Chapter Text
"Gotoh Hitori!"
"AAAAHHH!?!?"
Scared out of her wits, Gotoh Hitori plunged into the nearest garbage dumpster, hiding from whoever had just loudly and firmly called for her name.
"What kind of high school girl would hide in a dumpster!? Come out!"
Like a cat grabbed by the scruff, Hitori was grabbed by the tracksuit collar, and forcefully pulled out from her hiding place. After landing with a soft thud on the ground, she looked up at the owner of the hand.
It was Ohtsuki Yoyoko. Leader of the SIDEROS band, a band her own Kessoku Band was on good terms with. She looked a bit annoyed, a face Hitori often saw her with. Wasting no time, Yoyoko opened her mouth again.
"Gotoh Hitori!"
"Ah! Yes!?"
"Due to... circumstances, our guitarist can't play with us for a while. And we got a live show the next Monday, in a week. And we really need someone that can jump in as a substitute..."
"Ah, I-I see. Th-that's quite a pi-pickle."
Hitori could not help but stammer, a bit scared of Yoyoko's annoyed expression. Like Hitori, Yoyoko was not good at communication, and found it hard to directly ask for what she wanted.
"If some guitarist could just jump in, that would be great..."
"Ah, i-indeed..."
"We really, really need a guitarist to help us out..."
"Ah, I-I see..."
Hitori was not getting the drift at all.
Urgh, she's not getting it all! I got no choice, gotta do it this way then!!
"Gotoh Hitori!"
"Ah! Yes!?"
"You will be the substitute guitarist! Come to FOLT tomorrow for practice! That's an order!"
"AH! YES! SIR YES SIR!!" Hitori blurted out, standing completely straight up for once. Hitori was not a person who could say no to people.
Hitori sent a text message to the rest of the band, telling that she would not be showing up to practice, nor part-time work, for a week, because she was busy. She thought they would be angry with her, if she told the true reason.
The next day, instead of Starry, she headed straight to FOLT in Shinjuku. At FOLT, she started learning the guitar riffs and solos she would need to perform the songs of SIDEROS, and also learning how to perform with these people she had not performed with before.
One thing she struggled with, even with Kessoku band, was communicating with her band members during performance using eye contact. This was something stemming from her social anxiety, like most of her problems in life.
"Gotoh Hitori! Look me in the eyes!"
"I-I-I ca-can't!"
"Look, I also find it hard. But you gotta start using eye contact, if you wanna be a good band member. Let's practice it then!"
Yoyoko, losing her patience, closed the distance between her and the pink guitarist, grabbing her cheek, and gently pulling her head towards her.
"Look me straight into the eyes!"
"Ah! Ok!"
Hitori tried her best to look into Yoyoko's red eyes, but it only lasted for two seconds, before her eyes were directed towards the floor.
"Okay! That was two seconds! Let's try and do it even longer next time!"
"Uuuuh."
"This is for your own good! Now, look me in the eyes!"
Hitori once more directed her pupils towards Yoyoko. This time she lasted two seconds and 300 milliseconds, breaking her old record.
"Slowly, we're making progress here!"
Yoyoko, triumphantly said.
Looking closely, she's actually really good-looking. It's just that those long bangs really hide her face. We gotta fix up those bangs for the live show, her good looks should add something a little extra to our show...
"Yoyoko-senpai, why are you staring so intensely at Bocchi-san?" Asked Akubi, drummer of the SIDEROS band.
Realizing what she was doing, Yoyoko's cheeks flushed crimson.
"I WASN'T STARING AT ALL!!"
"Gotoh Hitori!"
"Ah! Yes!"
"Look at this video from your Guitar Hero channel. The tone from your guitar, it sounds really nice and warm. How do you even do it! Tell me now!"
Now that she had Gotoh Hitori at her disposal, this was a great opportunity to steal her techni---- No. A great opportunity to learn from Guitar Hero, so she could surpass her and her 100k subscribers count.
"Ah. Ok. Fi-first, you gotta unplug your amp, and le-learn to get a good sound even without the amp.... Ye-yes.... and then you gotta angle your fi-fingers like this when plucking.... not, quite like that... ca-can touch your ha-hand...?"
Hitori softly grabbed Yoyoko's hand, helping her with finding a good way to angle her wrist and fingers for the best sound. She was in lecture mode now, like she was when giving Kita guitar lessons. Yoyoko could not help but marvel at the wise advice slowly trickling from the mouth of the usually very anxious guitarist. She found herself lost listening to those words, losing track of time.
"Gotoh Hitori! What are you eating?"
"Ah. Karaage. I-I'm spending all evening practicing here, s-so it's not like I can eat dinner at home. Go-gotta bring some food with me..."
"Obviously! But you're almost always eating that karaage, and washing it down with coke."
"We-well, I like it so--"
"Eating so much deep fried food, and then soda. It can't be good for you. You gotta straighten up your diet!"
"Ah. I-I see"
Hitori stammered. Not understanding what Yoyoko was getting at.
"So I made this salad instead. And you should try it out!"
Yoyoko opened a plastic container containing a salad, picked up a few morsels with her chopsticks, bringing them to towards Hitori's mouth.
Unless I do it this way, she won't try it at all. It's so freaking embarrassing, but it can't be helped. It's for her own good.
"Eh?"
"I said try it out! I-I'm just doing this as pa-payment for that guitar lesson! That's all!"
"B-b-but"
"JUST EAT!"
"YES SIR!"
Hitori obediently opened her mouth, Yoyoko moved the chopsticks towards it, and then Hitori closed her mouth and started chewing on the salad morsels.
"It's good isn't it? And so much better for you than that karaage."
"Nom, nom, nom. Y-Yes"
Yoyoko picked up more from the salad, and started again moving her chopsticks towards the guitarist. However, the moment her mouth opened again, the entrance door of FOLT was opened up, and two other SIDEROS members, Akubi and Yuyu entered the room.
"............."
Yoyoko's hand was frozen in the air.
"Are we..... interrupting.... something?"
"NOT AT ALL!! WE WEREN'T DOING ANYTHING AT ALL!!!"
Yoyoko at this moment, really wanted to copy one of Hitori's signature moves. The one where she hides away in a garbage bin for a while.
"You can't be wearing that pink tracksuit at the live, Gotoh Hitori. Come wearing something black tomorrow, got it?"
"Ah, yes."
The next day, the other three members had all arrived before Hitori to FOLT, and were sitting at the table, when the door suddenly opened, and Hitori came walking in.
".........."
The three band members could do nothing but sit in complete silence, when they saw her outfit.
What the heck is she even wearing. Ok, so instead of tracksuit pants, she's wearing a black skirt, from her school uniform, probably. But where did she even find that shirt. It's a dark shirt just covered in skulls, and chains and some nonsense English words in some really weird font.
"Ehehe. M-my shirt is really cool isn't it. I-I designed it myself."
"That explains a lot," curtly, Yoyoko said.
"Eh?"
Yoyoko really wanted to get those ghastly clothes out of her sight.
"Gotoh Hitori! Take off your clothes this instant!"
"Eh!? ta-take off my wh-what!?"
"Oh my～"
"Yoyoko-senpai is so bold."
Realizing what she just said, Yoyoko's cheek became hot.
"NO! I-I didn't mean it like that! O-Or did mean it like that, b-but not in that---"
Yoyoko buried her face in her hands.
Uuuuurgh. Well, she can't come to the show wearing that. We'd be laughed out of Shinjuku. We can probably find something in our wardrobe that fits her...
It was a Tuesday. On the Monday the day before, Hitori had done her live, as a substitute guitarist for SIDEROS. Hitori felt that she needed an extra day to recharge her social battery, as performing with another band had been exhausting for her. And so, today too she didn't show up at Starry.
The three other Kesssoku Band members were sitting at the table.
"Ah, Bocchi-chan haven't been here in forever it feels like..." Nijika sighed.
"She said she was 'busy' or something, right? Whatever that means..." Kita continued.
Kita was scrolling through Isstagram on her phone, when something caught her eye. Them being on friendly terms, she was following SIDEROS on isstagram. And she noticed they had posted a few photos yesterday, from a live show.
"Huh!? Why is Hitori-chan playing with SIDEROS!?", Kita exclaimed.
"Eh!?" Nijika ran over to look at the photo.
That photo... that's Ohtsuki-san, and Hitori-chan... and they are making eye contact.... which band musicians are supposed to do but.... Hitori-chan always struggles like crazy with that, usually.... and why does it look like Hitori-chan is kinda enjoying herself....she's sorta smiling, even...
Below that photo, some people had left comments, such as:
"Boyoko is real?!"
"finally some more Boyoko breadcrumbs"
"rare Bokita L"
For some reason, looking at the photo of Yoyoko and Hitori playing together, it caused her chest to start aching. A stinging pain in the chest.
Huh. What's going on. Why does my chest feel like this. Am I sick? Is something wrong with my heart? This feeling, I never felt it before...
On Wednesday, Hitori went to Starry for the first time in a while. The first thing she did, was apologize for not telling the rest of the band she had been practicing with SIDEROS. Nijika said she did not really mind, and was actually glad Hitori had grown so much that she was able to perform with other bands. As is usual, Hitori's face melted, and she started giggling creepily to herself upon receiving this compliment.
"Ehehehe"
Ryo just said that subbing for other bands was completely normal, and not something to apologize for. Kita on the other hand, did not really say much at all. And after that, Hitori felt like Kita was avoiding her for the entire practice session. Avoiding her, but sometimes also glancing at Hitori, before quickly averting her gaze again.
Ah, I knew it. Kita-chan is mad at me, for playing with SIDEROS. For being unfaithful to the band... you've really done it now, Hitori....
On the other hand at FOLT, Yoyoko was sitting at the table, taking a short break from practice. She glanced at the chair Hitori used to sit in, breathed out a deep sigh, before returning her eyes to her Isstagram timeline.
"Are you sad your girlfriend is no longer here?" Akubi teased her.
"I'M NOT SAD AT ALL!! ALSO WHAT DO YOU MEAN GIRLFRIEND!! WHO IS THAT EVEN!?"
Falling for Akubi's provocation, she shouted out a storm at her. To calm herself, she left the live house, walking out to the streets of Shinjuku.
Gotoh Hitori... she was actually kinda fun to play with, I guess.... maybe. And I actually learned so much from her...
She opened the Loine app, scrolling down her short list of contacts, until she found that name. Gotoh Hitori. Tapped it. So far, the message history between them was completely empty. Somehow, she had managed to exchange Loine info with Hitori, but had neglected sending any actual messages. She started slowly tapping out a message.
