I asked him to be my pretend-boyfriend but after a while I fell for him, but I can't seem to admit that fact!

Akira, Otonashi Naru, Ayato, and Itsuki-chan.

“Otonashi Naru.”

“…”

Who is Otonashi Naru?

I whispered to Akira and asked, “Who is Otonashi Naru?”

“The guitarist from ‘Interwoven Sounds,’ the band we talked about before. We’re going to meet him at the summer festival.”

Why is someone like him here?

In fact… he looks like he’s just a high school student.

The guitar played by Otonashi Naru is… considering the sound it produces, it doesn’t really feel like it’s a guitar.It’s more like a piano, or a harp, or a music box. It’s hard to believe that one person is playing it with just one guitar.

Akira’s eyes are sparkling like crazy as he watches him.

He must be really happy. He seems to have completely forgotten about asking the store assistant for a demo earlier.

And then, as if drawn by Otonashi Naru’s performance, a crowd gathered around.

“Hey, isn’t that amazing? It’s kinda like Ayato’s.”

“It’s quite incredible.”

“I can’t even tell what he’s doing up close.”

Despite his incredible guitar skills and being the guitarist of a band performing at the same festival as ‘Interwoven Sounds,’ no one seem to recognize Otonashi Naru. It seems that his skill doesn’t match his level of recognition.

“What do you think, Tomoya? Japan’s Strat is no slouch, right?”

“No, it’s because your skills are just too tough, and you just can’t choose the right brush.”

“Tomoya, why don’t you give it a try? You’ll probably like it.”

I had no idea what they were talking about, but it seems that the person with them is going to play next.

I have a feeling I’ve seen this guy somewhere before.

And… his performance was amazing too.

Just like Otonashi Naru, it didn’t seem like he was playing the guitar. It was a back-and-forth ensemble.

Of course, Akira was engrossed in his performance, completely ignoring me. I was desperately trying to hold back from taking pictures of Akira with his eyes sparkling to the max.

More importantly, I know this song. The reason we are here in the music store right now is because of this song after all. It’s Ayato’s song.

And his distinctive gestures… could it be?

Is that actually him?

I can’t tell from just the sound, but if I put glasses on him and make him wear a cap, he’d look exactly like Ayato right now.

I had a sudden urge to snatch Akira’s glasses and make him wear them.

But doing something like that would likely cause a panic in this place for various reasons.

After the demo, Akira left me behind and approached the two of them.

Hey, you jerk.

Well, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt for leaving me behind, but I have a bad feeling about this.

“It’s Otonashi Naru and Ayato, right?”

“Yes.”

“Oh… I’m someone else.”

Otonashi Naru readily admitted, while Ayato denied it.

Is Ayato hiding his identity, just like Akira?

“I knew it!”

“And you are?”

Akira pushed his glasses up like a hairband.

“I’m Akira, from ‘Inherit Sound,’ the band you’ll be performing with at the festival.”

He revealed that he was Akira.

“Ehhhhhhh!”

Both Otonashi Naru and Ayato (alias) were greatly surprised.

“Pleased to meet you… I’m Otonashi Naru.”

“I’m Ayato.”

Ayato (alias) admitted to being Ayato after Otonashi Naru introduced himself.

“Your guitars are so cool! How do you play like that? I’ve been practicing Ayato’s song for a while now, but I can’t quite get it right!”

Then Ayato said, “If… If you give me your autograph, I can teach you some tips.”

“Ehhhhh! Seriously?”

“Can you take a look for a bit?”

“Here?”

Ayato seemed a bit puzzled.

“Yes!”

But Akira didn’t seem to mind.

“Well, it’s okay, but… what about Naru?”

“I want an autograph too!”

“Sure! I want Naru’s autograph too!”

Otonashi Naru seemed to have the same vibe as Akira.

When Akira went to ask the store assistant for the demo of the Jazzmas from earlier, the store fell into a bit of a panic.

“Akira from ‘Inherit Sound’ is here.”

“Akira from “Inherit Sound’ is going to perform.”

“Wow.”

While I couldn’t judge the guitar skills, it’s clear that Akira’s popularity is overwhelming.

And then, Akira’s demo began.

With each note Akira played, cheers erupted from the audience.

I can’t believe they’re able to do a demo in such a crowded place. It’s like a mini-concert here.

Akira’s guitar playing didn’t seem like he was doing it alone. It was a solo electric guitar. It looked like so much fun!

I want to play something like that too!

Without realizing it, I found myself leaning forward and completely captivated by Akira’s performance.

And when the demo ended…

“You’ve practiced quite a bit, but your finger positions are different.”

It was Otonashi Naru, not Ayato himself, who gave advice to Akira.

“Watch me for a bit.”

And then, everyone was captivated by Otonashi Naru’s demonstration.

Both Akira and Ayato were amazing, but Otonashi Naru felt like he was on a different level when I listened to him.

It’s hard to put into words, but even someone like me, who doesn’t know much about guitars, found it fascinating to watch, and it struck a chord with me.

“Wow, seriously impressive!”

Akira’s excitement was off the charts.

“Otonashi… you’re different there too, don’t ignore the original.”

“Huh? Is that so?”

And now, it was Akira giving instructions to him.

Akira’s enthusiasm was quite high, but the excitement in the audience was also palpable.

Even when playing the same song, their performances were all unique.

Otonashi Naru’s performance was sensuous and alluring, and that seemed to fit him best.

Ayato’s performance was cool, refined, and had a delicate quality.

And then, Akira… he was just passionate.

While Akira’s performance didn’t match Otonashi Naru or Ayato, it still ignited the audience.

The cheers from the audience spoke for themselves.