"Speaking of which, did this band change their guitarist? This isn't the same person as before, right?"
"Yeah, I think not, but he plays really well!"
"Right!"
Those two audience members whispered loudly by each other's ears, oblivious that their conversation had already reached the ears of the beautiful girl next to them.
After a song ended, the audience erupted in excited cheers and applause.
"Hello everyone, we are the 'Corpse Band'!" the lead singer yelled with a smile, and the audience responded with cheers.
The name 'Corpse' in Japanese actually means a dead body, and using such a name for a band can only be described as very rock and roll.
Contrary to the grim band name, the lead singer was very humorous, throwing several self-deprecating jokes to the crowd. Each time, the band members would chime in to tease him, making the audience burst into laughter and admire their great rapport.
However, Chiyoko could see clearly that the lead singer had no interaction with Kagura Hikaru, their exchanges limited to glances.
Their relationship didn't seem bad, but they seemed distant, like friends who had just met by chance, clearly a temperature difference compared to other band members.
He introduced Kagura Hikaru last.
"This last guitarist is our special guest today—Mr. Kagura! He was roped in as a substitute for the poor fool who got food poisoning, so let's give him a round of applause!"
The lead singer spoke with a stifled laugh, making the audience less serious, with clapping, cheering, and whistling all around.
Kagura Hikaru, holding his guitar, calmly bowed slightly to the audience, neither aloof nor warm, resembling a statue.
Chiyoko was sure that even if his mask were pulled down now, there would still be an expressionless face beneath it, his indifferent demeanor seemingly unshakable by anything.
In the art of maintaining a poker face, Kagura Hikaru was evidently a match for Chiyoko, perhaps even surpassing her.
After a short comedic interlude, the band quickly moved into their second song, maintaining the high standard of the first.
After the performance ended, they waved and exited the stage amidst applause.
About three minutes later, Chiyoko saw Kagura Hikaru walking towards her, guitar case on his back, removing his mask.
"Have you been waiting long?"
"Not really."
The third band was now setting up on the stage, comparatively quiet compared to during performances, making it possible to speak without leaning too close to each other.
"Congratulations, the show went really well." Chiyoko looked at him and said, her eyes showing a bit more equal respect than before, "Being a hired guitarist, is this why you refused to join the Disciplinary Committee, are you making money with this?"
"Well, you could say that."
Kagura Hikaru's tone was ambiguous, as if confirming yet not quite.
Looking at him, he seemed to be wrestling with himself, whether to admit this was a side job.
In truth, he didn't particularly enjoy being on stage; he just liked playing the guitar, and taking it as a part-time job just happened naturally.
"Does doing this pay well?" Chiyoko asked again.
"Are you very curious?"
Kagura Hikaru glanced at her, the Chiyoko now more talkative than the one inside the school.
So, did the 'Suspension Bridge Effect' work after all?
In a strange, unsettling environment, Chiyoko's only familiar person was Kagura Hikaru, naturally leading to dependency, thus increasing her fondness for him.
No matter how difficult Chiyoko might be, as long as she was human, she could never escape psychology.
"Asking about someone's income is quite rude, Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee." he glanced at Chiyoko, but eventually told her, "It's about a bit over 20,000 yen per show."
Reliable freelance guitarists weren't many to begin with, and the better the skills, the higher the price, which made Kagura Hikaru a real bargain, so even a high school band like Red Pepper Band could afford to hire him.
But with the likes of Kagura Hikaru, who had great skills but chose not to join a band or dive deep into music, roaming around, it was less about making money and more about experiencing life.
If money had genuinely been the goal, he could have easily signed with a music company and debuted. With Kagura Hikaru's looks and skill level, it would be hard not to become famous.
In the end, owning an almost omnipotent "Golden Finger," most things he wanted to do were bound to succeed, and money was rather secondary.
At this stage, he hadn't truly decided on his future yet.
Having too many choices actually made it difficult to choose, a luxury problem that was now Kagura Hikaru's.
"Twenty thousand a gig, isn't that a lot?"
On hearing this, Ayakoji Chiyoko gave a smile that wasn't quite a smile, her eyes seeming to say how thick his face was, "You're just a high school student, right?"
Twenty thousand a gig, even if it were two gigs a day.
At that rate, it'd be forty thousand a day, one hundred and twenty thousand a month; he could buy a new car after just two months.
Even in the high-priced Island Nation, a monthly salary of a million yen certainly wasn't low, far exceeding the national average monthly salary, and probably on par with some big company executives.
At least Ayakoji Chiyoko acknowledged that finding an equivalent paying job in a short period, without relying on her family's connections, would indeed take a lot of effort.
"Not really," Chiyoko replied.
Kagura Hikaru calmly looked back at her, "At least, I think it's probably nothing compared to what the President gets for pocket money."
"That's not money I earned myself, nothing to be proud of."
"..."
So she really does have that much.
"You're done working for now, right?"
"Yeah."
Ayakoji Chiyoko threw her empty cola cup into the trashcan, "Then let's go, it's too noisy here; not a place to talk."
Today Ayakoji Chiyoko had met him outside school, not to enjoy a concert by Kagura Hikaru.
She obviously had something to say.
And it was a topic not suitable for discussing at school.
Kagura Hikaru followed Ayakoji Chiyoko out of the livehouse, and at the entrance they ran into members of Corpse Band who had just played with him; they were also leaving.
They originally wanted to invite Kagura Hikaru for a meal or something, but seeing the stunningly beautiful and even more intimidating Ayakoji Chiyoko by his side, they suddenly found themselves speechless.
"Uh, looks like you and your girlfriend are busy with something else then, so we'll be heading off first, hope to collaborate again soon."
The lead singer of Corpse Band sheepishly said goodbye, leading his teammates and their equipment away, leaving Kagura Hikaru disheveled in the wind.
'Your girlfriend'? What's with saying such things?
I might be fine, but you could really get killed for that.
Kagura Hikaru slowly turned his head and as expected, saw Ayakoji Chiyoko's face, cold as the Arctic Ocean, her eyes dark, seemingly contemplating some terrifying murder plot.
"..."
"..."
"They have a solo concert the day after tomorrow, let him be happy for a few days, kill him later."
"?"