Even if you deceive yourself, there always comes a moment when you wake up.
Kita Ikuyo stood in front of STARRY's entrance, hesitating as she stared at the bronze handle on the black door.
Only now did she remember—she didn't know how to play the guitar at all.
She shifted the instrument case on her back, the guitar she had impulsively bought out of fear that Ryo-senpai might be "stolen away."Her eyes regained a touch of confidence.
She had already practiced late into the night yesterday. As long as she worked hard, put in more hours, and polished her skills, she was sure she could eventually reach the level where she could perform alongside her senpai.
Besides, she had already pulled something so sly.There was no turning back now over something this small.
"Akane-chan, I found a great dessert place. Let's go together today."
"Eh… Kita-chan, I'm on classroom duty today."
"Switch with someone, pleeease…" Kita whined, tilting her head cutely.
"Alright, alright… who should I switch with?" Akane sighed, already looking troubled as she glanced around the room, scanning for someone to trade shifts with.
"How about Ishikawa-kun? He looks free."
Just as planned, Kita grabbed Akane's hand and dragged her toward Ishikawa Hayabusa, who was just about to leave the classroom.
"…You can't be serious."Akane sighed helplessly, pulled along against her will.
Standing before Ishikawa, Kita put on her cutest troubled face, pressing her palms together in a pleading gesture.
"Ishikawa-kun, would you mind switching duty with my friend for today? Please?"
Then she gave Akane a gentle nudge with her shoulder.
"Please, Ishikawa-kun," Akane added without much hope.
"No problem. Then next Tuesday's duty will be yours, Tanaka."Hayabusa agreed so casually it almost seemed like he hadn't even thought about it.
Akane hadn't expected him to be so straightforward. Surprised, she then smiled faintly."Thanks~"
With that, Kita went off to eat dessert with Akane. But as the usual time for Ryo-senpai and her friends to arrive at STARRY approached, she parted ways with Akane and hurried there.
By this time, classroom duty should have only just ended. Ishikawa-kun wouldn't be here.
Still, she worried that Ishikawa Hayabusa might try to stop her from joining the band. After all, she had called out to him yesterday, and judging by the way he interacted with Ryo-senpai, he might even be harboring romantic intentions.
And she had stared at him for so long yesterday—he might have sensed something.
She didn't want the person she admired most to be taken away from her.
So she used a little cunning and decided to join the band quickly.
She really was awful.But Kita Ikuyo had no regrets. She reached out, pulled open STARRY's door.
Inside, Ryo and Nijika were chatting at a table, while Seika, the manager, sat listlessly at the counter. When Kita walked in, all of them turned to her with puzzled looks.
Before Seika could even say "We're not open yet," Kita stepped down from the stairs and spoke:
"Ryo-senpai, I heard you were recruiting band members. I saw your performance yesterday—it moved me. Please let me join as well."
On a train that wasn't too crowded, Gotou Hitori curled into the far corner of a seat, head bowed, eyes fixed on the floor by her feet.
The train was a place with a heavy flow of people, but here, almost no one paid attention to others.
Most passengers killed the long, boring ride by finding something to occupy themselves.
That was the only thing that gave Hitori a little peace of mind.
And like everyone else, she drifted off into thought.
Looking back on today, one name had come up in her mind more than any other.
Ishikawa Hayabusa.
Not only had she seen him in the morning—she had also run into him at noon.
During lunch break, Hitori had quietly slipped out of the classroom, unnoticed.
She quickly walked to the far edge of the school building, near the stairwell. Glancing around and seeing no one, she darted into a corner cluttered with desks and chairs.
In the cramped, dim space, she let out a breath of relief.
Weird… why can't I relax?
She looked around in confusion. The abandoned furniture formed walls that blocked her from view. A faint trickle of light fell from the stairwell above, but she had deliberately sat just outside its reach.
No one should be able to see her here.
Hitori had clearly forgotten yesterday's promise, yet her body had instinctively brought her back to this place—and she felt nervous all the same.
Knock knock.A sound against the wall, followed by a familiar voice.
"Gotou-san, are you here?"
"Y-yes."
She answered reflexively, and only then did the memory of yesterday's lunch rush back to her—
"Can I come find you here again?"
Ishikawa-kun!He really came to look for her again!
She had only just decided this morning to keep her distance.
But she had already agreed yesterday. Running away was even scarier.
Miserably, she sat down in seiza on the floor, her unopened lunchbox resting on her sweatpants-clad legs, waiting for Ishikawa Hayabusa to arrive.
Hayabusa stepped inside, climbed over the pile of abandoned desks, and found her—a pink-haired beauty curled up nervously in the dark corner, clutching her lunchbox.
"Hope I'm not intruding."He waved with a friendly smile.
"Ah, um…"She avoided his eyes, only managing a faint nod in reply.
"Mind if I eat with you?"
Hayabusa's desire to talk didn't falter in the least at her weak response.
Refuse him. Refuse him! Refuse!!I already decided to keep my distance!
"Ah… go ahead."
Hitori loathed herself. She hated this side of her, unable to say no.
Just as she sank into self-pity, she heard Hayabusa say—
"Gotou-san, you're really kind. You care more about others than yourself."
He glanced around the narrow, dark space. It wasn't exactly dirty, but it was hardly the most pleasant place to eat.
"Even though you came all the way here just to avoid people, you still let me join you for lunch."
Hitori's heart thudded sharply.
No one had ever said anything like that to her before. She hadn't even thought of herself that way.
For a moment, it felt as if clouds had parted inside her heart.
She looked at Hayabusa again. In the dim light, his calm, dustless gaze shone with a presence both strong and strangely gentle.
He wasn't one of those carefree, unreasonable "happy" types.
Much of her nervousness melted away. After a few days of contact, she was beginning to feel—he really did mean well.
Finally, she leaned forward slightly and asked, timid but curious:
"Ishikawa-kun, w-why do you want me in the band?"
The boy before her answered in a voice both calm and certain:
"Because I heard a cry for help."
A hero—without blinding light or radiance—sat before her with a simple, approachable smile, as though he were asking her to accept his hand.
"Gotou-san, you want to change, don't you? The way you dressed on the first day of school—you wanted friends, and you wanted to join a band."
"In my band, everyone's kind. They even accepted someone like me with no experience at all. You brought a guitar to school, so you must have some confidence in your playing."
"So come join us. Let's make some good memories together."
Looking at his outstretched hand, Hitori hesitated for a long time. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.
Everything she had ever wanted seemed to be right there in front of her, waiting for her to take it. So real, so simple—like a dream.
This might be the only chance in her entire life.
Hitori, come on! Just say yes!
At last, she pinched the corner of her shirt, wiped away sweat that may or may not have been on her palm, held her breath, and mustered the courage to clasp his hand.
His palm was firm, warm. He gave her hand a light squeeze before letting go.
When he released it, Hitori dropped her head, her long bangs falling over her eyes.
Her voice trembled, as though she already regretted it:"Wait…"
Hayabusa tilted his head, puzzled.
"Wait… at least let me have some mental preparation first…"
It was then that his mischievous side surfaced.
"I'd say 'take all the time you want'…"He paused, then smirked playfully.
"…but I'll give you one month."
Hitori's head shot up, startled. She looked at him with wide eyes, like a frightened animal, as he went on with a teasing grin:
"If, after a month, you still aren't ready, if you still look like you want to change but can't take the step—I'll drag you out myself."
He hesitated for a moment, then declared—
"I swear it… in the name of a pervert."