After being elected as the governor of Tokyo, he will debut as a band!

Yoshida Ginjiro instantly forgot his wild guesses. If Aoyama hadn't stopped him in time, he probably would have collapsed on the guitar.

Of course he recognized the guitar… Coben Coolidge’s favorite Black Fender Stratocaster.

If this thing were auctioned, it could easily fetch a high price of 200 million yen.

"Is this...is this genuine?"

He felt like his legs were about to give way.

"It's genuine, there's a certificate issued by Christie's Auction House."

Aoyama pointed to the certificate inlaid on the cover of the violin case.

"This is really...this is really..."

Ginjiro Yoshida blurted out, "So, it's true that Coben Coolidge is going to perform at Folt."

Aoyama shrugged. Although he didn't speak, his silent response was more powerful than any words.

"Haksan... just who are you...?"

Yoshida Ginjiro stared intently at Aoyama Mukashi, then remained in that wide-eyed position until he lost consciousness.

Aoyama has not yet turned back.

As she was about to help him up, a figure suddenly flashed in like a whirlwind, grabbed Yoshida Ginjiro, and spun him around until he collapsed onto the sofa. Then he lay face down on the violin case, drooling.

"I recognized it immediately as a Koben Coolidge guitar! I'm so excited! Is this what 200 million yen smells like?!"

Yamada Ryo, whose eyes seemed to be filled with the money, said this.

Aoyama was suddenly startled.

Oh no, how did this guy see Coburn's piano?

……

Coben Coolidge is based on a real person; can you guess who it is?

Isogachi Music Awards: 115 Making grand promises to the band Link.

"Haksan, can you give this to me for free? I'm still a student..."

Yamada Ryo clung to Aoyama Muto, straining to make his eyes wide and watery.

"...You really dare to ask for something that can fetch two to three hundred million yen?"

Without any mercy, Aoyama grabbed her by the back of her collar and threw her onto the sofa.

"As expected, it's impossible."

Yamada Ryo sighed deeply, then quickly put on a serious expression. "How about I pay for it?!"

"...What nonsense are you talking about? Where did you get so much money?"

"A loan! If it's 200 million yen, at the Tokyo Development Bank's interest rate, I only need about 320 years to pay it off..."

“You’re a high school student, you don’t even have a stable income, which bank would lend you money?”

Aoyama looked at her speechlessly; Yamada Ryo's thinking was sometimes really too unconventional.

"Then we'll have to turn to underground banks... Mr. Harker, you should have connections in this area, right? Could you introduce me to one?"

Yamada Ryo leaned closer and winked at Aoyama.

"Nonsense... I have no connections in that area."

The Tojo Clan used to have these so-called financial companies that lent money privately, but ever since Aoyama led the Public Safety Commission to take down the Tojo Clan, those involved in serious cases went straight to jail, while those with less serious offenses were sent by the Tojo Group to Southeast Asia or Latin America to develop markets. Now, the few remaining underground banks in Tokyo are all subsidiaries of small yakuza groups, not even worthy of a seat at the table... let alone having any connection with Aoyama.

"Never mind then..." Yamada Ryo was actually joking; coming from a wealthy family, she had that much experience...

Banks in Japan are already quite exploitative, but underground money lenders are even more adept at sucking your blood dry. If you get involved with them, you're in for a world of trouble.

So even if Yamada Ryo was broke, she would only borrow money from acquaintances. If they refused to lend her money, she would just endure it or cut back on food, such as digging for wild vegetables in the green belt to fill her stomach or fishing by the river. In short, she would not go into debt.

After all, she was short of money mainly because she liked to buy all kinds of rock-related things, so there was no urgent need for money.

On the other hand, Hiroi Kikuri... because she often gets drunk and causes damage, then has to compensate for financial losses and business losses, she often has urgent cash needs. And being a drunkard who can't save any money, she has always had debts, but fortunately, they haven't snowballed into debt due to interest...

"Haksan, may I play this guitar and feel the soul connection with Coben Coolidge?"

Suddenly, Yamada Ryo took Aoyama Muto's hand in his own and looked at him expectantly, asking a question.

He looked like he was ready to kowtow to you if you didn't agree.

This kind of music fanatic who is hopelessly addicted to rock music has a different understanding of self-esteem than ordinary people. If they say they'll kowtow to you, they might actually do it.

"That's possible..."

Aoyama generously used other people's money without any hesitation.

Yamada Ryo is also a music lover, so he definitely won't damage this guitar after getting his hands on it. If he plays it normally, not only will it not cause any damage to the guitar, but even if it does cause some damage—like breaking a string—Coolidge wouldn't care.

Don't be fooled by the fact that this violin can fetch 200 million at auction. That's the value in the eyes of collectors and avid music lovers. To Coolidge, it's just a handy instrument. And since it's an instrument, it's meant to be played. Wear and tear is normal.

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" Yamada Ryo trembled all over, reached out and picked up the guitar from the case, but she didn't play it right away. Instead, she took out her phone and sent a message.

Two minutes later, Goto Ichiri rushed over, pulling Iji Chi Nikka with one hand and Kita Ikuyo with the other. The two of them were like two rag bags in Pochi's hands.

"Goto?"

Aoyama was surprised by Boqi's performance. After all, in his impression, Boqi was a timid and socially awkward person offstage. This was the first time he had seen her so energetic and outgoing.

"Pochi, Kita, look! It's the Black Fender Stratocaster that Coben Coolidge used the most during his performances ten years ago! The real deal, the one that can sell for 200 million yen at auction!"

As Yamada Ryo spoke, he hugged the guitar to his chest and stroked it carefully as if it were a baby.

Then she pressed a C chord with her left hand and played a gentle fingerstyle.

"What a dreamlike sound!"

"It's exactly the same as the one I heard on the vinyl records my dad collected..."

"I don't really understand it, but it seems really amazing."

Pochi and Kita surrounded Yamada Ryo, cheering with satisfaction.

Only Ichi Nijika stood still, somewhat unable to empathize with her three teammates who were playing the strings.

"Huh? Really? Is this voice that nice? But I don't feel like it has any rhythm."

Then she noticed that all three of her teammates were looking at her with disdain, and Nijika couldn't hold back anymore. "Eh? Kita? Even Pochi-chan?! Don't look at me like that! That's just how we drummers are, we can't explain it to you string players!"

After the four girls had been arguing for a while, Ijichi Nijika, who was relatively more mature, was the first to realize that something was wrong.

"Why is Mr. Coben Coolidge's favorite guitar here? Is he going to perform at Folt?"

Thinking of this, she quickly cast an admiring glance at Yoshida Ginjiro, who was sitting on the sofa next to her grinning foolishly. "Did you invite him over, Manager Yoshida?! That's amazing! You actually know someone like that!"

At this moment, Yoshida Ginjiro was like Fan Jin after passing the imperial examination, almost oblivious to the outside world. Fortunately, Yamada Ryo had been eavesdropping on their conversation by the door. Although he didn't hear everything, he managed to get the gist of it and explained to Nijika that Coben Coolidge must have been invited by Mr. Hack.

Upon hearing this, Ichiji Nijika subtly expressed her dissatisfaction, "I wonder if 'Starry Night' will have such an opportunity."

She wasn't jealous of Folt, but she felt that with such a good thing happening, Mr. Huck didn't even think of his own sister first—I've treated you like family! Why are you siding with outsiders?

In fact, Aoyama had considered the Starlight Hall, but Starlight Hall was too small and Coolidge might not be comfortable there. The purpose of this performance was to allow Coolidge to fully enjoy the pure music. If he was not in good condition due to the venue, it would be a waste of Aoyama's good intentions.

Of course, Aoyama would not treat his own people unfairly.

"I think that compared to inviting Coben Coolidge to perform at Star Songs, Star Song might prefer to see her sister's band perform on the same stage as this superstar?"

Aoyama painted a picture of a future that the four members of the Bond Band would never have dared to dream of.

Igomachi Music Awards: 116 We must take care of Mr. Hack in his old age and see him off in his final days.

"Muli, Muli, Meyeli!"

As soon as Aoyama said this, before Ichiki Nijika could react, Pochi rushed over and shook his head at him.

She knew Aoyama's true identity, so she didn't think he was joking at all.

"If I were to perform with Mr. Coolidge, I would feel like I'm... on... stage..."

As she spoke, her breathing became difficult, and it seemed that even just imagining the scene in her mind was enough to trigger an "allergic reaction" in her.

"Ms. Goto."

Aoyama looked at her earnestly, like a teacher looking at the top student in his class. "You should go to a superstar's concert and experience the atmosphere from the performer's perspective. The same goes for the three of you, because in my opinion, one day you will become the most popular rock girl band in this country."

"Getting used to the atmosphere of a large-scale concert in advance is not a bad thing for you."

Aoyama's words startled Pochi, who even forgot about being out of breath due to nervousness.

She remembered a dream she had once had—

Standing on the stage of the Budokan, facing thousands of fans, leading his band, he was greeted with thunderous cheers.

That was the "way to salvation" that I, as a socially awkward and invisible person on campus (as I thought), came up with in the quiet of the night, when I felt extremely lonely.

Loneliness? Loneliness is just an "appetizer" on the road to becoming a rock queen.

This concert by Keke should be an important test on her road to becoming a rock queen. Once she gets through it, the road ahead will be smooth sailing!

Thinking of this, Pochi felt as if the pressure that had been wrapped around her neck had transformed into armor draped over her shoulders. Although heavy, it made her feel grounded.

Seeing that Pochi seemed to have made up his mind, Ijichi Nikka couldn't help but smile.

Being able to perform with superstars is an invaluable opportunity for anyone aspiring to become a professional musician.

Aoyama must have done a great deal of personal favor to secure this opportunity for them.

Ichi Nijika knew that the value of this favor could not be measured in money—if Coolidge wanted to sell the opportunity to share the stage with him, domestic talent agencies would definitely be able to offer an astonishingly high price, and even established veteran musicians would pay out of their own pockets just to add the experience of "working with Coben Coolidge" to their resumes.

This experience can really boost their value, and their talent agencies can also make a fortune from it. For example, when Takuya Kimura collaborated with David Beckham, his endorsement fee jumped from 9000 million yen to 2 million yen.

Ijichi Nijika is not a shameless bassist like Yamada Ryo. Once she knows she owes someone a favor, she will definitely repay it. But how can she repay such a big favor?

Is it enough to just use my older sister, the one who sleeps with a doll?

Even if I sacrifice myself, it wouldn't be enough!

In this case……

Ijichi Nijika glanced at Yamada Ryo, who was carefully finger-tapping BFS while drooling, and then at Kita Ikuyo, who was completely dazed and lost in thought. She knew what to do.

They could only gather the four members of the Bond Band together, have Mr. Hack become their mentor, and then care for him until his death.

So Nijiga gave Yamada Ryo a look, and the latter immediately understood what she meant, pulling Kita Ikuyo over, while Nijiga walked behind Pochi and gently nudged her shoulder.

“Pochi-chan, Mr. Hack has secured this rare opportunity for us, let’s bow to him.”

"Good, good."

After Yamada Ryoya and Kita Ikuyo finished their explanations, the four of them faced Aoyama, and then Iji Tomoka spoke first:

"Thank you for giving us this opportunity, Mr. Hack."

"Thank you, Mr. Hack." x3

After speaking, the four of them bowed deeply.

There are two kinds of teachers in this world. Take Sun Wukong for example. One kind of teacher is like Bodhi Patriarch, who imparts knowledge, teaches skills, and resolves doubts. The other kind of teacher is like Tang Sanzang, who gives him credit, paves the way for him, and leads him across the threshold of his profession.

For Yamada Ryo and Kita Ikuyo, Aoyama Muto belongs to the latter; while for Pochi and Ijichi Nijika, they might belong to both.

……

It was evening of the second day.

Coben Coolidge, dressed like a hybrid of a Tengu and Inuyasha, followed Aoyama to the FOLT performance hall.

Because Aoyama had explained the specifics of Coolidge's performance to Yoshida Ginjiro beforehand, Yoshida wasn't particularly surprised by Coolidge's outfit.

Although Yoshida was slightly disappointed that Coolidge couldn't perform in her true form at FOLT, he also knew that his own performance hall was insufficient to handle the crowds attracted by Coolidge's public identity...

Anyway, Coben Coolidge's performance style is very distinctive, and his voice is extremely recognizable. In addition, the guitar he uses on stage is the famous "Coben Coolidge's personal guitar." Even if he dressed up like Inuyasha wearing a Tengu mask, he would be recognized very quickly.

By then, FOLT will be able to make a fortune as a newly emerging "rock mecca" and become a leader among all small and medium-sized performance halls in Tokyo... Of course, it is unlikely that, as Yoshida Ginjiro initially imagined, FOLT will be able to sit at the same table as Budokan and Tokyo Dome.

However, this actually relieved Yoshida Ginjiro, as he didn't have such a powerful force behind him to support Folt in taking the lead.

It's best to play it safe for now.