After school, the four members of amane gathered in the school studio.
Only Ichikawa was standing, while the other three were sitting on chairs. (Since I’m the drummer, it couldn’t be helped.)
For a while now, I had been sharing the story I heard from Azuma yesterday morning with everyone, and we were having a meeting about our strategy for the live show.
Well, rather than a meeting...
“So, with that said! If we can see a prospect of finishing the song by this Saturday, we’ll do the live. If we can't do it by then, we won't. Does that sound good?”
“Yeah...”“Sure...”
Sako and Azuma’s minds were clearly elsewhere. Since Ichikawa was doing almost all the talking, it felt more like a lecture than a meeting.
“...Hey, Konuma-kun, what’s up with these two? Their responses are just like yours.”
“Can you stop hurting me for no reason?”
Sako was likely worried about the conversation between Hazama and Erina-san that should be happening right now, and Azuma was probably still thinking about whatever Otomo-kun told her the day before yesterday.
Regardless of Sako, it felt somewhat unexpected for Azuma to bring other worries into band time.
Either way, since Ichikawa didn't know about either of those worries, this temperature difference was unavoidable.
“The performance isn't that far off, so I want to keep moving forward... I don't think it's right to force ourselves to perform when we don't have a song we want to sing, but I hate the idea of letting a chance slip away for no clear reason even more, you know?”
““That's true...””
“Hey, at least stop overlapping with that catchphrase of yours?”
Ichikawa sighed in exasperation and muttered something like, “Mmm, I don't want to say this while everyone is so unfocused, but...”
“Ichikawa...?”
Ichikawa closed her eyes, wrinkled her brow, and placed her index and middle fingers on her forehead. After thinking “Mmm...” for a moment, she eventually tightened her fist and said, “Alright!”
“Yes!”
And then, she raised her hand.
Sako and Azuma looked up at her blankly.
“Mmm!”
Ichikawa pursed her lips and directed her gaze at me. ...Ah, I’m the only one left who can call on her.
“Yes, Ichikawa-san...”
Then.
“Ichikawa, I made a song!”
“““Wait, really?”””
Upon that slightly sulky report, the other two finally snapped back to reality.
“Yes! I wanted to say that, but nobody was paying attention... Geez!”
To the puffing Ichikawa—
“Sorry, Amane...!”
“Ichikawa-san, if you had said that first, I would have listened more properly.”
The honest one and the stubborn one each gave their replies. Actually, you stubborn one, you should reflect a little more.
Still, when did this person find the time to write a song...? We walked home together yesterday...
“Oh, but the lyrics aren't done yet...”
“Is that really true?”
Sako asked while tilting her head slightly.
“Uu, I’m being doubted...! It’s true this time, okay? Not like the other day where I said it wasn't done but it actually was... I’ve decided on the feelings I want to put into it, but I haven't picked up the words for it yet, so to speak.”
“Wow, how poetic...!”
Azuma’s eyes widened in admiration. You’re usually much more poetic than her, though.
“So, I’m going to give it a first performance now, so I want you to listen properly! Got it?”
“““Yes!”””
All three of us straightened our posture.
“Ehehe, very good! Well then, I’ll sing, okay?”
The next moment, Ichikawa raised her right hand holding a pick.
And as that right hand swung down, what began was...
Intense rock music.
“Ohh...?!”
A sigh that was a mix of admiration and confusion leaked out.
“Uwah...!”
Azuma also took on a dazed expression at the heroic sight.
The previous three songs, 'My Song', 'Boat', and 'Your Song', all had different tempos, but they were generally melodic songs with a touch of sadness within their gentleness—broadly speaking, they were ballads.
But this time, it was completely different.
The acoustic guitar, played with enough vigor to scratch it, didn't just play chords; it carved out a rhythm as if declaring itself a percussion instrument. The vocals Ichikawa layered on top were so different from her usual beautiful and clear voice that I couldn't believe it was the same person; it was husky in places, and along with her heavy breathing, it exerted a powerful pressure on us.
All three of us were completely overwhelmed. Sako even had her mouth hanging wide open.
After the performance ended, there was a scattering of applause.
“Umm... how was it?”
She asked us with a gentle, embarrassed expression that made it impossible to believe she had just been giving such an aggressive performance.
“No, this is...”
“Ichikawa-san.”
Sako cut me off as I was about to answer.
“This is way too crazy...!”
““?!””
Azuma and I widened our eyes in shock at Sako’s tone.
“Sako-san?”
“It was so cool...! What the heck, where in your head were you hiding something like this?”
As Sako said that, she approached Ichikawa and grabbed her head with both hands.
“You’re too close! Wait, what? Hey, don't shake my head!”
And then she started shaking that grabbed head. It was as if she thought something else would come out if she did that.
“Sakohasu! Amane’s going to get dizzy!”
“Ah, sorry.”
At Azuma’s words, Sako gently let go.
“Nhehe...”
A dizzy Ichikawa held her head with one hand and crouched down.
“How did you make something like this? You’ve never been able to make anything like this before.”
Ichikawa looked up at Sako with one eye and answered as if it were nothing.
“I don't think it's any different from usual? I just turned what I was thinking into sound, you know?”
““I figured as much...””
The two on the fan-girl side now had exasperated smiles. A line that was 'exactly like a genius' to the point of being embarrassing, or rather, the kind of line where you’d want to say 'You prepared that just to say it!', she said naturally without any pretense.
“Ah, is that so...”
Sako’s fighting spirit rapidly vanished.
“Eh, what’s with that reaction? I only answered what I was asked...”
After muttering complaints with a dissatisfied expression, she looked up at me.
“Umm, so, about this song...?”
“By all means, let us do it.”
“Yay!”
When I answered as the representative, she smiled brightly.
For the time being, we practiced with the lyrics as 'la-la-la' until the final dismissal bell rang.
“H-Hello... I’m on duty... Ah, Azuma-bucho...!”
“It’s the piano girl.”
“Stellar...! You’ve become able to do the duty on your own...! I mean, is today’s duty for the Instrumental Club...? Ugh, my Instrumental Club loss is...”
“Yuri, are you okay...?”
Leaving behind that suddenly started touching interaction, I stepped out of the studio when my phone vibrated in my pocket.
My phone has been vibrating a lot lately...
‘...Today, no matter what the result is, I’ll LINE Takuto-kun.’
And so, there was only one person I could think of.
She didn't say it would be a call, but I guess a LINE call counts as a LINE message. I wonder. Does it matter? It doesn't matter.
After thinking about that for just a bit to probably suppress my nerves, I firmly pressed the answer button.
“...Hello?”
‘Ah, Takuto-kuun! Ehehehe. I called you!’
On the other end of the phone was a silly laughing voice that sounded extremely upbeat.
“Erina-san... umm, so...”
I took a deep breath.
“How... was it...?”
‘Ehehe, you’re asking that? Do you want to know?’
After laughing brightly for a while, she announced the result.
‘It was... no good.’