The music festival selection ended.
"Yay!! We made it through!"
Kita hugged Hitori and spun her around several times, only letting go when Bocchi's eyes started showing mosquito coil like spirals.
Nothing unexpected happened. Thank goodness!
"Our luck wasn't half bad,"
Nijika said, pretending to be calm as she maintained her image as the band leader.
"It wasn't luck. It was all skill," Ryo corrected her.
She had been nervous as hell before going on stage, but now it was her favorite part, the post match trash talk.
Timid before the match, heavy punches after.
"So where are we holding the celebration party later? The izakaya my sister always goes to, a high end yakiniku place, or back at Starry?" Nijika asked again.
At that moment, Ijichi Seika walked over, with Hiroi Kikuri and PA-san following beside her.
"halo~"
Hiroi Kikuri waved the empty bottle in her hand.
She was already quite drunk, even walking a bit unsteadily. But this version of Hiroi Kikuri was the one everyone was familiar with, and somehow felt more approachable.
"Today's live was great~"
"Hiroi-san, are you sure you can still attend the celebration party like this?"
Nijika sounded worried. If another tragedy like last time happened, where she got drunk and broke her leg, that would be too pitiful.
"Of course~"
Hiroi Kikuri leaned against Manager Seika's shoulder.
The heavy smell of alcohol made Ijichi Seika roll her eyes, though she still said, "She'll probably be fine. This idiot drinks like this every day anyway, living drunk and dreaming."
"What are you all talking about?"
Toru followed behind the older sisters, arriving a bit late.
He had just been discussing cooperation with a record company. If nothing went wrong, Kessoku Band's first physical album would be released this winter.
"We're talking about where to hold the celebration party later."
Hitori took several deep breaths. She finally managed to say something.
She had just been spun dizzy by Kita-chan and only now recovered.
"How about using a voting system?"
Toru said, "Those who want high end yakiniku, raise your hands. I'm treating today."
Three votes.
Everyone in the band except Ryo raised their hands.
"What about the izakaya?"
The older sisters raised their hands.
All three of them were hardcore drinkers.
"Little Toru, big sis loves you~"
Hiroi Kikuri slowly moved closer, suddenly hooking Toru's arm and putting her full weight on him.
"Kikuri-san, how did you drink yourself into this state?"
At this point, going to an izakaya or yakiniku place was out of the question. Getting home later would already be a problem.
"Forget it, let's just go back to the live house. We can still order delivery."
As Toru said this, he noticed a lonely figure walking over from not far away. It was Ohtsuki Yoyoko.
Good grief. She clearly led her band to qualify…
So why wasn't she celebrating with her bandmates?
"Yoyoko."
"W-what, why are you calling me?"
Yoyoko looked at him cautiously, carefully approaching the group.
After she got closer.
"You don't have any celebration plans tonight?"
"No. Why… are you trying to laugh at me?"
Why would you poke at the sore spot like that?
Ohtsuki Yoyoko lowered her head and stayed silent for a long time, then said with grievance, "They all ran off, saying they were going to Hasegawa's place to play games. In the blink of an eye, I was the only one left." (SIDEROS Drummer)
Toru thought this woman was really unlucky. "We're planning to go back to the live house for a celebration party. Want to join?"
"Isn't that a Kessoku Band thing? Why bring me along…"
Ohtsuki Yoyoko glanced at Hiroi Kikuri's drunken state and nodded.
The gender ratio of this group was a bit off. There was only Toru, one guy…
What if he took advantage of Hiroi-neesan while she was drunk and started groping her? Someone had to keep an eye on this beast!
At this moment, Ohtsuki Yoyoko was completely unaware that she had accidentally wandered into someone's harem, oblivious to it all.
…
Several hours later.
After an intense round of celebration.
Two of the three older sisters were passed out in the hall. Nijika stayed with Toru, carrying her sister and Hiroi Kikuri up to the second floor to let them rest first, then returned downstairs to continue celebrating.
As for PA-san? She wasn't drunk at all…
Several bottles of beer mixed with sake, and she still looked perfectly fine.
It could only be said that people's constitutions really were different.
"I'll take Yoyoko home first. She seems a bit sleepy."
"Come back early."
…
Soon.
Only the four members of Kessoku Band were left in the live house.
Ryo was eating fries when she noticed all three teammates looking at her at the same time, as if hiding some kind of plan.
"Ryo, we have something to talk to you about."
Nijika took the initiative to bring it up.
"Here?" Ryo asked back.
What kind of act was this? It felt like an inquisition was about to begin…
Nijika thought for a moment. "Let's go to the practice room."
PA-san, who wasn't drunk, was still nearby. It wouldn't be good if she overheard things about the simulator.
"You guys…"
"Ryo-senpai, hurry up. If Toru-kun comes back, it'll be bad."
Kita tugged on Ryo's sleeve, ready to drag her into the practice room.
Under the expectant gazes of the three, Ryo gave up resisting.
Talking was fine. It was probably about future plans or something.
It couldn't be about the money she borrowed recently, right?
Ryo suddenly got worried. She didn't have much money on her these days and was practically broke…
Thump.
The practice room door closed. Ryo sat in her usual seat. "What do you want to talk about?"
As long as it wasn't about paying money back, anything was fine.
"Bocchi-chan and Toru-kun are dating."
Ryo: "?"
What kind of joke was this?
Ryo looked at Hitori, who had a shy expression on her face, and for a moment suspected she was dreaming…
Strange. Bocchi is dating Toru-kun? Why would I have a dream like that?
"Ryo, we're not joking,"
Nijika knew she wouldn't believe it.
Because when she first heard it, she also thought the sun had risen in the west.
"Alright…"
Ryo nodded. "I get it."
Was it really necessary to inform me so solemnly?
Soon.
Ryo suddenly noticed something strange.
Why were Nijika and Ikuyo reacting so calmly?
They knew Bocchi had secretly confessed first, yet they weren't angry?
"This happened before spring break. What we mainly want to talk about today isn't this."
Nijika gently shook her head.
Under Ryo's puzzled expression, she heard Nijika's question.
"Ryo, what we're about to say might sound a bit strange…"
Hearing this opening, Ryo predicted in advance, "The simulator? You have them too, right? I guessed it a long time ago."
Nijika: "o△o"
Kita: "!!!"
Hitori: "6?9"
"When did you guess?" the three asked in unison.
Ryo thought for a moment. "A few months ago, around the first or second simulation? Actually, I should have guessed earlier. I just never thought in that direction."
For the girls, their understanding of the simulator basically followed this process. 1. Single player game. 2. Two player online game. 3. Multiplayer online game.
"Well then, since Ryo already knows, next we should discuss Toru-kun's punishment."
"Punishment?"
"Ryo-senpai, he changes girlfriends every simulation. Shouldn't he be punished for that?"
As Hitori listened to Kita and Ryo talking, she took out her phone, feeling a bit tempted to be a traitor. But after being glanced at by Angel Nijika, she reluctantly gave up.
Sorry, Kitahara-kun.
…
Half an hour later.
"PA-san…"
Toru looked around and didn't see anyone. "Have you seen Hitori and the others? Why did everyone suddenly disappear?"
"You're back?"
PA-san smiled cheerfully at his question. "They went to the practice room."
Toru nodded and headed toward the practice room.
As he walked, he stopped at the door.
Familiar voices came from inside.
"Toru-kun is totally a scumbag. He changes girlfriends every simulation, but when he's actually dating, he's so pure… I really don't know what to do," Angel Nijika complained.
Kita echoed her. "Not only does he like switching lovers, during several simulations he didn't even spare Manager Seika. I seriously don't understand his fetishes."
Bocchi-chan's soft voice followed. "When raising daughters, he spoils them endlessly too… The reason Yui and the others are such dad-con girls is completely his fault. He has no intention of reflecting at all."
"At least our Shio is pretty normal," Nijika said.
"Alright, information exchange is done. What should we do next?"
"Hmm… let's first consider how to divide Toru-kun?" Angel Nijika said with a gentle smile.
Kita said, "We can split him into four parts, one for each person…"
"Good idea!"
…
Outside the door.
Several drops of cold sweat fell from Toru's forehead.
It seemed like the 2D waifus in my game also had simulators of their own? And they were even discussing how to split me up?
What should he do?
Waiting online, kind of urgent!
(Main story CLEAR!!!)
————
Extra (3 chapter more)
(T/N:
Thank you so much for sticking with me.
Not gonna lie, I feel like I've been burned out, not out of the translation but from real life. I've been doing so much work and meeting deadlines that I had to suppress my activities that I could do.
Occasionally, I'd do mass released from 10 or 50 chapters, but its just so hard when you're constantly on the clock. While, I'm not that free nowadays. I should still stick my promise and deliver those translations that I should do.
There's still 3 extra chapters left, so I'm gonna at least release those tomorrow and find some good fics that we all can love to read next week. Because that's what we're here for, right?
Also, thanks a bunch again for the support. You guys are the real ones.)