As he'd promised Nijika, Aoki planned to re-record "So I Gave Up on Music" cleanly and upload it to Yutube.
Sunday.
He woke early, jogged some laps in the park, and treated himself to four extra soup dumplings on the way home.
He tidied his place, then noticed he'd forgotten to take the trash out that morning. Even in early June, a day indoors made it reek. He grabbed it and dumped it.
Back again, he set up his phone on the table, took out his guitar, and recorded.
A one-take was impossible. Some dumb thing always ruins one: phone falls, downstairs noise… On the fourth try, he got a keeper.
A quick trim, then he uploaded to his suki-san account.
He didn't expect instant comments. He put the phone away, grabbed his wallet, and went out.
After dithering, he decided to buy more "Haruhi" volumes—he had to know what happened next.
Books in the morning, ramen at noon, ensemble practice in the afternoon.
Around six, STARRY opened.
Aoki sometimes helped out—no pay—he used the recording room daily and only occasionally wiped a table or swept.
Today, after opening, he could feel there were way more customers than usual.
Mostly first-timers. They'd come in, scan the room, spot the show board, hurry over, then walk away disappointed.
He wondered where Seika had found them.
He finished sweeping and went to the recording room.
Weekend over.
…
Monday.
Good focus in class. Then—
At lunch with Hikigaya, he idly checked his upload and finally understood yesterday's crowd.
Having a fanbase makes it easier to blow up—and "So I Gave Up on Music" is just that good.
In a day, views were over 400,000. Wild.
The comments were mostly: "suki-sensei's talent is insane!" "A new song already?!" "This one speaks to meeee."
But there were also a couple of "guides."
Not haters—just pointing the way.
[This version is great—plain but aching, with defiance—but if you like more voltage, check the top comment's avatar, click their one and only upload: a whole new experience!]
[If you like live versions—more raw emotion—go check the top comment's profile! In that video, suki-sensei throws his whole heart in. Compared to this version's restraint, the live has a tiny hint of strain at the peak, but it's still a gem!]
He toggled to "Top Comments."
The #1 read:
[I knew it! That voice was suki-sensei! I heard the live version! Thankfully I recorded it—check my profile if you're curious! Also, that livehouse was STARRY in Shimokitazawa. There might be more surprise lives… fingers crossed!]
So that's why STARRY was swamped—mystery solved. He raised a brow and tapped the profile.
There it was: a clip of his live. Audio clear; video a bit blurry; his face wasn't clear.
Comments: "What a blast live!" "So jealous," "Even more emotion than the upload," etc.
As long as his face wasn't clear, he didn't care. He liked the video and backed out.
He finished lunch, waited for Hikigaya, went back to class.
Then grabbed his guitar and headed to the first floor.
He taught Kita during lunch. The bell rang.
Afternoon classes. Then club bell.
In the Kessoku chat, they mentioned the live recording and STARRY getting swamped.
Bocchi, with many ellipses, marveled at Aoki-senpai's reach. Ryō wondered if they could leverage suki-san's fame to boost Kessoku.
Nijika vetoed that.
After school, Aoki packed up.
He was thinking if he left early he might beat the rush—when the back door slid open and Hiratsuka strode straight to him.
"Aoki. Office. Now."
He blinked. "What's up, Hiratsuka-sensei?"
"Mm." She nodded. "A life consultation."
-------
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