Unfortunately I met Yang at the road on the way to school the next morning, and was thus left with no option but to walk with her to school. It was 6:40 A.M.—normally, I would still be in bed at this hour.
"You didn't sleep well last night?"
Yang, who was walking next to me, suddenly came up close to me and stared at me.
"Hmm? Nah! I slept really soundly."
"Have you been coming up with names for the band?"
"Mmm… I guess."
"So you don't actually trust Weiss? I feel sad for her."
Aren't you the same as me? You even made a T-shirt. I originally wanted to retort with that, but upon changing my perspectives a little, I guess that was probably the best thing that Yang could come up with… right?
"I've come up with over ten more names since then."
"Aren't you the same as me too!"
Dammit, what a waste of energy of me trying to put her in a better light by thinking about things from a different perspective. Yang then took out a notebook and confidently showed me a long list of backup names for the band. I couldn't help but sigh when I saw that.
It was about seven plus when we reached school. We went to the staff room, and realized that we could not locate the keys for the practice room in the key box.
"Strange? Haruto, you returned the keys yesterday right?"
"Yeah…"
Yang and I exchanged looks for a brief moment. That means there's someone who reached the school earlier and has already made her way to the practice room.
There can only be two possibilities, Yang immediately turned around and ran, and she almost bumped into a teacher while making her way out of the door. However, she ignored the yells of the teacher, and scooted off from his sides. She then dashed her way through the corridors and towards the courtyard.
Yang pulled open the door of the practice room hard, and her shoulders slumped immediately. The me who was following closely behind took a glance into the room, and I exchanged looks with the person inside.
The person in the practice room was not Weiss, but Ruby, no wait, she's Ruby alright, but w-why is her blouse unbuttoned halfway? Her lingerie's showing from the inside, and she was in the process of removing her skirt.
"Whoa!" Yang gave a shout. She shut the door after elbowing me who was behind her. Dammit, that hurts!
After a while, Ruby opened the door and stuck her head out from within.
"Sorry, I never thought you guys would be here that early. You two can come in now."
Yang stepped into the room really quickly. As for me, I couldn't help but feel a little intimidated about it—I mean, Ruby was changing in the room not too long ago, right?
Ruby had changed out of her uniform into a T-shirt with the photo of the Cuban revolutionist Che Guevara, as well as a patched denim miniskirt—an outfit that has anarchism written all over it.
"Why are you changing here?"
"Didn't I tell you yesterday? Today's the final day. I have to hand in the application form to the livehouse where we'll be performing later."
Oh, right! She did indeed say that before. So that means the reason Ruby wore her uniform to school is just so that she can enter the staff room to get the keys? What exactly is this girl going to school for?
"Speaking of which, I never thought the band members would be here this early. We are really united!" And with that, Ruby patted Yang's head.
"This can't be considered all the members, right?" Yang lifted her head and asked softly.
"Mmm, you're right." Ruby nodded her head, then proceeded to take out the application form from yesterday from her pocket. She then pulled out a desk from the corner of the room, and placed the opened form on it. There were already four names filled in the box for the members' names.
Yang Xiao Long (Drum). Weiss Schnee (Guitar). Hyuuga Ruby (Guitar, Vocal). Namikaze Haruto (Bass, Vocal).
Only the part for the name of the band was left blank. I didn't want to think too much about it, so I changed my focus onto some other place on the form… eh?
"Oh, what about the rental fees for the place?"
It's impossible for us to perform live for free, but I had totally forgotten about cash-related stuff. Though there's going to be another two bands who will be performing with us, the individual amount each of us have to pay should still be pretty costly. However, all Ruby did was show a faint smile.
"You don't have to worry about that. We are the guest performers, so we don't have to spend a single cent."
"Eh?" What's this? How is it possible for such good things to happen… ah, this girl here must have done something yet again? I guess it'll be better if I don't pursue it any further. Feels really scary.
"Should Weiss not make it in tim—right, why don't we just use the name Folk Music Research Club?" Ruby tapped the tip of the pen in the box for the band's name. Yang opposed immediately with, "Eww… that's not cute at all."
"Really? I quite like the name though."
"Then why don't we just use K-ON? It's much easier to remember with just Three words."
"That sounds just like the name of a girly band. I can't accept that!"
"Then how about adding an exclamation mark at the back."
Yang took out her notebook once again and began reading out the names she came up with one by one; as for Ruby, she was there rejecting them one after another lovingly. I sat myself on the stool and leaned the bass against the wall, while listening to their conversation halfheartedly.
Back then, Weiss was waiting for me here as well. The day that I suggested that we had our guitar showdown. Despite her not giving me any sort of reply, she still waited for me. Therefore, this time, all I can do is wait for her like this.
Thinking about it, it somehow felt like Weiss and I have always failed in trying to get our points across clearly. There are times where we can communicate, but there are times where we can't—and with the gradual accumulation of the miscommunication, it feels like there may be a day when they will all turn into an unsalvageable misunderstanding or something? If that is really the case, then shouldn't I try asking her properly? That's if Weiss is…
Ruby and Yang had actually left me alone when they noticed I was there silent and engrossed in my own thoughts. How long have those two gone on with their conversations already? The chimes of the bell pulled my consciousness back into reality. I was shocked, and quickly directed my glance towards the clock in the room. It's the preparatory bell right before lessons—classes will be starting in five minutes. Both Yang and Ruby, who were chatting at the table, had turned their sights towards the clock as well.
"Namikaze." Ruby made a gesture at me. I stood up, and Ruby passed the pen into my hands. "We have no other choice. You are the third person to join the band, so you decide."
"Eh…" I stared straight into Ruby's face. Weiss didn't come, so I'm the one… "But…"
"It's just a name, so don't think too deeply into it. Nothing will change because of it."
Is that really so? I thought to myself as I stared at the application form. It somehow feels like Weiss will no longer be coming here if she doesn't appear now? Should I sever the relationship between us right here…
I adjusted my grip on the pen… I had spent the whole night yesterday thinking about it, before finally deciding on something. Should the situation come to the point where I'm the one to come up with the name of the band, then I'll just name us Blackbird.
However, this name will lose all its meaning if Weiss will no longer come here. It will become a name that forces me to recognize the fact that we can no longer fly with our wings broken.
The tip of the pen came into contact with the paper. Just as I was about to write the first character "B"—Ruby lifted her head suddenly. She looked past my shoulders, towards the door of the practice room—and then she smiled.
I held my breath and turned my head around. The heavy door had opened, revealing a slit that allowed the cold air of winter to gush into the room. Yang ran to the door and opened it quickly. Weiss, who was outside the door, was about to take a step back. Yang grabbed her by her wrists immediately, which caused her to flinch.
Next to me, Ruby said, "Morning, Weiss."
As for me… I could not speak a single word. The countless words were all stuck in my chest. In the end, I passed the pen to Weiss, who was pulled into the room by Yang. That was the only thing that I could do. Weiss stared at the pen for quite a while, before accepting it with her left hand. She stood at the door for a long time, despite me having left the table already.
Next, Weiss walked slowly towards the table. She wrote the letters in the blank space of the application form, without any hints of hesitation.
Ouzel.
"How do you pronounce that?" Yang asked softly.
"Oo-zl," Weiss mumbled. That's quite an intriguing pronunciation. What language is that?
Ruby took a good look at the name Weiss had written. The smile on her face looked as gentle as the white clouds that were floating in the sky in the early morning.
"I see… you like this song, Weiss?"
Weiss took a while before nodding in response to Ruby's question. Somehow, it felt like she had stolen a glance at me when she did that, and that caused my face to burn.
Which song is that? The pronunciation of Ouzel somehow makes me feel like I'll gently fly upwards into the sky in an instant.
"It's a really good name."
With that, Ruby folded the application form and stuffed it into her pocket. She then got close to Weiss quickly and pecked her lightly on her cheeks. Weiss' face went red in surprise, and she took a step backwards.
"Ah, right. Weiss, just pass those four thousand and five hundred yen that's in your pocket to Namikaze! I've delegated him to be in charge of all the finance-related matters."
Ruby said that just as she was about to step out of the classroom, and Weiss' face went red yet again. When the door was closed, Weiss took out a brown envelope from her chest pocket and stuffed it into my face.
"Hey!" I managed to grab the envelope before it fell to the floor. There's a few pieces of the thousand yen notes and some five hundred yen coins inside. "You don't have to give it to me now!"
Then again, it means that, right? It's that, right? I was not quite confident of that, so I peeked at Yang's face, who was beside me. Wow, her face was lit up from the happiness.
"Put it away quickly." Weiss turned her head away as she said that.
I placed the envelope into the pocket of the guitar case. It was only then that I realized that my heart was thumping wildly. I had no idea why, but I couldn't calm myself down. I can finally perform live together with Weiss! Everyone can go there together!
"Ruto." Weiss suddenly turned her head around and called out me when she was out of the door. My gaze went past Yang' shoulders and straight into her eyes. "… Will I really know?"
When she was asking me that question, Weiss' eyes still looked as though they were the skies filled with dark clouds. I suddenly felt my chest tighten a fair bit.
"Know what?" Yang moved her face close to Weiss's to look at her.
Weiss shook her head, and so Yang turned her sight towards me instead.
"You should be able to find the answer… probably."
I felt like Weiss's slightly uneasy gaze was fixed on the tip of my nose. I couldn't help but lower my head and stare at my fingers. And then, I took a step forward.
"I promise you…" As I said that, I stretched my hand out towards Weiss, "That if you aren't able to get an answer, I will listen to everything you have to say."
It's a promise that I had made sometime ago.
Weiss' face was flushed red. After brushing my outstretched fist away with her hand, she turned around and ran towards the school building. Yang looked at me with no idea of what was going on, and then she followed suit behind Weiss. I turned my head back to look into the empty practice room.
The reason for Weiss to be here…
Somehow, I think that there's no one who can tell her the answer to that. She has to find it on her own. You see, I myself had no idea why I was hanging around here. However, I have no intention of hanging around with the rest of the members in the band forever while having any lingering doubts about it.
I turned my sight towards the empty desk. It somehow feels like the name that Weiss had written was carved onto the surface of the desk when Ruby was tracing out the name with her fingers.
Ouzel. A name that ties us all together.
The bell for classes finally rang. Shit, I'm gonna be late. I locked up the practice room, then made a dash towards my class. Somewhere among the cluster of trees in the courtyard, the cicadas began to sing.