"Huh?"
The other numbers that walked in seemed just as surprised as me.
For a brief second, time stopped.
Did I fail?
But I just got here! I could see myself leaving the building here seeing Amara's disappointed expression.
That day at school, her twinkling brown eyes that dimmed into a soulless void.
"You failed? Oh..."
My very reality was on the verge of shattering into pieces.
No. No. Amara wouldn't say that.
*Even if by some chance those lovely people turn out to be dipshits and reject you Kagami, we can always turn to whotube!*
But was that just her way of comforting me?
"...have completely no sense of style for a rock artist. Your hairstyle and guitar are the only things that truly embody the spirit of rock. Let's hope your performance isn't as lacking." I heard only half of what she had said.
My heart that had frozen and dropped slowly floated up to relief and irritation.
"Stop intimidating the contestant, Ms. Yumena." A bald man wearing shades spoke calmly, he looked familiar.
"Yumena?! As in Yumena from Blacklist?!" I heard one of the other contestants say.
I had been too shocked for the judge's identity to even register, Yumena? The daughter of this company's CEO.
Never expected to run into a celebrity here... even though I liked their songs... I wasn't as big as a fan as my former bandmates, Izanagi and Gen. As I looked around the room I realized it wasn't just her, there were a lot of other famous musicians here... but the shock from earlier numbed my senses. At the moment I was only feeling one emotion.
I raked my hands through the front of my hair while pointing at myself with the other.
"I came here to audition as a composer, not as a musician."
Hearing this, the judges' looks were pointed at the silver-haired woman, Yumena, her eyes clouded over when she heard me say this.
"Hmph! If that was so then why didn't you just say so?"
"...I just did?"
One of the judges, a woman with spiky pink hair coughed.
At first, I thought she was Loraine, the lead singer, and guitarist from the band BlackPeace but she was wearing less make-up than I was familiar with, she also looked healthier, she went off the map after a drug scandal five years back, but my gaze kept gravitating to her every now and then.
Something told me it was her. She seemed to be choking down a laugh. It bothered me.
"Don't mind her." The bald man, I'm pretty sure he's the bassist/cellist/drummer Satoshi from Blacklist! he glanced at the form I had submitted online perhaps to confirm my claim.
"Fukuda Kagami-san, correct?"
"Yes, sir."
I heard one of the contestants gasp.
"That's-
"Ahem!" A chic man with silky long black hair, Renjiro, a bassist/screamer from the former heavy metal band, Ainz glanced in the contestants' direction.
"Quiet down."
Satoshi-san gestured for me to go ahead.
I'd be lying if I said I didn't start to feel nervous then. The room was filled with bigwigs, also nearly getting kicked out left my heart pounding.
As I unzipped my guitar case my hands were trembling.
I exhaled as I strapped on my guitar. And dried my sweating hands on my jeans before reaching for my pic. I stood.
"You're not here to audition as a musician what are you so nervous for?" Ms. Yumena sneered.
At that moment I could feel Amara's warm hand pressed against my back. Nudging me to go on.
The warmth reached my heart that hardened.
"I'll be performing a song I wrote myself. I hope you find it...satisfactory. I named it Golden Hysteria."
The judges waited.
I inhaled and before I began, envisioned Amara standing outside there waiting for me. It actually made me even more anxious. I exhaled.
It's hot outside, I hope she waits in the lobby at least.
"Any day now." Ms. Yumena said checking her nails.
I began to play carefully.
"The light's out~ the fans are gone ~
I stay to practice one more song ~
The silence that fills these walls
are deafening ~
Was it all a lie?
Those cheers that nearly reached the sky. ~
And the bodies that moved at the wave of my hannnnd. ~
And the bodies that moved at the wave of my hannnnnnnd.~
And the bodies that moved at the wave of my HAANNND!~
Goooolden Hysteriaaaa! ~
I reach for you and you all reach for me!~
When I am old and grey~
I'll recall my glory days~
And your voices will sing with me~
In symphony! ~
Goooolden Hysteriaaaaa!
Those days we nearly became God!
The hearts we struck,
The hearts we stole,
I don't want to forget it at all.
Should God smite me I would need to know why~
Should God smite me I would need to know whhhhy~
Should God smite me I would need to remember whhhhyyyyyyy! ~
Heaaaaaavens, can't you stop time for meeeeeee?~
I need to burn this scene into my minnnnnd!~
I'll maake it a mold!
An encased art piece of hysteria in gooooold....
Of the bodies that moved at the waaaave of my hannnnd...
Was it all a lie?
Those cheers that nearly reached the sky~
And the bodies that moved at the waaaaaaaaaaave... of my hannnnnd!
And the bodies that moved at the WAAAAve OF myyyy HAAAnnnnnd...~"
It felt like I was back on Earth once I finished. I suddenly became conscious of the deafening silence.
The faces of the judges were unreadable furthering my feeling of disorientation.
Loraine, was the first to speak.
"I would have loved to sing this song if I were still back in the band."
My mind went blank.
Yumena looked to her and said something but I didn't hear anything at that moment.
"Aaah, how nostalgic." Loraine tucked her hand underneath her cheek, her lips curving but she looked slightly sad.
Loraine from BlackPeace liked my song.
Loraine from BlackPeace liked my song.
Loraine from BlackPeace liked my song.
Loraine from BlackPeace liked my song.
Loraine from BlackPeace liked my song.
"Fukuda-san has left the chat." A young European kid watching with folded arms behind Renjiro took note with an amused expression.
*The judges stared at Fukuda who was still standing there but his eyes were glassy looking*
"No way, was he a fan of yours Loraine?" Yumena asked.
Loraine blinked.
"Eh? Is he? I don't know. More importantly, what did you think of his song Satoshi, Ren-Kun?" Loraine looked to the two guys who had yet to voice their opinions.
"...I'd like to know more before I form my own opinion." Satoshi stated.
"Fukuda-san... Fukuda-san!" Loraine called out to Fukuda who blinked.
He pointed at himself.
Lorraine sweetly smiled at me. "That's right Hon. What else could you tell us about yourself?"
"Huh? Oh well, I can play the piano... I can also speak English and uh... ah! I was in a band in middle school, I wrote most of their songs. They're name is-"
"Azure Phoenix!" That rowdy contestant from earlier interrupted me.
"Th-that's right, you know me?
"I knew it! I knew it had to be you! You performed with them in the gym during graduation! I shared the video with dozens of my friends on who tube!" I had ignored him earlier but I recognized him almost immediately once he started babbling.
Back then he was an average middle school student who dressed neatly as a model student but now he had dyed his hair tomato red, had a bunch of ear piercings, and wore a leather jacket. Simply put he was completely punked out compared to back then. What kind of pokemon evolution is this?!
"Are you Fukami-san from the newspaper club?" He was always poking his head in our club room. Our very first fanboy.
"To think you remembered me Fukuda-san..." Fukami's face nearly became as red as his hair as he covered his mouth.
"If you are who you say you are, why haven't you applied to the same label as them? I'm sure your old buddies back at Azure Phoenix would be more than willing to have you." Mr. Satoshi probed. "Not only can you compose music you're also good enough to be subbed into a band."
"Oi, oi, you're not thinking of-" The long-haired fellow glanced at Satoshi-san.
He didn't respond. He was waiting for my response.
"That... it's embarrassing but I haven't kept in touch with them ever since my move. I decided to audition because I wanted... to continue writing music. If you're really suspicious about my identity I can show you the royalty checks as well as my middle school graduation video..."
Everyone looked to Mr. Satoshi who seemed to be withholding his response. He looked to Renjiro-san.
"Ren-kun what did you think?"
"He's good enough isn't he? His guitar playing had soul, and his voice is refreshing to the ear, though if Kazuo were here, I'd bet he'd have more to say. He has potential. It's a pass for me."
Good enough. It meant that my playing wasn't that remarkable. I didn't take it personally, after all my goal wasn't to become a rock legend.
"Then it's fine. Does everyone agree?"
Loraine nodded vigorously and so did Yumena, shockingly.
"Very well then, congratulations, contestant 43, you passed."
"Eh... EH?!"
You passed.
You passed.
You passed.
"Oi! Hurry up and step aside! There are other contestants you know?!"
"Oh, I'm sorry! I mean thank you!" I deeply bowed at a 90-degree angle. My heartfelt light.
Satoshi-san waved me away.
"We'll contact you on a later day using the given contact info on your form."
"Yes, thank you so much!"
"To see you so ecstatic as if you already aren't sort of famous, is sort of odd isn't it?" Lorraine commented.
"Eh..."
"Even the song he played should be beyond him..." Mr. Satoshi muttered. "He was still able to fill the audience with the right emotions."
"Contestant 44 please step forward."
I stood off to the side. I didn't have to wait long. The remaining contestants were all part of the same band so they performed together.
I was surprised. Fukami-san... you, you really came a long way! His band...was good. In the end though one of his members made a mistake, but Fukami-san pulled through carrying the song with his bass.
Once everyone was finished grading we all left together. Fukami-kun bombarded me with a billion questions as we made our way out into the lobby. His group didn't make it but he was still unexpectedly chipper.
"Why are you auditioning here?"
"How come you didn't audition at MIDAS? Did they reject you?"
"Do the guys know you're signing at another agency? Did you guys fight?"
Some of those questions were too specific and made my newfound confidence dwindle, I dared not answer. I might fall into a pit of depression.
"Kagami."
That voice.
Amara was sitting in the lobby, she stood at the sight of me.
My joy was re-kindled.
"Amara!" I lunged at her.
She looked startled and dodged.
I crashed into the bench.
"I'm sorry! I mean, what's the matter? Did- did you...?"
I looked up at her, not even the throbbing pain I felt in my face could halt the grin stretching across it.
"I passed!"
"...Huh? Huh?!" Her eyes glittered with excitement.
She clapped her hands together. Her mouth stretched. "Ohmygosh you passed?! Congratulations Kagami!" She hugged me.
Something soft pressed against my chest. Kyaaaaaaa! ~ What is this burning marshmallowy feeling?!
Watching off at a distance, onlookers held an odd expression on their faces but I paid no mind to it.
"Hehehe..."
If you asked me to scale my measurement of happiness at that moment it was paramount to infinity.
It felt like I was dreaming. Today was the day, nothing could stop me not even mom who saw me off at the door. "Are you wearing that?" I heard her say but it didn't register. "Congratulations on making it in, Kagami-kun!" That Sunday on my way to the company, I ran into our neighbor, Mrs. Amamiya, Amara's mother. That snapped me out of it. She was a tall lady with a waist like a wasp, she had fat and curves in all the right places; her legs were thick but slender, whenever she wore a slit dress one couldn't help admiring them, her arms were slim, and her bust... whatever manner she styled her hair in it was always a burnt orange color that emphasized her honey brown eyes that were accentuated even further by her cat-like eyeliner. (A goddess... or a celebrity?) What usually happens when someone first meets her is they end up gawking, not listening to a thing she says, they'll just nod. I'd like to think I'm past that phase now. I smiled instead. "Thank you!" "Are you on your w
A welcoming ceremony was held in the company's concert hall.New Trainees pooled inside. There was only a handful of us, which was surprising. I didn't think many would be given the golden pass, you know... From the way, it looks there are enough people to tell me five bands or more (+)were accepted.Eh? Where's Kenichi-san? Ehhh, did he not make it in? I wonder if he wasn't able to perform so well... We never found each other in the end after the audition, so maybe he didn't pass?However, once the lights dimmed and I fixed my attention on stage, I saw him there.As the drummer started off with the drum, eh?! Wait a second it's Satoshi-san!With Renjiro on bass, Kenichi on guitar, and a woman I didn't recognize was also playing the keyboard, she seemed young... was she an auditioner like Kenichi-san as well?Lorraine was standing in front of the mike.
He sat himself down at the counter before me and plopped down his head face first.I greeted him. "Hello to you too."A muffled "Hi" escaped him."How can I help you, sir?"He grunted."Then that'll be the bacon cheese fries, mango smoothie, and fish burger."He grunted. He rummaged through his jacket before fishing out his wallet and sliding it across the counter. I rang him up and let him be to prepare his smoothie and fries."The best pick me up is food." I placed his meal on a tray before him."Yes..."He seemed to have his headphones in. Seeing him hunched over the desk like that, I was tempted to stroke his head which at the moment seemed like a puppy.I didn't realize I was actually doing it, until his hand moved to reach for the smoothie and I retracted my hand quickly. It felt as if my hand was on fire.
"Hello!" I greeted the others who were already waiting for me inside the studio with a big smile. Though my mind was somewhat distracted by Amara's reaction earlier. Was that weird of me? "The heck do we all have to gather here again for?! I haven't even eaten!" Akemi-san had complaints about my random summoning. "Well, don't you think we should get started as soon as possible?" I politely smiled. "Oh," Being the gentleman that he is, Hagihara-san, the bald drummer came to help me carry in my items. I found it somehow intriguing how the person in the band with the most intimidating appearance turned out to be the most well-mannered and easy to get along with. Agawa-san the foreigner-looking bassist must've smelled the food because he suddenly ejected himself from the sofa to the studio's center table. "So you're not as empty-headed as you seem, you brought food for us?"
Needless to say, we didn't get much work done due to the awkward tension. We ended up calling it a day after eating.On my walk home, I heard footsteps only for Amara to appear in front of me and seize my face with both her hands."What happened to your face?!"I forgot, around this time her shift ends."We should walk home together," I spoke as she squished my cheeks.But this only annoyed her. "Ka.Ga.Mi!""I just got into a small spat..." It was a habit to scratch my cheek, but there were cuts there so I ended up wincing.Amara pursed her lips at me, something flickering in her eyes."Who was it?""It's fine!""Like hell it is?! Who scratched your face?!""Ah, Fukuda-san..." Kenichi-san unexpectedly overheard us and walked over. I wanted to greet him and ask about him
The end result was that Banshee's official debut was pushed back. Within that time I'd be composing songs for a group that had already debuted. Hysterical Kitten's Entertainment 1st group and only all-girl band, Helens. I listened to their music but there wasn't anything particularly wowing about it. I heard before that the girls don't write their own songs or lyrics, it's normal for most bands to at least do one or the other or both. Once again, I couldn't help but feel as if a bomb had been dumped on me. I think the higher-ups have really overestimated my abilities. But then again, a composer/songwriter was a composer/ songwriter, maybe I was being tested? I didn't walk with Amara due to a difference in our schedules so my walk to the studio the following afternoon felt completely surreal until I got hit in the face by the main entrance door. "Ah!" I stumbled back holding my forehead. "Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry!" A brunette with a side ponytail quickly bowed. She was like a
Its a small world. The faces of the girls I saw this morning were two among three more faces I didn't recognize. Their manager Kanna-san, a tall young woman with reddish-brown hair introduced me with a big bright smile but the girls reactions were fairly gloomy. Why? I mean I get I'm just a rookie but we're going to be making music, and that's something super fun! "So what do you think?" Kanna asked me. "Huh?" "You listened to the original song I sent you right?" she asked me. I slowly nodded. "Uh...yeah, but is it alright before we start I'd like to get to know everyone first. And if it's not too much, I'd like to hear more about them and their hobbies and interests as well." "Huh?" Girl#2 seemed annoyed. Kanna-san politely smiled but her eye
Needless to say the past week I've been feeling drained and unmotivated. The Banshees have been practicing these past days on the revised song while I work with the Helens for their album. I thought it was just one song and the other composers would swoop in but Hanabusa-san said Kanna-san pestered the higher-ups for me to compose songs for the whole album. Why?! My mood became foul as I stood there waiting for the cross-walk sign to change. I'm new to this, I would have liked to work with pros, to learn something you know? I was looking forward to that... Such a dispassionate group, they were draining to work with. The days I would work with Phoenix, the guys would listen to the song and our lead singer would come up with words on the spot. That chemistry, that beautiful connection... It can't just be that we were the only band like that... right? "Hmmm, hmmmm hmm..." That day Amara was humm