November 6th — the second Saturday since practice began.
For Aoki Kei, ever since that day, his daily life with Kessoku Band's practice had gradually returned to its usual rhythm.
It was as if life had gone back to normal, as if nothing had happened at all.
And yet, Aoki could sense that Kita had changed… just a little.
Even though she still greeted him with a bright smile, calling him "Kei-senpai," and even though she still brought him lunch…
He couldn't help but wonder — in choosing to respond seriously instead of just playing dumb, had he truly given the right answer?
Ever since November began, his emotions had been unusually fragile and sentimental.
Meanwhile—
Ever since the rumor started circulating online that Kessoku Band was preparing to join the KL company's contest project, the discussion around it had grown louder and louder.
What began as small pockets of chatter had now spread so far that nearly every fan — and even most casual onlookers — knew about it…
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In an apartment somewhere in Tokyo—
Inside a room cluttered with instruments, Amano Ryuu sat at his desk, his gaze fixed on the computer screen.
On his monitor was a group chat with thousands of members.
The group's name: [Suki-san Fan Support Club].
At the moment, the chat was buzzing with activity — though not about the KL project.
Instead, they were gossiping about unrelated matters.
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[I Wanna Eat Grapes]: Did you guys see that fan photo making the rounds on Twitter? Kei and Yamada-san walking together along the Uji River in Kyoto.
[I Wanna Eat Grapes]: Now there's no doubt who she's closest to.
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[Didn't Get Tickets for the Last Concert, Scalpers Deserve Jail]:
Heh, too early to jump to conclusions. It's just a walk, not exactly a rare event.
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[Didn't Get Tickets for the Last Concert, Scalpers Deserve Jail]:
Personally, I think Kei's actually closer to Ichiji-san. No real proof, just… a feeling.
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Ryuu glanced at that message and felt a wave of disdain.
Basing conclusions purely on feelings? Laughable.
Unlike them…
As a devout believer in the creed that "Suki-san will ultimately choose the bassist", Amano Ryuu had no respect for these so-called heretics.
He continued lurking, watching for entertainment—
Until a new message made his eyes sharpen.
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[Nestlé Coffee Ain't Got Nothing on Laoshan Cola]: Whether it's Ichiji-san, bassist Yamada-san, or the super-soft-hearted Gotou-san… in the end, they're all heresy.
[Nestlé Coffee Ain't Got Nothing on Laoshan Cola]: No matter how you look at it, Kita-san will always come out on top.
[Nestlé Coffee Ain't Got Nothing on Laoshan Cola]: Let me break it down for you—
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The next post was a 2,400-character essay.
Shortly after, the same user dropped a link to a video from a foreign website.
It had over 600,000 views.
Ryuu ignored the essay completely, but the video piqued his interest.
The thumbnail was covered in Chinese characters — which he couldn't read.
Curious, he clicked in — just as he expected, it was a Chinese video.
Naturally, a Japanese viewer with zero Chinese knowledge couldn't make sense of it.
He quickly lost interest and returned to the chat, eyes locking again on that oddly-named user, who was still pushing his heretical opinions.
Ryuu had had enough. His fingers flew across the keyboard—
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[The Song That Saved My Life]: More nonsense about "exclusive nicknames," more cherry-picked events… it's obvious — Yamada-san is the true path!
[The Song That Saved My Life]: And you dismiss this as fake? That's laughable!
[The Song That Saved My Life]: You pitiful heretic — I'll convert you with solid evidence!
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He quickly opened Niconico, searching for compilation videos of Suki-san and Yamada.
After collecting several links, he went back to the chat— only to see that "Nestlé Coffee Ain't Got Nothing on Laoshan Cola" had sent even more messages.
This time, however, they weren't in Japanese.
They were in Chinese.
After running them through a translation app, Ryuu confirmed — the guy was still stubbornly clinging to his beliefs.
Deep down, he thought this person was most likely Chinese, but he didn't give it much thought.
With a cold snort, Amano Ryuu pasted the link, ready to send it.
And then—
"You have been muted."
Those big words popped right up in his face, leaving Amano Ryuu completely dumbfounded.
He rubbed his eyes, scrolled back through the group chat from top to bottom, and then it finally hit him—
That guy with the nickname "Nescafé is No Match for Laoshan Cola" was actually the owner of this fan group with several thousand members!
Damn it, using admin powers for something like this...
Gritting his teeth, he glared at the computer screen for a few seconds, then sighed and closed the "Suki-san Fan Support Club" chat.
He opened another group, this one called "Suki Fan Discussion Group."
Compared to the last one, this group had a more professional discussion atmosphere.
At the moment, they were talking about Kessoku Band's decision to participate in an event organized by KL Company.
As a musician himself, Amano Ryuu definitely preferred these kinds of conversations.
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[I Want to Be Suki's Puppy]: This KL Company project is ridiculously high-end. Honestly, as a fan… I'm not too optimistic about Kessoku Band.
[Winter Cat from Hokkaido]: Just getting in is already great. It means there's a new song coming! I don't care about the final ranking or whether they're selected in the end.
[Merry Christmas]: But they're up against Takashi Imai. In terms of fundamentals and sheer skill, they're at a disadvantage...
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Reading the messages on his screen, Amano Ryuu let out a sigh.
He wanted to disagree, but the truth was, as someone familiar with the music industry, he knew that winning this time would be incredibly difficult for Kessoku Band.
Takashi Imai's skill was undeniable.
For Kessoku Band to take the crown, they'd need a song that perfectly fit the theme.
And this time, the theme was "Live with All Your Might"—a concept with enormous emotional weight.
No matter how you put it, Suki-san was still a high school student, not even twenty yet.
Asking him to create something on that level… was a bit much.
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[The Song That Saved My Life]: True, but it's fine. Just participating and releasing a new song is enough!
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After sending this little reassurance, Amano Ryuu nodded in satisfaction.
But the very next moment, someone popped up to refute him—
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[Nescafé is No Match for Laoshan Cola]: Nonsense! I believe Suki-san will win. I'll support him blindly if I have to. I'm a hardcore, brain-dead Suki fan.
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Amano Ryuu frowned, feeling slightly annoyed.
What surprised him even more was that the people who had just been speaking logically suddenly shifted their stance—
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[I Want to Be Ake's Puppy]: You know… you're right! As fans, believing is also a form of support!
[Winter Cat from Hokkaido]: Let's hope they take the win!
[Merry Christmas]: The best young musician of the new generation versus the strongest of middle age—no matter the result, I'll keep believing!
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Something felt off.
Amano Ryuu's expression turned serious—his instincts told him something wasn't right.
He reread the chat history, and then noticed—
The person who had suddenly gone against him… was the very same "Nescafé is No Match for Laoshan Cola" who had muted him earlier!
It hit him like a thunderbolt. He glanced at the chat box, and sure enough, there it was again: "You have been muted."
That guy!
Wasn't he Chinese? How was he the admin of so many different chat groups?!
Grinding his teeth, Amano Ryuu opened a private chat.
After thinking for a long moment, he typed a message into a translation tool, then decisively sent it to "Nescafé is No Match for Laoshan Cola."
Bro, unmute me.
…
The fan group chat was still buzzing with excitement.
But elsewhere on the internet, voices of doubt were already beginning to emerge.
Some came from professional musicians, others from so-called songwriting and composing "experts" who thought they knew better.
The road to being supported by everyone… was going to be long and full of obstacles.