Chapter 3 The So-Called Guitar Hero

Indeed, as a newcomer, lack of experience would lead to complications.

When the lead singer's voice cracked, Kagura Hikaru knew he had to play the role of the savior today.

Silently, he turned the volume knob up about 25% and then forcefully strummed the strings!

"Bang——"

The distorted noise exploded within the cramped space of the livehouse, violently grabbing everyone's attention.

Kagura Hikaru abandoned his teammates' poor performance and played an overwhelmingly loud, passionately charged, high-speed guitar solo.

In an instant, he became the center of the stage.

Everyone gaped at him, including the band members, who didn't even realize they had unconsciously stopped playing.

Innovative melodies, elaborate plucking, rapid strumming, and emotive playing all showcased a master-level live performance.

——[Guitar lv4 (98/100)]

As Kagura Hikaru's highest level skill to date, he was absolutely clear-cut in this area.

His nearly maximum-level guitar skills were sufficient to place him among the world's top guitarists, and such a master performing in a small livehouse was an undeniably electrifying scene.

As the solo neared its end, Kagura Hikaru spontaneously twisted the melody back to the beginning of the Red Pepper Band's cover song they were set to perform tonight.

The girls quickly caught on, following suit; their private practice turned into muscle memory on stage, seamlessly merging into the performance.

This time, there was absolutely no room for error!

Lead singer Ai Cheng Hua Lian began with a determined look, "Lost and bewildered, we walk ~"

The audience, previously overwhelmed by Kagura Hikaru's performance, finally got a break to breathe and erupted with intense cheers, startling the girls on stage.

But they did not stop their movements; they exchanged glances that shared a sigh of relief, and played even harder.

By the end of the song, the girls were drenched in sweat.

"Thank you, everyone!"

The four band members bowed to the audience, then cheerfully ran off the stage.

Upon entering the dressing room and seeing Kagura Hikaru already packing up to leave, they hurriedly called out to him.

"Mr. Kagura, thank you so much for today!"

The girls bowed deeply at 90 degrees to Kagura Hikaru, inadvertently revealing a glimpse of their youthful cleavage from their collars.

He shifted his gaze away and slung his guitar case over his shoulder, "If you want to hire me again, have the owner of this venue contact me, that's all."

"Ah, wait a moment!"

The lead singer, called 'Karen', shouted, "Mr. Kagura, won't you join us for a celebration dinner? It's our treat!"

The others chimed in.

Not to mention he was a handsome man standing in front of them, even if he were a greasy old man, his lifesaving efforts today meant that Kagura Hikaru's dinner was on them!

Before the live began, they had their doubts about whether hiring Kagura Hikaru was worth the money, but now, they harbored no such thoughts.

If today Kagura Hikaru wanted to dine at a western restaurant, the high school girls would scrape together their money, gritting their teeth if they had to.

Yet, Kagura Hikaru, expressionless, shook his head, "I have other places to be, maybe next time."

With that, he no longer paid attention to the girls' reactions, briskly walked away, as if they were plagues.

His figure quickly disappeared from view, leaving only the slowly closing door behind.

"He's so coldhearted...." the bassist muttered.

"Don't say that, Mr. Kagura has other work, it can't be helped."

"Woo woo woo, I thought we could finally have a meal with a handsome guy, it's all ruined now."

"We'll meet him another day!"

Lead singer Ai Cheng Hua Lian wiped her face with the back of her hand, smearing part of her sweat-soaked makeup, revealing her clean and fresh face underneath, and said with a smile.

"You're right. As long as the Red Pepper Band is active, we will have another chance to work together!"

"Enough talk, let's take off this makeup and go eat."

"I'm starving~"

"You little glutton, let's go!"

...........

At a little past six in the evening, after running five lives, Kagura Hikaru returned home, having finished all his work for the day.

"I'm home."

"Welcome back. How did the live go today?"

A mature woman greeted him at the entrance, reaching out to take his guitar case.

He instinctively dodged it.

The woman showed an embarrassed smile and withdrew her hand, "Your dad is back already, we'll be eating soon."

"Hmm... Thank you, Auntie."

Kagura Hikaru responded and went upstairs to enter his room.

He dropped his guitar and backpack, and collapsed on his bed, curling up in the darkness by himself.

A few years ago, Kagura Hikaru's family was just a typical family of three, living a plain but happy life.

Until the emergence of the mind-reading ability, he had glimpsed the lies behind the laughter.

In front of him, his affectionate parents each had their own affair partners in secret, the seemingly perfect happy family was, in fact, already shattered.

At that time, he had not exposed them; he chose to endure, but later, the parents discovered the truth themselves.

Then what followed naturally was divorce and remarriage.

Kagura Hikaru was granted custody to his father, and the woman who had just greeted him at the entrance was his father's affair partner during his marriage, now his official wife.

A woman who was not his biological mother was claiming to be his mother in their home.

How was he supposed to face her?

This year's winter was colder than before, and even within the closed room, he could feel the cold drafts hitting him, making him curl up even tighter.

It wasn't until the stepmother came upstairs to knock on his door that he got up to eat dinner.

The next morning, Kagura Hikaru left the train station as usual and walked toward school.

The snow had stopped today.

But after the snow melted, the weather grew colder, as if it would freeze the marrow in the bones.

Even the high school girls, who usually braved the cold with bare legs, wore warm stockings today.

On such a cold day, the members of the Disciplinary Committee were as dedicated as ever, standing in front of the school gate with their hands behind their backs, inspecting each student's appearance and greeting them loudly.

The Gorilla Vice President, whom he had seen the day before, was also there, but today his attention was entirely focused on the legitimate President, Chiyoko Ayakoji, beside him.

"President Chiyoko, you should go back to the classroom and rest, it's too cold out here, we can handle it," the bulky Vice President bent down obsequiously, with a fawning expression toward the shorter woman, a sight that was undeniably comical.

"As President of the Disciplinary Committee, it is my duty to take on more responsibilities. There's no reason for me to stay back and enjoy myself."

Chiyoko Ayakoji stood upright, facing the cold wind without flinching; her unwavering stance inspired the other Discipline Committee members.

"If I hear such words from you again, step down from your position as Vice President."

"Yes! I'm very sorry!!!"

What energy in the early morning.

Kagura Hikaru lowered his eyelids and walked through the school gate.

Then he was caught by Chiyoko Ayakoji with a cold face.

"As a member of the Disciplinary Committee, why are you late!"

"I am not a Disciplinary Committee member," Kagura Hikaru protested expressionlessly.

"Even if you aren't now, you will be sooner or later; go and think it over."

Chiyoko Ayakoji looked at him intently, with her slightly uplifted eyes giving her gaze an imposing authority.

He was merely a tool used by her to hinder her opponents; Kagura Hikaru was well aware of this fact.

But for the esteemed President of the Discipline Committee to persistently pester a high school boy in front of her members was still difficult to comprehend.

Chiyoko Ayakoji was not supposed to be a person lacking in self-respect.

Kagura Hikaru frowned, "..... What is your obsession with President Kiriyu that makes you willing to go to such lengths?"

"That is my own matter. You should be thinking about when you will join the Disciplinary Committee," Chiyoko Ayakoji said with a cold expression, unmoved.

That was fine; Kagura Hikaru hadn't intended to get a direct answer from her anyway.

There's a theory called 'the White Bear Effect,' stemming from an experiment by Daniel Wegner, a social psychologist from Harvard University. He asked participants to try not to imagine a white bear; as a result, the thought rebounded strongly, and quickly, a white bear formed in people's minds.

Similarly, the harder Chiyoko Ayakoji tried to conceal her true motives, the more likely Kagura Hikaru was to pry into them.

It was only after Hina Kiryu approached him the day before that Kagura Hikaru truly became curious about their affair.

He had not engaged in exploring other people's secrets for a long time, but he was clearly still proficient as ever.

Almost simultaneously with Chiyoko Ayakoji's speech, he initiated mind-reading.

[If I could just obtain the man Kagura Hikaru, it's like holding leverage over you.]

[Hina Kiryu, the grudge of you and dad snatching him away from me, this time, I must...]

[You have gained from peering into the heart: Tea Ceremony +2]

[Tea Ceremony lv4 (50/100)]

That man? Who was that man, and what was his relationship to Ayakoji's father?

And leverage, why did Chiyoko Ayakoji think she was leverage over Hina?

Could it be that she already knew about his relationship with Hina.....

If that was the case, he couldn't wait for her to lose patience and use the matter as blackmail; it was better to come clean earlier, perhaps leveraging this bit of information for some favor.

Facing the displeased scrutiny of the several Discipline Committee members, Kagura Hikaru pondered as he walked toward the school building, blending into the crowd.

Just before he reached the door, he suddenly stopped, turned his head, and looked back at Chiyoko Ayakoji standing upright at the school gate.

Although a woman, her posture was strangely reminiscent of an ancient samurai, an amalgamation of nobility and a warrior's poise, quite charismatic.

Looking at her, Kagura Hikaru's mind pictured Hina Kiryu's face.

[Gain her trust, attract her, let her fall, just as the old me would have done. You're quite skilled at that, aren't you?]

To make him do this kind of thing, Hina, what is your purpose?

Becoming like this, and the me who would obey you,

how was he to face that.....