Nijika gave the others, who had no idea how concerts usually worked, a quick rundown of their performance quota.
"In simple terms, we have to sell a portion of the tickets ourselves. If we sell more than the quota, the concert hall shares the extra revenue with us. But if we don't meet it, we'll have to make up the difference out of our own pockets."
Ryo's expression darkened, her voice heavy with the weight of bitter memories."In other words, at the start, it's going to be really expensive."
Hearing that, Kita's face turned pale. She quietly reached for her wallet.
Ever since she bought her guitar, her allowance had been nearly drained—it was already at a critical level.
She could barely scrape together enough money to go out with friends anymore!
Looks like I'll have to get a part-time job.She made the decision silently to herself.
But she wasn't the only one feeling the pressure—Nijika was as well. With a sigh, she admitted:"Yesterday a lot of my friends came, so the tickets sold pretty smoothly. But I don't know if they'll still want to come next time..."
The more she spoke, the more disheartened she became. Even the strength to sit seemed to leave her, and her body swayed as though she might topple over at any moment.
Ryo, drawing from her past band experiences, gave her verdict."Yesterday's performance was at least pretty interesting.""But the playing itself was a total mess..."
Nijika knew her friends had been satisfied enough, but for some reason she still felt restless, unsatisfied.
After all, they couldn't rely on Hayabusa-kun every time to carry the show. They were a band, not a comedy duo.
Music was supposed to be their core.
She didn't even feel confident inviting her friends again.
"Um... I can call some of my friends to come. How many people do we need?"
Just then, a voice rang out beside her like something divine. The tone carried the same confidence as when Jesus handed out fish and bread: take all you want, there's no end to it.
"Really!?"
Nijika perked up, her spirits revived, as she turned to look at Kita Ikuyo.
"Yeah! If I don't invite them, they'll actually complain about it."
Kita gave a wry smile at the thought, then pulled out her phone with an air of total readiness, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Nijika.
"So, how many people should I bring?"
Nijika felt crushed under the overwhelming aura of a true social butterfly—this was sunlight far, far beyond her reach!
She carefully, cautiously gave the lowest possible number."About... twenty would be enough."
"That's all? No problem, I've got it."
Kita declared it like it was the easiest thing in the world. Lifting her phone slightly, she flashed a cheerful V-sign.
Kita!
Invisible rays of light burst forth.
The others had already started to acclimate to this overwhelming radiance, so the damage wasn't too severe.
But when Ishikawa Hayabusa turned to look at Bocchi beside him, he saw she was already crumbling under the brilliance, her face twisted in a despairing, self-pitying grimace as if she were about to melt away.
He reached out and poked her cheek before she completely disintegrated. Bocchi flinched, shuddered, and snapped awake, staring at him in fear.
Hayabusa just smiled at her.
Nijika, catching sight of the little exchange, smiled faintly herself, her mood lightening again as she continued:"Anyway, we still need to save for equipment and initial band funds. So to cover those expenses, let's all get part-time jobs~!"
"Really!? That's great!"
The one who answered was Kita, who had already been planning to get a job. Hearing Nijika suggest everyone do it together, she was thrilled—and stole a quick glance at Ishikawa Hayabusa while nodding eagerly.
But then—
"Part-time jobs!!?"
Bocchi's sharp cry pierced the air, startling everyone except Hayabusa.
Nijika, her heart tightening, carefully asked the trembling Bocchi, whose expression was beginning to collapse:"B-Bocchi-chan... what's wrong?"
Bocchi bowed her head deeply and didn't answer. Her body shook for a moment before she suddenly grabbed her shoulder bag and rummaged frantically through it.
Then—
She slowly pulled out a piggy bank.
The three girls stared at it with question marks written all over their faces.
Tears welling at the corners of her eyes, Bocchi whispered pitifully:"This... this is the money my mom's been saving for my wedding...""You can have it. Please... please don't make me get a job."
She bowed her head solemnly, her whole body radiating desperate pleading. It was such a pitiful sight it tugged at the heart.
Nijika froze for a moment, then quickly snapped back:"Do you think we're demons or something!?"
Across from Bocchi, Ryo calmly reached out her hand."Thanks. I'll take it sincerely..."
Kita gawked in disbelief at Ryo, who was actually reaching for it.
But before her hand could touch the piggy bank, Nijika smacked it hard with a sharp slap, forcing her to recoil with a pained hiss.
Waving her hands frantically, Nijika assured Bocchi:"We won't take it, we won't take it! We could never use money that important!"
"Yeah, exactly. Something like that should never be spent elsewhere."
Hayabusa nodded in full agreement with Nijika's words—yet without hesitation, his hand darted toward Bocchi's piggy bank.
"Then let me take care of it. If Bocchi doesn't want to work, I'll support you."
Nijika nearly leapt to her feet to smack his hand too, but froze when she heard what he said.
"Huh?"
"Eh?" Kita blinked, stunned by the sudden, bizarre turn.
Bocchi, tears still clinging to her lashes, timidly looked up and asked in a trembling voice:"R-Really?"
Behind her timid expression lurked fear of rejection, but also a flicker of worry and hope for the future.
From Hayabusa's point of view, Bocchi was summoning all her courage to raise her head. Her eyes, half-hidden by her bangs, peeked anxiously through her hair to gauge his reaction.
Hayabusa answered plainly:"Really."
The moment he said it, Bocchi flusteredly pushed back her chair, stood up, and moved to the side. Then, very seriously yet awkwardly, she bowed."T-This humble girl will be in your care."
Nijika, watching this scene unfold, looked completely conflicted. She couldn't shake the feeling that Bocchi was being tricked by Hayabusa.
Her heart brimming with irritation, she scolded him:"Ishikawa-kun... if you're joking about something like this, it's way too cruel."
"I'm not joking." Hayabusa's smile faded into something more serious.
"Eh?"
Nijika and Kita both gasped in surprise.
Even Ryo tilted her head curiously toward him.
"Bocchi's interesting and cute. And honestly, she doesn't look like she'd be much trouble to take care of."
Saying that, Hayabusa finally set the piggy bank back down and slid it toward Bocchi."But it wouldn't hurt to keep saving a little longer."
"Yes! I'll work hard at it!"
Bocchi's voice rose with unusual strength. She didn't seem to mind at all that Hayabusa's words sounded like he was talking about raising a pet.
Just as the others were starting to worry about what kind of strange relationship these two were heading toward—
Hayabusa turned to Bocchi and said casually:"Well then, good luck with your part-time job."
The fragile smile that had just bloomed on Bocchi's face froze solid. A second later, her whole body seemed to crack and shatter in the cold wind.
Of course!
But still—using a proposal-level promise to trick Bocchi-chan like that was just too much! Nijika fumed silently in her heart.
Yet she overlooked something she herself already knew.
She knew Ishikawa Hayabusa's emotional intelligence was high—he would never actually do something that left someone truly unhappy.
All she could do was glare, dissatisfied, at Hayabusa's gentle, teasing smile as he looked at Bocchi.