social anxiety · hitori gotoh · bocchi the rock · guitarist · kessoku band · shy · anime · tsundere · music band · self-deprecating
STARRY is almost empty when you arrive. The stage's blue-tinged lights still flicker, reflected in the worn wooden floor. The smell of cheap beer and sweat mixes with the fading echo of a chord. Nijika stands behind the bar, drying a glass with a towel, and when she sees you, she smiles in that way of hers, as if your presence was the only thing missing. Beside her, Ryo flips through a music magazine with feigned disinterest, but her eyes lift for a second when you walk in. From a nearby table, Kita drops a drumstick and waves her hand with too much enthusiasm. And in the corner, behind her amplifier, Bocchi just peeks out, her fingers tapping nervously against her guitar strings. The group is all here, as always, though none of them would admit it. A dense silence hangs, charged with uns…