The school morning carried the same usual loneliness I've grown accustomed to, but instead of being as gloomy as I've always been… I barely even registered my classmates as I made my way to my desk.
My heart was beating loudly. After my encounter with the red haired girl at the bar, Maestro, Tetsu, the whole gang showed up.
"Yo, Forsaken, you look cheerful. What's good?," Tetsu asked once he saw me.
I grinned.
"Well, I just recorded a verse for my newest track, y'all wanna hear it?," I said back.
Bragging about my first kiss could wait, after the attention I got from the Ai-chan diss, it was time to test the waters. Release something and see how it's doing.
I played the track.
I could see it in them—the shock. Tetsu laughed when he heard the diss toward the bald jock and yelled, "Facts!" Other than that, the gang just listened, quietly.
When the track finished, the bar went silent.
Tetsu shook his head softly, laughing. "Damn, kid. Hits better than last time. You're leveling up, yo."
I shrugged, trying to hide how good it felt to hear that. I knew he wasn't hyping me just for fun.
Maestro, still leaning against the wall in his sunglasses, finally spoke. "Not bad. Flow's cleaner, bars actually land… timing's solid. I'll mix and master this one for free—just this once. Don't waste it."
I thought carefully. A favor from a yakuza could come with needless entanglement later, so I shook my head.
"Nah. Let me pay you instead. I saved up some money, and it's not like I've got anything else to spend it on," I replied.
Maestro's eyes, sharp behind the shades, met mine. After a moment, he relented. "Fine, have it your way."
Then we worked on the track, Maestro guiding me on flow and breathing techniques, pushing me to tighten every line.
Three hours later, including mastering, the track was done. I wasted no time and uploaded it to YouTube.
Recalling all that made me curious about the song, so I pulled out my phone and checked YouTube Studio.
23K! NO WAY! NO FUCKING WAY!
I shook my head, breathless.
How… how did this happen? It hasn't even been a full day!
I checked the comments.
"This is fire! 🔥🔥"
"You don't see this style in Japan much, this needs more exposure."
"Underrated af!"
Of course, the hate was there too:
"Bruh, this Japanese kid trying to sound like Juice WRLD, cringe."
"I've been paralyzed for 6 years, but I rose from my wheelchair just to stop this song 🤡."
"This is what happens when nobody tells a kid he's average."
But the numbers told the real story—105 likes versus 31 dislikes. Yeah. Victory.
Before I could stop myself, an energetic "Yes!" slipped out of my mouth as I folded my arms in celebration.
My classmates turned towards me and the teacher eyed me with measured contempt.
Whispers and murmurs rippled through the classroom.
"Did he just…?" one kid muttered.
"Dude's actually hyped," another said, half impressed, half nervous.
"Bruh… embarrassing," someone else snickered under their breath.
The teacher's eyes narrowed. "Shiba! Settle down this instant!"
Heads turned, eyes on me, the room buzzing with a mix of shock, amusement, and disapproval.
Suzuki, in particular, stared at me, her lips moving like she wanted to say something—but no words came out.
The class president smiled sheepishly, then subtly motioned for me to stay quiet.
Nah. Y'all ain't gonna ruin this for me.
The teacher, as if he'd heard my thoughts, finally lost his patience.
"You can leave the classroom if you're not going to pay attention!"
I rose from my seat, my legs carrying me toward the door on their own.
"Oh, I can? In that case…"
I turned back to the teacher and forced a stiff British accent, bowing exaggeratedly.
"I crave thy pardon, mine lordship."
Then I shut the door behind me.
As I walked through the corridors, the satisfaction lingered.
If this was a dream—and life was just going to get shittier from here—then… don't wake me up.
Seriously.
With nowhere else to go, I headed for the rooftop.
The door creaked open, and the chill of the morning air brushed against my face. I stepped forward, letting it sink into my skin as I took in the view.
From up here, the city I'd hated for so long finally looked different.
Not smaller… nor kinder, not by a long shot.
But mapped out—like something that could be escaped.
Like possibility.
"Shiba-kun?!?" a voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
There she was—Suzuki Aika. Pink hair fluttering in the wind, eyes wide with a shock that felt rehearsed.
So… She followed me.
"Yo," I greeted, lamely. "What're you doing up here?"
"J-just getting some fresh air," she said, letting out a nervous giggle.
I raised an eyebrow.
"W-what? That's all there is to—"
I narrowed my eyes, just a little.
She cracked almost immediately.
"Fine! I followed you!" she blurted out. "Happy now?"
A beat passed.
"The thing you did in class earlier…" she said, her tone caught somewhere between curiosity and disbelief. "What was that about?"
I smirked.
Without a word, I pulled out my phone and showed her the track.
Her eyes widened when she saw the numbers, but she didn't say anything. She just listened.
The shock lingered for a second—then softened, melting into the faintest smile.
"…This one's way better than the last song you showed me," she said after a moment.
"You don't hide behind autotune as much, and the lyrics feel more… real. Like you actually mean them."
She glanced back at the screen, then at me.
"And yeah," she added quietly, "those numbers? You earned them."
Wow. This is my biggest hater so far… showing me praise.
"Congratulations, Shiba-kun," she said, before smiling brighter. "I'm happy for you."
She stepped closer.
Then—slap.
My cheek burned. What the fuck? You could've done it the last time we saw each o—
"That's for the disgusting things you said about me in your diss track," she huffed, cheeks puffed in mock anger.
Before I could even react, she leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to the same spot on my cheek.
Her face burned red.
"A-And that's because…" she mumbled, looking away, "…I kind of deserved it too. Hehe~"
I bowed lightly.
"Sorry about that… can we start over?" I asked.
I already knew the answer would be no.
I knew she'd want nothing to do with me.
But I asked anyway.
She rocked back and forth on her heels, then smiled—brighter than before.
"Yes," she said, firm and final.
…Wait. What?
My heart beat loudly in my chest, and for a moment, the world stopped.
The school. The song. Everything blurred into static.
For a second, it was just me and this weird idol girl—standing on the rooftop, awkwardly bonding over music.