Uika Misumi never imagined she would run into her old friend, Togawa Sakiko, here of all places. It had been a long, long time since their last meeting, but she recognized her immediately.
Even faced with such a chance encounter, Uika Misumi didn't feel the urge to approach her.
Because at that moment, Sakiko wasn't alone.
"That boy… I think I saw him last time at Evening Primrose…"
Uika frowned slightly, a flicker of confusion in her gaze.
With his black hair and black eyes, Kazami Haru's appearance was hard to forget. His striking features were the kind that talent scouts would chase down for a contact number, anyone who saw him once wouldn't forget him easily.
Uika was no exception.
"He knows Sakiko too?"
Curiosity began to rise in her heart. The last time she'd exchanged a few words with Haru was at the Evening Primrose planetarium. Back then, the girl by his side had been named Takamatsu Tomori.
That girl had been a member of CRYCHIC, the band Sakiko used to be in.
When she saw how close Tomori and Haru seemed, Uika had assumed the two were dating.
Even though Haru had denied it at the time, she always believed it was only a matter of time before the two became a couple. Yet now, seeing Sakiko walking with him, completely threw her expectations off.
"What's going on here…"
Wearing a baseball cap, Uika Misumi felt something was off. A sense of doubt crept into her mind.
Her eyes were completely fixed on Togawa Sakiko, so much so that she didn't notice a familiar face approaching her.
"Hm?"
Carrying her instrument case, Yahata Umiri walked right past Uika by chance. She had just wrapped up a gig as a "mercenary" musician and happened to be passing by. The moment she saw the girl, she stopped.
There was a flicker of puzzlement on Umiri's composed and striking face. She stepped a little closer, quickly recognizing the blonde girl in the baseball cap as her classmate, Uika Misumi.
Out of courtesy, Umiri called out softly—
"Misumi-san."
She waited a moment, but got no response.
Hmm?
That made Umiri frown slightly, and she picked up her pace.
Once she was fully beside Misumi, she gently tapped her on the shoulder and asked again, this time with a hint of concern in her voice, "Misumi-san?"
"Eh? Yahata-san…"
Finally snapped out of her daze, Uika Misumi turned her attention back to the present.
Seeing Umiri beside her, realization dawned. She gave a small apologetic smile, eyebrows knitted slightly in regret.
"Sorry, Yahata-san. I was spacing out just now."
"It's fine."
Yahata Umiri shook her head lightly, she didn't mind at all.
Still, a flicker of curiosity lingered in her heart.
At school or on television, as a member of an idol group, Uika Misumi was always the picture of poise and professionalism. It was rare to catch her zoning out like this.
What had caught her attention?
Umiri had noticed that Misumi had been staring blankly in one direction, so she followed her gaze and just caught a glimpse of a figure with black hair.
Though the two figures soon disappeared into a corner of the street, Umiri's sharp eyes quickly recognized them.
Hmm? Isn't that the keyboardist from Taki's new band…?
And the girl walking with him… wasn't she the keyboardist from Taki's former band?
It was unexpected to see two keyboardists randomly together like that. Clearly, Uika had been watching them just now.
But Umiri couldn't tell which one she had been focused on.
With a thoughtful pause, she spoke up—
"Wasn't that Haru?"
His name is Haru?
Uika, still a bit distracted, perked up at the name. When she met Haru before, she hadn't thought to ask his name but now, thanks to Umiri, she knew.
"Yahata-san, you know him?"
Uika's question was tinged with surprise. Umiri tilted her head slightly in response, her cool, composed expression giving way to subtle understanding.
"I wouldn't say I know him well. We've just met once."
"I see… I only noticed because he was walking with my friend, and it caught my attention…"
Your friend?
She must mean the keyboardist from CRYCHIC.
But Misumi's wording gave Umiri a new, unexpected guess.
After a short pause, Umiri raised her left wrist and checked the time. Seeing she still had a little to spare, she lifted her eyes again.
"He's in a band with Taki now. He's their keyboardist."
"Shiina-san?"
At the mention of Shiina Taki, a flash of surprise lit up Misumi's violet, butterfly-like eyes. A strange thought began to take shape in her mind.
That soft, animal-like girl she had seen at the planetarium, apparently she and Kazami Haru were in a band together. Misumi had been sure the two were basically a couple in the making.
But now that she'd seen Togawa Sakiko with him, everything had changed.
It had been ages since Misumi had last seen her childhood friend. Until now, she had relied on Sakiko's few words as motivation for her work, treating them as her emotional anchor.
Yet upon seeing Sakiko again, Misumi noticed something in her smile that she had never seen before.
Gentle and soft, with eyes focused solely on the boy beside her, it was like Sakiko had transformed into a girl in love.
It was similar to the kind and warm Sakiko Misumi remembered… but something about it felt entirely different.
"Thank you, Yahata-san."
Uika Misumi smiled as she thanked Yahata Umiri for the information.
"No need to thank me."
"I have to get going now, so I'll head out."
With a calm expression, Yahata Umiri gave a small nod before coolly hoisting her bass and striding off in the direction of her home.
Even though her face remained as impassive as ever, the "mercenary" Umiri still made a mental note about Misumi.
So that's how it is.JPG
Once Yahata Umiri's figure had completely disappeared, Uika Misumi pulled her baseball cap a little lower.
"…Haru, huh?"
Whether it was Takamatsu Tomori from before or Sakiko now, both seemed to have rather ambiguous relationships with him.
Because Kazami Haru's appearance was so misleading, Uika's guard was gradually going up. People in rock bands often had at least a few stereotypical traits.
And that Kazami might just be one of them.
Uika hesitated, should she tell Togawa Sakiko about this directly?
But after thinking it over, she decided to calm herself first. Better to gather more information before making any moves.
Umiri had said Kazami was in a band with Shiina Taki. Uika figured she could try probing Shiina a bit, see if she could learn more about Kazami through her.
7:00 PM –
Kazami Haru, now separated from the beautiful and awe-inspiring Sakiko-sensei, was walking home to his cozy little apartment.
Bzz bzz…
The sudden vibration of his phone caught Haru's attention. Carrying a bento in one hand, he casually took out his phone.
He thought it was probably a message from the Kessoku Band group chat, but to his surprise, it was yet another private message from Nagasaki Soyo.
What's up with this woman now?
Haru raised an eyebrow but still opened the LINE chat window without hesitation.
[Nagasaki Soyo: I truly apologize for what happened today. I shouldn't have acted like that without asking first.]
[Nagasaki Soyo: If there's anything I can do, just say the word.]
[Nagasaki Soyo: Haru-san, you're angry, aren't you? I mean… it's totally normal if you are…]
As Haru opened the app, the messages hit him all at once. With LINE showing read receipts, he couldn't pretend he hadn't seen them. The phone kept buzzing right after he read the batch.
[Nagasaki Soyo: Haru-san, are you reading this?]
The moment he saw that, Haru felt a chill run down his spine.
He really wanted to just turn off his phone and pretend he hadn't seen it, but damn LINE and its read notifications. Once he opened it, there was no going back.
Clearly, Soyo had seen that he'd read the messages, that's why she'd sent a follow-up so fast.
If he didn't reply after reading them… he didn't even want to imagine how Soyo would react.
After hesitating a moment, Haru finally began typing.
[Want to be used as fertilizer: Sorry, I was working and didn't see your messages.]
[Want to be used as fertilizer: I'm not mad about what happened today. If I put myself in your shoes, I get it. You were probably worried about a friend who hadn't been in touch. I'd probably feel the same. So really, don't worry about it.]
Normally, Soyo would reply instantly. But this time, she seemed to hesitate for a moment—oddly enough.
Still, before Haru could wonder too much, a new reply popped up.
[Nagasaki Soyo: Thank you, Haru-san.]
[Want to be used as fertilizer: No problem. Hearing what you said today about CRYCHIC helped me understand a bit more. I really think there must be some kind of misunderstanding between you all.]
[Want to be used as fertilizer: If you ever need anything, feel free to reach out again.]
[Want to be used as fertilizer: We're bandmates now. We're in this together, musical partners bound by fate.]
Soyo didn't send another message after that. But Haru had already made things clear and even offered a few comforting words. That should be enough to put her mind at ease.
"Phew~ That should settle things."
Seeing Soyo's message, Kazami Haru let out a slow breath of relief.
Just as he was about to put his phone away, a single clear raindrop landed right in the middle of the screen.
The thick blanket of dark clouds overhead began to churn. With that one drop, the oppressive air cracked open. As if some faint, unseen gate had just been unlatched.
The next second, the ground beneath his feet began to thrum with heavy, rapid taps, raindrops falling like drumbeats. The cold, damp touch ran up his spine, and in an instant, the sky was cloaked in a dark curtain of rain.
Haru's lips curled into a smug little grin. He pulled an umbrella from his backpack like he'd been waiting for this.
"Thank god. My hard-won bento was this close to getting ruined."
His voice carried a note of genuine relief.
Umbrella held high, Haru walked at a steady pace across the rain-slick asphalt, heading toward his cozy apartment. As he moved, the world around him blurred in shades of gray—his ears filled only with the rhythmic patter of raindrops tapping the umbrella.
As he turned the corner, something silver flashed in the edge of his vision.
"Hm?"
A strange glint entered his eyes as he glanced toward the shuttered shopping arcade.
There, crouched beneath the overhang, was a white-haired girl soaked to the skin.
She wore a loose black short-sleeve shirt paired with grayish-white sleeve wraps. Her wet clothes clung to her, outlining the shape of her slender frame. Her soaked silver hair clung to her cheeks and the back of her neck. The raindrops on her skin only made her already pale complexion seem even more porcelain and flushed.
Water dripped slowly from her clothes onto the ground, pooling into a mirror-clear puddle that perfectly reflected her pair of mismatched golden and blue eyes—mischievous and mysterious.
Isn't that the stray cat from the band?
Seeing her drenched like a drowned kitten, Haru instantly understood the situation.
She'd probably been out wandering around like usual or maybe playing with actual stray cats and lost track of time. Before she could head home, the downpour had caught her completely off guard.
Sighing at the sight of the soaked and pitiful Raana, Haru stepped forward.
"Raana, you okay?"
The sudden voice snapped Raana out of her daze. She had been fixated on a trail of ants.
When she looked up and saw Haru, her bright heterochromatic eyes blinked once, then curved in a smile on her already adorable face.
But then she seemed to remember how thoroughly the rain had "attacked" her. With a look of mild frustration, she furrowed her delicate brows.
"Wet… sticky… it's uncomfortable."
Just like how cats hate water by nature, cat-like girls like Raana really hated getting soaked.
"Yeah, obviously. Stay out in the rain like this and you'll catch a cold."
There was no way Haru was going to leave her out here like this.
It was already late, and with Raana soaked from head to toe, even the slightest breeze could send her straight into a nasty fever.
"How about I walk you home?"
"…My guitar. It'll get wet."
Raana shook her head in distress. Haru's eyes shifted to the guitar case she was sheltering behind her.
Raana always lugged her guitar and a case full of effects pedals around on a little cart. With no umbrella and a sudden downpour, she must've done her best just to keep the guitar from getting soaked.
That guitar, her grandmother's, was very important to her.
"This is a pain…"
Haru frowned, thinking carefully.
The guitar case was high quality, sure, but there was no telling if water might sneak in through the seams. Electric guitars don't do well with moisture. If rain seeped into the wood, it could warp or crack.
And hauling her all the way home in this weather didn't seem realistic either.
There was another way, though.
Haru's apartment was just around the corner. If he held the umbrella over her guitar and brought her back to his place to wait out the rain, that would solve everything.
The issue was… how could he just bring someone to his place like that?
"…Guess I've got no choice."
Expression unreadable, Haru pulled out his phone and called Matsugi Ririko.
As RiNG's most dependable staff member, Ririko was practically Raana's handler. She always seemed to be the one looking after her. Haru had heard Ririko was close with Raana's family too. If anyone could smooth things over, it'd be her.
"Hey, Ririko-san?"
…
A moment later—
"Then Haru-kun, I'll leave Raana in your care for the night~!"
On the other end, Ririko's voice was cheerful and teasing.
She confirmed she knew Raana's family well, and said she'd explain the situation to them herself. With their approval, she left Raana in Haru's care for the evening.
"…You're not serious, right?"
"Of course I'm serious! Little Raana's your bandmate, remember? You're really gonna make her walk all the way home like this?" Ririko's voice sounded like she thought it was the most natural thing in the world.
"And her family's okay with this?"
"I already called them, totally fine!"
Seriously? Isn't that a bit too trusting?
Raana was still a girl, after all. Were her family really that chill?
"..."
Staring at his now-ended call, Haru glanced at the white-haired "stray cat" leaning against the wall.
Well… guess I'll just treat it like I found a cat and brought her home.
"Raana, wanna stay at my place tonight?"
"Mm. Yes."
- - -
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