"Ichiban is just as good here."
"Mn. It is."
After fixing some of his stacked-up coding problems, I encouraged my brother to breathe some fresh air… or touch some grass outside.
Ever since he had finished the entire first year program in advance, he did nothing but to shut himself inside his room.
"You're planning to visit Hitori, right? It should still be her classes now…"
"I'm planning to surprise her at that location. The studio where she plays, I mean."
"Ah, Starry?"
While I was gone for three years, Miku did a good job masking my disappearance by responding to their texts. Of course, I read through all of them and knew about my acquaintances' general situation.
"I've heard she managed to make new friends… and that was after three years." I said. "I'm planning to take her out for dinner but…"
I paused for a while before telling Ryuu about Shiina.
"I am currently living with Shiina. She moved here in Japan yesterday night."
"...Eh?!"
Ryuu's jaw dropped.
"Is she..?"
"Nope."
"What?!" He exclaimed. "I thought she was… But… living together…"
He became slightly frantic as these chaotic thoughts entered his mind.
"Shiina trusts me in this regard. Nothing like that would happen."
"I see…"
We continued to dine until it was 1:00 PM.
"I'll be coming back to our house to grab my guitar. Do you want to see my performance?"
"I don't have anything to do." Ryuu shrugged. "I'm in."
"Alright."
*****
Starry.
It is a live house located in Shimokitazawa. It is one of the live houses a band could perform at. Their "quota" is also priced in the middle compared to the bigger live houses.
(A/N: Quotas are the amount of audience/money a band should reach before they could perform in a live house. In Starry, they need to sell tickets worth 30,000 Yen for a band to play.)
Overall, it is something suitable for up-and-coming bands.
'Really…'
Nijichi Seika feels perplexed at the young man in front of the counter. He has a huge guitar case on his back. Despite his stunning appearance, all she thought of was:
'Performing without a band? And paying for the quota by himself?'
It wasn't strange that there were musicians who tried to play solos in the live house now and then. Only, they weren't successful in reaching the quota and failed in the end. Usually, these people are the ones who couldn't join a band due to several reasons.
That, or their skills are subpar which caused them to be ignored by other bands.
Add to that the young man's "desperation" of paying 30,000 Yen by himself… it is enough to make her misunderstand things.
Suddenly, it reminded her of another troublesome guitarist within her sister's band.
"I'm sure about it."
"If you say so…"
Seika took the 30,000 Yen bills and booked him for the entire afternoon. It was her third time asking him about this matter. He remained persistent, and as a live house manager, she didn't pursue it any longer.
"Do you have any stage names?"
The young man fell to a deep thought. A smile then appeared on his face.
"Mango Box."
"...Okay."
For a moment, Seika's sharp intuition suggested that this young man knows about that troublesome guitarist. Though, she didn't ask any questions. It was too far-fetched to easily believe that things are like that. Still, that was enough to keep him on her mind.
'If it's really as such… I'll be seeing a nice show later.'
Just then, her sight went to the Youtube tab she opened earlier.
There, one video was currently in a pause:
[Eddie van Halen - Eruption / Cover]
*****
It has been a while since I last played a guitar.
Hum-!
Buzz-!
Inside the band room, I continued playing Stairway to Heaven. It served as a nice warm up before I began playing on stage. It was followed by the solos of my other songs.
This custom black Gibson guitar has served as my instrument since I was eight years old. I didn't have the chance to bring it with me when I was transported to Gekai.
I feel nostalgic playing with it again.
"Aniki… You're really sure about bringing me with you?"
"Yeah. Haven't you played in Yokohama Studio once? You are already good enough."
"But that was four years ago… I'm not sure if I could still play like that."
At one point, Ryuu was also interested in musical instruments. He chose to play the drums. He became so good with it that he performed well when I brought him with me to one of my performances.
However, it seems that his self-confidence was impacted badly when his 'friends' left him for being 'too harsh'. Since he was very strict with that project of theirs, he became greatly disliked with them—to the point he was being talked to behind his back.
When he found out about them all, he confronted them. Then, everything is now like this.
"It's fine. Didn't I suck at guitar at one point? We're also wearing these."
I pointed at the cardboards of mango on the ground.
"...I didn't think you'd keep them."
"Of course. It contained our good memories."
Sighing, Ryuu agreed to my request. He used the drum kit within this practice room (studio) and began playing on my rhythm.
Ryuu was off at first, but he managed to gain the hang of it after our first song.
This practice ensued until it was time to perform.
Upon wearing the mango boxes, I made a stifled laughter.
"I see… This is what Bocchi-chan looked like?"
"Please stop using me as reference."
As expected, his deadpan voice resounded from within the box. It was only when we were messing around did the roles reverse. I was the one being deadpanned to, as opposed to my usual deadpans most of the time.
"Alright, alright. Counting the time, Bocchi-chan should've arrived already."
I am currently wearing a black long sleeve. I pulled my sleeve and checked the time through [Ein Sof]'s watch form.
"Time conscious as usual… That's a nice watch."
"It's custom made. Her characteristics are in this."
"Your girlfriend? So she likes blue and red."
It made me think about my goddesses in another world.
I should make a plan to wholly introduce them when they arrive in my world.
"For your successful re-debut."
"...Thanks."
We bumped our fists before we left the room.
*****
When someone sees two men wearing a cardboard box step into the stage, what would the others think?
'I think I've seen this one before.'
The regulars on STARRY had once seen a sparkling moment when someone performed under an entire mango box. Her performance was below average at first, but she managed to make a comeback in the latter half.
Since then, these regulars have managed to witness that band.
"Huh..? Bocchi-chan..?"
One of the two girls present in the live house couldn't help but mutter.
"Ahem. Everyone might be wondering why we are here. To perform, right?"
One of the men who wore the mango box spoke as he did the final tune out of his guitar.
"That is only a part of the reason. In reality, we are here because of a friend. We wanted to make some sort of surprise to… well, surprise her."
The man stood up after calibrating the amplifier.
"While she's not here… for now, let us enjoy this show."
The man started playing.
Click.
Stepping onto the amplifier, he began his guitar solo.
'That is…'
The eight or so viewers immediately recognized the song as 'That Band'. It was one of the more popular songs created within late 2019.
What they didn't expect, however, is that something's different.
Clang-!
Once the guitar solo was over, the drummer made his move.
From then on, it was an immersing song. Not once had they made a mistake. Everything was in proper tune and rhythm. It's as if they are watching two professional band members do their job.
What's more, the man who took the role of the lead guitar also served as the rhythm guitar. That was by no means easy for newer band members.
By the time it was over, their instinct led them to give a round of applause.
"That works for an opening, right?" The lead guitarist spoke. "But we'll continue on. Here's our next song, Misread Mislead."
It was a vocaloid song that became famous a few years ago—one specifically made by Shichi.
The intense tempo of the song hit them right off the bat.
"...Ah sou! himitsu o motsu kara utsukushii?" (That's right! Does keeping secrets make you more beautiful?)
After that, the next two songs are by no means unremarkable. These two songs, Fireball to You and Shunrai, had their varying uniqueness that made them stand out from the rest.
In short, it is the reason why they are Shichi's works.
"Phew… Those are four songs already. It's time for a short break."
When the audience heard that, they thought they would be resting literally. Little did they know that…
It isn't.
Just then, the late arrivals showed up.
"I failed my English exam…"
"But it's not that difficult?"
"Says the person who always uses Insta…"
"How about Yamada-san?"
"...I'm planning to inherit my parent's business."
"She failed three subjects. She needs to come for the summer classes."
The group of four girls talked about their struggles. It didn't take long before they noticed the brief silence and the two performers with mango boxes.
"Nee-chan?"
Seika Nijika, Ijichi's younger sister, was startled as she saw Ijichi with a serious look. The two sisters shared the same yellow hair and scarlet pupils. Even so, their auras are vastly different.
"You're finally here."
"What's going on?"
"Just watch. You'll understand why."
She pointed towards the two strange men.
"Isn't that a—?"
Gotou Hitori, or rather, Bocchi, recognized the Les Paul at first glance. It is fairly similar to her father's vintage guitar—one that costs 300,000 Yen—but is different at the same time.
She already noticed the modifications done to the guitar itself.
Coincidentally, she met gazes with the lead guitarists.
'..?'
She doesn't know why, but she felt as if he was saying 'Hear this!' to her.
Bam-!
With a strange opening, they played a song on their 'break'. It immediately gave off a disorganized and chaotic vibe. Yet, a semblance of 'harmony' could be discerned from it.
The lead guitarist's fingers danced on the guitar. The song demanded an extremely swift speed with little to no breaks, in which the man delivered well.
"That is..?!"
Eruption.
One of the few songs she took months to master. The 106-seconds long guitar solo proved to be a tremendous challenge.
However, it didn't end just that.
The man had, surprisingly, exceeded the original solo's length. It was his original work that surpassed beyond its duration.
Even then…
"Ah."
A custom Les Paul.
A mango box.
A guitarist and a drummer.
Something stuck to Bocchi. While the others are shock-stricken by the absurd guitar solo he played, a realization hit her.
"Is he..?"
"Bocchi-chan?"
Her friend, Ikuyo Kita, asked her with a concerned tone.
"...Yes?!"
"Are you alright..?"
"Y-yes. I was just surprised by their performance."
"Isn't it?! For some reason, it sounds awesome!"
"Because… it is."
"Yamada-san?"
The blue-haired Ryo intervened.
"To understand this better, it originated from Eddi Van Halen. He was crowned as the God of Guitars in his time based on his godly skills on a guitar. The one we have listened to, Eruption, is extremely hard to perfect. I don't know about the part beyond the 100-second mark, but it is the most perfect Eruption I have heard."
The bassist's encyclopedia side sprang up. When the topic is a guitar or a bass, she would often display a wide array of knowledge about it.
"Yamada's correct."
Ijichi spoke up after she broke out of her immersion.
"For someone to play that well… He should've played on a Dome. I don't know why he chose to play in a place like this."
"A dome?!"
(A/N: Playing on a Dome is one of the biggest accomplishments in Japan. That includes Tokyo Dome, which is the equivalent of Wembley Stadium in Britain. Playing in a Dome is one of Bocchi's dreams, as seen in the anime and manga.)
"...I-I understand…"
Bocchi's gaze remained steadfast to the lead guitarist.
"Phew… That's a nice break." He spoke. "Now that everyone's here, let's proceed to our next song… Loser."
With each song, Bocchi became more and more certain that he is someone that she knew.
"The last song… God Knows."
"..!"
By the time their performance ended, the viewers gave them their loudest round of applause. They managed to hear the entirety of this mind blowing performance… for free at that!
Soon, the two performers entered the practice room.
'If he is really..!'
Gathering her courage, Bocchi sprinted towards the said room.
"Bocchi-chan?!"
Shocked by her sudden actions, her bandmates followed her. It didn't take long to see Bocchi standing still in front of an opened door.
Just as they were about to ask her what happened, the appearance of the lead guitarist from earlier entered their sight. His pure white hair became slightly messy due to the mango box. Still, his golden pupils remained as clear as ever.
"It's been quite some time. I see you managed to make new friends?"
At this moment, the god of guitars reunited with the god of introverts.
*****
A/N: Here are the full names of the songs they played in this chapter.
That Band - Kessoku Band
Misread, Mislead - Omoi ft. Hatsune Miku
Fireball To You - Omoi ft. Hatsune Miku
Shunrai - Kenshi Yonezu
Eruption - Eddie van Halen
God Knows - Haruhi Suzumiya
As for the other thing...
By the time of writing this, it is already Christmas Eve. In that note, do be prepared for the traditional Christmas Omake this year. I did the outerversal Padoru last year, so I wonder which idea I would like to play around for now. I already have a couple of ideas on what to write for it.
Other than that, Happy Holiday~!