Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

When Avery heard the news, her eyes lit up with excitement.

Lila, on the other hand, wasn't meeting Avery for the first time. In a way, they were already friends, so Lila immediately felt more at ease.

After that, it was time for the new band's rehearsal.

But, just like in the original story, the result wasn't great. Lila wasn't used to performing in front of others, and she had no experience playing in a group. In every sense, it was a bit of a mess.

Luckily, Avery wasn't discouraged. She believed that with more practice, they'd get better.

After all, finding a band member was tough for Avery. Hillcrest Academy was full of fighters—most people there preferred violent sports over starting a band. If Avery had been at Lila's school, Westbrook Academy, she could've probably grabbed any random classmate to be her guitarist.

Plus, from Avery's perspective, this was someone Ethan had recommended. She trusted his judgment—if he suggested someone, they had to be special.

Meanwhile, Ethan was chatting with Vivian at the drink stand.

After hearing the band's first performance, Vivian's expression was a bit complicated.

"That kid seems pretty talented."

She had clearly noticed the issues in the performance.

Ethan nodded. "Yeah, she's really good. After all, she is the Guitar Queen."

Vivian froze. "Wait, the Guitar Queen?"

Vivian was someone who acted quickly. She glanced at Lila, who had just come off the stage, and with that idea in her head, the more she looked, the more convinced she became.

Without hesitation, she walked over, grabbed Lila, and started taking off her jacket.

Lila was completely stunned and quickly became scared.

"What are you doing!?" she cried.

Avery was equally shocked.

But then she saw her sister tie Lila's jacket around her waist and pull out a mask, which she placed over Lila's eyes.

Avery was speechless.

"Wait a second, Lil Bunny, you're the Guitar Queen!?"

The outfit was exactly the same as the one from the concert. There was no way Avery and Luna wouldn't recognize it.

But along with the realization came confusion. Avery tilted her head, puzzled. "But if you're the Guitar Queen, why did you play like that?"

Her standards had shifted. If Lila was the Guitar Queen, Avery, as a fan, would naturally hold her to the highest expectations.

But the Guitar Queen's skills were undeniable, so Avery's little cowlick drooped as she came to a shocking conclusion.

"Could it be that we're the ones holding you back?"

"N-no, that's not it…" Lila shook her head vigorously, but she didn't know how to explain. She could only look to Ethan for help.

Ethan, seeing the situation, offered some reassurance. "She's just not used to it yet. With more practice, it'll get better. You need to feel the resonance in the music."

Then, pretending to check his phone, Ethan said, "I've brought her here, so you guys should get along. Don't think of her as the Guitar Queen—just treat her like a regular bandmate. You're meant to play together."

After that, Ethan mentioned he had something else to take care of and needed to leave.

He had received a message from Elise, saying she wanted to meet him.

Ethan knew that if he didn't respond to Elise's call, she might wait for him all night like a fool.

So, he went to meet up with Elise.

"I'm sorry," Elise said the moment they met.

Ethan looked at her, confused. "Why are you apologizing?"

Elise explained, "I wanted to thank you, so I asked you to meet up, but because of that, you ended up running into Sophia."

"That wasn't your fault," Ethan said, shaking his head. He quickly changed the subject. "So, what did you want to do now?"

Elise hesitated for a moment but then asked, "Do you have time later?"

Ethan figured she probably wanted to thank him again, so he nodded. "Yeah, I've got time."

Then, after a brief pause, Elise asked, a bit nervously but with determination, "Would you come home with me?"

"…"

Ethan almost choked. Elise, are you seriously pulling this too?

But having already gone through something similar once before, Ethan quickly regained his composure. His last attempt to visit Nessa's place had been a bust, so he figured, why not see what happens at Elise's?

He smiled and nodded. "Of course."

At Elise's family dinner table, Ethan found himself the recipient of her mother's warm hospitality.

"Elise suddenly said she was bringing a boy home, and I have to admit, it gave me quite a shock," her mother said with a smile. "But we're really grateful that you were there to help her when she needed it."

Elise had already explained to her parents what had happened the previous day. And with Ethan's impressive qualities and his excellent communication skills, her parents were practically treating him like a future son-in-law.

Even though neither Ethan nor Elise had any romantic intentions, parents tend to think ahead. They knew their daughter's personality well, and if she could find someone as outstanding as Ethan, it would certainly ease their worries.

So, after dinner, when Elise led Ethan to her room, her parents didn't even blink. In fact, they seemed quite pleased with the situation.

Ethan was honestly a bit taken aback by their reaction.

But once they were in Elise's room, Ethan wasn't sure what to talk about. After all, they hadn't known each other for long, and their conversations had been pretty limited.

Elise seemed to feel the same way, and for a moment, they just sat there, staring at each other awkwardly.

Finally, Elise came up with something to do. She asked, "Wanna watch some TV together?"

Ethan shrugged, not really minding either way. To his surprise, Elise turned on Naruto. Ethan had only mentioned it in passing last time, but Elise had actually gone and started watching it.

Ethan hadn't seen much of the early episodes himself—most of what he knew was from the later arcs. So, watching it with Elise turned out to be pretty enjoyable. They got really into it, and before they knew it, it was getting late.

Realizing the time, Ethan decided it was time to head out.

As she walked him to the door, Elise hesitated for a moment before asking, "Um… next time, can we watch more anime together?"

This wasn't because of any romantic interest—Elise just appreciated how Ethan explained the show's lore and background to her. Since she knew nothing about Naruto, his explanations helped her understand the characters' motivations and actions, which made the show more meaningful to her.

"Sure," Ethan replied with a smile, already thinking about how he could get the whole VIBRAMYST band together for a team-building session. Maybe they could all learn a thing or two from Naruto's "never give up" spirit—especially if anyone was thinking about quitting the band.