“Azuma-senpai, bullying? Hoshikage-san?”
“Yes, that’s right!”
“There’s no way...”
I immediately dismiss Taira-chan’s serious, determined nod. Bullying is the last thing Azuma-senpai seems likely to do.
“No, no! Konuma-senpai is best friends with Azuma-senpai, so maybe you just don’t see it that way!”
Taira-chan leans in close, pressing the issue.
“No, I wouldn’t go as far as ‘best friends’...”
I mean, what’s with that ‘best friends’ thing? Stop it, it’s embarrassing.
“But but, don’t you think it’s strange in the first place?”
That’s a remarkably rhythmic accusation.
“What is?”
“Because, because! Every other member of the Instrumental Music Club is in the ensemble hall right now, you know? Why do you think Stella-chan is the only one here playing the piano by herself?”
Taira-chan spreads her arms with theatrical movements, like a Great Detective revealing the solution to a mystery.
“Well, I don’t know about that, but isn’t Hoshikage-san playing alone because she wants to?”
I often do that when I want to be alone. Well, even if I don’t want to, I’m usually alone anyway.
“That’s where you’re wrong~”
Taira-chan wags her finger with a ‘tsk-tsk-tsk’ motion.
“You just don’t get it~”
...I get it now.
This girl is cute, but she’s the high-maintenance type!!
Taira-san gives a small sigh and pitter-patters over behind Hoshikage-san.
Then, she gently hugs Hoshikage-san from behind.
At that, the sound of Hoshikage-san’s piano stops abruptly.
“...What are you doing?”
I felt the need to point it out.
“If I don’t do this, Stella-chan won’t stop playing, guhehe.”
Taira-san looks at me with a mischievous grin.
...Wait, she said ‘guhehe.’ Even without going that far, couldn’t you stop her by just tapping her on the shoulder?
Also, that way of laughing is just like a certain Instrumental Music Club President.
“Ah, Tsubame...”
Hoshikage-san says as she turns around. It seems she really hadn't noticed Taira-chan and me until just now.
“Stella, I brought Konuma-senpai from the Rock Club. You wanted the metronome to work, right?”
“Ah, the drummer for amane...”
Hoshikage-san gives me a slight bow. So she remembers me.
It feels a bit like I’ve become a minor celebrity, and it’s slightly uncomfortable.
“Rock On... it was good... The encore... was lovely.”
Hoshikage-san is quite shy; in contrast to when she’s playing piano, she speaks to me in a timid, quiet voice.
“O-Oh, u-uh, th-thanks...”
Well, I’m not much different myself, sorry.
“Ah, Konuma-senpai, the metronome first, please!”
Taira-chan says, pointing to the metronome connected to the mixer.
When I check it, it really is just a simple connection error.
“...Taira-chan, didn’t you say you do home recording?”
“Yes, I do!”
“I see...”
Then why couldn’t she figure out this glitch? Well, whatever.
Just by swapping the cables, the sound from the metronome starts playing immediately.
“Wawa! Amazing! As expected of Konuma-senpai!”
“No, it’s not something worth praising...”
No, really, it’s not worth praising at all.
It’s a technique where you act humble to make it seem like you’ve done something even more impressive. Phew.
“Thank you very much!”
Taira-chan thanks me, then turns back to Hoshikage-san.
“Hey, hey, Stella-chan, why don’t you try talking to Konuma-senpai?”
She makes that suggestion.
“About... what...?”
“Things aren’t going well with Azuma-senpai, right?”
Whoa, that’s incredibly direct.
“N-No, I mean, it’s not that things aren’t going well, it’s a problem with my own ability...”
Hoshikage-san replies while looking down.
“Geez, Stella-chan, you’re so reserved! There’s no way it’s your ability! You’re this good!”
Taira-san puts on an exasperated face, acting like an older sister.
Looking up at Taira-chan, Hoshikage-san mutters.
“Um, Tsubame, I... can I... play the piano?”
Hoshikage-san probably wants to practice right away. She likely wants to join the ensemble as soon as possible.
I operate the electronic metronome to set the tempo.
“Stella-chan really loves the piano, doesn’t she?”
“Yeah...!”
Hoshikage-san smiles brightly.
“Kuuuuu!!”
Seeing that smile, Taira-chan is writhing in agony.
Well, I get it. I thought she was a girl with a mysterious aura, but the gap when she smiles is great; it feels like seeing something rare and makes me a bit happy.
Hoshikage-san starts playing the piano again.
After finishing her writhing, Taira-chan turns back to me.
“You see, Konuma-senpai.”
“Yeah?”
“They say when Stella-chan first played after joining the Instrumental Music Club, she was told, ‘Why don’t you perform as a solo pianist for the regular concert?’ Even though everyone else is playing in the big band! Isn’t that bullying?”
Since Hoshikage-san has started playing piano again, Taira-san speaks on her behalf about the cause of the discord with Yuri Azuma.
“I see...”
Certainly, that solo piano from earlier was spectacular.
“And then, while practicing during the training camp after summer vacation started, she apparently told Azuma-senpai, ‘I really want to perform with everyone else after all!’ This is Stella-chan we're talking about, you know? Can you imagine how much courage that took...”
“I suppose so...”
That’s likely true. It’s hard enough for me to talk to my classmates, so negotiating directly with a senior must have been quite an ordeal.
“Then, what do you think Azuma-senpai said?”
“What did she say?”
If she didn’t say something significant after that buildup, it’ll be embarrassing, you know?
“She said, ‘I understand’!”
Uwaa, she didn’t say anything significant!!
“Then isn’t that fine...? What’s the problem?”
“That’s not it! Then, she was handed a metronome and told, ‘Practice matching this, like your life depends on it’! ‘Like your life depends on it’! Doesn’t that sound like some kind of black company?”
“I suppose...”
Not so much a black company, but more like... the Showa era! That’s how it felt. When I saw them in the hall earlier. I wonder if everyone could get ready in 40 seconds...
“An organization where the leader can only talk about spiritual strength is doomed!”
She points a finger sharply at me.
“But, if Hoshikage-san practices with the metronome, she can join the big band, right?”
“That’s definitely a lie! Being isolated in a place like this...! In the first place, I don’t think Stella-chan needs any more practice than this!”
“It’s deplorable!” Taira-san clutches her head as if to say.
“I’m sure it’s because Stella-chan is too much of a genius that they’re jealous and won’t let her join the ensemble. The second-years in the Instrumental Music Club retire after this school festival, and if a genius first-year stands out this much, they’ll lose face, won’t they?”
“I see...”
“Hey, Konuma-senpai, are you listening?”
Well, I can understand Taira-san’s worries and what she wants to say.
But hearing the genius piano playing Hoshikage-san is doing right in front of me, I pretty much understood what Azuma-senpai was thinking.
“...I can’t forgive people who crush others’ talent.”
Her voice suddenly drops in tone, giving me chills.
“Konuma-senpai, I’m begging you. Could you talk to Azuma-senpai somewhere?”
Taira-chan makes a serious face again and looks at me with her hands pressed together.
Taira-chan must be asking me like this because she cares about her friend and Stella-chan is important to her.
“I suppose...”
Well, I happen to have something I need to talk to Azuma-senpai about anyway.
“Alright, I’ll try talking to her tonight after dinner.”
“Thank you very much! As expected, you’re a man of great compassion! It was worth it just to see you drum while crying!”
“Stop talking about that story alreadyyyyyyyyy!”