Just like Anon onstage, she would passionately play her guitar in Budokan, basking in the worship and cheers of the fans below!
The mere thought of such a scene caused a goofy grin to spread across Bocchi's face.
However, just as the girl was beginning to emotionally inflate from her fantasy, she suddenly seemed to think of something, and her mood instantly plummeted again.
Although she possessed some fame online as "Guitar Hero," and her technical skill alone was more than enough for Kessoku Band.
The moment she entered a real band performance, she became worse than a water flea.
Right now, while Bocchi the Rock! was still obscure, things were fine.
But if they became as popular as MyGO!!!!! later on, would there really still be room for a deadweight water-flea guitarist like her?
At this moment, the girl's imagination had already begun staging its own dramatic mental theater.
Nijika: "After reaching Budokan, Kessoku Band is destined to become a world-class band! Gotō Hitori, from this day onward, you are expelled from Kessoku Band!"
Bocchi: "Why?"
Ryō: "Calling yourself Guitar Hero, but once you step onstage you're worse than a water flea. In today's Kessoku Band, you're not even qualified to be the guitarist!"
Ryō: "Useless guitarist, take your guitar and get out of STARRY!"
Bocchi felt that she probably lacked the courage to say something like "You'll regret this later!" In the end, she would only be expelled from Kessoku Band, left without any place in Tokyo, and spend the rest of her life miserably!
She absolutely did not want that! (despair)
"Um, Bocchi..."
Seeing Bocchi suddenly laughing and crying at the same time, Nijika revealed a worried expression.
"Nijika!"
However, upon hearing her voice, Bocchi instantly burst into tears and threw herself into the great angel's embrace.
"In the future, I'll carry the band equipment, pick up the takeout and meals—just don't kick me out of the band, uwaaah~"
As long as she could avoid being expelled from the band, she was even willing to do a bassist's work!
Although a certain trashy Ryō wasn't exactly qualified at this kind of work either.
"Um…"
Hearing Bocchi's somewhat out-of-nowhere words, Nijika couldn't help showing a slightly awkward smile.
But after knowing her for so long, she was already used to Bocchi's tendency to suddenly panic over things, and immediately reached out to rub her head comfortingly.
"…How could that be? Bocchi-chan will always be a member of Kessoku Band!"
"Exactly!"
Beside them, Kita also revealed a touched expression at this heartwarming scene.
"We all have to stay together forever!"
Can you stop saying "forever"?
Nijika, who was comforting Bocchi, couldn't help showing a somewhat subtle expression after hearing that.
Talking about "forever" at every turn… it just feels so heavy somehow!
And happy times were always fleeting.
As one song after another passed, today's performance also approached its finale.
Very soon, it was time for the last song.
The song they were about to perform was the one Kamijou Mutsuki had previously given to Tomori.
[Stellaris]
"Um, before we sing this song, there's something I want to say."
However, Tomori held the microphone without immediately beginning to sing this time.
Seeing this, the fans below the stage also gradually quieted down.
But they weren't surprised. Instead, they looked somewhat expectant.
After all, they were already more or less used to Tomori's pre-battle speeches!
And every time this happened, it basically meant something big was coming!
"To be honest, I never imagined things would become like today before."
Facing the gazes from below the stage, Tomori showed not the slightest trace of stage fright this time.
"When CRYCHIC broke up and everyone went their separate ways… I was really sad."
"If becoming human is this painful, then I'd rather be a pill bug hiding under a rock."
"I really already… never wanted to form a band again."
Why are you roasting me again?
You really can't let this go, huh?
As for how the fans below the stage felt hearing Tomori's words, that remained to be seen, but Sakiko's expression was incomparably complicated.
How long had it been already?
Why was she still getting publicly executed over this?
Forget it, she was used to it already.
"It was him who encouraged me and told me that even if it's only one day, countless single days added together become a lifetime!"
"Um…"
Anon beside her couldn't help interrupting.
"…What about me then?"
Back then, she was obviously the first one, so why did Tomori only remember that scumbag!
"…And Ano-chan too,"
Tomori hurriedly added after hearing that.
"It was Ano-chan who invited me to form a band together. I'm really… very grateful~"
"…You don't have to be that serious about it~"
Yet hearing Tomori's words, Anon instead became a little embarrassed and reached out to scratch her slightly reddened cheek.
The interaction between the two naturally drew kind laughter from below the stage.
"However, after forming the band, everyone still couldn't find a direction."
And after the audience quieted down again, Tomori continued speaking.
"Everyone… had their own thoughts…"
This time it was Soyo's turn to reveal a somewhat guilty expression.
Great, after grilling Sakiko just now, now it was her turn to get grilled!
But all the bad things were done by the Nagasaki Soyo from the anime. The real her hadn't had the chance to do any of that yet!
So she probably didn't need to care too much, right?
"If he hadn't been there, would MyGO!!!!! have fallen apart again?"
"How far would we have had to walk before we could grasp each other once more?"
Without Kamijou Mutsuki, they probably would have developed just like in the anime.
At that point, forget Budokan — they'd already have to thank the heavens if MyGO!!!!! didn't implode!
"Meeting you… was truly wonderful."
At some point, Tomori had changed the way she addressed him, and her eyes met Kamijou Mutsuki's below the stage.
"Meeting you… really made me so happy!"
Mist had already welled up in the girl's eyes, and even her voice carried a faint sobbing tone.
At this moment, the fans below the stage had already vaguely realized something.
After all, in Japanese, the pronunciation for "him" and "her" was completely different!
If it really was what they thought it was, then that would be way too rock!
It practically felt like they were watching an anime.
No wait, Tomori was an anime character to begin with, wasn't she? (lol)
Beside her, Taki couldn't help her eyebrow twitching, suddenly feeling that the direction this was going seemed a little off.
"I really… like the new song."
"So…"
Then, amidst the uproar from the crowd of fans, Tomori directly walked off the stage, grabbed Kamijou Mutsuki's arm, and pulled him up with her.
"Mutsuki, you're always so far away from us."
"Like a lighthouse, standing somewhere we can't reach."
"Because you're there, we can find our direction after getting lost."
"But this time…"
As the girl spoke, she handed over the microphone.
"…Even if we can't find the way, that's okay. As long as we keep moving forward."
"So, get lost together with us!"
The girl practically shouted out her request, and Budokan instantly fell silent.
Even Kamijou Mutsuki himself hadn't expected this harmless-looking little penguin to pull off something this huge.
"MyGO!!!!! (getting lost)…"
Then, someone suddenly shouted that line, and the venue once again became lively.
"MyGO!!!!!"
"MyGO!!!!!"
"MyGO!!!!!"
"Let's MyGO!!!!! together!"
The fans below the stage shouted excitedly like this.
The wave of voices surged onto the stage like a tide.
Tomori's words just now were practically no different from a confession.
In fact, although MyGO!!!!! was a band that made a living through singing—because of the anime's existence, they actually carried a somewhat idol-like nature.
Normally, a public confession like Tomori's would definitely cause quite a stir.
But unfortunately, this world was rather special.
For band anime like MyGO!!!!!, the overwhelming majority of fans were actually female.
Looking across the venue, most of the fans were beautiful girls.
Although the male fans were pretty eccentric, there also weren't many who were as extreme as typical idol fans.
On top of that, MyGO!!!!! had debuted as a rock band, so the fans' collective feeling was basically…
Holy shit, we just watched another episode of MyGO!!!!!
As expected of Tomori — she really didn't disappoint them!
Moreover, Kamijou Mutsuki didn't count as some sudden outsider descending from nowhere.
As the "Capitalist With a Conscience" manager, he was actually fairly well-known among MyGO!!!!!'s fanbase.
There had even previously been fans shipping Mutsuki × Tomori, though their numbers were pretty small.
Back then, the ship most associated with Kamijou Mutsuki had actually been Sakiko × Mutsuki.
Therefore, facing Tomori's confession, the only thing below the stage was cheering.
It was just too rock!
Wait, why are you dragging my husband up there in the middle of the song?
However, Mutsumi, who was rarely sitting together with Sakiko, couldn't help frowning slightly at this scene.
I came here to support your performance, and this is what you pull on me?
Forget it. Since it was Tomori, what else could she do?
Of course she chose to forgive her!
As for the parents' side, they were also astonished by Tomori's stunt.
Tomori's mother even directly leaned back in tactical shock. She had never expected that her usually inarticulate daughter could pull off something this huge.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Nagasaki and Taki's older sister were deeply worried about their daughter's / younger sister's romance.
"..."
On the stage, Kamijou Mutsuki looked at Tomori beside him, and in the end revealed a somewhat helpless smile for once as he took the microphone.
"In that case, let's get lost together."
"…Mm!"
Tomori tightly gripped the microphone in her hands, then nodded fiercely.
Then, she suddenly turned her head, her gaze sweeping across Anon and the others one by one before finally stopping on Kamijou Mutsuki.
"Everyone, let's get lost together!"
To Tomori, this wasn't just a song for her and Kamijou Mutsuki, but also a song for MyGO!!!!! and Kamijou Mutsuki!
No, more accurately speaking, it was a song for everyone in [MyGO!!!!!] together!
"You really can't be helped…"
Anon revealed a somewhat helpless smile.
Although Taki, Soyo, and the others felt somewhat conflicted because of Tomori's actions, they were still moved by her words.
"Let's… get lost together! ×6"
The song's prelude gradually began to play.
Tomori took a deep breath, and her gaze became firm.
Then, the stars began to shimmer.
"Lights shining all on their own"
"Illumining ordinary me curled up in the corner"
"Born clumsy the harder I try the more mistakes I make"
"Hiding my true feelings in my notebook letting myself be torn apart"
"When I open my mouth what should I even say"
"Words pile up endlessly yet only silence remains"
"This world roars noisily like the last train passing by without stopping~"
Below the stage, the expressions on Tomori's parents' faces became somewhat complicated.
How could they possibly not understand the meaning behind the lyrics?
It wasn't as if they didn't understand their daughter—but only now had that final layer of paper been pierced through.
So this was what Tomori-chan had been thinking all along?
"Listen listen life is singing loudly~"
Tomori had never discussed today's events with Kamijou Mutsuki beforehand, so naturally there had been no rehearsal either.
But as Tomori's singing briefly paused, Kamijou Mutsuki seemed to understand her perfectly and raised the microphone to his lips.
"Chewing through the bitterness of youth writing the movement that belongs to you~"
"Let's go let's go no matter how lost we are~"
"The stars will eventually light the road ahead of you~"
As Kamijou Mutsuki finished this brief section of singing, the fans below the stage couldn't help feeling surprised.
Earlier, they had mostly just been cheering for Tomori's bold actions and hadn't expected him to deliver any especially amazing performance.
Yet unexpectedly, Kamijou Mutsuki's singing voice was incredibly good, completely no worse than Tomori's!
Wasn't he a band manager?
How was he also this good at singing?
Taki's older sister couldn't help revealing an admiring expression.
As expected of her idol—so what if he couldn't play the violin
His singing was still top-tier!
"Ah~"
"By chance alone one heart exchanged with another"
After Kamijou Mutsuki's singing ended, it became Tomori's turn once more.
And the light of the stars had reached its first movement.
"One person's cry became courage for two"
Below the stage, Sakiko suddenly couldn't stop her eyes from trembling.
Tomori's song…
"…Making me laugh and cry making me sing loudly"
"Letting me bloom proudly by your side"
Tomori stretched out her hand, as though trying to grasp something.
Below the stage, Sakiko also subconsciously raised her own hand.
"Thank you for telling me"
"That even an ordinary stone can become light~"
Sakiko lifted her head, and just happened to meet Tomori's gaze.
"That's too unfair…"
Below the stage, Sakiko suddenly broke down in tears.
In truth, many times before this, Sakiko had felt—that now that she was no longer weak, she wouldn't cry so easily anymore.
Although she ended up getting proven wrong every single time, at this moment she had already completely untied the knot in her heart, reconciled with her past, reconciled with Tomori and the others, leaving not the slightest weakness behind.
Someone like her shouldn't be shaken so easily anymore, right?
But Tomori's singing once again effortlessly shattered the defenses around her heart.
It made her remember the past, remember her meeting with Tomori…
This time, the dead memories were really attacking her!
"Tomori-chan's lyrics are way too unfair…"
The girl raised her hand, continuously wiping away the tears on her face.
"Ah~"
"Like boarding the wrong train~"
At this moment, Tomori's singing had already reached the second movement.
"Passing through unexpected scenery yet still becoming only a passerby"
"If opening your heart only brings distance in return"
"Should I give up courage and become merely an observer"
"Could it be that growing up means fading away"
This section of the song was Tomori's inner cry.
After two verses, she had finally voiced her plea for help.
"…Can someone come save me~"
"Ah~"
"Only after rejoicing once do we learn how uncertain time is"
"Leaving behind sweet candy carving hidden wounds"
"The less I want to think the more I think the more I ask the more lost I become"
"Are all encounters destined to eventually end apart"
Are all encounters destined to eventually end apart?
This lyric not only reminded the fans of MyGO!!!!!'s breakup plotline in the anime, but also made them think about the encounters in their own real lives, causing their eyes to redden uncontrollably.
Uwaaaah, Tomori…
They felt heartache for Tomori, while also regretting all the missed encounters in their own lives.
And if even complete strangers felt this way, then there was no need to mention the people connected to Tomori.
Sakiko cried even harder, and even the girls on stage had mist gathering faintly in their eyes.
Even though it was only the plot of an anime, they felt as if they had truly experienced it themselves.
"I still don't want to forget don't want to give up just like this"
"If all we do is avoid the pain what meaning is there in that"
"Waiting for miracles to arrive first"
"Perhaps it's better to believe in ourselves~"
After a brief buildup, Tomori finally began her Tomori-style stairway of emotional escalation!
"…Can bonds turned into song reach your side somehow"
"[Ordinary]yet lasting companionship I once thought it was[only natural]"
"Only now do I realize I'd already grown used to the courage you gave me~"
"The current me can finally now"
"Sing out loudly~"
"Tomori…"
The lyrics weren't especially direct, yet every word reached Taki's heart.
The mist in her eyes had already turned into tears, soaking the girl's face.
Even though she had already heard the song many times during practice, Taki still couldn't stop herself from crying at this moment.
As long as Tomori was there, she would forever stand by her side!
"After being hurt why force yourself to act carefree"
"What's wrong with admiring vanity"
"Honestly, Tomori…"
Anon, who was playing guitar, also couldn't quite control her tears anymore.
"…Of course I know."
Even though she had heard it many times before, this time felt completely different.
"…We struggled we failed we started over together~"
"Licking each other's wounds helps them heal faster"
"A lifetime isn't that long"
"The greatest happiness is simply being needed by someone~"
Tomori's lyrics seemed to sing directly into Anon's heart.
A lifetime…
If only it really were possible.
The girl's gaze couldn't help drifting toward Kamijou Mutsuki beside her.
"Ah~"
"Let this singing voice shatter the walls in our hearts"
After Anon's part ended, the sixth movement of Stellaris also began.
As for the audience below the stage, they already looked completely high from the performance.
This song was just too addictive—it practically made them feel like they were about to ascend!
"Even if my voice breaks from shouting I still want to tell you"
"When we've both already lost things what right do we have to miss each other again"
"Even if the world disappears this very moment I won't let go"
"Tomori…"
At this moment, even Soyo finally couldn't hold back anymore.
It felt as though she were experiencing the scene from the anime where Tomori had pulled her up onto the stage—a scene the real her had never actually gone through.
Tomori's singing was the cry of her heart.
And those feelings, together with that cry, slammed directly into Soyo's heart.
Just like the version of herself in the anime, Soyo also shed tears upon the stage.
Though not quite that exaggerated…
"What exactly are[correct]and[ordinary]supposed to mean~"
"Maybe only by making mistakes together can we truly understand"
"It's okay lift your head up"
"Whose youth has never gotten lost before~"
"Ah~"
"At the next crossroads"
"Whether left or right walk with me either way"
Finally, it was Kamijou Mutsuki's turn again to close the song.
"Listen listen life is singing loudly~"
"Chewing through the bitterness of youth writing the movement that belongs to you~"
But Tomori suddenly began singing as well. Their voices intertwined together, and not only did they not clash, they instead sounded incomparably harmonious.
"Let's go let's go no matter how lost we are~"
"The stars will eventually light your way they will definitely light your direction"
"Bit by bit accumulating within our hearts"
"Every shining moment gathering into a dazzling galaxy come on~"
"With all our strength unleash the burning passion of youth~"
"Turning into the brightest flame~"
"Shimmering together with the stars~"
As the final note of the song faded away, the fans below the stage were still immersed in its lingering aftertaste.
The girls on stage also wiped away their tears and exchanged glances with one another, smiles unconsciously appearing on their faces.
However, Tomori, still catching her breath, felt that this still wasn't enough.
She looked at Kamijou Mutsuki beside her, suddenly stood on tiptoe, and then…
"Mmh~"
Directly kissed him.
Seeing this scene, the atmosphere inside Budokan instantly became heated once again.
PS: Stellaris is just way too classic, so I really couldn't cut much of the lyrics at the end. But this update had an extra 1.4k words added, only a few hundred short of three chapters' worth, so it should be about enough.
T/N: It is a chinese style version of Gunjou by YOASOBI.
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