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Chapter 8: A Temporary Return to Normal—or Maybe Not Quite Yet
🕑 Added 2025-07-30 20:08:01 +0000 UTCAs expected, Hiratsuka Shizuka agreed to Aoki Kei’s request.
And the moment she gave her answer, a crisp notification sound rang in his mind—
Since he had successfully completed Option Three, the system promptly delivered the rewards.
Rather than checking them right away, Kei first offered a sincere thank-you, then chatted with Hiratsuka for a little while longer.
Eventually, with a responsible teacher's parting words—“I’ll go see what I can do. I won’t keep you from your work”—Hiratsuka left the bar, and Kei watched her go.
From the moment she walked out, the untouched margarita on the table remained just that—untouched.
By the time he saw Hiratsuka off, it was getting late.
The crowd at Morke had started to swell without him noticing, and Aoki Kei the bartender and waiter was soon swept up in the usual wave of activity.
He set aside the matter of checking the system rewards and focused on mixing drinks, working non-stop until past 1 a.m.—
Only after the bar owner returned for her shift did Kei finally get a breather.
After changing back into his Shirose High School uniform in the supply room and saying goodbye to the owner, Kei stepped out into the night.
The late-spring air was far from warm, and the breeze carried a touch of chill.
But Kei didn’t mind in the slightest.
As he walked back to his apartment, he finally had time to go over the rewards he’d received for completing Option Three.
His bank account now had a very real deposit of 100,000 yen.
And in his pocket a new card loaded with 2.5 million yen, usable only for school tuition.
Feeling the heavy weight of the card in his pocket, Kei almost wanted to cry.
All those days of surviving on cheap bento had finally paid off.
He could see the light at the end of the tunnel!
With his spirits high, even his footsteps felt lighter.
Walking through Shibuya’s "low-income zone," Kei began considering his next steps while mentally reviewing his rewards.
He still had 100 points left in the system, which he planned to spend on a full set of musical score and lyrics.
The goal?
Use original songs—powered by his [Guitar Mastery] to build a name for himself online and turn that fame into profit.
Sure, technically it was plagiarism, but this world didn’t have artists like Kenshi Yonezu or YOASOBI.
So really, by bringing their work into this parallel world, wasn’t he helping develop its music industry?
He gave himself a moment of silent self-reassurance.
Then a moment of guilt.
Then decided to just shelve the whole "dishonorable" bit for now.
If he was going to build recognition through singing and guitar, just having the song and lyrics wouldn’t be enough.
Without a guitar, all those plans were just empty ideas.
So, though it pained him a little, Kei decided he’d use part of his cash reward to buy a guitar—not too cheap, but not overly expensive either.
Buying a guitar meant he’d need to take tomorrow off from work… which actually worked out fine.
He could even use the free time to try finding a “wild” Bocchi-chan in a nearby park…
As his thoughts drifted aimlessly, Kei finally arrived at his apartment after a long walk.
It was just past 2 a.m. when he stepped inside.
Wanting to stay on top of his studies and be 200% ready for class, Kei took a quick shower and collapsed onto his bed.
————————————————————————
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, his alarm woke him at 7 a.m.
Bleary-eyed, Kei washed up in the tiny apartment bathroom.
Once he felt somewhat awake, he sent messages to both his convenience store manager and the bar owner, requesting the day off.
Once both gave him the okay, he stepped out of the building.
Skipping breakfast to save money, he got through his morning classes, then bought a yakisoba bread roll during lunch to stave off his hunger.
Afternoon classes ran normally until 3 p.m., when the school bell rang to signal the start of club activities marking the end of his academic day.
Because he had filed official documentation for his part-time jobs, Kei was exempt from participating in any school clubs.
He could go home or head straight to work during that time.
But since he had taken the day off from the convenience store, today was different.
He did a quick search on Google Maps for well-reviewed local music stores, picked his destination, and followed the directions—
Two train transfers, plus a one-kilometer walk.
Roughly 30 minutes later, Aoki Kei arrived at SoundColor, a music shop right across the bustling Shibuya Station intersection.
The area was flashy and packed with foot traffic, so it was no surprise that the shop’s design stood out as well—
He pushed open the door and stepped inside, looking around with curiosity.
The store wasn’t large, but its interior was tastefully designed—neat layout, elegant decorations, and a cool-toned color scheme.
At that moment, a high-end violin piece played softly in the background.
Kei wasn’t exactly an expert in interior design, so after a quick glance, he shifted his attention back to what he was here for: instruments.
Soon, a shop assistant noticed him and approached.
“Hello! Can I help you with anything today?”
They stopped at just the right distance—professional but not pushy.
Kei paused, just slightly unsure.
Though he had [Guitar Mastery], when it came to the instruments themselves—the models, materials, what suited him best he knew absolutely nothing.
Which meant... he had no idea how to answer the question.
After a few seconds of hesitation, he finally opened his mouth and said a single word:
“Guitar.”
The clerk blinked at him.
It looked like they were waiting for him to continue… but after a long silence and no follow-up, the clerk’s mouth twitched ever so slightly.
“I see… Well, do you have anything specific in mind? Like something good for beginners? Or a budget range?”
Kei frowned slightly, thinking it over.
After some hesitation, he was about to say his budget was around 60,000 yen but before he could speak, a voice interrupted him.
“Ah…”
It was a girl’s voice slightly lazy, with a cool, indifferent tone.
She sounded vaguely surprised… but also like she didn’t really care either way—
“You’re that guy—the guitar expert who got tricked into helping by Nijika.”
