A world only known by the God of Lost Love

Just when she shouted the last words, the performance had ended on the stage.

As luck would have it, the guitarist on the stage happened to hear the last half of Goto Kazuri's words.

So, this enthusiastic and cheerful guitarist immediately turned his attention to Goto Kazuri and picked up the microphone in his hand——

"Hey——! Young couple over there! I can't pretend I didn't hear this! That lovely girlfriend just said that she also wants to perform on stage! Could it be that she wants to show her hand to her boyfriend?! If that's the case! If so, then please be sure to come on stage! Everyone, give this brave lady some applause and cheers!"

“Uh oh oh——!”*n

Under the active leadership of this guitarist, the entire Livehouse focused its attention on Goto Ichiri.

As the person involved, Ichiri Goto froze in place for a long time before finally coming back to his senses amidst the cheers of the crowd...

"……Eh?"

Chapter 74: The guitar strings in my heart

(Mistake.)

Looking at the figure walking towards the stage with his head lowered, Ren Suzuki felt a little annoyed.

(If she hadn’t been pushed so hard, she probably wouldn’t have intentionally distanced herself and talked to me in such a loud voice.)

However, it is difficult to recover from overflowing water.

At this time, Goto Kazuri was already standing on the stage under the expectant eyes of everyone in the audience.

Her expression looked quite nervous, and her eyes repeatedly flickered between her toes and the audience in the audience.

And the ups and downs of her chest were also indicating her rapid and disordered breathing at this time.

This poor shy girl has never even officially appeared on the [STARRY] stage, but now she is suddenly standing on a stage bigger than that...

So... what to do next?

Should we find a way to rescue her, or should we let her endure the tension and fear... and continue to stand on the stage?

"..."

Ren Suzuki turned around and glanced at the guitarist who invited her to the stage.

Judging from the state he had just performed, and the hearty smile without any deep meaning on his face at this moment, Suzuki Ren could not feel anything against Goto.

He really just wanted to heat up the atmosphere at the scene through this way of interacting with the audience.

Next, as long as Goto Kazuri can cooperate with his guidance and complete some simple questions and answers, he should be asked to step down soon.

But...can she really do it?If she can't do it, will her heart be hurt by letting her stay there...

Ren Suzuki couldn't help but have doubts about this.

And while he was still undecided, Goto Ichiri, who was standing on the stage, also noticed Suzuki Ren's expression at this moment.

........................

"Okay! Our girlfriend is already on stage, so can you briefly introduce yourself?"

"Ehhh-"

Goto Ichiri, who was suddenly invited to the stage, had his eyes turned into chaotic spirals.

She thought she was just coming to the Livehouse to listen to music, but she never thought that she would also be invited to the stage.

"…………"

Gotou Ichisato looked around in panic.

A rough estimate shows that the customer flow of this Livehouse is probably more than three times that of [STARRY].

Not only that, the area of ​​the stage, the intensity of the lights, and even the level of noise are far greater than [STARRY].

At this moment, the entire Livehouse audience turned their attention to him, seeming to be waiting for him to introduce himself.

For a moment, her consciousness suddenly flew back to the first day of high school...

(Suddenly I feel...a very familiar feeling.)

The feeling of blockage that kept rising in her throat was constantly sending her "escape" and "fear" signals.

Disordered breathing, wandering eyes.

If it was her before... she would definitely just stand there blankly now, like a wooden person unable to make any response.

And now... behind this subconscious uneasiness, there are other beliefs that are enough to influence her thinking.

(...Suzuki-san is also looking at me now.)

After she was invited to the stage, Ren Suzuki followed her to the front of the stage and stood closest to her.

And in his eyes... although he was not troubled by being involved in this emergency, he still felt a little worried about his current state.

……

Next, will we still have to escape like before?

Use the worst possible answer like "You heard me wrong" or "It doesn't happen", and then run away in despair.

Are you going to worry about him again?

Because he always leaves enough space for himself to escape, he has to enjoy his tenderness with peace of mind.

Presumably, even if she escapes from now on, he will definitely not blame himself.

On the contrary, he would comfort her as always, and give her encouragement and understanding when she was extremely disappointed with herself.

Really...is this okay?Ichisato Goto?

Don’t forget why he treats you with this level of tenderness.

That's not out of love for you, nor out of sympathy for you, but because he is worried that you will embark on the same sad path as that Miss Hiiragi.

He has always been dealing with you with such worries and concerns.

Do you really want to let him continue to worry?

Think about it carefully, what are you afraid of?

Do the eyes of these viewers who are looking at you really contain the malice you have always feared?

And is your own strength enough to prove what you want to say next?

……

Have you thought about it?

If you have thought about it, then make your choice.

........................

"My name is Ichiri Goto, and I am a first-year student from Shuka High School in Tokyo."

Although Goto Kazuri's expression was still a little awkward after taking the microphone, he bravely and loudly spoke into the microphone:

"Also the lead guitarist from 'The End'."

"Oh!!! It's surprising that I've just entered high school, but I didn't expect to be a guitarist in a band! This is as rare as SSR!"

The guitarist who temporarily acted as MC suddenly showed a rather excited expression after hearing this.

"So when you said you wanted to perform on stage...you really wanted to show off your skills to your boyfriend and his classmates over there?"

"…………"

For a moment, everyone in the Livehouse turned their attention to Ren Suzuki, who was standing at the front.

Ren Suzuki, who was extremely pleased with the bravery shown by Goto Ichiri, finally let go of his worries, turned to an expectant expression, and continued to stare at the girl in front of him.

That expression seemed to say...you can answer whatever you want.

"I...am not his girlfriend."

Goto Ichisato shook his head slightly, and his hand holding the microphone was a little harder than before.

"In other words, she is not his girlfriend yet."

"Oh?!"

This unexpected answer made the entire Livehouse audience show meaningful expressions.

When the guitarist realized that the effect of the show was coming, his eyes lit up instantly.

At the same time, Goto Kazuri's answer was still continuing.

"All this time, I have only taken care of him, been considerate, and even occasionally made him worried... To be honest, I don't think I have the qualifications to be his lover now."

"But... even though I have been taken care of and worried about, I still have something I want to convey to him."

Then, while the guitarist looked on in surprise, she fixed the microphone back on the stand and stretched out her hand to the guitarist.

"So...can you lend me your guitar for a while?"

This audience interaction session that happened suddenly on a whim reached a climax that was enough to ignite the entire scene.

Chapter 75: 好きだから(Because I like you)

(The title is taken from the song of the same name by ユイカ. It is recommended to read this chapter with the song.)

........................

(Surprisingly...less nervous.)

After borrowing a guitar on impulse, Ichiri Goto calmed down unusually.

Is it because the momentum has not subsided, or is it because I really don’t feel nervous about other people’s eyes anymore?

Goto Ichiri himself didn’t know.

All she knew was that after she said what she wanted to convey to Suzuki Ren, Suzuki Ren's expression instantly became dull.

Sure enough, even he certainly didn't expect that he would say those words just now under the watchful eyes of so many people.

I always feel like... the refreshing feeling of finally defeating Suzuki-san.

But of course, just surprising him once was still far from being able to catch up with him.

If you want to truly become an existence worthy of him, you still have to work harder.

As for how to work specifically?Needless to say?

What's the only thing she can do, and the only good thing she can do?

Naturally, I played the guitar in my hand.

So, next...just choose that song.

Although I originally planned to play it to Suzuki-san on the campus radio, the opportunity is rare and it would be a good choice to be able to talk to him on this stage.

After making up her mind, Goto Ichiri showed a subtle smile, then she put her hand on the strings and started to play them gently——

........................

As the initiator of this audience interaction session, the guitarist naturally handed over the guitar to Goto Kazuri without hesitation.

The moment Goto Kazuri picked up the guitar, her aura immediately changed.

His originally wandering eyes became firm and focused, and even his waist straightened up subconsciously——

"Oh...it feels good."

The guitarist's eyes suddenly lit up as he retreated to the band members.

"I didn't expect that today's performance would have such a great intermission program. What a surprise... I said, if the kid accidentally fails to play well later, just hit the cymbal quickly to fool him, and then I'll go again smooth things over."

"Understand."

The drummer nodded and picked up the sticks.

"But I don't think you need to worry so much. The audience at this Livehouse is very tolerant, and they certainly won't go out of their way to embarrass this kid who has just entered high school."

"That won't embarrass her too much. Didn't you hear that the child wants to play the next song for the people she likes? I don't want to ruin other people's good things because of the effect of my show."

"That kid seemed quite shy when he first came on stage. I didn't expect him to be so courageous."

The bass player also joined in.