The First Gymnasium is located within Yoyogi Park, covering an area of approximately ninety-one hectares.
This gymnasium, originally built for the Olympic Games, has in recent years hosted countless concerts by singers and bands.
It is no surprise that it was chosen as the venue for a music festival expected to draw a large crowd.
Although Seika had been yawning non stop since early in the morning, looking as if she hadn't gotten enough sleep, she miraculously drove very steadily.
Thankfully, the road was clear, and they encountered no traffic jams along the way, allowing them to reach the music festival smoothly.
After parking, the group worked together to move their instruments to the designated location.
The festival site was already packed with people. Even though the event hadn't officially started, all kinds of people had gathered, chatting and laughing, creating a lively atmosphere.
There were also many staff members wearing headsets, moving around to offer assistance while maintaining order and safety.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly—except for the unexpected situation that Chisato had been worried about.
They had arrived at the venue in advance, followed the staff's instructions to rest and wait backstage at one of the stages, and brought all their instruments with them—everything was in place.
The problem arose at the most critical moment.
"Cough—"
Ikuyo covered her mouth with her hand, turning to the side as she let out a soft cough.
Chisato narrowed his eyes in concern as he watched.
He had already noticed something was off when they gathered at Starry earlier in the morning.
Although Ikuyo had done her best to hide it, her condition was obvious enough that it couldn't escape the notice of others.
During the car ride, the other members of Kesshoku Band had picked up on her occasional coughing and realized that she had caught a mild cold.
When confronted directly, Ikuyo knew she couldn't hide it any longer.
She repeatedly apologized and assured everyone that she was in good shape, promising that she would not let this affect the performance or waste the effort they had put into preparing for the festival.
Still, given her condition, her reassurance could only do so much to ease their worries.
But the others were considerate enough not to show their concerns outright.
Everyone in Kesshoku Band was kindhearted. More than the success of the performance, they were more worried about their bandmate's well-being.
Nijika was the first to offer a reassuring smile, telling Ikuyo not to push herself too hard. The remaining members, Ryo and Hitori, quickly chimed in as well.
There was still some time before they went on stage, so she could take a short break and adjust.
"Ikuyo, have some of this. It'll soothe your throat."
Chisato jogged off to a vending machine and returned with a warm drink, handing it to Ikuyo.
Though it was only a small gesture after the cold had already set in, he couldn't just do nothing.
Given the circumstances, this was the best-case scenario.
Even though her sneezing and nose-blowing made it look bad, the most important thing was that her voice hadn't been seriously affected.
The priority now was to keep her condition from worsening.
"Thanks…"
Ikuyo murmured her gratitude weakly. It was clear she was struggling.
Chisato suspected that her physical discomfort was only part of the issue. More than that, she was likely feeling guilty and anxious about the upcoming performance.
Worrying about what would happen if she didn't perform well. Worrying that she might drag the entire team down, wasting all the effort they had put into practice.
As the band leader, Nijika had taken her older sister to confirm the final schedule with the staff.
Ryo was adjusting the equipment.
As for Hitori, though she stayed by Ikuyo's side, her timid nature made it difficult for her to find the right words to offer comfort.
Chisato reached out and patted her head.
The two of them shared a special understanding—just a simple gesture, along with a glance, was enough to communicate without words.
Hitori immediately scooted a little closer to Ikuyo, making room for Chisato to sit down.
"No need to be so formal. But speaking of today, Ikuyo, you must have been looking forward to this for a long time."
Ikuyo forced a smile, lowering her gaze as she traced the rim of her warm drink with her fingers.
"Yeah… These past few days, I've even been dreaming about the moment we take the stage. Standing there together, giving it our all, hearing the cheers of the audience…
Our efforts are paying off. That's how it was supposed to be. But now… it's all my fault… I'm such an idiot…
At such an important time, I couldn't even take care of myself properly."
Hitori, looking worried, grabbed Ikuyo's shoulders. She wanted to say something to comfort her but couldn't find the right words.
The concern on her face, however, said enough.
Chisato glanced at the two of them before turning his gaze forward again.
"Yeah, Ikuyo, you really messed up this time. I always thought that, aside from the band leader, you were the most reliable one. I never expected you to slip up like this."
"..."
Hearing his words, Ikuyo lowered her head even further, mistaking his remark as blame.
The atmosphere became heavy in an instant.
Hitori anxiously looked back and forth between them, unsure of what to do.
Of course, that wasn't the way to comfort someone. Chisato wasn't the kind of person who only knew how to criticize when problems arose.
A band was a team. Even when things went wrong, they should face the challenges together instead of singling someone out to bear the burden alone.
So, in the next moment, Chisato continued with a twist.
"That's why it's all Ryo's fault. If she hadn't suggested you take a bath to help you sleep, you wouldn't have stayed in the bath so long that your body overheated.
And then you wouldn't have gone to bed without covering yourself, catching a cold overnight."
"Eh…?"
Ikuyo lifted her head in surprise, her expression clearly saying, "How did you know?" She hadn't told anyone exactly what happened the night before.
"So I guessed right, huh? I've had the same experience a few times myself—dozing off in the bath and going straight to bed without thinking.
I didn't catch a cold, but I did end up with a stomach ache the next day."
"Suzumiya-kun has had unreliable moments like that too?"
Ikuyo seemed to perk up a little.
"Of course. I just hide it well enough that you guys don't notice."
Chisato said as he gestured for Ryo, who had just finished adjusting her instrument, to come over.
"What's up?"
"We were just discussing how, if you hadn't suggested the bath idea to Ikuyo last night, she wouldn't have caught a cold. This is all your fault."
"Huh!? Wait, hold on—"
Ikuyo was just about to say something when she heard Chisato speak, but Ryo immediately exaggeratedly dragged out a long "Eh—" with a pout.
"This isn't really my fault, is it? If we really have to blame someone, it would be more accurate to blame Bocchi-chan."
"Huh?"
Hitori, who had been playing the role of an unnoticed background character, pointed to herself in confusion, not understanding how the topic had suddenly involved her.
Ikuyo also looked on in confusion, waiting for an explanation.
Ryo spread her hands, "Because if Bocchi-chan hadn't brought it up in the group chat last night, we wouldn't have ended up discussing that matter at all."
"I see, that makes some sense."
Chisato glanced at Hitori, who looked flustered.
Ikuyo hurriedly spoke up, grabbing onto Hitori's arm beside her, "No, no, that's strange! My mistake has nothing to do with Bocchi-chan!"
Ryo put her hands on her hips, "That's true, but if we trace it back further, if it weren't for that idiot Nijika creating the group chat in the first place, we wouldn't be able to chat as a group, and in that case, you wouldn't have caught a cold on the day of the big music festival."
"That's completely ridiculous! That reasoning makes no sense!"
Ikuyo couldn't accept it.
At that moment, Nijika returned just in time to hear Ryo's statement. She silently crept up behind Ryo and pressed her fingers into Ryo's sides.
"Geez, Ryo, where do you get the confidence? Calling others idiots when you're one yourself."
"Haha, Nijika… stop it, that tickles!"
"Um, maybe you should stop. You might get hurt."
Hitori stood up, trying to separate the two entangled girls.
Ikuyo stared blankly at them, then turned her head to look at Chisato, who remained calm and composed.
Though his words seemed casual, the effect was undeniable.
Just like at Starry, everyone was still laughing and having fun, just as always.
No one blamed her for her health condition, nor did anyone worry that she would drag them down.
Just like when she first joined the band, when Nijika said those words to reassure her—
"...But my guitar skills aren't great, and my singing is just average."
"It's okay, it's okay! You don't have to be perfect. We just need to give it our all and perform with a happy heart."
Recalling those words, her heart no longer trembled with excessive worry and fear.
The encouraging and joyful smile that Nijika had back then was now reflected in another person's face, right beside her.
"Just like in practice. Even if Ikuyo can't keep singing because of her cold, Ryo and Nijika will help.
The more critical the moment, the more we need to rely on each other. That's the true meaning of a band."
As Chisato slowly raised his fist, the dim light in Ikuyo's eyes gradually returned, restoring her usual energetic self.
She also raised her hand into a fist and gently bumped it against his.
"I understand."
"After we get through these next two days, let's find a restaurant to celebrate."
"Yeah!"
…
After making sure Ikuyo had regained her spirits, Chisato walked out from the backstage area and headed to the restroom to wash his face.
Although the issue with the band's lead vocalist's mindset was temporarily resolved, the overall situation was still not optimistic.
A person's health is not something controlled by sheer willpower—otherwise, hospitals wouldn't need to exist.
Ikuyo's cold was still a real issue. It might improve later, or it might worsen. No one could say for sure.
If her condition deteriorated, and her voice weakened after singing a few songs, the backup plan was to have Ryo take over.
But everyone has their specialties. While Ryo was undoubtedly an exceptional bassist who could even perform technical showcases with Hitori, her singing skills… were just average.
She completely lacked the emotional impact that Ikuyo had. The same went for Nijika.
As for Hitori, it wasn't even worth considering—she could follow along and sing a few lines with Ikuyo, but asking her to take the lead was definitely pushing it.
If things really went that badly, their hopes of placing in the competition would be completely dashed.
They needed a backup plan. Even without considering the system's rewards, Chisato had to think about the band's morale.
He had seen their hard work with his own eyes, and he didn't want this festival to end with disappointment.
"What's with that serious face? You're scaring people."
Lost in thought, Chisato suddenly felt an arm wrap around his neck from behind, followed by an incredibly soft sensation on his shoulder.
It was Seika.
Ever since arriving at the festival, she had quickly transitioned from her sleepy morning state to being highly energetic, seemingly influenced by the lively atmosphere.
Chisato lightly patted her arm, signaling her to let go.
"Manager, you keep saying you're afraid, but your actions say otherwise."
"What are you talking about? I just saw how well you did as a manager, encouraging Ikuyo like that. Now she's even more into you."
"Don't treat a girl's feelings like some cheap thing. I just spoke the truth; I didn't do anything special."
"But doesn't it feel rewarding? Being able to so easily influence a young girl's emotions… or something like that."
"Stop making it sound so misleading, like I'm some host trying to scam women out of money."
"Actually, I've always thought you'd do pretty well in that industry. At least in terms of ability, you'd pass with flying colors."
"Thanks, I'll take that as a compliment."
The two continued their casual banter as they walked toward the backstage area.
Though called "backstage," it was really just a small section partitioned off behind the stage set up in the plaza.
Chisato didn't know how other festivals operated, but for this one, the format was simple and easy to understand.
The venue was divided into multiple sections, each with its own performance stage. Different invited musicians or bands performed at scheduled times on designated stages.
Audience members could use the timetable given at entry to find the performances they wanted to watch.
Then, before the festival concluded tomorrow evening, the main stage at the center would host an awards ceremony where the winners would be announced, followed by their speeches.
"There are still over two hours before their performance. How about checking out some other bands with me?" Seika suggested.
Chisato thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"Can I borrow some of your time instead, Manager?"
"Huh? Sure, but what for?"
"Come with me, and you'll see."
Seika, puzzled, followed Chisato. After wandering around a bit, she realized he was leading her to the parking lot.
Seeing Chisato open the van door, get in first, and then urgently motion for her to follow, some questionable thoughts suddenly flashed through her mind.
She hesitated, fumbling for words to ask something, but before she could speak, Chisato hurriedly said, "We don't have much time, let's go!" and pulled her inside.
The van rocked slightly before settling into stillness.
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