“Alright, so, should we be good with this?”
“Mmm...”“Yeah.”“I think so...!”
In contrast to Ichikawa asking in a firm tone, the three of them replied with their own expressions.
It was finally the night before the live performance.
Since it was Friday, they had waited for Sako to finish her club activities, and the four members of amane were now in a studio in Kichijoji for their final rehearsal.
The setlist was finalized, the staging was decided, and they had run through all the songs together several times.
It felt like there wasn't anything more they could do today.
It felt that way, but...
“Konuma-kun, you look anxious.”
Was it showing on my face? Ichikawa tilted her head and asked.
“It's not exactly anxiety...”
I glanced at the clock.
It was 7:50 PM. ...We only had the studio rented until 8:00 PM.
“How should I put it... it feels like a mix of anxiety and nerves.”
“Are you okay...?”
Making the guitar-vocalist worry the day before... what am I doing?
I looked at the faces of the three of them. If they’ve noticed this much, hiding it or lying would only make them worry more.
“...No, I mean, I think we've probably done our absolute best, but this is our first time performing at a live house, right? So, I was just wondering what if we're just frogs in a well.”
“Hmm...?”
Ichikawa tilted her head with a puzzled look.
“Well, it's hard to ever reach a point where you feel like, 'Perfect! We're definitely going to nail it!'”
Azuma followed up with a wry smile.
“Takuto had that same look on his face the day before the brass band competition in middle school too.”
“Oh, really?”
Ichikawa leaned in to peer at my face. Stop it, don't try to look so closely...
“But during the actual performance back then, Takuto was perfectly accurate to the score and didn't make a single mistake. It'll be fine.”
Sako was encouraging me. Man, I'm really causing trouble for them.
“Well, doesn't it just mean you're setting high goals? It's much better than being overconfident. In fact, Sakohasu, you're the one who needs to be careful, okay?”
“No, Ichikawa-san is the one who should be careful. Why do you look so relaxed?”
Sako, looking a bit miffed at Azuma's joking tone, turned the conversation toward Ichikawa.
“Hmm. Maybe it's because if I don't keep some composure during practice, I might overflow during the live?”
“What does that even mean... I don't get it.”
To Sako's suspicious look, Ichikawa replied with an exasperated face, “What do you mean, you 'don't get it'?”
“Back at Rock-On in July, Konuma-kun matched his drumming to 'My Song,' and during the school festival live recently, Sako-san suddenly did an MC specifically to try and make me cry.”
Despite her words, she smiled happily. No, as for my drumming incident, I think the fact that Ichikawa-san sang 'My Song' was the more unexpected part...
“A band live is different from a solo live because unexpected things happen. ...It would be a problem if I really became unable to sing, right? So I figured I'd try to maintain my composure as much as possible until that moment.”
Even though it hadn't happened yet, Ichikawa smiled as if reminiscing fondly.
“I guess... you're right.”
And to that, Sako responded with a 0.something millimeter look of happiness.
“That's true. Well, well, setting aside Konuma and Sakohasu, if Amane strains her voice too much the day before, it'll affect the performance, so it's probably best to call it a day here regardless. ...I'm sure it'll be fine!”
Azuma said this with an unusually bright tone while slapping my back a bit hard. Man, Azuma is really acting like a manager. I shouldn't keep whining forever either, I guess.
“Yeah, you're right. Sorry, all we can do is give it our best.”
“Exactly!”
Azuma showed a smile, raising the corners of her mouth almost exaggeratedly.
“Then, that's it for today's practice, right? Tomorrow is the real thing, let's do our best!”
“““Oh!”””
Ichikawa raised her right hand, and the three of them responded in unison.
After quickly packing up and leaving the studio, we saw two girls in the lobby sitting at a four-person table, wearing the third-year uniforms of Musashino International.
One had long black hair and sharp eyes, holding a guitar.
Sitting across from her, holding a bass, was a person with bluish mushroom hair and droopy eyes.
I felt like I had seen them somewhere before... and just as I was thinking that,
“Oh. Ichikawa-chan.”
“Ah— Amanecchi?”
The duo spoke to us.
“Eriguchi-senpai, Shaku-senpai!”
Ichikawa responded happily.
I felt like I had heard those names somewhere too...? As I was furrowing my brows and thinking,
“Look, they're the guitar and bass from Butter...”
Azuma-neesan told me from the side.
Ah, these people are in Jinno-san's band!
Leaving me behind with a metaphorical light bulb going off over my head, the two of them continued their conversation with Ichikawa.
“What, was amane practicing?”
“Yes! ...Wait, Eriguchi-senpai, you know about our band?”
“Of course. I went to see you at Rock-On and the school festival live. You know, as the former president.”
I see, the one on guitar is Eriguchi-san. Wait, she's the former president of the Rock Club?
“Both lives felt like an explosion of emotions— it felt like you were throwing everything into the 'emo' factor, it wasn't something just anyone could do—.”
Then, the bassist who says 'it felt like' a lot must be Shaku-san.
“Thank you very much...!”
“Seriously, it's the kind of performance you can only do while you're young. It definitely moved me a lot. Though it might be tough if that's your only weapon.”
I felt like she said something subtly harsh, but because of the cool aura she carried, it didn't feel spiteful at all.
Though beside me, our blonde was muttering quietly, “Acting all high and mighty when you're only one year older...” (I decide to ignore it. If I touch that topic, something will definitely explode.)
“Are you two about to practice with Butter? I heard you're appearing in tomorrow's live!”
“Yeah. Maika just suddenly threw it together.”
“Ahaha, that sounds tough...”
Ichikawa responded with a wry smile. Well, the feeling of it being 'suddenly thrown together' was quite strong at that time...
“But still— I feel like I understand why Maika wanted to do it—.”
Shaku-san nodded airily.
“Why is that?”
“Apparently 'Daikoku Tsukiko,' who is coming to see this live, is the person who inspired Maika to start drumming. I heard about it when we were first-years.”
“Eh, really?”
The question slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it. Even though a junior who hadn't even introduced himself suddenly jumped into the conversation, Eriguchi-san didn't look displeased at all and gave a nod.
“Yeah, well, we've never seen her ourselves. Apparently, when she was a university student, she was the drummer for a very famous and talented band in the underground live houses. Maika, who was in elementary school at the time, was taken by her older brother to see her live.”
“Whoa...”
“Maika was reportedly captivated from the very first note. She decided to start drumming that very day. Since then, she's gone to lessons, practiced her heart out... and now she's like that, right?”
She raised one eyebrow proudly, as if it were about herself.
“Daikoku Tsukiko seems to have gotten a job and stopped being a player, but Maika still wants to show her drumming to that person just once. ...While she's in Japan.”
“I see...”
So that's why she had various reactions when she was reading the Banmaga here the other day. By the way, Daikoku-san was a pretty amazing person, then...
“Still— even if we press her, Maika just dodges it saying it's for the prize money—. But her eyes are darting all over the place, so you can tell it's a lie at a glance—.”
Just as the two of them were laughing together.
“Hey? You two can come in now, you know?”
Speak of the devil, Jinno-san emerged from another studio in a sweat-soaked T-shirt.
It looked like she had been doing individual practice.
“Oh, is it that time already?”
“Sorry Maika, we're coming right now. We just happened to run into some juniors from the Rock Club.”
Then, Jinno-san seemed to notice us as well.
“Oh, Yuri-bou and... the members of amane.”
She called out to us.
“...So you do remember.”
Since she had been scolded by Azuma before for calling amane 'Yuri-bou and her merry friends' or something like that, she must have corrected herself this time. 'Members.'
“Come on, enough talk, let's practice. We've only got today. See ya everyone, good luck with the shared live tomorrow.”
“See ya.”“Bye-bye.”
To the three of them waving their hands as they spoke,
“Excuse me.”
Before I knew it, I had called out to them.
“Hmm?”“Oh?”“Eh—?”
The three third-years turned around.
“Um, if you don't mind...”
At this stage where practice time is limited, this request is incredibly cheeky; I think it's only natural to be turned down.
But if I do this, I might figure out what we're lacking. So, thinking I had nothing to lose, I decided to ask.
“Could I come into the studio and watch you perform?”