
Asakura explained: "Just like 'underground idols,' the 'underground' part also means 'not yet debuted' or 'not yet appeared in the public eye,' but it also includes the meaning of performing in places like underground Livehouses."
"Underground idol… Oh, I remember there used to be a very famous idol who was an underground idol, but her popularity was even higher than some debuted active idols. It's said that she was originally going to appear on TV, but then an accident happened and she graduated directly. I think her name was…"
Yuigahama Yui tried hard to recall.
"Hoshino Ai."
"Eeek—?!"
Yuigahama Yui was startled by Yamada Ryo, who had appeared behind her and spoken without her noticing.
She showed no guilt after scaring a stranger; instead, she pulled out a pile of merchandise from somewhere: "Hoshino Ai's merchandise is all out of print now. Do you want any? I can sell them to you at a friendly price."
"I'm not interested in idols. More importantly, how's your band's ensemble coming along?"
Asakura ignored the idol merchandise, which had a zero added to its original price, and asked Yamada Ryo.
"There's still a lot of room for improvement."
Yamada Ryo said.
"So, that means there's been no progress at all, right?"
Asakura said without hesitation.
"Not exactly. Bocchi-chan can already perform in front of others, and she's become much more outgoing. If she continues to develop like this, she might even overlap with Nijika's character in a couple of days."
Yamada Ryo said: "It's just that her guitar playing is a bit bad, it feels even worse than her first live performance."
Asakura looked surprised.
Outgoing? That Gotō Hitori? Are you perhaps joking?
"Ryo, what strange things are you saying again?"
Ijichi Nijika also arrived at STARRY with her backpack. She first gently tapped Yamada Ryo's forehead, then said to Asakura: "Don't worry, although Bocchi-chan's guitar skills are indeed a bit… well, she improves very quickly!"
Asakura was even more surprised.
Terrible guitar skills? That Guitar Hero? Are you really kidding me?
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