Anime Crossover: The Losing Heroines Have Become Witches

Chapter 477 472: Lead Vocalist

"And if I join as the lead vocalist, it wouldn't be very good for Gotoh-san, right? She's the current lead vocalist after all..."

Kita Ikuyo shook her head.

"Because of certain reasons, Bocchi-chan can't truly become a lead vocalist in the proper sense yet. She can only hum. Although the current feedback is decent, if it keeps going on like this, I always feel that as a rock band, it's a bit... incomplete."

Nijika said: "I've always felt that Bocchi-chan's humming is better suited for backing vocals to enhance the texture of the lead singer's voice."

When mentioning 'certain reasons', the girl took a subtle, almost imperceptible glance at Asakura.

Sitting in the driver's seat, Asakura remained indifferent, though his interest in the strange, crunchy-horn-shaped stain had somehow shifted to the cowlick on Nijika's head. It made the blonde girl's cowlick feel as if it were under immense threat, clinging to its owner's head and refusing to budge.

"But Gotoh-san..."

"Bocchi-chan agreed too."

Before Kita Ikuyo could continue refusing, Nijika spoke up a step ahead.

To say she 'agreed' wasn't entirely accurate.

Because when Nijika asked for Hitori's opinion, the latter practically handed over the duties of lead vocalist with an attitude of sheer ecstasy.

One could see that for a socially anxious person, bearing the title of 'Lead Vocalist' as the core of the team and being the center of everyone's gaze had already caused the introverted girl immense psychological pressure.

Add to that Asakura's order that she couldn't just sing whenever she wanted, resulting in the title track of the live performance, "Guitar, Loneliness and Blue Planet..." having lyrics written but no way to sing them. This caused the overall quality of the live show to drop significantly (even so, it was still very popular; in a sense, the Curse [Song] is indeed quite powerful in this regard). This made the girl feel very guilty. In fact, this guilt was more agonizing and unbearable than the torture of singing in front of a crowd.

At this time, being told she didn't have to continue sitting in that shimmering, spotlight-stealing position being stared at, the girl naturally agreed without hesitation. She wished she could immediately place the crown with the words 'Lead Vocalist' on Kita Ikuyo's head and then shout "Long live!" to her three times.

However, what even Nijika didn't know was that not long after the celebration banquet began, Kita Ikuyo had been dazed as she was led into the private room. The moment she saw Yamada Ryo and Nijika trying to escape but being caught by Hitori, the girl—who had spent countless energy and sweat on her guitar and honed her skills through countless days and nights—immediately realized what those calluses on Kita Ikuyo's fingertips meant.

If it were someone she had never met, Hitori might still worry about the band's future by letting them join and even giving them the vital position of lead vocalist. But for Kita Ikuyo, whose fingers had become like that from practicing guitar, she felt she could trust her.

That someone could work so hard for music meant they wouldn't ruin the band—such was Hitori's simple set of values.

"But..."

Kita Ikuyo was still conflicted about joining Kessoku Band. She couldn't let go of the fact that she had run away once and almost caused the band's first performance to end in failure.

"If you feel that a simple 'It's okay' or 'We forgive you' isn't enough to put your mind at ease, I can offer a suggestion."

Without anyone noticing when she had followed her sister out, Ijichi Seika walked toward the food truck and said: "How about coming to my shop and working a few days in a maid outfit?"

"Eh?"

Kita Ikuyo's expression became even more dazed.

"Kita-chan's matter has nothing to do with starry, right?" Nijika commented with some helplessness.

"Using self-punishment to dissolve inner unease—whether the punishment itself has anything to do with the source of the unease is completely irrelevant."

Ijichi Seika spoke in a clear voice. Because her attitude was so matter-of-fact, even though what she said was distorted, it sounded like a legitimate argument.

"I can't just pretend I didn't hear that."

In the end, Asakura slapped... slapped the steering wheel and stood up: "Kita is my employee, how can she go work for starry?"

"She's an employee, not a slave. Isn't it her freedom to go where she wants?" Ijichi Seika crossed her arms and said cheerfully.

"Even if it's a part-time job, there's a signed contract. Do you understand what the spirit of a contract is?" Asakura met her gaze without the slightest fear.

"There aren't that many regulations for high school part-time jobs!"

"No, there are, right? I remember many schools, even if they allow students to work, have regulations about only being able to work a few days a week."

"It doesn't matter. If I don't pay her, it doesn't count as working."

"You really are a piece of work! Is starry's management so desperate that it needs to save money to this extent!?"

After all, Ijichi Seika was quite a bit older than Asakura (Note), but she was only a bit over 1.6 meters tall. Standing there, she was completely crushed by the high school boy Asakura's height, and her momentum instantly plummeted.

"That... actually, I can go work at starry during the times I'm not scheduled at the Ten-Point House..."

Kita Ikuyo said weakly.

Although being popular was a good thing, being caught between these two and fought over like some delicious morsel made the girl feel a bit apprehensive.

"That's great!" At this moment, Nijika suddenly grabbed Kita Ikuyo's hands: "That means Kita-chan has agreed to rejoin Kessoku Band, right?"

"Right, right? Ah... eh?"

Kita Ikuyo, not realizing she had been tricked into a conceptual shift by Nijika, was stunned for a moment.

"And thanks to Kita-chan, I was able to meet Bocchi-chan. Kessoku Band being able to stumble along to this point is all thanks to the luck Kita-chan brought... no, it should be said it's the 'Kessoku' (Unity), or rather the 'Tie' (Ribbon)."

Nijika flashed a brilliant smile at the girl: "And Ryo is also looking forward to you joining."

Though Ryo's original words were: 'If Kita joins, then the practice room and equipment rental fees can be split four ways, feels like a profit.' But having known Yamada Ryo for so long, Nijika knew that if it were someone Yamada Ryo disliked, she wouldn't form a band with them even if they paid her.

Kita Ikuyo hesitated for a moment, then finally rubbed the corner of her eye and revealed a brilliant smile.

"I am but a humble girl... but I will work hard to become a lead vocalist worthy of Kessoku Band!"

"Ah, you have to practice guitar too."

"Eh? I have to practice that too!?"

"Yes, Bocchi-chan is the lead guitar, and Kita-chan is the rhythm guitar."

"...Alright, I understand."