"Mmm. I guess. If you like rock." I say that but I get more stares these days, there's nothing you can do not with your face on tv.
Amara hummed and walked over to the living room and came back to bequeath the remote to me. "Why don't you put something on? I want to hear what Kagami wrote."
Claire tilted her head. "What do you mean what Kagami wrote?"
So I explained. "Kagami wrote all our songs."
"Sugarboy did?"
"Hah?" Sugar boy? Kagami? Well, actually I guess it's fitting. More importantly, are they close? Which one is his squeeze? Don't tell me he never made a move on either?
Amara ushered me to the living room by pushing my back. "Please ignore her."
She walked back to the kitchen to bicker with Claire while I tried to figure out their tv.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
I managed to make something like sandwiches, and edamame. And juice but I could hear Claire's squealing "So cool!" making my nerves taut as I listened to the music from another room.
Truth was, I was trying to remain calm but some part of me was nervous. Not only is he Kagami's BEST friend but he's pretty famous, isn't he? Was it alright for him to be around like this- what am I saying. He's still a person too.
Although I don't get how much, it was enough to make my mind spin. It was enough to make me doubt if the turkey bacon sandwiches I made were good enough. My feet were glued to the spot like an idiot.
What if he doesn't eat bacon? What if he's vegan or on some kind of diet?
"You good back here?"
Izanagi had left Claire to check up on me. I'm not sure why.
"Ehm. Do you..."
I noticed for the first time without his shades, thanks to sunlight-sama flooding the kitchen. His eyes were grey but they also looked kinda blue. In the hall earlier, they looked like a dark grey. It was just a passing thought but was the name of the band by chance...
Izanagi continued to eye me. "Yes?"
Ah, I didn't finish my sentence just now.
"Ah, do you like bacon?"
He blinked at me, a secretive smile unfurling.
"I love bacon!"
Was he just saying that?
Well, Kagami likes it too. I feel silly for letting my mind freak out like that.
"Do you need help with these?" He volunteered himself to carry the tray.
I let out a slow breath as I watched him go before preparing a pitcher of juice.
When I came out most of the edamame were gone.
A fan had recorded their performance on WhoTube and in perfect quality, it took me a second to realize it was from the company channel itself. I was mistaken.
"This is so cool! Like even to foreign listeners, the sound itself is really beautiful you know, but more importantly, it slaps like..."
"The soundtrack in anime." I finished. "Isn't this one from that new popular anime?"
This song was for a slice of life anime, about a boy that looks like a delinquent who moves to a new town, he meets up with an online gaming friend only to find out she's a girl. Specifically, a bitchy girl in his class who pretended to hate neets and nerds when she herself was one. However, he doesn't take her abuse, he doesn't retaliate physically but verbally, yet somehow convinces himself he's still a nice guy who's parted ways with delinquency. A refreshing and funny anime about people, society, and their tendency to pretend they're the opposite of what they are.
Izanagi's eyes glittered. "It is, so you know it? Man, that was such an honor!" Listening to him talk made me realize how human he is.
Perhaps thinking something alongside the same lines, Claire and I poked him at the same time.
He stopped talking to stare at us.
"Eh? What is this? What is it?"
Claire shook her head. "Nevermind, just checking."
"That was weird just now, sorry."
I hope we didn't make him uncomfortable just now.
It's hard composing yourself and trying not to feel anything when an anime-sounding rock track is on. More importantly, it's like knowing Kagami wrote this song himself feels kinda weird.
Like he was floating around in my head. A version of Kagami I didn't know before he had been ripped away from his tribe, he must have been confident. Lurking in each sentence was a blazing sun. A confident Kagami, I tried to imagine his behavior when singing, picturing him alongside a stylish Izanagi who sang as he played bass. Wait, what?
"Izanagi- I stopped myself, kun," I added as I reminded myself not to call him by his first name and cringed. "I'm sorry, I mean Kitahara-san. I thought... when did you start playing bass?"
He was already listening with an automatic smile on his face but when the corners of his lips stretched out further, I wanted to die. He's secretly laughing at me, isn't he?
"Hmm...Well, the company's guitarist was better at playing than me...so- wait, how do you know I switched?"
"Ah, well... Kagami let me listen to your old songs once, I didn't remember hearing a bass."
"Ahhh, well, yeah. I think the bass suits me more but the guitar will always be my first love. I'd like to be with her it just didn't work out."
His romantic analogy made Claire giggle. I could tell she was charmed what with the shimmer oozing out of her eyes. Give it up girl, it's never going to happen.
He is a well-spoken person, though. He and Kagami spoke in a similar way but he had the charm to pull it off and string along hearts I bet. Kagami said the past love songs were inspired by his and another friend's experiences so there's no doubt he's a player.
I swatted the bees buzzing around my heart by facing the tv screen again.
As we watched the songs, my mind drifted.
Back to the first time, I entered his room.
I was at my wit's end with him. Poor thing. He never knew.