Chisato spread his hands and gave an irrefutable reason.
"Because I'm introverted and don't like being in the spotlight. Standing on stage, under those glaring lights, in front of such a large audience—it just feels nerve-wracking."
Seika was amused. She scrutinized him from head to toe.
"Nervous? You?"
The guy in front of her exuded an aura of extroversion, cheerfulness, and sociability from every pore.
He might not be the absolute life of the party, but he was undeniably a highly social person.
For him to claim he was introverted was as laughable as a chain smoker, flashing a mouthful of yellowed teeth, swearing they had never touched a cigarette in their life.
"That's right."
Chisato nodded seriously, determined to stick to this excuse no matter what Seika thought.
Otherwise, who knew how long she'd keep pressing him on this?
"If you don't want to tell the truth, fine."
Seika's expression darkened slightly.
Seeing that she didn't intend to keep questioning him, Chisato breathed a sigh of relief.
He turned to the store shelves, selecting a few different flavors of throat lozenges for Ikuyo to choose from.
Since he was already here, he figured he might as well grab some snacks to reward the other three for their hard work today.
Glancing at Seika waiting outside the store, arms crossed, he initially thought of getting her some beer from the fridge.
But considering she'd have to drive them back later, he scrapped that idea and picked up some oden instead—a large cup filled with simmered ingredients, mostly meat, looking quite satisfying.
From his time working at Starry after school, Chisato had noticed more than once that Seika liked to have oden as a snack with her drinks at the bar.
So, she probably enjoyed it quite a bit, right?
Seeing the oden he handed her, Seika's expression visibly softened as she took it in silence and started eating.
The store manager was easier to deal with than expected.
That thought crossed Chisato's mind as they walked back side by side.
…
Time felt like it hadn't passed long, but it was already nearing 4 PM.
The performers on stage had finished their set and stepped down with a bow, while the closing band was about to take over.
A large crowd had already gathered in front of the stage, with several handmade support signs reading "Kesshoku Band ❤~."
Ikuyo sipped warm water to soothe her throat, making her final preparations before stepping on stage.
The hour-long break in the afternoon hadn't helped her cold at all—in fact, it had worsened.
Her head felt fuzzy, her throat ached terribly, and even drinking water was painful, as if swallowing a rock. It was probably inflamed.
But she didn't dare tell anyone. If they found out, they'd definitely contact the event staff and cancel the performance, wasting this hard-earned opportunity.
There was nothing to worry about.
She had already pushed through the discomfort all morning. Even though she hadn't performed at her best, the atmosphere was still good, and the audience response was enthusiastic.
She couldn't let down the fans who had been looking forward to this.
Clenching her left hand into a loose fist over her chest, she took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, her expression had turned resolute.
The other three members of the band stepped up to her. Nijika reached out her palm, and the others placed their hands on top.
At this point, there was no turning back.
Recalling all their hard work over the past weeks, this music festival had to mean something.
"Everyone…"
Nijika was about to say something motivational when she suddenly realized they were missing someone. She turned her head, and the others followed her gaze.
Chisato exhaled, took two steps forward, and placed his hand on theirs.
Seika, watching from the side, smiled silently.
"No need for extra words. Just charge ahead with everything we've got—so we don't regret it in the future…"
Looking at everyone, Nijika took a deep breath.
"Let's do our best!"
"Yeah!"
The girls cheered in unison.
It was time. With determined expressions, they stepped onto the stage.
Exchanging a glance with Hitori, Chisato leaned in as Ikuyo passed by and whispered in her ear,
"Ikuyo, don't push yourself too hard."
His concern was met with Ikuyo's signature energetic smile.
"Got it!"
The four members of Kesshoku Band took their positions.
As the audience's chatter gradually subsided, Ikuyo gripped the microphone.
"Good afternoon, everyone! We are Kesshoku Band!"
"Woohooo!!"
Cheers and applause erupted once more.
—
On the outermost edge of the crowd, Yukino massaged her temples, overwhelmed by the noise of the crowd's cheers.
She turned her gaze to her sister beside her. Unlike herself, her sister seemed quite interested in the performance, watching the stage with curiosity.
"Sis, when are we leaving?"
"You want to leave already? The festival runs until past 8 PM."
"I can't endure it that long."
"Alright, alright. How about we leave after this performance? It's getting late, after all."
"…"
Unconsciously, Yukino let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Finally, a concrete answer. She just needed to hold out a little longer.
With nothing better to do, she turned her attention to the stage.
Looking at the band performing, she suddenly realized—they were the same group she had watched a few hours earlier.
"Sis, you seem to like this band a lot."
"Hm… I didn't tell you? Your teacher, Hiratsuka-sensei, has a friend whose little sister is the band's leader. See? The one at the drum kit."
Following her sister's pointing finger, Yukino's eyes landed on a blonde girl sitting behind the drum set.
Was that really the only reason for her sister's interest?
Hearing the stage's opening lines, Haruno turned to glance at her sister.
Having grown up together for so many years, only separating in recent times, she knew Yukino inside and out.
Just by her expression, she could roughly guess what she was thinking.
"My interest in this band isn't just because of something superficial like that."
"Then what is it?"
"Well… I think I'll keep that a secret for now. I don't feel like telling little Yukino just yet."
"…"
Yukino immediately lost interest in the conversation.
"Haha, don't be mad. I'm not teasing you on purpose. I just have my own reasons this time. We'll head home soon, so just hang in there a bit longer… Oh, the performance is starting."
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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