Kessoku Kokoro | A Bocchi the Rock Fanfic

Chapter 9: Another Dinner With Ryo

"I messed up... so many lines... I'm very sorry. It should've been 'there's a train coming there' rather than 'there's a train and it's gonna blare'. I'll get you guys a better singer to replace me," Tokumei did a dogeza in front of Ryo and Nijika. 

"I'm sorry. I should've been playing That Band, but then I quickly swapped to another song midway through without realizing it," Hitori quickly followed suit and repeatedly beat her head on the floor. "You should get another guitarist that's not me."

"No, no. It's alright. Nobody's replacing anybody. It was as close as it was gonna get to perfect anyway," Nijika comforted the both of them. "I also made some mistakes too if I'm going to be honest."

"And I made none. It's so hard to be perfect," Ryo casually flipped her hair. That moment of coolness was immediately ruined by the fact that her stomach grumbled. Quite loudly. Earning her the stares of her fellow bandmates. She turned towards Tokumei. "Come on, you promised me dinner."

"Ah, right! Sorry, Hitori, Nijika. Stay safe when you get home alright!" Tokumei quickly stood up and grabbed his bag.

"...Tokumei," Nijika grabbed his shoulder. She leaned towards his ear. "You're not..."

"I'm not Ryo's boyfriend," He clarified.

"What? No. I mean... She's not mooching off you right?" Nijika asked. 

"...She is," Tokumei answered honestly. 

"How can you betray me like this," Ryo clutched her heart and looked away dramatically. 

Nijika grabbed her by the collar and began to shake her. Clearly, she was angry and unlike him, is able to call out Ryo, "So that's why you haven't been mooching off me recently! And here I thought you changed! Why you-"

"Nijika, it's alright. Think of it like doing favors. I feed her and then she helps me with like other things like fashion and all that," Tokumei dragged Nijika away from Ryo. 

"Yeah, but like... you shouldn't be a pushover. She's rich you know. She can afford her own food," Nijika began to slander her friend. "The only issue is she's a bassist. Forget being good looking, having a sense of style or being part of a band. If you're a bassist, you should never be in charge with money... or dates."

"It's fine. I'd rather be single anyway," Ryo brushed off her insults. 

"Same honestly," Tokumei lied as naturally as he breathed. 

"Besides, you shouldn't be spending your allowance on her food. She's used to starvation anyway-" Nijika was silenced by Tokumei's interruption.

"That's the point. I won't let her starve. She's my friend. Besides, I've got like 10 000 yen left so it's alright. It's kinda low though compared to what I usually have weekly," Tokumei muttered that last part. 

"Wait, you're rich too?" Ryo asked.

"My sister's got a stable job and she gives me my allowance. That and I just don't like spending money... I prefer saving it for... other reasons," Tokumei didn't want to specify that as a v-tuber simp, most of his expenses goes to saving for his oshi's/sister's merch. Not to mention, the high competition he has against other fans just like him. 

'It's a good thing that the dakimakura won't be released until next month. At least, that's my theory anyway,' He thought while looking at his wallet. 

"Ah... Wait, Nijika, we can use him to fund our ba-" Ryo got her request denied.

"Absolutely not. Now get going on your dinner date already. I've had enough of your... bad habits," Nijika clenched her fist. "Tokumei, make sure she doesn't eat a single morsel of food tonight alright?"