In a cafe on Ginza's commercial street, the servants of the Shinomiya family had already delivered the speakers, amplifiers, and other equipment needed for the open-air performance.
At the same time, Katou Megumi also brought the promotional poster she had asked Eriri to draw, which featured four girls holding instruments, and below was the Kessoku Band's logo.
Uchiha Ryo looked at Bocchi-chan, who was sitting there looking lost.
"It's going to be your guitar solo later. Good luck. If you mess up, we won't help you."
The already shy Bocchi-chan thought about having to play a solo in front of dozens or even hundreds of passersby in the commercial plaza....
I can't! I can't do it! I absolutely can't do it....
Hayasaka Ai chewed on her straw. "Bocchi-chan, you're not thinking something like, 'I can't! I absolutely can't do it,' are you?"
Bocchi-chan: "....."
Katou Megumi stepped forward to try and comfort the nervous Bocchi-chan, but it was useless. Judging by Bocchi-chan's current state, getting her on stage by herself would be harder than ascending to heaven....
Uchiha Ryo shook his head helplessly, then took out another guitar from the performance props sent by the Shinomiya family.
"How about this. I'll go up with you."
Bocchi-chan's eyes lit up, while Hayasaka Ai looked at the boy in surprise. "You can play the guitar too?"
Uchiha Ryo shook his head. "No, but it shouldn't be hard to learn a song in a few minutes."
Hayasaka Ai didn't speak. She felt that Uchiha Ryo was becoming more and more of a genius, a genius that even Shinomiya Kaguya might find hard to rival.
Bocchi-chan looked at Uchiha Ryo. After a long while.... she uttered her first rebuttal against Uchiha Ryo.
"No... it's impossible... The guitar isn't that simple. If you've never touched a guitar before and want to learn a song in a day or even half a day...."
Uchiha Ryo picked up the guitar. "How will you know if you don't try? Come on, Bocchi-chan. Let me watch you play your Kessoku Band's 'Guitar, Loneliness, and the Blue Planet' first."
Gotou Hitori: "Oh... okay."
Because the cafe was closed, there were only four people and one cat in the shop. And facing Uchiha Ryo, Hayasaka Ai, and the others, Bocchi-chan didn't seem to have that nervousness.
After she finished playing the song, Hayasaka Ai and Katou Megumi applauded.
Katou Megumi nodded. "Mhm, as a pure layman, I think it sounds really good. That should be enough, right? After all, most of the audience are laymen like me."
Hayasaka Ai smiled. "Not just that. Bocchi-chan's skills are very mature because she's been practicing guitar for several years, right? Even music lovers who often listen to guitar would appreciate this solo."
Bocchi-chan was a little embarrassed by the praise. One of her bad habits was that she wasn't used to being praised. Once she was praised, she would fall into a silly giggling state.
Uchiha Ryo: "Bocchi-chan really played great."
"Ehehehe...."
Bocchi-chan giggled foolishly at the praise, scratching her head and looking at Uchiha Ryo like a child seeking praise. She would probably melt if praised any more.
Uchiha Ryo picked up the guitar. "Alright then, it's my turn. Please enjoy my.... 'Guitar, Loneliness, and the Blue Planet'."
Three minutes later, Uchiha Ryo put down the guitar and said to himself.
"I'll go on stage with you later. But since you're the guitarist of the Kessoku Band, I hope you can perform even better than you did just now."
"....."
Uchiha Ryo: "Hmm? Why did you all stop talking?"
Hayasaka Ai looked Uchiha Ryo up and down. "You... you really haven't learned guitar before?"
Katou Megumi: "I feel like you played just as well as Bocchi-chan."
Gotou Hitori: "Maybe... maybe I should quit the Kessoku Band... I feel like Uchiha-kun is more suitable than me. Ah, I really want to go home—"
Uchiha Ryo stepped forward and gently knocked on Bocchi-chan's head. "I'm not joining the band, and you guys don't need to worry about whether I've learned guitar or not. Now! Bocchi-chan! Pack up your things and head to the commercial street plaza."
Setting up all the equipment, turning on the power. Hayasaka Ai and Katou Megumi helped hold up a board with the promotional poster drawn by Eriri.
Uchiha Ryo gently plucked the guitar strings to test the sound, then turned to look at Bocchi-chan.
"Are you ready?"
Bocchi-chan: "N... no."
.....
Across from the Ginza commercial street plaza, three girls who were shopping looked over curiously.
"Oh my, it's Ryo-kohai and... a group of girls I don't know. Oh, I recognize one of them. It looks like Hayasaka Ai-san from Shuchiin."
Yukinoshita Haruno pulled the two beside her. "What are they doing? Ijichi-senpai, it looks like an open-air performance, right?"
Ijichi Seika looked at Bocchi-chan with a gratified gaze. Has the most troublesome member of the Kessoku Band finally begun to grow?
Hiratsuka Shizuka: "Can that Uchiha kid play the guitar too? He's really quite a genius. Let's go listen."
Yukinoshita Haruno raised her hand. "Agreed. By the way, will Ryo-kohai perform at Ijichi-senpai's music bar?"
Ijichi Seika stopped the two. She knew very well that if she went over, Bocchi-chan might become even more nervous. Let's go check it out after they finish.....
"Just watch from a distance. But can that kid play the guitar too? I really didn't know that."
Ijichi Seika focused her gaze on Uchiha Ryo.
At first, when this unfamiliar beautiful boy appeared at STARRY, Ijichi Seika was worried for a long time, afraid that this kid was after Ijichi Nijika.
But according to Nijika's description, this Shuchiin student named Uchiha Ryo seemed to be Bocchi-chan's friend.
Gotou Hitori's friend?? That Bocchi-chan who is gloomy every day and afraid to interact with strangers? To put it bluntly.... Gotou Hitori is probably a pitiful person living in the shadows in this world.
But Uchiha Ryo is completely different! According to Hiratsuka Shizuka, this kid is also very popular at school. Whether it's academics, athletic talent, or connections, he's a top-tier genius boy.
The confidence and assertiveness shown by Uchiha Ryo at the Shuchiin sports festival were the complete opposite of Bocchi-chan's inferiority and cowardice. And these two people were actually friends?
It couldn't be Bocchi-chan who initiated it, so did Uchiha Ryo actively seek out Bocchi-chan? But what was Uchiha Ryo's purpose!
Simply lusting after her body? That was unlikely. Uchiha Ryo was very popular with girls at Shuchiin. Not to mention anything else, just the other two over there were no less attractive than a well-dressed Bocchi-chan.
"Hiratsuka, why do you think Uchiha Ryo would seriously help Bocchi-chan?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka: "Who knows? But this kid is indeed nice to the people around him, and he has helped quite a few people."
For example, turning an ice sculpture into a silly sculpture, or helping Chitanda recall the past, and pulling the always aloof Yukinoshita into a club and helping her make friends.
Yukinoshita Haruno: "Anyway, I'm very interested in this little junior.... They seem to be selling tickets? Tickets for STARRY? Ijichi-senpai, why don't you give me one~"
Ijichi Seika chuckled. "1,500 yen. Pay up."