"With this, the recital is over! Great job, everyone! Each club, please start cleaning up and begin loading the equipment onto the buses for the return trip!"
As the Instrumental Music Club's performance ended, the cleanup began on stage.
At the side of the stage, Yuri Azuma was stroking Hoshikage-san's head, and Hoshikage-san was laughing as if it tickled.
Must be nice, that senior-junior vibe...
...Also, Otomo-kun, looking on with such envy from the side—just stop. Well, I get that he wants to be praised since his contribution was huge, but still...
"Konuma-kun, Sako-san! Yuri was so, so cool!"
Ichikawa approached us, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Yeah, she really was..."
"I... I have to practice more and more..."
Sako muttered, staring at the floor.
Well, yeah, after being shown a performance like that, I guess that's how it goes...
Just as I was about to offer some words of encouragement, someone tugged on my arm from behind.
"Konuma-senpai, would you mind coming with me for a moment?"
When I turned around, Taira-chan was looking up at me with a serious expression.
"Eh, where to?"
"To where Azuma-senpai is."
Saying that, Taira-chan peeked her head out to the side.
"Amane-bucho, Hasu-senpai, I'm borrowing Konuma-senpai for a bit!"
She attempted to get permission from my band members.
"Eh? Ah, yes, please return him safely...?"
Ichikawa-san, I know you're confused by the sudden request, but is that really the right way to answer?
"Just how much do I even have to practice..."
Having suffered an identity crisis, Sako had started talking to herself in fake Kansai dialect and wasn't even listening to us anymore. You were born and raised right here in Ichika-cho, weren't you?
"Now then, let's go, Senpai."
Taira-chan kept her serious face and pulled my arm, leading the way.
"W-Wait a sec."
Tripping over my own feet, I followed behind Taira-chan.
"Oh? What's up? Konuma... and, Tsubame-san?"
As soon as Yuri saw us approach,
"I am truly, truly sorry!!"
Taira-chan bowed deeply.
"Tsu-Tsubame...?"
"Um, for what...?"
Hoshikage-san and Yuri tilted their heads in unison.
"I took it upon myself to interpret Stella-chan's inability to participate in the ensemble as being due to Senpai's jealousy, and I acted very rudely..."
"Ah... Don't worry about that."
Yuri smiled gently, as if she finally understood.
"Well, I can't say I don't have any jealousy toward talent," Yuri said, scratching her cheek. "In fact, if I didn't have that typical mediocre person's jealousy, I probably wouldn't have practiced this much."
She laughed with her eyebrows turned up in a troubled way.
That smile was exactly the kind I always thought was typical of Yuri.
When I thought about the 'truth' of the time she spent to reach that smile, I realized once again just how amazing Yuri was.
"Um, um, I have something to say!"
Taira-chan raised her hand slightly and looked Yuri straight in the eye.
"Azuma-senpai, you are absolutely not a mediocre person!"
She leaned her face in close. Man, she has no sense of personal space...
"No, no, my bass is nothing special..."
"I'm not talking about the bass!"
Taira-chan cut off Yuri's humble denial.
"I think Azuma-senpai is a 'Genius at making geniuses geniuses'!"
""A genius at making geniuses geniuses...?""
Yuri's voice and mine overlapped.
What is this, a tongue twister? (Though it's not that hard to say.)
"Yes! I believe that no matter how great a talent is, if it cannot be utilized correctly, it cannot be called a 'talent.' That's why I think no genius can truly be a genius all by themselves!"
"Ho..."
That might actually be true.
"Thanks to Azuma-senpai, Stella-chan was able to demonstrate her genius on the big band stage she wanted to play on today! It's impossible for someone like Azuma-senpai to be an ordinary person!"
After saying all that in one breath,
"That's why Master Azuma is a 'Genius at making geniuses geniuses'!"
Taira-chan praised Yuri with a beaming smile.
"M-Master!?"
Yuri let out a startled cry.
"Ah, would you prefer Grandmaster...?"
"Of course not! Just calling me Azuma-senpai normally is fine! I mean, you were calling me that normally until just a second ago!"
Yuri was completely flustered.
"No, no, the 'me' of right now is different from the 'me' from a moment ago! I have transformed into a version of myself that respects Master Azuma beyond words!"
Taira-chan leaned even closer to Yuri's face.
"Enough already! It's embarrassing, so stop!"
Seeing Yuri recoil, I couldn't help but burst out laughing.
The way Taira-chan was acting toward Yuri was exactly like Yuri's own attitude toward amane.
"No, I wasn't this extreme!"
Yuri-neesan, using her Mind Reading skill, threw a retort at my monologue.
Seriously, stop reading my mind without permission.
"W-Wait, Tsubame, Bucho is troubled..."
Stopped by Hoshikage-san, Taira-chan finally calmed down a little.
"Phew, I'm sorry... Anyway, amane-san was able to sing again because Konuma-senpai and Hasu-senpai were there, but I can't help but think how wonderful it would have been if Azuma-senpai had been by Yamatsu Rui's side."
"Ya-Ya-Ya, Yamatsu Rui...!?"
Yuri's eyes went wide.
Well, I guess that's the natural reaction when someone suddenly drops the name of a person you don't know. Taira-chan, don't just spring names of people others don't know like that.
"I... I don't know what you're talking about-nyan...!"
"...About-nyan?"
What's wrong, Yuri-neesan? Are you a cat now?
"Sh-Shut up, shut up! Anyway, I have to get back to cleaning! I'm the President, so I'll get in trouble if I'm caught slacking off!"
Suddenly breaking into a sweat, Yuri said something like a tsundere trying to hide her embarrassment (voiced by Rie Kugimiya) and hurried away.
"Ah, Bucho...! L-Look, see you later, okay, Tsubame?"
Hoshikage-san hurriedly followed after her.
"Um... I wonder what happened to Master?"
"Who knows... Anyway, we need to clean up too or it'll be yabatanien."
"Ah, there it is again! ...Wait, Senpai, aren't you really bad at using normie slang?"
"Totally."