Chapter 203 – Time to Respond!

It was only after Bocchi-chan carefully explained things that Gotou Michiyo, albeit reluctantly, finally brought herself to believe her daughter.

Perhaps her daughter really didn’t have any romantic feelings for this so-called “Aoki-senpai.”

Granted, the excuse of “he just called me by name so I misunderstood” was flimsy beyond belief… but still, Michiyo decided not to press the issue further.

However, while Michiyo chose to drop the matter, Bocchi-chan couldn’t shake off her mother’s casual remark.

‘Wait… Kita-chan, Ryo-senpai, and Nijika-senpai… all like Aoki-senpai?’

After lunch, on the way home, Bocchi’s mind was tangled in doubt.

According to her mother, these “conclusions” all came from the infamous gossip magazine Weekly Bunshun.

Sure, their stories sometimes turned out accurate… but to say they were 100% reliable?

Not even close.

So… this has to be fake, right?

Absolutely fake, right?

There’s no way everyone in the band secretly liked Aoki-senpai.

If that were true, she would have noticed long ago!

Just a little thinking back on everyone’s usual behavior, and she’d easily be able to prove Bunshun wrong—

Back home, alone in her room, Gotou Hitori replayed her memories, determined to prove the tabloid nonsense false.

But then—

She remembered how Nijika-senpai always seemed a little shy whenever she was around Aoki.

She remembered how Ryo-senpai often invited him out on weekends.

And she remembered her own confusion about why Kita-chan brought him lunch every single day…

No.

No, no, no!

The more she recalled, the more her thoughts twisted, until instead of disproving the rumor, she was actually reinforcing it.

‘No way… could I really just be too dense to have noticed all this until now?’

No… it couldn’t be true… could it?

Could Bunshun’s scandalous rumors actually be real?!

That weekend, Bocchi sat curled up in the corner of her room.

As her head filled with these tangled thoughts, a creeping despair washed over her.

I’m doomed… If things keep going this way, I’ll definitely be left out…!

Ah… her perfect high school band life… slipping further, and further away…

———————————————————————

While Bocchi wrestled with this accidental discovery of her bandmates’ “strange relationships,” feeling increasingly conflicted…

On Aoki Kei’s side—

He could only hope Bocchi-chan would manage to properly explain things to her mom.

With that faint wish in mind, he spent his Saturday in mild worry.

Dinner was ramen. Tasty enough, though a bit pricey. Still, acceptable.

Around nine, he skimmed some of the language textbooks he’d bought earlier.

Feeling drowsy soon after, he simply went to bed.

By the next morning, he had pushed aside those worries for the time being.

December 8th, Sunday.

Up at seven, his routine went as usual: morning exercise, breakfast, then zoning out back at his apartment.

Well—“zoning out” wasn’t quite right. Most of the morning, aside from an hour of self-study, he spent reading light novels, just to kill time.

A lifestyle that felt a little too decadent.

Sure, he was still studying… but compared to how disciplined he’d been six months ago, the difference was striking.

Thinking this, he found himself picking up the unfinished Chitose-san in a Bottle of Ramune that afternoon.

December 8th, morning—reading light novels.

‘Aoki Kei, how could you sink so low? What happened to all those study plans you made?’

December 8th, afternoon—still reading light novels.

By about two o’clock, he was down to the final few pages.

After so many hours sitting on the couch, drowsiness inevitably crept in. He was just about to get up for a break when—

His phone buzzed loudly beside him.

It was a call from Fujita Masahito at KL Corp.

Given that it had been a while since their last recording session and livestream, Kei figured this must be about the “solo concert” they had discussed.

With that in mind, he picked up without hesitation.

“Good afternoon, Aoki-san!”

The voice came brightly from the other side.

Kei replied politely, then got straight to the point:

“Fujita-san, what’s the matter?”

“Yes, Aoki-san!” Fujita sounded lively, answering quickly.

“It’s about the solo concert we talked about before. Our staff have already finalized the time and venue, so I wanted to inform you—”

“Kessoku Band won’t have any problem with that,” Kei replied.

“Excellent. Then—the concert is scheduled for the 20th.

KL has already begun promoting it on Twitter.

The venue will be Ikebukuro Arena. As for the setlist… no strict requirements.

Just make sure you perform ‘I Once Thought About Ending It All’ at least once during the show.

That’s about all the information regarding the concert.”

“I understand,” Kei answered calmly.

Fujita paused for a moment… then continued.

“And also… you’ve probably heard the rumors. NH Music and Justice Entertainment are preparing some big moves against Kessoku Band in the near future…”

The voice on the other end of the line carried hesitation, a trace of unease in its tone.

After briefly finishing the update about the solo concert, Fujita Masahito shifted the topic toward NH Music.

“Over the past few days, we’ve gotten some fairly concrete information… and it happens to be about NH Music’s plans to target Kessoku Band.”

“NH Music’s movements?” Aoki Kei asked, curiosity rising.

He had already received a call from Niijima Yusuke not long ago.

At that time, Niijima’s tone had been unusually serious, his urgency plain.

After all, NH Music was practically Japan’s largest domestic music streaming platform.

If they had decided to throw their weight around against Kessoku Band… it was unlikely to be anything minor.

And now, KL Corp. had already caught wind of some of the details—

Letting that thought drift for now, Kei stayed silent, waiting for Fujita’s explanation.

After a short pause, Fujita continued,

“Yes. We’ve pieced together NH Music’s intentions. Some information was leaked internally… NH Music, together with Justice Entertainment, are rushing to release a new song before your solo concert.

We don’t know which artist they’ve lined up yet, but considering the scale of this move, you can bet it won’t be a small name.

And during your concert, since there will be an interview segment where most media outlets can ask questions, there’s a chance they’ll try something there too.

The solo concert we scheduled for the 20th has already been promoted heavily. It’s far too late to back out now. Which means—”

Kei leaned back against the sofa, thinking as Fujita’s words sank in.

These tactics weren’t anything new. In the chaotic world of entertainment, they were practically routine.

Releasing a high-profile single just before another band’s concert to steal the spotlight.

Planting hostile media at live events to throw loaded questions and create awkward headlines.

And afterward, stirring up public opinion—comparing the new release with the old, framing it as a discussion topic, subtly fanning the flames.

If Kessoku Band had been a group with limited output and mediocre skill, they’d have no way of fighting back against this kind of combined assault.

Trying to stay true to yourself in an industry soaked in greed—well, most bands would get swallowed whole.

But Kessoku Band was not just “most bands.”

And Aoki… felt he had endured long enough.

From the early provocations by Ges Band’s fans, to the storm of online rumors that unfairly crushed Kita under pressure, to the way certain powers had deliberately twisted the narrative to invalidate his own life and pit him against the public—

There were things worth hesitating over when it came to feelings.

But there were also plenty of things where hesitation had no place.

And so—

Aoki’s thoughts drifted as he sat there, phone pressed to his ear, eyes turning toward the window.

He thought about all the ordinary musicians out there—people who simply chased their dreams—only to stumble into the quagmire of the entertainment industry.

How easily they became targets the moment they tried to hold on to their individuality.

Without the strength to fight back, many would lose the will to move forward.

And he wondered—if he had never joined Kessoku Band, what would their fate have been?

Would they have followed Ryo’s vision, insisting on independence at all costs?

Or Nijika’s dream, letting STARRY shine across the night sky?

Could both paths really coexist?

Kei didn’t know the answer to that question.

But he knew one thing—

Now that winter had settled in, even the crows outside had grown scarce.

Watching the birds hop across telephone wires, snow dusting the pine branches—

Aoki Kei thought,

‘If it hurts those girls, then to hell with capital.’

If it came down to fighting over chart rankings—so be it.

If it meant dealing with copyright lockouts or bans on uploading music—so what.

In that moment, a memory surfaced—of a certain song.

The one where King Gnu declared to the world: our band now stands at the very top.

There were still two weeks until the concert.

It was time to respond.

And he would do it in the only way a musician should—through music.

Taking a deep breath, Kei finally replied to Fujita,

“I understand. Thank you, Fujita-san. I’ll find a way to deal with it.”