Ah…
Looks like I went a bit overboard.
Bai Qiu swore he absolutely wasn't holding any grudge against "Guitar Hero" just because he had watched over a thousand of his videos, nor did he harbor any sort of revenge mentality.
"Guitar Hero" was "Guitar Hero." Gotou Hitori was Gotou Hitori.
Thankfully, she fainted fast—and woke up fast, too.
A short while later, Gotou Hitori regained consciousness.
Ah… am I… still alive?
It's so great to be alive.
Why does everything look brighter?
As her vision cleared, an unfamiliar face—Bai Qiu's—came into view.
"Ah! Ah—!"
Gotou Hitori suddenly remembered what had just happened.
In an instant, she dropped to the ground, bowing low.
"S-sorry! Please forgive my rudeness… I'll roll out of your sight right away!"
Meanwhile, in her mind, she kept praying frantically—Don't kill me, don't kill me… please just let me go!
Even though she stammered, she still managed to squeeze out a complete sentence.
Bai Qiu was startled, quickly jumping aside."No need for that kind of grand apology, hey!"
"Gotou-san, please get up. I'm not going to hurt you."
Afraid she might bolt, he quickly added, "A-and don't roll away either!"
"Ah… really?"
Gotou Hitori's whole body was still trembling uncontrollably.
"Yeah, I'm not a bad person."
Bai Qiu nodded seriously—though Gotou couldn't see it through her lowered head.
"Come on, get up."
"Ah… o-okay."
Gotou Hitori shakily got to her feet.
Her head was still bowed slightly, but through the small gap in her bangs, she peeked cautiously at Bai Qiu.
That was a skill she'd honed for years—she was confident no one could notice.
A clean, tidy school uniform. A handsome, refined face. Slight dark circles under his eyes that somehow added to his mysterious charm.
Ah, such dazzling light…
I'm going to be purified.
He's definitely one of those popular types at school. A top-tier normie, no doubt.
Maybe… maybe he should just kill me now!
Seeing that Gotou Hitori seemed to have returned to normal—at least enough to talk—Bai Qiu sighed in relief.
If teacher Hiratsuka Shizuka had seen what happened earlier, she would've totally thought he was bullying a classmate.
Then she'd deliver the Iron Fist of Justice and crush him.
Ah, just thinking about it was terrifying. Bai Qiu shook his head to banish the thought.
"Hello, Gotou-san. I'm Bai Qiu, from Class 3."
What a strange name… is he a foreign student?
"Ah, h-hello, Bai-san."
Gotou tried to respond politely, then suddenly froze. "Wait—you know my name?"
Surprisingly, she said that sentence perfectly fluently.
Her heart, however, was full of confusion, surprise—and just a tiny flicker of joy.
Someone actually knew her name?
Oh no, was my tone too rude just now? I didn't even use honorifics!
It's over. He must be angry.
He's definitely going to kill me.
Meanwhile, Bai Qiu seemed to read every single one of her thoughts.
He smiled warmly—an expression gentler than any he'd ever shown, even in front of Denki.
"Relax, Gotou-san. You don't have to be so nervous."
Then he continued, "Yes, I know your name. I know who you are."
"Why?"
Someone like her—rarer than a Shimokitazawa tailbone snake, completely unremarkable…
How could anyone at this school know her?
Especially someone like him.
Had she become… famous somehow?
No, no, no! Gotou Hitori felt a wave of dread.
Bai Qiu blinked, then immediately understood what she was thinking.
"I just memorized the names of all the students in our grade, that's all," he said calmly.
"Ah…"
So that's it. She wasn't special after all.
Damn it, what's this sudden sense of disappointment? Uuuu…
She didn't understand why someone would do something so strange, but she didn't dare ask. Instead—
"S-so amazing…"
Bai Qiu smiled faintly. Showing off in front of Gotou Hitori didn't seem very rewarding.
Forget it—time to get to the main topic.
"Just now, that was you playing guitar, right, Gotou-san?"
He looked at the guitar beside her—
A Gibson Les Paul Custom, a gift from her father.
Reportedly worth 500,000 yen.
"Ah, yes…"
Gotou didn't dare deny it.
Was he drawn here because she was being too noisy?
Sorry… she'd never play here again!
She quickly tried to apologize again.
"S-sorry…"
"Gotou-san, your guitar skills are really good," Bai Qiu said sincerely.
That casual improvisation just now was on an incredible level.
"Eh…?"
He's not mad? Wait, did he just praise me?!
Gotou's face broke into a dumb little grin. "Hehe… thank you…"
As they say—harsh words chill the heart, kind words warm three winters.
Praise truly was the best medicine!
Bai Qiu thought to himself—praise, huh? Definitely the best way to deal with Gotou Hitori.
However, his next words wiped that smile right off her face.
"You play exactly like Guitar Hero. Can't say there's no resemblance—it's literally identical. Oh yeah, didn't Guitar Hero upload the same song just last night?"
Guitar Hero?!
"Ah… r-really…"
Gotou froze, staring at his smile. She couldn't help but feel like he was hinting at something.
Say something—anything!
"I—I'm actually a fan of Guitar Hero."
Phew, perfect excuse!
Gotou exhaled in relief, patting her chest beneath her sports jacket.
"What a coincidence! I'm a fan of Guitar Hero too," Bai Qiu said enthusiastically.
"Guitar Hero-sensei has made 1,021 videos over the past three years—more than 4,560 minutes of content. I've watched all of them."
As he spoke, his eyes gradually went blank.
So I've uploaded that many already without realizing it…
But wait—that number was way too precise!
Still, Gotou Hitori was too excited to notice.
She actually had such a loyal fan!
She wanted to grab her guitar and burst into song!
"Y-yeah, G-Guitar Hero is really amazing…"
Though it felt like shameless self-praise, she couldn't stop the smile spreading across her face.
Still, she tried hard to keep up the act.
Bai Qiu took a deep breath—something felt off about his own state just now.
Gotou hesitantly asked, "Bai-san, do… do you play an instrument too?"
This school had a surprisingly good music scene.
That's why Gotou always carried her guitar and hung band merchandise on her bag—
Hoping someone might talk to her, maybe even invite her to join a band.
But no one ever did.
She'd seen others with instruments get surrounded by friends.
Why was she the exception?
Now, finally, someone was talking to her—
And not just anyone, but a fan! She was honestly touched to the point of tears.
If he liked Guitar Hero that much, Bai Qiu must play guitar too, right?
Bai Qiu nodded. "Though I really like Guitar Hero, I actually play the keyboard."
"Ah…"
Gotou's soul left her body.
Aside from guitar, she knew nothing else.
The little spark of hope she'd just kindled—gone in an instant.
Bai-san probably thinks we have nothing in common… he's going to leave me now…
Reality, explode!
Spirit, shatter!
…
"Hey, Gotou-san? You there?"
Bai Qiu waved a hand in front of her face. She seemed lost in some strange trance.
"Yaho~!"
"Moshi moshi~"
"Gotou-san, do you have a band?"
It wasn't until Bai Qiu lightly patted her shoulder that she snapped back to reality.
"Ah, n-no…"
Gotou twitched as she answered.
A creature like her—like a slug—how could anyone ever want to form a band with her?
Good. That's what he expected. Bai Qiu smiled softly.
"Then, would you like to form a band with me?"
His voice was sincere, earnest.
If not for the fact that they weren't very close yet—and that she was a girl—he might've reached out his hand for a proper invitation.
It would've looked cooler, after all.
A band?!!!
Gotou's mind exploded.
Her dream words!
But her body froze solid. She couldn't move, couldn't act, couldn't even breathe—
Should she agree? Of course she should! She had to!
And what, you think you have the courage to say no?!
He's a guy! Wait, that doesn't even matter!!
Her brain was in full meltdown mode—storming with thoughts, but her body couldn't catch up.
Say yes, Watashi! Say yes, Watashi!
Seeing her frozen silence, Bai Qiu began to worry.
He looked through her bangs into those trembling, sapphire-blue eyes—beautiful, like gemstones.
"This might be the only request I ever make of you in my life, Gotou-san."
He knew full well that a socially anxious Gotou could never refuse.
But he decided to push just a little harder.
"Ah-hi! I'll… I'll join the band!"
She said it!
She actually said it!
Gotou's heart was pounding so fast it felt like it might burst.
Her body trembled again—but this time, out of excitement rather than fear.
"Riiing…"
The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch break.
Japan's school days might start late and end early, but their lunch breaks were still short—only about an hour or so.
…
Ah, beautiful moments always end too quickly.
Bai Qiu sighed regretfully. Before leaving, he quickly took out his phone—he needed to exchange contact info for future coordination.
"Right, Gotou-san, let's add each other on LINE."
"Eh…? Ehh!"
"What's wrong? It's normal for friends to exchange contacts, right?"
"F-friends?"
Gotou repeated the word nervously, her tone half-question, half-hope.
"Of course. We're forming a band together—doesn't that make us friends?"
Bai Qiu tilted his head in confusion.
"Ah… y-yes!"
"Please, let me scan you!"
Gotou raised her phone respectfully. From what she'd read, the one who scans is the one lowering their status—it's more polite that way.
There's no way she'd let the great Bai Qiu do something like that!
Bai Qiu blinked in surprise, then chuckled, switching his LINE app to display his QR code.