"Do I pluck right here?"
"Of course. This isn't your first time—why are you acting like a newbie?"
"It's just that the sound it makes feels a bit weird. Plus, I've always played on my own. Who would've thought I'd end up borrowing from you one day?"
"...Seriously, why do you always say things in a way that makes my mind go in strange directions? Are you doing this on purpose?"
"Nope." Tsuzuki Chihiro smiled faintly. "I just really think bass doesn't have that satisfying sound."
"That's how low-end instruments are. Every instrument has its purpose, and only when they come together does a band become complete."
Nagasaki Soyo sighed—not because last week's band had too many guitars and no keyboard, but because she couldn't figure out why she always ended up being the one stuck in this kind of situation.
Teaching someone bass at home, step by step—normally, that would be called a private bass lesson.
But real tutors got paid. Meanwhile, she was the one paying the student. And the worst part? She was actually okay with it.
There was just no justice in the world.
"Tsuzuki."
"What?"
"How about you go to school in my place?" Nagasaki Soyo looked at the girl in front of her—no trace of makeup, a completely natural face, the picture of fragility. It reminded her of the excuse Chihiro had used before.
—Telling Sakiko that she was taking cram school classes to prepare for university when, in reality, she'd just run into Soyo there.
"School?"
"Yeah. You've been... out of school for quite a while now, haven't you?"
"..."
"So I thought this could be a good opportunity. You could go in my place, check in on Mutsumi, see how she's doing, right?"
"And on top of that, you'd get to experience school life again. Maybe even decide whether you want to properly return as a high school student."
"Oh? Aren't you forgetting something?"
"What?"
Chihiro's eyes gleamed as she spoke with perfect ease. "You'd also get to laze around at home all day while I go in your place to sit through classes and take your tests."
"...I must've lost my mind to even suggest this to you."
Soyo rolled her eyes. Sure, she'd had that thought for a split second, but that definitely hadn't been her main motivation.
What frustrated her was that every time she tried to express some kind of gratitude, Chihiro had a way of effortlessly deflecting it.
Fine, whatever. This was better anyway. Strictly business. When the day came that she no longer needed Chihiro, she could just kick her out without worrying about any lingering attachments.
"But..." Chihiro reached out, gently catching Soyo's right hand just as she was about to push herself up from the edge of the guest bed. Bright eyes fixed on her.
"You do make a good point."
"As your chief strategist, gathering intelligence for you on the third battlefield is definitely within the reasonable scope of our agreement."
"...So you're saying?"
"Next week. For now, I have to deal with Anon's problem first."
"Do whatever you want. But just this once. Mutsumi… she's more perceptive than you'd think."
Soyo's mind drifted to that quiet girl—one who rarely spoke but always seemed to know more than she let on.
"For now, just practice with the sheet music I sent you. Oh, and—be careful. Don't you dare mess up my bass."
"Have you even looked at your guitar? It's practically falling apart. Don't treat my instrument the same way."
"…I won't."
Chihiro smiled lightly but didn't bother explaining. That guitar had been with her for nearly ten years.
No one cherished it more than she did.
In fact, during those times in England when she felt like she couldn't go on, just tracing the patterns on the guitar had been enough to make her bury her face in the blankets and cry in silence. Then, she'd pull herself together and keep moving forward.
Some things, even if they had no life, could still speak.
They would listen to your sorrows, your worries, and then—using a voice only you could hear—they would respond to your hopes.
Sometimes, it was as if those sounds came from the objects themselves.
Other times, it felt like echoes of the people and moments they had once witnessed, reverberating within you.
---
Saturday, May 2nd
For students, this was the most eagerly awaited day of the week.
After all, in most rigorous schools, a full weekend off was a rare luxury—at best, they got a day and a half.
Inside Haneoka Girls' Academy, Chihaya Anon bent down to pick up a fallen eraser from under her seat and placed it back on the desk of the girl behind her, Takamatsu Tomori, with a small smile.
She'd actually wanted to talk to Tomori about the band again yesterday.
If she let herself be discouraged by some stranger—especially one who was already biased against her—then all the hardships she endured in England would have been for nothing.
She, Chihaya Anon, wasn't about to back down just because of a few snide remarks.
Especially after that voice call with Chihiro two nights ago.
If she wanted to belong in this world, she needed to listen to the people who genuinely cared about her.
Shiina Taki? It's not like her words were some kind of legally binding contract!
"Still… not running into her yesterday made things a little tricky."
Muttering to herself, Anon thought back to how she had deliberately gone near RiNG the previous afternoon to stake out the place.
Originally, she had planned to wait for Soyo outside Tsukinomori's school gates, but that would have been too obvious.
It hadn't been a problem in the past, but after yesterday, she felt she hadn't exactly left the best impression on Soyo.
If she could make it look like a coincidence—that would be ideal.
Unfortunately, she hadn't seen any sign of Soyo coming or going from RiNG's entrance.
She'd considered approaching directly but hesitated, worried about getting roasted by Taki again.
So, in the end, all her effort had gone to waste.
"Tomori~"
"Ah."
Since Haneoka's final Saturday class ended earlier than usual, Anon had already packed up her things and spun around in her seat, beaming at the slightly dazed Tomori.
"About the band—I wanted to apologize for last time." Anon paused for a moment, trying to find the right words. "You said you wanted to be in a band for life, right?"
"..."
For Anon, a lifetime commitment felt a bit too heavy. She wasn't about to make promises just to spite Taki.
She was still unsure about a lot of things. Why was she bringing this up again?
But after thinking it through, at least she knew one thing—she wouldn't let her own ambition take precedence over the feelings of her bandmates.
"I can't promise a lifelong band, but I've realized something. Instead of worrying about the end result, isn't it more important to think about why we're doing this in the first place?"
"So, I won't force you to join my band. But, Tomori—I'd still like to invite you again."
After saying her piece, Anon scratched her head, slung her guitar over her shoulder, and got ready to leave.
"No rush on your answer, okay? I'll be off, then~"
Once she stepped out of the classroom, Anon let out a quiet breath.
At least she'd finally managed to say what she had wanted to tell Tomori since yesterday.
But just as she reached the school gates and hesitated on whether to take the bus to RiNG for another attempt, she felt someone tap her shoulder from behind.
Turning around, she froze.
Her eyes widened in shock.
"S-Soyo?"