"Cheers!"
The crisp sound of clinking glasses rang in their ears. A few girls sat around a low rectangular wooden table, raising glasses of juice or cola at the same time, their faces glowing with joy and excitement.
On the table lay a spread of takeout pizza, sushi, and other dishes. Premium tuna sushi sat side by side with a grandpa-style burger and fries, creating a strange harmony between elegance and simplicity.
Haru looked at the girls smiling so brightly in front of him, his brows soft with a mix of fondness and helpless amusement.
"I had already reserved seats at Gyukaku ahead of time. My plan was to take you all for yakiniku after the live, but who could have guessed you'd insist on rushing back to the inn instead."
"Come on, sushi and burgers taste great too!"
Nijika puffed up her adorable cheeks like a pufferfish and spoke seriously. "This whole concert only happened because Haru worked so hard to organize it. We just got to enjoy the results of your effort."
"We aren't the type of girls who don't know the value of money, and we can't just accept things like it's natural. After everything, there's no way we'd let you treat us to something as expensive as yakiniku."
"Haru, I still want more surf clam—"
"Ryo!"
Nijika, flustered, grabbed a tempura shrimp roll and shoved it into Ryo's mouth, forcing her to swallow both the tempura and her unfinished words.
"Nijika-senpai is right. If anything, we should be the ones giving something back to Haru!"
With her bright sunny smile, Ikuyo Kita raised her finger as if declaring a great truth. Her sudden statement drew the other three girls' gazes. For a strange two seconds, the air froze, their faces caught in an odd stillness.
Huh?
Haru lifted his brow, a subtle feeling stirring in his chest.
"Giving back? I mean—"
Before he could finish speaking, Nijika cut him off.
"Ah, that last moment of the live was amazing! I was still lost in the bittersweet feeling of it ending, but then Bocchi suddenly stepped forward and played this super powerful solo on her guitar!"
It was clearly an intentional attempt to skip past the delicate subject. Her voice trembled just for an instant before she steadied it again. Nijika glanced at Kita while lifting her glass, her cheerful tone breaking the silence like sunlight.
Her attempt at changing the subject looked natural enough, but Haru, who was sensitive to moods and details, had noticed everything. Still, he chose not to push the matter.
But what exactly were they planning?
"I-I-I… I'm so sorry! I did something like that without permission!"
Now dressed once again in her plain, outdated pink-and-white tracksuit, Hitori suddenly dropped into a smooth knee-slide, her body collapsing into a trembling dogeza. The posture radiated her unease and inferiority.
What had she been thinking, taking the stage like that and throwing in a whole solo on her own?!
Just remembering Haru's surprised look from the audience made Bocchi grab her black "Kessoku" guitar from beneath her skirt. She lifted it high, eyes shut tight, gritting her teeth as her trembling voice rang out:
"To ruin a live that everyone worked so hard for, my crime is beyond forgiveness!"
"I'll atone by ending it here, with my guitar!"
The pink "wild snake" raised her guitar to perform a samurai's self-execution on the spot, but Haru only rolled his eyes and brought his hand down in a sharp chop to her forehead.
Seeing this, Nijika sighed helplessly, softening her voice. "Bocchi, no one's blaming you."
"Yeah, Bocchi! We were praising you! That solo at the end was incredible. You really lived up to the name of 'Guitar Hero.' I was right beside you and even I was blown away!"
"N-no… it wasn't like that."
Kita's flood of compliments left Bocchi flustered. Normally, even the smallest praise would make her puff up with pride, but tonight, when her performance truly deserved admiration, she acted almost overly modest.
The wild snake's nature really was impossible to pin down.
Haru slowly closed his eyes, then opened his mouth with quiet warmth.
"Bocchi, you were amazing today."
"Eh?"
She hadn't expected to hear praise directly from Haru. Panic flashed in Hitori's eyes.
"I only thought that if you could stay steady on stage, that alone would already be worth praise. But you lifted your head, and in front of everyone, you showed your true power."
"You really became a hero."
The gentle murmur left her dazed where she knelt. Hitori pressed her lips together, trembling with the strong emotion swelling in her chest. Her eyes shimmered with an almost transparent mist.
On stage, with her guitar in hand, she had felt nothing but calm.
But here, in the laughter and warmth of their celebration, Haru's heartfelt words hit her harder than anything else. Her chest ached sweetly, and her nose stung with the urge to cry.
She knew some of it was thanks to the dream.
The moment she had seen Haru in the audience, she felt her dream self and her real self merge. The powerful emotions within her had solidified into resolve, and she finally took that step forward.
"…!"
A soft weight struck his chest. Haru froze for an instant as his arms instinctively caught the trembling girl. Whatever words he had been about to say slipped away as he felt her shaking in his embrace.
Even though it was a hug, Bocchi's impact was nothing like Kita's.
"Alright, alright, this marks a big step forward for Kessoku Band! There's still Budokan, Kouhaku, even international stages. There are so many more lives waiting for us…"
"But for now, let's relax!"
"Tonight, do whatever you want, play as much as you like!"
His warm yet bold voice was like a signal. Kita instantly lit up, flashing a playful peace sign. Sitting beside him, Nijika's eyes softened before she raised her glass high.
"In that case, cheers again!"
Once more and then again, they toasted and cheered. The small inn room was filled with the girls' bright voices. They had shed their shyness, embracing the joy of their little afterparty.
The scent of fried chicken drifted faintly through the air, and the fizzing of cola bubbles tickled their ears. Haru let a small smile play on his lips as he quietly enjoyed the peace of the moment.
Originally, he had thought they would just eat a bit and maybe play some board games after. But his gaze shifted to the blue-haired girl beside him. From the start, Ryo had been silently shoveling food into her mouth without pause.
He already knew she was a glutton, but this level of eating caught him off guard.
"I'm replenishing my energy."
As if reading his thoughts, Ryo lifted her strikingly beautiful face, her golden eyes narrowing slightly. The beauty mark by her eye only deepened the strange allure in her expression.
"You're eating this much, are you planning not to sleep tonight?"
"Mm, I wasn't planning to sleep."
Faced with Haru's teasing remark, Ryo picked up a napkin and lightly wiped away the crumbs of fried batter from her lips. Then, without warning, she shifted closer, letting her small head rest against his shoulder.
Haru stiffened.
Warmth and softness, along with the faint scent of mint from the girl's hair, pressed against him. The space between them vanished in an instant. Usually cold and sharp-tongued, Ryo was now quietly leaning on his shoulder.
Her smooth, silky dark-blue hair brushed against him, strands tickling his neck now and then. The heat of their shoulders pressed together made Haru feel slightly uneasy.
"...What's this supposed to be?"
"Ate too much, can't sit straight."
Though she said so, Ryo had no intention of moving away. Yet, she carefully controlled the distance, never crossing the line, leaving the moment hovering in subtle ambiguity.
If Ryo's intention was to mess with him, then this shameless woman had already succeeded.
Ever since the confession between them, the nature of their relationship was clear to both. Even kissing, something only couples would do, was no longer rare, though always because of Ryo's sudden attacks.
Their way of being together was often one of blunt offense and defense, with little of the usual gentle intimacy. That was why such a simple gesture from her now left Haru momentarily at a loss.
"Hmph."
Ryo tilted her sharp, phoenix-like eyes upward, clearly noticing his change.
"Haru, how long have I known you now?"
Her hand began to wander, though her beautiful face stayed calm. Her words came out flat, almost expressionless.
"...About half a year, maybe?"
Haru ignored her restless fingers and replied faintly, his tone tinged with reminiscence.
Come to think of it, Ryo was the first girl he had ever truly gotten to know.
Before her, he had never formed any connections. Until the simulator, where he met this shameless woman one-sidedly or rather, where both of them came to know each other, and for the first time he felt something like a genuine emotional bond.
"Hmph. Haru, have you heard of this?"
"In a single lifetime, a person might encounter about 29.2 million others. The probability of two of them ever crossing paths is only 0.5 percent. The chance of them actually getting to know each other is three in a billion. And yet, in the end, most will simply vanish back into the crowd."
"I don't care who you are, just get off Yamada Ryo already, foul spirit."
Ryo's sudden seriousness carried a strange allure. Haru, so used to her eccentricity, could only answer with their usual bantering tone.
Sensing his stiffening body, Ryo narrowed her eyes and allowed a faint smile to rise, her words flowing on.
"I love you."
This time, her voice wasn't flat. Leaning her head softly on his shoulder, she whispered the words.
It wasn't the first time Ryo had confessed to him. But compared to before, this carried a weight entirely different. The feeling behind it hit him with the force of a tremor.
"Am I supposed to take this as you saying you can't live without me anymore, Ryo?"
"Mhm, Haru can think of it that way."
Even though she had confessed before, Haru still couldn't stop himself from drawing in a deep breath. He had no idea how to respond, freezing up like some awkward kid.
It wasn't that he was weak.
Even after his growth, facing Ryo, the girl who had once rejected his ideas, the girl proud and unyielding, now openly admitting she truly loved him, who in the world could stay calm?
"...Ryo, your choice of place for a confession really couldn't be worse, huh?"
"So what, should I confess to you on the bed instead?"
Her teasing words came with a subtle press forward. Haru, ears faintly red, caught her restless white hand firmly in his.
"Don't push it too far. If it weren't for the setting..."
"The setting? And what of it?"
Ryo cast a knowing glance ahead. The girls who had been chatting earlier had all stopped, watching. Some with expectation, some tense, some blushing furiously.
Kita sat across from them in a duck-like posture, leaning forward slightly, lips pressed as though holding something back. Bocchi's face was entirely red as she lowered her head, stealing peeks through her fingers. Nijika simply covered her cheeks and watched wide-eyed.
Haru frowned. A bad premonition rose in his chest.
Wait. What's going on here?
An ambush?
"Haru, I told you just now, didn't I?"
Ryo, still leaning on his shoulder, reached her other hand to grip him firmly, glancing again toward Kita. A sly smile curled at her lips.
"I wasn't planning to sleep tonight either."
The moment those cold words fell, it was as though a war horn had sounded.
"Haru! I can't hold back anymore!"
The first to move was none other than the radiant Kita, who rushed forward to grab his other hand without hesitation. For once, Haru, who usually kept his composure, was stunned.
"Wait... don't tell me you're all planning—"
"Y-yes! Exactly what you're thinking!"
Bocchi, face scarlet, raised her head. Determined eyes flashed as though lending her strength. She opened her old-fashioned tracksuit, activating her so-called reinforced armor, unleashing visual shock straight at him.
I said you'd become a hero, not that you should slam down a 2500-attack monster and ride it straight into my face!
"I came here for a celebration party. What are you all doing?"
"Quack! Nijika, help me!"
Why are there four of you, not just one? Impossible!
"Haru, I'm sorry!"
The ever-gentle Nijika quickly dropped into a full dogeza to apologize, then without hesitation joined the operation to take down the band's guitarist, using the powerful arm strength unique to drummers to pin him in place.
Even though Nijika was the second-lightest and shortest member of the band, her arms carried unexpected strength thanks to years of drumming practice.
This is bad, even the angel's halo has gone dark!
"Don't worry, Haru, we'll bring you un↑li↓mi↑ted↑ pleasure!"
"A-an-anyway, what should we do now?"
"I… I have a little bit of experience."
While the excited Kita Ikuyo and Nijika were still discussing, Bocchi timidly raised her hand, her face crimson. Meanwhile, Ryo remained expressionless as she took command of the situation.
"Then, who's going first?"
Her cold words left the three girls staring at one another, cheeks flushed.
Kita, ears blazing red, blurted out instinctively, "I-it's Ryo-senpai, right?"
"First, we need proper preparation. For example, whenever we have a live show, Haru has to run around making arrangements with the LiveHouse. There's a lot to consider before the performance begins."
"Bocchi, you're the strongest among us right now."
As the so-called Guitar Hero, Hitori's true strength was completely different from her timid outward appearance. Her skills, experience, and sheer ability outstripped the other three by far, so it was only natural for her to be entrusted with the leading role.
"Wait, Bocchi, don't tell me you mean that time—"
Pinned down, Haru suddenly recalled certain events. His eyes widened as he looked at Hitori. He had never imagined that the timid girl, skittish like a small animal, would dare to tell the others about something like that.
Blushing furiously, Bocchi nodded, then pulled out a preamp pedal to boost her guitar.
Kita's eyes locked straight ahead, then she snuck a glance at Ryo beside her and asked in a tentative voice, "Th-then, should Ryo-senpai be the first on stage? This should be the moment for the bassist to show her power, right?"
"No, I'll save myself for the finale."
Ryo answered flatly, then casually grabbed the flushed Nijika and dragged her closer.
"That's enough. Nijika."
"W-wait, what...?"
Completely at a loss, Nijika was pulled along half-willing, half-resisting. Just watching Bocchi earlier had left her whole body burning, and now, being dragged forward by Ryo without mercy, her mind was too panicked to even think.
"Nijika, you're the leader of the band. This is the moment to set an example and lead the charge."
"I don't remember leadership involving this kind of thing!"
But Ryo ignored the protest of the red-faced leader. She simply placed both hands gently on Nijika's shoulders, and under her dazed, wide-eyed stare, pressed her firmly downward.