I stepped off at Kichijoji Station with Ichikawa.
We left the ticket gate and went out the North Exit on the left side.
“Alright, let’s go!”
Ichikawa raised her right arm with enthusiasm.
“Yeah!”
I joined in with uncharacteristic cheerfulness.
After all, I love CD shops. I was totally pumped.
Getting caught up in the mood, I let out a little chant with her.
“”Let’s go!””
Our voices overlapped perfectly.
“To Tower Records-san!” “To Disk Union!”
…Wait?
Wasn’t this the part where we were supposed to harmonize perfectly…?
“Eh, didn’t you say something different?”
“Konuma-kun, didn’t YOU say something different?”
“When it comes to CD shops in Kichijoji, it’s Union.”
“No, no, where even is that? We’re going to Tower Records-san, right?”
I see how it is…
Disk Union is a shop that focuses on used CDs and LPs. They have new stuff too. They even sell CDs from amateur bands on consignment. The staff act as appraisers, so the selection is directed differently than the used CDs you’d find in a typical secondhand bookstore.
Tower Records is a shop focused on new CDs. They often hold in-store lives and collaborative exhibitions with artists.
Come to think of it, amane’s in-store live was at Tower Records too…
For someone like me with no money, Tower Records is like a dazzlingly bright heaven that I go to with trembling hands, clutching saved-up money when there’s a new release I absolutely must have.
On the other hand, Disk Union is a place where I can get many used CDs for cheap. It’s a heaven-like place where I can enjoy treasure hunting while feeling relieved by the cluttered layout and the introverted vibe of the other customers.
They’re both heaven! Yahoo! Record shops are the best!
“Hey, Konuma-kun.”
A palm waved back and forth in front of my eyes.
“Sorry, my heart went to heaven ahead of me.”
“He-Heaven…?”
The angel was pulling back. Even though I was talking about heaven.
“So, which one should we go to? I thought we were going to Tower Records-san, but that Disk… Unison…? I’ve never been there, so I might want to try going there.”
“It’s Disk Union. By the way, something’s been bothering me.”
“Hmm?”
“Why are you calling it Tower Records-san? Do you revere them?”
I respect them too, of course, Tower Records-san.
“Eh? Ah, that’s right…”
Ichikawa made an awkward face, then laughed it off with a shy ‘ehehe’ to hide her embarrassment.
“My old manager always said ‘Tower Records-san’s in-store live’ when talking about them…”
She said.
I see. The ‘they were a business partner’ pattern.
“Anyway! It’s fine! Let’s go to Disk Unison! Take me there!”
Ichikawa said with a smile, pushing me from behind.
I know I’m being repetitive, but I have zero resistance to even this level of physical contact.
And so!
A four-minute walk from Kichijoji Station! We arrived at the Disk Union Kichijoji store!
“Ichikawa! Is there any specific CD you’re looking for!?”
I asked Ichikawa while climbing the narrow stairs at the entrance (which I call the Stairway to Heaven).
“Eh, no, not specifically, but maybe something older by aiko…? Ah, but maybe they only have Western music?”
“No! They have it! They have plenty of Japanese music! The other day, I saw an aiko single going for about 10,000 yen!”
“Te-Ten thousand!? Isn’t that more expensive than a new one?”
We finished climbing the stairs.
I turned back in front of the shop door. I couldn’t let her think this was just an expensive shop.
I had to correct her.
“It’s a rare disc!”
“Ra-Rare disc…?”
“It’s an album from her indie days! There are some things that only have about 1,000 copies circulating in the world!”
“Wai- Konuma-kun, you’re too close…”
Ichikawa was squirming for some reason.
“Alright, let’s go!”
I faced forward again and opened the manual door.
And then, I whispered into Ichikawa’s ear.
“Welcome to the Underground…”
………….
After a moment of silence, Ichikawa proceeded to browse the store while keeping a bit more distance from me than usual. I might have overdone it. I’ll reflect on my actions.
“Wow, the atmosphere is totally different from Tower Records-san. I wonder where aiko is…”
“It’s in the J-POP section under the ‘A’ category.”
I replied while guiding her there.
Japanese artists are arranged in syllabic order, and overseas artists are in alphabetical order.
There was a divider labeled ‘A’, and after a few artists starting with ‘A’, there were individual dividers for artists who had many copies, like aiko or ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION.
Squeezing through the narrow aisle, we reached the ‘A’ section.
There, both of us let out a voice at the same time.
“”Ah…””
There, among the shelves where the spines were lined up, was a single CD with its front cover facing us, accompanied by a POP display.
The text on the POP read:
‘Super rare as it’s out of print! A must-listen masterpiece by the legendary genius middle schooler SSW! Guaranteed tears.’
SSW is an abbreviation for Singer-Songwriter.
Yes, in other words, amane’s single was right there.
“Super rare…”
Ichikawa was dazed.
And no wonder.
The price written there was 20,000 yen.
I see. Certainly, come to think of it, it is an out-of-print CD.
“But,”
I muttered.
“…?”
“I also think this CD is easily worth that much.”
“Konuma-kun…”
“More than any other CD in this shop. At least, for me.”
I kept looking straight ahead.
Obviously, there was no way I could look at Ichikawa right now.
“Because this CD changed my life.”
I couldn’t see her, so I didn’t know for sure, but Ichikawa was probably looking down, her face probably turning red.
She whispered shyly,
“Even though you haven’t listened to every CD in this store.”
She muttered that.
“But… thanks.”