[At Toru's suggestion.]
[You slowed down your pace in chasing dreams and chose to spend some time focusing on your studies.]
[There was still a little less than half a year before the entrance exams.]
[The time left for you and Yamada Ryo was not much.]
[Kita Ikuyo and Gotoh Hitori's grades were also in terrible shape because of the band.]
[As your manager, Toru not only arranged work and managed your social media accounts, but also took on the responsibility of tutoring.]
[During this period.]
[You swam in the ocean of knowledge, only to be drowned by it.]
[Yamada Ryo covered her mouth several times, feeling like she was about to throw up. She said that high intensity tutoring felt even worse than being pregnant.]
Eh?
Ryo, have you been pregnant before?
Ijichi Nijika had experienced it twice.
She just did not know where Yamada Ryo had experienced it.
Probably a lie, right?
[Faced with this topic, Kita Ikuyo nodded and said that giving birth really was not this uncomfortable.]
Ah?
This plot feels strange.
[Gotoh Hitori covered her mouth to keep herself from vomiting. The frequent studying made her nauseous.]
Ijichi Nijika: "O△O"
Bocchi-chan, are you having morning sickness?
[Amid everyone's strange reactions, several months passed in the blink of an eye.]
[February.]
[You and Yamada Ryo took the exams.]
[As expected.]
[You did not get into any particularly noteworthy prestigious universities.]
[After entering university, the band's work returned to its original rhythm...]
[With your gradually growing fame, Toru helped you secure quite a lot of jobs.]
[Not just in the Shimokitazawa area.]
[Your footprints spread throughout the entire Tokyo metropolis.]
[That year, you released your second album, and the response was good.]
[On social platforms, thanks to Toru's careful cultivation, the band account's follower count broke 300,000. You should know that this was only the band's second year since formation. Even some well known Japanese bands did not grow this fast.]
[Of course, Kessoku Band's follower count was still no match for Gotoh Hitori's personal account.]
[Guitar Hero already had 500,000 followers.]
The fact that Bocchi-chan was Guitar Hero was no longer much of a secret within Kessoku Band.
Everyone took it calmly. They just felt that Bocchi-chan was amazing, without any jealousy.
[The following year, Toru was admitted to Todai without spending much effort.]
[He even said that this kind of thing was as simple as drinking water.]
Clearly full of shameless bragging energy, yet Nijika the little angel really did not know how to refute it.
Because Todai really was almost like Toru's home...
He could get in whenever he wanted, leave whenever he wanted.
[In summer, you successfully received an invitation from a music festival organizer to perform as guest artists.]
[Although it was not a particularly famous festival, it still had some reputation within the circle.]
[At this moment, you finally began to feel a real sense of becoming famous.]
————
The Gotoh household.
Inside Bocchi-chan's closet.
The pink haired girl stared at the simulator's storyline, slightly absent minded.
If only dreams in reality could be realized like this too.
When the simulation ends, should she try inviting Kitahara to join Kessoku Band?
[You are about to step onto a bigger stage, a far grander stage than before, drawing the attention of the entire audience.]
Gotoh Hitori could feel it. Everyone in the band was suppressing their emotions...that kind of affection toward Toru was buried deep in their hearts.
If this continued, an explosion would happen sooner or later.
It was just unclear who would win when that time came.
[On the day of the music festival.]
[You only then learned that your slot existed because a certain popular band had canceled their arrangement, and you were brought in as a last minute replacement.]
["Only a popular band can replace another popular band. Don't let such a small matter affect your performance." Toru chatted with you backstage.]
[He was wearing a suit today, with black framed flat glasses. His temperament was refined, and his looks handsome.]
[Perhaps because he had served as a manager for many years, he was far more mature than all of you.]
["Got it."]
[You nodded.]
[As the lead guitarist, you were a key point of the performance. In today's setlist, you were responsible for quite a few solos.]
[Two hours later.]
[You went on stage.]
[Unexpectedly, besides your own fans, there were also fans of the originally scheduled band in the audience.]
[They had bought tickets in advance. Upon suddenly learning that their favorite band could not attend, there was no time to refund.]
[What made you uneasy was that this popular band's fanbase was far larger than yours.]
[The performance ended without incident.]
[Kessoku Band did not stir up much of a wave. You were only a temporary replacement, fighting on an away field.]
[But that very night.]
[Some strange news appeared online.]
[Saying that you had engaged in shady operations and replaced someone else's rightful slot.]
[At first, it was only some conspiracy loving haters stirring things up. But as ordinary fans joined in, the situation quickly turned into a verbal war.]
[The verbal war rose from concrete case analysis to abstract accusations, and then turned into personal attacks.]
[The following day.]
[During band practice, the atmosphere was heavy.]
[Everyone had privately seen the upsetting online abuse.]
[Those haters cursed viciously, and many even attacked the appearances of the Kessoku Band members.]
[Ijichi Seika took out her phone and argued with those haters for an entire day.]
[PA-san comforted you for a long time.]
[Hiroi Kikuri, Ohtsuki Yoyoko...]
[Friends you knew were all dragged into this wave of momentum.]
[Another day passed.]
[The official side finally released a statement, saying that there had simply been other arrangements, and that there was no shady operation.]
[With this announcement, the haters vanished without a trace, leaving behind a mess.]
[You learned for the first time that fame brings not only honor and glory, but also slander you should not have to endure.]
["You'll probably encounter situations like this many times in the future. If you stand upright, you don't fear crooked shadows. Don't take it to heart." Ijichi Seika comforted you.]
[As she spoke, she glanced at Toru not far away, who was organizing documents, her expression subtle.]
[Ijichi Seika suspected that this whole matter was orchestrated by Toru himself, just to let you suffer a setback, so you would not be too naïve and get taken advantage of in the future.]
Eh.
Was all of this a plot arranged by Kitahara?
Gotoh Hitori did not believe it.
[Several months later.]
[Something happened that shocked you——]
[The band you had argued with back then suddenly had dirt exposed about their vocalist using drugs, and they disbanded on the spot.]
Bocchi-chan: "6д9"
This society...
Is so dark.