Chapter 1:

It had been pure happenstance for him to end up listening to another performance. He'd already been scolded by a few of his bandmates for spending money on concerts, rather than focusing on negotiating a better outcome for their little agreement with RomSoft.

But, family matters took precedence. Even his band's more temperamental members agreed on that.

They'd been given a sliver of paradise, them and their enemies both, and they'd all do anything to keep it.

He'd been given another family and although he missed his siblings, he'd been given a new one.

So, when he heard his sister's bandmate was coming to a performance for a small band, he took the chance to try and meet with her. Him and his sister had been… distant, for lack of a better word. Ever since he enlisted, his contact with her had been strained.

They'd grown distant but now that he had a chance to reconnect, he couldn't, wouldn't let this opportunity pass.

Which is why he snuck in. He didn't exactly have a ticket so he stuck to the back, thankfully not getting noticed by any possible security. He immediately spotted the purple-haired woman that was his sister's bandmate, she matched the description he'd been given near perfectly.

Adjusting his tactical cap, he focused on the band playing. It wouldn't do to interrupt a perfectly fine performance for his own selfish reasons.

The band was alright. Not the best he'd seen but that was a damn high bar to climb.

For a brand-new indie band, they were fine. Better than a garage band at least.

But for a bunch of high school girls? They were damn good. The rhythm guitarist seemed a bit green to his eyes, the bassist was a bit overpowering and… Actually, all of them were green, but it was clear they put a lot of effort into being this good.

No, not just damn good, he could tell they had the potential to become true rock stars. He'd seen plenty of people who were more successful with less passion. They could maybe even participate in The Rubicon one day. It'd be an uphill battle, as it was for his band, but they could have a chance.

He just hoped they wouldn't be crushed by the industry. There's a reason they started their own record company.

Heh. Damn shame he wasn't here on recruitment duty. Might've gotten some future talent.

He continued standing in the back until the performance was over, politely clapping for the young kids' enjoyable performance. However, as people were starting to slowly file out, a woman, with similar facial features and hair color to the band's drummer narrowed her eyes at him.

Ah, he'd been found. Should probably prepare his wallet.

He cleared his throat and casually waved as if he hadn't just gotten a free performance.

"Oi, I don't recognize you. Did you have a ticket?" The stern woman asked, standing defensively in front of the band as she crossed her arms. The girls standing behind her looked curiously at him, except for the lead guitarist who looked to be very nervous. Thankfully, his target, Hiroi Kikuri or was it Kikuri Hiroi? Kikuri Hiroi, if he remembered the name right, was talking with the girl in the pink tracksuit.

His smile turned awkward but his voice was as loud and boisterous as usual, making the nervous lead guitarist jump up in fright, "Sorry ma'am. Didn't mean to. I just wanted to talk to someone here." His hands gestured around to accentuate his words, "I'll happily pay extra for bothering you." His Japanese wasn't the best, occasionally stumbling over a few words, but it was enough for the woman in front of him to understand.

"I see." Her posture became slightly less defensive but her glare didn't lessen in the slightest. But from his times in the military, he'd been accustomed to glares worse than hers so he merely shrugged it off, "Who are you looking for?"

"A…" He paused to remember the name, "Hi–, actually it's surnames first, right…?" He mumbled to himself before his eyes honed in on the purple-haired woman. He turned back, confidently smiling at the blonde woman who noticed who he was looking at, "A Hiroi Kikuri. I want to talk with a Kikuri Hiroi."

Hearing her name, the clearly drunk woman turned around, "Eh? Did someone say my name?"

"Oi, Hiroi. What did you do this time?"

"Senpai! I didn't do anything this time!" Hiroi complained before turning back around to look at the kid in the pink sweatsuit, "Bocchi, you believe me right?" She asked confidently, but her hopes were dashed as Bocchi nervously shuffled in place.

"U-uhm… O-Onee-chan…" She trailed off and he had to stop his brotherly instincts from making him protect the pink creature.

Hiroi teared up, "Uwah! Even you Bocchi!" She wailed, making the older blonde sigh.

He had to awkwardly clear his throat a second time to get their attention, "Anyways, I wanted to speak to you about something." He paused to try and remember his Japanese lessons, desperately trying to find the right words, "Someone actually."

"Eh?" Hiroi tilted her head and then in a surprising burst of speed entered his personal space, catching him off guard as she poked and prodded him, "Hmm…" She rubbed her chin as if in deep thought, "You remind me of someone."

"Ah, that's good then. Because I'm pretty sure we're thinking of the same person." He said with a smile. He took a quick step back, putting his heels together, and thumped his chest with a fist. His signature, charismatic smile blossomed on his face, "Shimizu Ren, nice to meet you all. But you can just call me, Red."

Hiroi froze, staring at him in clear shock, although she kept her eyelids shut for some reason. Her 'senpai' did the same, albeit to a lesser extent. An amused glint appeared in Red's gaze, "And I'm looking for my sister. Her name's Eliza. Ever heard of her?"

Hiroi quickly recovered, shaking her head in the process, "I didn't know Eliza had a brother. But I can see the resemblance!" She jabbed at his bright, blonde hair.

Red's smile became slightly strained, "We've… not been in touch for a while." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. Damnit, he probably ruined their afterparty. He definitely should've spent more time planning out how this would go. This would be the first and last time he listened to Iguazu's advice! He could see how the band was standing awkwardly nearby.

"Sorry for ruining the mood," Red said softly, his voice becoming more subdued, "I-uh, kinda got told to go into this head first. But…" He fished out a business card from his pocket and gently placed it on a nearby table, alongside some chump change. "Just, if you can, maybe ask if she's willing to give me a call."

Hiroi smiled and took the card, and the yen, handing the latter to her 'senpai', "Sure! I'll be sure to tell her!"

Red bowed, hoping he did it right, "That's all I'm hoping for." His loud voice and confident demeanor returned, "The money's for the ticket! That should be enough to cover the entire thing!" He gave a cheeky salute to the colorful band, "Ya'll were pretty decent up there, hoping you all will be getting popular, 'cause you all have some heart!"

And with those parting words, he left Starry, unknowing of the sudden burst of energy he left behind, seamlessly blending into the crowd.

"Hey! Wait!" Seika stopped at the doorway, unable to spot the man, Ren. Her red eyes swept over the crowd, desperately trying to find the man but she eventually sighed and went back inside.

"Onee-chan?" Nijika tilted her head curiously, "What just happened?"

Seika sighed once more, "As it turns out, Hiroi's bandmate has a long-lost brother." She looked at the yen in her hand, "And he's either an idiot or a very generous idiot seeing as he just gave us thirty-thousand yen for a single ticket."

"EH?!" Bocchi-chan, Nijika and Kita all said at once. Ryo, meanwhile, being the bassist that she was, was laser-focused on the wad of cash.

Ryo slowly turned to face Seika's drunk kouhai, "Do you think you can give us his business card? We can maybe get him to come to all of our performances." Her eyes were gleaming with greed. Bassists these days…

Seika turned her attention away from Ryo, who was getting berated by a pouting Nijika, to Hiroi who, for the first time in a long while, seemed entirely focused on something. Namely, the business card that Ren put on the table.

"Balam Nuclear Records." Hiroi read out the English name slowly and tilted her head, "Senpai, have you heard of them before?"

Seika thought for a moment before shaking her head, "No, I haven't. Is he a recruiter?"

"Nah, he's apparently part of a band called… the Redguns."

Wordcount: 1500

I don't know how this happened or why. All I know is that this idea got stuck in my head somehow. Help.