"Ready, I'm going to start playing."
"Ah... mhm!"
Since there were no drums to start them off, the first four beats had to be counted with the guitar. The "Guitar, Loneliness, and the Blue Planet" guitar duet performance began.
I can't believe it. I wrote the lyrics, Uchiha-kun composed the music... we practiced this song for a week or two, but Uchiha-kun plays it so well.
His rhythm is so steady. Just like.... me without confusion.
Bocchi-chan lowered her head, not daring to look at the audience gathering in front of her. If only I could smile and look straight ahead like Uchiha-kun....
But I'm just too afraid of being mocked by the customers, so I don't even dare to lift my head.
More and more audience members gathered in front of Uchiha Ryo, because they could all see who was leading this duet.
"Come on, lift your head up, Bocchi-chan. I have always.... believed in you."
Eh? It's Uchiha-kun's voice! Why? Am I hallucinating!
Bocchi-chan suddenly lifted her head, but in front of her was a sea of unfamiliar faces. There were young office workers listening to music while playing on their phones, several fashionable university students, and women out shopping with their children.
They had all stopped in front of her.... wasn't it to listen to her performance!
Although I don't know why I suddenly hallucinated just now, but.... this must be my own expectation for myself!
Uchiha Ryo glanced at Bocchi-chan beside him. Finally took back the lead, huh.... I'm not the protagonist of this open-air performance.
Bocchi-chan's playing instantly became much more stable, even better than the test run in the cafe just now.
Not far away, Ijichi Seika smiled. "As expected, Bocchi-chan's level is far beyond what she's showing now. Maybe when she truly overcomes her weaknesses, she'll definitely reach the peak."
Yukinoshita Haruno: "Eh? Is that pink-haired socially anxious girl who's afraid to make eye contact called Bocchi-chan? Although she played well later on, Ryo-kohai was also good, right?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka: "I'm a musical layman anyway. They both sounded pretty good to me."
Ijichi Seika snorted lightly. "What do you know? Although that Uchiha Ryo played well, but..... he lacked soul! The soul of a performer! His performance just now was more like a perfect imitation of a guitar performance."
"But Gotou Hitori is different. I can hear many things from her playing...."
.....
Hayasaka Ai: "Everyone! That concludes the performance of 'Guitar, Loneliness, and the Blue Planet'. This is an original song from the Kessoku Band of the STARRY Music Bar~"
"This Saturday afternoon, the Kessoku Band will have an official performance. Tickets are 1,500 yen each. If you liked it, please come and support them!"
"Please sell me one!"
"We want two!"
"The young man played well. Give me one."
Suddenly, two cute girls ran up to Gotou Hitori and pointed at the poster Katou Megumi was holding.
"Um, please sell us two tickets for this performance. We want to support you!"
Bocchi-chan: "....Eh!"
"Is... is that really okay! Buying tickets from someone like me!"
The two girls looked at each other. One of them whispered, "Although that handsome guy played well, I feel like you were the best! We'll be your fans from now on~"
Fans!! And in real life!!!
Gotou Hitori.... collapsed on the ground. Fortunately, Uchiha Ryo pulled over a cushion in time, preventing Bocchi-chan from hitting the ground directly.
Hmm? Why is the cushion furry.... Oh dear, sorry! I accidentally pulled the cat over.
"Meow—!! (Untranslatable)"
Bocchi-chan sat on the ground, looked apologetically at the cat behind her, then stood up and faced the two fans.
"One ticket... 1,500 yen. Um... thank you!!"
Hayasaka Ai: "Bocchi-chan.... you only prepared five tickets, and they're all sold out.... But there are still a few people who haven't bought any."
What should I do? Bocchi-chan hadn't expected more than five people to buy tickets! But Uchiha Ryo shook his head. Still too few.... In the Ginza commercial plaza, where the foot traffic is over a hundred people per minute at noon, only a dozen or so people were attracted.
It seems Guitar Hero hasn't exerted her power yet. But Uchiha Ryo isn't worried about the tickets, because he had already seen a few adult women watching from afar.
"I still have tickets for the STARRY band performance here. One by one."
Ijichi Seika pulled a large handful out of her bag. Although STARRY wasn't a large, famous music bar, some bands could still attract over a hundred loyal customers to the venue.
As for the Kessoku Band, a small band just starting out? To be honest, Ijichi Seika didn't think they would make any money in the first half of the year.
Uchiha Ryo: "Store Manager, I remember the quota you set for the Kessoku Band was what again? 30 audience members, right? Looks like there's hope."
STARRY's quota. To ensure customer flow, music bars would give bands a corresponding quota. For example, STARRY's was 30 people. If they exceeded this number, the revenue exceeding the quota could be split equally between the band and the venue.
Of course, if the number was lower than this, the venue would require the band to make up the money for the missing people.
Simply put, bands would have considerable expenses before they became famous.
Although for the first performance, whether it was Kasumigaoka and the others from Toyogasaki, or because of Hayasaka Ai's connection, recommending it to the Classic Literature Club.
These people would basically only come once. Unless they really liked it, they would only come once for the sake of their classmates.
In other words, if Bocchi-chan and the others didn't meet the quota next time, they would have to work part-time to earn money....
"Store... Store Manager! Were you watching the whole time?"
Ijichi Seika finished selling the tickets, turned around, and patted Bocchi-chan's head.
"Yeah. From your terrible start to the passable middle section, I saw everything clearly from over there."
Bocchi-chan looked a little down. "Sorry... Store Manager. Actually, most of these audience members were attracted by Uchiha-kun....."
Uchiha Ryo looked at Bocchi-chan. "At least half of these people came because of you. Be a little more confident."
Bocchi-chan: "For someone like me?"
"Mhm, for you. So do your best this weekend. Let the Kessoku Band keep going, don't care about how difficult the road ahead is."
"Move forward! As long as you keep moving forward, the road will continue to extend... So, don't stop... Guitar Hero."
Uchiha Ryo said the last sentence very quietly, but Gotou Hitori heard it clearly.
That's right! I am Guitar Hero! A mere first official performance, the Kessoku Band will definitely succeed rain or shine!