So, are you really not considering performing at a bar?
With me there, nothing will happen.
Yukinoshita Haruno could still hear that certain someone's voice nagging in her mind, tirelessly trying to persuade her to bring her guitar and perform at a bar.
And if she agreed, then maybe—just maybe—he could talk her into having a few drinks of tequila or whiskey while she was at it.
Hmph, we'll see~
With a smile on her face, the short-haired girl walked down the hallway after school. The black guitar case on her back had practically become a part of her daily look.
Even without speaking out loud, Hayashizaki could sense the amusement in her words.
He had a feeling he was being strung along.
Had this girl been getting a little too full of herself lately?
Haruno was just about to head to the activity room Hiratsuka Shizuka had given her permission to use for guitar practice.
But suddenly, her steps faltered.
Before she knew it, her body turned on its own and started walking in the opposite direction.
She immediately tried to resist, struggling against the demon inside her for control of her own movements.
This resulted in an awkward, stiff walk—her limbs moving unnaturally, her steps becoming clumsy and uncoordinated.
She looked utterly ridiculous.
The most important thing was that her steps hadn't stopped the way she had wanted them to. It was as if her body was moving on its own.
Oh no, wrong, wrong!
The short-haired girl quickly begged for mercy in her mind, and only then did Hayashizaki let her go.
"Alright, alright, I'll go. This weekend, okay?" Yukinoshita Haruno coaxed, as if she were talking to a child.
"Good." A satisfied voice echoed in her mind.
Having achieved her goal, Hayashizaki waited until Yukinoshita Haruno was practicing in the clubroom before casually suggesting, "You know, you could work as a freelancer."
"A freelancer?" The short-haired girl paused her playing, raised her hand, and curiously looked at the mouth that had opened on the back of it. "Tell me more."
"There are a lot of underground music venues—kind of like clubs—where bands perform. If a band happens to need a guitarist, you could step in as a temporary member."
"I see." Yukinoshita Haruno nodded thoughtfully.
"Somewhere like Shimokitazawa, with its strong music scene, probably has a lot of those places," Hayashizaki said. "What do you think? Want to check it out?"
"Right now?" Yukinoshita Haruno glanced at the clock. Club activities weren't over yet, and it was still early…
"We'll get there in no time," Hayashizaki said with a smile.
"Then let's go!"
Yukinoshita Haruno didn't hesitate any longer.
…
Riding on her owl shikigami, she soared over Tokyo, taking in the city's scenery as she leisurely made her way to Shimokitazawa in just over ten minutes.
Landing on the rooftop of a random apartment building, Yukinoshita Haruno gracefully hopped off Nue's back with her guitar case slung over her shoulder.
She was getting more and more used to traveling this way. She didn't even need her family's driver to take her to and from school anymore.
After making her way down to the street, she pulled out her phone and searched Google Maps for the nearest underground music venue. Once she confirmed the location, she headed straight for it.
In music-heavy Shimokitazawa, a stylish young woman with a guitar case on her back wasn't anything unusual. But thanks to her striking looks, she still drew plenty of attention along the way.
After politely turning down a third guy who tried to chat her up, Yukinoshita Haruno finally arrived at her destination—an underground venue called "Rose Coast."
The entrance had a "Closed" sign hanging on the door, but it wasn't locked. It was probably left open for performers.
She pushed the door open and stepped inside. The lighting immediately dimmed, and it took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust.
The venue was spacious. Besides the stage and audience area, the layout was pretty much like a bar. With a place like this, she might not even need to visit that bar she had promised the demon.
At the entrance, there was a ticket counter. Behind it sat a woman with an eyebrow piercing and wavy, ombré-dyed hair, lazily scrolling through her phone.
Hearing the door open, the woman spoke without even looking up. "Sorry, we're not open yet."
"I'm a guitarist. I came to see if any bands need a fill-in." Yukinoshita Haruno smiled.
That made the woman finally lift her head. The moment she laid eyes on the short-haired girl, a flicker of surprise flashed in her gaze.
What she saw was an exquisitely beautiful face. The slight arch of her brows and the subtle curve of her lips formed a reserved yet captivating smile. Her dark, bright eyes gleamed like twin stars in the dim venue, drawing people in without them even realizing it.
Whose little lady is this? She's gorgeous.
Aside from being stunningly beautiful, there was something else about this short-haired girl—an air of grace and elegance that seemed completely out of place in a rock setting.
And yet, the guitar case on her back made her intentions clear.
"Well, in that case, go on in." The woman at the counter didn't overthink it and simply let Yukinoshita Haruno through. Then, with a friendly smile, she added, "Want something to drink? It's on me."
"Then I won't say no."
In an instant, something about the girl's demeanor subtly shifted. A barely perceptible sharpness flickered through her gentle expression.
She spoke in a low, steady voice. "A whiskey, please."
As soon as those words left her mouth, her elegant and noble demeanor instantly shattered.
The receptionist froze for a moment, feeling as if the girl in front of her and the one from just a second ago were two completely different people.
She couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle. "You're quite the joker, little sister. You're still wearing your school uniform. I wouldn't want the police shutting this place down before the show even ends."
So, she was just a rebellious noble girl. That explained everything.
"A glass of orange juice will do, thanks." Yukinoshita Haruno smiled slightly, her graceful aura returning.
"Alright, no problem." The receptionist nodded and stretched her neck toward the bar, calling out, "One orange juice for this lovely young lady!"
"Got it!" came a reply from inside.
She smiled at Yukinoshita Haruno. "Go on in. If I remember right, there's a band inside whose guitarist couldn't make it. You showed up at just the right time."
Yukinoshita Haruno nodded and headed into the performance hall.
"Your orange juice, beautiful lady." The bartender slid over a chilled glass with a smile.
"Thank you." Taking a sip, Yukinoshita Haruno asked, "I heard from the receptionist that there's a band missing a guitarist."
"Oh, you mean Ko and his group? They're over there, in the corner." The bartender pointed in their direction.
Following his gaze, Yukinoshita Haruno saw three people sitting in the corner of the audience area below the stage.
Two guys and a girl. One of the guys was anxiously talking on the phone, while the other two sat on small stools, looking completely dejected.
"No, she can't make it. She's sick and has a fever." The guy on the phone shook his head helplessly.
"What do we do about the performance?" The only girl in the group sounded like she was on the verge of tears.
"We have no choice. We'll have to back out this time."
"This was supposed to be our band's first live performance. Are we really just going to give up like this...?" The other guy clenched his fists, unwilling to accept it.
Just as the three fell into silence, a crisp and pleasant voice rang in their ears.
"Are you missing a guitarist?"
To the three who were desperate to make their debut performance happen, this voice was like music from heaven.
"Yes!" The guy leading the group looked up in surprise, answering immediately.
But the moment he saw the short-haired girl smiling warmly at him, the rest of his words got stuck in his throat.
"I can fill in as your temporary guitarist," Yukinoshita Haruno said casually. She was used to this kind of reaction—most people were like this the first time they saw her.
"Uh, uh... Th-thank you! This really helps!" The guy, who had been speaking fluently just moments ago, suddenly started stuttering.
After taking a deep breath, he managed to regain his composure and introduced himself along with the other two band members.
"I'm Ko Murakuchi, lead guitarist and vocalist."
"This is Ryoko, our bassist, and this is Sho, our drummer."
"I'm Yukinoshita Haruno, Yotsuya Miko." Yukinoshita Haruno nodded. "Let's not waste time. What songs are you performing?"
"Two popular songs. We don't have any original songs yet..." Ko Murakuchi admitted a little sheepishly.
"That's fine. If it's recent popular songs, I should be able to play them." Yukinoshita Haruno smiled. "Shall we do a quick rehearsal now?"
"Ah, y-yeah! Sure!"
In just a few short exchanges, the short-haired girl had already taken control of the conversation, making it feel like she was naturally stepping into the leader's role.
Part of it was because her breathtaking beauty had left the three young musicians completely stunned. But more than that, her confident and composed demeanor made them instinctively feel like she was someone incredibly skilled—like a seasoned pro stepping in to help.
They were so taken aback that they didn't even notice her school uniform. Their attitude toward her became noticeably more respectful.
In reality, all three of them were already university students—they were the real seniors here.
But Yukinoshita Haruno had no intention of correcting them. This setup worked to her advantage—it would save her the trouble of dealing with unnecessary clinginess later on.
In Japan, seniority holds a lot of weight.
If these people found out she was just a first-year high school student, who knows what kind of attitude they'd take toward her?
The rehearsal went smoothly. These three were definitely beginners—Haruno Yukinoshita guessed they hadn't been playing for long. The drummer was the only one who stood out as slightly more skilled.
The vocalist had a nice voice, but their guitar playing left much to be desired.
As for the bassist… well, it didn't really matter. Bass players don't usually stand out, so even if they weren't great, it wouldn't be a big deal.
Haruno Yukinoshita's guitar skills completely won over the three newcomers, firmly establishing her position as the senior member.
Time flew by during practice, and before they knew it, the sky outside had gone completely dark. The live house was about to open for the night, and quite a few guests had already taken their seats in the hall, ordering drinks as they waited for the performances to begin.
There were four bands scheduled to perform tonight, and Haruno's group was second in the lineup—a comfortable spot.
The first band up seemed to be regulars at this venue. Their members were all experienced musicians who easily got the crowd hyped with their original songs.
The audience was already warmed up. As long as Haruno's group performed at a decent level, even a few small mistakes wouldn't matter.
After three original songs, it was finally Haruno's band's turn.
With her expensive ESP guitar slung over her shoulder, Haruno Yukinoshita stepped onto the stage with complete confidence. In contrast, the other three looked noticeably nervous.
The bassist, Ryoko, was even shaking.
"Uh, we're… Phantom Noise! Th-This is our first time performing live, our debut show! We hope you all enjoy it!"
Murakuchi Kō's voice trembled slightly as he introduced the band, then they launched into their first song.
The drums started first, but almost immediately, Haruno Yukinoshita's eyebrows twitched slightly.
The drummer was offbeat.
Oh well. It's their first performance, so it's normal to be nervous and make mistakes.
She barely even hesitated before relaxing again.
Despite the rough start, the drummer quickly realized their mistake and got back on track.
The first half of the performance went relatively well, and the audience gradually got into the groove, enjoying the music.
But things started falling apart in the second half—mainly because of the vocalist.
Whether it was because it was his first live performance or because he felt pressured standing next to a stunning senior like Haruno, Murakuchi Kō couldn't sing as well as he had during rehearsals. His mistakes threw off the drummer and bassist, who also started slipping.
The audience picked up on the inconsistencies. People started whispering to each other.
"What's going on? Is he too nervous?"
"They're making a lot of mistakes. Even if they're beginners, shouldn't they have practiced more before performing?"
"The biggest issue is definitely the vocalist… he still sounds too inexperienced."
The audience's reactions naturally affected the performers. Already nervous, the three of them started messing up even more under the weight of the negative atmosphere.
Haruno Yukinoshita let out a quiet sigh.
Then, suddenly, her fingers moved faster. Like a butterfly dancing between flowers, her fingertips flew across the guitar strings, completely breaking away from the song's original arrangement and forcefully taking over the rhythm.
The already shaky performance crumbled instantly under her aggressive move.
Murakuchi Kō was so stunned that he completely forgot to sing.
But the audience didn't care whether he continued or not. All of their attention was drawn to Haruno's commanding guitar play.
For the rest of the song, it was no longer a band performance—it had turned into Haruno Yukinoshita's solo show.
…
The performance ended, and Yukinoshita Haruno gave a quick greeting to the still-stunned trio before getting ready to leave.
Before heading out, she ordered another glass of orange juice and paid for two, making up for the one the bartender had covered earlier.
At some point, the bartender had been replaced by the receptionist from before.
She looked at the short-haired girl with interest, a slight smirk on her full lips. "That was some wild playing. I've never seen a guitar with such a strong presence before. Hey, little miss, interested in becoming a regular here?"
"No choice, really. Things were already falling apart, so I figured I might as well go all out," Yukinoshita Haruno shrugged. "But becoming a regular is a no-go. I still have school."
"Oh? I thought you were in your rebellious phase?"
"Rebellious phase, huh? Haha, well, you're not wrong," Yukinoshita Haruno laughed. She finished the last sip of her orange juice and waved goodbye to the receptionist, who was also the owner of *Rose Coast*. "If I have time, I'll drop by again."
Leaving the underground live house, Yukinoshita Haruno walked through the streets of Shimokitazawa with her guitar case slung over her shoulder. A loud growling sound interrupted the quiet night.
"I'm starving."
She had told her family earlier that she wouldn't be home for dinner, but because of the performance, she hadn't eaten anything yet.
Just as she was about to find a random place to eat, an old man in a white robe stopped her.
"Excuse me, sir, can I help you?" Yukinoshita Haruno asked politely.
"Young lady, do you believe in faith?" The old man's hand trembled slightly as he pulled out a printed flyer from his robe and handed it to her.
She took a glance at it and frowned. "Star Religious Sect?"
"Sorry, I don't believe in these things."
After politely declining the invitation, Yukinoshita Haruno folded the flyer and walked past the old man.
What a bizarre cult. Food comes first.
…
That noisy summer—
---
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