Chapter 232 – Landing on Okinawa

After taking a day off, Kessoku Band spent the 29th rehearsing, and on the 30th, as per the show’s request, they boarded a flight bound for Okinawa.

Before they departed, Kikuoka Seijirou went over the competition format one more time—

Kessoku Band would be entering Singer as “Challenger Artists.”

In simple terms, that meant they had to pick one of the current contestants and challenge them head-to-head.

Each side would perform one song, and the judges and audience votes would determine who stayed in the competition.

Kessoku Band could choose to perform a cover or an original song, though there was a catch— If they wanted to perform an original, it had to be a brand-new, unreleased song written specifically for the competition.

That was all there was to the “challenger” rules.

Then came the overall structure:

Four episodes remained before the finale.

One episode per week, meaning one round of competition each week.

If Kessoku Band managed to survive every elimination round, they’d compete in all four.

Once the “challenge” phase ended, they’d be counted among the official contestants.

Each round would produce a ranking, and in the grand finale, the overall standings would be determined based on both final performance and average rank from previous rounds.

It was a lot to take in—but Kei already knew most of it.

The girls, however, were still curious.

“Kikuoka-san,” Kita asked, “the contract says we can’t reveal our identities ahead of time—is that really true?”

“That’s correct, Kita-san,” Kikuoka confirmed with a nod.

Kita puffed her cheeks and turned to Kei with mock despair.

“Aww, so we can’t give out the gifts we prepared early then? Senpai, what do we do?”

Kei sighed silently.

There was really nothing he could say to that.

The flight took roughly 3 hours, and by the afternoon of January 30th, they landed safely in Naha International Airport.

Kikuoka Seijirou, who is already know the place because he had been on vacation here before, came along as their local guide and manager.

As one of Kei’s strongest supporters—and the key person from EMI Records backing Kessoku Band, he’d naturally joined the trip.

“Achoo!”

“S-So cold…” Ryou shivered, hugging herself tightly in a futile attempt to keep warm.

Kei and the others stepped out of the airport, their breaths turning to mist as the chilly wind swept across their faces.

Unlike the rest of them, who were dressed properly in winter coats, Ryou had stubbornly shown up in nothing more than a thin colored jacket over a black T-shirt with the Kessoku Band logo printed on it.

Even though Okinawa was famous for its beaches, it was still late January — far from tropical warmth.

Kei sighed and dragged his suitcase over to her. “Seriously, what were you even trying to do?”

Without another word, he took off his own jacket and draped it over Ryou’s shoulders, then rummaged through his bag to pull out a pack of tissues.

“Here.”

“Th-thank you, Suki-san…” Ryou mumbled nasally, sniffling as she wiped her runny nose.

Once she was done, she looked up at him with sparkling eyes.

“You don’t get it, Suki-san, this is our first concert outside Tokyo. First impressions are everything.

“What if there is a paparazzi taking a picture of us here? If we can win over more fans here with just our looks, it’ll be great for my ban— I mean, our future plans!”

Her grin was so wide that Kei swore he could see yen signs flashing in her eyes.

Ever since she started singing with EMI, Ryou’s bank account had been eating well.

Now, she could buy whatever she wanted without a second thought.

He sighed again looking at the girl greed and lightly bonked her on the head. “Your real reason is still showing.”

Kita and Nijika followed behind the two, watching with narrowed eyes.

Ever since New Year’s, the way Ryou and Kei acted around each other had started to resemble… well, an old married couple.

Neither of them knew exactly what had happened during the holiday, but one thing was certain—somehow, Ryou had become a serious threat.

‘Don’t tell me they already did it on New Year’s!?’ Kita thought in horror.

From her perspective, Ryou had mellowed out a bit lately—less deadpan than usual, even smiling sometimes when she wasn’t thinking about money or free food.

Kita was starting to regret not taking things more seriously back when she first learned that Ryou and Kei were living together during Christmas.

‘If this keeps going… won’t I lose before the war even begins!?’

While Kita’s mind spiraled into romantic panic, Nijika, walking beside her, had gone completely silent.

Her eyes had lost all light as she stared at the pair ahead.

She knew both Ryou and Kita liked Kei.

But she hadn’t expected her childhood friend—the quiet, unbothered Ryou—to make the first move.

Her sister’s voice echoed in her head.

“If you don’t make the first move, he’ll be taken, you know?”

Nijika clenched her fists.

She knew this wouldn’t be easy—but even so…

‘I won’t lose!’

A sudden surge of competitive spirit flared in her chest.

At that moment, her eyes met Kita’s.

They both froze for an instant—then nodded silently, as if reaching a wordless understanding.

Without another word, the two of them quickened their pace and flanked Ryou from both sides. Kita grabbed Ryou’s left arm while Nijika took the right.

“Ryou, didn’t I tell you not to go out dressed like that?” Nijika scolded with a deceptively sweet tone, “You’re hopeless without me! Let’s go buy you a proper jacket.”

“Eh? No, it’s fine. I can just wear Suki-san’s—”

“But!” Kita cut in sharply. “If you wear Kei-senpai’s jacket, then he’ll get cold! So let’s find you a new one, Ryou-senpai!”

“But I didn’t bring any money.”

“Don’t worry,” Nijika said, flashing an almost ominous smile. “I’m feeling generous today. I’ll cover it for you.”

Ryou who heard that froze.

‘Generous? Nijika? The sister of that stingy Starry manager?’

‘The person who always told her to pay of her debt?’

‘That Nijika?’

A shiver ran down her spine.

Something was definitely off.

She sent a S.O.S glance toward Kei, silently pleading for rescue.

Kei looked at the scene, sighed, and said, “Don’t worry about me. I can just grab another jacket from—”

“You don’t have to do that, Kei!”

“You don’t have to do that, Kei-senpai!”

Both Nijika and Kita shouted in perfect unison, radiating an almost terrifying energy.

Looking at the two intense glare from both of the, making Kei step back for a bit.

And wisely decided it was best not to interfere any further.

‘Well… I tried.’

He gave Ryou an apologetic look before turning away, pretending not to see her silent cries for help as Nijika and Kita cheerfully dragged her back into the airport.

Meanwhile, Bocchi stood frozen a few meters away, trembling as she watched the chaos unfold before her.

‘Th-thank goodness… they didn’t notice it!’ she thought in relief, her shoulders relaxing slightly.

Of course, she was completely misunderstanding the situation.

Bocchi thought Nijika and Kita were scolding Ryou because her outfit was too flashy.

The idea that they were actually fighting over Kei didn’t even cross her mind.

To her, Ryou’s thin jacket looked cool—way cooler than their plain Kessoku Band T-shirts.

Honestly, Bocchi had wanted to wear something flashier herself.

She’d even spent the entire winter break designing a new outfit—something with sparkles, ribbons, and just the right balance between “cool” and “cute.”

Her mom had helped her sew it, and it had turned out way better than she expected.

But when the day came to wear it, her nerves completely betrayed her.

In the end, she had chickened out and worn her usual black band shirt… hiding her new “stage outfit” underneath her clothes.

Her plan was simple—when the timing felt right, she’d sneak into the bathroom, change into it, and make a dramatic entrance that would impress everyone and earn the admiration of her imaginary fanbase.

But now…

Watching how fiercely Nijika and Kita reacted to Ryou’s simple jacket, Bocchi’s imagination began to spiral out of control.

‘As I thought… fashion police really do exist! If they saw my outfit… they’d probably call it tacky! They’d laugh at me! They’d—'

Her mind conjured up horrifying imaginary scenes.

“B-Bocchi-chan… what is that?”

“S-Senpai, are you really going to wear that on stage?”

“I’m sorry, Bocchi, but… I can’t perform with you looking like that.”

Her breathing quickened.

Her eyes went blank.

In her mind, the sequence continued—being kicked out of the band, abandoned by her friends, rejected by society, and living out her days as a lonely NEET.

‘AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!’

‘BAM!’

Kei flinched as a loud thud echoed beside him.

He turned to see Bocchi repeatedly banging her head against the wall, tears welling in her eyes.

“H-Hey! B-Bocchi, are you okay?” Kei asked cautiously.

Bocchi froze mid-headbang, trembling like a broken robot. Then she spun around with panicked eyes.

“I-I’m sorry! I need to go to the bathroom!!”

Before Kei could even respond, she bolted back toward the airport at full speed.

‘I have to burn these clothes somehow!’ she thought frantically as she disappeared into the terminal.

Kei blinked, watching her retreating figure vanish among the crowd.

“…What’s wrong with her now?” he muttered, still utterly confused.