June 11th, Saturday.
A little past six in the morning.
"Alright, I'm heading out now. Don't oversleep."
"Mmm, yeah, yeah... Take care on the way."
Chisato leaned over the bedside. Utaha, conscious of the fact that she hadn't brushed her teeth yet, struggled to turn her head away, but in the end, he still managed to steal a kiss.
"Utaha tastes like strawberries today."
"Idiot."
Utaha reached out and ruffled his hair roughly.
Last night, Chisato had kept his promise, stopping at just the right moment when Utaha was on the verge of exhaustion.
Because of that, she wasn't as tired as usual—just a little worn out. After a good night's sleep, she had fully recovered.
Though... When did this guy learn that trick of sticking his head under the blanket…?
Thinking back on it now still made her feel embarrassed. But she couldn't deny that it had felt really good—so much so that she almost wanted to do it again…
Chisato didn't linger too long in the warmth of the morning. After a brief farewell kiss, he stepped out of the house.
Outside, he unexpectedly ran into his neighbor, Yukinoshita Yukino, who was leaving at the same time.
Their eyes met for a fleeting moment before both quickly looked away.
They shared a silent elevator ride down, neither saying a word.
Once they exited the apartment building, they went their separate ways. Chisato breathed in the fresh morning air and stretched in satisfaction.
The weather today matched his mood—bright and sunny. Though, because of that, the temperature would probably be quite high.
The hat Iroha had given him before finally came in handy, shielding him from the sun and preventing glare.
Just as planned, he arrived at the Starry store around seven o'clock.
The shop was already open, so he walked right in.
Seika was slumped over the counter, half-asleep. Because of her posture, the back of her T-shirt was slightly pulled up, revealing a bit of her waist.
He hadn't expected the usually cool-headed store manager to have such a girlish side—truly a rare sight.
For a moment, Chisato wondered if he had somehow become the protagonist of a romantic comedy light novel, with fortunate events continuously happening one after another.
Last night, it was Ryo. This morning, it was the store manager. Who would it be next?
"Time to wake up, Manager."
Chisato deliberately greeted her loudly, successfully waking up Nijika.
She groggily lifted her head, her half-open eyes looking unfocused.
To be honest, after getting used to her usual expressionless face, seeing her like this was kind of adorable.
He had the urge to reach out and pinch her cheeks, but that would undoubtedly earn him a painful retaliation, so he restrained himself.
Holding back a chuckle, he walked behind the counter, grabbed a bottle of soda, twisted it open, and handed it to her.
"Since you're already up, don't go back to sleep. Once everyone arrives, we can head out."
"Haa—"
Seika took a sip of the drink, waking up a bit more.
"Are you sure you're okay driving us like this?"
Chisato looked at her condition and couldn't help but worry.
"You really didn't drink last night, right?"
Seika rolled her eyes at him.
"Do you take me for an idiot? Today is the most important performance of my little sister's life. Do you think I wouldn't take it seriously?"
"But you look pretty unconvincing in your current state."
"It's just that I haven't woken up this early in years. My biological clock is protesting against me. Give me a little time to adjust, and I'll be fine."
"...I really appreciate your effort."
Chisato glanced around the store. The meeting time was set for eight, so it was understandable that the others weren't here yet. But where was Nijika?
As the band leader, she had been so excited last night—there was no way she would still be in bed now.
Seika seemed to know what he was thinking and explained.
"She went out to buy breakfast for us. Since eating at the festival venue might be inconvenient, she's also getting lunch."
"I see. But she has a performance later—shouldn't she be saving her energy? I could've gone to buy it once I got here."
"I said the same thing, but that idiot didn't care and just ran out the door. She looked like she had plenty of energy, so don't worry."
As they chatted, Seika was gradually waking up. She stretched her arms above her head, arching her back in a big stretch, causing her shirt to lift again.
Well, now he had seen both the back and front views—consider it a complete experience.
A tiny ribbon bow… Who would have thought the store manager had such a cute side?
"Alright, since you're here, let's not wait for the others.
Let's start moving. I'll bring the van around from the parking lot, and you go to the practice room to bring out the instruments. Once everyone's here, we'll leave immediately."
"Got it."
Chisato nodded. This was his job to begin with.
Originally, he had planned to transport the instruments to the festival venue the night before, as many people did.
But since they had a car to help, it was still manageable to do it this morning.
As long as nothing unexpected happened.
Just as he was carrying Nijika's drum kit outside, Ryo arrived—the very person who had accidentally sent a revealing photo last night.
She, too, looked exhausted, yawning repeatedly. After a brief greeting, she immediately collapsed onto the couch in the practice room.
Next to arrive was Hitori. She wanted to help him move the instruments, but after repeated refusals, she finally gave up.
Finally, Nijika and Ikuyo arrived together, chatting and laughing as they entered the store.
Now, the group is complete.
After a quick breakfast in the shop, they all piled into the van.
Destination: Yoyogi First Gymnasium, the festival venue!
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