Twenty minutes later, Tristan walked out of the store $300 poorer, but with a brand-new electric guitar kit.
It was one of the cheapest guitars possible, one that he wouldn't have touched with a six-foot-pole in the past.
However, beggars couldn't be choosers. And this model could work from an accumulator, which was very convenient.
Tristan's fingers were itching to play. It's been so long...
As soon as he switched identities and returned to his flat, he unpacked the guitar—a simple white thing, so crude compared to his old one—and tuned it.
Then Tristan played a short jingle from memory.
The first notes of it were like a breath of fresh air. A wave of nostalgia flooded Tristan, making him tear up just from this simple act.
His fingers slipped at this moment, and the next note rang false. Frowning, Tristan continued with more concentration, but his skills were rusty without practice.
Again and again he would slip. Few mistakes were as bad as the first ones, but to his trained ear they were still glaring. It was even worse because of the poor instrument Tristan was using.
He finished the jingle with one last hit of the strings and tsked.
'Two years without practice—no wonder I'm rusty. But I didn't earn all these Pop-star Points for nothing, so it's time to spend them! Status.'
[======]
[Tristan Hayes (Tristan Gemello)]
[Current identity: Criminal. Second identity: Pop-star.]
[Rank: Nobody.]
[Pop-star Points: 85]
[Criminal Points: 45]
[===Attributes===]
...
[===Skills===]
[Singing: 48]
[Dancing: 8]
[Playing guitar: 39]
...
Women in his life continued to create him problems.
***
Next day.
Tristan sat in a park together with his guitar and his portable amplifier. Right now he was Tristan Gemello, not Hayes, which meant he was going to do no crime.
His future famous identity must have a reputation cleaner than a bleach factory.
Tristan came today not to swipe wallets, but to practice guitar, both for the sake of it, and for CP.
Like before, he turned on the drum track on his phone, just to keep the tempo, and began playing.
After a quiet intro, powerful guitar riffs flew over the park. In this sunny weather, many people of all ages were strolling or sunbathing here.
When they heard Tristan play such a powerful, rhythmic song intro, they grew curious. It was a very famous song, and many people were familiar with it.
Curious, they drew closer to listen, growing a ring of people around Tristan's bench.
His eyes widened at such an audience. It was shocking, and many people would've been shy.
However, despite the years spent hiding his face, Tristan was born to stand on the stage. All the attention only spurred him on.
He stood up from the bench and began singing the song's words. Although his singing skills were just as rusty as his guitar ones, Tristan put all his soul into that song.
This was his first performance, and the audience was enjoying it, even if the sound quality was poor and the singer wasn't perfect.
When the chorus began, some people even began singing along, and then more of them joined, chanting the lines.
When Tristan played the last note, there were at least fifteen people watching him, men and women. Now they all applauded.
"This was damn cool!"
"Hell yeah, I love this band!"
"Man, are you a professional guitarist or something? Do you have a social page?"
[Ding!]
[Playing guitar skill increased by 1. Reward: your CP increased by 10.]
[Ding!]
[Singing skill increased by 2. Reward: your CP increased by 20.]
[Ding!]
[You had impressed an audience of 18 people with your performance. Reward: your CP increased by 80.]