Just as Nijika expected, Ryo was late. The moment she arrived, Nijika scolded her, but Kita Ikuyo didn't mind in the slightest. Instead, she spoke with starry-eyed excitement:
"Not following schedules, doing whatever you want—that's so cool! As expected of Ryo-senpai, the real image of a band girl!"
Her words stunned Nijika, who had been lecturing Ryo only a second before.
She turned back to look at Kita, disbelief written across her face. Even her warm, bright red eyes dimmed with the despair of someone questioning reality itself.
Soon, the four of them gathered around the table for a band meeting.
Nijika, still remembering Kita's hesitation from yesterday, couldn't wait to ask:"Kita-chan, is something bothering you?"
"That's… um…"
There was no way Kita could admit that she didn't know how to play guitar at all. Especially since Ijichi-senpai had looked so happy when she heard that Kita not only played, but was supposed to be an experienced guitarist. And even Ryo-senpai had—
"Kita's hand is injured, right?"Ishikawa Hayabusa 'gently' stepped in with an excuse for her.
Though Kita quickly pulled her hand back when he said it, Nijika had already seen.
"Ah—really?" Nijika gasped.
She was a little puzzled, since she hadn't noticed Kita's hand injured yesterday, but still, guilt washed over her for not paying attention.
Lowering her head, she pressed her palms together in apology."I'm sorry, I didn't notice at all."
Kita let out a breath of relief, silently thanking Ishikawa Hayabusa. But before she could even express her gratitude—
"But the wound doesn't look too bad, right? It should heal in about a week, so it won't affect your playing much."
Ishikawa Hayabusa's backstab nearly made Kita cough up blood on the spot.
As if that wasn't enough, he twisted the knife, turning to Nijika."When can we perform? I'm already looking forward to it."
"Eh…" Nijika lifted her head, her expression torn. But in her eyes was a spark of longing—clearly, she had been wanting to perform on stage for a long time.
She looked at Kita with a mixture of anticipation and hesitation.
"Let's leave ourselves more time. We need to practice together properly first."
Ryo, watching the two of them growing more and more eager, couldn't hold back any longer."Give it time. The performers' hands are important—you need to take good care of them."
Ryo-senpai is telling me to take care of my hands!!From now on, these hands are more precious than my life!
"Mm! Mm! Mm!"Kita's doubts vanished in an instant, replaced by unrestrained excitement as she nodded over and over.
Seeing Kita's expression, Nijika finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the problem had been solved."In that case, I'll ask my sister."
Humming cheerfully, she ran over to Seika, who was seated at the counter.
Come to think of it, when Seika first came down earlier, she had stormed in with messy bed hair and a panicked look, startling the three of them badly.
But when she saw them quietly sitting in their seats, she ignored the sweat still dripping from her face, composed herself, and walked stiffly toward the bar.
As for why she acted that way, Ishikawa Hayabusa, of course, understood perfectly well.
That was simply his charm.
"Onee-chan~"Nijika leaned against the counter, whining affectionately, though she hadn't said what she wanted yet.
Seika, flipping through her notebook, had already understood everything. After checking the schedule casually, she spoke offhandedly:"Two weeks from now, a support band canceled due to special circumstances. You can fill the slot."
The dismissive tone made Nijika stomp her foot in frustration."Come on, onee-chan, that's so mean!"
But she knew her sister's personality—arrogant, prickly, but secretly soft-hearted. So she let it go.
Turning back, her angry expression melted into a bright grin as she flashed the others a victory sign.
Hayabusa and Ryo both smiled faintly, feeling joy at the small but real step forward their newborn band had just taken.
Kita, however, nearly fainted on the spot.
Two weeks…
She clutched her aching chest. From this day forward, she was the Sleepless Ikuyo.
Damn Ishikawa Hayabusa. He must have realized she couldn't play guitar and set this up to push her out. But she refused to give in!
Her mind filled with complaints against the one who had stabbed her repeatedly only moments ago.
"By the way, what's your band's name?"Before Nijika could make it back to the table, Seika's voice drifted from behind, filled with curiosity.
At that question, the four froze, staring blankly at her.
Then, the three at the table turned to look at Nijika. She turned back, meeting their eyes.
The four exchanged blinks in silence.
Nijika's gaze was innocent and utterly lost.
Seika quickly understood the situation, sighing."You'd better decide soon…"
The four sat at the table. Nijika folded her arms and closed her eyes, deep in thought."The band's name… this is really important."
"Anything's fine."Ryo propped her chin in her hands, half-asleep, and mumbled in disinterest. From the start of the topic, she'd looked completely uninvested, and now she seemed on the verge of dozing off.
Nijika flared up instantly at the incomprehensible remark."You can't just treat it like that!"
Ishikawa Hayabusa, meanwhile, wondered how they had come up with "Kessoku Band" in the original timeline, and whether his presence might cause the name to change through some butterfly effect.
Intrigued, he watched the others closely.
When it wasn't directly about performing, Kita was surprisingly calm. Resting her chin on one hand, she tilted her head slightly, seriously considering the matter.
Ryo, annoyed by Nijika's outburst, half-opened her eyes and glanced around at the others' thoughtful faces.
Finding it a hassle, her gaze wandered the room, until it landed on a zip tie wrapped around a cable in the corner.
It was like electricity coursed through her brain."Kessoku Band. Tied-together Band."
Her eyes lit up, a sly smirk tugging at her lips.
Nijika: ???
"'Kessoku,' as in unity, right? Ryo-senpai, you're amazing!"
Kita, always ready to praise Ryo blindly, immediately gave the suggestion a perfect score, as if the answer had come before the question.
"No, no, no—that's just a dumb pun."Nijika waved her hands frantically, reminding Kita not to take it seriously.
The band's name was too important to be a joke.
"Ah, I see! A joke, huh? That's so clever!"Kita beamed at Nijika with a radiant, dazzling smile.
Kita!
The 'magical girl' Kita shone with blinding brilliance.
Even though Nijika was also the cheerful type, she couldn't withstand Kita's dazzling energy.
"Kita-chan, stop it already!"Nijika wailed, shielding herself with her arms against the overwhelming force.
When she finally managed to endure it, her clothes were rumpled, tears brimming in her eyes as she turned desperately to the only ally she could hope for—Ishikawa Hayabusa.
Looking at Nijika's pitiful expression, Hayabusa opened his mouth a few times, but no words came out.
But as a self-proclaimed pervert, his heart was as tough as iron. Not even Nijika's pleading face could shake him.
Suppressing his conscience, he chose instead to enjoy the chaos."Actually… that's a pretty good name."
With the tide against her, even Nijika had no choice but to accept.
At last, she trudged tearfully over to her sister, sniffling as she spoke."Kessoku Band… that's our name."
Seika kept her face tight, barely managing not to laugh out loud.