After practicing 'Charm' and the new song Ichikawa wrote several times, we left the soundproof room.
As we went to the reception desk carrying the basket with the microphones, the clerk with a ponytail called out to us.
“Oh, if it isn't Yuribou and Her Merry Band of Friends.”
Looking over, I saw the former-former president of the Instrumental Club, Kamino Maika-san, laughing cheerfully.
“We don't have a band name like something out of a picture book... It's amane, lowercase Roman letters, 'amane'. Maika-buchou, are you on shift today?”
When Azuma switches to junior mode, she gets somewhat prickly and responds flatly.
“Yeah, yeah. I’ve been working almost every day lately.”
“Hello, Maika-senpai.”
“Oh, Amane-san. ...Ah, so that's why it's amane!”
Realizing our band name was incredibly simple, she made an impressed face. Is this person going to be okay?
After that, Sako and I exchanged casual greetings while finishing the payment.
Then, Azuma raised her hand slightly.
“Um, we want to participate in the 'Studio Octa Sponsored Recording Rights Battle Live!'. Do you have an application form?”
“Oh! You're going to enter that! I mean, calling it by the full event name, Yuribou is as serious as ever.”
“Maika-buchou is just too careless. It would be a disaster if there was a communication error and we ended up in the wrong event. It's because Maika-buchou is like that, that back when I was a first-year...”
“Stop, stop! I'm just a bit easygoing! Wait a sec, let's see...”
Kamino-san leaned down and rummaged through the stuff under the counter.
“Yuri really likes that senior, doesn't she?”
“Seems so...”
I agreed as Ichikawa whispered to me. She’s like a tsundere cat... While I was watching them with a mix of exasperation and warmth, Kamino-san pulled out what looked like an application form.
“Here, this!”
“Thank you. I'll write it over there.”
“I'll leave it to you~”
The four of us surrounded a table in the waiting area, and Azuma, the self-proclaimed secretary, began filling out the form one by one with intense focus.
“There are a lot of things to write.”
Sako muttered, so I peeked at the application too. There were indeed various columns like 'Band Name', 'Member Names (Part)', and 'Setting Diagram'.
“Takuto, what’s a setting diagram?”
“Ah, it's a diagram of our setup.”
“Hmm, I see.”
“Sako-san, did you really understand just now...?”
Ichikawa frowned at the conversation between Sako and me.
“More importantly, what should we do about this?”
Azuma pointed to the words 'Representative Contact Information'.
“Representative... does that mean the leader? Who should it be? Amane?”
“No, Takuto.”
Sako answered immediately. Don't just decide on your own...
“Got it. Konuma, then. Takuto Konuma... let's see, the phone number is... ah.”
Ignoring Sako’s smug face, my exasperated face, and Ichikawa’s troubled face, Azuma started writing my name and phone number.
“Eh, why do you know my phone number...?”
“I mean, why do you have it memorized...?”
“...Normally I'd question her, but it's a bit hard to say anything today.”
Ignoring our three different reactions, Azuma finished writing.
“There, all done...!”
Having finished writing my phone number and even my email address from memory, Azuma nodded satisfied. I've never seen someone say 'there, all done' so realistically before...
“Ah. By the way, we need an Ar-sha.”
Looking at the form again after Sako's comment, at the very bottom, outside the margins, it said: 'Please send an Ar-sha to the email address below!'
“What's an 'Ar-sha'?”
Ichikawa tilted her head slightly.
“Eh, didn't you take them back when you were a pro? Artist photos. The kind of photos used for posters or websites...”
As Azuma explained with a surprised face, Ichikawa muttered while nodding.
“Ah, you mean promotional materials...”
Don't suddenly use industry terms, it’s kind of scary... After confirming Ichikawa understood, Azuma took out her smartphone.
“If it's a photo, I'll try asking a girl from the Photography Club to take it. She took the photos for the Instrumental Club's pamphlet too.”
“Heh, so our Photography Club is actually active.”
I remembered the Photography Club having a small clubroom near the entrance.
“Yeah, come to think of it, I haven't seen her since the school festival.”
“I met her at the club president meeting the other day!”
“Hey, Ichikawa...!”
I tried to stop Ichikawa from replying so carefree, but it was too late.
“Club president meeting...”
As expected, Azuma began to emit a heavy, gloomy aura. That's a forbidden word, Ichikawa-san...!
“A-Anyway, let's go hand in this paper! Right, Azuma?”
“Yeah~ thanks~ Konuma-kun~...”
Taking a suddenly meek Azuma with us, the four of us took the application form to Kamino-san at the reception.
“Oh, thanks! Man, the manager said he wanted more bands for this event and even told me to call out to my friends, so this helps. They’re even extending the recruitment period by a week.”
Kamino-san scratched her head with a wry smile. I mean, then we didn't have to decide by today...
“Is this event not very popular?”
Ichikawa tilted her head.
“No, it's not like that, but they want as many as possible. Well, since the manager is paying out of his own pocket to give away free recording coupons, he probably wants to hype it up.”
“Is Butter not entering?”
I couldn't help but interject.
“Oh? You remember my band’s name well. As for us, everyone except me has entrance exams. I think the after-festival party the other day was our final milestone.”
“Do you not think about the three of you turning pro? And then, playing at bigger venues and such...”
“Wait, Takuto.”
Sako called out as if to caution me.
“Ah, sorry... I just...”
“What’s this? Are you a fan of ours?”
In contrast to me bowing my head, Kamino-san laughed happily and continued.
“Well... if I go abroad, and those guys take their exams and go to university, and if we're all still doing music when we get back... we might talk about it then, but maybe not for now. We’ll probably do a graduation live in March and then disband.”
“Is that so...”
I felt simple regret because I hadn't been moved by music like that very often.
“Well, it’s nice that you’d make a face like that for us.”
She laughed bashfully.
“Anyway, back to the topic, I was trying to increase the number of performing bands by asking former classmates too. Oh, wait, do you know him? A guy named Tokugawa Soushi. He's in the same grade as you guys, right?”
“Tokugawa-san...”
Ichikawa looked down with a slightly awkward expression.
Tokugawa-san is the former senior and current classmate who confessed to Ichikawa. Because he went to study abroad, he is now in our grade, in Class 4 with Azuma and Sako.
“Ah... right.”
Then, as if remembering something, Kamino-san laughed awkwardly.
“Kamino-senpai, do you happen to know something?”
Sako asked with a frown.
“Well, how should I put it... we were in the same class, so we're close. It's not like that means anything, though... don't worry about it! Sorry, my bad!”
Kamino-san put her hands together toward Ichikawa.
“Y-Yes...!”
She laughed awkwardly before continuing.
“Well, anyway, it seems Soushi was originally planning to form a band after the school festival. He apparently snagged a drummer and a guitarist from the former Instrumental Club and they've started practicing, but they just haven't found a bassist yet.”
“M-Maika-buchou, that story is...!”
Looking at Azuma, who suddenly became flustered for some reason, Kamino-san tilted her head.
“Wait, come to think of it.”
“Yuribou, weren't you supposed to join that band?”