"—kun? Konuma-kun?"
A hand waved in front of my face with a "Helloooo," and when I looked up, I was at the McDonald's in Kichijoji. At a table for two, Ichikawa was peering into my face with a suspicious look.
"Ah, sorry..."
"You've been spacey this whole time, haven't you?"
"Ah, sorry..."
"'Ah, sorry...'"
Ichikawa mimicked me in a slightly low, somewhat twisted voice, like a high school boy.
"What's that? An impression of someone...?"
"'Well, I guess so...'"
"I said I'm sorry..."
When I apologized, Ichikawa finally laughed happily with a "Ahaha."
"What happened?"
"Not 'did something happen?'"
"My boyfriend isn't so terrible that he'd space out for no reason at all."
"Oh, Ichikawa...!"
I'm so happy for that trust...! As my eyes sparkled, Ichikawa tilted her head with a "Huh?"
"No, actually, maybe that's not it...?"
"Hey."
...Well, I have been spacey before.
"So, what happened?"
"Well, actually..."
I remembered the conversation with Hirosue and Taira-chan during lunch break.
* * *
"There is one way, you know. A way to turn a personal song into everyone's song."
"And that is...?" "What is it...?"
As Taira-chan and I tilted our heads, Hirosue held up her index finger to explain.
"You just have to let people hear it through a performance that isn't yourselves. To put it more simply... you provide it to a third party."
"Yeah. ...Wait, what?"
I felt like I understood, yet I didn't.
"In short, the problem right now is that you're putting too much emotion into it. For example, let's say there's someone who is incredibly angry and screaming, right? You might feel the energy from that angry person, but it's quite difficult to empathize with them and feel angry at the same temperature, isn't it?"
"That's true."
"Live performances need energy. But it's rare for energy to carry over into a recording."
"Hichika-san said that during the recording the other day too...!"
Taira-chan chimed in as if it all made sense now.
Hichika-san—Hichika Hirosue—was the recording engineer who worked on our 'Omamori' and is Airi Hirosue's biological older sister.
"Well, it's not that energy-filled recordings are bad, but... I think recordings need 'empathy.'"
"Why is that?"
"Because recordings are something you 'wear.' These days, almost no one sits still in front of speakers with their eyes closed for 'music appreciation,' right?"
"Well, I guess... Sako's father was that type, but yeah, they're not the majority."
"H-Hasu Sako-san..."
Hirosue's face twitched. Hirosue once got terrified when Sako told her, 'Use honorifics, freshman,' and she's had a bit of an awe-filled fear of Sako ever since.
"A-Anyway. A recording is something you change into depending on your mood. That's why that kind of empathy, making the listener the protagonist of that scenery, is what's necessary for a recording."
Live shows need energy, and recordings need empathy.
"...I see. Because in our song, we are the protagonists."
"Exactly. That's why you just need to show other people 'wearing' that song. You convey the goodness of it through an interpretation that can be done even if you aren't the person involved, and in a way that can be understood even if you aren't the person involved."
"I see..."
As I was feeling impressed, right then,
"Tch..."
Hirosue clicked her tongue.
"I messed up..."
"Messed up? What?"
"With the way this conversation is going, it's become hard to say it."
"So, say what?"
She looked at the two of us leaning forward with narrowed eyes and said,
"You know, I don't think you'll believe me, but there's something I've wanted to ask from the beginning."
"A request?"
"It's not like I'm reaching out to help or anything... If it's okay with you guys, I want to cover this song."
"Who?"
"M-Me, obviously. ...Don't make me say it."
IRIA, who became a person of the hour with the song 'Youth is a Lie,' said while looking me in the eye.
"I felt 'youth' in that song. Not a lie, but real youth."
* * *
"A cover..."
"Apparently so."
"Whoa..."
After hearing my story, Ichikawa-san gave a reaction that made her look like a bit of an airhead.
"I mean, can't you do a cover without getting permission anyway? I often see singers covering popular songs just because they're popular to rack up view counts, you know?"
"Eh, where did all that poison come from?"
"It's not poison... I can just tell when I listen that they're singing it even though they don't actually like the song."
Ichikawa pouted her lips as if sulking. Seriously, what actually happened to her?
"Well, anyway... those are songs registered with JASRAC. 'Omamori' isn't, so she needs our permission."
"I see, makes sense."
"Well, I think what Hirosue is worried about isn't the legal issues, but our feelings."
"I guess..."
After thinking for a moment with a 'hmm...', Ichikawa gave a faint smile and said,
"...I think it's a good idea."
"You do?"
"Yeah. It means she thought the song was that good, right? I think it's something we should be purely happy about. And IRIA-san would be doing the arrangement too, right? That sounds interesting."
"That's true..."
I had been thinking the same thing in my heart.
Regardless of the fact that we lost or that she's an acquaintance, I simply have the desire to be covered. Very much so. I even want other high schools to cover it and play it live. Send me the video! ...I thought as much.
"Since we lost, it won't affect the judging, so no one can say we're 'using her for fame!' either."
"Well, that's certainly true."
I feel like Ichikawa's internet literacy has suddenly increased... but anyway.
"I see, an amane song sung by someone else... Oh, I'm getting kind of excited now, aren't I?"
Ichikawa seemed to be getting hyped up and was even getting restless.
"Alright, let's ask Sako-san and Yuri too."
As Ichikawa sent a message to the band group chat on LINE or something, she suddenly muttered this.
"—It's the perfect opportunity, anyway."
"The perfect opportunity?"
Ignoring my question, Ichikawa, who seemed to have finished typing, placed her smartphone on the table.
"Hey,"
Suddenly, she reached out her hand from across the table.
"Let's hold hands, Takuto-kun."
"Hmm...?"
Having no reason to refuse, I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants and took her hand.
She squeezed back, gripping a bit tightly. I could feel her body heat gradually seeping through.
"Yeah, this sensation."
It was as if, rather than just holding hands, it was a parting handshake.