At 6:30 AM, in Ikebukuro, Tokyo.
A shop that held significant sway in this commercial district opened early.
[RiNG] — a new-era LIVE HOUSE that rose under the leadership of the legendary figure in Japanese music, Tsuzuki Shifune, to accommodate the development of the band-girl era and the rapidly increasing demand for bands.
It occupied an entire building on a bustling street in Ikebukuro, almost forming a commercial complex primarily focused on music. Its opening attracted countless band-girls, who came to participate in the grand event.
RiNG boasts multiple performance halls. Besides the necessary performance venues, the first floor also sells musical instruments, equipment, CDs, and more. The second floor features a cafe, and it is also equipped with professional recording studios, and rental services for instruments and accessories.
It could be said to be luxurious, capable of singing, playing, performing, and recording.
However, amidst this holy land where band-girls poured out their youthful melodies, three suspicious individuals had already infiltrated early.
As the morning light diagonally cut through the second-floor French windows, Kato was swinging on a high stool with his studded leather boots, and the safety pins on the shoulders of his black leather jacket reflected fragmented silver light. He was almost sinking into the caramel-scented air, his index finger flicking residual coffee beans on the table towards a corner.
"Hey, hey~ Ririko-san, your hair tie today—did you intentionally choose cobalt blue, the same color as my earring?"
His ripped jeans scraped against the wooden bar, making a rustling sound, and three strands of streaked silver hair hung over the rim of a steaming coffee cup.
The manager, dressed in a crisp uniform, leaned back slightly, revealing a strained but polite smile, as the metal milk frothing pitcher in her hand drew a graceful arc above the ceramic cup.
"Haha, Kato-san, you're quite the joker."
Amidst the hissing sound of frothing milk, the manager, with her flaxen hair tied in a low ponytail, pushed two cappuccinos with swan latte art across the counter.
"Your two companions' coffees are ready. Would you mind delivering them, Kato-san?"
"Heh, of course~ But let me tell you..."
From the other side of the cafe came the crisp sound of ice clinking. A red-haired girl was curled up in a soft seat, gently poking her melting lemon tea with a straw.
"Kato, you're using flirting as your morning exercise again."
"That guy is doing something like that at RiNG, he's insufferable!"
The purple-haired young man sitting opposite her was gritting his teeth, watching the scene as if the other's presence was defiling this sacred paradise.
When Kato once again steered the conversation to whether they should go to Asukayama to watch the stars after the late-night LIVE, Ririko suddenly pushed a tray to his elbow. Her milk-stained fingertip gently tapped the cup and saucer, causing his knuckles, long accustomed to drumsticks, to suddenly freeze in mid-air.
"Could I trouble you, Kato-san, to deliver this happiness to your companions?"
"My pleasure!"
The metal chains jingled as Kato abruptly straightened up, and Private Kato immediately accepted the mission.
"Tomato's Swan Cappuccino~"
"And Minominominoru's Braised Goose Cappuccino."
"Why am I braised goose, and my name isn't that long..."
When the tray landed with a thud next to the lemon tea, three sighs echoed one after another in the second-floor cafe.
The streaked-haired youth plopped down next to the girl, shaking the clinking decorations on his shoulders, propping his elbows on the table, and crossing his fingers in front of his eyes, striking a scrutinizing pose.
"Hey~ Minoru, I heard you recently came into a windfall. Did you scam some rich person again?"
"You've even learned to dress well. Look, tsk tsk... Isn't this the outfit from last week's Ikebukuro fashion show? Your taste has improved. The first time I saw you, you were dressed like Frieza."
The purple-haired youth didn't speak, merely picked up his coffee and took a small sip of the overflowing foam.
Seeing that the other party wasn't responding, Kato wasn't annoyed, but rather leaned forward with a playful expression to close the distance between them.
"Pretending to be an Onmyoji to ward off disaster? That's so like you. You cause the 'accidents' and then resolve them, making those tycoons beg you to accept their gifts."
"Your Stand, which can interfere with 'predetermined fate,' is only used to earn such paltry sums..."
"What a waste!"
"Is that so?"
Kato put on an expression of disappointment, as if he were frustrated with someone's lack of progress, and his disappointed look happened to touch Minoru's nerve. In an instant, a thick white mist rose, enveloping the three people between the seats.
"Easy~ We're here to talk business. Harmony brings wealth, harmony brings wealth!"
Kato immediately changed his expression, waving his hand apologetically with a chuckle, then pulled out a photo from his pocket and slid it across the table.
"Help me find this man. Of course, if you're willing, you can give him a little 'accident'."
Minoru looked at the photo on the table, clearly sensing traces of AI artistry, as if it had been retouched from a sketch.
The photo showed a white-haired European man with bronze skin, wearing dark blue clerical attire, aged around forty.
Minoru gazed at the man in the photo, a sense of familiarity like an old film washed by rain, blurry yet stubbornly clinging to his vision. He rummaged through his memory drawers three times but still couldn't find any clues.
"What, does he look familiar?" Kato asked with interest.
"No, not at all."
"My memory palace is always open 24/7 for pretty girls, but when I search for male data, it always pops up a 404 page."
Saying that, Minoru tapped his temple with his index finger, loading for three seconds.
"System prompt: Person not found."
"Alright," Kato glanced at the girl sipping coffee next to him, feeling a bit tasteless in his mouth. Unfortunately, this Live House, primarily catering to girls, was smoke-free throughout, otherwise, he would have had a couple of cigarettes.
"Speaking of which, are you still a streamer? I haven't seen you online lately."
"My account was banned, just because I went off on that guy who was talking trash about Roselia."
"You're into girl bands now?" Kato asked with a hint of surprise.
"Heh, now that you mention it, I'm wide awake."
The curve of Minoru's lips triggered Kato's proud crisis warning system.
============
After nearly an hour of "bombardment," Kato finally walked out of the RiNG's door, looking utterly drained.
The feeling at that moment was like — watching an 8-hour long history of girl bands at one-time speed, tracing back to the female musicians of the Spring and Autumn period in ancient China over 2500 years ago, and down to Morfonica's school performance at the Tsukinomori Music Festival a few days later. The explanation was incredibly detailed, even down to each girl's birthday and preferences.
The red-haired girl also emerged from some corner, yawning contentedly with her mouth covered by the long sleeve of her sweater.
Before Minoru began his lengthy "sermon," she had cleverly hidden away, much like the white cat at RiNG.
"Finally got that boy to leave... Tomato, abandoning your companions and fleeing in battle isn't a good habit."
"Kato too, abandoning your companions and flirting with women." Displeasure showed in the girl's eyes.
"I'm just trying to bring smiles and happiness to more lovely girls, it's a serious matter, a necessary duty!" A rare hint of awkwardness flashed across Kato's face as he stubbornly explained.
"Nonsense." The girl didn't buy the streaked-haired youth's excuse.
The gentle spring breeze brushed against the two standing at the entrance. It was Monday, and students were already appearing on the street in pairs, chatting.
Youth and beauty, their lives had long been unrelated to these two words.
"Naoto died?" The girl broke the silence in a low voice.
"Worse than that."
Kato lit a cigarette, watching the white smoke rise quietly, but made no further move.
"By the time I arrived, his body had already been collected by the police. It would be troublesome if we got involved."
"Fortunately, he didn't attend rehearsal that day, and he had no band-related items on him."
The girl's fingertips subconsciously clutched the coldness between her collarbones, like a fledgling protecting its last bit of body heat.
It was a metal pendant shaped like black and white piano keys, handmade by the band's Leader. Her name was delicately engraved on the keys, and the band's name was on the back.
[Wayward], meaning "unrestrained."
The band, consisting of a bassist, keyboardist, drummer, and guitarist-vocalist, had lost its first member.
"Don't worry, Umiri will be the temporary bassist. I've already scouted new members too, it just requires some training time." Kato flicked the ash from his cigarette, speaking calmly.
"Kato."
"Hmm?"
"Did you convey my words to Naoto properly?" The girl looked up into Kato's eyes and asked seriously.
"Of course, don't you trust me?"
"Then repeat it, repeat it word for word."
The girl's crimson eyes stared intently at Kato, wanting a definitive answer.
Although there was nearly a 30-centimeter height difference between them, her petite frame exuded an undeniable sense of pressure.
Combing back his streaked silver hair on his forehead once more, Kato extinguished his half-smoked cigarette and replied earnestly:
"'Avoid being alone in enclosed spaces' ..."
"And always be careful of 'illusions', right?"
The girl, detecting no signs of a lie, nodded, but her suspicions still lingered in her heart.
Kato, on the other hand, shrugged and looked at the girl, who was deep in thought, with an indifferent expression.
"It's you, though. Aren't you going to give Minoru some advice this time? Your previous advice saved his life, otherwise, who knows when that guy would have been killed by his 'out of control' Stand."
"It's not like that." The girl shook her head in denial.
"My previous advice to him wasn't listened to at all. Someone else helped him, and besides..."
"Even if we do nothing, his fate won't change."
"Oh? His 'Daydream Cafe' is a rare type that can interfere with 'predetermined fate'. We've all seen it before, haven't we? The scenes predicted by the meteorite fragment did indeed change."
Kato recalled his first encounter with Minoru; that peculiar feeling was still vivid in his memory.
"Only insignificant details changed; the final outcome remains the same."
"Those fragments that flashed through your mind, they were just fleeting glimpses, right?"
The girl commented on her view without much emotion, not noticing that Kato's face had stiffened.
"Leader also said that to truly break this false paradise, one must either create a Stand User capable of 'transcending' everything, or collect a massive amount of meteorite fragments."
"Or, find that mysterious man..."
"With his current abilities, trying to change 'predetermined' will only invite true 'calamity'."
Kato twisted the cigarette butt in his fingers, letting the still-burning ember scorch his skin.
"Is that so... It seems our good friend is going to suffer."
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