Extreme Pressure Training Method?
Nijika opened its description.
[Extreme Pressure Training Method: A training regimen improved by Toru, capable of raising the upper limit of your skills by two levels while temporarily boosting your talent level by two as well.
Side effect: lifespan will not be affected, but the body will become frail.]
Eh? That powerful?
Little angel Nijika was stunned. Was this really something she could just get for free?
The side effect was a bit much, though.
But since it would not shorten her life, a little physical weakness was not so bad, right?
Charge forward!
[After obtaining the Extreme Pressure Training Method from Toru, you began to practice with even greater diligence than before.]
Yes, good.
[You knew this was the only way you could keep pace with everyone.]
[Unfortunately, as graduation approached, the upcoming entrance exams struck you head-on, forcing you to slow down.]
[At this point, you decided—]
[1. Drop out! Abandon everything for the dream!]
[2. Play it safe and see how it goes.]
[3. Rock? Don't know it well. Starting tomorrow, prepare for the University of Tokyo's science division entrance exam!]
Nijika: "O△O"
Prepare for the entrance exam for the science division? That was practically asking for her life!
Pick 2.
[After agonizing for several days, your cautious side won and you abandoned such a thought.]
Did that really need so much struggle?
[One day, after practice in the starlit rehearsal room, you set down your drumsticks, caught everyone's attention, and with an apologetic smile told them that for the second half of the year you would need to prepare for entrance exams, and your activity might decrease.]
[The others in Kessoku Band understood your decision. After summer break, you reduced your activity, keeping only the bare minimum of practice sessions.]
[Soon, time quietly turned to September.]
[Because of that conversation in the park, your relationship with Toru had grown much closer. In private, he often made time after band practice to help tutor everyone.]
[According to him, teaching others was also a way of learning. He explained that this method was called the Feynman Technique, from Nobel laureate Richard Feynman.]
[You were impressed by how much he knew, but Toru only smiled shyly.]
[His smile was so gentle. Sadly, that gentleness did not belong to you alone, but to everyone in the band.]
Nijika stared at the simulator screen.
Kitahara-kun's smile really was beautiful, with a warmth that could heal hearts.
If only she could monopolize that gentleness, how wonderful it would be.
[In October, Shimokitazawa High School held its cultural festival. Because of its strict traditions, there were usually no exciting events, and its reputation as a prep school rested on discipline.]
[In the past, Shimokitazawa High never allowed bands to perform. But this year, because Toru had ranked first in the national mock exams in September, the school administration made an exception and relaxed the rules.]
National first?
Nijika realized she had underestimated Kitahara-kun's abilities.
He was no study genius. He was a study god.
[Students called him a hero, praise pouring in endlessly. You were happy too, but you could not help recalling half a year ago when Toru had founded the Light Music Club with the goal of performing at the school festival.]
[After school, as you bent to pour him tea, you saw his lazy appearance and wondered, could someone who wasted every afternoon snacking and idling really perform well?]
[As the festival neared, the Light Music Club finally came alive. Toru composed several original songs. He was talented, even pieces he made casually drew repeated admiration from Yamada Ryo.]
[When composing, Toru considered your abilities, setting the difficulty exactly at a level you could play perfectly, not too high and not too low.]
[During evening practice, as you played the drums, you could easily sense his care for you hidden in tiny details.]
[Each time, you would instinctively look at him. Toru, too, would look at you. In the glow of the sunset, his expression was filled with boundless gentleness.]
[After spending over half a year together day after day, your feelings for each other grew warmer. Sometimes, just one glance was enough to understand.]
Hearts connected...?
So embarrassing.
Nijika covered her reddening cheeks, unable to watch the simulator screen showing herself exchanging tender looks with Kitahara.
Soon, she forced herself past her shyness and continued watching.
[The Light Music Club's preparation for the festival ended quickly. That day, you stood on Shimokitazawa High's stage, under the gaze of hundreds of students and teachers.]
[The red curtain slowly rose. You knew a memory unique to your high school days was about to be made.]
[Halfway through the performance.]
[Sitting at the far back of the stage, you watched the boy and girl before you playing in perfect harmony. For some reason, your mood sank.]
[Toru's skill was even greater than you had thought. A year ago, his guitar had been nothing special, but now it shone with colors that made the entire audience cheer.]
[Ten minutes later, a flawless live performance ended.]
[Your youth seemed to fall with that red curtain as it closed.]
[Through three years of high school, you had not gained love, nor significant improvement in skill. Even in the final performance at the cultural festival, as the drummer, you could only sit behind the two of them. The brilliance belonged entirely to them. All you won was solitude, like an outsider.]
An outsider.
Nijika's heart sank. She refused to look at those three words and kept scrolling down.
[After the performance, you went to karaoke to celebrate. It was a joyful time.]
[When you got home, you adjusted your mood. You no longer brooded over the performance. After all, you had long noticed Ryo's feelings for Toru. You decided the Light Music Club was best left as it was.]
[In the final winter of high school, you resolved to bury your feelings for Toru deep inside, saving them for the future.]
[You no longer met his gaze, and you deliberately avoided his conversations.]
[Thus, cracks began to form in your relationship.]
Nijika looked at the simulator screen, at the two of them drifting apart, silent for a long while.
She knew this really was the best choice for now.
If three people tangled together, someone was bound to get hurt.
[A week later, Toru disbanded the Light Music Club. According to him, its founding purpose had been achieved, and there was no longer a need for it to exist.]
[Faced with this, Ryo remained silent. She would always unconditionally agree with Toru's decisions.]
[And because you had deliberately distanced yourself, your relationship with him had fallen to its lowest point. By now you had no standing to object.]
[Regret flooded your heart. You had pulled away from Toru to preserve the club's harmony, but you never expected the club would dissolve because of you.]
[When you got home, you curled up under your blanket, not knowing what to do.]
[You felt terrible.]
[You could not understand... You had found your first love, your first friend with whom you could share everything and chase dreams. Why did it have to end like this?]
[Two joyful things had overlapped, and their overlap had brought you even greater joy. It should have been happiness as beautiful as a dream. But why... why did it become like this?]