I was surprised at how quickly promoters had reached out to us. According to Hanabusa we had already been booked for seven different venues, I should have expected this, this company is ran by Hiroto Kanzaki, his connections run deep. Still, I wasn't prepared. These past couple of days we've done nothing but practice and underground performances. I'd been wondering how to bring it up to Mom and Amara. Surprisingly both were unfazed and happy for me, it was kinda disappointing, I expected dramatic reactions. Mom was the most shocking. As soon as she heard the news, Mom started packing my bags and her own. She'd be visiting Dad in his apartment over the summer. I felt bad. Like I had been keeping her from meeting him. Should I have moved out for real so she could return to living with him? Why didn't she make the suggestion herself? Why does she have to make me feel like I need to abandon her for her to visit? That morning, I hooked arms with Amara on my walk to school for consola
"Is that so? What are those reasons?" Fukuda-san sat back in his seat and folded his arms. He had lost his stand-offish aura before but a flicker of mischief was there as he sized me up. I don't think I did anything wrong just now... did I? I slightly felt nervous. He pointed at his ears. "Her earrings." "Huh?" "Before I knew it, looking across the room to see what earrings she wore today became something like checking the weather." I blinked. "A-ah..." So he was the same as me. From the moment she transferred in my attention always went to her ears. Her earrings weren't huge or anything, sometimes they repeated and sometimes they were so random... Amamiya-san seemed to like unusual earrings. Most girls liked beautiful earrings but she went for earrings modeled after objects. Before I knew it it became an unconscious habit to look at her earrings, and before I knew it the more I wanted to talk to her and ask about it. Watching her awakened something inside me. When I got r
It was called Project Orfice. A group of bands from different agencies would be touring alongside each other. When we weren't touring we'd be living in the same building together, seems the higher-ups intended us to learn from one another and interact. And that would be fine and all... if those groups weren't delinquents. There were already four people there when we boarded it. The awkward atmosphere as we greeted them only to be met with silence and eyes that sized us up was suffocating. I flipped through the company profile sections the moment I sat down, to familiarize myself with the groups, most of these bands we're to travel with have been... well blacklisted. By blacklisted I mean they all have bad reputations. Similar to our group, these groups had one or more than one member that has either been sued, thrown into juvie, or a child that's been in and out of the foster care system. It reminded me of blacklist... he paired up his daughter with a group of problematic but ta
He reminded me of my best friend Izanagi with his fiery blonde hair... a more aggressive version. The moment I returned to my room, he just stared at me as I dipped my head in greeting. I... had rearranged the rooms after I heard that I would be sharing. Taking the top bunk and making a desk space underneath it for my laptop, a smaller more private studio. The kid was on his side of the room but the intense stare made me on edge the moment I entered. "Ehm..." My mind was blank but I tried to fish out the memory I was looking for. "Hayate Tanjiro-san right? I'm Fukuda Kagami." He nodded. "I hope you don't mind me rearranging the room." He was looking elsewhere and resumed unpacking his things. "S'fine." I wanted to lay down some ground rules but didn't want to pressure him too much. Let's not get my ass kicked on the first meeting... "Ahem." I coughed upon going to my side. "I hope our time rooming together will be a peaceful one, in efforts as not to get on each other's nerv
Their band name was Mange. A rather disgusting name for a band, but their music had a similar feel. The sound was electrifying, the sensation was akin to repulsion but oddly in an awe-striking way. I was walking by one of the practice rooms when I witnessed their performance one day. Tanjiro on guitar, a pair of dirty blonde-haired twins one with beauty marks on opposite sides looking symmetrical with an unexpectedly focused Shirai going away at drums. Its heavy-hitting sound was different once heard live, I felt goosebumps on my skin, I could feel the sound reverberating throughout my body, I felt dirty like I might drown in a pit of mud. This...was their sound? Tanjiro and the weird Shirai... as well as everyone else in their band... how extremely talented. Before I knew it my feet were rooted to the spot and I felt a fear creeping up in my throat. Why can't I perform this well? I play it correctly, I support the band but I feel as if I'm barely there... like something's not
"Something wrong with your playing?" Agawa echoed. I had mustered the courage to ask the group from myself that day after practice. Agawa just blinked at me after taking the time to stare. "Is there something wrong with your head?" Hagihara spoke up. "If I had to compare you to our past guitarist, he made tons of mistakes, however even if you do it's very few. If not none." This wasn't what I was hoping to hear though... Although making less mistakes is nice that's not the key point. "What's with you, all of a sudden?" Akemi raised a brow at me. "...Forget it." I held the back of my neck and just smiled. Agawa tilted his head as he studied me. "It doesn't matter what you think is wrong, keep playing like this until the tour is over. If you fuck up and change your sound out of the blue, I'll kick your ass got it?"
To think they would keep it in the cafeteria... after lunch. I returned from our concert to replenish my fuel when I saw the group standing there and staring at passerbiers like abandoned puppies. Shirai-san's eyes lit up the second he saw me. "Fukuda-saaan!" I ate and watched them. "Why don't you try playing something?" "We did but no one paid much mind." (Akai) "Other bands are really disinterested in this huh?" (Hiro) As I sat there boredly watching their failed attempts an idea suddenly came up to mind. I got up and walked to the stage once I was done eating. Thankfully I was too tired to head back to my dorm and still had my guitar case with me. Tanjiro-san stepped away from the mike for me. "Hello, Empty audience and Cafeteria ladies," I greeted. "Today we'll be playing a game called...guess that beat!" "He totally just made that up just now didn't he?" I heard the others whispering. "The game is simple, if you know the song join in and play along once its your turn
No one else joined that day. But it didn't matter. I had made a friend. Though at times I felt guilty for withholding the truth, it was fun playing with mange. And by playing I mean singing, with the twins on bass, Tanjiro on guitar and Shirai on drums there wasn't much else I could do but sing along with Tanjiro. We continued to hold the same event for the rest of the week. Some days the crowd was less, other times there were a couple new faces but that was it. We became a community then, the crowd would sing with us. But then one day... "Kagami-kun?!" That day Akemi found me. We were in the middle of doing an impromptu song when I heard her voice below and looked down amidst the small crowd to see her walking in between the tables towards me her folded hands moving to her hips. She was a real sight today, gold hoops hung from her ears and she was wearing a shoulder sleeve cropped top and mini skirt, exposing her elegant collarbone and midriff. A couple of heads turned to st