[6:59 - 60 seconds until the live show starts]
On the pitch-black stage, Kessoku Band was in position.
The guitars and bass were plugged in.
The sound of a pick sliding across the strings drew the attention of the girls in the audience, who were holding their drinks.
After a quick final tuning, the girls on the dark stage took a deep breath and exchanged glances.
[7:00 - 0 seconds until the live show starts]
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The moment Rin flipped the switch, the spotlights blazed to life with a sharp hum, illuminating the stage with blinding intensity.
It was their first live performance, and even Kita was trembling slightly with nerves.
The only thing keeping her grounded was the footlights in front of them, which made it impossible for the four girls to clearly see the faces of the audience.
Gulp... Kita swallowed hard.
If she was this nervous, how was Bocchi holding up? She hoped she... Eh?
Kita had expected Bocchi to be shivering in terror.
But when she looked over, she found Bocchi showed no signs of nervousness whatsoever.
She was calm, composed, her gaze unwavering.
She looked... she looked like a warrior... no, a hero holding a guitar!
Right now, Bocchi truly was the "Guitar Hero"!
Hiss...
Is the CEO's 'method' really that effective? Bocchi looks like a completely different person! Next time, I should ask the CEO to 'fill me up' and see if it works for me too.
Time didn't allow Kita to think too much.
As the lead vocalist, singing wasn't her only responsibility.
"Hello everyone, we are Kessoku Band. Thank you all so much for coming to see our show."
Although her voice was as energetic as ever, Rin, watching from the floor, could clearly see her smile was stiffer than usual, and her tone was slightly off.
Just like adult videos often start with an interview, bands usually have an MC segment before playing.
When she started speaking, Rin almost laughed out loud.
Moeha and Chika had already burst into giggles.
Hearing the laughter from the audience made them even more nervous.
Her delivery lost all inflection, sounding just like she was reading from a script.
Compared to her usual self, she seemed like a different person.
Right now, both she and Nijika wished they could find a ripe mango box to hide in.
However, Bocchi's condition was surprisingly good...
Does being 'creampied' really have such an amazing effect?
"Ah... ahaha..." Nijika laughed awkwardly. "For a rock band, Kita is being a bit too polite, isn't she? Ahaha..."
"Th-then... we'll now present our first song. Pl-please listen to our original song, 'Guitar, Loneliness and Blue Planet'."
Kita turned her head and gave Nijika a look.
Following Nijika's drumbeat, the sounds of the guitar and bass gradually blended in.
Kita's body swayed gently to the rhythm.
The sudden downpour makes me sick of myself for forgetting an umbrella.
What does the sky's mood have to do with me? What should I wear for the change of seasons?
Where exactly did spring and autumn go?
It's suffocating... the pressure of the information age.
In this dizzying spiral... where exactly am I?
...
...
...
Like a chaotic melody, screaming without a voice.
I just want to be, I just want to be anyone.
Ignorant as I am, I can only sing at the top of my lungs.
Pour it all out, to those stars.
The four of them were completely immersed in their music.
The initial nervousness was entirely dissolved by the melody.
As the song concluded, Kita bowed deeply to the audience.
"That was 'Guitar, Loneliness and Blue Planet'."
"Woooooo~~~~" Chika cheered enthusiastically.
The others were also generous with their applause.
Only Kaguya was busy pressing the shutter, letting the flash of her camera substitute for clapping.
Applause aside, even an amateur like Rin could hear they made many mistakes.
Kita, who was already a beginner, naturally made the most mistakes since she had to play guitar and sing at the same time.
Ryo and Nijika's rhythm wasn't perfectly synchronized either.
But Bocchi... she was perfect!
While the others made frequent errors, Bocchi not only played flawlessly but also exceeded her usual performance—she was even better than her "Guitar Hero" persona online!
And she didn't look down or close her eyes.
She faced the audience squarely... no, she wasn't facing the audience; it was as if the audience in front of her didn't exist.
Bocchi wasn't "Guitar Hero" right now; she was "Guitar Superman"!
Hiss... does getting 'filled up' really work this well?
Even Rin himself was a little skeptical.
Filling Bocchi up was just meant to give her a psychological suggestion that she "wasn't alone."
Is the effect really this strong? Or maybe Bocchi is just a big-game player.
But... something was wrong.
Nijika: "Kita, introduce the next song~"
Kita: "O-okay, the next one is also our original song..."
Nijika and Kita were bantering on stage like a comedy duo.
This was to buy themselves some rest time.
Performing live is physically demanding, especially for the lead vocalist, Kita, and the drummer, Nijika.
Combined with the high-powered footlights and spotlights, which felt like little ovens, both girls already had a fine layer of sweat on their foreheads after just one song.
That's why live shows usually feature several bands playing together.
Besides selling more tickets, it buys the performers some resting time.
But tonight, they didn't have that luxury.
They could only rest during the brief intervals between songs.
After the short MC segment, the live show continued according to the setlist, but...
Something was wrong.
As Rin watched, he noticed something off.
It wasn't Nijika, or Kita, or Ryo.
It was Bocchi.
Bocchi's performance was indeed the best of the four.
She didn't even use her hair to hide her face; it was as if she were a different person.
But the more Rin watched, the more something felt amiss.
Bocchi's condition seemed to be deteriorating.
At first, she was "Guitar Superman," then she downgraded to "Guitar Hero," and now...
Now she was turning into a "Guitar Slug"!
By the end of the third song, Bocchi couldn't even stand straight.
Her face was pale, her legs were turned inward, and her knees were pressed tightly together.
Every part of her body was trembling...
Although this was the normal Bocchi, Rin still felt something was wrong.
"Next up is our fourth..."
"Mmph!"
A short whimper interrupted Kita and drew everyone's attention to Bocchi.
The click-click of Kaguya's camera was exceptionally loud in the sudden silence.
"D-don't look at me... Uuu!!!!"
The short cry turned into a high-pitched wail.
Bocchi's body shook like a leaf in the wind.
"Bocch... Eh?"
Kita, standing next to her, was about to step forward in concern.
But in the next second, she heard a rustling sound.
A stream of liquid ran down Bocchi's thighs.
"What's wrong with Bocchi?"
Nijika, sitting behind the drum kit, stood up slightly and peeked over.
Seeing the urine continuously dripping from between Bocchi's legs, she froze.
Bocchi's volume wasn't small.
A small puddle formed on the floor beneath her.
And mixed in with the urine was the "gift" Rin had left her.
It wasn't just the girls; even Rin was caught off guard for a moment.
The only thing Rin was thankful for was that everyone here was an insider.
If there had been actual strangers, it would have been a disaster...
Peeing yourself in public on a live stage was way more socially devastating than a vibrator falling out.
Click-click-click...
In the audience, Kaguya kept snapping photos.
The others didn't have much of a reaction, not even a gasp of surprise...
Most of them had been played with by Rin to the point of leaking, so it wasn't a big deal to them.
They thought it was just part of the "program" Rin had prepared for today.
On stage, Nijika, Kita, and Ryo all shot desperate, pleading looks at Rin.
"Hmm..."
After a brief moment of consideration, Rin chose to remain silent, deciding to leave it entirely up to them to handle...
Although it was unexpected, everyone tonight was an insider, so however they handled it didn't matter.
It was a good opportunity to train their ability to handle sudden emergencies on stage.
After a brief moment of shock, Nijika snapped back to reality...
Sometimes, silence is also an answer.
This was a major incident that could completely destroy Bocchi socially.
Normally, the CEO would never just sit back and watch.
He definitely wouldn't allow the guests below to keep taking pictures.
This proved that the guests in the audience were all plants hired by the CEO.
It was even possible that all the girls down there were involved with the CEO.
And that handsome blond boy... he might actually be a girl in disguise.
Whether it was the CEO's unique fetish or a girl in disguise, one thing was certain: they were all insiders arranged by the CEO...
Which made sense, right?
Who would spend time and money to attend an unknown band's live show?
The CEO had kept it a secret from everyone just to give them a realistic live experience.
But for Bocchi, this was definitely the most despair-inducing incident ever!
If they didn't handle it well, Bocchi might never step on a stage again!
Since that was the case...
Thinking this, Nijika suddenly stood up from her stool.
She ran over to the equally bewildered Ryo, grabbed her hand, and pulled her over to Bocchi.
Just as Ryo and Kita were wondering how Nijika was going to defuse the crisis...
They saw Nijika tightly grip Bocchi's stiff hand.
Then, she squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath...
"Uuu!!!!"
In the next second, a clear stream of water slid down from beneath Nijika's skirt and ran down her thighs.
Ryo & Kita: "???"