"There are a lot of instruments in your room, huh. Can you actually play all of these?"
Ishikawa Hayabusa stepped into the sixteen-year-old girl's room, looking around with open curiosity and confidence.
Ryo glanced back at him, then at her own slightly messy room. After confirming there was nothing too embarrassing lying around, she didn't mind him looking and simply let him take it all in.
She answered softly."Mhm."
Just as Ishikawa Hayabusa had said—The walls and shelves in Ryo's room were lined with instruments: violin, guitar, bass, even a classical guitar.Everything was neatly arranged.
This place was less a typical JK (high school girl) bedroom and more a music enthusiast's studio.
But the unmistakable "JK atmosphere" was still there.
Ishikawa Hayabusa's eyes wandered over the black knee-high socks tossed at the head of the bed, the white school blouse draped casually over a chair with the dark pleated skirt thrown on top of it, the unmade blanket on the bed, and the dresser scattered with cosmetics, hair clips, earrings, and studs.
Other than that, the room wasn't too messy—probably because Nijika dropped by to help tidy up now and then.
Taking it all in, Ishikawa Hayabusa could almost feel the presence of a teenage girl here, breathing in the faint fragrance that mixed with the warm wood-and-instrument smell of the room.
Ryo, meanwhile, walked straight over to her desk and turned on the computer without bothering to play hostess.
While waiting for it to boot, she asked him,"Have you finished writing all the lyrics?"
Ishikawa Hayabusa froze for a moment, then sighed helplessly and walked over."So we're really doing this, huh."
"Of course."
A faint smile tugged at Ryo's lips—an expression that seemed to say she was looking forward to giving Nijika a memorable surprise.
Seeing her like that, Ishikawa Hayabusa chuckled."Alright then!"
He closed his eyes, letting the twisted light of inspiration ignite in his heart. In an instant, inspiration gushed forth like a fountain.
Within seconds, the boy's head shot up, his eyes gleaming brilliantly.
"Paper! Pen!" he barked.
Ryo had already taken a blank notebook and pen from the drawer and passed them to him without hesitation.
Without wasting words, Ishikawa Hayabusa grabbed a chair, sat down at the desk, and began furiously scribbling lyrics.
Ryo watched him write with bold, sweeping strokes. When she peeked at the ominous words pouring from his pen, she couldn't help but look at him with a mix of fear and admiration—this man was terrifyingly creative.
At the same time, inspiration sparked in her too. She opened her music software and began arranging the melodies in her mind into tracks at lightning speed.
When they were done, Ishikawa Hayabusa looked at the finished lyrics of the song titled "Take It All Off" and nodded with satisfaction.
He was certain that anyone who appreciated this song would probably end up having to file a police report.
As soon as he put down his pen, Ryo's eyes flicked toward his notebook."Done?" she asked.
"My proudest work yet!" Ishikawa Hayabusa declared without hesitation.
Ryo slid the notebook toward herself, took one look, froze, then wordlessly picked up her phone.
Under Ishikawa Hayabusa's very perverted stare, she pressed "1" and "1." Before she could press "0," she glanced sideways—only to find Ishikawa Hayabusa smiling brightly at her.
They stared at each other for a few seconds before Ryo gulped, quietly put away her phone, and solemnly raised her hand.
"I value my life. I swear I won't do anything like call the police."
"Good."
Ishikawa Hayabusa narrowed his eyes and smiled slyly, like a fox.
With such intense lyrics in hand, Ryo worked even faster. Her fingers flew across the keyboard and mouse, the arrangement software rapidly shaping the song's skeleton.
Watching her work so hard, Ishikawa Hayabusa felt a twinge of doubt.
Sure, she clearly had a surge of inspiration right now—but even if the song turned out great, Nijika would never agree to sing these lyrics.
Not just Nijika—everyone else would probably object too.
So why was she working so hard on this?
After a long stretch of work, just as the arrangement was almost complete, Ryo's phone rang.
She ignored it and reached out to hang up—but Ishikawa Hayabusa caught her hand.
"It's Nijika," he reminded her.
He figured Nijika must have realized the two of them had gone off together and ended up at Ryo's house.
If Ryo declined the call right now…
Then the next moment, Nijika would probably sprint over here with enough speed to break the sound barrier.
Without taking her eyes off the screen, Ryo answered the call and held it to her ear.
Her reply was brief and to the point."Nijika.""Oh. Come up."
She hung up and immediately set her hands back on the mouse and keyboard, her fingers a blur.
Her high-end PC roared in protest, its fans screaming under the workload.
Less than ten seconds later—
"Phew."
She wiped her forehead and turned to Ishikawa Hayabusa with a smile."Done."
He glanced at the export progress bar on the screen, then turned to her."So you're a pervert too, huh?"
Ryo shot him a cold look.
Feeling shunned, Ishikawa Hayabusa scratched the back of his head awkwardly and finally voiced the question that had been on his mind.
"Why do you want to make this song, Ryo? Nobody's going to agree to sing it."
Her golden eyes lingered on him for a few seconds, complicated, then shifted to the rapidly progressing export bar—and finally to the window outside.
Listening to the birds chirping unseen in the distance, she said,"I used to be in another band. I really loved their early music."
Her voice was tinged with gloom and a helplessness free of joy or sorrow.
"But as they worked harder and harder to get famous, they started writing songs just so they could sell."
"That's why I quit."
Her eyes fell back on the monitor as she said, meaningfully,"At the very least, I want the music we make at the beginning to come straight from the heart."
Ishikawa Hayabusa looked at her quiet, pensive face and understood what she was thinking—what she was afraid of.
He smiled as though laughing at her worries, then cheerfully broke the heavy mood.
"Don't worry about it. Bocchi is easy to deal with—Ryo, you're just overthinking it. Everyone in our band is unique in their own way."
Then, seeing that the export had finished, he added,"Still, there's no way we can actually perform this song. How about just the two of us sing it instead?"
Ryo, who had been looking at him silently, suddenly changed expression at his last line."No way!" she said flatly.
Ishikawa Hayabusa grinned mischievously."Partners in crime is the safest kind of relationship, Yamada Ryo. You get what I mean?"
…
Nijika walked into the yard, closing the gate behind her.
She trusted Ishikawa Hayabusa. Sure, he was playful, but he was also incredibly reliable.
Trust was one thing, though—worry was another. Thinking about some of the outrageous things he usually said, she couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
Entering the house, she slipped off her shoes and put on the guest slippers with practiced ease. The sound of her footsteps echoed down the hallway until they stopped in front of the metal screen outside Ryo's room.
For a moment, she wondered if Ishikawa Hayabusa, with his free-spirited nature, would be more restrained in a girl's house like this.
Come to think of it—Ryo had never brought anyone home besides her, right?
No way…
The two of them had been getting along pretty well lately. Could something have… happened between them?
Nijika's curiosity flared and she quickly made her way to Ryo's room.
When she got close, she stopped and told herself,"Okay, just gonna listen for a second to see if they're still talking. Gotta make sure I'm not interrupting anything. I am not thinking about anything weird."
She nodded firmly, hard enough to make her dress sway."Right!"
Then her expression shifted into mischievous catlike curiosity as she pressed her ear to the door to eavesdrop.
"Take off your clothes!"
Inside, Ishikawa Hayabusa belted out the lyrics with the passion of a rock singer.
Nijika: ???
What the heck are they doing in there?!
But she swallowed her panic and kept listening.
"Show your most primal self—use your filth to make wings, and fly—!"
Ryo's reluctant singing voice followed.
So it was a song.
Nijika breathed a sigh of relief—good thing she hadn't barged in just now, that would've been so embarrassing.
But wait… why did Ryo sound so unwilling?
Almost like she was being forced to sing.
Could it be… Ishikawa Hayabusa was making her sing?!
Nijika's expression hardened. Even if that wasn't the case, just the fact that they were singing such a weird song was enough reason for her to step in.
Without another thought, she swung the door open.
"Hayabusa-kun, Ryo, we are not performing this song—"
But her words trailed off when she saw Ishikawa Hayabusa holding up his phone, filming a very sulky-looking Ryo as she sang.
Nijika froze, stunned."Wh-what are you two even doing?!"