…
A few days later…
Today was a free day for Ai-Chan, so she was out walking through the streets with Ado and a new friend.
Hitori: "I-Is it really o-okay for m-me to c-come with you guys?" she asked timidly.
Ado: "What's the problem, little one? We're not going to eat you..." she said with a teasing grin.
Ai: "Mooh! Ado-San, don't be like that with Pochi-Chan! Can't you see you're scaring her?" the small girl with violet hair complained from the side.
Ado: "Whatever..." the girl said, paying no further attention as she lazily placed both hands behind her head.
Hitori: "P-Pochi?" she asked, confused.
Realizing her slip-up, Ai quickly covered her mouth, but it was already too late. She laughed a bit sheepishly and spoke.
Ai: "Hehe, sorry, Hitori-Chan, I heard Tadano-nii give you that nickname, and it stuck because it was so cute..." she said, playfully sticking out her tongue.
Ado: "Cute? That sounds more like a dog's nickname..." Ado said, rolling her eyes.
Ai: "Ado!" the small girl protested.
Ado: "Oh, come on, it's just..."
Hitori: "I like it! I-It's cute..." said the pink-haired girl.
Ado: "Eh? Really?" the girl responded, a bit taken aback.
Hitori nodded.
Ai laughed, holding her head high in victory.
Ado: "Whatever... so, Idol-Sama, where exactly are we going?" she asked.
Ai: "Eh? I was following you..." she said with a confused look, a question mark forming above her head.
Ado: "..."
Ai: "..."
The two looked at each other with silly expressions.
Ado: "Please tell me you at least know where we are..." she said, raising a trembling finger.
Ai: "O-Of course I know! We're in... in... eh?" At first, she seemed confident, but after looking around and not recognizing the area at all, she could only make a dazed expression.
Ado: "Looks like I'll have to call the boss..." said the navy-haired girl, pulling out her phone.
However...
"..."
The phone didn't turn on.
At that moment, Ado remembered that she hadn't charged her phone.
Both girls panicked and began blaming each other.
Meanwhile, Hitori was mesmerized as she watched a giant screen playing one of Ai's concerts.
Her eyes sparkled with awe as she saw the guitar solo, played by none other than the Wandering Musician—whom she now knew was the young man she had met at school.
Hitori dreamed of one day reaching that level, surrounded by cheering fans.
Ai: "Chan... Pochi-Chan..."
Hitori: "Eh?!"
Hitori was startled, snapped out of her daydream.
Ai: "Mooh～ Pochi-Chan really gets lost in thought when it comes to guitars..." said the violet-haired girl, pouting.
Hitori: "S-Sorry..." she said, looking a bit down.
Ai: "Ah! No... No need to feel bad, Pochi-Chan." Ai said nervously, seeing Hitori deflate.
Once Pochi… Cough Hitori was back to her normal state, Ai continued.
Ai: "As I was saying, Ado-San found an interesting place, so we're going to check it out, okay?" she said, pointing to Ado beside her.
Hitori: "O-Okay, then I'll stay here..."
Ai: "What are you talking about? You're coming too!" she said, puzzled, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Hitori: "Eh? But I..."
Hitori couldn't finish because Ai had taken her hand.
Ai: "Hmph! A good friend won't leave another friend out of the fun! If we're going to have fun, we'll do it together, and if we get caught, then we'll all get caught together!" she said with a mischievous grin.
The girl felt strange being called a friend by someone else, but it wasn't a bad feeling.
Not long after, the trio of girls arrived at a set of stairs that led downward.
At the bottom, there was a door and a sign in red and blue:
"Starry"
Ado: "Is it a bar?"
Ai: "A club?"
Hitori: "A restaurant? Though it looks a bit scary..."
The three heads came together, trying to figure out what this gloomy place could be.
Then, an exclamation mark appeared above Ai's head.
Ai: "Oh, right! I remember now! Tadano-nii gave me the mission to find a place called Starry!" said the violet-haired girl, raising her hand in the air.
Ado: "Isn't this supposed to be your day off?" she asked.
Ai: "Cough H-He gave me the mission a few days ago... hehe," she said, trying to avoid Ado's piercing gaze.
Hitori just trembled at how eerie the place looked until she felt a small hand pulling her.
Ai: "Come on, let's go in together. Remember! Whether it's fun or scolding, we'll face it together!" she said, trying to sound cool.
Ado: "If we get scolded because of you, I'm taking your pudding from the studio fridge!" said the girl as she started down the stairs.
Ai: "That's not fair! Ai worked hard to get that handmade pudding from big brother!" shouted the small girl as she followed her down.
Hitori smiled, feeling happy to be surrounded by such a fun pair of friends.
…
Inside Starry…
The place was small, and despite the good lighting, it still seemed a bit gloomy. Various posters of bands were stuck on the walls, along with a collection of records and alcohol.
Most of the space was taken up by a small stage that was fairly well-equipped.
In one corner, there was a small bar offering a variety of food and drinks.
At a wooden table sat two visibly distressed girls.
One had long blonde hair tied in a ponytail on her left side, with healthy pink skin and ruby-red eyes. Her name was Ijichi Nijika, a guitarist with the dream of forming her own band.
Next to her was her best friend and bassist of their yet-to-be-formed band, Yamada Ryo. She was a girl with short dark-blue hair, dark yellow eyes, and pale skin.
Both girls were depressed; the extra guitarist they had found had told them she couldn't join, but they had already reserved a spot to perform.
They tried to find a replacement but couldn't, and now, they were less than an hour away from their performance, with only the two of them.
Nijika: "Uuuu... I guess this is the end of the band..." she said sadly.
Ryo: "We tried, right? Maybe it wasn't our time?" she said from the side.
Nijika: "But I want to get on stage!" she said stubbornly.
Ryo: "Maybe if I learn the cloning technique from that manga, we can perform!" she said with renewed vigor and started making hand signs.
Nijika: "That only works in manga!" she said, rolling her eyes, but smiled at how hard her friend was trying.
At that moment, the door opened.
Ai: "Oh! It's gloomy and creepy..." she said, amused.
Ado: "Don't insult other people's places!" the girl said, giving Ai a small smack on the head.
Ai: "That hurts, you know! And don't hit Ai's head! What if Ai becomes stupid?" she said indignantly.
Hitori, on the other hand, smiled warmly.
"It feels like home..." she thought to herself.
…
Author's Note: "Here's another chapter, hope you all enjoy it! Remember to drink plenty of water and that I love you all. Sincerely, your favorite depressed author."
------------------------ nwnr