I just want a single ending

Kamikawa Su began to explain: "In order to ensure the flow of visitors, the performance hall will issue quotas to the participating bands."

"For example, if there's a target of ten tickets sold, once more than ten tickets are sold, the proceeds from the additional tickets will be split equally between the venue and the band."

"But if the number of guests we attract doesn't meet our target, the band will have to pay the difference."

"Simply put, before a band becomes famous, the expenses are extremely high."

"One performance can sometimes cost tens of thousands of yen, and with all the miscellaneous expenses, the cost can be even higher."

"Pochi-chan, you don't have that much money to play in a band, right?"

Goto Ichiri nodded blankly: "...Yeah."

"So, do you want to go work?" Kamikawa Su said with a smile.

"Absolutely not, I don't want to work!"

Goto Ichiri's speed of denial was unprecedentedly fast.

She is afraid of working and afraid of society.

You can imagine the consequences of asking a guy like me who can't even talk to a stranger to work.

You will die.

"In that case, wouldn't it be nice to accept my reward?"

Kamikawa Suku had long seen through her character and was 100% sure that he would succeed in persuading her.

"Rather than working with strangers, it would be easier to make money by teaching guitar to people I know well, right?"

"……really."

Thinking of the tragic ending of going to work, Goto Ichiri couldn't refuse after all and agreed with tears of gratitude.

So touching.

Kamikawa Su is so gentle, he actually thinks so much about me.

That's what friends are.

"Then it's settled." Kamikawa Su's smile grew even brighter. "Then let Aine and Kita learn guitar from you together."

"But isn't 10,000 yen an hour a bit too much?"

Even so, Goto Ichiri still had a small doubt.

She didn't think she was worth that much money.

"It's not much, because the fact that I paid you to teach Aine guitar needs to be kept secret. You can't tell anyone, especially Aine." Kamikawa Suku maintained a smile. "You can think of the extra money as confidentiality fee."

"Why did you keep it a secret from Chihaya-san?" Goto Ichiri couldn't understand.

Tell the truth

【Say nothing】

"This matter is very complicated to explain. It involves many things and it's not easy to explain, but I hope you can keep it confidential."

After thinking about it, Kamikawa Su decided to keep it secret.

Once the explanation is given, Chihaya Aine's embarrassment will definitely be revealed.

He didn't want to do that.

[Strength plus three]

"I see."

Goto Ichiri didn't have the courage to ask further questions.

"Give."

Then, Kamikawa Supo handed over a small stack of money.

"Pay now? And this amount..."

Goto Ichiri swallowed.

It feels like enough to buy myself!

"Because Aine and I are going to Starry to see you this afternoon, is that okay?"

"……Can."

······

In the afternoon, in the practice room of STARRY.

"Thank you so much for asking Ichiri to teach me guitar."

Chihaya Aion, holding a guitar, sat with Kita Ikuyo and thanked Goto Ichiri with a smile.

"You're welcome."

Goto Ichiri secretly glanced at the milk tea on the table that she had bought for him as a thank you, and then thought of the large sum of money that Kamikawa Supo had given her, and she lowered her head silently.

My conscience hurts.

And outside the recording studio.

Kamikawa Susumu found Ichichi Hongka who was mopping the floor.

"I'm here again. Is there anything your band can do that I can help you with?"

Chapter 33: Super Gentle Ichichi Hongka

"It's Su, has Aine-san's case been dealt with?"

Ijichi Hongxia raised her head and looked at the person who came.

"Well, she's already learning guitar from Pochi-chan." Kamikawa Su replied with a smile, "I'm free right now, so I wanted to ask if your band needs any help."

"Of course, you can ask me for help with some odd jobs."

He did not join the End band, but he had a good relationship with them and was their friend.

However, he did want to help with operations at first, but was rejected.

In addition, he is now the manager of another band, so he has never mentioned the matter of ending his role as manager of the band.

"Let me do the chores. You're the customer."

Ijichi Hongxia thought for a moment, then continued, "As for the band's matter... I don't know if I should tell you."

[Question]

【Then don’t say it】

Shangchuan Su asked with concern: "Did you encounter any problems?"

【Obtain 100,000 yen】

"It's about Pochi-chan." Ijichi Hongka's voice was filled with worry. "I don't know what to do."

"If that's the case, then tell me. Maybe I can help you come up with a solution."

After organizing her words, Ijichi Hongka began to narrate, "Well, during the last live performance, didn't Pochi-chan perform inside a cardboard box?"

"That's what happened." Kamikawa Su remembers it clearly.

"Then, because of that live, she got the nickname Mango Mask. It was my sister... No, it was the store manager who gave it to her."

"Pochi-chan, don't you like this nickname?"

"No, I'm very happy."

"Any questions?"

"Don't give nicknames casually," Ijichi Hongxia said seriously, "It can easily cause harm to the person being nicknamed."

"makes sense."

Kamikawa Su agrees with this view.

"So, what does this have to do with what you're going to say?"

Ijichi Hongxia then asked, "I'd like to ask, from the audience's perspective, what do you think about a guitarist performing in a cardboard box on stage?"

“It should be quite interesting and creative.”

According to his stereotype of the band, no matter what people in the band do, it will not seem strange.

Just staying in the box and playing guitar, no big deal.

"What if the guitarist in the cardboard box didn't perform well, or played poorly?" Ijichi Hongxia emphasized. "This is just an assumption. I don't mean to say anything about Pochi-chan."

"If that's the case, I can only call it grandstanding."

After a moment of silence, Kamikawa Su gave his own evaluation.

The reason is actually very simple.

Food is the original sin.

As long as your level is good enough, don't even think about playing the guitar in a cardboard box.

Even if you perform on stage wearing only shorts, it’s still okay and people will still think you look extremely handsome.

But if your level is not good enough, no matter how formally you dress, it will be useless and you will still not get any respect.

"Is that really the case?"

Ijichi Hongxia smiled awkwardly.

Kamikawa was thoughtful. "I think I understand what you mean. You're worried that if Pochi-chan doesn't perform well in the cardboard box, she'll get scolded by the customers, right?"

"You heard our last performance. Our coordination was not ideal and the results were terrible."

Ijichi Hongxia seemed very embarrassed and spoke in a low voice.

"Fortunately, the customers who came to see our band are all my friends, so no one will say anything about it. But it's unlikely that they will come to see our band perform again."

"However, this means our band will only be able to sell tickets to strangers in the future."

"Strangers are not so easy to talk to. To them, good is good and bad is bad."

"If the performance fails again like last time, the first person to bear the brunt of the blame will be Pochi-chan, who's in the cardboard box. She's too conspicuous."

"The nickname we've given you now is just something as innocuous as Mango Mask. If a customer gives you something excessive, and Pochi-chan finds out, the consequences will be disastrous."

Hearing this, Kamikawa Su suddenly realized why Ijichi Kouka had not told Goto Ichiri about the ticket sales quota.

It's not just because Kita Ikuyo is still learning guitar, it's also because of her current condition.

"That's just the worst case scenario. As long as Pochi-chan performs well, nothing will happen." Kamikawa Suzu comforted.

"I can tell that Pochi-chan's guitar skills are definitely very good, and definitely not as bad as they were when she performed on stage."

Ijichi Hongxia looked at him, hoping for approval.

"You should have noticed that, right? Otherwise, Aine-san wouldn't have come to Pochi-chan to learn guitar."

"……Correct."

Kamikawa Suku, who had no idea about music appreciation, nodded as if he understood.

"Just like you said, as long as we perform well, nothing will happen." Ijichi Hongxia expressed her concerns, "But the question is, with Pochi-chan's personality and performance, can she really perform well the next time she goes on stage?"

"You know, the reason she played guitar in a cardboard box was because she couldn't bear the sight of the audience."

Kamikawa Su followed suit and asked, "So when are you guys planning on having your next live?"

"I haven't decided yet, but I'll definitely wait until Kita finishes learning guitar and our band writes a song."

Ijichi Hongxia couldn't give a specific time.

"And it depends on Pochi-chan's specific situation."

"So, when you said you didn't know what to do, you were thinking about how to help Pochi-chan, right? I hope that she can at least perform normally during the next live." Kamikawa Su finally understood everything.

Ijichi Hongxia's requirements were very low: "Or at least she could play the guitar without having to be in a cardboard box."

"Why is this again?"