"A guitar?"
Hayato recognized it instantly. He frowned. "What kind of stunt are you pulling this time?"
"What do you mean, stunt?!" Anshi puffed up indignantly, placing the guitar case right on Hayato's desk. With a dramatic flourish, he unzipped it. Inside was indeed a shiny new acoustic guitar. "I just bought it yesterday!" He raised his chin proudly. "From now on, call me Musician Anshi-sama!"
Although the school did have music clubs, they weren't exactly popular, and most required some level of actual skill. In Class F, there was no such thing. So when Anshi suddenly revealed a full-sized guitar, the room's attention immediately shifted.
"Whoa, Anshi, are you trying to debut?"
"Can you even play?"
"Don't just show off… If you're just trying to use artistic flair to pick up girls, the case alone is enough. No need for the guitar itself."
Classmates teased him one after another.
Anshi brushed them off with a wave. "Nonsense! I'm joining the Light Music Club today! I'll master music and become a genius!"
Then he gave Hayato a look that clearly meant, Be proud of me, brother!
Hayato sighed. "You'd be better off starting by squatting in a closet."
"A… closet?"
"To cultivate a solitary temperament." Hayato reached out, brushing his fingertips along the guitar body. A delicate, wooden texture spread to his hand. "This must've cost you a lot."
"Of course it did! Sixty thousand yen! That's all the pocket money I've saved over the years!" Anshi winced, then declared with resolve, "But for the sake of becoming an outstanding musician, this was a necessary investment!"
Hayato looked at him like he was an idiot. "…Generally, beginners get by with a guitar around ten thousand yen."
"A good horse needs a good saddle, and a hero deserves a treasured sword! As a future musical genius, how could I demean myself with something cheap?!" Anshi spoke as if he were the founder of Japan's entire music scene.
"Guitars aren't like that," Hayato said flatly. "Even masters keep beginner models for tuning and practice. Someone like you, buying an expensive one right away, just screams amateur."
"…" Anshi was struck speechless. After a pause, he muttered, "Hayato, you know about guitars?"
"When I was in college—"
"College?!"
"Ah—no, I mean…"
…Damn. Almost slipped. Right now, "Hayato" was just a gloomy high schooler. Where would he have time for college? He quickly corrected himself with a story from his past life. "A friend of mine once bought an expensive guitar just to follow the trend. But his passion only lasted three minutes—he practiced for two days, then left it in the corner. When I was bored, I borrowed it to mess around."
"That 'friend'… was you, wasn't it?" Anshi narrowed his eyes.
Hayato rolled his own, refusing to answer. He simply propped himself on the window sill, holding Anshi's guitar in one hand, and plucked the strings experimentally.
The dull sound rang out—not terrible, but not exactly beautiful either. Yet it immediately drew gazes.
"Hey, hey, don't break it!" Anshi panicked. "That's sixty thousand yen!"
"Not tuned?"
"Tu… tuned?"
"…You really don't know anything." Hayato sighed. Passion alone, no understanding at all. It reminded him of his old roommate. Nostalgia stirred. What was she doing now?
He pressed the first string, plucking softly, then adjusted. Slowly, carefully, he worked down the strings, tuning by ear.
"What's he doing?" one classmate whispered.
"Shh…" a girl hushed him, pressing her finger to her lips. "I saw this on TV. It's called tuning. New guitars all need it."
"My friend's in the music club. He says you need a tuner for that though…"
"Apparently, if your sense of pitch is good enough, you don't." The girl's gaze stayed on Hayato, who looked completely absorbed, quiet, his hands steady on the strings. "I didn't expect him to know something like this…"
"It's not that impressive, is it? Even Hayato can do it…" one boy muttered, skeptical.
"I doubt it. My music club friend can't even do it."
The room unconsciously grew quieter, voices dropping to whispers.
Hayato finished all six strings with ease. It had been a long time, but the basics hadn't left him. "Alright."
He strummed lightly, and the difference was immediate—the guitar rang out clearer, fuller, enchanting.
"It… it sounds completely different," Anshi whispered.
"Amazing…" The girl clasped her hands, eyes shining.
"It's not about sounding good," Hayato said calmly. "It's about accuracy of pitch."
His fingers danced again, and this time, a true melody began to flow. Mournful, yet beautiful.
No one recognized the song. But everyone listened in silence.
"…It's been a while," Hayato murmured. His college days came back to him. Just for a little while…
He kept playing, his voice joining in:
"Quietly departing,Along with loneliness.Crowded memories,Erased by time—"
"What song is this?"
"Never heard it before…"
"It's… really good."
"Holy crap, how many heartbreaks do you need to sing like that?"
The entire Class F was captivated. Even the usual chatter died out.
They didn't even notice Kurashiki Reina, walking past the doorway with Kushiro Arisa. Reina stopped, emerald eyes blinking in surprise.
That gloomy Hayato…? He could play guitar? And sing this well?
Hayato inhaled deeply, pushing the song toward its climax. His emotions spilled over—
"I'm already lost in Guangdong from whoring~~And I miss the classic positions from back then~~Lying on the bed, connecting you and me, I miss you~The sister who took the money was still willful, do you believe I'll visit again~Only when I ran out of money~ did she finally give up~~"
…
The classroom froze.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/Kazenova223
If you guys wanna check it out.