[When you arrive at the Yamada family's mansion with your bandmates.]
[You find Ryo actually camping simply in the villa's courtyard—]
[Ryo is curled up in her sleeping bag, holding a sheet of music in her hand, covered in messy scribbles and revisions.]
That's so weird.
But it doesn't seem fake. She would totally do something like this.
[Mr. Yamada and Mrs. Yamada are preparing barbecue ingredients nearby.]
Huh?
Uncle and Aunt, aren't you going to tell her to go to school?
Ryo's family situation is hard to describe in a few words—
Her parents spoil her to a degree that even she can't stand it.
The reason Miss Ryo plays rock is to escape the excessive meddling of her airheaded parents.
["Excuse me, young man. May I ask what your relationship with Ryo is?"]
[The moment Mrs. Yamada lays eyes on Toru, she immediately starts gossiping.]
["We're just friends, ma'am."]
[Toru looks a little helpless as he bows slightly. "My name is Kitahara Toru. It's a pleasure to meet you. Please take care of me."]
[He had already anticipated this kind of situation.]
[Truth be told, he didn't really want to come.]
["Oh my, just friends~ Heehee~ Kitahara-kun, you do love to joke." Mrs. Yamada laughs lightly, clearly not believing him at all.]
[What ordinary friends go out on dates every day?]
[He's definitely her boyfriend!]
Hm?
Auntie, how do you know that?
[The doting Mrs. Yamada knows her daughter's every move like the back of her hand.]
[Over the past year, her daughter bought 14 movie tickets online: 10 romantic, 2 horror, 2 sci-fi.]
[On top of that, three aquarium tickets, and an annual pass to Disney...]
[It's obvious she's got a boyfriend.]
That's terrifying.
This isn't just daughter-obsessed anymore—this is full-on stalker level.
"Wait, how many times has Ryo actually gone on dates with Toru-kun?"
Nijika's eyes widen.
She suddenly realizes.
This sneaky blue-haired woman treats sneaking ahead like it's as easy as breathing.
While everyone's running a 100-meter race, she's already dashed 70 meters ahead. Isn't that too arrogant?
This needs to be strictly investigated.
[After some chatting.]
[You all head to Ryo's room.]
[Besides a huge number of instruments scattered around, there are sheet music pages tossed carelessly on the floor.]
[At least a dozen of them, covered in crossed-out marks. Ryo seems dissatisfied with their quality.]
["Ryo-senpai... this song is amazing!"]
[Kita excitedly picks up one of the sheets and praises Ryo's composing talent.]
[This scene lifts Ryo's spirits quite a bit.]
[Lately, she's been pouring everything into preparing the demo for the music festival screening, terrified that poor song quality would get the band eliminated in the preliminaries.]
["Ryo-senpai, why throw away such a great song?"]
["It's not great. This level isn't nearly good enough." Ryo is a bit of an obsessive perfectionist.]
["A boring song like this would definitely get rejected in the screening."]
[And end up causing the Kessoku Band to break up.]
[For Ryo, who once quit a band before, this is extremely important.]
["Ryo-san..."]
[Hitori wants to comfort her but can't find the right words.]
[In the end, it's your comfort that works—]
["Ryo, we're bandmates, aren't we?"]
[Ryo is silent for a few seconds—]
["Sorry, I was getting too caught up in my own head..."]
["Yeah, yeah. Just rely on us more, Ryo."]
["Is that really okay?"]
["I want to buy a new bass. Everyone lend me 15,000 yen."]
["No way."]
[You roll your eyes at her.]
[It's always like this—she pushes her luck the moment you give her an inch.]
["Nijika, meanie."]
["You're the one who's too greedy."]
[After this little interlude, you select the song you're most satisfied with as the demo to submit for the festival.]
[Toru listens to your conversation without saying anything.]
[Because he knows you won't fall apart over something like this. It's just one small, insignificant step toward achieving your dreams.]
[After March passes.]
[In April, when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom.]
[You enter your third year of high school.]
[Before you lies a choice between studies and dreams.]
[Go to university, or debut right after high school graduation and become professional musicians.]
[For someone still underage like you, it's not an easy decision.]
[A while ago, you shot an MV for a new song to promote online, and the views quickly surpassed 100,000.]
[After Toru became your manager, he took over managing the band's social media accounts...]
[Including the last MV, which he handled the filming for—]
[No matter how plain the footage, in his hands it shines brilliantly. Watching the MV, you once doubted whether the cute girl on screen was really you—the results were even more flattering than beauty filters.]
Nijika has seen Toru's photography skills firsthand. It's like turning the ordinary into magic.
No idea where he learned it.
In the first simulation, he already knew how to shoot like that.
He was only 15 back then, right?
Talent is really scary.
[To prepare for the upcoming festival and not embarrass yourselves.]
[The band starts performing street lives.]
[Using connections you don't know about, Toru books slots for street performances in many large parks. He still has some weight in the entertainment world.]
That's not just "some" weight...
"In the first simulation, he even booked the Tokyo Dome," Nijika mutters to herself.
The Tokyo Dome isn't something just anyone can perform at.
The booking process is incredibly complicated. Without connections, money alone won't get you in.
[While waiting for the demo screening results.]
[Your schoolwork gradually becomes heavier.]
[The band's fanbase steadily grows.]
[Everything is heading in a good direction...]
[You all temporarily set aside your feelings for Toru, burying them deep inside, and focus on your careers.]
[Even so, your bonds with him continue to warm gradually.]
[You all know about each other's ambiguous feelings toward him.]
[But for the future of the band, none of you can cross that line.]
[And just like that.]
[You spend the next six months.]
[The festival results come smoothly—you successfully pass the demo screening, the online popularity vote, and the live audition, making it onto the festival stage.]
[The process goes so smoothly it's almost unbelievable.]
[As if some strange, invisible hand is pulling the strings behind the scenes.]