As promised to Nijika, Aoki Kei planned to re-record the song "So I Gave Up on Music"—the one he performed on stage at STARRY—and upload it to YouTube in the next few days.
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Sunday.
Unlike Saturday, he woke up much earlier.
With nothing better to do in the morning, he went for a few laps around the park.
On the way back, he rewarded himself with four extra soup dumplings.
After returning to his apartment and doing some light cleaning, Aoki Kei realized he had forgotten to take out the trash before his morning jog.
It wasn't exactly blazing hot yet—it was still early June but the weather was warm enough for trash to start smelling if left out too long.
So he quickly grabbed the garbage and went back downstairs.
After coming back again, he didn't waste time.
He took out his guitar from its case, propped up his phone on the wooden table, and started recording a new version of "So I Gave Up on Music."
Of course, he didn't get it right on the first try.
Even with solid technique, random annoyances always found a way to mess things up: the phone tipping over mid-recording, sudden noise from downstairs, that sort of thing.
Only after four takes did he finally manage a version he considered "good enough."
After a bit of light editing, Aoki Kei uploaded the video to his YouTube channel under the username suki-san.
He didn't expect anyone to comment the moment it went up.
After posting the video, he put his phone away and headed out with his wallet in hand.
After wavering back and forth all day, he finally decided to go buy the next two volumes of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya—his curiosity about how the story continued had gotten the better of him.
He spent the morning book shopping, grabbed a bowl of ramen for lunch, and brought his guitar to the live house for band practice in the afternoon.
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By 6 p.m., STARRY opened for business.
Aoki Kei occasionally helped out at STARRY—not for pay, of course.
He used the store's recording room nearly every day, so in return, he just helped with small chores—like wiping down tables or sweeping the floor.
That evening, while sweeping up after opening, he clearly noticed something different: there were a lot more customers than usual.
Most were new faces, and they all followed a similar pattern—glancing around the live house, spotting the setlist for the night, then walking away looking disappointed.
Aoki Kei tilted his head in confusion.
Where had all these people come from?
Still, he didn't ask.
He quietly finished sweeping, then headed to the recording room.
Just like that, the weekend came to an end.
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Monday.
He paid attention in class all morning, and then—
During lunch with Hikigaya, he suddenly remembered the video he uploaded yesterday and decided to check its stats.
And just like that, the mystery of Sunday's customer surge was solved.
With a growing fanbase, it was only natural for the video to gain traction. And "So I Gave Up on Music" was a genuinely high-quality song.
In just over 24 hours, the video had already surpassed 400,000 views—a staggering number.
The comments section was flooded with praise:
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"suki-sensei's talent is off the charts!"
"It hasn't even been that long and there's already another amazing new song!"
"Waaah... this song speaks to my soul..."
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But among all the praise, a few stood out for being... different.
They weren't negative, but rather came from people acting as guides—pointing curious listeners toward another version of the song.
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"This version of 'So I Gave Up on Music' is beautifully subdued, with a bittersweet undercurrent of sadness and quiet resistance.
But for those who prefer something more intense—click the top comment's profile and check out their only video. You'll get a whole new experience!"
"If you love live performances or crave something more emotionally raw, you've got to watch the top commenter's video.
In it, suki-sensei pours everything into the performance. Sure, there's a barely noticeable crack in the climax, but that's what makes it real. A masterpiece."
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Aoki Kei had been checking comments based on the latest ones, but after seeing these, he switched the filter to Top Comments First.
And sure enough, the #1 comment read:
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"I KNEW IT! I knew I wasn't imagining things! That voice is definitely suki-sensei! I was there for the live version of 'So I Gave Up on Music'!
Luckily, I had the foresight to record it. Anyone curious, check out my page! Oh—and for those wondering.
The venue was a live house in Shimokitazawa called STARRY. There might be more surprise performances from suki-sensei in the future... stay tuned!"
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So that's why the place was packed on Sunday.
Brows raised, Aoki Kei clicked the user's profile and found a video of him performing on stage.
The sound was clear, but the image quality was poor—his face wasn't visible at all.
The comments under that video were just as enthusiastic:
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"That live performance was fire!"
"I'm so jealous of the uploader!"
"This version hits harder emotionally than the studio one!"
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As long as his face wasn't shown, Aoki Kei didn't mind at all.
Before closing the app, he even gave the video a like.
He calmly finished his lunch set and waited a bit for Hikigaya to finish before heading back to class.
Later, guitar in hand, he made his way to the first floor.
He spent the rest of the lunch break teaching Kita Ikuyo some guitar basics.
Classes resumed, and he attended them like normal until the final bell signaled the start of after-school club activities.
During that time, the Kessoku Band group chat brought up the whole "suki-san live performance going viral and blowing up STARRY" situation.
Bocchi commented—using lots of ellipses—how surprised she was by Aoki-senpai's influence.
Ryo casually followed up with a suggestion: maybe they could use the popularity of the suki-san account to give Kessoku Band a boost.
The idea was immediately shut down by Nijika.
By the time school ended, Aoki Kei packed his bag.
He figured if he left quickly, he might catch a spot on the train.
But just as he finished packing, Hiratsuka Shizuka suddenly entered through the back door of the classroom and headed straight for him.
"Aoki, come with me to the office," she said.
Still confused, he asked directly, "Is something wrong, Hiratsuka-sensei?"
She nodded and replied:
"We need to have a life talk."
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