Chapter 154: Kesokku's First Performance

Nao looked at the gathered crowd below the stage and the constantly rotating spotlights, appearing somewhat excited.

Haruto ruffled her hair.

"This is my first time listening to 'ZHIEND' live. So this is what a live concert feels like?"

Nao shared her emotions with Haruto.

Actually, tickets for these underground performance halls weren't expensive, some would even call them cheap.

It was the kind of concert anyone could afford to attend.

However, when Nao was still young, she was noticed by the former "Laboratory" organization due to her adolescent syndrome.

After that, she was imprisoned in a dark, sunless laboratory.

During those grim days, Nao had a secretly stashed MP3 player that contained 'ZHIEND' songs.

Even though there were only a few tracks, she listened to them repeatedly over the years, to the point where anyone else would have grown sick of them.

But for Nao, those songs remained one of the few precious moments of light in her life.

This continued until one particular day.

Inside the "Laboratory," a group of teenagers who had been imprisoned gathered together and attempted to escape.

Through meticulous planning and the use of their respective abilities, at great cost, they finally managed to break free. However, when Nao saw the sunlight of the outside world, she didn't dare stop running.

There were still pursuers behind her.

If she got caught, she would be thrown back into that sunless hell.

Even worse, she would crush the hopes of all her comrades.

So, with bare feet, Nao kept running, and running, and running. Until, at a street corner, she saw the boy who would change her fate forever.

Of course, their first encounter wasn't exactly picturesque.

She was immediately subdued and pinned to the ground.

Recalling this, Nao shot a fierce glare at Haruto.

This left Haruto utterly confused.

What did he do to provoke her this time?

Just then, the performance was about to start, but the ones coming on stage weren't 'ZHIEND.'

In these underground performance halls, each concert featured multiple bands.

Regardless of which band's ticket you purchased, you could watch all the performing bands.

However, the ticket revenue would go to the band you specifically bought the ticket for.

Moreover, each band had to meet a certain revenue quota.

If they couldn't sell enough tickets, the band members had to pay the venue out of their own pockets.

It might sound absurd, but in Japan's underground idol and band scene, this was the usual process.

At the start, there were no fans. If they wanted a stage to perform on, they had to pay out of pocket.

During each performance, they tried to move the audience and attract fans.

And the first band to take the stage…

"Kessoku Band? Never heard of them."

"They must be newcomers. I think that's the boss lady's younger sister."

"Speaking of which, the owner of this venue used to be in a band, right?"

Whispers and discussions spread throughout the crowd.

Haruto raised an eyebrow in surprise.

So, it's here?

Kessoku Band, which could also be translated as Unity Band, was the band that Hitori Gotou belonged to. However, among the performers on stage, there was no sign of Hitori Gotou.

Instead…

A large cardboard box with a guitar strapped to it?

"What is that thing?"

Nao pointed at the oversized cardboard box, puzzled.

Haruto chuckled.

"Maybe it's a guitarist who loves music, longs to perform, but has such extreme social anxiety that they can't even look at the audience?"

Hearing this, Nao shot Haruto a suspicious look.

From the way he said it, did he actually know that 'box'?

"Could it be some kind of super-talented newcomer band, the type that will explode in popularity and become famous for being unique?"

Nao speculated.

After all, the people Haruto paid attention to in the past were always incredibly gifted. And with what happened in Attack on Titan's world before, Nao could more or less guess some things.

It wasn't strange for the main character to have a fitting story.

However, Haruto shook his head.

"No, don't get your hopes up. They're probably going to be terrible… No, actually, they're going to completely bomb."

Hearing this, Nao was even more confused.

At that moment, Kessoku Band's first performance began.

A bassist, a drummer, and… a guitarist in a cardboard box.

No vocalist.

They were playing a cover of some popular song.

And their performance…

To call it bad would be an understatement, it was an absolute disaster.

Perhaps because of the box obstructing their view, the guitarist had no coordination with the bassist and drummer whatsoever.

It was clear that they had some foundational skill, but in a group performance, they couldn't bring out their true ability.

As for the bassist and drummer, they were trying to revolve around the guitarist as the core. But when the core itself had no coordination and was playing at a limited level, the entire band was doomed to sound…

The performance ended with only a sparse and polite round of applause.

The bassist and drummer hurriedly lifted up the cardboard box guitarist and fled the stage.

Watching this bizarre scene unfold, Nao glanced back at Haruto, only to find that he looked rather amused.

"So why is big brother interested in such a terrible band?"

Nao asked curiously.

Haruto shrugged.

"Because it's interesting."

Nao didn't ask further.

Because she knew all too well, this was probably just her big brother's weird sense of humor acting up again.

Meanwhile, backstage, Kessoku Band looked rather dejected.

"Ahaha… well, at least the performance is over!"

The blonde drummer tried to laugh it off.

"Nijika, that was completely unlistenable."

The blue-haired bassist didn't hold back and bluntly stated the truth. I

nside the cardboard box, Hitori turned completely gray like ash.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It's all my fault! I was too terrible and just dragged you all down!"

Bocchi frantically apologized, her mind already slipping into an abnormal state.

Inside the box, Bocchi started… (twisting) (crawling in darkness) (crawling) (writhing) (squirming in the shadows) (rolling) (violently scuttling) (contorting) (convulsing) (howling) (squirming) (letting out an eerie growl).

Seeing Bocchi seemingly having a breakdown, the little angel of Shimokitazawa, Nijika Ijichi, hurriedly tried to comfort her.

"It's not your fault, Bocchi! The band was just formed, so it's normal for us to have no chemistry yet."

The blue-haired bassist was about to throw in another comment but was quickly silenced by Nijika, who covered her mouth.

However, Bocchi was already trapped in an indescribable state of despair, unable to pull herself out.

Seeing that words weren't working, Nijika thought for a moment and suddenly said,

"Hey, Bocchi, by the way… I think I saw a familiar face in the audience just now."

That statement finally snapped Hitori out of her dark spiral, at least momentarily.

"A familiar face?"

She asked in confusion.

Nijika nodded.

"It's that boy who was sitting on the swing on the other side of the park when we first met, remember?"

It wasn't that Nijika had an exceptionally good memory.

It was just that the boy was far too striking; whether it was his appearance, physique, or even his overall aura, everything about him felt… perfect.

After catching a glimpse of him back then, it was hard to forget.

And in a crowd, he naturally stood out, which was why Nijika had noticed him.

After hearing Nijika's words, Hitori also recalled that boy; someone she once mistook as a fellow social outcast but, in reality, wasn't at all. Back then, she had even been frantically apologizing to him in her mind…

Suddenly remembering that embarrassing moment, Bocchi's inner despair reached new heights, and she began twisting and writhing even more violently in her dark spiral.

"You really hit a sore spot."

The blue-haired bassist commented mercilessly.

Nijika was stunned, not knowing what to do.

Meanwhile, back on stage…

After Kessoku Band left, the audience didn't react too strongly.

Audiences in Japan were used to these kinds of performances.

A few girls with a love for music and big dreams forming a band, paying out of their own pockets just to perform, this was a common sight.

Unless they were exceptionally talented, most bands ended up at the same level as Kessoku Band.

But the audience was tolerant; they wouldn't go out of their way to mock them.

After all… they hadn't paid for their tickets.

The next few bands that performed had some level of popularity and played decently.

Then, when it was finally time for the headlining act, ZHIEND took the stage.

A wave of cheers erupted from the crowd.

After all, most of the audience had come specifically for ZHIEND.

Haruto also listened to their performance seriously.

How should he put it…

It was pretty good.

As for what Nao had said about their music carrying a sense of freedom…

Haruto didn't hear it at all.

Maybe it wasn't that the singer was free, but rather, the girl listening to the song was longing for freedom.

ZHIEND played five consecutive songs as the final act.

When the performance ended and the stage lights dimmed, many audience members stepped forward with bouquets.

These bouquets were sold by the venue for 1,000 yen per set, meant as support items.

Later, the venue would collect them back, and the bands that received flowers would get a share of the venue's earnings.

During the flower-giving process, many people also took photos and asked for autographs.

Haruto looked to his side in confusion.

Nao showed no intention of stepping forward.

"Aren't you going to ask for a signature or a photo?"

Haruto asked.

Honestly, if she really liked them, signing ZHIEND under his name wasn't impossible.

But Nao shook her head.

"I just like their songs, not the people. What would I take a photo for?"

Haruto chuckled.

That was a good habit to have.

It was best to separate the creator from the creation.

"Let's go, big brother. Time for the next stop."

Nao tugged on Haruto's arm, pulling him along.

Haruto, however, was confused.

"Next stop?"

At that moment, Nao pulled something out of her pocket.

Haruto: ?

He recognized that card.

It was the room key to Chiba's most luxurious hotel—he had been there a few times before, so of course, he recognized it.

But…

"Did Ai Hoshino teach you this too!?"

Haruto asked, exasperated.

Nao averted her gaze.

Case closed.

What? Explain in detail?

If this thought crossed your mind, ask yourself, can the details even be aired?

--------------

T/N:

Again, no smut.

Goddamnit Author.

Hayyyss....