It was a little bit larger than my room. The dorm.
Unexpectedly, the company found out about my move and notified me about the company dorms. It was built separately from the building but not too far away from our neighborhood or the building.
After unpacking, someone knocked on my door. Maybe because I only took my equipment, a futon and a suitcase of clothes, the room felt bare and cold.
I opened the door slightly to see Ken-san.
"Sup?"
"Ken-san don't you have a performance-
"I live here so I thought I'd welcome you. Here...I got this as a gift but I couldn't fit it in my room. "
He hauled in a miso soup-shaped bean bag character, it was tilted slightly to create the illusion soup was spilling out.
"Ahhh, thank you!" It filled up the empty space nicely.
"Is this all you brought?" he looked around my room.
"Mmm. Yeah." I decided I'd sleepover here on weekends.
"Well it should be fine, the other guys were complaining how they had too much junk. Leave it to me." he slapped his chest on his way out.
"Huh?" What was he on about?
Later, Ken returned, a guy taller than Ken with dark eyeshadow and piercings, helped him carry in a short dining table.
"Good riddance." the guy with eyeshadow muttered, his voice was as deep as I expected from his gothic appearance.
"Kagami-kun this is Wallace, a friend. He plays guitar and drums."
He doesn't look like a Wallace at all... more like a Victor or an Edmund. Wait, what does a Wallace even look like?
"Oh, hello. Thanks for the table."
He nodded at me in greeting. "I was tired of everyone crowding my room."
"Huh?"
"Lace here has the biggest table, everyone would always barge in to talk or hold discussions since there's no lounge."
Lace, ah, he looks like a Lace for sure.
The realization dawned on me.
"I see, but wait, then-
Ken-san and Lace-san clapped their hands together in apology.
"Sorry!"
"Your room is pretty bare, we won't tell anyone where we moved it so please, just let us come in to use the table from time to time. Though currently, our schedules don't overlap so you won't be seeing us around much anyway." Ken-san quickly explained.
"...Of course!" I felt reassured knowing I'd have company.
Later when I heard a doorbell push I thought they were back.
"Yo!" Agawa held up a bag of food.
--
He explored the bathroom and tiny kitchen while munching on a drumstick before planting himself at the table.
"It's a little like my college dorm, should I move here?"
"Well, if you want...This is a solitary dorm tho, the others from what I know have multiple rooms.
"That looks new." He nodded at my studio desk.
I nodded. "Mmm."
In the end, I left my old one at home, the thought of something happening to it and losing everything terrified me even though I saved it to my cloud drive.
"Hagi is on his way."
I felt awkward about this, after all, he bowed to me but in the end, their debut was delayed...
"Oh? Wait how did you guys know about my move?"
"Hanabusa."
"Huh?"
"He dropped in on our practice and told us you were moving closer to the company."
"Ah..."
It's not as if it was a secret but it felt weird to know others had been talking about me...
I made small talk with Agawa.
He eventually asked. "How's the composing going?" As we started talking about my work with the Helens.
"Uh..." I felt drained all of a sudden just thinking about it. "It's okay, I'm afraid, I won't be free anytime soon to practice with you all yet."
"That so? Well we're not going anywhere, take your time. Just don't forget about us." He was being surprisingly nice. I'm beginning to realize, he's nice but a loyalist to a fault, or maybe he just doesn't care... I think it's both.
"Ah, yes."
A knock on the door. Grateful for the interruption, I hurried over.
A girl with orange hair and pink glossy lips stood at the door. Did she dye her hair?
Her: (* - *) "..."
Kagami: (- n - ) "..."
"Hello." Hagi poked his head in from behind.
I stepped back.
"Ah, Hello, please come in."
"So you brought her?" Agawa-san took note.
"She followed me."
Flustered, Akemi tilted her head, her gaze wandering as she entered, her voice going from soft to loud, "I didn't... WHOA, this place is BARE!"
"If you need help moving anything, I can help, I have a car." Hagihara-san offered.
"It's fine, this place is close to my home."
Akemi plopped onto the bean bag while the guys sat at the table, listening to me she scoffed. "So then why move?"
I politely smiled at her. "None of your business."
"Ahh!-" She glared at me but clamped her mouth shut.
"What will you do about meals?"
"There are a lot of stores in this area. It's fine."
"Well true, still will it be okay?" Hagihara seemed worried.
"I have a futon and blankets,"
"Well... if you say so."
"Not everyone is as rich as you Hagihara..." Agawa muttered.
A question sign hung over his head. "Fukuda-san should already be making more than me though?"
I suddenly felt uncomfortable.
Agawa-san raised a brow.
"What do you mean? He's just a kid."
I held up a hand, "Ah, could you not..."
Hagihara paused.
"Ah, was it supposed to be something like a secret?"
"Well no, I mean, I don't know how much you make. So...we should eat!"
Eventually, it all came back to Agawa halfway through...
"Aaaaaah!" He exclaimed suddenly. Wagging a finger at me, "That's right you, you... they say you already wrote songs for a band before! I forgot! So they paying you good huh?"
I nodded. "Hai."
"You're wearing the same jacket, so I forgot..."
He was referring to Amara's gift which I was still wearing.
"It was a gift from a friend..."
"A girl?"
"Yes."
A silence fell.
"Wait you already have a girlfriend?!"
"She's just my friend. It's not that, I just like the jacket."
Agawa-san stared.
"Hmmmmm, can guys and girls really just be friends?"
"Then what about you and Akemi-san?"
Agawa turned to eye her and she lazily met his gaze.
A silence passed between them.
"I wouldn't say she's much of an exception..."
This remark earned him a kick in the back of the head, but he seemed to have expected it and carried on eating.
"Don't pay his words much mind, Agawa's a player but he's passionate about music." (Hagihara talking).
Recalling the other day I nodded.
We talked for a bit more before calling it a night, I saw them all off at the door.
Akemi seemed to be dragging her feet because somehow she was the last one.
"About the other day... I apologize."
For a second I didn't know what she was talking about.
"You mean two weeks ago."
"Huh?"
"It's not the other day but two weeks ago."
"..." Her face reddened, she pursed her lips at me and I prepared myself for a hit by holding up my arms.
"Whatever, I said sorry so just take it already!" When she spoke she had leaned forward but since she had yet to put her shoes back on, her socked feet slipped. Her body slid into mine knocking me who was also wearing socks off balance.
We both fell onto the apartment's shiny polished wooden floors.