After finishing the curry, I stood up from my seat along with Erina-san and Sako.
“Thanks for the food! I’m so full! Short for, I’m ‘full-obs’!”
“Pfft.”
I accidentally burst out laughing. What the hell is this person suddenly saying!
“Erina, stop that.”
“Ehh? Why should I stop? Did Erina say something weird? Right, Sakoshu?”
Erina-san grinned and peeked into Sako’s face. Erina-san really is a devil after all...
“E-Eh, well...”
See, Sako is blushing like crazy...
I can’t bear to watch this.
“Um, Erina-san, how do you say ‘I’m full’ in English? Is it ‘So many stomach’?”
Thinking I’d throw her a lifeline, I said the first thing that came to mind.
“Ehh...? That would mean ‘a whole lot of stomachs’... That’s totally horror...”
Erina-san was greatly put off. Yeah, you’re right. That is scary.
“Takuto is bad at English...”
Wait, Sako-san? I did that for your sake, you know?
“Hmm? Well, I’ll teach you next time. Because Erina is Takuto-kun’s senior!”
After saying that, Erina-san left the cafeteria humming a tune in a great mood.
“...Takuto, thanks.”
Sako, who remained behind, grabbed the hem of my T-shirt and whispered softly.
“...I-It was nothing.”
What’s with this? Don’t suddenly act all adorable on me...
I stopped just outside the cafeteria.
“Aren’t you coming, Takuto?”
Sako asked me (probably).
“Ah, I have a bit of business to take care of, so you go on ahead.”
“...Okay, I get it.”
Sako said that and went on. It’s a kind part of Sako that she doesn’t pry by asking what my business is.
Outside the cafeteria, there was a vending machine and a vinyl leather sofa. As I sat there, after a short while, the members of the Instrumental Music Club came out, and finally, Azuma appeared.
“Oh, it’s Konuma.”
Azuma noticed me and called out.
“Hey. Got a moment?”
“What...? We’re doing fireworks now, so I don’t have much time...?”
“It’ll be quick.”
“Is that so... Well then, just for a bit.”
Saying that, Azuma stood in front of me.
“And?”
Azuma crossed her arms, and I looked away to avoid looking at that area being emphasized.
“Um, well.”
“Hmm?”
“What do you think of Hoshikage-san, Azuma?”
“Hoshikage-san... you mean, Stella?”
When I nodded, she looked at me with a suspicious face.
“...Why? Were you two acquaintances?”
Well, that’s natural. Who just brings that up out of nowhere? My communication skills are terrible.
“Uhh, well, how should I put it... today, I went to fix the speaker wiring in the studio the Instrumental Music Club is using, and Hoshikage-san was the only one practicing silently by herself. The ensemble practice was in the hall, right? So, I wondered why.”
I replied while stumbling over my words. I wasn't lying, though I was keeping Taira-chan out of it.
“Hmm... So, who asked you to check on her?”
Wait, she realized it!
“Eh, no, that’s...”
“That Tsubame girl?”
S-She knows?!
“No, well, it’s like, you know, I... yeah, I’m just worried about loners.”
“Haha, I see.”
Azuma finally laughed. Thank goodness... It’s scary when Azuma-neesan’s eyes get sharp...
Even so, Azuma-neesan is pretty easy if a deception like that works.
“No, no, it’s just written all over Konuma’s face, so there’s no point in questioning you. Don’t get cocky.”
She glared at me. Don’t just naturally have a conversation with my monologue!
“Hmm, Stella was playing the piano, right? If so, couldn't you tell why I don’t let her join the ensemble?”
“...No.”
I shook my head.
Though, I understood it all too well.
“...It’s because Hoshikage-san is a genius, isn't it?”
Azuma nodded with a serious face and spoke the answer frankly.
“Yes. It’s because Stella is too much of a genius.”
I thought so...
『I’m sure it’s because Stella-chan is such a genius that she’s being envied and kept out of the ensemble.』
Taira-chan’s words of protest flickered in my mind.
Well, in a sense, Taira-chan’s claim was correct.
Azuma continued her words. It was an even easier answer to understand.
“When Stella is playing, she truly, really can only hear her own sound. That’s why she can’t ‘harmonize with someone’ in an ensemble.”
She laughed with a ‘haha’.
“It’s like Amane when she’s studying. Honestly, geniuses are a handful.”
“Yeah...”
That was it.
Even after I fixed the metronome today, Hoshikage-san never once played in time with it. Even though I was supposed to have fixed it for that purpose.
The performance itself was wonderful. I might never have heard music so alive before.
But that’s a story within the realm of solo piano.
Azuma exhaled a deep breath.
“Hey, Konuma. What do you think is the most important ability for our Instrumental Music Club’s performance in a big band... you know, with about thirty people?”
“Hmm, I wonder.”
As someone who has never heard the Instrumental Music Club play, I didn't think I had the right answer, so I ended up being vague.
“I think the most important thing for a big band is cooperation.”
“Cooperation?”
“Yes. That’s why,”
Azuma closed her eyes once and then opened them.
“Individual talent isn't needed.”
She stated it flatly, calmly, and coldly.
I held my tongue.
“That’s why I think I can stay there.”
Azuma spat out dry words, as if mocking herself.
A world of music where individual talent isn’t needed.
If such a thing really exists, then I...
“Well, anyway.”
Azuma’s voice pulled me back just as I was about to sink into my thoughts.
“Tell that Tsubame girl, ‘Stella will be playing the piano for the presentation on the final day, so wait for that with excitement.’”
“...Yeah, I got it.”
Though I feel like Taira-chan will get mad if I tell her that directly?
“And Konuma, that wasn't your only business, was it?”
Azuma tilted her head slightly.
“Yeah...”
It seems Azuma sees through everything.