The plan to go see Ariga-san proceeded much more smoothly than I expected.
During lunch break the next day, as I was walking back from the school store to the classroom, my smartphone vibrated rhythmically in my hand, and an unknown phone number was displayed on the screen.
"...H-Hello?"
I timidly pressed the answer button. Compared to the time when I wouldn't even answer calls from people I knew, this is quite the growth, isn't it?
"Hello. Thank you for taking my call. This is Ariga from Buddy Music. Am I speaking with Konuma-san?"
"E-Eh, a-ah, h-yes. This is Konuma on the phone-u."
I stammered like crazy at the sudden professional-sounding call. Wait, maybe I haven't grown that much after all...
"Ahaha, that's good. It's lunch break right now, isn't it? If I recall, it starts from 12:10. I received word from Hasu-san and decided to call."
"A-Ah, thank you very much."
How does she know the lunch break schedule of our high school? I wondered, but then I remembered Ichikawa mentioning that Ariga-san was an alumna of Musashino International.
"...Are you nervous?"
"A-Ah, y-yes. No, well, it's just that it was a call from a number I didn't recognize all of a sudden..."
"Oh, I sent a reply email saying to let you know I'd be calling from this number. But I guess it's only been two hours since I sent it, so Hasu-san probably hasn't read it yet... Sorry for startling you. My motto is 'Doing it tomorrow makes you a fool.'"
"N-No, it's fine."
I'm stammering way too much... I took a small, deep breath, trying not to let her notice through the phone.
"So, I heard you have something to discuss with me? An OG visit, was it? Do you want to become a music manager, Konuma-kun?"
"Um, well, you see..."
The OG visit was just a pretext to get Sako's father to connect us, but now that we're connected, I feel like there's no point in continuing the lie. I might end up not being able to ask what I really want to hear.
In that case, it's better to speak honestly.
"Actually, rather than me... do you remember the girl who writes lyrics who was with us on the day of the school festival?"
"Ah. Azuma Yuri-san?"
"You remember her well...!"
A voice of surprise escaped me. Whether it's a characteristic of the manager profession, a trait of working adults, or just her personal talent, I didn't expect her to remember the name of a high schooler like that.
"Of course I do. She's the one I tried to ask to be a ghostwriter. I remember you for the same reason, Konuma-kun. ...Plus, the surname Azuma sounded familiar too."
"I see..."
Hmm, if that's the case, I guess we didn't necessarily need to use my name? Well, we didn't know, so it couldn't be helped.
"Um, she is currently acting as the manager for amane... the band amane, and she said she really wanted to consult with you, Ariga-san. I would also like to join the conversation if possible."
"Heh... what kind of consultation?"
I swallowed hard at that question, which felt like a test.
It's scary... but I have to convey this clearly.
"...It's about the method for the band amane to make their debut."
"...I see."
The tone of Ariga-san's voice dropped a notch. Hiii...
Well, naturally. It wouldn't be strange if she said, "Isn't that something you should figure out yourselves?" Even Azuma said, "I don't think she'll tell us."