Finally, they reached the sunken staircase leading down to STARRY. Seeing that there were far fewer people around, Kita let out a quiet sigh of relief and turned to the person behind her.
"Gotou-san, we're here. You can come out now."
"S-sorry…"
Bocchi hung her head shyly and stepped out from behind Kita's back.
"No, Gotou-san, you don't have to apologize to me…"
Kita's expression dimmed a little as she looked down, guilt written all over her face.
Seeing her like that, Bocchi tilted her head in confusion.
"Kita-chan?"
Just then, a distant voice called out to them, dragging out the last syllable as it ran closer.
"Kita-chan! Bocchi-chan—!"
Both of them turned toward the sound and saw Nijika waving as she ran toward them, out of breath.
She came to a stop in front of them, bending over with her hands on her knees, gasping for air. Behind her, Ryo trudged along, looking half-dead.
"Ijichi-senpai, Ryo-senpai, what happened?"
Kita asked in alarm.
Nijika took two deep breaths, then straightened up with the help of a nearby utility pole.
"N-now's not the time to stand around chatting—hurry up and get inside the store…"
Behind her, Ryo added,
"The fight… might not be over yet."
Those words completely bewildered Kita and Bocchi.
What on earth had happened inside the shop?!
The two of them just stood there, staring blankly back.
…
Nijika, leading the way with quick, familiar steps, bounded down the stairs and pushed open the shop door, disappearing from view.
"Big sis! Hayabusa!"
The three people following behind heard Nijika's voice, sounding like she was about to stop someone. They exchanged puzzled looks—one even let out a little laugh.
But then her voice cut off halfway through the sentence. The three of them froze on the spot, suddenly feeling as though that pitch-black entrance to STARRY was the gaping maw of some beast.
They hesitated, glancing at each other nervously, before Ryo gave a tiny nod, signaling that she would go first. Only then did the others follow her in.
Turning the corner, they found Nijika standing stiffly at the bottom of the stairs.
The three of them descended, taking in the sight of STARRY's interior, now much brighter than usual. And there, sitting at the bar with Seika, calmly sipping "Good Kids 100% Apple Juice," was Ishikawa Hayabusa.
Ryo took in the scene, her usually calm eyes as still as stagnant water.
"…Hypnosis?"
The single word startled the three girls beside her.
…
After Nijika nervously asked what had happened, Seika smiled with great satisfaction and pointed at Ishikawa Hayabusa.
"This guy was unbelievably useful. In no time at all, he cleaned up every single tricky spot."
Hayabusa stood, stepped aside, placed a hand over his chest, and gave a small bow with an air of refined elegance. He looked Seika straight in the eye and smiled.
"If you could say something like 'this guy is a total freak,' I'd be very happy."
Seika's face turned slightly cold, her reply sharp and blunt.
"Not a chance."
Watching their exchange, Nijika exhaled in relief and allowed herself a small, relaxed smile.
"Thank goodness. Looks like they made up."
Seeing Nijika no longer tense, the other three girls also let out the breath they'd been holding.
Now that they finally had the energy to look around, Kita smiled and said, "STARRY looks so bright and shiny today."
Ryo added, "Just like when we changed the lightbulbs a year ago."
Seika immediately turned her head. "What's that supposed to mean?!"
As the lighthearted chatter went on, Nijika glanced once more at the brightly lit shop. Her surprise quickly turned to delight.
She looked at Ishikawa Hayabusa with admiration.
"Hayabusa-kun, you're amazing!"
Hayabusa's eyes filled with fake tears as he looked back at her.
"A freak, right?"
Nijika froze, then puffed out her cheeks and hurriedly replied,
"Of course I wouldn't say that!"
…
When the small talk was over, Nijika checked the time. She hadn't forgotten the real reason they were here. She turned to the others.
"Okay, I think it's about time we get to work."
Everyone nodded in agreement—everyone except Kita, who, still smiling happily, sneaked a cautious glance at Ishikawa Hayabusa.
"Then, Nijika, you can assign the tasks."
Seika looked at the group of teens, gave a short reminder, then spun her chair around to face her laptop again, as though washing her hands of the whole matter.
She had only asked them to do simple chores that didn't require skill—really just an excuse to lend them the practice room and keep them working where she could see them.
Besides, it lightened her younger sister's workload too—two birds with one stone.
So, when Nijika had begged her for help earlier, Seika had agreed without hesitation.
Nijika had already guessed her sister would throw the work assignment on her, so she didn't mind at all. She turned back to the band members.
"Well then…"
She scanned the group, blinking as she realized someone was missing. After quickly recounting heads, she exclaimed in surprise.
"Eh? Where's Bocchi-chan?"
"Gotou-san is…" Kita awkwardly pointed toward the tables.
Following her finger, Nijika spotted a faintly wiggling pink shape under one of the tables.
She walked over and crouched down, only to hear Bocchi letting out a blissful sigh, as if soaking in a hot spring.
"Sorry… I just wanted to rest somewhere dark and cramped for a while."
"You're resting already?!" Nijika was dumbfounded.
With a sigh of resignation, she turned to the others to at least assign their tasks first.
But at that moment, Ishikawa Hayabusa clasped both hands over his chest, striking a dainty, girlish pose as he spoke to Nijika.
"Um… I want to rest too."
Nijika had actually planned to let him rest a bit—after all, he had just finished cleaning the entire shop—but seeing him act like that, her eyes went dull and lifeless. She let out another sigh.
"Fine…"
Losing two people right at the start—even Nijika felt a little powerless.
Hayabusa, on the other hand, beamed with joy at her answer.
"Yes! I've always wanted to experience the feeling of several cute girls bustling around me while I sit back and just point and give orders."
He grinned wider.
"And please, everyone, put on maid outfits, please!"
In an instant, every girl in the room—and even the adult woman standing nearby—felt their blood pressure spike.
Seika, who had been quietly listening, realized that if she didn't intervene, her little sister was going to be bullied to death by this brat.
She turned around, placed a firm hand on Hayabusa's shoulder, and spun him to face her, staring him down with a piercing glare.
"You. Go work the ticket booth."
Hayabusa tried to protest.
"But—"
Seika didn't give him a chance. Her voice dropped to a deadly calm tone.
"No work, no pay."
Hayabusa immediately dropped the act, face turning serious.
"Understood. I will now dedicate my full energy to working until closing time!"
Then he thought for a moment, tapped his temple, and added,
"Though honestly, sitting and watching cute girls work doesn't sound that different."
With that, he skipped cheerfully over to the entrance, plopped down in the front counter chair, crossed his arms, and grinned widely at them from afar—looking every bit like some pompous lord.
Once he was gone, Nijika let out yet another sigh—she'd lost count of how many times today.
"Thanks, Sis…"
Then she turned to Ryo and Kita. With the biggest troublemaker out of the way, she quickly finished assigning tasks.
"Okay, Ryo and Kita-chan, you two handle sweeping. Bocchi-chan, you're with me at the bar to serve drinks."
With that settled, Nijika smiled in relief.
The sweeping duo had no objections and answered crisply.
Ryo: "Mm."
Kita: "Got it."
Kita then turned toward Ryo with a grin so bright it almost looked suspicious, her sparkling eyes enough to make anyone worry about what weird thing she might do next.
Soon, Ryo led Kita off to fetch the cleaning tools, while Nijika crouched to smile gently at Bocchi under the table.
"Okay, Bocchi-chan, come on out and memorize the drink orders with me."
Bocchi nodded meekly, crawled out obediently, and followed Nijika to the bar.
Sitting nearby, Seika watched the little "team" her sister had gathered. Just looking at them made her feel exhausted on Nijika's behalf.
She started to wonder whether they were actually helping to lighten Nijika's load—or secretly making it worse.
Still holding that thought, she decided not to interfere with her sister teaching the newcomers. She shut her laptop, walked over to the most troublesome person in the shop—
Ishikawa Hayabusa, sitting at the counter, still staring in the bar's direction.
Seeing her approach, Hayabusa didn't panic at all. Instead, he cheerfully waved.
"Yo, Manager! Perfect timing—come teach me what I'm supposed to do."
Which, conveniently, was exactly what Seika had intended. She nodded.
"Alright."