"Ichikawa-san, I'm sorry... I'm the one who posted that tweet..."
Ichikawa-san's eyes widened.
"Sako-san... you...?"
Sako's lips trembled as words began to spill out of her.
"It was my fault... that amane stopped composing... and that Takuto couldn't let anyone hear his music anymore..."
"Sakohasu, you're lying...!"
Yurisuke turned a pleading gaze toward Sako.
Sako didn't seem to notice, continuing to mutter as if in a trance.
"Because of my pathetic emotions, something like that... something like that...!"
"Sako."
The moment I called out to her.
She looked at me for a split second, her face twisting in agony, and then—
"I'm sorry...!"
Saying that, Sako dashed out of the room.
Left behind in the room, I looked at Ichikawa-san.
Ichikawa-san's eyes were dark, tears were streaming down her face, and she was shaking violently while hugging her own body as if she were freezing.
Yurisuke hurriedly moved to her side and wrapped her arms around Ichikawa-san's shoulders to steady the trembling.
"Ichikawa..."
As I tried to approach her—
"Konuma!"
Yurisuke's loud voice stopped me in my tracks.
"Konuma, you go after Sakohasu."
"But..."
Yurisuke's eyes, which were fixed sharply on me, were filled with tears.
"Sako... she needs you, Konuma! Only you!"
Yurisuke shouted.
Overwhelmed by her intensity, I nodded and opened the door that Sako had slammed shut.
I left the studio.
Which way did Sako go...?
As I paused in front of the room, a voice spoke.
"Hasu went up the stairs."
I turned toward the voice and saw Hazama standing there.
"Ah, uh..."
In my confusion at his sudden appearance, Hazama walked over and shoved my shoulder hard.
"Just go already!"
I nodded again and started running.
"Don't let a girl who's usually expressionless make a face like that."
As I took off, I heard his voice behind me.
I ran up the stairs.
What is it with the girls around me always using the stairs when they run away?
Well, I guess it's only been Erina-san besides her...
Just before reaching the top of the stairs, the door leading to the roof came into view.
Like in most high schools, that door was firmly locked.
With nowhere else to go, Sako stood there, sobbing against the wall.
"Sako."
"Don't come near me!"
A strong rejection.
Ignoring her, I climbed the steps one by one.
"You must think I'm such a disgusting person, such a pathetic person! That's what you're thinking, right!"
"Sako..."
Sako clutched her head and screamed.
It was the loudest I'd heard her voice since the time we reconciled.
"I told you not to come!"
I ignored her and continued up the stairs, finally standing right beside her.
"Sako, let's go back and talk."
"What's the point of talking!? To get forgiven!? For someone as piece-of-trash as me!?"
A frantic Sako turned around.
Her eyes were bloodshot, and her face was a mess.
"Hey, Takuto, I... I stole the music of amane, who you love so much, you know? Not just your music, I even took amane's music too! With what face could I ever ask for forgiveness? You can't forgive me, right? Right!?"
She grabbed my shirt tightly. She was gripping it so hard I thought the wrinkles might never come out.
"I don't know if you'll be forgiven or not."
I looked down at Sako, who was in a pleading posture, and spoke bluntly.
"Eh...?"
"I'm saying, don't even think about being forgiven."
The tears in Sako's red eyes stopped falling.
"Nothing starts until you say what's on your mind."
Erina-san once said: 'If I say what I want to say and end up being hated, then it's really over.'
"If you regret it, the only thing you can do is tell Ichikawa-san the truth."
I looked Sako straight in the eyes and told her.
"Even if you do, it might hurt. It might be painful. It might really be over."
But.
"But that's no reason not to say what needs to be said."
Because that's all we can do.
Sako's lips, which had been pressed into a thin line, slowly relaxed.
Looking up at me, she said,
"I was so frustrated...!"
"Frustrated...?"
"Takuto, you know so much about music, you can play instruments... even in the middle school brass band, the most talented one was actually you, Takuto."
"Me...?"
I was suddenly confused by her monologue. Why was Sako suddenly talking about me?
"No one else understood how amazing you were, but for me, you were always my goal, the one I looked up to. You were a unique existence to me."
She felt that way...?
"And yet, you, my goal, were changing so easily because you looked up to someone else. I just couldn't forgive that."
"What...?"
"I couldn't stand that the original parts of you I admired were changing under amane's influence..."
"So that's why..."
When I spoke, Sako nodded softly.
"That's why, I just wanted you to be disillusioned with amane. I wanted it to reach her somehow, so I made a separate account and posted that tweet."
So she was doing that... in a place I couldn't see.
"Then you should have just told me directly..."
As I sighed, she replied,
"Because if I told you directly, you'd get mad, Takuto."
She said it with the childish face of a black-haired middle school girl.
"Sako..."
I was so exasperated I lost my words.
"Hey, Takuto. I didn't have anything to begin with, and now, I really have nothing left."
"Nothing left...?"
"I can't write songs like you, Takuto. I can't write lyrics like Yurisuke. I have nothing that people could admire me for, unlike Ichikawa-san."
She muttered each word painfully.
"I no longer have the right to be involved in everyone's music."
She grit her teeth and exhaled a painful breath.
What Sako was trying to say came through clearly.
"I'm quitting the band. I'll try not to show my face in front of everyone as much as possible."
Those words must have been spoken with a heart-wrenching resolve.
How could I stop her?
I shouldn't have the right to stop that determination.
Just as I was about to nod and say 'I see'—
"I won't let you run away, Sako-san."
A clear, dignified voice rang out.
"Heh...?"
At the bottom of the stairs, on the landing, stood Ichikawa-san, holding onto the handrail for support, with Yurisuke by her side.
"Sako-san, that was quite a shock..."
Ichikawa-san looked like she was barely standing due to the pain in her chest.
"Ichikawa... are you okay?"
"Ichikawa-san, I... I'm sorry. I really..."
Sako started to apologize.
Ignoring our voices, Ichikawa-san continued speaking.
"Is this the second time I've heard Sako-san's loud voice?"
"The second time?"
"The first time was during lunch break the other day, when Konuma-kun was talking to you on the stairs trying to make up."
"Eh."
Wait, she heard that...?
"Since then, I somehow knew that Sako-san was conscious of me—of amane."
So that's why, back then, when I said we might have to look for another bassist—
'No, it's probably my fault too...'
She had said that...
"Hey, Sako-san. If you're truly sorry, I want you to take responsibility and use those fingers for my sake."
"Responsibility...? My fingers...?"
Sako was confused.
I didn't understand what Ichikawa-san was saying either.
"Play the bass and support me so that I can sing again."
"That's... the responsibility?"
As Sako tilted her head, Ichikawa-san nodded softly.
"After making someone unable to sing, running away now without helping them sing again... that's irresponsible."
Ichikawa-san stated it matter-of-factly.
How should I put it?
She seemed to be speaking logically, but doesn't Ichikawa-san seem pretty angry...?
"What do you mean by 'using my fingers for your sake'...?"
Sako looked at Ichikawa-san with a frightened expression.
Ichikawa-san explained as she climbed the stairs one step at a time.
"It means exactly what I said."
Though she was trembling slightly, Ichikawa-san gave a little smile.
"Instead of cutting off those fingers that tweeted those things, I’m telling you to play the bass for the songs I sing."
I heard Sako let out a sharp gasp.
Whoa, Ichikawa-san is harsh...!
Behind her, Yurisuke's face had turned completely pale.
Like I said before, when someone expressive gets angry, it's truly terrifying.
"Y-Yes...!"
Sako nodded repeatedly while trembling violently.
"So, Sako-san."
"Yes..."
"Since we finally managed to meet, don't say you're going away."
With tears in her eyes, Ichikawa-san gently hugged Sako.
"Ichikawa-san..."
"I don't want that. I don't want to lose anything anymore..."
Ichikawa-san's shoulders were shaking.
"Amane..."
The sound of two people crying softly mixed together and echoed against the ceiling.
After some time, Ichikawa-san, who seemed to have stopped crying, looked up.
"Oh, that's right, Sako-san."
"What is it...?"
Sako replied with a wet voice.
"You see, I was holding back a little until now, but starting today, I'm going to be serious."
After saying that, she gave a mischievous smile and pressed her glossy lips to Sako's ear.
Then, she whispered something in a volume I couldn't hear.
Hearing it, Sako looked at me with a shocked face.
"E-Ehhh...?"
Wait, what? What did she say?
I looked at Yurisuke, who was letting out a resigned sigh.
"So, we're even!"
Ichikawa-san said to Sako with a bright smile.
"Y-Yes...?"
I don't know what Ichikawa-san said, but looking at Sako's face now that she'd stopped crying...
I could only be impressed by how Ichikawa-san was perfect in every way.
Regardless, all that was left was to perform at the actual show.
For the few days until Rock On, we practiced repeatedly.
A few days later.
A special live performance that we would never forget was about to begin.