Chapter 87: Queen
The door wasn't locked. When Yoshikage Kira and Camie Utsushimi entered the room, a brilliant, passionate guitar solo instantly captured their attention.
The basement room wasn't damp. The floor was wooden, giving it the feel of a school gymnasium. A saxophone, cello, violin, and piano were arranged unobtrusively in a corner. The most eye-catching thing in the room was the group of four people on the far side.
Jodo Chenjie's fingers moved over his guitar with the speed of a magician, an exhilarating sound erupting from the instrument. It had an infectious magic that made you want to move your body.
No one paid any attention to the two guests. Everyone was completely focused on the solo. The moment the guitar let out a final, ringing note, the bass and drums kicked in, picking up the rhythm and exploding with a fierce sound.
Makoto Hibikiya, holding a microphone, stood nodding his head, singing along to the beat.
After listening for a few lines, Kira's eyes went wide. This was Queen's "We Will Rock You"!
Kira couldn't help but ask Camie, who was nodding and swaying beside him, "What songs is 'soul' going to play at the concert?"
"Isn't it written on the ticket?" Camie glanced at him, still moving her body. "This performance is a special tribute to the late 20th-century band, Queen."
Kira had looked at the ticket carefully last night. Aside from the time and place, the rest of it was just decorated with ambiguous images of drums, guitars, and other instruments. There was no mention of Queen at all. But if it was a Queen tribute, then the instruments on the ticket made perfect sense.
The current year was 2099. A century ago, there had been a legendary band called Queen. They had only ever had four members: a lead singer, a guitarist, a bassist, and a drummer. They had once set a record by creating a song that used every singing style known at the time, an unparalleled masterpiece called "Bohemian Rhapsody." In addition, Queen had many classic songs that were still being sung with gusto even in the early 21st century.
"Weren't all the songs from the last century destroyed?" Kira couldn't help but ask.
In his past life, Kira had been a corporate drone in the early 21st century, and his favorite band had been Queen. But in the hero society he now lived in, all rock music recordings from the early 21st century had been declared contraband. Lyrics, sheet music, cassette tapes—they had all been rounded up and burned. The songs had vanished from the internet, with only a few tracks saved on USB drives surviving the purge. But even then, the moment you connected to the internet, the system would automatically scan your drive and delete any forbidden songs.
It was a law enacted by the United Nations. Even the typically liberal United States had strictly enforced it, forcibly searching citizens' homes for any related materials.
The reason was unknown.
It was said that the impact of this "Music Burning" was comparable to the book burnings of old. Countless music lovers around the world had taken to the streets in massive protest movements. In America, someone had even rushed into the White House and put a gun to the president's head, demanding he rescind the order. But even so, the final result was the same—the world forgot.
Under the government's strict censorship, if anyone even mentioned a single word related to the banned music, the "water meter checkers" would come knocking on their door that very night and take them away, not to be seen again until they promised to remain silent.
This oppressive, dark terror had lasted for two full years, until the first "glowing baby" had appeared in Qingqing City. After that, the world's governments had become preoccupied with dealing with the various incidents caused by Quirks and had relaxed their supervision. But on the surface, any song—original, cover, or even a plagiarized melody—would be taken down from the entire internet the moment it appeared.
From then on, heavy metal rock had exited the musical stage, and the electronic music style led by the "World's Number One Princess," the virtual idol Hatsune Miku, had become the global mainstream.
Now, although the law was no longer in effect and reinterpreting the old songs wouldn't get you a warning, in an age where heavy metal had been forgotten, all music, popular or niche, was electronic. Songs that remained only in the memories of the past could only be heard in underground black markets.
For Kira, who had already accepted this reality, to be able to hear Queen's music again was an incredible surprise.
Could it be true what they said? That Stand users are drawn to each other?
"Kira, you have to know, where there's a will, there's a way," Camie said smugly. "Even if the order came from the UN, do you think there weren't people among those carrying out the order who liked this style of music? Do you think they were willing to destroy their own precious collections?"
"You mean... some people deliberately hid the contraband?"
"Correct!" Camie snapped her fingers. "You could even say that any classical music you can hear in the black markets today trickled down from the top."
Kira quickly understood. "So even though the policy existed, it wasn't necessarily enforced. After all, even with a class system, the desire for something greater will never disappear."
"It's just like how boys your age can always find a way to get their hands on erotic magazines, right?"
Seeing that Kira didn't answer, Camie grew bolder, her words becoming more explicit. "Hey, Kira, don't be shy. We've slept in the same building, after all. It's not too much to ask for me to get to know your sexual preferences, is it?"
Listen to her. Are those the words of a normal girl?
"I like figurines."
Kira said it flatly. Before Camie could react, he walked over to the 'soul' band, who had just stopped playing.
He likes figurines? But Inasa said Kira doesn't watch nerdy anime, and there aren't any bishoujo figurines in his house. Don't tell me he means he likes robot models, like Gundam?
Camie, puzzled, followed after him.
Jodo Chenjie was quietly studying a score with his guitar in hand. Kansou Eruto was plucking the strings of his bass with his fingers, not using a pick. Dave was sitting behind his drum kit, holding his drumsticks and covering his head, lost in thought.
Makoto Hibikiya's brow was furrowed. "Something's wrong," he said suddenly. "I feel like the transitions aren't right."
Kansou said, "But Boss, we're playing from the score we transcribed from the original song. There shouldn't be any mistakes."
"No, it's not you guys. It's me," Makoto said, shaking his head. "I feel like I'm missing something in my performance."
Kansou shrugged and said nothing more.
"Have you tried moving your body?" a voice suddenly said.
Move my body?
Makoto turned and saw that the words had come from Yoshikage Kira. He was a little annoyed. "Kira," he said coolly, "I only allowed you to observe our rehearsal. I didn't ask you to direct it. As a member of the audience, you should just sit in your seat and listen quietly."
Listen quietly? For some reason, hearing those words, a strange anger flared up inside Kira. Since when did Queen's music need to be listened to quietly while sitting on a stool?
He suppressed his anger and asked calmly, "Mr. Hibikiya, do you know the band Queen?"
Sensing the tense atmosphere, Jodo quickly jumped in. "Of course! We got our information from old records and some websites. Queen was one of the most popular bands of the 20th century. The members were Freddie, Brian, Roger, John..."
Listening to what sounded like a Wikipedia summary from his past life, Kira laughed. "Is that all?"
"Is that not enough?" Makoto said, frowning, tacitly confirming that Jodo had said everything they knew. "Because you helped Jodo, we welcomed you to watch our performance. But if you're just here to cause trouble, you can leave now."
Makoto turned his gaze to Camie. "Ms. Utsushimi," he said coldly, "we are grateful for your help. But could you please take your friend and leave? He's disrupting our practice."
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