"Ikuyo, you did great in today's performance, especially since you've only been playing guitar for three months!"
Kita Ikuyo's mouth opened so wide she could almost fit her cup in it, and her whole body went rigid as if her joints had been welded shut.
Kikuri Hiroi cheerfully poured herself a full glass of sake and belatedly asked, "Ikuyo... who's that?"
Kita Ikuyo's entire art style devolved into a black-and-white stick figure doodle, like a child's drawing, with mismatched features and a shattered expression. The ice cubes in her drink clinked together from her trembling.
Seeing her reaction, Kikuri Hiroi had a moment of realization. So the 'Ikuyo' Ryo mentioned was Kita. Everyone at STARRY always called her Kita, so she thought that was her first name. She never expected 'Kita' to be her surname.
"It's Kita!"
"Aahh! I really dislike that name, I've been trying to hide it!" The reason Kita Ikuyo disliked her name was because of the Japanese puns when read separately: Kita (came), Ikuyo (let's go), which sounded like a bad joke.
This is also the reason Jhin called her 'Kikuri Hiroi' a long time ago.
As if unable to handle the shock, Kita Ikuyo walked over to the corner near Jhin and Hitori Gotoh with a broken laugh, curling up into a squat. "My full name is Kita Kita..."
While the others tried to figure out how to console the depressed Kita Ikuyo, Nijika quietly called Jhin and Hitori Gotoh outside.
"Nijika, what's wrong?"
"Bocchi-chan, you're actually guitarhero, aren't you?"
Nijika's words seemed to carry some kind of magical power. Even though they were standing outside the izakaya, all Hitori Gotoh could hear right now was her own heartbeat and the chirping of cicadas.
W-w-what do I do? Should I deny it to Nijika or admit that I'm guitarhero?
Jhin solved the problem for his troubled girlfriend. His answer was simple and clear.
"Yes."
Jhin! You can't do this to me! I wasn't mentally prepared to tell Nijika and the others about this yet!
Hitori Gotoh felt that her considerate boyfriend had suddenly become a lot less considerate, revealing the secret she'd been hiding just like that.
"Um, I didn't mean to hide it. I wanted to change my personality before telling everyone. Nijika... are you devastated to find out that guitarhero is me?"
"Not at all. I'm really happy that you're guitarhero, Bocchi-chan. Remember how I told you I had a dream?"
"Yeah."
Nijika looked up at the brilliant starry summer sky. The warm, orange light and cheerful laughter from the izakaya behind her made her feel that now was the time to tell these two her real dream.
"When I was very young, my mom passed away, and my dad was never home, so my sister was basically my only family."
"After my sister started her band, she took lonely little me to a live house, and I fell in love with rock bands right then and there."
"Seeing me like that, my sister chose to leave her band and built the live house, STARRY, for me."
"So my real dream is to form a popular band for my sister and myself, to make STARRY's name known far and wide."
In reality, when Nijika actually started forming a band, the difficulties she encountered were far greater than she had imagined. Members, fame, money—all of these were challenges.
But ever since she met Hitori Gotoh, the gears of fate finally seemed to start turning. Every time they were in a crisis, the one who broke the deadlock was Hitori Gotoh—just like her online name, she was a guitarhero.
And Jhin couldn't be overlooked either. Whether it was recommending Kita Ikuyo rejoin the band, silently supporting them from behind the scenes, or even during today's performance when she had lost all confidence, he was still there giving them encouragement and applause.
"So, I'm truly happy that you're guitarhero, Bocchi-chan. And I'm also very grateful for Jhin's support."
Nijika's eyes lit up with a beautiful hope for the future, and a sweet smile graced her lips. "Ryo wants to start fresh with this band and make our own music."
"Kita loves the feeling of everyone working hard together to achieve a goal."
"This band carries all of our important dreams."
Moved by her words, Hitori Gotoh revealed her true feelings to Nijika. "As the guitarist, I want to make Kessoku Band, which everyone treasures, the best band ever!"
"It would be great if your performances could be as amazing as they are in your videos, Bocchi-chan," Nijika remarked with a sense of relief.
Hitori Gotoh immediately became timid again, ducking her head and hiding behind Jhin, clutching the corner of his shirt. "I... I'll do my best..."
Seeing her like this, Nijika chuckled. She understood they still had a long way to go before Hitori Gotoh could perform on stage as brilliantly as she did in her videos. She tiptoed cheerfully back into the izakaya, leaving the remaining time to the couple.
Witnessing this memorable conversation again as a bystander, Jhin was content. A small realization dawned on him: wasn't everything he'd done up to this point for the sake of protecting their story?
"Jhin..." Hitori Gotoh started to speak but hesitated. The night breeze blew her bangs aside, revealing her watery blue eyes. A blush crept onto her fair cheeks, creating an endearing sight that made one's heart skip a beat.
Jhin's deep, magnetic voice reached Hitori Gotoh's ears. "Were you about to talk about our date?"
"Yes..."
Hitori Gotoh practically buried her head in her chest. Bringing up the topic of actively asking Jhin out on a date again was like crossing an insurmountable chasm for her. Luckily, her boyfriend was understanding enough; otherwise, if she hadn't managed to say it this time, she would have never mustered the courage to bring it up again.
Jhin fixed her messy bangs and gently squeezed her beet-red ear. "Alright then, get a good rest tomorrow. How about I come pick you up at your place the day after?"
"Y-You can decide. I... I don't really go out much."
Hitori Gotoh felt like her heart was about to leap out of her throat from Jhin's small gestures, but at the same time, she enjoyed the intimacy they conveyed. Unable to resist, she launched a sneak attack on Jhin with her pink lips.
"Ooh~ Bocchi-chan, how bold!" Kikuri Hiroi was sitting by the entrance with a glass of sake in her hand, seemingly enjoying their interaction as a side dish for her drink.
The rest of the partygoers were also hiding by the doorframe, peeking out one on top of another like a human totem pole. Who knows how long they'd been watching the two of them.
"See, I told you! Bocchi-chan looks shy, but if the mood is right, she can do some surprising things."
"True! It looks like Bocchi-chan was the one who made the first move last time, too!"
"Huh? So she's done this kind of thing before?"
"I've got a picture right here."
"Ryo, you actually kept it?"
The massive amount of information in her friends' conversation, combined with being caught sneak-kissing Jhin, successfully caused Hitori Gotoh to emit a large cloud of steam from her head and pass out from embarrassment.
"Hey, what if you guys make Bocchi-chan too scared to see me the day after tomorrow and our date gets canceled?"
Faced with Jhin's question, the group just laughed sheepishly. They had only come out to check because Jhin and Hitori Gotoh were taking so long, but they ended up getting hooked on watching, only to be exposed by a drunk and tactless Kikuri Hiroi.
A glint appeared in Ryo's eye as she gave a thumbs-up. "If that happens, just have Nijika or Kita substitute for Bocchi-chan and be your girlfriend for a day."
"Great idea... not! Why don't you go?"
"If Jhin's paying, I wouldn't be opposed."
"...Hey, don't tell me you're broke again."
"You guessed it."
___
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