Chapter 22: Performance (4)

...The next day, when she arrived at school, Kita Ikuyo still didn't know whether she should go.

What if they had problems due to a rushed performance? Wouldn't she just be watching them make a fool of themselves?

She arrived in her class and saw Ishikawa Hayato getting along extremely well with everyone. She glared at him fiercely.

He looked embarrassed, hunched his shoulders, and clasped his hands, repeatedly begging for mercy.

It was lunchtime.

"Kita-chan, what kind of bento do you have today?"

"I didn't say I'd share it with you."

Kita Ikuyo chatted casually with her friend, but the corner of her eye caught a pink figure quickly passing by outside the class.

She moved lightly, with a sense of excitement, as if she was anticipating something.

But more than the pink tracksuit, the guitar on her back attracted Kita Ikuyo's attention.

'A guitarist...' "Sorry, I'm going out for a bit."

Kita Ikuyo immediately put away her bento and chased after that figure.

From the hallway, to the stairwell, to the bottom of the stairs.

The figure disappeared.

Kita Ikuyo's mind was full of questions.

How could she lose her in such a short distance? After doubting her life for a while, she heard a guitar sound.

A guitar sound like a deep, wailing song... Hitori arrived at her safe place, full of joy.

Gotou Hitori couldn't suppress the excitement in her heart. She took out her guitar, connected the small amplifier, power supply, and various cables.

Let's practice first.

She casually played a tune with techniques like sweep picking, tapping, and hammer-ons/pull-offs.

"Hmm, no problem."

In the lingering sound of the guitar.

She put down her guitar with satisfaction, turned her head, and looked forward to Ishikawa Hayato's arrival.

'Would Ishikawa-kun be surprised when he heard it? Ah, but he's probably already seen the videos online.'

Thinking this, Gotou Hitori suddenly exuded an aura of despair, as if she was about to die.

However, as soon as she turned her head, she saw a dark figure in front of her. The figure spoke with sparkling eyes.

"Amazing!"

Gotou Hitori was startled, then let out a sigh of relief.

What, it's just a ghost.

"You're Gotou-san from Class 2, right?"

The dark figure revealed her true identity. Kita Ikuyo squatted in the small space, cupping her face, smiling as she asked Gotou Hitori.

"Ah ah ah ah!"

Seeing that it was Kita Ikuyo, Gotou Hitori was instead so frightened that she twisted and deformed, flying directly onto the wall, clinging to it like Spider-Man, with an expression as if she had seen a ghost.

Kita Ikuyo was startled.

To be honest, she was also hurt. She didn't quite understand why Gotou-san, after coming to her senses and seeing her, was so scared.

"Um... Gotou-san?"

Gotou Hitori, clinging to the wall with her heart pounding, panicked for a while. Seeing Kita Ikuyo's awkward expression, she realized she had made a very rude gesture.

She climbed down from the wall, thought for a moment, and then cautiously knelt down in a dogeza.

"At least, at least let me live until I finish playing before you do anything!"

She cried out with a sobbing voice.

"Before I do anything?"

Kita Ikuyo tilted her head in confusion, but she immediately realized that Gotou Hitori had misunderstood something, so she didn't dwell on it.

"Gotou-san, your guitar playing is so cool! How long have you been learning?"

Gotou Hitori got up from the ground, looked at Kita Ikuyo, and blinked, feeling that the other person didn't seem to mind. She relaxed a little and slowly sat up straight.

She said softly.

"Th... Three years."

"That long!"

Kita Ikuyo covered her mouth in surprise, then immediately realized her words could be misinterpreted and quickly explained.

"Actually, I wanted to ask Gotou-san for a favor."

As she spoke, she thought of Gotou Hitori practicing for three years, and how she herself, knowing nothing about the Guitar, dared to join a band. She couldn't help but feel a bit guilty.

She lowered her head.

"I used to think practicing guitar was easy. I joined a band, but today is the performance, and I don't know how to play the guitar at all."

She raised her voice and earnestly pleaded with Gotou Hitori.

"Please, Gotou-san, can you fill in for me!"

"Eh..."

Gotou Hitori let out a sigh full of hesitation.

At this moment, Gotou Hitori's phone rang.

She didn't realize it was her own phone ringing, but instead looked at Kita Ikuyo.

Kita Ikuyo froze for a moment, then reminded her.

"Gotou-san, your phone is ringing."

"Ah, sorry."

Gotou Hitori surprisingly and doubtfully took out her phone, then got up and climbed out of this small space, avoiding Kita Ikuyo.

Kita Ikuyo, seeing her like this, quickly said.

"It's okay, don't mind me."

No, I just wanted to take the opportunity to escape... Gotou Hitori didn't dare to refuse. She sat in place and looked at the call. It was someone she didn't know. After much hesitation, she answered.

[ "This is Gotou-san, right? I'm Ishikawa Hayato. Congratulations on making a friend. I'm watching you from the top of the stairs, so I won't disturb you. Next time, please allow me to listen to you play. Also, I apologize, I just got your phone number from the teacher." ]

Ishikawa Hayato finished his words like a cannon, without giving Gotou Hitori a chance to reply, and directly hung up the call.

Gotou Hitori was stunned for a long time before she blankly looked up the stairwell.

She saw a slender, elegant hand waving at her in dazzling light, as if carrying the dust of heaven, then moving up step by step along the stair railing, slowly retracting.

The feeling of this beating heart.

What is this, I'm so happy... 

'So Ishikawa-kun really did come, and he even congratulated her on finding a friend—even if it wasn’t exactly...'

She retracted her gaze.

For some reason, a sense of urgency arose in her heart, an eagerness to change herself.

She wanted to be able to say yes the next time Ishikawa-kun asked her to join a band.

She looked at Kita Ikuyo, who still had an earnest, pleading look in her eyes.

After hesitating for a while, she gathered her courage and spoke to this person she had just met.

"Ah... um... I've never played in front of anyone else..."

Kita Ikuyo listened and lowered her eyelids in disappointment. Just as she was about to express understanding, she heard Gotou Hitori say.

"If you don't mind, I can..."

"It's okay! The seniors, they..."

Kita Ikuyo immediately leaned forward excitedly, but her sunny smile only bloomed for an instant before slowly receding.

"They shouldn't be too strict, right...?"

She hesitated again and lowered her head.

"Eh..." Gotou Hitori nervously leaned back.

"At least let the seniors listen. Gotou-san plays so well, it will definitely be fine."

Kita Ikuyo encouraged her.