Shortly after Kessoku Band's live performance, a video titled "Suki-san Performs 'Loser' Live with Kessoku Band – Absolutely Electrifying!" was quietly uploaded to Youtube.
While the [Be Original / Rock Band Project] wasn't the hottest topic online, it had enough buzz and fan engagement that when the video was tagged with "PVC Project," it spread like wildfire.
Filmed by a live audience member, the clip unexpectedly exploded in popularity—
130,000 views in just about an hour.
Though the footage was a bit grainy due to the distance from the stage, and the audio somewhat muddled by the crowd noise, none of that could stop the video from going viral.
With over 130,000 views and hundreds of comments pouring in, here were some of the most-liked:
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"This sounds amazing—even with this kind of video quality! Is the band called Kessoku Band? The vocalist is insane! I fell in love after just one listen!"
"Wait, this was Suki-san? A live version?? At the PVC Project?? I live in Kyoto—why didn't I go!?"
"Following Lemon and So I Gave Up on Music, this is yet another masterpiece from Suki-san. Totally different in style, yet the core feels so familiar… Honestly, he never misses. Always catchy, always powerful."
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And topping the comments with over a thousand likes:
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"It's been a long, long time since a song has moved me like this. From Lemon to Loser, I've followed Suki-san ever since he began posting.
From my amateur perspective, today's music industry is over-saturated with soulless hits chasing trends—but Suki-san is different.
His music feels. I genuinely believe Suki-san is the kind of artist who could single-handedly defy Japan's mainstream music scene. His songs are a rebel's cry."
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This comment was left by a user named "Flower Under the Starry Sky"—not a musician, but a highly respected director in the anime industry.
Because of his fame, his words quickly boosted the video even further, drawing more eyes to the performance and to Kessoku Band.
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Meanwhile...
The members of Kessoku Band, completely unaware of the online storm they had just stirred up, were already exploring the Kyoto Aquarium after purchasing tickets.
The aquarium turned out to be much better than expected.
They had a wide variety of marine life—at least, Aoki recognized some of them, and others he didn't.
But that wasn't the real reason he thought the place was nice.
The real reason?
Air-conditioning.
Outside was sweltering. Inside, the cool air was heaven.
With that in mind, he figured even if they were mostly here to "pay to chill," it was still money well spent.
Eventually, it was time for the dolphin show.
Aoki wasn't especially into dolphin performances, but he didn't dislike them either.
Nijika and Bocchi felt the same way. But Kita? She was all in—very excited about it.
And then there was Ryo…
Ryo quietly admitted she'd rather go find the deep-sea anglerfish exhibit than watch dolphins.
Oddly enough, once she brought it up, Aoki realized he was also kind of curious.
He'd never seen one in real life.
It kind of looked like a cross between a zombie flower and a nightmare.
Ugly enough to be charming.
Still, when Ryo was promptly dragged toward the dolphin arena by Nijika, Aoki decided maybe it was safer to go with the flow.
Drummers seemed to have a lot of upper body strength, after all.
So the group all agreed to head to the dolphin show together.
Before the performance started, Aoki offered to grab some cold drinks for everyone.
With time running short, he suggested the others go ahead to find seats while he caught up later. Ryo, Bocchi, and Kita nodded.
Nijika volunteered to go with him so it would be easier to carry everything.
He didn't object, and the two of them set off for the snack shop using the aquarium map.
Along the way, Aoki unexpectedly spotted a few deep-sea anglerfish in one of the nearby displays.
They looked like something straight out of Plants vs. Zombies—huge jaws and all.
Ugly enough to be a little cute.
Thinking Ryo might appreciate them, he paused to take a couple of quick photos.
The exhibit happened to be near the drink stand, so after snapping a few shots, he and Nijika continued on.
The cold drink stand was absolutely packed.
The lone shopkeeper—an older man—was frantically trying to keep up with the crowd.
Eventually, Aoki and Nijika reached the front of the line.
The man, still busy mixing drinks, asked, "What can I get for you two?" without looking up.
Then, turning to face them, he suddenly smiled brightly and said:
"Ah! A couple, huh? In that case, may I recommend our Passionfruit Lovers Iced Tea or the Hawaiian Honeymoon Milk Tea? We've got a couple's discount—30% off!"
...To be fair, Aoki and Nijika were about the same age and walking together alone—it wasn't an unreasonable assumption.
A small misunderstanding like that could be cleared up easily.
After a brief, silent pause, Aoki opened his mouth to respond—
Right as Aoki was about to speak, Ijichi Nijika beat him to it.
Her voice stuttered, a bright blush coloring her cheeks, and it even seemed like a bit of steam was rising from the top of her head.
"Th-th-that's not it! W-we're not in that kind of relationship! We're just friends! P-please don't misunderstand!"
Her flustered explanation came out a bit too loud — not only did the shop owner hear it clearly, but so did everyone else in line behind them.
Feeling the weight of a few curious glances on him, Aoki's mouth twitched slightly.
As for the drink stall owner, he blinked in surprise, then burst into even heartier laughter.
"Haha! Got it, got it. So what would you like instead? All our new drinks are 30% off!"
Nijika fell silent, too embarrassed to respond.
Aoki sighed inwardly but replied calmly, "What new drinks do you have?"
The man gave a quick cough before answering in a serious tone, "Passionfruit Lover's Iced Tea and Hawaiian Summer Romance Milk Tea."
"…"
Nijika's face practically turned crimson.
Aoki glanced at her, then back at the owner.
After a few silent seconds, he pulled out his wallet and handed over some bills. "Five cups of Hawaiian Tropical Fruit Juice, please."
The owner didn't tease them further.
After calling out a friendly "Coming right up!", he turned around and began preparing the drinks.
Soon enough, he handed over five chilled beverages.
Under the curious eyes of the people still in line, Aoki called out to the still-blushing Nijika and began heading back toward the dolphin show area.
Though they'd originally agreed to carry the drinks together, Nijika was still so embarrassed that she didn't even realize Aoki was handling all five cups on his own.
She trailed a step behind him, face still flushed.
Halfway back, she finally snapped out of her daze.
"Um... A-Aoki-senpai," she mumbled, "the drinks… I can carry half."
"Oh." He turned his head slightly, then handed her two cups without a fuss.
He didn't say anything more.
They walked in silence for a bit until Nijika spoke up again, still sounding a little flustered.
Her eyes were focused on the back of Aoki's head.
"Um... Aoki-senpai, being mistaken as a couple with me... doesn't that bother you?"
"Bother me?" Aoki paused slightly in his stride, slowing so they were walking side by side.
Then he responded, "Not really. I was more worried that you might be upset about it."
"N-no, not at all! I just— I only explained so loudly earlier because I was embarrassed..."
"Yeah, I could tell. You're pretty cute when you're flustered, Ijichi-san."
He nodded as he said it.
And just like that, the blush that had finally started fading on Nijika's cheeks surged right back up to her ears.
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After that they watched the dolphin show, had grilled fish rice bowls for lunch, and strolled through the aquarium for a bit in the afternoon.
Before they left, Kita tried hard — and spent a lot of money to win a stuffed seal from a crane machine… but the seal never made it out.
By around 2 p.m., they left the aquarium.
When they returned to the locker area to collect their luggage, Aoki who had only brought his guitar and a few changes of clothes was the first to finish.
While waiting for the others, he remembered the photos he had taken of the deep-sea anglerfish exhibit earlier.
He opened Line and tapped on the contact labeled "Weird Bassist", sending the pictures over with a short message:
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"Super ugly fish, but I feel like you'd like it, Ryo-san."
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Meanwhile, Ryo had just retrieved her bag.
Hearing her phone buzz with a message, she pulled it out and unlocked the screen.
Tapping into Line, she saw Aoki's message right away.
She stared at the deep-sea anglerfish photos for a few seconds, then moved her eyes to the accompanying message:
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[Weird Suki-san]: Super ugly fish, but I feel like you'd like it, Ryo-san.
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Ryo adjusted the bass case slung over her shoulder.
The corner of her lips curled up — just a little, almost imperceptibly.
She was about to reply when a familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Um— Ryo?"
It was Nijika, stepping up beside her with a slightly uncertain look.
Her voice carried a tinge of hesitation, like she was unsure whether she even wanted the answer to what she was about to ask.
"I heard Kita mention it once, and I've just been wondering… Are you and Aoki-senpai dating?"
Ryo glanced down at her phone, then back up at her friend.
She shook her head casually. "Nope."
"So it was a misunderstanding?"
"Probably because I once made a joke to Kita that might've been a little too much. She's probably been confused ever since." Ryo spoke with her usual lazy drawl, her tone flat and unbothered.
"I-I see... I was just curious. I mean, do you like Aoki-senpai? Or does he like you? I mean, more than just friends…"
Ryo blinked once.
She paused briefly.
Then, calmly, she shook her head again.
"Nope."