In The Car
"Didn't I tell you to buy snacks?! What the hell is all this?!"
"Protective charms, summoning talismans, amulets, crucifixes, peachwood swords, sticky rice, garlic…"
In the back seat, Iori had his hands around Shiro's neck, shaking him furiously.
He had trusted Shiro with the all-important snack run, and the guy had come back with a bunch of completely useless crap!
゛(◎_◎;)
"Ahem… You don't understand anything. Snacks are just temporary gratification—they're totally useless. As long as we have lunchboxes, we can survive just fine!
What I bought here is professional-grade ghost-repelling gear. So don't come begging to me later!"
Kamishiro Shiro, decked out with a full set of exorcist-level items, scoffed at the idea of grouping up with Iori. These people who believed in science clearly didn't understand the horror of theology!
(???)
Watching Kamishiro Shiro still looking all smug, iori's lips twitched violently. How could he possibly make use of that stuff? Honestly, garlic was probably the only thing remotely usable.
And then...
"Forget all these weird items—but why the hell is there a magical girl's wand…? Huh? Where'd it go?"
Iori searched through the pile of junk. He was sure he saw a pink magic wand just a moment ago—so why had it vanished?
Then he noticed a pink thing sticking out from behind Kohei's butt…
?_?
"Kohei..."
"Yes, Kitahara? What's up?"
"Do you believe in ghosts?"
"Of course not. I'm not some three-year-old. Besides, we're engineering students. We believe in science!"
"Right… science. Then, may I ask what's going on with that magic wand sticking out from behind you?"
"Oh, that! That's Rarako's magic wand! I never imagined I'd find it here. With this, I can transform into a magical girl!"
"Mhmm… a magical girl~"
Iori's face was full of a serene, fatherly smile.
And then—
Snap!
He instantly grabbed Rarako's magic wand and broke it in half!
!!!
"NOOOOOO!!! YOU BASTARD, WHAT DID YOU JUST DO?!"
"You serious with this 'magical girl' crap?! Didn't you just say you believed in science?!"
Iori's expression was cracking. One second Kohei was spouting science, the next he was holding a magic wand claiming he could transform into a magical girl?!
Aaaaaaaghhhh!!
Why am I, a normal person, mixed in with these lunatics?!
"Kitahara, you jerk! You clearly asked whether I believed in ghosts!"
(′｀;)?
"What's the difference?!"
"Of course there's a difference! Ghosts are fake, but magical girls are real! Magical girls are science!!"
Iori stared in shock at the passionate Kohei. Could this guy hear himself right now?
That kind of statement would be explosive anywhere, okay?!
And before Iori could even come up with a retort, the two of them were already wrestling on the spot.
Kamishiro Shiro scooted his butt away from them, watching them mockingly.
"Tch. Idiots~"
…
"That's ENOUGH out of you three!!"
Aina's forehead was bulging with veins. Thanks to these three clowns, she had nearly driven the car off the mountain just now!
Did they not consider driving safety at all?! Don't they know making the driver laugh can cause serious accidents?!
Chisa even pulled out a long French baguette and whacked each of them once, using sheer force to subdue the three fools.
In the face of overwhelming power, the trio finally quieted down.
"Seriously now, we're going to a bonfire party, not a haunted house trial. There's no such thing as ghosts. Rather than arguing about that, why not just relax and listen to some music?"
Saying that, Aina switched to music mode. What's a road trip without some tunes?
?～
With the soothing music playing, Aina leaned back and closed her eyes in comfort. This was how it should be. Those three's antics had nearly made her, a veteran driver, flip the damn car. Ridiculous.
But what she didn't know was how her tiny action just now sent shockwaves through the fragile minds of the trio in the back seat.
All three turned pale and grabbed onto the car handles in unison.
What kind of normal person drives with their eyes closed?!
Kamishiro Shiro didn't even have the guts to point it out. If he did and Aina got flustered, they might go from comedy sketch to survival drama in an instant…
Completely oblivious, Aina started bobbing her head and even challenged them:
"Alright, try guessing what kind of song this is~"
Fwoo…
As the unfamiliar melody played, the three in the back finally breathed a sigh of relief. Thank god she opened her eyes again. But none of them loosened their grip on the handles. Still terrifying.
However…
This song-guessing game was way too hard!
Even musical genius Iori was at a loss.
"Is it a commercial jingle?"
"Wrong~"
"A meme song from the 'chaotic edit' genre?"
"Where the hell do you hear 'chaotic' in this?!"
Aina rejected Kamishiro Shiro and Iori's guesses outright, then turned expectantly to Kohei, clearly still hoping someone would guess it right.
Kohei, under immense pressure, kept clutching his head in thought. He'd already run through every song he'd ever heard!
"Which anime opening is this?!"
(?°?д°?)
"Are anime songs all you think about?!"
Aina clutched her face in frustration. As expected… not a single one of them remembered!
"Give us a hint!"
"Yeah! A hint! We can guess it!"
Noticing Aina's downcast mood, the three boys in the back straightened up. They refused to give up—just narrow the scope and they'd get it!
"Sigh, you guys are hopeless..."
Seeing everyone so full of energy again, Aina smiled. Being cared for really did feel nice~
Although... maybe… probably… they were just obsessed with getting the answer.
"Hehe, it's from a TV show I like~"
"It's the theme song of a romance show!" ×4
The moment Aina spoke, all four of them shouted the answer in unison.
"Why'd you get it so easily now?!"
Aina was stunned. She had wanted them to guess it—but not this easily! It made her feel like a clown!
"That wasn't even a hint! You straight up told us the answer..."
Kamishiro Shiro was speechless at this love-brained girl. Did she seriously not realize everyone in the club knew she was a romance junkie?
"Guess it's my turn to pick a song."
Everyone perked up. Might as well enjoy each other's tastes if they were going to be bored in the car.
Except… when it came to Kohei…
He didn't even get to start playing the song before everyone shouted:
"Anime song!"
(?°?д°?)
"You jerks! At least wait until it plays!"
Kohei's poor little heart was crushed. This was straight-up bullying!
"My turn next!"
Kamishiro Shiro looked fired up. Time to bring the real heat. He pulled out his phone, a proud smirk on his face—this playlist was his treasure.
Everyone eyed him curiously. Now that they thought about it, they really didn't know his music taste.
He was a player, after all—his playlist could be a real mixed bag. Iori was even kind of excited. Maybe he'd learn a thing or two.
As the music player kicked in, a very flamboyant male voice poured into their ears:
"Lover lover?～"
"Fker fker?～"
"Lover～?"
"aaaaaaa?～"
"Milo, obichash li me oshte?～" (Bulgarian: "Darling, do you still love me?")
"..."
For a moment, everyone froze—except Kamishiro Shiro, who was swaying with the rhythm.
The beat was great, really catchy. But if they hadn't understood those English words at the beginning, they might've assumed this was just a normal song…
But come on—
Of course they understood those words!!!
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU PLAYING?!"
Everyone roared in protest. This was psychological warfare! Just from listening, they could picture a Bulgarian demon lord dancing in his underwear!
"This is cutting-edge music! Get hyped, people!"
Kamishiro Shiro kept grooving, fully immersed in his tune.
"..."
Iori couldn't take it anymore and switched the music.
Too dangerous. Any longer and he might start questioning his sexuality.
!!!
"Why'd you change it?! That was a banger!"
Kamishiro Shiro was stunned. Couldn't these people see the artistic beauty in that song?!
Everyone ignored him and turned their attention to the ever-quiet Chisa in the front.
"Your turn, Chisa."
"Eh? Me?"
Chisa looked surprised. She hadn't said a single word this whole time—how did it suddenly become her turn?!
"Let Iori do it instead..."
She was a bit shy. Sharing the music she liked made her nervous.
"Don't be shy!"
"What kind of stuff do you listen to, Chisa?"
Everyone looked at Chisa in confusion—after all, they didn't know much about her interests beyond her clear love for the ocean.
"Umm…"
Seeing how insistent everyone was, Chisa didn't reject them anymore and silently pulled out her phone.
"Sha sha sha ~"
A piece of pure instrumental music began playing.
Everyone fell silent again. Instrumental music was fine, but… why was it just the sound of ocean waves?!
Just how much does she love the sea?
If this were a fantasy world, she'd definitely be a natural-born sword cultivator with this kind of innate obsession!
"There's also ambient sound of babbling brooks…"
Iori, oblivious to danger, read out loud the rest of Chisa's playlist while holding her phone.
"So basically, as long as it's water, it's all good?"
"And besides, this isn't even music."
"She's so… pure."
( ･ὢ･ )
Hearing all the comments, Chisa—rarely ever annoyed—grew visibly irritated. She snatched back her phone. "You want music? Fine! I actually do have one!"
...
?? ～
Chisa, who had just been mocked, played the only song on her phone that actually had lyrics.
Uhhh…
How should one put it—it was a style none of them had ever heard before. Kinda unique… and kinda bad.
"This song sounds really cheap…"
"I don't think I've ever heard it before. What's this song, Chisa?"
Kouhei and Aina looked puzzled at Chisa. It felt rude to say, but this beautiful girl's taste was just so different from theirs.
But this song… wasn't as simple as they thought.
（λ?_?）
To some people, it carried a very… special meaning.
Take Iori, for instance—his face turned dark. He quickly whispered threateningly, "Stop it, Chisa. Turn it off, or else…"
Clack!
Already having figured it out, Shiro Kamishiro leapt in and restrained Iori.
"Hmm~ Kitahara, if I'm not mistaken, that voice singing is your dad's, right?"
Shiro grinned so wide it practically reached his ears. His eyes gleamed with mischief—he'd recognized the voice as soon as the song started playing.
It was Kitahara Papa's voice!
And matching it with that cheap-sounding melody and Iori's weird behavior…
The truth was obvious.
Plus, didn't Shiori say before that Kitahara's dad once sang his son's dreams aloud?
（λ?_?）
"SHIRO YOU BASTARD!!!"
Iori looked like he was about to explode—he'd completely missed his chance to stop this from spreading!
Why does Shiro always remember the most useless, embarrassing crap?!
"So terrifying, my dear Mr. Composer~"
Shiro still had his signature smiling face. Nothing was more fun than watching your friends suffer socially.
???
"What's going on?"
"Is there something wrong with this song?"
The confused duo looked at each other. They suddenly felt left out. Were the other three keeping secrets from them?
"I'll tell you," Chisa said with an evil grin. "This is an original song that Iori wrote himself… back in middle school~"
!!!
"For ten years later, twenty years later, for the me you've yet to meet—WOOOO~ ♪"
Hearing his dad's emotional vocals paired with the cringe lyrics from his middle school self, Iori fell into total despair.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
"TURN IT OFF! JUST LET ME DIE INSTEAD!!!"
Iori no longer cared that Shiro had him pinned down. He just wanted to go outside and cry in the rain.
If Kouhei hadn't stepped in to help, he might've just thrown himself out of the moving van.
What a fragile mental state (｡•́︿•̀｡)
But honestly… it is kinda like having your old novel read aloud to friends and family—yeah, not easy to take…
Even Shiro, surprisingly, started to understand Iori a little.
…Though that didn't stop him from laughing.
(≖‿≖)
"So where did this thing come from?" Aina asked, curious. "Didn't Iori destroy it last time?"
"I was writing letters to Shiori earlier. I mentioned 'Iori isn't coming home this summer,' and then she sent me this CD as a bonus."
"..."
Aina gave Iori a sympathetic look. Maybe having a siscon little sister wasn't all it was cracked up to be…
...
"Come on, cheer up, Kitahara! It's just the five of us here—it's not that bad. Everyone had dreams as a kid. It's not shameful!" Shiro said with rare sincerity.
"Shiro…"
Iori choked up. For a moment, he felt like he saw the light.
But the light faded quickly—replaced by the flames of hell.
"Dreams should be spoken aloud! I already copied this song—I've decided to help you make that dream come true!"
With that, Shiro opened the school forum.
"Of course, if you don't want me to post it, the cancellation fee is just 50,000 yen."
"..."
At that moment, Iori's eyes went completely dull.
"You're literally the Devil, aren't you?!"
"Don't be rude. I'm a Dream Realizer~"
"GO DIE!!!!"
Unable to hold back, Iori tackled Shiro.
The small van started shaking again as the two began fighting like real men.
"On sleepless nights, it's MIDNIGHT～ ♪"
"OHHHHHHHHHHH～～～ ♪"