>5< Muse's Debut Performance (1)

Chapter 5: Muse's Debut Performance (1)

After a few days of interacting with Yukino and the others, Zaimokuza's mild social anxiety had improved significantly.

Once again entering the classroom, he spotted Hikigaya Hachiman slouched over his desk at the front and made his way toward him.

"Hachiman, I've got a really serious question to ask you," Zaimokuza said, slamming both hands down on the desk, staring at him intently.

Hachiman, startled at first, realized it was Zaimokuza and sighed.

"What now? Another weird question?" Hachiman asked, slightly disappointed that his only friend hadn't talked about being some samurai general or a great bodhisattva lately.

"Let's say, hypothetically, you had the chance to step into a mysterious world. But there's a risk—you might die. Would you still choose to step into that world?"

"Huh? Is your chuunibyou acting up again?" Hachiman shot Zaimokuza a look of disdain, as if questioning his intelligence.

"It's not that. I'm thinking of writing a novel, and I wanted to hear different perspectives. So, come on, put yourself in that situation and answer seriously!"

Sighing, Hachiman replied, "If it were me, I wouldn't bother with any weird mysterious world. My dream is to become a househusband in the future, get taken care of by my wife, and live a simple, peaceful life."

Zaimokuza looked at him, dumbfounded. "Huh? That's just freeloading! We're talking about mystery! The truth of the world!"

"Pfft, but it's dangerous, right? I, Hikigaya Hachiman, wouldn't risk my life for something like that."

"Ugh, what a boring answer. I thought you'd be on the same page as me."

"Oh? So what's your answer?"

"Of course, I'd risk my life to explore the unknown and uncover the mysteries!" Zaimokuza's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.

Hachiman let out a tired sigh. "That's why you're still stuck in your chuunibyou phase, while I've moved past it."

"Ding-dong—" The bell rang, cutting their conversation short. They both returned to their seats and resumed the dull grind of class.

***************

As the school day came to an end, Zaimokuza, having already informed Yukino beforehand, decided not to visit the Service Club.

Zaimokuza had invited both Yukino and Yui to watch Muse's debut performance. However, Yukino declined, saying she would rather spend the time reading a few more books. Yui, initially interested, lost her enthusiasm after hearing Yukino's refusal and also decided not to go.

Thus, Zaimokuza headed alone towards Otonokizaka Academy. Along the way, he bought two glow sticks, believing that if you're going to cheer on idols, you need to have glow sticks or similar items to support them.

Although he had never attended such a concert before, he had seen these kinds of scenes in anime, so he decided to mimic them.

"Hey, are you there, you otaku? I'm already at the entrance of Otonokizaka Academy," Kirino texted him, asking for his whereabouts.

"Yeah, I'm almost there. Just wait a little longer."

When Zaimokuza arrived at the entrance, he saw three beautiful girls in middle school uniforms standing by the gate. One had striking blonde hair, another had long black hair, and the last was a petite girl with red twin-tails.

"Huh?" Kirino turned and looked at the chubby high school student in a baggy black uniform.

"Are you Zaimokuza?" Kirino asked, with a slight twitch of disappointment in her expression.

"Uh, yeah, that's me. You must be Tosaka Kirino?" Zaimokuza, noticing her barely concealed disappointment, awkwardly responded.

"Well, I didn't expect you to be handsome anyway."

"What the heck? I'm still your senpai, you know. You should show me some respect!"

At this point, Aragaki Ayase, standing beside Kirino, tugged on her sleeve and asked, "Kirino, how do you know this upperclassman?"

Zaimokuza, hearing the question, tried to answer, "How we met? Well, it's from a ga—" Before he could finish, Kirino quickly covered his mouth, preventing him from saying anything further.

"No, no, he's just a friend of my cousin! Haha, that's all!" Kirino laughed nervously, trying to dodge the truth.

"Pfft… Kirino, are you trying to suffocate me?" Zaimokuza gasped for air, struggling to breathe as he pushed her hand away.

"Listen up! My friends don't know that I play games. If they find out, I'll make your life very unpleasant. Got it?"

Kirino's cold voice sent shivers down Zaimokuza's spine, and he quickly nodded to show that he understood.

Kirino instantly transformed her expression into a gentle smile as she stood back beside Ayase Aragaki. It truly was remarkable how quickly this woman could change her demeanor, Zaimokuza couldn't help but murmur to himself.

"Hello, senpai! My name is Ayase Aragaki. It's a pleasure to meet you," Ayase introduced herself warmly.

"Oh, hello! I'm Kanako Kurusu. Nice to meet you," Kanako replied.

"Um, I'm Yoshiteru Zaimokuza. Thank you for having me," he added.

After exchanging greetings, Zaimokuza learned why Kirino had brought the two girls along. It turned out that Ayase had invited Kirino to go shopping after school, but upon being turned down, she had expressed an interest in attending her cousin's first performance. This prompted Kanako to join them as well.

Once the reason was clear, the four of them headed directly into the school.

As they walked through the campus, the curious gazes of the girls passing by were often directed at Zaimokuza and his companions.

Zaimokuza couldn't help but feel uncomfortable and asked Kirino, "Why haven't I seen a single boy around here?"

"Huh? Boys? That's impossible; this is an all-girls school!" she replied.

"No way! Can I even come in here?" Zaimokuza asked, surprised.

"That's what I was wondering too," a melodious voice chimed in from ahead.

Zaimokuza looked up to see a stunning beauty with model-like proportions. She had icy blue eyes and long blonde hair tied in a ponytail.

Beside her stood another equally beautiful girl with a curvaceous figure, sporting long purple hair adorned with two pink hairbows arranged in twin ponytails.

"Why is a boy bringing three middle school girls into our school?" the blonde beauty asked curiously.

Flustered, Zaimokuza quickly pulled out a flyer and said, "Uh, we're here to watch a performance—the Muse's first show. Could you please tell us where the auditorium is?"

Upon hearing this, Eli Ayase furrowed her brow slightly as she scrutinized the four of them before responding, "I see. In that case, let us show you the way."

"Ah, thank you!" the four of them chorused in unison.

*****************

"Why did you decide to come watch their performance?" As they walked, Eli Ayase asked the four of them.

"Hmm? Why? There's no particular reason; I was just interested, so I thought I'd come take a look. Didn't a lot of people come?" Zaimokuza asked, perplexed.

"Actually, you might be the only few who are here to watch their performance."

"What? No way! Won't that be a huge blow to my cousin?" Kirino said in a panic.

"Cousin? Who is your cousin?"

"I forgot to introduce myself, senior. I'm Kosaka Kirino, the cousin of Kosaka Honoka. Please take care of me."

"Well then, I'm Eli Ayase, the student council president of this school, and this is the vice president, Nozomi Tojo. It's nice to meet you."

"Is it true? No one is coming to watch my cousin's performance?" Kirino asked, looking concerned.

"Yes, it is. Basically, no one is coming except for you few," Nozomi answered.

"How could this happen?" Kirino sighed, feeling a bit downcast.

Zaimokuza noticed and tried to comfort her. "Well, it's okay. After all, they just formed their idol group not long ago and don't have much recognition yet. If they work hard, they'll gain more popularity. For now, let's just be their fans and cheer for them."

Hearing this, Kirino felt a bit relieved and looked at Zaimokuza, saying, "I didn't expect you to be the comforting type."

Zaimokuza merely shrugged off the comment, ignoring her.

Eli Ayase led the four of them to the auditorium. When she opened the door, they were greeted by the eerie silence of the vast hall.

Kirino couldn't help but worry about her cousin again, while Zaimokuza walked up to the front stage and sat down, waving for the others to join him.

"Now that we've brought you here, we should be leaving,"

"Huh? Aren't you staying to watch with us, senpai?" Kirino asked.

"No, we have a lot of things to take care of, so we'll be leaving first," Eli replied as she and Nozomi turned to leave the auditorium.

Once outside, Nozomi stopped in her tracks, prompting Eli to ask curiously, "What's wrong, Nozomi?"

"Well, I want to stay and see how they perform. Do you want to stay and watch with me?"

"For me, I think I should go; I have some matters to attend to at home," Eli replied, and with that, she and Nozomi parted ways at the entrance of the auditorium.

**************

In the auditorium, Zaimokuza opened his backpack and took out two glow sticks. Seeing this, Kirino was surprised and said, "You're really well-prepared."

"It's not like that; it's just something I read online about what to prepare for a performance," Zaimokuza replied.

"Wow, it seems like you really care about Muse! Are you interested in them?" Kanako teased from the side.

"Not at all! It's just a way for friends to connect," Zaimokuza denied.

The four of them chatted for a while longer, and when the clock struck four, the curtain slowly began to rise.