Tickets for the "Be original" finals were 6,500 yen each, and they had sold out quickly.
The crowd included Ges Band fans, fans of other bands, and, of course, fans who had come specifically for "suki-san."
However, the ones who came for suki-san didn't have high expectations for Kessoku Band itself.
Most of them had bought tickets just to "see what suki-san looks like in person" or "hear suki-san play guitar live."
Because of this, when Kessoku Band walked on stage, the audience's reaction was muted.
Until Aoki Kai spoke.
On stage, Aoki looked out at the audience.
It was a sea of people, many times larger than the crowd he'd played for alone. But last time he'd been nervous; this time, he was strangely calm.
His mind was clear, focused on a single thought:
Give everything. Make this the best performance I possibly can.
Gripping the electric guitar Seika-san had given him, he looked at the dense crowd and took a deep breath.
"We are Kessoku Band."
A brief introduction, delivered with no emotional inflection.
He paused for a beat, then decisively struck the strings.
A few people in the audience were confused.
Most bands would introduce their song title, but Kessoku Band hadn't.
But many others had a different thought.
The fans closer to the stage, the suki-san fans, saw him immediately start playing and had a sudden realization—
There was only one microphone on stage, and it was in front of the one male member of this five-person band.
This meant... the vocalist might not be one of the girls. It might be... suki-san himself!
Aoki didn't know what the audience was thinking. After his short introduction, he simply played.
"Loser" begins not with drums, but with a few seconds of a slow, sliding progression from the electric guitar and bass.
Although Ryo was surprised he'd started without an introduction, as a bassist, she reacted instantly, locking into his rhythm.
The strange, sliding notes were clear but rhythm-less.
Until, the mixed sliding tones of the bass and guitar descended, and then—
A voice, completely different from his calm introduction—a raw, guttural shout, more forceful than a mere yell—exploded from Aoki's mouth.
"LOSER!"
And in the next instant—
The dense beat of the drums unleashed. The intro slide ended, and the true rhythm of "Loser" slammed into focus.
Before coming on stage, Aoki had wondered how best to present this song.
But now, all his thoughts were being channeled out through his guitar strings.
Sing it! Sing it with emotion!
The low pressure in the band these past few days, his own bad decisions, his hesitation...
In some ways, he was undeniably a loser.
But!
In this moment, hearing the tight drums, the bass, and the guitar chords...
A small smirk pulled at the corner of Aoki's mouth.
As long as I'm on stage playing music with my band, so what if I'm a loser?
Even as a loser, right now, I'm going to sing this song with the arrogance of a winner!
The drums rolled, the guitar and bass blended, and Aoki's voice blasted from the speakers.
"Same as always, day after day, I can't take this life anymore."
"There's nowhere left to run, so sweet dreams in your sleep for now."
The rhythm was perfectly in sync, his diction flawless.
The tempo was fast, his voice laced with a perfectly-placed rasp that was a perfect match for "Loser."
And in the crowd—
The instant they heard Aoki's voice, the audience erupted.
The fans who had come just hoping to hear him play guitar were instantly overwhelmed with excitement.
One song, "Lemon," with 7 million views. Another, "That's Why I Gave Up on Music," with 6 million. Two videos, 3 million subscribers.
Without a doubt, Aoki Kai was the hottest thing in Yutube's music category.
And now, they were hearing him live. Not just an acoustic version like his videos, but a full-band, live performance!
With just two lines of lyrics, the crowd's atmosphere was instantly ignited.
The energy was already matching that of yesterday's headliner, Ges Band!
Aoki saw the crowd's frenzied reaction but paid it no mind, focusing only on his own lyrics.
Worrying about a million things? Why? Just perform at my absolute limit!
The words poured out of him. As lead guitarist, his hands never stopped moving, perfectly in sync with every member of the band.
In this live show, every member of Kessoku Band was performing better than they ever had.
Bocchi and Kita's rhythm guitar, Ryo's bass, Nijika's drums—this performance was far beyond their usual level.
The song continued.
The core of "Loser" is simple.
Even if you're at rock bottom, even if you're pessimistic, even if you were or are a failure, never stop trying to move forward.
You must, as a loser, adopt the posture of a winner.
And Aoki was embodying that message completely.
A slightly hoarse voice, a lazy-sounding tone, but behind it, a perfect rhythm and a beat so upbeat it was almost audacious.
After a few more lines, the audience was already moving to the beat.
And "Loser" was building toward its chorus.
"After wandering so far, this must be paradise, right?"
"But now, I'm not so sure."
"A quarter-century of living, and this is the result."
"A pale-faced Superstar, waiting with an empty stomach—"
As the last line before the chorus landed, Aoki's hoarse voice paused. A few highly rhythmic drum beats.
And after the last beat—
Every instrument in the band went silent for one instant. Then, an incredibly powerful electric guitar slide erupted from Aoki's hands.
The chorus began!
"I'm a LOSER! So what if it's all just a bluff?"
"Again and again, let's make our voices heard!"
"I'm a LOSER! I heard it long ago,"
"That voice, hidden deep in my pocket all this time!"
The tempo kicked up. His voice, though still hoarse, became strangely clear.
The atmosphere doubled in intensity. The only way to describe the crowd now was "completely unhinged."
It was a completely different style from "Lemon" or "That's Why I Gave Up on Music." This song was full of power. While it had traces of melancholy, its core was a plea for "failures to get back up."
This was a song for losers!
And who, after living for decades, hasn't failed?
Therefore, this was also a song for everyone.
Even in failure, raise your head, puff out your chest, and face it like a winner.
Suki-san's new song did not disappoint. He had never disappointed.
6,500 yen... to hear a song like this live...
Swaying to the rhythm, the audience was ecstatic.
They had no idea when, or if, suki-san and Kessoku Band would ever play live again.
But they were here for this one.
It was worth it! Even if the videos they were taking couldn't capture his face clearly, just having the recording was enough to brag to their friends that they saw suki-san sing live.
It wasn't just the audience. On stage, the girls of Kessoku Band were completely immersed in the music.
Aoki-senpai, suki-san... his voice was overflowing with charisma.
This was the power he unleashed when he gave his all.
He had complete control of the crowd, perfectly interpreting the meaning of "Loser."
It was just as Seika-san had once said: Aoki Kai had the skill of a professional.
And this professional was on stage with them, as a member of Kessoku Band.
The song raged on, the atmosphere building to a climax as it neared its end.
By now, the entire Kyoto City Gymnasium was boiling.
The final section of "Loser" began.
"If you want to be loved, you have to say it! Just thinking it won't get it across!"
His voice, which had cleared up, became hoarse again, even taking on a lazy drawl.
"The eternal lady ignores you, and heaven is still far away!"
Then, the pitch began to climb.
"Try to dance just once, right here!"
The space between the lyrics grew, the pitch rising higher.
"Stumble forward until the dawn comes!"
Each line was higher than the last.
Until the final line before the final chorus—
The atmosphere was at its absolute peak. He strummed, the guitar mixing with all the instruments, and Aoki sang the last line.
No, he didn't sing it.
He shouted it.
"IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, THEN SHOUT AND MOVE FORWARD!"
And immediately!
The tight pre-chorus drums, the powerful guitar, and—
"WUUUHH—!"
A raw, voice-cracking scream ripped through the speakers with the guitar slide.
The final chorus began.
"I'm a LOSER! So what if it's all just a bluff?"
"Again and again, let's make our voices heard!"
"I'm a LOSER! I heard it long ago..."
...
Until the final chorus ended.
At last, "Loser," made incredibly powerful by Aoki's performance, came to a perfect landing.
Aoki took two deep breaths, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
He turned, his gaze passing over each of the girls.
The performance was flawless. A massive success.
Looking at his bandmates, who were also panting, Aoki smiled again.
He turned back to the audience.
Raising the mic, he spoke, his voice slightly uneven.
"We are Kessoku Band. The song was 'Loser'."
-------
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