"Jhin! We finally finished writing our first new song!" After she finished the lyrics, Ryo composed the music the very next day. The new song was born with unexpected smoothness, and Hitori Gotoh couldn't wait to share her joy with her boyfriend.
"Congratulations, but have you been staying up late?" Hearing the exhaustion that Hitori Gotoh's excitement couldn't hide over the phone, Jhin told her to get some rest. "You need to take care of your body. You worked so hard on the lyrics; don't get sick and ruin your next performance."
"Mm, I will. But we still need to pass a live audition next Saturday before we can perform on stage."
"Nijika must be pretty mad, right?"
"Eh? How did you know?" For a moment, Hitori Gotoh suspected her boyfriend might be hiding somewhere in STARRY.
"It's obvious if you think about it. If your performance level is still the same as it was back in May, there's no way the manager would let you on stage. If it were me, I'd test you too."
"That's true." Recalling their first performance where the three of them had absolutely no coordination, Hitori Gotoh suddenly felt a wave of panic about next Saturday's live audition.
What if we don't pass?
"You still have a week, don't you? Use this time to practice well with them. Honestly, as long as you perform at your usual level, you'll be absolutely fine. Go for it, my guitarhero."
"Wha-ehh!!" Caught completely off guard hearing Jhin say the account name she used to post guitar videos online, Hitori Gotoh felt the kind of embarrassment you get when someone catches you using an alternate account. "How did you know?"
"You're my girlfriend, after all. I can recognize that familiar tracksuit and the little habits you have when you play guitar." Even without all that, Jhin already knew she had a social media account called "guitarhero."
On a side note, after receiving the photo from Ryo Yamada of the two of them kissing at the café, Jhin felt no shame at all. He cropped the photo slightly, leaving the lower half of their bodies embracing, and then changed his online account avatar to that picture.
Hearing Hitori Gotoh's gasp, Nijika asked, "Bocchi-chan, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing! I'll be right there to practice!"
"Good luck. I'll bring some refreshments over then."
"Okay, thank you."
"No need for thanks. How about we trade it for a kiss like last time?" Jhin said with a mischievous smile. He didn't hear a reply from Hitori Gotoh, only the sound of a series of things crashing down, followed by the call being disconnected. "Uh... I hope Bocchi-chan's phone isn't broken."
"Oh? Bocchi-chan, why is your face so red?" Kita Ikuyo watched as a dazed Hitori Gotoh walked into the studio, her face completely flushed, and couldn't help but wonder what on earth Jhin had said to her to make her like this.
"N-Nothing! Let's just hurry up and start practicing! We have to pass the audition!" Hitori Gotoh quickly changed the subject. She didn't want her bandmates to know what she'd done, completely unaware that she was the only one still in the dark about her little secret having already been witnessed by the other three.
Time is a funny thing; it always seems to fly by faster the more you need it, as if it's intentionally messing with you. Hitori Gotoh felt like in the blink of an eye, the week of practice time had already entered its final countdown.
To pass the live audition, she and Kita Ikuyo had been borrowing the Problem Child Countermeasures Club room at school to practice these past few days. Although Gabriel had grumbled a bit at first upon seeing another girl there, she stopped complaining once she saw they weren't clinging to Jhin but were just focused on practicing their song together.
In the studio, another song came to an end. Nijika noticed that for the past two days, whenever a song finished, Hitori Gotoh would just stare blankly at the others. Worried that she might be putting too much pressure on her, Nijika decided to end practice early today and talk with Hitori Gotoh.
"Let's call it a day," Nijika said, tapping her drumsticks to get everyone's attention in the studio.
"Huh? We're ending this early today?" Kita Ikuyo still felt like she could go on.
"Yep. The live audition is tomorrow, so let's all go home early and get some rest. We need to be fully energized!"
Hitori Gotoh hadn't gotten far after leaving STARRY when Nijika caught up from behind and called out to her, "Bocchi-chan!"
"Nijika, what's up?"
"Is cola okay?" Nijika didn't answer, instead walking over to a vending machine on her own to buy drinks.
"Hm? Oh... yes, that's fine." Hitori Gotoh was confused, not understanding why Nijika suddenly wanted to buy her a cola.
"Here!"
"Thanks." Hitori Gotoh took the cola Nijika handed her.
"Sorry if I'm holding you up. You said you wanted to join a band, but I never asked what kind of band you wanted to join. You were even kind of forced into joining ours by me, and I never asked why you stuck with it."
Should I be honest and say I hope to become a guitarist who can captivate everyone?
Hitori Gotoh found it hard to admit that her dream was simply to be popular; it seemed so insignificant compared to a dream like performing at the Budokan.
"Everyone has their own reasons, I guess. Performing on stage isn't everything. If you want to get famous, you can do it through the internet and videos too." Nijika took a sip of her juice, the white light from the vending machine illuminating her face. For once, the ever-smiling and energetic Nijika showed a rare expression of concern. "I've always had this dream, and in trying to achieve it, I sometimes get carried away. So I worry that by dragging you into our band, I might have put too much pressure on you, especially since you're not good with being in the spotlight, Bocchi-chan."
"Not at all! Th-that's not it at all." Hitori Gotoh was actually very grateful that Nijika had been so persistent in pulling her into Kessoku Band back then. Otherwise, she wouldn't be where she was today—successfully joining a band, getting her first part-time job, going out to take pictures with friends for the first time. All these new experiences were thanks to Nijika.
"Is that so? Well, that's a relief." Nijika let go of the weight on her mind and smiled again. She finished her juice in one gulp and tossed the empty bottle into a nearby trash can.
"Is your dream for the band to get famous and perform at the Budokan, Nijika?" Hitori Gotoh asked curiously.
"Mmm... my real dream comes after that." Nijika gave a playful smile and put her index finger to her lips. "But I can't tell you just yet."
"Well then, let's do our best tomorrow!" With the light, springy steps of a fawn, Nijika bounced away, bidding Hitori Gotoh farewell.
"She's such a good kid." Jhin had been planning to come watch them practice but happened to stumble upon this scene instead.
"Huh, Jhin?"
"I was hoping to see the results of your practice, but I didn't expect you to finish so early today."
"Yeah, Nijika said we should all go home early and rest today."
"Alright, looks like I'll just have to look forward to your performance tomorrow then."
"T-Tomorrow? You're coming too?"
"Yep. The manager already approved it." Jhin showed Hitori Gotoh his chat history with Seika Ijichi.
He skillfully took Hitori Gotoh's soft little hand. Although she blushed a little, she didn't resist. Nowadays, she wouldn't easily get so flustered by Jhin's physical contact in public that she'd pass out.
"Once you pass the live audition, I'll grant you one wish."
"Really?!" Hitori Gotoh was both shocked and delighted. This was a promise from her boyfriend! Calm down, think carefully about how to use this wish. Though ambitious in spirit yet unambitious in heart, Hitori Gotoh's brain suddenly went into overdrive.
"Go home, get some rest, and take your time thinking about it." Jhin patted her little head, which was starting to smoke from overthinking.
"Okay."
Just from holding Jhin's hand, Hitori Gotoh's heart felt as sweet as honey, making her want to keep walking hand-in-hand forever.
It wasn't until Jhin walked her to her front door that Hitori Gotoh reluctantly said goodbye. Peeking through the peephole, Mrs. Gotoh saw an expression on her daughter's face she had never seen before—the look of a young girl head over heels in love—and couldn't help but tear up.
The blockhead has finally figured it out!
People are in high spirits when good things happen. Michiyo Gotoh immediately ran back to the kitchen to make her daughter's favorite fried chicken, deciding she would secretly tell her husband the good news about their daughter's romantic awakening later.[
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