Haibara’s Teenage New Game+ - Volume 4 - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Our Music

The school festival’s preparation period was now underway. It had begun four days before the actual festival, and during this time we were permitted to decorate our classrooms and whatnot. My class, 1-2, was setting up a café. The rules for serving food and drinks were strict, so those who were in charge of food prep had to go through training under the home economics teacher. I was on the service side, so all I was responsible for was helping out with decorations or other basic prep work. Suddenly, the school had come alive.

I volunteered during lunch break since I was busy practicing with the band after school.

“Shame. I was counting on you, Haibara-kun,” Fujiwara complained. She was part of our class’s executive committee.

I forced a smile. “I’m sorry, really.”

“This is all because you joined the light music club out of the blue.”

“And that’s why I’m working hard to make up for it during lunch.”

“That’s what everyone who’s in a club says, but those who aren’t in one or are part of the cultural clubs stay much longer after school to help, you know? It’s thanks to their efforts that we’ve got all the bits and pieces done, right?” Fujiwara countered.

“I said I’m sorry! Please, let me off the hook,” I pleaded.

She gave me a long, hard look and then sighed. “All right. I’ll forgive you if you put on the best performance ever during the concert.”

“Does everyone know about that already?”

“You’re famous, after all. I bet everyone will come watch, so you’d better not let the pressure get to you, okay?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll move you to tears, so come watch with Hino.”

“What?!” Fujiwara’s face flushed red.

“I gotta run to the bathroom real quick,” I said, anticipating she’d fly into a frenzy trying to hide her embarrassment, and quickly left the classroom.

It was quite boisterous in the hallway too. Tons of students were coming and going as they got ready for their class programs. During the preparation days, occasionally we would get the fifth and sixth periods to work on setup, but that still wasn’t enough time to get everything done. Our school festival was the biggest one around this area, after all.

“Natsuki, how’s class two doing?” Miori asked me.

“Not bad. We’re hosting a café, so there isn’t that much to do beforehand,” I replied. “Not that I can say anything since I’m not really helping. What about you guys? You’re doing a haunted house, right?”

“Making all the small decor and stuff is such a pain. And we can’t rearrange our classroom’s interior until the afternoon before the festival, so we have to finish planning the layout and craft everything before then. Look at this, a ghost!” Miori put on a white dress and a black wig and tried to menace me. It wasn’t a bad attempt at being spooky.

“That’s high quality for a high school haunted house,” I remarked.

“I know, right? Our executive committee is really fussy about this stuff.”

Our conversation was interrupted when a girl called out to her from the classroom. “Mioriii! Stop messing around and help out.”

“Aw, fiiine,” Miori grumbled. “See you later, Natsuki.”

“Wait, Miori. Are you going to walk around the festival with Reita?” I asked.

She hesitated for a moment. “That’s the plan. Why?”

“You guys should come watch our band.”

“You didn’t have to tell me; I was going to come already. Serika’s playing, after all.” She shrugged her shoulders and walked back to her classroom.

It’s reassuring if she comes. I want her to witness my change.

“Oh, hey, Natsuki.” Serika suddenly appeared as if she’d swapped places with Miori. “They posted the stage schedule. The light music club has the last slot on the second day. We’ve got three bands, so each one gets fifteen minutes.”

“Fifteen minutes? That’s pretty much what we guessed,” I said.

“Yep. We should be able to play all three songs, no problem.”

“What’s the order within the light music club?”

“I discussed it with prez, and he said something like, ‘If we go on after you guys, the atmosphere will be like hell,’ so we’re third. That’s better for us, anyway. No complaints here.”

I get what he means. Our members are skilled as it is, but we also practiced like crazy, and now the level of our band has ascended to a whole new realm... Well, besides me, sadly. “Doesn’t that mean we’re the last ones on for the whole festival?”

“Yep. Isn’t that the best spot?”

“I’m suddenly feeling super nervous.”

“Knowing you, you’ll be fine. If anything, I’m more worried about Shinohara-kun.”

“True, Mei does seem like he’d get shaky during the actual performance,” I murmured. He’s been playing flawlessly during practice, but we should pay attention to him before the show. Though, I don’t have the leeway to be fussing over him. I’m already feeling the nerves myself.

“The more time spent, the more nervous you get,” Serika said, noticing my jitters. She put her hand on my shoulder. “But don’t worry. I know we can do it.”

I appreciated her baseless confidence a lot right now.

“Natsu!”

Someone tapped me lightly on the shoulder from behind. I turned around to see Uta looking up at me with a demon mask on.

“Ah ha ha! Surprised?”

“You said my name first, so doesn’t that defeat the purpose?” I asked.

“T-True! I might be an idiot!”

“‘Might’? You mean definitely,” Serika said.

“Serika, you should think a bit more about the vibe of what you’re going to say beforehand,” I scolded.

“Natsuki, you should use a bit more vibrato,” she shot back.

“Did you have to say that?” I asked. And was that supposed to be clever?

My silly banter with Serika made Uta grab her stomach. “Ah ha ha ha! You two sure are close now.”

“I’m reluctant to agree with that assessment right now,” I grumbled.

“Really? I always welcome it,” Serika said.

“What are you saying? First of all, this can barely even count as a proper conversation.”

I didn’t know what was so funny, but Uta kept laughing at our back-and-forth. Then, she suddenly lit up when she remembered something. “Oh, that’s right! I heard it yesterday! Your song, that is!” She rummaged through her skirt pocket and pulled out her phone. She opened Twister and clicked on the video I’d posted on my account.

“Kicking off mishmash leftovers with ‘black witch’! We’ll be playing this song at the school festival concert! Please give it a listen. You can hear the full version here →” Since we were entering the festival prep period, yesterday I’d made a post advertising our band. I planned to start a full-blown ad campaign on social media going forward.

Displayed on-screen was a recording of the first song on our set list, ‘black witch.’ Mei had mixed down and mastered it for us. The music was also in sync with a video of us practicing in the studio. We had purposefully dimmed the lighting to make it hard to see, per Mei’s taste. The whole thing had a pretty good vibe going.

“You guys were super cool!” Uta praised us, her eyes sparkling. “Seri’s guitar and Natsu’s singing, both! Honestly, I didn’t give you guys enough credit!”

“You didn’t have to throw in that last part,” I said.

“Ah ha ha! That’s just how touched I was!”

The video had already been played over five hundred times, and my post had been shared thirty times. There were also a lot of people who’d left replies. Most of them were my classmates, but there were also people who I knew only by face or name who had said stuff like, “Can’t wait for the concert!” or “This sounds awesome!”

I was thankful it was doing well. Though, I’d already been certain that just dropping the video normally would be enough to make it a hit since it really was that cool. Serika had also made a post on her own account at the same time, and hers was popping off too. It’d only been one day, and it was sure to spread further through word of mouth.

The guitar intro of “black witch” had a striking impact, so I’d figured it would be the best song to advertise first. The lyrics were hard to understand because they contained a lot of English, but the video considerately displayed the Japanese translation in time with the singing. Mei is too talented. None of us made any suggestions, but he thought this far ahead. 

For the record, the post linked to the video Serika had uploaded to her YouTube channel. That video had already broken ten thousand views. That’s way too fast!

“Also, this is an original song, right?!” Uta exclaimed.

“Yeah. Came from my brain,” Serika said, puffing up with a smug look.

“Wow! Seri, you’re amazing! So you’re not just an eccentric weirdo!”

“Wasn’t that a little rude?” I quipped.

“I never thought Uta had so much bite in her.” Serika grabbed Uta’s head and shook her around.

Don’t do whatever you want to her just because she’s short!

“I still question ‘Cute High School Girl Serika’s Channel ♡’ as a name choice, though,” Uta continued.

I completely forgot about that. That means the whole student population of our school is going to see her channel name. Oh well, not that I care.

“Maybe I should change the name during the school festival,” Serika murmured.

Evidently she did know how to feel shame, though it was still a mystery where she drew the line.

***

My announcement on social media had spread much more than I’d expected. Just walking around with my guitar slung over my shoulder elicited comments from others.

“Th-That’s the guy!”

“Isn’t that the vocalist of the band we were talking about?”

Even students from other years who I didn’t know were talking about us. And of course, I was a hot topic in my class too. “Forget about our café preparations—go practice more!” they’d told me. I wasn’t sure whether to be grateful for their concern or not. I’d advertised the band so we’d stand out, but it was affecting my daily life, which was somewhat cumbersome.

Well, I knew what I was getting into when I did it. Serika’s having it just as bad as me too.

“Natsuki, I watched the second song. The dark vibes are sweet.”

“I knew you were good at singing, but you look like a different person in the video!”

“Thanks. Though, Mei’s the amazing one for mixing it so well.”

We dropped our second song, “Monochrome,” when we felt the timing was right. It received a fairly positive reception as well. I’d been anxious about it since I wrote the lyrics this time, but I was relieved when I saw comments like, “I totally relate!” or “The lyrics are super good!” The instrumentals were, without a doubt, great, so any unfavorable response would be on me. But so far I hadn’t seen any negative reactions.

Things were going pretty well, but the problem was the third song. “Let’s unveil the third song during the concert,” we’d decided, but it still wasn’t complete. We’d just bought ourselves some time on social media. Most of it was done; however, I was still working on the lyrics. Maybe it’s about time to call it quits and just declare it done.

It was now two days before the culture festival. Serika had told me, “Natsuki, your time limit is until today’s practice.”

I’d been mulling over the lyrics all throughout class, but they still felt like they were missing something. I really wanted to get rid of this sense of disquiet before the school festival. When lunch came, I declined Tatsuya’s invite to eat together and went up to the roof. The chilly breeze blew over my head as I absentmindedly gazed out at the town.

Suddenly, a voice called out from behind me. “Natsuki-kun.”

“Oh, Hoshimiya.”

“What’s wrong? You look gloomy.”

“I’m still thinking about the lyrics for the third song. I’m just not entirely satisfied with it.”

“I see. So you’re writing the lyrics for the third song too? You only have two days left. Are you going to make it?”

“It’s lookin’ dicey. I finished the temporary lyrics a long time ago, so we might just go with those.”

Hoshimiya hummed thoughtfully. “What are you dissatisfied with?”

“Well, I don’t know how to explain,” I replied. As I tried to answer her question, the hazy feelings inside my chest formed into words. “I feel like there’s too much weakness or hesitation reflected in the lyrics...even though those aren’t the things I want to convey with this song.”

“What do you want to convey?”

“I’m not sure. It should, y’know, show people that I’ve changed, that I can still change more. I want others to feel my determination. ‘If it’s for your sake, I can even change the world.’ I want them to sense something like that.” When I put it into words, the answer was unexpectedly simple. But turning those feelings into lyrics was considerably difficult. “Still, I’ll feel bad for the others if I flip-flop this late in the game. The current lyrics aren’t bad. Maybe it’s better to keep them as is instead of forcing a change now.”

That was what I’d come to the roof to zone out and ruminate over. Perhaps I was just giving in, which didn’t feel great, but the quality of our performance would probably be higher if I didn’t try to change the lyrics now.

Most importantly, Serika had decided today was my deadline. I couldn’t delay us any further. It’s fine. The third song’s already plenty good as it is.

“You can’t, Natsuki-kun.”

Just as I was persuading myself to let it go, I had some surprising words hurled at me. “Hoshimiya?” I questioned.

“If you want to show that you’re going to change, then you can’t give up.” She sounded upset and peered at me with a serious glint in her eye. “The world won’t change if you compromise.”

There was a heavy truth to her words. Hoshimiya surely thought like that on a daily basis.

“If you still have time, then why don’t you brainstorm until the very last minute? You want to improve them, right? You believe they can be something better, right? If so, then I’ll help you out.”

“Yeah,” I said after a beat. I felt heartened—thanks to her, I had the courage to keep trying.

“I hope you can give the best concert ever, with the best song that you’ll sing confidently.”

Somewhere in the corner of my heart, I’d known that Hoshimiya would tell me that. “This is the newest draft of the lyrics,” I said, taking out my phone. I showed her what I’d written, and we put our heads together.

The song’s concept and the message I wanted to convey was a bit embarrassing, but I didn’t try to conceal it. I wished for the lyrics to become even better, so we worked on them through trial and error. Even after lunch break ended, we took advantage of the fact that we were seatmates to communicate by passing notes during class. My time limit—today’s club practice—drew nearer by the hour. In that time, I wrote, erased, and rewrote over and over.

In the end, I finally found the words I’d been searching for.

“I... I finished!” I spontaneously raised the sheet of paper with the lyrics up in the air with a fervent cry. “Yeeees!”

“What’s with him?” The students who were chatting in the room after school stared at me. Hoshimiya hastily lowered my hands.

I was so thrilled that I went a little loopy there.

“Yes, that’s wonderful. I’m glad you’re happy, but you can’t let other people see this, right?” Hoshimiya pointed out.

“That’s...true. We did say the third song is a secret until the concert,” I said.

“I wasn’t very helpful in the end, huh?”

“No, that’s not true at all! I was able to finish it because you were here! Thanks!”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

I grabbed her hand and shook it vigorously. I feel like I can overcome anything right now! “Welp, I’m off to practice!”

“Yep, have fun.”

I want to tell Serika and the others that the third song is done, pronto! I flew out of the classroom and headed up to the second music room.

As I left, Hoshimiya whispered in a hushed tone, “I can’t believe he showed me those lyrics... What does he want me to do? Sheesh.”

But I pretended like I hadn’t heard a thing.

***

After reading the lyrics for the third song, Serika gave me a thumbs-up. “This is pretty different from what you originally had, though,” she said. “We’ll have to tweak the backing a bit.”

We were practicing in the studio today since the other bands were using the clubroom and second music room.

“Sorry. But this version is much better, right?” I said lightheartedly as I tuned my guitar.

She sighed. “I wouldn’t want to tweak the music if it weren’t.”

Mei and Iwano-senpai were with us as well, so I addressed them too. “Um, I’m really sorry for all the trouble,” I said.

“Now’s not the time for apologies. Your guitar skills are the shakiest ones here,” Iwano-senpai scolded.

“You’re completely right! I’m sorry; I’ll get to practice!” I exclaimed.

“Sheesh... I was worried for a sec when I heard you were still agonizing over the lyrics.” His expression was as severe as always, but he seemed kinda happy too.

“These are great!” Mei said in admiration as he scanned the paper that Serika had handed him. “Natsuki, I think you have a talent for writing embarrassing lyrics!”

“I knew that already, but couldn’t you have called it naive or something instead?”

Mei shot me a dry smile that said, “Sure, let’s leave it at that.”

Remember when he used to be intimidated by me? Look at us interact now! This makes me happy.

“We don’t have much time left. Let’s perfect it by the end of the day,” Iwano-senpai said, wrapping up our chatter.

“Yes, sir!” the three of us responded.

BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG. The music began with a four-on-the-floor drum beat.

***

When a day is different from our everyday life, there’s an upsurge of energy in the air. The start of the school festival was finally upon us. I could feel the lively atmosphere just by strolling down the hallway. Each classroom had been decorated grandly, and the building felt like a completely different place.

“Haibara-kun! Get the tableware ready!”

“Okay. Where are the teacups again?” I asked.

“On top of the shelf behind you! Ah, Nagiura-kun! I need you to carry something for me.”

It was a bit before the festival would officially commence. I was busy helping with preparations when Uta called out to me.

“Oh, Natsu! This is yours!” She handed me a yellow T-shirt.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“Our class T-shirt, duh!”

Class T-shirt? What’s that? I opened up the bundle of cloth. On it was “1-2” with a pointlessly stylish design. On the back was a list of the names of all the students in our class. Huh?! I... I remember now! This is our class T-shirt!

During my first round of high school, my name hadn’t been listed on the back of the shirt, and no one else had realized it. The pain had torn me apart and wiped all memory of the incident from my mind. Good thing I remembered... Wait, is it a good thing? Maybe I should’ve left it forgotten. Hey, this time I see “Natsu” written here... Wow... Thanks, guys. Thanks for remembering me.

I suddenly felt worried about Mei. When the need for prep work had settled down, I went to peek into his classroom at the end of the hall on the same floor. I’d heard his class was doing a shooting gallery. Before the school festival began, they were holding trial runs for friends and family.

Mei stood alone in the corner of the room. He noticed me at the door and came outside. Everyone in his class wore their purple class T-shirt, and he had one on too.

“Natsuki, did something happen?” he asked.

“Can you show me the back?”

“Huh? Um, okay, but there’s nothing special there.”

Wh-What? His class T-shirt only had a simple design with “Class 1-4” printed on the chest area. If my class’s design was like this too, then I wouldn’t have been hurt in the past...

“Though, they forgot about mine until moments ago,” he muttered. He looked away from me and laughed dryly.

They probably had extras, but it hurts to go unnoticed... I feel you.

“But recently, people talk to me sometimes,” Mei told me cheerfully. “My classmates were chatting about our band’s music video, and when they realized I was the bassist, a few of them spoke with me and complimented me... Some even told me that they’d come watch our concert. I’m truly grateful.”

Mei had never experienced that much attention before, which was why he treasured even the smallest remark.

“I see... Then we’d better give them the best performance ever,” I said. This isn’t just for myself. All four of us have our own reasons, and that’s why I want to give it my all for their sakes too. Each of our wishes are all over the place, but we’re united in one thing: making the concert the best ever will let them come true.

“Yes!” Mei nodded with uncharacteristic enthusiasm.

***

After some hoopla, the first day of the school festival kicked off. The class programs were mainly inside the building, while the courtyard was largely set up with food stalls hosted by the various clubs. The light music club also had a booth selling yakisoba. Serika had checked for me, and it turned out I had a shift during the day, even though I’d only recently joined the club. We’d coordinated my schedule so that it wouldn’t overlap with my shift waiting tables at the class café, but I was still very busy. Man, I had nothing to do during my first time around!

“Welcome! Please have a seat here!”

“Wow, Haibara-kun is serving us. I’m going, I’m going!”

Our class café was in a tumult. Eighty percent of the seats were already filled. I led a group of girls in my year—who were thrilled to be served by me—to their table.

“Then two hot coffees, please! And a cookie!”

“Ummm, Haibara-kun, I’d like to order your smile!”

I laughed politely. What’s with her? Good thing I’m a pro at customer service smiles. I kept the giggling girls in my peripheral vision and glanced at the entrance. More people had just come in. Before I could deal with them, Hoshimiya quickly welcomed them in with a perfect business smile.

“Welcome! Please follow me to your seats!” she said.

The first and foremost reason our ordinary café was so popular was, without a doubt, because Hoshimiya was a waitress. There were an especially large number of boys from different years here staring at her. I didn’t like it, but they weren’t doing anything fishy. Perhaps Tatsuya glaring at everyone from the side of the classroom was effectively keeping them all in check. Though from his perspective, he was just looking around with his usual expression.

“Stop fretting. I’m keeping an eye on her,” Nanase quietly whispered into my ear.

I’d expect nothing less from Hoshimiya’s self-proclaimed guardian. “I’m counting on you, mom,” I said.

“I’m not your mom.” She sent me a reproachful scowl and flicked my forehead.

That hurts!

“There’s only going to be students here today, so I expect no problems to arise,” she said.

No outsiders would be attending the festival today. People unaffiliated with the school were only allowed to come in on Saturday, the second day. It wasn’t like there were many people who’d come in the daytime on a Friday anyway, so that didn’t change the numbers much. When I imagined how much busier it would be tomorrow, I felt kinda despondent.

I continued handling customers with such thoughts floating in my mind until Fujiwara tapped me on the shoulder. “Haibara-kun! Can you go shopping for us?”

“Huh? Shopping? Right now?” I questioned.

“Yes. Sorry, there was a mistake in our order. We don’t have enough of these ingredients.” Wearing an apologetic look, she handed me a piece of paper. She seemed unusually dejected.

Fujiwara supervises the class, so if she leaves, our café will fall apart. Of the current people on deck, I’m the only one who can go. I need to cheer her up! “Okay! Don’t worry about it. Make sure Hino consoles you when you go home.”

“Y-You’re running that joke into the ground... I’m not going to get embarrassed over it every time!”

“I gotchu!” yelled Hino in a laid-back tone from the kitchen.

Fujiwara blushed furiously. Yep, she’s cute. I heard from Hino that she acts like a spoiled kid when it’s just the two of them.

“Cool, then I’ll be back soon!” I hurried out of the room before she could berate me.

“Hey, wait. Natsu, I’m going too!” Uta rushed over. She was wearing a white headband for some reason.

Is there a sports festival going on too? “Hmm? Uta, aren’t you off the clock now?” I asked.

“Yep, and that’s why I want to help you out,” she said. “Can’t I?”

She’d thrown a fastball right in the center, hitting me with an easy strike. “Yeah... Of course you can.”

“Yay!” she exclaimed and pumped her fist. She ran out of the room with her head turned back towards me and energetically said, “Let’s go! If we don’t move fast, we’ll get scolded!”

***

We passed through the courtyard, which was mostly crowded with our upperclassmen, and headed towards the school gates.

“Natsu, you and your band are going to be up there tomorrow, right?” Uta pointed at the stage that had been set up outside in the courtyard. Volunteers were currently dancing onstage. They weren’t very good, but they seemed to be having fun.

“Yeah, we’re last on tomorrow,” I replied.

“Some people are performing both days, so why not the light music club too?” she griped.

“That’s just the wind ensemble and rhythmic gymnastics. There were a lot of people interested in performing this year, which is why the light music club is only playing the second day. I wish we could’ve played both days.”

Though I’d said that, playing two days in a row sounded exhausting. It was possible that we’d play once and then be burned-out by the second time, so perhaps one performance was enough.

“But man, it’s cold. I should’ve worn more than just a T-shirt,” I said.

“It’s on the warmer side today, but it’s still pretty chilly outside,” Uta said in agreement.

“It’s already the end of October, after all,” I mused. Unlike me, she’d been smart and put on her red jacket over our class T-shirt.

“Yeah. October is ending. It felt like summer break was just yesterday,” she said after a beat.

“Time really flies. I feel like school started yesterday.”

“Ah ha ha! Now that’s too long ago. Should we head back inside?” she suggested.

“Yeah... Ohhh, so cold.”

It was too frigid outside, so we returned to our classroom to pick up my jacket before leaving again. Uta followed me while wearing a giant smile and without uttering a single complaint.

We passed by the light music club’s booth where an apron-clad Serika was stir-frying yakisoba. “Hey, Natsuki, Uta. Wanna buy some?” she asked. Her hair was tied back and she wore a bandana on her head. She looked like a neighborhood granny.

“Do I get a club discount?” I asked.

“All right. Three hundred yen, just for you,” she said.

The grill sizzled loudly. It looks delicious!

“You can’t, Natsu. We’re in a hurry right now. There’s no time to eat!” Uta chided.

“Tch... Fair. Sorry, Serika,” I said.

“Whaaat? It’s really tasty! At least, it’s tasty when I’m making it,” Serika said.

“Are you good at cooking?” I asked.

“Oh, you know, I’m wife material.” She grinned smugly and chuckled haughtily.

I ignored her and walked out the school gate. “Serika’s the same as always,” I remarked.

“She’s got guts to brag about cooking in front of you,” Uta said.

We headed for a supermarket one street away. Once we were there, I looked at the paper Fujiwara had given me. “Let’s see—flour, milk, black tea bags, and...”

“Isn’t the flour over there?”

We went through the list and tossed the ingredients into a basket.

“Nice. I think that’s everything,” I said.

We read the list one more time and then checked out.

“Now we just have to head back!” Uta exclaimed.

“Yep. Hey, I’ll carry that.” I plucked the heavy bag out of her hands and reshuffled everything so that I had two of the heavy ones and Uta only had a single lighter bag.

“Isn’t that too much for you, though?” she asked.

“I work out daily. This is nothing.” Well, I’ve been skipping lately because I’m busy practicing the guitar. I won’t whine about this much weight, though. My muscles haven’t deteriorated yet!

“You’re so unfair,” Uta murmured. Her voice was so quiet that it almost vanished in the wind, but I heard her.

Silence fell between us. This mood... I think I can tell her now. “Hey, Uta. I’ve got something important to tell you,” I said, breaking the silence. I’d been waiting for the right moment this whole time.

“Right. I do too.” She nodded, wearing a meek expression. “But can you wait a little longer? I can’t tell you yet.” She slowly shook her head.

Not yet? Then when will it be the right time?

“Natsu. Just for today, wanna walk around the school festival with me?”

Her suggestion felt like an answer to my question, so I wordlessly nodded.

***

After we finished shopping, Uta tagged in at the café, and I left for my shift at the light music club’s booth. Our free time didn’t overlap until after 3 p.m. That didn’t give us a lot of time before the festival ended for the day, but we looked around at the various programs and enjoyed ourselves to the fullest. I especially liked class 2-1’s escape room. It was fun solving all the difficult puzzles scattered around their classroom.

There weren’t a lot of players when Iwano-senpai was manning the table. With him at the front, most people would be terrified and run away... Shouldn’t they have switched him out?

“Man, that was fun!” I exclaimed.

Uta and I were eating yakisoba from the light music club and takoyaki from the basketball team while we watched a stand-up comedy performance by volunteers outside in the courtyard. It was pretty hilarious.

“But I think I ate too much,” I said.

“Ah ha ha! Yakisoba and takoyaki are both really filling,” Uta said.

“They’re delicious, though. The comedy act was great too.”

“I liked the play we watched in the gym the most. I was super moved!”

“The one by class 2-3? That seemed popular.”

“I cracked up when I saw that Wakamura-senpai was the star, but she was unexpectedly good.”

“I know, right?”

Uta and I laughed together. Before we’d realized, the sky had now turned the color of dusk. The end of fifth period bell rang, signaling the conclusion of the festival’s first day. We sat on the stone steps in front of the school building, absentmindedly watching other students clean up.

Our class is probably also cleaning up around now. We still have tomorrow, so we’re not dismantling everything, but regardless it’s gonna be a lot of work. We’d better head back soon.

I stood up, but Uta suddenly called out to me. “Natsu, can we talk?”

I glanced at her. She stared up at me from where she sat. Our gazes met. Her eyes normally twinkled brightly, but they seemed dim right now.

“Sure.”

Uta stood up, took a few steps with her back towards me, and turned around again. On her face was a smile as bright as a sunflower. “You know, I like you. I love you the most in the world,” she said. “So please go out with me.”

The wind picked up—a chilly autumn breeze blew between Uta and me.

This was the first confession I had ever received in my life.

Her bangs fluttered in the air. Dead leaves flew in from somewhere and drifted down between us. Uta steeled herself faster than I could. I have to give her my answer. Sakura Uta fell in love with me, and I must take responsibility as someone who was drawn to her.

“I’m sorry. I don’t feel the same way about you.”

Uta’s expression remained the same, as though she’d known all along. I’d thought about this long and hard because I liked her. Before I knew it, I came to love her, so much so that my eyes inadvertently chased after her. But even so...there’s someone else in my heart who supports me more than her.

“There’s...someone I love,” I said, painfully wringing the words out. When I imagined the future, Uta wasn’t the one by my side. Since long ago, there was only one person who I’d always wished to be with.

“I see,” she said after a beat.

I didn’t know what expression I was making anymore. But it was fine; I knew this was the correct choice. If I kept running away, I would only be hurting Uta.

“Aw man. I was so determined to make you turn my way.” She gazed up at the evening sky. The cirrocumulus clouds burned crimson.

“I won’t give up. Right now, no matter who it is you hold in your heart...I won’t lose to them.”

“Natsu, I’ll definitely make you turn my way.”

“So just wait and see, okay?”

The night of the Tanabata festival flashed through my mind. I hung my head wordlessly.

“Sorry, Natsu. You must’ve been hurting a lot because of me.”

I shook my head. I wasn’t hurting. Your feelings made me happy. I was truly happy during Tanabata. I love your bright, sunny smile. But I had a feeling that those weren’t the right words to offer her, and I couldn’t find anything to say.

“Don’t worry about me. Tomorrow, we’ll go back to being friends like always.”

The word “friends” felt strangely heavy. If that’s possible... If returning to being friends is possible, then I’ll be glad. But I don’t have the privilege to wish for that. I know it’d be cruel.

“I took advantage of your kindness,” Uta continued. “When I told you that I’d make you turn my way and asked you to wait, I knew you would do just that. I knew that you already had your answer, but you pretended not to for me. I figured that if I bought myself time, I would manage to make a place for myself in your heart.”

If that’s true, then Uta’s been playing me like a fiddle.

“I thought I just needed a little longer. Just a little longer...” Tears welled up in her eyes and trickled down her cheeks. “But I didn’t make it in time.”

Little beads of water fell onto the stone stairs drop by drop.

“When you look at me so resolutely, the only thing I can do is give up,” she said.

She was right. Just a few days ago, I’d been riddled with hesitation, but not anymore. “Am I that transparent?” I asked.

“I’ve always watched you closely. Of course I can tell.”

“Uta, I’m no match for you.”

“I see right through you,” she said with a laugh and wiped her tears with her sleeve. She rubbed the cloth against her eyes over and over, somehow keeping a smile on her face. I couldn’t bear the sight of her forcing herself to be cheerful, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. “So, when are you going to confess to Hikarin?”

I didn’t know how to respond.

When I answered with silence, Uta continued speaking. “You don’t need to hide it. I’m the one who made you hesitate, so this time I want to give you the push you need. I want the person I love to be happy.”

A moment later, I replied, “After tomorrow’s concert.”

“Mm-hmm,” she said with a nod. She’d likely predicted that as well. Confessing to me even though she knew I wouldn’t respond the way she wished was her way of encouraging me.

How can someone be this kind? She’s not a coward like me. Sakura Uta is a courageous girl.

“Natsu, do your best! I’m rooting for you! So you’d better become happy, okay?” Each word was filled with enthusiasm though her eyes were red and swollen. She’d stopped crying now.

Conversely, my vision blurred.

“Don’t do anything that’d give me any lingering attachment, ’kay?”

“Yeah. I promise,” I said after a moment. I have no right to cry. I pressed my eyes and resisted the urge.

We stood there quietly for a while. The world around us gradually grew dark, until I couldn’t even see Uta’s face though she stood right in front of me. Our only illumination was the classroom lights shining out from nearby windows.

“All righty then, I’ll head back first,” she eventually said.

“Yeah... I’ll go back after a little longer.”

Uta turned around and left. “Goodbye.”

Come to think of it, that’s the first time she’s ever said that to me. She usually says, “See you tomorrow,” or “See you at school,” when we part ways—words that promise a next time. 

When Uta had completely disappeared from my sight, I heard footsteps marching straight towards me. I knew who it was without needing to look.

“Natsuki,” he said.

“Tatsuya.” I didn’t ask him if he’d been listening.

He grabbed my collar and forced my face up. Our eyes locked. “Why?!” he asked.

“There’s a girl I like,” I answered.

“Why?!” he repeated, his face twisted with pain. “Why couldn’t it be Uta?!”

“There’s no logic to this sorta stuff.”

Tatsuya knew this too. Love couldn’t be controlled with logic—just like the anger that he directed at me right now.

“I thought that if you were the one to make her happy, then...” His voice trailed off.

“I’m sorry.” In the end, those were the only words I could respond with.

“You fucker!” Tatsuya raised his fist with all his strength.

He’s gonna punch me. I couldn’t complain if he hit me. All this time, I’d been wavering, and my indecisive behavior was an injustice to Tatsuya’s feelings. Plus, I’d disrupted our friend group.

But contrary to my expectations, he slowly relaxed his hold on my collar and his clenched fist lost its target. “Dammit,” was all he uttered in the end. He walked past me and headed in the direction Uta had gone.

This was the result of my own choice.

***

I woke up very early the next day. I hadn’t slept well, but I didn’t feel nervous. I went to school earlier than usual. There were so few people scattered along the road, compared to how it normally teemed with students, that it seemed like a different place.

I went straight for class 1-2. Standing in the hallway was a familiar girl, vacantly staring out the window at the courtyard. She took her earphones out when she noticed me. I followed suit and took out my own earphones, which still had music playing through them.

“It’s finally time.” Serika’s gaze was focused on the stage outside.

Today would be our first and last performance—the one and only day our band would shine.

This will be the best concert ever. The more steadfastly I swore to make it so, the heavier the burden of not being allowed to fail felt. But I’d practiced every single day so that I wouldn’t lose to the immense pressure.

“Natsuki, what’re you listening to?” Serika asked.

I showed her the screen of my smartphone. “Ellegarden’s ‘Supernova.’”

She giggled and then reenacted similar words to that of our first meeting. “Our tastes match, Natsuki.”

“What’re you listening to, then?”

She hummed softly. “I was listening to ‘Lost my way’ by 04 Limited Sazabys.”

“Our tastes match, Serika,” I shot back. We shared a laugh. “Let’s do this. We’re gonna change the world.”

“Yeah. You’d better keep up so you don’t get left behind by me, okay?” she said and fist-bumped me. The way her grin goaded me on was very reassuring.

And so commenced the second day of the school festival.

***

The second day was much busier than the first. The majority of visitors were students from other schools and family members of Ryomei’s students. There also seemed to be a lot of guests here to catch a glimpse of Hoshimiya in real life after seeing her on Minsta.

“Hey, girl. Wanna tell me your RINE ID?”

“Oh, sorry. I don’t use RINE!”

“What? For real?”

Though she was hit on frequently, she told blatant lies to dodge her admirers each time.

“Ha ha ha! Shot down, man!”

“Bro, she’s obviously lying. What a riot!”

She even laughed together with the boys who tried to flirt with her. Still, aren’t there too many people? I guess she does look like a real idol. However, because Hoshimiya was tied up with those customers, the rest of us were more swamped than usual. We took order after order, and the kitchen was overflowing.

“Haibara-kun, go seat the customers,” Nanase instructed, alerting me to another new group waiting by the entrance.

Working the hall is hectic. I finally realize how hard Nanase’s job is... She was in the kitchen today. There was a novelty to having our part-time job positions flipped.

“Wel...come.” My voice trailed off when I saw a familiar face.

“Hey, onii-chan.”

“Oh, Namika. Go home already.”

“What the heck?! I’m a customer too, you know?!” she said in a huff. She was sandwiched by two middle school students who appeared to be her friends. For some reason, they stared at me with sparkling eyes.

“Wow! So you’re Namika’s brother. You really are handsome!”

“Riiight? Is it true you have good grades, you’re ranked number one in your grade, and you’re the vocalist in a band?”

Why do her friends know all this?

Namika frowned. “Just hurry up and seat us already!” she ordered as she pushed my back.

“Okay, okay. Please come this way!” I said.

“Namika-chan, is this how you act in front of your brother?”

“But you’re always gushing about how cool he is when you’re with us!”

“Th-That’s not true! Don’t say weird things!” Namika exclaimed, her face bright red from her friends’ teasing.

Everyone’s watching us with weirdly warm looks, so please behave like that in moderation.

“Oh! Hoshimiya-senpai! Hello!” Namika waved at her energetically.

“Hello, Namika-chan.”

“It’s been a while! Thanks for hanging out with my brother all the time!”

I felt the whole classroom’s gaze gather on Namika’s table. I have a very bad feeling about this.

“How do you know Hoshimiya-senpai?” asked one of Namika’s friends, cocking her head with puzzlement.

Apparently, everyone knows who Hoshimiya is. I heard she was famous on Minsta because she’s so cute, but these kids are acting like she’s a star. Amazing.

“Huh? Well, Hoshimiya-senpai came over before,” Namika replied.

Hoshimiya’s smile hardened. Namika’s friends instantly badgered her.

“What?! Really?!”

“A-Are they dating?!”

Namika finally realized she’d slipped up. “Oops.” She covered her mouth with her hand and timidly shifted her gaze towards me—my expression was an ineffable horror. She shrank in her seat apologetically.

Sorry, Hoshimiya... My little sister is an expert when it comes to blabbing too much.

Hoshimiya lifted a finger to her lips to quiet the girls, but her gesture added credibility to their assumption instead. The people in our class exchanged looks and whispered among themselves. Great... This is going to spread like wildfire. Hoshimiya and I glanced at each other and smiled dryly. Uta, who was working in the kitchen, didn’t react and continued making drinks.

“Well, that’s unfortunate.”

“Dammit... She’s got a boyfriend!”

“He’s good-looking too. She’s way out of your league.”

The boys from a different school who’d been hitting on Hoshimiya became despondent. Other groups who were hopefully waiting for their chance also appeared crestfallen.

“I’m glad it’s peaceful now. Though, I have mixed feelings about this,” remarked Nanase.

“Isn’t it fine as long as the result is all right?” I asked.

“Hmm.” Nanase looked slightly disgruntled. “Yes, seeing as there are no more pesky insects swarming around Hikari.”

In the end, she prioritizes Hoshimiya first—a mom through and through. Suddenly, someone tapped me on the shoulder.

“Natsuki. You can clock out now. Don’t you need to prep for the concert?” Reita suggested considerately.

“You sure? That would be super helpful,” I said. It’d be good if I could get some practice in before the real deal. “Cool, then I’m off!”

“Leave it to us. Good luck.”

“Roger that. I’m gonna come watch! You’re on last, right?”

After Reita and I finished talking, I left the classroom with the support of everyone behind me. I really appreciate it. It’s all thanks to the song Serika composed and the others’ skill that so many people want to come listen to a complete amateur like me. And that’s why I’d better live up to their expectations!

“Natsuki-kun!” a voice called out from behind me when I began to walk down the hallway. I turned around to see Hoshimiya peeking her head out the door. “I’ll definitely come watch! Break a leg!” She made a fist in front of her chest and cheered me on enthusiastically.

I’m insanely happy! I really am, but there is one issue... Because of the conversation from earlier, I feel a lot of eyes on us. If she cheers me on like this now, of course the mood around us is going to turn... Y’know... I can only assume she did that knowingly, but oh well.

***

I strummed my guitar in the second music room. In the unusual world of the school festival, this was the only place that was the same as its regular, everyday incarnation. It put me at ease a bit. The guitar felt familiar in my hands and sang its usual tune. As I practiced the chords for today’s performance over and over, the door opened.

“It looks like we had the same idea.”

“Today’s our last day, after all. Let’s get to practice.”

We still had time until the concert, but Mei and Iwano-senpai had appeared, and Serika also showed up moments later. When she saw that we’d all assembled, her eyes widened.

“You’re all early,” she remarked.

“What’re you doing? I want to run through the whole thing at least once. Hurry and get set up,” Iwano-senpai urged.

“P-Please wait a minute. I’m still tuning,” Mei said.

“I still miss the chords during the chorus in ‘Monochrome.’ I need to go over it again,” I said.

We all griped about different things, and a faint smile crept across Serika’s face. “Yeah. Let’s do a playthrough.”

The four of us joined together, producing loud sounds that transformed into the first song. I wish this moment would last a little longer. The reason I wanted that wasn’t because I was scared of performing in front of an audience, but because I didn’t want the end to come. I didn’t want to lose the time we all spent connected through music.

Despite my prayers, time ticked forward. Next thing I realized, the sun had already begun its slow descent. Serika’s smartphone rang. It was a call from someone on the school festival executive committee. The festival’s end was drawing near, as was our actual performance.

“It’s time for the light music club to go on. We should head outside now,” Serika said.

We packed up the necessary instruments and equipment and went to the courtyard. There, the outdoor stage was already being set up for the light music club under our president’s direction. His band was on second, but he was talking the opening act, a group of five first-years called the Clock Ups. I only knew them by name and face. They stood on top of the stage with nervous expressions.

“I see the Clock Ups have a keyboard too,” Serika pointed out.

“Apparently they’re covering popular songs,” Iwano-senpai said.

After the others finished setting up the stage, spectators gradually began to congregate. The club president stood in the very front to show his support. Around him were students I presumed to be the third-years who’d retired. Some friends of the performers gathered there too.

The other students were scattered around the courtyard near the tents or in the shade. Many of them seemed to be here to listen only because they had free time, but there weren’t a lot of students who wanted to cheer up close with spirit.

“This size of crowd is to be expected for a high school festival,” Iwano-senpai remarked pragmatically.

“Not everyone is here because they’re interested in the light music club,” Serika said in agreement.

Well, this is still a lot more people than your average school festival. The friends and family in front of the stage were considerably pumped up. The MC rushed through a brief spiel, and then the Clock Ups began their first song.

To be honest, they weren’t very good. Their rhythm was all over the place, and the guitar wasn’t carrying well. The volume of the different instruments was not balanced at all, so I could barely hear the singer. It was plain as day that they were nervous.

We were listening to them play from the tent behind the stage as we prepared for our turn to go on when a female student ran up to us.

“Hey, Kengo! Long time no see!” she exclaimed. Her black hair was permed, and there was a distinctive mole under her eye.

I’ve never seen her before. She’s addressing Iwano-senpai casually, so she’s probably an upperclassman. Maybe one of the retired third-years?

“Hi, Teach,” Iwano-senpai said.

“Ah ha ha! I told you already, that nickname is embarrassing, so cut it out already.” She nudged him gently in the belly with her elbow.

I instantly understood that they were close friends. After all, she had dared to poke Iwano-senpai in the stomach. Is she his drum teacher?

“Asano-senpai, hello,” Serika said, casually dropping her name for me.

Got it, Asano-senpai.

“I heard about you guys. Seems like things are going well,” Asano-senpai said.

“Yes, all thanks to you,” Iwano-senpai responded, his expression as rigid as always.

She sighed in relief. “Y’know, I was really worried about you. You’ve got a scary face, so I thought the first-years might get intimidated and avoid forming a band with you. Welp, I’m glad my worries were unfounded!”

Her worries were, in fact, not unfounded, but the rest of us read the room and kept our mouths shut.

“You’re Serika-chan, right? Thanks for inviting a scary guy like him!” she said as she loudly slapped Iwano-senpai on the back a few times.

“I invited him because I like the way he plays the drums,” Serika said.

“Oho, very nice. It kinda feels like you’re complimenting me too.” Asano-senpai then directed her attention at me and Mei. “Thanks to the both of you too. I’m sure you went through a lot with how brusque he is.”

Mei vigorously shook his head back and forth. “N-Not at all! Iwano-senpai has taken really good care of me!”

Finding his reaction amusing, she chuckled. “And you’re Haibara-kun?” she asked me. “I’m looking forward to hearing you play.” She tapped my chest with the back of her fist. Oddly enough, her gesture encouraged me. “All right then, I’ll leave you guys to it.”

She was about to leave after spurring us on, but Iwano-senpai stopped her. “Teach. I heard the news. You finally got your long-awaited boyfriend.”

Asano-senpai abruptly stopped in her tracks. She then approached him, her movements stiff like a creaky, broken robot. “Wh-Who’d you hear that from?! I was trying to hide that!”

“Shikano told me.”

“Th-That jackass! I knew I shouldn’t have told him!” Her face flushed with rage.

Shikano? So the current president?

“Congratulations.” Iwano-senpai’s tone was impassive until the bitter end.

Asano-senpai awkwardly scratched her cheek. “You don’t think I’m a moron for being on cloud nine right before exams?”

“You’re being unusually pessimistic. Be as happy as you want.”

“Sh-Shut up! I’m already plenty happy!” She smacked him again, but it didn’t have much effect on Iwano-senpai’s steellike body.

He’s strangely talkative right now.

“Watch us with your boyfriend. I’ll congratulate you onstage,” he said.

“I was already planning on it, but all right. Okay, I’ll come.”

“Please watch. I’ll show you a performance that’ll satisfy you.” Iwano-senpai’s declaration resounded intensely, unlike his usual indifferent tone.

Finding his demeanor to be unexpected, Asano-senpai’s eyes widened in surprise. “Can’t wait,” she said and then left to join the audience.

On her way back, she joined up with a male student. He had short black hair and wore glasses—he seemed like a kind young man. From the way they walked close together, I gathered that he must’ve been the aforementioned boyfriend. Iwano-senpai gazed at them as they walked away.

“Looks like there are more people now.”

I turned my eyes to where Serika pointed, and just as she’d said, more spectators were gathering in the courtyard.

“Hey, the light music club’s on.”

“They’re not very good, though. When’s Mishle on?”

“They’re on last. There’s two bands before them.”

A few boys from another school walked by as they chatted.

“Is Mishle on soon?”

“There’s probably another thirty minutes. I guess we’ll be bored until then.”

“I love ‘black witch.’ I can’t wait to hear it live!”

There was also a group of female students talking about us inside the school building. We were in the tent behind the outdoor stage, but I could sense a lot of attention on us.

“Th-Thank you for listening!” said the vocalist onstage.

Ultimately, the Clock Ups finished without having really hyped up the crowd. The band members all seemed to have indescribably mixed feelings. They left the stage one by one, with applause in the background.

“Dammit.”

“That didn’t go well at all.”

“Man, I’m sorry. If I hadn’t rushed the rhythm, then it would’ve been better...”

“Yeah... Oh well. Not gonna lie, this is the best we’ve got, anyway.”

“We didn’t practice much, after all. We should’ve worked just a little harder.”

The five of them smiled weakly together, their laughter hollow.

“Good work,” Serika told them.

“Y-Yeah, thanks,” they replied awkwardly.

Well, we are the leftovers of the light music club. It must be hard to interact with us. They’re probably terrified of Iwano-senpai, nor do they likely even remember Mei exists. And I simply don’t know any of them. They’re even avoiding Serika.

The Clock Ups exited the tent, leaving behind a stifling atmosphere. During that time, the club president’s band of second-years went onstage.

“Ahhh. Ahhh,” Prez said, testing the microphone. He bowed to the audience. “Hey there, we’re Armadillo Tank.”

The front row cheered raucously—they were likely friends of the band members.

“I’m sure most of you came here excited to see Mishle, but just think of us as their opener and enjoy. Thanks for coming! All right then, let’s start from song number one!”

As the time for us to go on drew near, all the background noise gradually faded away. I’m getting in the zone. My throat feels good, and my fingers are moving fine too. We can do it. As I psyched myself up, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned to the side—Mei was pale and trembling.

“Th-The nerves have hit... Oh goodness gracious gosh...”

“Wh-What’s wrong? You looked pretty calm a few seconds ago,” I said.

“When I thought about how everything depends on this one performance... Suddenly... M-My hands... My hands are shaking.”

I was quite nervous too, but I calmed down after seeing him even more nervous than me. Watching the Clock Ups play probably influenced us. Not gonna lie; I wouldn’t exactly call their performance a success. It feels bad to say this, but I don’t want to be like them.

“A-Also... There’s clearly so many spectators here specifically to see us,” he continued.

The club president’s band entered the second half of their performance. The number of guests had increased exponentially, and the crowd no longer looked the appropriate size for a high school festival.

The audience was actually quite pumped up because Armadillo Tank was covering a Bump song and Prez was a great singer. There was also a huge disparity between their playing and the Clock Ups’.

They can play this well even though they don’t practice much? I get why Serika said their talent is wasted. Prez in particular has got a very charismatic aura. The fact that we’re the finale and not this band is a lot of pressure, which gives me all the more butterflies. But even so...

“Don’t worry. We can do it!” I gave Mei’s trembling back a strong smack.

“Ow!”

Sorry, that was a bit too hard. See? I’m so nervous I can’t even control my strength! “Sorry, sorry. C’mon, let’s take a deep breath.”

Mei followed my advice and inhaled and exhaled over and over. “I-I’m sorry... I think I’ve calmed down a little.”

“I like ‘Deep Breath’ by Super Beaver,” Serika remarked. She watched Armadillo Tank perform with the same cool expression as usual.

“I get how you feel about the song, but that’s kinda random of you,” I said. “Aren’t you nervous?”

“I am. It just doesn’t show,” she replied, not a single muscle twitching on her face.

True. She seems more taciturn than normal.

“Don’t worry if you go off beat. I’ll support you, so go ham,” Iwano-senpai said.

That’s reassuring to hear. I can trust those words because he’s the one saying them.

Mei nodded. He had a lot of faith in Iwano-senpai after all the time they’d spent together.

It’s times like this when upperclassmen really feel like they’re older and wiser. Though I’m also technically Mei’s upperclassman by seven years, I didn’t do diddly-squat for him.

“You want to shine, right? Well, we’re going to show them how awesome we are now,” I said. I held Mei by the shoulders, and we stood up together.

“Y-Yes!” he exclaimed.

Armadillo Tank finished their last song with perfect timing. The audience was going wild, and they cheered feverishly as the band came down from the stage.

“Hey, we did pretty well for an opener, yeah?” the president said, wiping his sweaty hair with a towel.

Serika nodded. “Not too shabby. You get my seal of approval.”

He chuckled. “What an honor.”

“H-Hondo-san... That’s no way to speak to an upperclassman,” Mei timidly pointed out.

Iwano-senpai shrugged. “Too late for that. I’ve never seen her speak politely before.”

“Wh-What?”

She must look like a creature from a different dimension in Mei’s eyes, seeing how he’s polite twenty-four seven.

The club president plopped his hand down on my shoulder and smiled. “It’s time for the main act,” he said with a grin. His palm was burning after playing three songs. “Even if you make a mistake or two, you can cover it up with the crowd this hyped. Loosen up, okay?”

He’s a good guy. He’s helping us relax when we’re nervous. He encouraged the Clock Ups before they went on too. I can tell he cares about his underclassmen. “I’ll do my best.”

We climbed up to the stage. The curtains had come down in between bands. The area was smaller than I’d expected, perhaps because I couldn’t see the audience past the closed curtains. I took my spot in front of the mic stand placed front and center.

We began setting up where the upperclassmen had left their equipment behind. Serika handled adjusting the amps and whatnot. Her lips were curved down ever so slightly today. Well, there are a ton of people in the audience. If the volume is too low, they won’t hear a thing, but it’ll be pointless if the instrumentals are too loud and drown out my singing. She needs to have the optimal sound settings to make it as loud as possible while still balancing with the vocals.

I checked that my guitar was in tune once more. Serika meticulously tinkered with her effector. Iwano-senpai adjusted the position of his drum set over and over. Mei caressed his bass strings as he took deep breaths.

“Thanks, guys, for going along with my selfishness,” Serika suddenly said.

“I’m just doing this for my own sake, not for you,” Iwano-senpai bluntly stated.

“M-Me too,” Mei stuttered. “Hondo-san, I’m sorry, but I’m not a nice guy who could work this hard for someone else. I play the bass for myself.”

Serika’s gaze fixed onto me.

I shrugged. “Same here. I just want to show the girl I love my cool side.” I’m not really doing this for Serika... But it’d be nice if me working hard helped them achieve their goals too.

“We’re all over the place,” she said with a smile.

We were a group of leftovers mashed together, and our goals really were all over the place. The time we’d spent together amounted to a mere month and a half. This group was like a miracle. We were four people who would normally have had no reason to assemble.

“The only thing we’re on the same page with is that we all want to make this the best concert ever. This is a band of people I gathered,” she continued.

Yeah, you’re right. This is a place that you created. This is a group of people who were inspired by your music. That’s why we’ll prove it: the time the four of us spent together was, without a doubt, worth it.

“Let’s give this our all so we don’t have any regrets.”

Serika turned towards the executive committee member who was waiting nearby and made a circle with her arms. The girl nodded and rushed noisily behind the stage.

“And now, our final band for today: give it up for mishmash leftovers, everybody!” announced the host through the speakers. I could hear the crowd ooh.

The curtains opened, slowly revealing the world before us. The first thing I saw was the huge audience sprawled before the stage. Students and outsiders alike were mingled together. I’d thought there were a lot of people when Armadillo Tank had been performing, but now there were even more. To be fair, we were the final performance of the school festival, and a large part of the draw was all the advertising we’d done on social media.

Once the curtains were raised completely, the sunset-dyed sky was exposed. The dazzling stage illuminations set the ambience of the courtyard. Besides the spectators flocked in front of the stage, there were also people looking at us from around the food booths, as well as peeking out of the school windows. There were surely a good number of people who’d had no interest in us in the beginning, but with all the uproar, their curiosity was piqued. Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been this many people.

Around the middle of the crowd, I spotted students from class 1-2. It looked like they must have closed the café, since almost all my classmates were there. Nanase, Hino, and Fujiwara were in attendance. Hoshimiya was right in the center of all our classmates. She stared at me with her hands clasped in front of her chest. I could see her perfectly clearly even though she was a bit far away. I nodded at her, and she responded with a nod of her own.

Namika and her friends were in the front row. My sister waved a penlight as she screamed, “Onii-chan! Good luck!”

My dear sister... Where did you get those penlights?

The other members of the light music club whom I had practically never interacted with were also getting pumped up, with the club president at their center. Meanwhile, Reita and Miori were under a tree in the very back.

Even in such a large crowd, I could still find all of my friends with little effort—all except for Uta and Tatsuya. I didn’t see them anywhere. Suddenly, I recalled what Uta had said. “I can’t wait. I’ll wave from the front row!”

I shook my head. This is the path I chose.

The four of us made eye contact and nodded.

The first noise to fill the air was the sharp crash of the hi-hat cymbal. Drumsticks banged on the snare drum, carving out the rhythm. As the rowdy crowd gradually fell into complete silence, Iwano-senpai’s drum solo continued to boom loudly.

We’d decided beforehand to charm the audience with our performance rather than start with a clumsy attempt at MCing.

Iwano-senpai used his whole body to slam on his drums, stunning the audience as they billowed forward. His passionate timbre reverberated from their ears to the pits of their stomachs. When his overwhelming and arduous solo reached its finale, the rhythm steadily grew faster.

The beat reached its peak, and on cue, Serika cut through the air with her striking guitar solo. She stepped up to the front of the stage, and her guitar howled—the crowd went wild. Her riff was sharp like a blade, and as it resounded, Iwano-senpai joined back in on the drums. Mei and I synchronized our breathing and jumped in seconds later, transforming the solitary tune into a full-fledged song.

First up on our set list was “black witch.” More cheering erupted from the audience when they recognized that the introduction we’d played was shifting into it. The floor beneath me shook from their bellowing roars. They were so loud I thought they would drown us out.

Whoa. Why’re they so enthusiastic? Is... Is this what concerts are like? Though I felt invigorated from their heat, my hands were calm and cold like ice as they strummed the chords. While the fierce wind blew, we created a bird named melody that flew high in the vast, open sky. A flood of notes raging out from the stage at over two hundred beats per minute engulfed the audience.

“Come on!” Serika yelled into the microphone as she shredded through the song on her guitar. We could hear the crowd ooh and aah in reply. Their zeal fueled our drive.

I inhaled deeply and then began to sing, pushing out my voice from the bottom of my stomach.

All this time, music had been the only thing to keep me going. Music had saved me. Music was my everything. And from now on, I would live to play music. The guitar was my lover. Such were Serika’s feelings that she’d expressed in these lyrics, and I sang them as though I were screaming, wishing that they would reach someone.

The hi-hat burst with frenetic ardor. Using alternate picking, Serika raised the melody towards the chorus. Mei’s unflappable bass supported us. I fervently stroked out power chords and turned up my voice’s volume. Serika sang in chorus, bolstering my singing. Our eyes met.

Serika, how is it? Are you having fun? Has the way you see the world changed? I didn’t need to ask. She’d told me in the past that she struggled to express her feelings, but I understood how she felt right now perfectly. The way her guitar romped about showed me everything I needed to know.

The second chorus ended, and we plunged into the final verse. Serika and I shouted. She stepped forward, swapping places with me. She unleashed an overpowering guitar solo, her whole body swaying, and swallowed everything up.

Goose bumps instantly broke out all over me. This is what it means to be bowled over. I’d heard her play many times now and been shocked an equal number of times. This was the timbre—the guitar—that had changed our worlds.

Who knows why, but I unwittingly smiled. The nervous tension left my body. Cry or laugh, this is our first and final performance. Serika will find bandmates on her level eventually and change an even bigger world next time. I can’t wait to see that future come to pass.

That was exactly why I relished the joy of being able to play together with her. We crashed through the final chorus, and the end of the song finally arrived. The moment Serika muted her guitar, tying up the song, the ground quaked from thunderous cheering.

Fatigue suddenly surged through me, and I realized I was dripping with sweat. Though I felt like staggering, I wrung out my voice into the microphone.

“Ahhh... Ahhh...” I said, testing its volume. “Hello, we’re mishmash leftovers.”

I heard people yelling, “Natsukiii!” and “Haibara-kuuun!” My mouth slackened.

“We’re a group of four, here to put on the best school festival concert ever.”

There were so many people watching my every move; I felt a belated sort of wonderment. Before my opportunity to redo my youth, no one had known who I was. A lot of things have happened, but I’ve definitely come a long way.

“On the drums—Iwano Kengo!”

In sync with my introduction, Iwano-senpai jammed out on his drum set with loud rumbling bangs, and he even twirled his drumsticks. This guy’s not nervous at all.

“On the bass—Shinohara Mei!”

Mei flexed his wrists; his adept bass slapping boomed boldly. After he thumped out a measure, he summoned up all his courage and thrust his fist up towards the sky. A ton of people oohed and raised their hands up along with him.

“Our lead guitarist—Hondo Serika!”

She suddenly played an off-the-cuff arrangement of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.” She did a three-string guitar bend, the pitch descending from the first string. When Serika was in the spotlight, the cheering was noticeably louder. She took her hand off the guitar and grandly waved at the masses.

“And... Well, I’m the vocalist, Haibara Natsuki. Um, sorry, I guess.” Why the hell am I apologizing?! Several spectators loudly retorted at me, asking a similar question. They thought it was funny, so I guess it’s okay? Looks like they think it was a joke. Oh man, that was close! I’m not supposed to be acting like this. I decided I’d show my cool side to the girl I love today.

“Honestly, our band doesn’t have a special backstory or anything. As our name says, we’re just a mash-up of leftovers. Still, the four of us are going to make this concert the most epic concert ever!” I said clumsily.

Serika picked up my slack and exclaimed, “So can you guys help us out?!”

The front of the crowd eagerly whooped, “Yeah!”

“You’re too quiet! I said, can you guys help us out?!” she yelled again.

“Yeaaah!” the crowd replied, this time so loudly that the ground shook.

She shot me a smile. Damn, she’s really used to concerts! I can’t win. I flicked my gaze over to Iwano-senpai. He nodded and kicked off our next song with a four-on-the-floor. Serika strummed the intro riff, and the audience began clapping to the beat. They were a bit faster than the actual rhythm, but that wasn’t enough to throw Iwano-senpai off.

“Let’s jump into our second song! ‘Monochrome’!” I announced.

The chords were more complex than the first song, but my fingers moved on their own. Practicing until I bled had been worth it—now I could hold my head high and play the guitar. The first verse, turbulent like the raging sea, ended, and Serika inserted a rubato arpeggio. After a beat, a chorus that was fierce and solemn but also dark and cold like night began.

“I don’t want any more regrets. I’ll change that monochrome world and those faded days,” I yelled. These were the lyrics I’d written myself.

I worked hard every day. This time, I would definitely seize the rainbow-colored youth that I desired. There were times when I was lost and unsure of what I wanted. There were times when the more I wished for that rainbow color, the more I suffered because I couldn’t find it. But I had made my choice, continued onwards, and now stood where the path had taken me.

Everything would be fine as long as I was a little cooler than I was yesterday.

I raised my voice so that I wouldn’t lose to the audience’s cheering. Though it felt like my throat was about to go hoarse, I didn’t hold back and screamed with all my might. The sound I produced felt good. I was truly comfortable. Everyone encouraged me as though I was today’s star. Thanks, guys. I wish I could immerse myself in this music forever. However, my wish went unanswered because time passed in the blink of an eye, and we entered the final chorus of the song.

“I wanted to thank you guys. My world changed because you were all here with me,” I sang.

I’d worked hard, but that wasn’t the only reason my world had been dyed with vibrant colors. I’d been blessed—blessed with people I wanted to work hard to be with. That was why I hoped to convey my gratitude to them; that was what this song was about.

The music echoed for a moment, and then deathly stillness fell upon us shortly after. So many spectators waited for me to talk as I panted heavily. Once my pounding heart had calmed and my breathing had settled, I began to speak.

“The next song will be our last. It’s one we haven’t unveiled yet. Serika composed it, and I wrote the lyrics.”

“We’ve been waiting!” multiple people roared. The energy of the crowd had reached its zenith.

I paused until they fell silent and then took a deep breath. I needed courage for what I was about to say. My pulse raced, and my chest felt like it was about to burst. But I puffed up with confidence and put on a cool front so no one could tell I was nervous. “This song is dedicated to the girl I love. Please listen—‘To the Star.’”

Shrill screams exploded from the crowd. This time, I didn’t wait for them to quiet down and dove straight into the third song. It had a slower tempo and a calmer vibe than our first two songs.

Understanding that it wasn’t a tune to liven things up but one to listen to closely, the audience began swaying with the rhythm. The people in the front row were easily swept up in the mood; they had their arms slung around each other’s shoulders as they let the music take them away.

When I looked at the middle of the crowd, I noticed that there was an unusually large amount of space around Hoshimiya. My classmates were likely being thoughtful by trying to make it easy for me to see her. I’d already noticed where she was from the very beginning, though.

Hoshimiya Hikari wore a peaceful smile as she kept her eyes fixed on me.

“Under the sakura trees, I remember our ordinary conversation. You saved me when you told me people can like things even if they’re bad at them. You showed me that my facade wasn’t a mistake.”

Thinking back rationally, I must’ve been out of my mind to ask Hoshimiya to review these lyrics. But I had no regrets; after all, I’d been able to improve them.

“I ran away on that moonlit night. I couldn’t decide—didn’t believe in myself. The confidence that I could make you happy was a pretense. A bluff. Every day, I just ran away. But now, with this song...”

All I’d thought about while writing these lyrics was Hoshimiya. I wanted to be someone worthy of the person I loved. But those pretentious thoughts could be expressed more simply: all I wanted was for her to think I was cool. That was all.

“Even if I’m reaching out for the moon reflected in the water, I’ll change the world you see with this song. Just as I was changed by you. I can’t wait for a full moon night. My feelings are about to overflow.”

I like music. I like rock. I like the sound of Serika’s guitar. I like singing. I like making music with this band of four...and I love Hoshimiya Hikari. That’s why I’m standing up here right now, screaming out this cheesy song.

“I may be clumsy, but I’ll face forward. Even if I fall, I’ll stand up again. All to one day turn my ideal into reality. To be worthy of you.”

I’d spent hours upon hours practicing, but the performance lasted for a mere moment. We were already approaching the final verse of the song—the rhythm raced forward like the wind. I sang with desperation. I strummed my guitar with desperation.

The next thing I knew, the courtyard was filled with cheering and applause. When I looked up, everyone was beaming at us with elated smiles. In the very middle of them all, I saw Hoshimiya moving her mouth. Her voice was drowned out by the shouting, but I could read her lips.

“Thank you,” she said.

I reached her. My feelings... This song... They made it to Hoshimiya’s heart. I did it! My breathing was ragged. My vision was shaky. I could barely stand.

Noticing that I was too tired to speak, Serika leaned towards her mic. “That’s all, folks! We’re Mishle! Thanks for listening!”

A remarkably loud cheer erupted from the crowd. The curtains slowly descended, but I could still hear the applause. Reluctant to part from them, I glanced one last time at the mass of people. It’s unbelievable every time I see it. Look at how many people came to watch us perform! I’ll treasure this memory for the rest of my life.

“Hey. Do you think we made this the best concert ever?” I asked Mei in a hoarse voice.

“Natsuki, what’re you talking about?” He smacked my back; he seemed to be high on adrenaline. “If this wasn’t the best ever, then I don’t know what is!”

Yeah, I agree. That was a dumb question. I staggered, but Iwano-senpai caught me before I could fall and held me by the shoulders.

“You did good. With this, I won’t have any regrets,” he said.

Serika, who’d been in a daze since the song had ended, looked back at us. “Natsuki!” She jumped into my chest.

She almost knocked me over from the momentum, but Iwano-senpai held me up.

“We won!” she yelled, though I had no idea what metric she’d based our victory on.

I was drenched with sweat, and Serika was too. This was the first time I’d ever seen her express her emotions so candidly. I watched as she hugged me tightly, and a grin unwittingly spread across my face.

“Serika,” I said after a moment. “Hate to break it to you, but I just dedicated a love song to my crush.” If you squeeze me like this right after I did that, the situation’s gonna get kiiinda ugly. I patted her on the back.

She slowly released her grip and smiled faintly. “Prude. Don’t worry; my guitar is the only lover for me.”

“I know. I’m just worried about how this appears to onlookers, y’know?”

Serika bonked me lightly on the head with her fist. “Iiidiot.”

What’s that supposed to mean?

Contrary to my still-confused self, Serika quickly stood up. We were about to return backstage, but then the crowd started chanting for an encore. We glanced at the committee girl, and she nodded back.

“We still have ten minutes until the festival ends, so go on,” she said.

Ah, I get it. We’re the finale, so we can use the extra time since the concert has been smooth sailing.

“Natsuki, can you still sing?” Serika asked.

“Barely. My voice is raspy now, so why don’t you take up the main vocals?” I suggested.

“Do we even have another song we can play?” Mei pointed out.

“We’ve got a few covers we practiced for fun,” Iwano-senpai said.

The four of us looked at each other and then smiled wryly. We didn’t have to end things yet. Our time together would continue for just a little longer.

I hope this moment shines for even a few seconds more.