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That’s right. Having more companions is important. Shirose looking completely against it doesn’t matter. Isn’t it natural for us to have the original planner join? The damage will spread to the surroundings, though. Just like now.

“I want to see Shirose shine too. One, two!”
““”Sing! Sing!”””

The Rogues’ Den group has even started goading her. Ruru sounded monotone, while the others were cheering like they’re drunk, it’s eating at my motivation. Still, because of this, Shirose has lost her escape. If she runs away after this much, it’ll just be humiliating for us.

“I just need to do it, right.”

We acknowledge Shirose’s ability to sing. Shirose herself tries out the songs that she writes, after all. Sometimes she even goes to school with her throat sore. By the way, she can’t play instruments. That’s why she provides songs that are impossible to play sometimes.

“Kotochan, you’ll help out too, right?”
“Don’t talk stupid. I’ve got my hands full with my part. Singing is out of my domain.”

Even if it’s Isami’s request, what’s impossible is impossible. My parts are already difficult enough; if I had to sing, it wouldn’t be possible with my skill. None of us will have any leeway.

“I really don’t want to be ready to lose my voice.”
“Will your next concert be alright?”
“We’re on a tour, so there’s still a few days before the next one. It’ll be fine as long as I rest in-between. I’m a bit uneasy about it, though.”

It’s not good as a professional to cancel a concert because you overused your throat. More so since it’s due to a surprise concert you started on your own; the fans will be in a riot. Still, it’s not our fault. It’s the Rogues’ Den crew’s fault for going overboard.

“Okay, it’s the last song. To be more precise, it’s a medley of three, but let’s give it our all. Literally.”
“”Woo…””

They don’t sound too excited, but I understand their feelings. I can already imagine the exhaustion afterward before we even start. We likely wouldn’t be able to do encores. We’ll be out of energy by then, after all.

“Song title?”
“For Whomst, Chase your Dreams, Have Hope. The combination of the three songs.”
“There’s no hope for us to have, though.”

We only see the future of our complete exhaustion. Even so, we have to do it. After all, our pride won’t let us back down after getting egged on that much. It’s our loss if we don’t enjoy it to the fullest.

And so began our pain. There was no way to enjoy it. I had my hands full completing my part. Isami’s even taking oxygen breaks in the middle of her singing. Shirose’s singing while she does that, though.

“W-we’re done. No more, my fingers hurt, I’m shaking so much I can’t play.”

My fingertips are in pain; my fingers are twitching uncontrollably. It’s the same for Hajime and Shinpachi. As for Toshizou, he can’t raise his arms. Isami’s voice is at its limits. Just how much oxygen did you inhale?

“Shirose, are you okay?”
“I’m feeling anemic.”

That’s probably just from a lack of oxygen. I pass the oxygen tank to Shirose who’s sitting on the stage floor. And water too. Why did you even make a song that leaves you in that state? I know she has the least stamina among us, though.

“Encore! Encore!”
“Okay, you there. You want an encore, then sing by yourself. In acapella. Since there’s no one left who can perform.”

The Rogues’ Den crew are mucking about, but they were silenced with my response. Don’t ask for an encore when we’re in this state. The vocalist nearly lost her voice, and the other performers can’t properly move their arms and fingers. That can’t result in a good performance.

“Jeez, I know they’re doing it on purpose.”
“It’s a cliche, so it can’t be helped. I would’ve been on their side if I was with them.”

She’s part of the thrill-seekers, after all. Moreover, in her case, she can easily do an acapella, so we’d probably push onward to compete with her. And we’d likely fail and get clowned by the Rogues’ Den group. And it would probably be recorded.

“O~i. Isami, are you good?”
“No. Ghack!”

It’ll likely be painful for her to speak for a while. A voiceless Isami is no menace. With this, she shouldn’t be able to make any careless remarks. However, the problem comes afterward. Like a dam letting out everything at once. Moreover, she recovers quickly.

“Now then, all that’s left is to handle this mess.”

Currently, the audiences are crowding to the sides of the stage to get autographs from EXIST. Most of them are students. After all, they probably won’t get another chance to receive an autograph. The bodyguards are preventing the crowding audiences from getting on stage. Sorry, you guys aren’t even on duty.

“Yui! Help~!”
“Understood. Those who want signatures, please line up over here.”

She likely had it prepared beforehand. Carrying autograph boards, she organized the audiences, as expected of a manager. Naturally, this is for free. This is because it’s purely for fan service and not for profit.

“Kotone, you were amazing!”

And after having received an autograph, Kaori approached me. She sounds pretty ecstatic; I guess that speaks of how much she enjoyed it. I’m glad to see that. Still, this is the last time I’ll be performing with them.

“Thanks. It went pretty well for my first time playing in a while. I’m pretty tired, though.”

Especially since I gave it my all at the last one. I don’t want to do any more than this. I feel satisfied. Isami and the others are really amazing for doing tour concerts. If I had lived, would I have been touring with them? There’s no way of knowing now.

“Right, Kaori. Wait there for a bit.”

Since we’re here, let me give Kaori a special present exclusive to her. Leaving some kind remembrance for tonight is not a bad idea. There’s no point in me having this, but a fan would probably take good care of this. I handed Kaori the thing I had Shirose and the other members work on.

“Keep it a secret to the others, okay.”
“I’ll definitely treasure it!”

What I gave her was an autograph board with the autographs from EXIST, me, and Shirose. It’s likely the only one of its kind in the world. The penmanship is a bit bad, but it can’t be helped. My hand wouldn’t stop shaking, after all. Still, it should be a good memento for today.

“Well then, everyone! Thank you for coming!”

The special night has ended. I’ve done so much today, I’m really exhausted. I’ll probably have a good sleep tonight. That’s what I honestly thought, but things just developed on their own without caring about my feelings. There was no way that tonight would end peacefully.

All because of the members of the Rogues’ Den.