Chapter 672 659: Band on the Move

Outside Starry.

"It actually fit inside..."

Nijika stood at the rear of the car with her arms crossed, leaning slightly forward as if verifying some sort of miracle, her eyes staring unblinkingly at the drum kit temporarily sorted and stowed inside the trunk, her tone filled with disbelief.

That vintage car looked like there was no way it could hold so many things from the outside.

Yet right now—

Not only was the drum kit packed inside, but prior to that, Hitori's and Kita Ikuyo's two guitars, as well as Yamada Ryo's bass, were already lying in there.

No matter how you looked at it, it defied logic.

Asakura closed the trunk partition with a 'snap', cutting off her line of sight. He glanced back at Nijika's expression—shocked to the point of questioning her life choices—and couldn't help raising the corners of his mouth.

This kind of reaction—

How interesting.

Undetectable Extension Charm, kiddo!

"Sit tight, we're setting off," Asakura said as he adjusted the rearview mirror after getting into the car, addressing the four people huddled together in the back seat.

In the back seat, the four of them were practically shoulder-to-shoulder and leg-to-leg, space compressed to the limit—or at least, that's how it should have been.

In reality, however, the space inside the car was surprisingly roomy.

Nijika even noticed that there were actually four seatbelts, completely different from a standard rear seat design.

Following Asakura's instructions, all four buckled up.

The car then slowly chugged into motion.

"Asakura, you're surprisingly mindful of driving safety. I thought you'd be the type to 'slam the gas pedal to the floor' and 'launch start'." Yamada Ryo said in a lazy tone that sounded somewhere between provocative and teasing.

"That's because I haven't really driven on actual roads before."

"Well, you're just a student after all. Even if you have a driver's license, you wouldn't drive very often." Nijika stepped in to smooth things over.

"No, I actually drive pretty often. This car, I mean." Asakura said.

Nijika: "..."

So where were you driving it before? On the sidewalk?!

"Speaking of which... though you can't tell from the outside, the interior space of this car is quite spacious."

Kita Ikuyo spoke up somewhat awkwardly while trying her best to adjust her sitting position, clearly trying to find a topic to ease the slightly strange atmosphere.

Her knee accidentally bumped against the person next to her, so she quickly shrank back inside a bit, an embarrassed smile on her face.

"Even so, four people squeezed together is just too strange," Nijika frowned, looking at the empty front passenger seat, then looking at Hitori, who was clearly uncomfortable being pressed so closely against others and was trying her best to curl up, looking as if she was about to be squeezed against the car door. "Isn't the passenger seat empty? Why doesn't Bocchi-chan go sit over there?"

"B-Because Kuma-kun said someone is already sitting there."

Hitori hunched her shoulders and answered in a small voice, so quiet it was nearly swallowed by the engine sound inside the car. She was pressed almost entirely against the edge of the seat, like a small animal squeezed into a corner.

Yamada Ryo turned her head to look at the front—

The passenger seat was completely empty.

"...A paranormal event?" Her tone was so calm it didn't sound like a joke.

"Don't say such terrifying things!"

Nijika immediately bristled, leaning forward with her expression completely frozen.

"To be precise, it's a seat I reserved for someone else." Asakura's gaze swept over them through the rearview mirror.

In the mirror, the four of them were squished together like little penguins, the sight inexplicably comical.

He couldn't help chuckling, his tone lighthearted.

"Is there someone else on the way who needs a ride to Sendai?" Nijika asked subconsciously.

"It's not on the way."

Asakura replied calmly.

Nijika: "?"

She paused entirely, her brows slowly knitting together.

—What does that mean?

Before driving for long, the car pulled over to the curb and stopped.

Hitori subconsciously looked out the window.

A familiar street.

A familiar storefront sign.

—Usagiyama Shopping District.

And they happened to stop right at the entrance of Rabbit House.

She froze for a moment, her eyes widening slightly.

"What's the matter? Why were you in such a hurry to contact me?"

The shop door was pushed open from the inside, and Momoka grumbled somewhat impatiently as she walked out.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and waved it around, her brows slightly furrowed: "My phone was ringing so frequently, I thought I was getting spam text messages..."

"No time to explain."

Asakura stuck his head directly out of the car window, his face showing a rare expression of severity, his tone lowered as if talking about an urgent mission.

"Get in the car, quick!"

"So what on earth is going on..."

Momoka felt a bit unnerved by his solemn demeanor, her steps pausing briefly and a trace of unease flashing across her face, but in the end, she sighed and walked toward the front passenger seat.

She opened the car door, sat inside, and couldn't help looking back at the shop: "The shop is still open..."

"Shiina, I'll leave the shop to you! Once the Rabbit Dango sells out, just close up directly. Remember to hang up the sign saying we're taking a day off tomorrow."

Asakura shouted toward the shop.

Stepping out of the shop right behind Momoka and standing at the doorway, Shiina, dressed in her maid uniform, looked up slightly.

She showed that gentle smile of hers as always, giving a light nod.

Her honey-colored long hair swayed gently with the movement, making her look warm and reliable.

Except within her smile, there was a subtle feeling as if she had long known this kind of thing would happen.

Come to think of it, doesn't Shiina live right next door to the boss guy? Momoka's heart skipped a beat.

This kid is definitely an accomplice!

"Why are they here too? What on earth are you guys up to?"

Only now did Momoka notice the four girls squished into a ball in the back seat, her brows furrowing even deeper.

The four little ones looked at each other in silence.

Every single one of them had a blank, bewildered look on their faces.

"It's nothing, just taking you to see a live performance."

Asakura sat properly again, fastening his seatbelt with a 'click-clack', his tone so lighthearted as if saying "going to the convenience store to buy a cabbage".

Never mind why there would be cabbage in a convenience store.

"...I say, couldn't you have told me about this in advance?"

Momoka turned her head, her expression full of helplessness.

"If I told you, would you have gotten in as quietly and obediently as you did just now?" Asakura asked back.

"Depends on my mood."

"If you disassemble the globe like a puzzle... everyone can go anywhere, right?..." Asakura sang in a very good mood, even tapping the steering wheel gently to the rhythm.

"What song is that?" Momoka glanced at him, a bit curious.

"Hare Hare Yukai." Asakura answered.

"Don't define my mood on your own."

Momoka immediately complained, her tone crisp and direct.

"Well, that being said, Kawaragi, do you really not want to go see Kita and the others' live performance?"

Asakura turned his head, his tone carrying a hint of coaxing, "After all, in a sense, Kita counts as your student, right?"

Although after returning to Kessoku Band, Kita Ikuyo asked Momoka for guitar guidance far less often—most of the time, the girl practiced with the rest of the band in Starry's practice room—their relationship hadn't changed. Asakura could tell that Momoka still looked out for her student quite a bit.

Except for still not reserving Rabbit Dango for her.

Momoka crossed her arms, leaned back in her seat, and hummed: "Stupid question. Of course I want to see it!"

"Eh, you wanted to see it?" Nijika mumbled in a low voice from behind, her tone carrying a bit of confusion.

That attitude just now... couldn't tell at all.

"Asakura-senpai really adds pressure to me for no good reason..."

Kita Ikuyo gave a wry smile and scratched her face, her fingertips rubbing against her cheek, looking a bit embarrassed.

After all—

As a guitarist, her current level was, at best, only slightly better than a 'beginner who only knows how to press the C chord'.

If she embarrassed herself big time in front of an acquaintance like Momoka-senpai, her life would be over. Fortunately, she was also the band's lead singer, so she could just sing loudly to cover it up when the time came.

Starting from Chiba to Sendai, even taking the highway, it takes about five hours.

Because the departure time was already past four in the afternoon, after driving for just over two hours, it was already dark.

As nightfall descended, the streetlights on both sides of the highway lit up one by one like a ribbon of light stretching into the distance.

To be honest, that feeling of watching the lights turn on all at once felt quite like the vibe of 'the protagonist setting off on a journey' in an RPG.

The vintage car drove smoothly along the lane, the sound of the engine low and steady, while the inside of the car was far more lively than the outside.

To be precise, it was 'a bit chaotic'.

After all, you couldn't expect the seat design of a vintage car that was almost becoming an antique to be particularly ergonomic.

"H-How much longer..."

In the furthest corner of the back seat, Hitori curled her body up and asked in a low voice.

Her whole body was huddled inside her seatbelt like a small animal stuffed into a car, her voice so soft it was nearly inaudible.

"Right now... just over halfway,"

Asakura glanced at the navigation and said in a relaxed tone, "We'll arrive in about another two hours."

"Two hours..." Hitori's shoulders visibly slumped a bit, and her whole body slowly slid back into her seat, "S-So far..."

"Hasn't this just started?" Yamada Ryo leaned against the seatback, her tone as flat as ever, "Long-distance travel is a required course for a band too. Once we become famous, we'll definitely be flying all over the place, north, south, east, and west."

"You're thinking way too far ahead." Nijika couldn't help herself from complaining: "And besides, Ryo, you've barely moved since earlier."

In fact, ever since getting into the car, Yamada Ryo had hardly changed her posture at all, looking as if her entire person had entered power-saving mode.

"Moving around makes you even more tired." Yamada Ryo answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"That's true too..." Kita Ikuyo chimed in with a wry smile, and then tried hard to adjust her sitting posture again.

She lost count of how many times her knees had bumped into the person next to her.

Even if there was a fair amount of extra room, squeezing four people together like this was clearly something no one would ever get used to, no matter how long it lasted.

"Besides, I've only eaten grass; moving around all the time makes me hungry really fast."

"Then eat something normal for once!"

"Then lend me some money, Nijika."

"..."

"Speaking of which, Momoka-san doesn't seem to have any problem at all." Kita Ikuyo looked curiously at Momoka in the front passenger seat.

"I'm just used to it," Momoka stretched, "In fact, even if you're not famous, if you want to earn the money to keep a band running, you still have to run around all over the place."

She opened the window slightly, letting in a bit of cool night breeze, and shifted her shoulders a little: "Speaking of which, it's about time to find a place to rest for a bit, right? If this keeps up, my back is going to break. After all, I'm not young anymore~"

No, no, no, you're definitely still young! Otherwise, wouldn't my older sister already count as middle-aged? Nijika complained in her heart.

"There happens to be a service area up ahead." Asakura looked at the road sign, "Arriving in ten minutes."

"That's great..." Kita Ikuyo breathed a sigh of relief almost subconsciously.

All four people in the back seat perked up at the same time.

——Can finally get off the car and stretch. BY Nijika.

——Brought back to life. BY Hitori.

——There's grass now. BY Yamada Ryo.

Have some shame, Yamada-san.

Ten minutes later.

The car slowly pulled off the highway and into the service area.

The service area at night was busier than expected—brightly lit with people coming and going, the glow of vending machines, storefront signs of convenience stores, and rows of neatly parked vehicles in the distance all gave off a feeling of briefly returning to the 'everyday world'.

"We're here, we're here——"

As soon as the car came to a complete stop, Kita Ikuyo was the first to unbuckle her seatbelt, pushing the car door open almost bouncing out, "I need to stretch out!"

Just as she stood up straight, she let out a long stretch, her whole body making 'click-clack' sounds: "It feels like my body is completely stiff..."

"Kita... feels like an old grandma..." Hitori said in a super soft voice.

"Me too..." Nijika followed her out of the car, gently shaking her arms and saying with a smile, "I couldn't move at all just now."

Hitori carefully stood firm and then moved her hands and feet in small motions.

"The feeling of being alive..." she whispered softly, "so nice..."

"Hitori, you're exaggerating way too much." Asakura locked the car doors and laughed.

"Ugh..." Hitori pouted her little face.

Because she had already walked around the zoo during the daytime, a lot of lactic acid had built up in her body, and the feeling of being squeezed together kept her from falling asleep to catch up on sleep, so the girl actually had a pretty tough time.

"Then should we go buy something?" Kita Ikuyo suggested, "Drinks or snacks or something."

"I want coffee." Yamada Ryo held out her hand to Nijika: "Please give me money..."

"Didn't you just say in the car that moving around makes you tired..." Nijika was speechless, but she still pulled out a few coins and handed them to Yamada Ryo.

"This is a necessary movement." Yamada Ryo pressed the button, "To replenish caffeine."

"This person is beyond saving..." Nijika sighed.

No, it's completely because you spoil her too much that Ryo-senpai turned out like this, isn't it?

Hitori and Kita Ikuyo's inner thoughts synchronized at this very moment.

On the other side.

Momoka stood by the roadside with her hands in her pockets, watching the group scatter around, her expression a bit complex.

"...It really feels like an excursion."

She muttered in a low voice.

"After all, it's Kessoku Band's first out-of-town live performance." Asakura walked over beside her, casually bought two bottles of drinks from a vending machine, and handed her one, "It's not surprising if it feels a bit like a school trip."

"Would a school trip be cramped like that?" Momoka glanced at him.

"The youth edition." Asakura said without batting an eye.

"It should be called the beggar edition..."

The two stood under the streetlight, where the light was soft. In the distance, the glass doors of the convenience store opened and closed, letting out faint chime sounds.

Hitori stood alone a little further away, holding the hot drink she had just bought, looking down at the ground.

She didn't dare stay too far from the crowd, but she didn't quite dare to stand too close either.

Asakura took a look and walked over toward her.

"Why are you over here by yourself?"

"Ah..." Hitori was startled, almost dropping the drink in her hands, "N-Nothing... I just felt it was... quieter here..."

"That's good." Asakura stood beside her, "Service areas are meant for relaxing in the first place."

The two stood side by side, falling briefly silent.

From a distance came the voices of Nijika and Kita talking, as well as the 'ding' sound of Yamada Ryo pressing the vending machine.

Hitori stole a glance at Asakura and quickly shifted her gaze away again.

"...Does driving for so long get very tiring?"

She asked in a small voice.

"It's fine." Asakura answered, "Compared to various thrilling and dangerous scenarios, I think simple driving like this is pretty nice too."

"Th-That's good then..." She nodded, her fingers unconsciously squeezing the drink bottle, "If you're too tired..."

Halfway through her sentence, she stopped herself.

She didn't know how to drive.

And so the girl instantly slumped into self-isolation.

"You can be in charge of emotional support." Asakura said very seriously.

"E-Emotional support?"

"Mm." He nodded, "With Hitori around, it's equivalent to having the strength of a hundred people."

"I'm not that amazing..." Hitori mumbled softly.

Asakura couldn't help laughing.

"Then sing for me to keep me awake. After all, you are the Witch of [Song], the legendary Miss Saiou."

"O-Okay..." The girl wanted to retort something, but in the end could only respond hesitantly and stammeringly.

The rest time was short.

Twenty minutes later, everyone returned to the car one after another.

When they sat down again this time, their movements were noticeably more relaxed.

"Alright, let's keep going."

Asakura restarted the engine.

The car drove out of the service area, merging into the darkness of the night once more.

The back seat quickly quieted down.

At first, bits and pieces of casual chatting could still be heard, but before long—

"...Whew..."

Gentle breathing sounds resonated.

Hitori leaned against the car window, having fallen asleep at some unknown point, her head nodding bit by bit.

Kita Ikuyo slowly closed her eyes as well, her body leaning forward slightly.

Nijika was still holding on, but her eyelids were already fighting a battle.

Yamada Ryo had completely entered standby mode, quiet as if she didn't exist.

Front row.

Momoka turned her head to glance at the back, lowering her voice: "Wiped out completely, huh."

"The side effect of long-distance travel." Asakura said.

The inside of the car suddenly grew quiet.

There were only the sounds of the engine and the friction between the tires and the ground.