(A/N): God I'm so glad to be writing the main story... Thinking of my own parts of the story was too difficult and took up too much time.
-Nobody's POV-
It's been 1 week since Kessoku Band's first and last meeting. Hiroko got up early again to prepare himself for going back to STARRY. And because it was the first day of work, it was obvious that he had to make himself look good.
He used extra shampoo and conditioner while taking a shower, and he picked my best clothes to wear. A white T-shirt without any designs, blue jeans, and of course... His beloved thin purple jacket.
"Alright, let's see... Take a shower and brush my teeth, finished. Wear a new outfit... Done. Eat breakfast... Maybe. And bring my guitar with me to STARRY. Done and don-"
His phone in his pocket vibrates, and he checks to see what the notification was.
"Huh? Njika-chan?"
Hiroko unlocks his phone to see what she sent him.
Nijika:
Morning! First day of work, right? I know you might be as nervous as Bocchi-chan, but we'll be there for you both! Let's work hard together!
"Ehhh... What am I supposed to say? How should I respond?"
"Y'know what, just type 'ok' and be on your way. It's as easy as that."
Me:
Ight, bet. See you at work lil bro.
Then, he thought to himself...
... What the fuck was that? You just sounded Ike you came straight from The Hood!
Sorry, sorry! I'm just used to responding like that because of my old friends.
... Aye, fair enough.
With that business being finished, he gets up from his bed, grabs his guitar (that was already in the case), and he goes to the kitchen to make some breakfast.
Once he enters the kitchen to make himself some breakfast, a sticky note was left on the counter and he picks it up to read it.
"Hm? What's this?"
The sticky note said...
"Morning kiddo! Unfortunately, I'm gonna go to work early, and I'm also gonna work overnight for some extra cash. I made breakfast for you in the fridge. Better eat it while it still tastes good! See you later, refrigerator! Signing off: Ur Dad"
Hiroko smirks and says to himself...
"Tch. Even for an adult, he's a dork."
Hiroko opens the fridge and there was the breakfast that Kenjiro packed for him. It was a fresh ham sandwich in a container and a perfectly cold can of Coca Cola.
Smiling calmly, he grabs both of the items/food and he walks to the door. Before he opens it, he looks at the cabinet with the picture of his mother, Harumi.
"Love you mom. I'll be home soon." He said with his calm smile.
After that, Hiroko opens the door, steps outside, closes the door behind him and locks it.
Then, he looks up at the morning sky and says...
"First day of work. This'll be a blast." He says as he walks down the street to Shibuya Station.
-Timeskip-
After reaching the train station and taking the train, Hiroko finally makes it to Shimo-Kitazawa.
The train stops and he takes a deep breath, feeling happy about returning to the very place where he meets up with the rest of Kessoku Band.
"Ah... It's good to be back."
Then he turns around and look at the train as the doors close.
"And it's a good thing that it's not rush hour right now."
From that point on, Hiroko decided to walk to Starry instead of running like last time so he could save his energy for something more important.
As he walked through the calm streets of Shimo-Kita, he couldn't help but talk to himself in his mind.
Sooo... Anything catch your eye yet?
Nah... Not really...
Yeah, I know. By the way, when is the story gonna go back to our point of view?
Wha? I'm sorry, what was that?
Seriously, man?
What? I'm being for real. I didn't hear what you said.
Hm, okay then. It's nothing important. That's all I'm gonna say.
Huh... Okay.
-Hiroko's POV-
As I continue walking to Starry alone, I see a pink figure in front of me. I start to smile in excitement and I shout...
"Heeyy! G-Gotoh-san!" I said as I ran up to her.
I catch up with Gotoh and I smile brightly at her.
"G'morning!" I say to her cheerfully.
"Ah- H-Hiroko-kun. Good morning." Gotoh replies plainly.
I put my hands on the straps of my guitar case and I try to walk the same speed as her.
"So... How was school this week? I mean, I know that we both share the same class together, but I just wanna check up on you is all."
"Oh. I-I'm okay." Gotoh responds while attempting to look me in the eyes.
I laugh quietly and tell her...
"You don't have to force yourself to look at me in the eyes, Y'know? You'll eventually get used to it."
"O-Okay."
I quickly switch from putting my hands on the guitar case straps to putting them behind my head and looking up at the morning sky.
I sighed and said...
"Man... I wonder how day one's gonna go. And by that, I mean the first day of work."
I look back down and to my right, and I see the stairs that lead down to Starry.
"Ah! We're finally here."
Gotoh and I take a right and we both go down the stairs. Gotoh stands right at the door while I choose to sit on the stairs with my legs open.
She grabs the handle and hesitates to open it.
Eh? What's wrong with Gotoh-sa—
"Tickets don't go on sale until five o'clock."
"Gah!"
I blink once, then I quickly get up from the stairs and I begin to back up with Gotoh.
The lady had long blonde hair with a weird dorito on the top of her head just like Nijika. And her eye color was exactly like hers.
Huh... Those two seem to have some sort of relation...
"We're still getting ready here."
Oh crap, she works here?? Oh, this ain't good. I gotta to come up with a good bluff!
She tilts her head, looking confused. And I notice that she's focusing on Gotoh.
Because of that, I turn my attention to Gotoh was breaking down at the moment.
"C-C-C-C-C-Calm down..."
"You're the one who needs to calm down."
-Short Timeskip-
Gotoh, the Blonde Staff or Manager and I were now all inside of Starry. And things were... Going great.
"So you two are the new part-timers? You both should've just said so."
Gotoh quickly bows in an apologetic manner, and I do the same.
"S-S-S-S-Sorry!"
"Y-Yeah, me too!"
"I'm the manager here. Nice to meet you both."
I stand straight like an ice statue and try to look at the manager in the eyes.
Gotoh says...
"V-Very nice to meet you..."
And then I say...
"I-It's a pleasure."
Jeez. I can't stand the manager's aura! She's too scary for me to handle! Damnit, Nijika-chan! Where the hell are you?!
"Hey, you're the guitarist who played in the box. Wasn't it... Mango Kamen?"
...Huh. Well that's new.
"I-I'm Mango Kamen!" Gotoh says happily while still having that somewhat gloomy look.
"That is not her name!"
Right on time, Nijika-chan. Right! On! Time!
Nijika walks down the stairs and says to the manager...
"Don't go giving her weird nicknames, Sis!"
"S-Sis?! You're Nijika-chan's sister?"
Aha! My THEORY has been comfirmed!
Calm down, man. It's just a simple theory. A GAME-
Don't you dare.
Aw, man. You're no fun.
"I told you before. When you first came to Starry, remember?"
(Flashback...)
"The club we're gonna play at is called Starry. My big sister's the manager there. Actually, our family lives in the apartments above it."
(Flash forward to the present...)
"Ahh... That moment. I remember it all now."
I clear my throat and look away from everyone.
"R-R-R-Really?"
"That means you don't have to be so nervous. Right, Sis?" Nijika said with
"Call me 'Manager' here. And keep our work and private relationships separate."
Suddenly, fear overtakes Gotoh, and I look at her worryingly.
"G-G-Gotoh-san?!"
"Don't scare her like that!"
Literally half a minute later...
Nijika places her hands on a table and leans down on it.
"Okay, let's clear the tables first. When that's done, we'll wipe them all down... Huh? Where's Bocchi-chan?"
Ryo points underneath the table, and I quickly squat down to see if Gotoh is actually underneath.
"Ehh... Gotoh-san?"
"Sorry. I needed a breather in a dark, cramped place."
"You need a breather already?!" Nijika says with a shocked look.
Another half a minute later...
Ryo started to mop the floor, and Nijika left me to wipe the tables squeaky clean. I was hoping to have a better job than janitorial service, but I'll go with it. Just as long as I get paid well, I'll be fine about it.
"Here, Bocchi-chan, come over and learn the drinks." Nijika says as Gotoh follows her to the bar.
"Tonic water comes out of here, and beer comes out of this dispenser. The cocktails are on the shelf behind..."
Oh man... I kinda wanna serve drinks to customers... Well, and maybe take a sip of alcohol for the first time. Thinking about it, I wonder how alcohol even tastes li-
"Where did that come from?!" Nijika asks surprisingly.
I look at where Gotoh and Nijika were, and I notice that her guitar was in her hands. It was no longer in her guitar case.
What the- H-How did Gotoh-san get her guitar out of nowhere??
Gotoh starts to play her guitar while I just stand where I am, shocked.
Forgetting how Gotoh-san broke the laws of physics and reality, her guitar... That guitar looks like the exact same as the one that Guitarhero has! Wow, she must be a huge fan of her.
Well, you're the one to talk. You call yourself "GuitarZer0" and on the internet.
I observe Nijika's older sister who walks up to Nijika, and what I didn't expect her to do was to suddenly hit Nijika on the back of her head.
"Get back to work!" Nijika's older sister says after hitting the back of Nijika's head.
"Why me?!"
Heh... So this is what it looks like to have siblings? It looks... Fun.
Another moment later...
Once Nijika was done showing Gotoh where all the drinks were, she called me over because I was finished with cleaning the tables, and I came to where they were at.
"Hiroko-kun, come over here for a second." Nijika waves at me, and I walk up to her.
"Okay... So why did you call me here?" I ask confusingly.
"Well, I noticed you were listening to me telling Bocchi-chan about where all the drinks were, so I now you know where all of them go. And I'm also just going to help you kill some time because you're done with cleaning up all of the tables. You looked pretty bored once you finished."
"Yeeaah... It kinda gets boring when you've got nothing to do. Thanks." I said, putting my hands in my pockets.
Nijika nods her head and looks back at Gotoh.
"So, for drink service, just pour the drinks they order and hand them over."
"R-Right."
"Huh. Easier than I thought."
"They can pat 500 yen on top of the ticket price to get a drink ticket."
Nijika gives Gotoh and I a drink ticket for each of us to look at.
Huh... Well, that's something new. It's creative and I like it.
"Stop staring like it's totally alien to you." Nijika says with a dead voice.
Then, Nijika's voice goes back to being the way it usually is. Bubbly and extroverted.
Right after that, she says...
"Clubs like this are usually considered restaurants. I don't know all the details, but apparently it's super hard to get a business license to run just a concert venue..."
"I... I see!" Gotoh replies.
"So we offer drinks and operate like a restaurant." Nijika says as she turns to Gotoh and I.
I look at the drink ticket, admiring that Starry has a ticket system like this.
"Are you two listening?" Nijika asks us.
Wooaah!! Working at a restaurant is completely out of my league! I guess I got lucky to meet Nijika-chan, huh?
"Hey, customers already!"
"Bocchi-chan, Hiroko-kun, we're about to be busy!" Nijika says, sounding happier than usual.
Suddenly, my thoughts shattered like a knife stabbing a glass plate.
There's... Already... PEOPLE?!?!?
Well, playtime's over, Hiro. Time to... Get to work, and get some... Caaash...
But what the hell am I supposed to say to them?! How should i introduce myself?! I suck at interacting with people that I'm not interested in!
I-I- I DON'T KNOW! WHAT THE HELL SHOULD YOU SAY?!
GAH! I'M GONNA GET FIRED ON THE SPOT ONCE TODAY'S OVER!!
Then, I start to melt like a snowman in summer.
My hearing and my sight became a blur, and I see Gotoh set up a sign that says 'Thanks for coming!'
The last thing I could hear was Nijika saying...
"Bocchi-chan closed up! And Hiroko-kun?!"
Some time later...
Successfully, Nijika got me back on my feet and managed to calm both Gotoh and I down.
The three of us were standing in the bar as Nijika was taking a customer's order.
"Excuse me! One cola, please!" The customer says.
"Coming! Bocchi-chan, cola!" Nijika replies with a cheerful voice.
"Coming up!"
Gotoh hides under the counter and quickly places a cup of Cola onto the counter, while I look at her confusingly.
What does Gotoh-san thinks she's doing...
The other customer says...
"I'll have a ginger ale-"
"Here you go, ma'am." I said, holding onto a cup of ginger ale with a gloomy expression on my face.
"Bocchi-chan, Hiroko-kun, show some respect for the customers!" Nijika shouts at us.
"B-B-But I'm not ready!" Gotoh responds nervously.
(Meanwhile, where Ryo is...)
We're losing the club's inherent darkness.
Later...
Nijika was the only person left standing in the bar while Gotoh and I were sitting down underneath the counter.
I sigh and whisper to myself...
"Whew... I can't stand anymore..."
I look up at Nijika as she hands a customer with pink hair and pigtails.
"One oolong and one highball!" Nijika says.
Damn... I'm jealous of Nijika-chan...
Hm? What's wrong?
Oh, it's nothing. Just jealous of Nijika-chan is all.
I see... you're jealous of her because she's more extroverted than you?
I... Yeah. She can last up to an entire day without getting socially anxious. While I can only last for up to five minutes...
Hey, it's fine, man. At least you're still able to socialize. So don't be jealous.
... Yeah. Thanks.
"Bocchi-chan, Hiroko-kun, look!" Nijika waves at Gotoh and I from underneath the counter.
We both get up and see what was happening. Turns out, a band named Alexandism just got on stage.
Boy do I love hearing long speeches before performances... But most of the time, they're worth it.
"They're pretty good, Y'know? It's a good time to relax. Once the performances start, we'll have time to kill." Nijika says, looking from the stage to Gotoh and I.
"Right..." Gotoh responds quietly.
"Good work." Ryo then enters the bar and walks up to the three of us.
"Don't you have to sell tickets?" Nijika asks Ryo.
"Manager stepped in for me. All of today's bands are really popular, so she told me to watch and learn." Ryo responds.
"That's my sister for you." Nijika closes her eyes and puts her pointer finger up.
"She's a tsun-tsun-tsun-tsun-tsun-tsun-tsun... Dere, you know?" Nijika says while looking at Ryo brightly.
"Excessive tsun." Ryo responds plainly.
"S-S-Sorry... Not only did I fail to help you, I couldn't even make eye contact with the customers." Gotoh says quietly and looks away from all of us.
"H-Hey, it's okay, Gotoh-san... It's not your fault. Changing yourself takes time, so you don't have to think like that." I say to her reassuringly.
"Want this? Sorry it's not for mangos." Ryo holds a cardboard box in her hands and shows it off.
"No, thank you." Nijika responds for her.
I back look at Gotoh who is sad at the moment. Because of that, I start frowning.
Poor Gotoh-san... She takes the hits harder than I do...
"You're doing fine! It's your first day. You'll get used to it!" Nijika says, hoping to cheer Gotoh up.
"Y-Yeah! N-Nijika-chan's right! It's only day one. We'll all be here to support you, Gotoh-san!" I say to her confidently.
"Habits can be scary, huh? Wh-Why are you so nice to a sub-water-flee like me?" Gotoh looks down at the ground again.
"You know... I really like this club. But here and reception are the only places club staff interact with the customers. So I want to do my best to make other people like it, too."
"I'm s-s-sorry. I w-worked so badly at a place that means so much to you..."
"No, no. That's not what I meant. I meant I want you to like this club too, Bocchi-chan."
Gotoh looks back at Nijika and listens to her.
"I want us to have fun working, and to have fun playing. Together. 'Course, I also hope you'll be able to speak to customers with a smile some day, too..."
... Thinking about it, I'm gonna have to do something to help out. But how?
Well, maybe you can start with improving that introvert side of your personality. And second, you can probably replace that runaway guitarist with yourself.
Huh... Seems like a pretty good idea... But no replacing the runaway guitarist. I have a feeling that they'll come back.
Hm. Alright. Your choice. Just pray that you'll get another chance at being a band's guitarist.
"It's starting, Bocchi-chan!"
Gotoh and I look up at the stage as the members of Alexandism start their performance.
Woah... Their performance is actually not that bad when you forget about how long the speech was. Everyone at the stage are all locked in, playing and cheering together as one...
If I don't make a change... Then I won't be helping Nijika-chan or Gotoh-san...
I look away from the stage and close my eyes.
If I want to stay in Kessoku Band... Then I have to change my ways and improve myself so I can have fun with everyone.
"Excuse me!"
I open my eyes and see a customer at the counter.
"Orange juice, please." The customer says.
"C-Coming." Gotoh walks over to the drinks and proceeds to make a cup of orange juice, and I look at her in both disbelief and admiration.
Gotoh looks up at the customer and attempts to smile. My eyes widen in complete joy and even I start smiling.
"H-Here you are." Gotoh says to the customer.
"Bocchi-chan! Your eyes! Your eyes!" Nijika says in excitement.
The customer giggles and takes her drink.
"Thanks!" She says as she walks away.
"Wow, that was nerve-wracking! But great job! You kept your head above the counter and talked to her!" Nijika tells Gotoh.
"I did my best!" Gotoh said calmly.
"Y-Yes! You did amazing, Gotoh-san! Eleven out of ten!" I said, clearly feeling happy and proud of her.
"Having you here will make my memories of today's concert even more fun. And you've taken a step forward." Nijika says, looking proud.
"A step..." Gotoh says to herself quietly.
"A... Step?" I said, looking confused?
Suddenly, I was lost in my own mind. I was stuck inside of an infinite white void. It was nothing but white. Then, I turn around to see a duplicate of myself take one step on an infinite series of stairs.
"One step of self improvement." My duplicate says without any emotion.
"One step?!" I said, feeling nervous and shocked.
"I'm not even gonna last ten steps!" I shouted as my brain slowly began to give up.
Not until I heard a voice call out to me from behind.
"Hm. You seem fun."
I quickly turn around to see who was talking to me. What I saw was a man who had pink hair, tattoos all over his face, and he was also wearing a high school uniform of some sort with a red hoodie underneath.
"W-Wait, you're..."
"Humans, sorcerers, cursed spirits. Compared to those I fought a thousand years ago, you are not bad. You are both physically and mentally powerful."
The man turns to me and says...
"Stand Proud. You are strong. Just keep going."
I start to cry unexpectedly while smiling at the same time. A tear falls on my right hand, and I look at it.
"Am I... Why am I crying?"
"Good question. I wouldn't know that." The pink haired man said to me with a smirk.
And suddenly, I stopped imagining and my mind was back in the real world.
For some strange reason, my body felt like it was burning. I quickly but quietly get myself a full cup of orange juice and chug it down, hoping that my body would cool down.
Gah! Why did it have to be Sukuna of all fictional characters who gave me a somewhat motivational speech?!
-Timeskip-
It was now closing time. Gotoh and I head up the stairs out of Starry to return to our homes.
"Good work today. Take care getting home, you two." The manager says to the both of us.
"Bye-bye." Ryo says quickly.
And Gotoh responds with...
"Th-Thank you for having me." As we both walk up the stairs.
"Not leaving, Ryo?"
"Staying a little while, first."
"Bocchi-chan! Hiroko-kun!" Nijika shouts at us.
Gotoh quickly turns around and says...
"Y-Yes?!"
"See you two later!" Nijika says happily.
"Y-Yes, s-s-s-see you tomorrow!"
"Yeah! See you tomorrow, Nijika-chan!" I wave goodbye to Nijika as Gotoh and I arrive at the top of the stairs.
Suddenly, and probably out of pure joy... Gotoh starts to run, and I catch up with her.
Hahaaa! First day of work was actually a success!! Boy-o-boy, can't wait to get some money!
Gotoh stops to sneeze, and I give her a worried look.
"G-Gotoh-san! Are you okay?!" I stop and run up to her.
"H-Here. Lemme check your temperature. Sorry for getting in your personal space, too."
"I-It's okay!" Gotoh responds quickly.
I move some of her hair away from her forehead, and I put my hand on her forehead.
I sigh and take a step away from her.
"Well, as I expected... You've got a fever, Gotoh-san." I look down at the ground, feeling sorry for her.
"Well, I guess that means I'll just have to escort you home. My guess is that you're going to get sicker and sicker."
"O-Oh..." Gotoh says quietly.
"Hey, it's fine. Let's just hope that this little sickness of yours doesn't get worse. Now come on. Let's get you home." I said with a smile.
-Nobody's POV-
While Hitori and Hiroko were going home, Ryo and Nijika were all staying in Starry.
Nijika was resting her head on a table with Ryo sitting next to her.
"Bocchi worked hard, huh?" Ryo asks.
"Yeah. And she even managed to say "see you tomorrow! I'm glad we formed this band." Nijika responds.
"Oh, right! Let's send a LOINE message to Bocchi-chan! I'll say, "let's keep it up tomorrow!"
Nijika sends the LOINE to Hitori who is sick in her room at the moment.
Her parents were talking about her fever outside of her room while she was looking miserable from her sickness.
"N-Now I get the fever..." She says to herself.
"Now that we've got Bocchi-chan on board... All that's left... Is to find a new vocalist!"
Meanwhile, somewhere at a karaoke bar...
"Who's this one for?" A girl in the background asks while music starts to play.
"Me, me! It's me, it's me!" Says a young red haired girl.
Chapter 4: First day of work? Oh, hell no!
End
Woohoohooooo!! Today is Friday and I just finished writing chapter 4! Take that, school! Next week, I have spring break! Which means I can start writing chapter 5 immediately! Yes! I'm so proud of myself! Thank you all for reading! See you in the next chapter!
The Mann is out! ✌️