Before the radio recording had even started, Aoki had already felt an ominous premonition.
Now, that uneasy feeling was becoming reality.
To be fair, he had mentally prepared himself for a situation like this before the show began.
But what he didn't expect was for it to hit this early—
The very first segment. The first letter. And the question was already aimed straight at him.
The sender had said they'd "continue supporting him no matter what," but then dropped a question like that—one that left him completely unsure how to respond.
'This listener mail segment is seriously dangerous…'
As thoughts spun around in his head, Aoki looked visibly troubled, unsure of how to reply.
Meanwhile— Inside the recording studio, on either side of Aoki:
To his left, Bocchi-chan looked at her senior guitarist with curious eyes.
Ryo blinked her cool, expressionless eyes.
After a moment's hesitation, she, too, glanced toward the "friend" with whom they both still hid secrets from each other.
On his right side:
Kita stared directly at Aoki with clear interest.
And Nijika bit her lower lip lightly before also focusing her gaze on him.
This was when Aoki discovered the downside of sitting in the middle.
With him at the center, all four girls could look at him without obstruction.
There were no heads in the way—just four sets of eyes laser-focused on him.
Of course, at this moment, that wasn't really a "benefit" at all…
The camera slowly pulled back, capturing this oddly tense scene in full.
The atmosphere was… off.
And being in the middle of it all, Aoki suddenly felt like he was being grilled alive.
"..."
He fell silent, thoughts racing.
'How should I even begin to answer this?'
After more than ten long seconds of silence, he decided:
'If I don't know what to say, I might as well play dumb.'
Putting on a blank, innocent expression, he replied, "Who am I most conscious of in the band, huh…?
Well, since we're teammates and spend time together every day, I care about all of them.
If I had to pick just one… hmm, I don't think I can really choose right now."
The letter had specifically mentioned "the only male member," so the real implication behind the question was obvious— They were asking who he liked the most.
But if he gave a serious answer, it could definitely lead to weird consequences later on.
Playing dumb was the smart move here.
"Mhm! Caring about all your teammates—that's the kind of harmony Kessoku Band is known for!"
Knowing full well how tricky the question was, Izumi Yuu wisely jumped in to steer the topic away.
The girls, not having heard the answer they were hoping for, reluctantly shifted their focus.
As for Aoki— He glanced up at the clock on the wall.
There were still thirty full minutes left in the recording session.
Which meant there were thirty more minutes in which anything could happen.
He suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him.
'I want to go home already…'
But no one could sense his inner turmoil.
Instead, Izumi Yuu picked up the second letter.
"This one's from 'I Really Want Grapes'~ 'Hello Izumi-san, hello everyone from Kessoku Band! Welcome to the radio show!'"
"Ah, what a warm welcome—more formal than mine!" she laughed.
"'I really love Kessoku Band, and I've also been a long-time viewer of Who Did Yuu-chan Invite Today?
I'm super excited to see the band on the show, so I couldn't resist writing in with a question!
Since you all spend so much time together, I'm really curious— As a very famous and talented composer, keyboardist, and guitarist, how do the rest of the members see Suki-san?
I'd love to know what he's like in everyday life!'"
After reading it aloud, Izumi Yuu turned to the girls.
"Ooh~ This one's for the girls! Mind answering?"
Another minefield of a question— Basically a roundabout way of asking how the girls felt about Aoki.
Still another borderline romantic question.
'I'm a musician, aren't I? Why do I keep getting these kinds of questions…?'
Aoki's internal agony deepened.
But no one noticed his distress.
Starting with Nijika, the girls took a moment to think, then responded one by one.
"How do I see Aoki-senpai… If I had to choose one word, I think it'd be… 'kind,' maybe?" Nijika answered.
"He always tells me not to stress too much, that it's more important for the band to have fun together. And also…"
She paused slightly before continuing, "He tries to comfort me when I'm feeling down. Yeah… he's really kind."
Izumi Yuu's expression turned curious, but she held back from prying, simply nodding and turning her attention to Kita.
Kita thought for a moment.
There were so many things she could say.
He was responsible, kind, and sometimes impulsive—but only ever for the sake of others, not himself…
But in a setting like this, saying too much might not be a good idea.
So she took a light breath, held her mic, and looked at Aoki beside her.
"Hmm, how I see Ake-senpai? He's really good to me. He always looks out for me.
He just gives me this feeling like… I can rely on him, you know?"
"Ooh, I see…" Izumi Yuu wasn't sure how to respond to that, so she simply nodded and moved on to the next.
Off-camera, Director Nagano was nearly bursting with laughter, watching both Izumi's face and Aoki sneaking glances at the clock.
No one called for a cut—after all, this episode was clearly going to be packed with highlights.
Next, it was Bocchi-chan's turn.
"I-I'm really bad at socializing… B-before I joined Kessoku Band, I couldn't even talk to people…
I-it was Aoki-senpai who brought me into the band… S-so… I'm really grateful to him."
That response was a bit easier to build off of, so Izumi Yuu quickly followed up with a warm "Mhm, such a strong bond!"
"And now… Yamada-san, how do you see Aoki-sensei?"
Ryo glanced at Aoki with her calm, unreadable eyes, and gave a short reply:
"Suki-san's personality is… compatible with mine."
'...Well that one's tough to follow up,' Izumi Yuu thought, but her professional instincts kicked in.
"Ahaha~ Everyone has their own take, huh? I hope that answers your question, 'I Really Want Grapes' Now, on to the next letter!"
The following three letters were much easier to answer compared to the first two, allowing Aoki to finally relax a bit.
Some of the pressure lifted, and his mood started to recover.
Once all five letters were read, it was time to move on to the next segment.
Izumi Yuu announced with a bright smile:
"Alright, next up—'Talk Session'! There are so many things I want to ask Kessoku Band! Let me go first!"
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