“That song… I originally sang it for Ijichi-san.”
Those words were impossible to ignore.
After hearing them, Nijika found herself at a loss for words—unsure of what to say, or even what to think.
Even as Aoki Kei turned and walked out of STARRY, she still hadn’t come back to her senses.
It wasn’t until her older sister nudged her and said, “Hey, snap out of...
2025-07-30 20:47:01 +0000 UTC View PostAlthough it might be a bit inappropriate given her age and professional role, Hiratsuka Shizuka had, in fact, seen "Gushing Over Magical Girls."
Let’s put the anime aside for now.
After getting thoroughly scolded by Hiratsuka-sensei and being ordered to rewrite his essay, Aoki Kei finally left the staff room.
As mentioned during his time at the Service Club, there w...
2025-07-30 20:46:01 +0000 UTC View PostAoki Kei couldn't help but feel wronged under the heavy, resentful glare from Hikigaya Hachiman.
Turning toward Hiratsuka-sensei, he gave her a puzzled look.
After declaring, "Aoki, you're in charge of escorting Hikigaya," she paused.
Noticing his confusion, Hiratsuka continued with an explanation.
"This brat has no respect for me whatsoever. I assigned the class an essa...
2025-07-30 20:45:01 +0000 UTC View PostIn Tokyo, around 9 PM.
Nijika lay on her bed, wide awake and feeling just a little bored. With nothing better to do, she idly scrolled through her phone.
For who-knows-what time now, she tapped once again on that PV from the vinyl record label about a rock band project, letting it play while she stared at the screen in a daze.
The video was halfway through whe...
2025-07-30 20:44:01 +0000 UTC View PostYamada Ryo considered her relationship with Aoki Kei to be… well, pretty decent.
In Japan, only people who are close use first names or nicknames.
So the nickname “Suki-san”—taken from the “Kei” (介) in Aoki Kei’s name was kind of a big deal.
If Aoki Kei ever asked if he could call her “Ryo,” she probably wouldn’t say no.
But suddenly calling out her...
2025-07-30 20:43:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe so-called “life consultation” ended up being more like a one-sided roast session where Hiratsuka-sensei got emotionally wrecked.
After that… the whole week passed by without incident.
Kei went to school and came home like usual.
He also kept up his band training at the live house.
On a side note, thanks to the song “So I Gave Up on Music” going vir...
2025-07-30 20:42:01 +0000 UTC View PostCalling it a “life ta;l” felt a bit too formal.
But the problem was, Hiratsuka-sensei didn’t look like she was joking.
Aoki Kei couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d done something wrong—something bad enough for her to come at him with this kind of serious energy.
He mentally reviewed everything he’d done since enrolling at Shuuka Private High School.
Aside ...
2025-07-30 20:41:01 +0000 UTC View PostAs promised to Nijika, Aoki Kei planned to re-record the song “So I Gave Up on Music”—the one he performed on stage at STARRY—and upload it to YouTube in the next few days.
————————————————————————
Sunday.
Unlike Saturday, he woke up much earlier.
With nothing better to do ...
2025-07-30 20:40:01 +0000 UTC View PostAround 8 p.m.
In the small 1R apartment he rented, the wooden table had been pushed aside, and a neatly laid futon now sat next to it.
Aoki Kei stood in front of the room’s only window, his gaze resting on the night sky outside.
Even at night, the city lights never truly dimmed.
The city lights still flickered in the distance, and even though his apartment was in a so-...
2025-07-30 20:39:01 +0000 UTC View PostAfter Aoki Kei’s performance, another band took the stage.
But because his set had left such a powerful impression, the atmosphere didn’t quite pick up again.
Once the second band finished, STARRY began ushering people out and preparing to close for the night.
Unlike their usual routine, the girls didn’t stick around to practice afterward.
One by one, they headed h...
2025-07-30 20:38:01 +0000 UTC View PostAfter a quick conversation with manager Ijichi Seika about performing a solo piece on stage, Aoki Kei’s request was granted.
His skills spoke for themselves, and since there was still a slot open, the manager—though hesitant—agreed.
And so, just a few minutes later, Aoki Kei stepped onto the stage with his guitar in hand.
The stage, which was spacious enough to accommoda...
2025-07-30 20:37:02 +0000 UTC View PostEven in early June, the rain still carried a chill—when it landed on your skin, you could feel its cold bite.
It was Saturday, the sky was overcast, and the temperature outside hovered around 20°C.
Because it was the weekend, Aoki Kei didn’t wake up particularly early.
He stirred around 9 a.m., and since it was already late, he skipped breakfast.
After a quick wash ...
2025-07-30 20:36:00 +0000 UTC View PostAfter school that afternoon, Kita Ikuyo headed alone to STARRY in Shimokitazawa.
Other than Nijika, the rest of the band hadn’t arrived yet.
After a moment’s hesitation, Ikuyo decided to share with Nijika what she had found out at lunch from Hikigaya Hachiman—about Aoki Kei.
Nijika fell silent upon hearing the news.
After a long pause, she finally spoke with a conflic...
2025-07-30 20:35:01 +0000 UTC View PostKessoku Band passed the audition, and their performance was tentatively scheduled for next Saturday—one week from now.
Before the live show, though, each band member had to sell five tickets.
Since Aoki Kei had no intention of performing on stage, this requirement didn’t apply to him.
The weekend passed by in a flash.
The new week brought dreary weather.
Clouds...
2025-07-30 20:34:00 +0000 UTC View PostLet’s set aside Kita Ikuyo’s little “romance detective” game for now.
As for the Kessoku Band’s ensemble practice…
Nijika had arrived early to start rehearsing at the store.
After Aoki Kei and the others showed up, they practiced for a while, and around 2:30 PM, Bocchi-chan finally arrived, fashionably late as usual.
Just like they had discussed earlier, afte...
2025-07-30 20:33:01 +0000 UTC View Post“‘Lemon’... the original version?” Kita Ikuyo blinked, momentarily confused.
Yamada Ryo nodded beside her.
“Yeah. The composition and lyrics were all written by Suki-san.”
“Huh?” Kita’s eyes widened with disbelief.
The original creator of that song was right next to her? That felt way too surreal.
After all, Lemon wasn...
2025-07-30 20:32:01 +0000 UTC View Post“!”
Kita Ikuyo froze the moment she heard Yamada Ryo confirm it.
After quickly turning back to her friends and saying, “Sorry, something came up. You guys go ahead without me,” she briskly walked…..more like jogged over to the two of them.
“A-Are you guys really dating already?! H-How long has it been?” she asked, glancing between Yamada Ryo and Aoki Kei.
A...
2025-07-30 20:31:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe next day—weekend.
Aoki Kei woke up early. With not much else to do, he picked up the book “100 Essential English Phrases for Daily Use” and began reviewing.
Thanks to provoking Yukinoshita Yukino the previous day, he had received a reward from the system: the [Language Learning Aptitude].
Since gaining this skill, reading the phrasebook had become significan...
2025-07-30 20:30:04 +0000 UTC View PostThanks to Yukinoshita Yukino’s provocation, Aoki Kei readily accepted the wager she proposed.
The terms were simple: whoever ranked higher in the next school exam would be declared the winner.
If Yukino lost, she would have to offer a proper, formal apology.
Kei didn’t really care about the apology itself, nor whether it was formal.
What mattered to him was dignity.<...
2025-07-30 20:29:00 +0000 UTC View PostAs Aoki Kei’s words hung in the air, Yukinoshita Yukino stared at him one part confused, two parts shocked, and three parts stunned. Unlike
As Aoki Kei’s words hung in the air, Yukinoshita Yukino stared at him one part confused, two parts shocked, and three parts stunned.
Unlike before, the system's response was instant.
Just as his final word landed, a crisp notification ...
2025-07-30 20:28:01 +0000 UTC View Post“Hey... Aoki,” Hachiman Hikigaya hesitated slightly as he followed Aoki Kei down the hallway. “All those people talking about you... Doesn’t it bother you at all?”
Aoki adjusted the guitar case on his shoulder and shrugged.
“What could it possibly do to me? It’s not like their gossip will peel my skin off.”
Whispers, judgmental stares, and careless chatter that...
2025-07-30 20:27:01 +0000 UTC View PostEver since joining Kessoku Band, Aoki Kei’s daily life had become noticeably more relaxed.
He no longer needed to spend most of his time working part-time jobs, and now had much more freedom in how he spent his days.
Sure, the consequences of that choice might hit him two months from now, but Aoki Kei didn’t care.
He chose to enjoy the present.
————...
2025-07-30 20:26:00 +0000 UTC View PostThough he always spoke confidently about there being no punishment for failure, Aoki Kei knew very well, if he couldn’t lead Kessoku Band to success in the PVC Records project, his future might literally involve grazing grass in the median strip.
Tokyo’s greenery was relatively clean and hygienic, sure—but that didn’t mean he wanted to eat grass again.
Still, even with the p...
2025-07-30 20:25:01 +0000 UTC View PostEvery now and then, the usually quiet Love Obstacle Simulation Game would suddenly throw three options at Aoki Kei, prompting him to make a choice.
He still hadn’t figured out the pattern—it all seemed completely random.
Like right now—
Because of something Ijichi Seika said, three new choices suddenly flashed before Aoki Kei’s eyes.
He quickly scanned t...
2025-07-30 20:24:01 +0000 UTC View PostAlthough the process (and the outcome) wasn't exactly ideal, Aoki Kei still managed to become an official—well, sort of official member of the Service Club.
Hiratsuka-sensei had mentioned, “With Aoki Kei joining, it'll be easier to handle requests,” but once Yukinoshita Yukino agreed to the arrangement, Hiratsuka did everything she could to make it easier for Kei.
In the end, ...
2025-07-30 20:23:02 +0000 UTC View Post"Come with me to the Service Club after school today."
With that brief instruction, Hiratsuka-sensei ended their conversation as the class bell rang and walked off.
Aoki Kei gave a silent nod and returned to the classroom.
Only one class remained before lunch.
After it ended, Kei grabbed a pineapple bun from the school convenience store for a quick meal, then rested his ...
2025-07-30 20:22:01 +0000 UTC View PostWhether or not to quit his part-time jobs and seriously pursue PVC's original rock band project—that decision, for now, was something Aoki Kei chose to set aside.
Tempting as it was, he couldn’t help feeling a little hesitant.
For the time being, after bookmarking the video, he mentally shelved the whole “Be Original / Rock Band Project.”
After finishing shifts at the ...
2025-07-30 20:21:01 +0000 UTC View PostMay 27th.
Only a few days remained before Tokyo officially entered the rainy season, but the air had already grown humid — as if the season had quietly arrived ahead of schedule.
Always one to be prepared, Aoki Kei brought an umbrella with him on his way to school that morning, just in case.
Unfortunately, even after the entire day had passed, there wasn’t a single drop of...
2025-07-30 20:20:02 +0000 UTC View PostDespite being extremely confused, Nijika chose not to press the question aloud.
After Aoki Kei paused and turned around, Yamada Ryo the one who had called out to him said something.
She stepped aside and rummaged briefly through her bass case.
A few moments later, she pulled out some bills of various denominations.
“Suki-san, here’s the money I borrowed when I bought...
2025-07-30 20:19:01 +0000 UTC View PostCompared to blindly chasing trends, Ryo Yamada valued individuality far more.
To her, giving up her identity just to chase popularity was no different than death.
So when she heard Bocchi-chan mention, “I tried imitating the trending pop songs lately,” and then Nijika add, “Studying other people’s styles might be a good idea,” she couldn’t help but feel a little...
2025-07-30 20:18:01 +0000 UTC View Post