After receiving approval from both sides, Ren Suzuki brought Hitori Gotou directly to STARRY the very next day to meet her future bandmates.
Though Hitori was visibly nervous, she didn't try to run away this time largely thanks to Ren's presence by her side.
"Let me carry your guitar."
As soon as they stepped out of the school gates, Ren reached out his hand.
"The trains are super crowded at this time. It's going to be too much for you to handle carrying this thing."
"Eh? Ah… Okay."
Faced with Ren's natural kindness and lacking any skill in refusing Hitori shyly handed her guitar over.
With the weight off her shoulders, she was finally able to lift her head and properly take in the scenery in front of her.
It was the first time Hitori had ever gone out after school. It was also the first time she'd ever walked home with someone else.
The streets around them weren't particularly special, but to Hitori, everything felt incredibly fresh and new.
The world outside the school gates wasn't just the same daily commute.
And after-school hours didn't have to mean going straight home.
Until now, she'd never considered herself to be one of those students who walked out of school laughing with their friends.
But now, here she was, blending naturally into the flow of students enjoying their own versions of youth.
And the reason her heart had shifted so much… was walking right beside her.
Hitori looked at the boy carrying her guitar, matching his pace to hers.
The sunset bathed his handsome side profile in warm, golden light. It suited him so perfectly that it made her feel a little lightheaded.
…Come to think of it, ever since she'd started high school, all her most vivid memories had involved this one person.
Their first meeting, when the scent of sea salt and sage lingered around him.
The quiet lunches they shared, when he would calmly eat his bento beside her.
And now, this moment walking together beneath the glowing sunset.
No matter which memory she replayed, she never got tired of seeing him.
"…What's wrong?"
Noticing her gaze, Ren turned to look at her.
"Did you want to say something?"
"N-No, it's nothing…"
Hitori quickly looked away.
"I just thought… the sunlight ahead was a little too bright."
"Oh? Even you can find sunlight dazzling?"
Ren chuckled, then reached out and gently brushed aside her bangs.
"Honestly, your bangs don't serve any purpose other than hiding your eyes from people."
"?!"
His casual touch startled her so much she immediately stiffened.
"Th-This is fine… At the very least, it keeps people from seeing my face so easily…"
"That's exactly the problem."
Ren retracted his hand, sighing with exasperation.
"Your goal is to be seen and recognized by others, right? If that's the case, you should show yourself more. Otherwise, even if people wanted to appreciate you, they wouldn't have the chance."
"…Maybe you're right."
(But even so… Ren-kun still brushed my bangs aside and looked me in the eyes, didn't he?)
Of course, Hitori wouldn't dare say that out loud not when the thought itself felt too arrogant to admit.
Still, in a way, Ren's actions were in direct contradiction to his own words.
Someone like her timid, invisible, practically insignificant should have been from a completely different world than Ren Suzuki.
Yet for some reason, he continued to show her kindness that couldn't be explained, supporting her dreams without expecting anything in return.
Hitori had no idea what feelings or motivations Ren really held toward her.
But so far, everything he had done had been to help her.
Because she respected him because she admired him she didn't question his kindness.
But if possible, she wanted to understand why he had chosen to approach her.
Or rather
She wanted to understand Ren Suzuki more.
"At least for now… it's enough that you can see me, Ren-kun."
"…I see."
Ren nodded lightly and didn't push the topic of her bangs any further.
He would make sure Hitori Gotou realized just how cute she was eventually.
But if she wasn't ready to accept that yet, there was no point forcing it.
"Still, with the way you are right now… I think you're going to have a hard time dealing with one of the people in the band."
"Eh?"
Hitori blinked, confused.
"What do you mean? Are they… really hard to get along with?"
"Not at all. In fact, she's incredibly easy to get along with."
Ren gave a helpless shrug.
"But for someone like you, the two of you are probably as different as the sun and the north wind."
"???"
"You'll see what I mean when you meet them."
"..."
Hearing that, Hitori's nerves started buzzing again.
What does he mean by 'it's going to be hard'? The sun and the north wind? What's that supposed to mean…?
…
"Good evening, Suzuki-kun! Oh, so this must be the person you mentioned yesterday…"
"Yeah, this is the 'Guitar Hero' herself. Also, she's my classmate."
As Ren spoke, he handed Hitori's guitar back to her.
"Alright, I'll leave the rest to you guys."
"Whoa! She's really here!"
Nijika Ijichi practically leapt toward Hitori, immediately grabbing her hands and speaking in a whirlwind of excitement.
"Nice to meet you, Guitar Hero! I'm Nijika Ijichi, and I'm your fan! I really love your cover videos!"
"Eh?! Uh… y-you… y-you too…"
Caught completely off-guard by Nijika's direct approach, Hitori panicked, her thoughts spiraling into chaos.
In desperation, she shot a pleading look at Ren, hoping for some kind of outside rescue.
But Ren acted like he didn't see a thing, casually pulling out his casual work clothes from his bag as he headed backstage to change.
"Wow~ I can't believe the real Guitar Hero is joining our band. It's like a dream come true! With your guitar, our band's gonna level up big time!"
"U-Uh… well…"
"Oh, right! What's your name, Guitar Hero? When's your birthday? What's your blood type?"
"...Ahhhh."
So this is what he meant.
The 'sun and the north wind'… that's exactly the difference between people like her and people like Nijika.
Ah, what a painfully accurate metaphor…
Oh, and
Being called 'Guitar Hero' to my face… is way too embarrassing.
That was her final, fleeting thought before the overexcited fan's relentless enthusiasm completely overwhelmed her and Hitori Gotou promptly fainted on the spot.
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Oh, you like the story? Wow, who knew. Go ahead, drop a review and throw some power stones maybe I'll be motivated to keep going