Chapter 211 – Leap, Ride This Era!

[TL Note-- The Song it's not mine!]

The thousand-seat arena fell into dead silence.

Many in the audience stared wide-eyed at the stage, as if they couldn’t believe what they had just heard.

A brand-new song?

Right here, right now?

For a moment, confusion rippled through the crowd.

Until—

Nijika, hearing Aoki ’s declaration, didn’t hesitate for even a second.

She didn’t bother wondering why a track meant for their next album was being unveiled here instead.

If Senpai had said so, then that was enough.

Her drumsticks struck down.

A thunderous beat split the silence.

And then—

The stage lights flared into dazzling color.

Ryo’s bass slipped in at just the right moment, perfectly syncing with Nijika’s rhythm.

The pounding drums, the heavy bass, and Kita’s rising guitar—together, they sparked an opening so powerful, so electrifying, it set the entire arena ablaze before the song had even begun.

The audience froze—then realization hit.

This was Kessoku Band’s long-awaited new song.

And not just that—

This was a song unlike anything they had ever performed before.

At the center of the stage, Aoki ’s long fingers slammed against the keys.

[Transcendent Keyboard Technique – Activated!]

At that very moment—

His voice exploded like a bullet out of the chamber.

“Which dream should we go see?”

[どんな夢を見に行こうか]

“Don't be afraid simply because of certainty.”

[正しさばかりに恐れ戦かないで]

“Fly freely, soar as high as you can!”

[自由自在に飛び回って]

“Step by step, marking the beat”

[ステップ・バイ・ステップ ビートを刻んで]

“Let this endless party keep on going!”\

[果てのないパーティーを 続けようか]

The sudden blast of sound froze the audience in place.

Aoki ’s voice was drenched in raw emotion.

As he sang, flashes of his past surged through his mind:

The countless shouts of support from fans.

The absolute trust the girls of Kessoku Band had given him since the beginning.

Nijika’s words—“I want to carry your dream, Senpai, and reach the very top together.”

Bocchi’s quiet loyalty, never once complaining, always supporting every decision.

Ryo, whether in music or feelings—always giving way for his selfishness.
And Kita...

Her voice still lingered in his ears from just days ago:

“Whenever I see Kei-senpai being slandered, it makes me so upset!”

The emotions welled up, unstoppable.

The faceless comments of paid haters flashed across his mind.

Enough was enough.

It was time to end this cycle.

He couldn’t stay still anymore.

Not him. Not now.

His thoughts crystallized in his chest—then, just as the music rose—

[Ding! Singing Skill Upgrade Detected: From Master-Class → Transcendent Singing Technique!]

The bass roared to its peak.

The drums hammered faster and faster.

A blazing fire spread in his chest, and with the system’s chime in his ears, his emotions finally erupted.

The chorus began.

“Ahh! Leap, ride this era!”

[この時代に飛び乗って!]

“Tonight—we’ll fly over this city!”

[今夜この街を飛び立って]

“Fly about the vast sky.”

[大空を飛び回って]

“Rock your life, rock your life!”

[命揺らせ 命揺らせ]

The bass rattled the crowd’s very bones, the drums pounded directly against their hearts, and the guitar strings clawed at their nerves.

And Aoki’s voice—pierced into every last soul in the arena.

Shock spread across every face.

Even the journalist from Touseki Weekly, who had come to stir trouble, stood frozen in disbelief.

If anyone had ever accused Kessoku Band of having a “fixed style,” this song was the ultimate rebuttal.

The lyrics were bold, reckless, almost arrogant— the polar opposite of their previous songs:

【Leap, ride this era!】

【Spiraling at the summit!】

The rhythm was completely different too—loud, fast, soaring with raw ambition.

The journalist could only gape.

Her mind screamed:

‘This… THIS is called a fixed style?’

‘This is what you call dark and gloomy?’

In the audience, the crowd was screaming, chanting, crying out with everything they had.

Every ounce of criticism, every nasty rumor, every loaded question from earlier—
all of it was swept away in the storm of Aoki ’s voice.

And the music wasn’t done yet.

The first chorus ended.

As Aoki’s voice fell, the drums, guitar, and keys cut off sharply.

But Ryo’s bass never stopped.

This was their planned surprise—

Beads of sweat glistened on the blue-haired girl’s cheeks as her fingers danced furiously across the strings.

A bass solo.

A bass solo so sharp, so soulful, it was like the heartbeat of the band itself.

Ryo’s skill had long since reached the professional level.

Half a year of relentless practice had honed her to perfection.

And tonight—she surpassed even that.

The solo lasted a full minute.

Then— without a pause—

The second verse began.

　　......

At that very moment—

Inside a modest apartment in Shibuya, Takeuchi Yuto stared at the live-streaming video on his phone, and a heavy bitterness welled up in his chest.

In recent years, his fame as a veteran singer had begun to fade.

Yes, once upon a time his vocals were strong, his songwriting and composition sharp... but time spares no one.

Inevitably, his peak had already passed.

Then, just a few days ago, NH Music had approached him with an enticing offer.

“It’s just a simple face-off with some kids.”

“We’ll give you the best resources.”

“His singing can’t hold a candle to yours.”

“That band’s music is one-dimensional, stuck in its own limitations.”

And so, swayed by pride and a spark of greed, Takeuchi Yuto agreed.

He decided to step into the spotlight again—by picking a fight with a complete newcomer he’d never once crossed paths with.

But now…

“Not much of a singer? Limited style?”

What a joke.

As the performance unfolded before him, a sharp unease gripped Takeuchi’s chest.

———————————————————————

On stage—

The bass solo came to an end, and the second verse spilled from Aoki ’s throat.

The same fierce lyrics, the same restless energy.

Until, at the close of the chorus, the tempo suddenly dropped.

The pounding rhythm vanished, leaving the arena in a fragile stillness.

Aoki’s voice cut off.

But the song itself didn’t stop.

Unusual for her, Yamada Ryo opened her mouth.

Ryo wasn’t tone-deaf—in fact, her voice was distinct, and in the right moment it could shine brilliantly.

And right now, paired with this new song “Hikoutei”... her voice fit like fate itself.

Cold. Steady. Calm.

After the storm of the previous verses, her harmony sounded almost tender—

“The heavy rain sheds, The ground shakes.”

[大雨降らせ 大地震わせ]

“Celebrate the past days, Bear the tomorrow.”

[過去を祝え 明日を担え]

“Rock your life, rock your life”

[命揺らせ 命揺らせ]

Again.

“The heavy rain sheds, The ground shakes.”

[大雨降らせ 大地震わせ]

“Celebrate the past days, Bear the tomorrow.”

[過去を祝え 明日を担え]

“Rock your life, rock your life”

[命揺らせ 命揺らせ]

The words repeated, but with each cycle, her pitch climbed higher.

And just as her third refrain ended, Aoki’s voice rejoined hers—rising, burning, layered with emotion.

Each line climbed higher than the last.

Each repetition pulled the tension tighter, the emotion stronger.

It was as though a hidden roar was buried in the silence, waiting to erupt.

Fourth time. Fifth time.

Higher, higher, until finally—

The dam broke.

The instruments that had fallen silent—drums, guitar, bass, keys—came roaring back in unison!

And Kei’s voice, half a scream and yet breathtakingly beautiful, split the air:

“Jump over your hopes.”

[貴女の期待に飛び乗って]

“Tonight, fly about with these feathers.”

[今夜この羽根で飛びたくて]

“Fly this sky out.”

[この大空を飛び出して]

“It's the birth of a life. It's the birth of a life.”

[命生まれ !命生まれ!]

The crowd’s cheers fused with the music, the arena trembling as if alive.

At this moment, every thought, every determination inside Kei seemed to be laid bare before his fans.

Just like the song itself—Hikoutei.

Tonight.

Yes, tonight— in what should have been just another ordinary solo live, Kessoku Band would take flight.

They would ride the winds of this era.

They would stand at its peak.

They would declare to the world—

Kessoku Band has arrived.