Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump!
A bass drum kicking in a four-on-the-floor beat.
“Good evening, we are amane!”
Ichikawa, drawing the crowd in with her lighthearted MC, is like a completely different person from the girl who was singing a ballad with a voice on the verge of tears just moments ago.
That’s fine.
The live performance goes on.
The band moves forward.
A band is something that runs at full speed until that final moment that eventually arrives.
“Let’s keep this energy up until the very end!”
Sako slides her fingers across the strings, adding a growl with her bass.
“The next song is—‘Weekday’!”
It was the first song for the band amane.
And it’s also their newest song, every single time.
* * *
“Hey, about ‘Weekday’... the version from the other day is a bit...”
In the studio one day. Azuma raised her hand and said,
“Instead, I tried rewriting it by adding some lyrics.”
“Wait, you added lyrics right in the middle? This part about ‘the classroom clock, the sun moving west.’ If you were adding them to the end, that would be one thing, but...”
“...Is it no good?”
Azuma looked up at me as if she had been caught playing a prank.
“It’s not that it’s no good... it’s just that it’s not the Sagrada Familia... What if it doesn’t turn out better than before?”
“Ugh, you think so? Then—”
“Takuto can do it.”
Sako firmly grabbed Azuma’s wrist just as she was about to pull back.
Then, she looked at me from the side with eyes full of absolute trust and gave a smile of 0.something millimeters.
“I know, because we’re childhood friends.”
“...Fine, I get it.”
Well, to be honest, there was no way I could refuse Azuma’s request anyway.
* * *
And so, this song is the one that is constantly being updated with the latest sound that the current amane can produce.
Well, I guess that makes sense.
Come to think of it, the original title of the song was ‘Everyday Life is Good.’
* * *
『Weekday』
Chased by the alarm clock, I left the house / Leather shoes half-on my feet
Dived into the classroom just as the chime rang / Everyone in class laughed at my bedhead
Waking up should be depressing / The train should be cramped / School should be a pain / I wonder why
The classroom clock / The sun moving west / How many out of thirty-six on the calendar?
Even though it’s flat and ordinary / It’s not peaceful at all / My weekday
A secret message running under the desk / Accidentally let out an “Eh?” and got scolded
In place of me, who was called on during fourth period / My stomach answered with a growl, and they laughed again
Class should be boring / Studying should be hard / School should be a pain / I wonder why
Changing classrooms / Water guns in short sleeves / Cardigans / Snowflakes on a black coat
Even though it’s flat and ordinary / It’s not peaceful at all / My weekday
On the way home / Watching several trains pass by / Watching the sun set from the platform
On the train back / Looking back on today / It’s strange, even though tomorrow will continue too
Going home should be a hassle / The train should be cramped / School should be a pain / I wonder why
Hey, I wonder why?
As the “fun” gets bigger / The “sadness” grows too
Splitting the cost of an ice cream / Scribbles on the desk / Saying “Good morning”
How many more times? / I started counting and then stopped
I wonder why?
Before the final spring arrives / I wonder if I’ll know the answer
The bench at sunset / The convenience store on the way back / Saying “See you later”
For how many more seconds / Can I look at your profile?
Pretending to be fine / I showed a smile again / My one and only / My weekday
* * *
The up-tempo outro ended, and the guitar played an arpeggio with a pick alone, and the song finished.
“Hello, once again, we are amane!”