Chapter 115: Fans (Part 2)
Hiroi Kikuri's arrival seemed to be the first of many guests.
Before Ishikawa Hayato could reach the three, footsteps came from upstairs again.
He looked up to see two mature women in youthful, fashionable clothes. From their appearance, he knew they were here for the performance.
Ishikawa Hayato felt a little relieved.
If no one had come, he wouldn't have known what to do.
Finally, some proper guests had arrived.
Although they weren't as drenched as Hiroi Kikuri, they still looked a bit disheveled.
They probably intended to wait for the rain to lessen before coming out, but then realized the rain had no intention of stopping, so they had to brave the downpour.
If this was the case, more and more people would come later, right?
As Ishikawa Hayato thought this, he couldn't help but feel that these two were familiar.
Just as he remembered their identities, he heard them call out happily.
"Kessoku Band, everyone! This is great, I was wondering what we'd do if there was no performance because of the rain."
Ishikawa Hayato immediately responded with a smile.
"Of course there will be a performance! Welcome, ladies, what can I get you to drink?"
He said, returning to his old profession, as if to snatch the job from the temporary staff Seika had called in, and walked towards the bar.
"Eh, Ishikawa-kun, they are..."
Apparently, not everyone was like Ishikawa Hayato, able to clearly remember the appearance of two people wearing different clothes from a week ago.
As Ishikawa Hayato walked, he smiled and pointed back at Kita, saying dismissively,
"Kita! You're too cold! These are people who came to see our performance!"
The three's expressions quickly changed from confusion to joy, and even Ryo, who had little interest, showed surprise.
"Really?!"
Kita exclaimed, and beside her, Hitori's azure eyes widened as she looked at the two.
One of the chestnut-haired women smiled and said,
"We are fans of Kessoku Band! We fought the typhoon, not letting it stop us to come to today's performance!"
Ishikawa Hayato handed them the drinks they had just ordered, and hearing what they said, he bossed them around.
"Great! Since you two are the first and second to arrive, I bestow upon you the titles of Fan Number 1 and Fan Number 2!"
Kita's expression froze when she heard Ishikawa Hayato's impolite words, and she quickly tried to stop him.
"Wait..."
But her words were drowned out by the joyful voice of Fan Number Two.
"That's great!"
Kita stared blankly at them.
'Was that even allowed?'
Kita, who had always maintained a proper social distance, once again had her common sense rewritten by Ishikawa Hayato.
The two fans walked over and began to converse with the four members of the band.
"Will you be performing 'that band' today? I want to hear it again."
"Me too! Did you all make an album CD?"
"I'm sorry... not yet, but we'll start making one as soon as possible."
Kita, of course, wouldn't say that they currently didn't have the money to make a single album.
"In that case, be sure to let us know!"
"By the way, you can follow our band's social media accounts. You'll be able to see any future performances or events we will hold."
"Really? That's wonderful!"
As Kita happily began promoting the band's social media accounts, her peripheral vision suddenly caught a blue figure gradually approaching.
Looking closely, Ryo was stealthily walking over, carrying their merchandise display stand.
Kita immediately understood what Ryo was about to do.
Her eyes widened in disbelief, and she screamed inwardly,
"Ryo-senpai! What are you doing? Stop it, don't come over!"
As if a god had heard her thoughts, Ishikawa Hayato suddenly darted over, put an arm around Ryo's neck, and led her aside.
Fan Number 1 and Fan Number 2 looked back because of Kita's reaction, but saw nothing, and they showed puzzled expressions.
Nijika also came out from backstage not long after.
She was a little confused when she saw Kita talking animatedly with two strangers.
But after coming over and hearing Kita's explanation, she broke into a genuinely bright smile and joyfully joined in the conversation.
Even Hitori didn't hide.
She listened nearby, and when Fan Number 2 praised her guitar playing, she even looked elated.
The arrival of Fan Number 1 and Fan Number 2 injected a shot of adrenaline into them, giving them spirit and vitality.
They couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation, hoping for more people to come.
The people who bought tickets that day were far from just these two.
It would be great if more came.
They hoped this was a good start, but they didn't expect this was the end.
Until the very end, no other people who had bought their tickets came to the venue.
...
In the dressing room, the five waited.
As a newly formed Band with no reputation, even though Seika had acknowledged their performance, she still didn't dare to put them in the crucial position of headliner or closing act.
But she also had a selfish motive, giving them an opening slot that would truly test their mental strength and allow them to recognize their own abilities.
If they experienced the difficulties of performing and the hardships of being in a band from the beginning, the path ahead would be much smoother.
However, she hadn't expected a typhoon to arrive.
This could no longer be considered a mere test.
It was a sharp stone that would break a precious sword.
Ishikawa Hayato leaned against the corner of the dressing room wall and yawned.
When they left the venue, they noted the number of guests.
It was still under 20 people.
This was fewer people than on a weekday, and even fewer than when there was no performance at all.
Kita was also very anxious. She took out her phone again to check the upcoming weather forecast.
She hoped the sky would clear up, and more people would come.
However... looking at her phone, she told Nijika, who was looking at her questioningly,
"The rain seems to be getting heavier."
"Worse than now?" Nijika's brows furrowed slightly.
"Yes..."
Ryo was sprawled on the table, resting her head on her arms, pretending to sleep.
Ishikawa Hayato saw her eyes, which had been half-open, darken when she heard this news.
He felt they were agonizing over something meaningless again.
He clapped his hands, attracting their attention.
"Don't worry about those things. We're already here. From now on, it has nothing to do with the weather, the audience, or anything else. We just need to perform well."
"Mm."
The two also looked resigned.
Hitori saw that even Ishikawa Hayato couldn't uplift the two of them.
She felt a moment of disappointment but quickly perked up.
She put on her full gear and shouted,
"J-just as Hayato said, we just need to perform well! And there are people, who specifically came to hear us perform, waiting!"
Nijika and Kita, startled by Hitori's sudden reaction, looked over.
Hitori had put on her sparkling star sunglasses, a fake mustache, two banners, and even her Guitar, looking as if she was ready to go on stage like that.
"Please, don't wear that!"
Nijika desperately tried to stop her.
While Hitori, Nijika, and Kita were bickering, Ishikawa Hayato walked over to Ryo, who was sprawled on the table.
He patted Ryo's shoulder and said to the girl, who tended to sleep when she was down,
"Don't worry, there won't be any problems."
"What are you talking about? I'm just sleepy."
Ryo mumbled, shrinking her arms and curling up tighter.
Ishikawa Hayato said softly with a smile,
"Then I'm not mistaken. So I'm talking to someone who's nervous in her sleep?"
"You're just a junior."
She said defiantly, then turned her head, presenting the back of her head to Ishikawa Hayato, but she gave a sense of being somewhat relieved, like a child who had hidden too well in hide-and-seek finally being found.
However, she still couldn't bring herself to get up from the table.
But there wasn't much time for her to dawdle; the performance time was almost here.
...
The four girls gathered at the entrance leading to the stage, checking the situation in the venue one last time.
This was Kita's first time performing on stage like this, and encountering such a situation for the first time made her inevitably nervous.
Seeing that the number of people hadn't changed from before, she couldn't help but feel regret.
"It's almost time for the performance... As expected, there aren't many guests..."
Nijika saw the situation and their only two fans, feeling both regret and anticipation.
"But there are also fans of other bands, and everyone will watch our performance."
Ryo also offered comfort, saying, "Besides, once it starts, more people should come."
However, the four suddenly heard two people leaning nearby, playing on their phones, conversing.
"Have you heard of Kessoku Band, who's performing first?"
"Never heard of them, not interested either, but I still have to watch, how boring."
The four's gazes suddenly froze.
Ishikawa Hayato walked forward, knocked on the door, and in their stunned gazes, he closed the door.
The four immediately backed away.
"Haha... We just formed and only had one street performance, so don't be discouraged."
Nijika turned to comfort the three.
Kita was about to agree, but Ishikawa Hayato reached out and flicked Nijika's forehead, then Kita's, and then Hitori's.
When it finally came to Ryo's turn, she covered her forehead herself, but still suffered the attack.
"Time for the show to begin."
he said with a smile.
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