Nijika and Ryo weren't idiots—they could clearly see the conflicted look on Kita Ikuyo's face.
But since Kita had answered so quickly just now, neither of them thought she was unwilling to perform.
Noticing the way she kept sneaking glances at Ryo, they assumed she was worried about coordinating with her, or perhaps about small details like differences in performance style.
"It's fine. We'll practice together before we get on stage. And it's just a cover of some popular songs, right, Ryo?"Nijika said, turning toward Ryo for confirmation.
Don't be fooled by Ryo's aloof and sometimes standoffish attitude—she still cared about her bandmates."Mm. A relaxed performance."
"Y—" Kita barely got a word out before the store manager, Seika, called out from nearby."Customers just came in."
"Coming~!"Nijika answered in her cute, bright voice, then turned back to the others."Let's talk tomorrow, then. Good work, everyone."
"Yeah."Ishikawa Hayabusa nodded and rose to his feet."Guess I'll head home too."
"Bye-bye." Ryo gave a small wave.
"Me too."Kita, looking as though she had finally made up her mind about something, slung her guitar on her back and followed behind Ishikawa Hayabusa toward the exit of the live house.
"Kita-chan, be careful on your way home!"Nijika called from behind the counter, raising her voice to reach Kita, who was standing on the staircase.
Walking a few steps ahead, Ishikawa Hayabusa froze at those words, a question mark flashing across his mind.
He knew Nijika was reminding Kita not to overthink things and to stay focused on her way home. But somehow, it still sounded strange to him.
Leaving STARRY, they climbed the sunken stairs to ground level. The city's blend of noise and loneliness swept against Ishikawa Hayabusa's school uniform, but he stood unmoving, like a steel tower.
He looked up at the sky. It was painted in a burnt blend of orange and blue.
Another beautiful day.
But today came with deductions.
Turning back, he saw Kita Ikuyo walking with her head hung low. He stopped and waited for her to catch up.
During that moment, one or two cheerful customers passed him, chatting excitedly as they made their way toward the live house, full of anticipation.
Kita finally reached the top of the stairs. Feeling a presence beside her, she looked up.
Ishikawa Hayabusa was standing still, as if deliberately waiting for her.
She forced a smile onto her face and asked,"Ishikawa-kun, what's wrong?"
"When you run into trouble, sometimes the cleanest way is to cut it off quickly. Running away isn't always a bad thing."Ishikawa Hayabusa said it with deliberate weight.
Kita froze. Wait—had he noticed?
Had he figured out that she couldn't actually play the guitar?
"Um… Ishikawa-kun…"Her voice wavered as she tried to explain, but Ishikawa spoke again, his tone calm, unlike the usually excited way he carried himself.
"Since we're in the same band, you can just call me by my name. Also… I'm looking forward to your performance."
What was that supposed to mean?
Kita was completely lost.
First he told her it was fine to run away, and now he was saying he looked forward to her performance? She couldn't make sense of it at all.
But there was no mistaking the warmth and concern in his words. So Kita smiled and nodded."Mm. I'll do my best."
The next day, Ishikawa Hayabusa sat slouched in a train seat, flipping lazily through the synthesizer manual he held in one hand.
There was no school today. He wore a three-quarter-sleeve jacket over a white T-shirt, with dark casual pants. His crossbody bag sat at his side. Simple, clean clothes paired with his handsome, gentle face made him radiate youthful charm.
Not far away, two high school girls in uniform kept sneaking glances at him.
His looks were dangerously misleading.
Of course, for anyone who knew him, his odd personality wiped away any chance of being deceived.
When his stop came, Ishikawa shoved the manual into his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and headed straight for STARRY.
At the door, he gave it a push—the lock wasn't set.
He had arrived much earlier than the agreed time, yet Nijika was already there.
As he stepped into the warmly lit underground space, he saw her sitting on a chair, looking this way with a bright, expectant smile.
"Good morning~!"The instant he entered, Nijika greeted him excitedly, waving her hand high, the red ribbon on her wrist swaying with the motion.
"Morning, Nijika."Ishikawa glanced around. No one else seemed to be there."Are the others not here yet?"
"Ryo's never on time." Nijika laughed.
Then, as if bracing herself for a long wait, she rested her chin in her hand, her beautiful red eyes fixed on Ishikawa.
Wait. Was it just the two of them right now?
Oh God. My brain is already wandering into greedy thoughts.
Ishikawa walked down the stairs fully and sat across from her.
"You're really early today, Hayabusa-kun. Ah—right." Nijika suddenly stood, walking over to the counter. "What drink do you like?"
"Orange juice is fine."Ishikawa didn't stand on ceremony—he didn't have the luxury to, anyway.
If Ryo was always late, then Nijika must have come early just to open the place for him and Kita. She'd probably been waiting quite a while already.
His eyes lingered on her as she worked behind the counter. Nijika quickly poured two glasses of juice, scribbled something down at the bar, then came over and set a drink in front of him.
"By the way, Hayabusa-kun, you're really amazing. You learned the keyboard so fast."Her voice carried genuine admiration as she sat back down.
Then, with a playful lilt in her tone and a teasing look in her eyes, she added,"Or maybe… you already knew how to play piano?"
Her cuteness made Ishikawa smile without realizing it."I don't lie. This is just the power of a pervert."
The unexpected answer made Nijika blink, then she leaned in curiously."Why does Hayabusa-kun call himself a pervert?"
She didn't believe for a second that Ishikawa Hayabusa was the type to do anything gross, indecent, or cheap.
She had thought so ever since that day of the street performance.
True to form, Ishikawa answered honestly."There are a few meanings… but at the core, it's just to give myself courage. Because if you're a pervert, then you can—"
Before he could finish, the front door opened.
Kita Ikuyo descended the stairs. Seeing that two people were already there, she greeted them awkwardly."Sorry, I'm late."
"No way, we're still early. Kita-chan, you don't have to make it sound like a date or something."Nijika teased while getting to her feet.
"What do you want to drink, Kita-chan?"
"Do you… have yogurt here?"Kita asked curiously as she made her way down.
"Of course!" Nijika replied proudly.
Kita watched as Nijika took out a bottle from the fridge, then glanced at the price list on the counter and began pulling money from her wallet.
When Nijika brought the yogurt over and saw the coins left on the counter, the two immediately began playfully arguing over payment.
But Ishikawa Hayabusa's eyes were fixed on Kita's left hand.
After watching for a while, he was sure: three of her slender fingers were wrapped in band-aids.
What a shame. She hasn't given up.
…Could it be that she's an idiot too?