“Takuto-san, won't you join IRIA?”
“............Huh?”
My thoughts couldn't keep up with the abrupt demand from Airi Hirosue, the first-year who had suddenly come to my classroom—the same IRIA who had been on the radio just last night.
“No, wait, joining IRIA... Isn't that a solo project?”
That probably wasn't the first thing I should have asked, but I voiced the question that happened to surface first.
“Oh. From the way you say that, does it mean you've been listening?”
“...I've, well, heard it before.”
No, what was with that phrasing? I should have just said something normal like, ‘I heard it for the first time yesterday.’
Realizing that my awareness of IRIA was transparent, I quietly looked down.
Following that, I realized that her phrasing, ‘Won't you join IRIA?’, was a question based on the premise that I already knew who IRIA was. She has quite the arrogant self-consciousness showing on her end, too...
“As you say, Takuto-san, it is a solo project for now. But recently, circumstances have changed. So—”
“Airi-san!”
Tsubame-chan, who was standing beside her, raised her voice and tightly grabbed Airi's blazer.
“What is it?”
“If I knew that was your business, I wouldn't have brought you here! The senpai already have a band. To try and scout them like this...!”
“What's the problem? I'm not telling them to quit their current band. I'm just saying they should hold concurrent positions.”
“That's, that's like... like having an affair...!”
“My, aren't you quite narrow-minded?”
For some reason, Airi placed her hand gently on Tsubame-chan's cheek and smiled with an strangely sultry expression.
“It's common for the same musician to be in several bands, isn't it?”
“B-But...!”
“Tsubame-chan, it's okay.”
Feeling sorry for the panicked Tsubame-chan, I spoke up.
“I know it's not like you set this up.”
“Konuma-senpai...”
Besides, in reality, Tsubame-chan's argument was at a disadvantage. Or rather, while Airi's attitude was bad, what she was saying wasn't wrong in itself.
It's frequent for the same musician to play in different bands, or for a musician belonging to a band to go on tour supporting another solo artist.
In fact, if it's a drummer, there are probably fewer players in the professional world who don't do that.
For instance, if Tsubame-chan asked, ‘U-Um, Konuma-senpai, if it's alright with you, would it be possible for you to play drums for me...?’, I might just end up doing it. ...I feel like someone said something like that to me a long time ago.
As I looked at Tsubame-chan, my head started to feel organized.
“I understand what you're saying. But why did you come to me?”
“I heard your band's performance yesterday. I was allowed to listen to what this girl was mixing.”
“I'm sorry, I did it without permission...! T-That is, I was stuck on the mixing, and then Airi-san, who seemed experienced, showed up...!”
“It's totally fine. Thank you for working so hard on the mixing.”
“Uugh...”
Tsubame-chan, you don't have to shrink away anymore.
“...So, how was the track?”
At the same time I threw out the question, my heart began to pound loudly.
What is this strange tension?
“I thought this drummer and bassist were perfect.”
“Perfect...?”
Me and... Sako...?
“Yes. I thought it was just the right accompaniment—they don't get in the way of the song, and they don't make unnecessary assertions.”
“Just the right accompaniment...”
I wondered if that was a compliment or an insult.
Nothing bad was said, and she surely meant it in a positive way.
Even so, somehow, if that's the case, then we're still...
“Oh, so the bassist is here too. ...Both of them?”
Just as I was about to sink into a swamp of thoughts, Airi narrowed her eyes as she spotted Azuma and Sako standing behind me.
“...Which one is the real one?”
“The real one...?”
She pointed her index finger at the two of them and tilted her head.
At that moment—
“I'm amane's bassist.”
Sako took a step forward.
“More importantly,”
She grabbed Airi's index finger, pulled it, and brought her face close.
“Use keigo, first-year. Also, don't point at people.”
“...!”
For the first time, a flash of fear crossed the face of the previously arrogant Airi as Sako intimidated her.
Sako-chan is unexpectedly from the athletic-minded school of thought, so she's strict about those kinds of things...
“D-Don't... don't demand such typical Japanese-like things from me.”
“I'm telling you to use keigo.”
“............”
“Keigo.”
When Sako said it once more to the frozen Airi who was being stared down,
“Would you... not demand it... please...?”
Airi finally complied. Well, between the tension and her lack of familiarity, she ended up sounding like a refined young lady...
“Yeah. That's fine.”
Sako gently lowered the hand she was holding and let go.
“So, I get that you want my and Takuto's performance. But why in the first place?”
“............?”
“Ah, for Sako, that was a question.”
“Oh, it was... a question... wasn't it...?”
Since Airi wasn't used to Sako Hasu's characteristic style of questions where the intonation doesn't rise at the end, she looked up at me as if asking, ‘What was that...?’, so I told her. Somehow, when this girl shrinks back, she has a cute side appropriate for her age...
“Konuma, you're seriously too easy...”
...Stop reading my mind from behind me, Azuma.
“So, why?”
“I need to form a band with high school students.”
“Is it no good to stay as a solo project? It seems to be going well.”
“Yes. Because I—”
Then, Airi looked up at me with a completely serious face.
“I want to win the ‘Seishun Rebellion’.”