Hiratsuka had seen Magical Girl Raising Project—though at her age and in her job, it was a bit… off-brand.
Anyway—after a scolding and an order to rewrite, Aoki left the office.
They'd set the exam against Yukinoshita for about a week out; after that, about a month remained until PVC Records' "Rock Band Project" submission deadline.
He wasn't totally confident about the exam with only a week left. But about PVC—he felt surprisingly good.
In truth, the band wasn't bad anymore—
They'd been drilling ensemble work and technique for a month. With steady practice, Ending had improved a lot.
With a month to go, Aoki believed they could produce a flawless performance before submissions closed.
But before that—
After the verbal sparring at the club and another round of scolding, Aoki took the train to the livehouse that afternoon.
Though the weather had been nice through the school day, a light rain began as soon as he left the building.
It felt like the heavens had it in for him. He rode the train and jogged from Shimokitazawa Station to the livehouse.
It was Monday; the girls didn't arrive early.
Before STARRY opened, they practiced a bit.
At this point, they didn't make big mistakes; little ones popped up now and then, but that wasn't the main point.
Lately—whether teaching Kita guitar or during rehearsals—Aoki kept feeling Kita's gaze on him was a bit… odd.
Not just the gaze. When no one else was around, she'd ask weirdly pointed questions about Ryō—or nudge topics that way…
He didn't get it; if he asked, she'd laugh it off.
It threw him slightly, but not enough to matter. After a couple rounds, he ignored it.
They practiced; STARRY opened; they helped around the shop.
Until closing.
They practiced a bit more in the studio, and around 8:30, Aoki was ready to head home as usual—when manager Ijichi Seika stopped him.
He and Nijika were puzzled.
Aoki stayed.
Seika walked behind the bar and picked up an envelope.
She stepped over and handed it to him. "You've been helping a lot lately. I can't let a student work for free. Here—your pay."
He paused.
Then he didn't take it.
He had his reasons—
He hadn't asked for pay when he started helping. Taking money now felt like forcing a sale—awkward.
Also, his work hadn't been heavy—sweeping, wiping tables. Not enough for real pay.
Besides—Nijika and the others were his friends, and Seika was a friend's sister. As a Chinese at heart, he didn't want to draw hard lines here.
So he shook his head.
"It wasn't anything tiring. No need, Manager. Thank you."
Seika hadn't expected a flat refusal, but she didn't push it. She nodded and tossed the envelope behind the bar.
But she wasn't done—if not cash, then something else.
She pulled out a pretty new electric guitar.
"Didn't you say we had a good one lying around? I couldn't find it before; it was buried in storage. Found it this afternoon… Take it."
She held it out, then added,
"Please just accept it. It's wasting space here. And don't say you don't deserve it. The recent crowds are thanks to you—take it."
Aoki hesitated. The guitar looked pricey. Even if her reasons were sound…
Before he could respond, Nijika chimed in,
"Senpai, take it. You've brought so much business; a guitar isn't too much. My sister's been grinning when she counts the register. You're a big reason."
"…"
Aoki gave Seika an awkward look.
From his perspective, Nijika was right; as persuasion, also right. But from the manager's perspective…
It kinda sold her out.
So both Aoki and Seika went quiet a moment.
Then Seika twitched a smile and nodded, casual as she could manage.
"Mm. Nijika's right."
…
Her logic stood; Aoki accepted.
So, in addition to his own, he carried this high-quality guitar.
Two guitars plus his bag was cumbersome, but manageable—neither was too heavy.
He thanked them, turned for the door—
And then—
A familiar guitar strum and voice rose behind him:
[I thought it over, but still don't get it.]
[Under the blue sky I wait for you; after the breeze at noon, my thoughts drift to the afternoon.]
He paused.
Familiar strum, familiar voice—
His live "So I Quit Music."
He looked back.
Behind him—
Nijika, who had just relaxed after a long day, went rigid.
She'd set Aoki's "Quit Music" as her ringtone. Because it embarrassed her to have a male friend's song as her ring, she always muted it around people she knew.
But—
She'd forgotten to mute during rehearsal.
Seeing Aoki stop and glance back, she trembled as she pulled out her phone and answered.
"H-Hi, Ryō… w-what's up…"
"Ah… Yes, you left your bag at the shop. I'll keep it safe…"
"T-The sound? It's fine…"
"N-No, it's nothing… Don't worry…"
"…"
"Okay… Bye, Ryō…"
The last line had the faintest quaver.
She hung up and pocketed the phone.
Silence fell.
Nijika looked at Aoki, who had stopped, puzzled; then at her thoughtful sister.
Seika ignored Nijika's flimsy excuse.
Instead, she mused aloud,
"Because you like it, you set it as your ringtone. But since it's by a male friend—especially one you're close to—if someone hears, you're shy. So you keep it on mute around friends… Is that it?"
"…"
"Uu—!"
Nijika's ship took critical damage. Tears pricked; she glanced anxiously at Aoki.
Embarrassing or not—that was secondary. If Aoki disliked her using his song as a ringtone…
At the door, Aoki put it together in a few seconds.
Silence stretched after Seika's remark. Someone had to say something.
He blinked, thought, and said,
"What's there to be embarrassed about? I sang 'So I Quit Music' for Ijichi-san. Using it as a ringtone is totally fine."
…
Seika, thoughtful again: "Oh~ so you sang it for Nijika…"
Nijika:
"Eh?"
"Eh? Eh? Eh?"
Confusion. Then, overload—her face flushed and steam all but hissed off her head.
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (390 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (140 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (158 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (400 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (166 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (200 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (190 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (96 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (140 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (160 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (165 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (168 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (120 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (160 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (130 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Reincarnated in a Lostbelt, I Became the Alien God (90 Chapter)
The Way These Horse Girls Look at Me Is Terrifying! (160 Chapter)
Naruto: Tsunade's Deskmate (130 Chapter)
I Just Want to Live a Normal (50 Chapter).
Genshin Impact: A Hundred Confessions? It's Just a System Task (70 Chapter)
OnePiece : Starting as a Veteran of the Roger Pirates (60 Chapter)
Uma Musume : I Have Special Horse Taming Techniques (180 Chapter)
Uma Musume : My other self is a Horse Girl (110 Chapter)
Jujutsu Kaisen : All Affection Stats Maxed Out (170 Chapter)
Satou Kazuma's Decision to Live by Swindling, Starting from Re:Zero (60 Chapter)
Bleach : Ichigo! Take Over the Soul Society (60 Chapter)
Crossover Anime: The Master of Plagiarism with a 'Love Obstacle (110 Chapter)
Arknights Succubus Nurturing System, But I'm a Quiet Office Worker (60 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: Using My Personas to Break the Hearts of Players (50 Chapter)
One Punch Man : i am King? (80 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it