08:49
Two weeks had already passed since the start of the school year. September greeted the students with warm, sunny days, giving them a little more time to savor the remnants of summer. For some, it had ended too quickly—thanks to lingering exams and internships. Those were mostly the same careless students who loved putting everything off until "later." They existed on every course, in every group, on every floor—like some damn sect called "Deadline-Fuckers and Masters of Dick-Kicking."
One of their devoted followers sat at a café table, nervously tapping a pencil while staring intently at the scribbled sheet of paper in front of him. Beside it stood a half-empty coffee cup, a wrapper from a devoured éclair, and a phone whose clock was inexorably ticking toward 09:00. His friends would arrive soon, and the action plan (hereafter referred to as the "escape plan") still wasn't finished. Calling it a "song" felt wrong—his conscience wouldn't allow it. Venti sighed painfully, pressing a palm to his forehead, almost smacking himself hard enough to jolt his brain and force at least one useful idea into his head in the ten miserable minutes he had left. Venti was a grand master at mismanaging his time. Even now, having set the meeting for nine, he hadn't calculated that one hour simply wouldn't be enough to "finish the lyrics."
Venti tried to focus, but every time he heard the cursed doorbell above the café entrance announcing someone's arrival, he got distracted. That sound had already driven the owner of the cute braids to the edge of a nervous tic, making him flinch and turn toward every newcomer.
Venti started writing the lyrics, hurriedly scrawling letters, but everything came out crooked and awkward. There it was—the creed of the "I'll do it later" sect in action: everything done quickly, half-assed, any-old-how, and "five minutes before the deadline."
The guy heard the damn bell again, instantly turning around, and reflexively shifted his gaze back to the paper. But a second later, he realized he'd actually spotted a familiar silhouette in the doorway. Venti turned again and, horrified, confirmed that it wasn't his imagination… and it really was one of the people the meeting had been scheduled with.
It was Xiao.
Why the hell did he show up ten minutes early?! Venti mentally snorted, remembering that nothing less should be expected from this guy. If anyone had no issues with studies, time management, or scheduling, it was him. Annoyingly perfect.
Xiao silently raised a hand in greeting, meeting Venti's gaze, and headed to the end of the short queue at the counter. Venti, snapping out of it, frantically resumed writing the lyrics, feeling an unpleasant sinking sensation in his stomach from the anxiety of the impending scandal. Well, depending on Heizou's mood. If he'd lost big again last night or just woken up on the wrong side of the bed, the yelling would be so loud that no escape plan would be needed. He'd just kill him. Right here.
While the guy hastily scribbled words with his pencil in hopes of finishing something, he caught snippets of a couple of excited sighs from passing girls. Venti knew who they were looking at, giggling shyly and slowing down the line, forcing the slightly annoyed barista to raise her voice to get the customers to pay attention and finally place their orders.
"Xiao? Can I have your autograph? Please!"
"No," came the dry reply, followed by disappointed sighs.
Venti smirked, almost grinning fully. Why was he so pleased? Because he knew Xiao never gave autographs. Or because it flattered him that this "coveted" signature belonged only to him. Yes, even though he and Xiao had been broken up for half a year now, Venti lovingly kept every gift he'd ever received from him. Maybe in a few years he could sell Xiao's autograph for a fortune and live comfortably until old age.
Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice the brunet approaching the table. Xiao looked relaxed, as always. Today he was dressed all in black—it didn't mean anything specific, but Venti noted that lately their bassist had been favoring only dark tones. His hair was loose, falling carelessly over his calm face.
"Hey," came the voice that had once felt so familiar, and Venti met Xiao's gaze as he set a cup of coffee on the table, holding another in his hand.
"Hey there," the boy replied hurriedly, burying his nose back in the paper.
"I'm going out for a smoke."
Venti pressed his lips together, stealing a glance at Xiao's retreating back and feeling a surge of bitterness. He knew the coffee he'd bought wasn't for him. He knew this guy had been avoiding being alone with Venti ever since they broke up six months ago. Had it affected their band? No, because both of them were aware and tried for the sake of their friends. They'd had to quickly bury any grudges so their year of hard work wouldn't collapse like a house of cards. Any misunderstanding, even in a small group of four musicians, could have huge consequences. Realizing this, Venti and Xiao had managed without fights or scandals, leaving their feelings about their failed relationship offstage. One with a bottle of wine, the other with a pack of cigarettes.
There was no time to dwell on the past. He had to write the lyrics.
Finally, after a few minutes, almost everyone had gathered at the table: Xiao returned to the café along with Kazuha, who was leisurely saying something to his friend on the way to the table. Heizou followed them, veering toward the counter midway to order coffee. Venti carefully watched the latter's face, hoping to spot hints of a good mood. Yeah, good luck.
"Hey!" Kaedehara greeted Venti with a soft smile and sat down in the chair. Kazuha was clearly more energetic than the others—probably because early rising was nothing new to him. "You decided to gather us pretty early today," the light-haired boy noted.
"Hm," Xiao made a meaningful sound and sat beside him, handing Kazuha the coffee he'd bought earlier. "This is for you."
"Thanks," Kazuha smiled warmly, accepting the still-hot cup and taking a sip. Maple syrup flavor, as usual.
"Man, I wish I could reach your level of relationship so Xiao would buy me coffee too," Venti said dreamily, resting his face in his hands, but instantly received a serious, cold stare from amber eyes in response. Damn, he really doesn't get jokes like that…
"You have too specific coffee preferences," Heizou chimed in, appearing beside them. He smirked slyly, hinting that Venti only drank coffee one way—with cognac.
"You know everything!"
"That's because someone needs to keep an eye on you," Shikanoin plopped into a chair, placing his freshly bought latte in front of him while tugging at the sleeve of his black denim jacket. "Alright, bard, spill why you dragged us out so early."
Right…
Venti straightened up abruptly, tensing immediately. He was glad to see his friends, but remembering the reason made him want to shrink or just bolt. Two pairs of eyes (Xiao was looking off to the side, sipping his coffee) stared at him expectantly, waiting for a sound, but Venti couldn't find the right opening line that wouldn't sound too pathetic or like a lame excuse. He wasn't entirely sure if he should even start the meeting when not everyone was here… Yes, their band was fully assembled, but Venti wanted to introduce his friends to someone else too.
"Guys, so…" Venti paused, watching his friends' faces shift slightly with shades of confusion. Several seconds passed before Heizou finally broke the silence:
"Well?"
Venti glanced at the "escape plan," realizing he hadn't come up with any opening words. How could he miss that? How had he let things get this far? How was he sitting here, after a year of hard work, about to announce that maybe it had all been for nothing? Venti wasn't sure how the guys would react to today's news.
"Venti?" Kazuha couldn't hold back any longer, his tone growing more worried. "Are you going to tell us what happened?"
"I…" the brunet pressed his lips together and lowered his gaze. Maybe he should wait a bit longer? After all, one person was still missing from this meeting. His presence might soften the edges of this stupid conversation.
"I 'what'?" Heizou pressed, starting to list possibilities. "I forgot the safe password again? I'm leaving for a month again? I'm—actually straight?"
"Heizou," Kaedehara scolded him sternly.
"What? How serious do you think the reason has to be to drag us out at this hour?" Shikanoin smirked, voicing the obvious. "You can never be ready for his antics."
Venti swallowed the rising offense. No, not because of Heizou's words—he always did that: he loved throwing sharp jabs and couldn't go a day without it. No, the reason was different. It was the regret over what he was about to do. The guy raised his eyes to Xiao and saw nothing in them: no worry, no curiosity…
"I'm probably leaving the band," Venti finally said, trying to keep his voice steady.
08:25
Kazuha was getting ready for the meeting. He sat in the hallway, putting on his shoes while glancing at the watch on his wrist. He still had a good half hour until nine, so he wasn't rushing, but knowing Heizou—with whom he'd agreed to go together—he decided to head out early anyway. Adjusting the collar of his beige windbreaker, Kaedehara stood up, grabbing his phone and keys from the dresser, when he sensed someone's presence in the hallway. He turned sharply and saw his neighbor lazily shuffling across the parquet in her pink pajamas.
"Kazuha? Where are you off to?"
"Good morning, Kokomi," the light-haired boy smiled softly. "Venti messaged yesterday and asked us to meet at the café."
"Oh," Kokomi frowned and yawned briefly, covering her mouth with her hand. "He usually sleeps until noon."
"Yeah, probably something important," Kazuha's voice softened, but his smile didn't fade. The boy was a bit anxious about the upcoming meeting. Was something really wrong? But what could have happened? Venti was too lazy to wake up this early for something trivial, and he wouldn't drag his friends out of warm beds even under threat of death. If Kazuha could still get up early (healthy lifestyle and all), he could feel Xiao's grumbling and Heizou's curses from several blocks away—these two, with their wrecked sleep schedules, were clearly not thrilled about this early outing.
"If you're going to the café, could you pick something up on the way…" Kokomi didn't finish because the front door slammed open with force and noise, followed by a loud:
"Good morning, everyone!"
Kazuha turned to see a breathless Gorou, who hurriedly tossed his gym bag onto the floor and quickly kicked off his sneakers.
"Good morning, Gorou," the friends replied almost in unison, watching as the boy deftly slipped past them, rushing upstairs. The young man ran at full speed, successfully climbing several steps, but a couple of seconds later, a crash echoed from the second floor.
"Gorou…" Kokomi began.
"I'm fine! The nightstand, damn it… Fuck!"
"As always…" the girl sighed, shaking her head, and noticed Kazuha's warm smile. He always smiled so kindly when it came to Gorou.
"Where's he rushing off to?"
"Probably the student council again," Sangonomiya gathered her hair into a ponytail, tying it with the elastic on her wrist. "Certification is coming up," she added, then flinched at another crash from the stairs.
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" followed. "Everything's fine! I just…" Gorou hurried downstairs, already changed into a different shirt and pants. He was somehow pulling a sock onto his foot while moving. When did he even manage to change?!
"Are you late for a train or something?" Kokomi asked, arms crossed.
"No!" Gorou shoved his feet into his sneakers. "I urgently need to… Sara will kill me if I'm late!" he tossed over his shoulder, grabbing his jacket and bolting out the door.
"Don't kill yourself first!" Kazuha called after his friend with a joking tone.
"Very funny!" Gorou shouted back and sprinted straight to the gate.
Kazuha chuckled, while Kokomi just shook her head, remembering her request:
"Right, Kazuha! Please pick up a package from the admin office. Sara was supposed to sign it for me."
Kazuha finally left the house and headed toward the campus exit. The area consisted of identical two-story houses arranged in a pattern, each surrounded by a fence and gate. The paths were paved with stone, the lawns neatly trimmed, trees planted, and benches with lanterns scattered everywhere. Kazuha didn't particularly enjoy walking these streets—they were boring, lacking any scenic beauty worth admiring. He lived in one house with Gorou and Kokomi. Though the three split the rent, Kaedehara usually slept in his own apartment—a spacious place gifted by his parents long before their passing. But tonight he'd stayed here in the dorms because he'd received a message from Venti yesterday evening.
Remembering it, Kazuha tensed again. He really hoped their dear vocalist wouldn't decide to take another month-long vacation to some warm destination. Or announce they'd have to change rehearsal venues again. You could expect anything from Venti. The guy was completely unreliable, which could lead to disaster. That's what Kazuha feared most. But despite his inconsistency, it was thanks to Venti that their band "ANEMO" even existed.
A year and a half ago, Venti suggested Kazuha start a band. He'd come up with the idea at the perfect time—right after high school graduation, when Kaedehara had no idea what he wanted to do next. He loved playing guitar, writing poetry, and living freely. There were prospects to study abroad, but leaving all his friends and loved ones? Kazuha probably couldn't do that. Who would wake Venti for classes in the morning? Or help Gorou and make sure the workaholic didn't burn himself out? What about their tradition with Yoimiya and Thoma—going to the pizzeria every Friday and stuffing themselves silly? It all meant too much to the young musician's heart, so he decided to stay and continue studying in his hometown, sweetening the mediocre plan with Venti's idea to start a music lovers' club. Well, a club… More like a place where they could both indulge in their hobby: write lyrics, occasionally jam on guitars, and sometimes drink. Of course, the whole thing revolved around the last part, and "sometimes" meant "almost always." Though both genuinely loved their hobby, neither planned to give up creative binges. To their surprise, after some time, they realized… they were actually pretty good? Kazuha had been playing guitar since middle school and had gotten quite skilled. Venti had a god-given voice and played keys beautifully.
So the friends had to come up with a plan and find like-minded people when they realized their idea wouldn't stay just mindless drinking. They did it lazily (almost not at all), just casually mentioning their band among classmates and friends. It was going nowhere until fate took pity and sent them a talented bassist—and, in Venti's and hundreds of fans' opinion, a god in every way.
One girl from the medical faculty mentioned during a board game night that her brother played guitar pretty well but led a reclusive life and hadn't spoken to anyone in a while. She didn't mention that her brother was a former member of the once-famous band "Yaksa," which had disbanded due to a tragedy a year earlier. As soon as Venti shook Hu Tao for details—forcing her to spill everything she could about this "Xiao" (she withheld what she couldn't, knowing her brother wouldn't exactly pat her head for it)—that same evening, Venti grabbed Kazuha by the shoulders and declared they needed to recruit this guy at any cost. To the question "why the fuck?" he gave a simple answer: "I'm telling you, he plays like a god! My… my gut tells me!" Kazuha was amazed at the stunts his friend pulled (especially sober). But he didn't refuse to meet the interesting guy, so a few days later they brazenly showed up at Xiao's apartment. Seeing him in person, Kazuha understood everything instantly. Venti had just fallen for a hot guy and dragged Kaedehara straight to his place. Even if this hottie had never touched a guitar in his life and would've had to Google what it was for, Venti would've found an excuse to barge in and meet him. Of course, both were told to "fuck off" by the guy, but that hardly stopped the braid-owner. Over the next few days, he tripled his efforts to recruit the new acquaintance into the "band." Watching all his attempts and the indifference on Xiao's face—occasionally swapped for irritation—Kazuha knew nothing would come of it.