Kagura Hikaru silently stared at her, his footsteps inexplicably heavy as he slowly descended the stairs.
"You refuse to tell me anything, unlike before."
The voice of Kiryu Hina was like a lover's whisper in his ear, teasing out the softest part of Kagura Hikaru's heart, "To you, am I just a woman of the past now?"
"...Don't be like this."
"Hehe, just kidding."
Kiryu Hina, without glancing elsewhere, wore a flawless smile, "Have you told Classmate Ayakoji about our past relationship?"
"No."
Kagura Hikaru lowered his head.
"Eh~" Kiryu Hina laughed, "You could have told her, after all, it's all in the past."
"..."
"Oh my, perhaps you are considering my feelings? How tender, I'm truly touched."
"....I still need to hurry...."
"Eh, is that so, then I'll keep it short."
While smiling and nodding to students passing by nearby, Kiryu Hina spoke without turning back, "Next time Chiyoko Ayakoji approaches you, just tell her, whether it's about our past relationship or what happened afterward."
Kagura Hikaru shuddered, shocked, he raised his head, "Why? You aren't....."
"Only by sharing secrets can we form a united front. Mister Hikaru, go and befriend Chiyoko Ayakoji."
Kiryu Hina continued with a smile, but the darkness behind that smile was unbearable, "Gain her trust, attract her, make her fall just like I did in the past. You've always been good at this, right?"
Gloomy fog, quicksand, whirlpools at sea, death.
None of these instilled more fear in him than these words; it was as though his heart was being gripped by a giant hand.
Suffocating, gasping for breath.
Kagura Hikaru strained his neck, unable to utter a word, silently clenched his fists.
Without receiving an answer, Kiryu Hina slowly turned her head forty degrees, her empty eyes looking sideways at him, word by word she said, "You will help me, won't you?"
He opened his mouth blankly, as cold, dry air rushed into his throat.
"President~! I've been looking for you for a long time, you are here."
A sunny sports club female student suddenly ran up from below, curiously glanced at Kagura Hikaru, then affectionately grabbed Kiryu Hina's hand.
The darkness in Kiryu Hina's eyes disappeared in an instant, revealing a gentle smile.
"What's up?"
"Hehe, it's about our club's budget...."
"Really can't do anything with you, let's go talk slowly at the Student Council."
"Okay!"
Kiryu Hina was led away by the girl's hand.
As they passed Kagura Hikaru, Kiryu Hina slightly tilted her head and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Remember, you owe me this."
Kagura Hikaru silently watched her disappear around the corner.
Painful memories tumbled through his mind.
For a moment, he wanted to peer into Kiryu Hina's heart, but he withdrew his hand in time.
If what he saw was something even more despairing, he might never have the courage to face her again.
Thus, Kagura Hikaru could only let his heart fall continuously, falling, finally plummeting into the sea called 'regret'.
That sea must be ice blue, for it was that cold.
After a long time, he turned to go downstairs.
"Uka~"
"Fight! Fight!"
Sport club athletes running past chanted their slogan, their sweat glistening in the sunlight.
Youthful individuals gather together during adolescence to waste their prime years, or to waste them in not so wasteful ways, which to adults evidently lacks efficiency.
But when they step into society and look back suddenly, if they could say "I lived my youth to the fullest," then those were indeed the best times.
Seeing dazzling things only intensified the dark clouds in Kagura Hikaru's heart.
There was a time when he was just like them...
Unfortunately, that time is now in the past.
All of this is your fault, you caused it, Kagura Hikaru.
Kagura Hikaru was tormenting himself, and just like that, he walked out of the school.
............
Not joining any clubs and leaving school immediately after classes, that was Kagura Hikaru, the so-called "go-home club" member.
Someone might ask, since Kagura Hikaru was part of the go-home club, why did he carry a guitar to school?
Simply because he needed it immediately after leaving school.
Tokyo is scattered with hundreds of live houses, small to large, venues for indoor concerts with audiences ranging from thirty to three hundred, depending on the size and popularity of the live house.
The one Kagura Hikaru arrived at was underground, medium-sized, and moderately popular. Even though it was already time for the live show to start, there was a trio band performing energetically on stage, yet the audience was sparse, probably only about forty people, which was on the lower side.
But he was not shaken and nodded to the staff before entering the backstage preparation room.
Several bands were already waiting in the dressing room to perform.
The live house shows were performed by multiple bands in turn, each taking the stage in order and performing their set. How many audience members they attracted depended solely on their skills.
Many active professional bands also began from live houses; one could say this underground world is where many musicians from the Island Nation start their careers.
Many bands hoped to catch the eye of a music agent who might happen to come by and sign them as musicians.
Upon entering, Kagura Hikaru could already sense the oppressive atmosphere.
He looked around, found his target, and approached a band of four girls dressed like spicy girls.
They all seemed to be high school students, barely concealing their nervousness, but their faces brightened when they saw Kagura Hikaru arrive.
"Mr. Kagura, please take care of us today!"
"Yes, please take care of us."
Kagura Hikaru, not one for many words, sat next to them and took out a lake blue Fender electric guitar to tune.
The calm aura he emanated subtly influenced the spicy girls; they no longer trembled and instead huddled together whispering about Kagura Hikaru's handsomeness and aloofness.
"No wonder he's the mercenary guitarist introduced by the manager, so cool!"
"Hehe, Karen you better be careful not to get too distracted by the handsome guy and forget to sing."
"Stop teasing me."
The band's newcomers joked and played with each other, easing their internal pressure. Today was their first live stage performance, and to avoid a flop, they had spent money to hire a "mercenary," though they still wondered if it was worth it.
The last time they rehearsed, the other party hadn't shown up, and they were going on stage without having played together even once, which felt almost like a death sentence.
When it came down to it, having many doubts was useless.
"Red Pepper Band, get ready to go on stage," a staff member in black clothing entered to remind them.
The spicy girls picked up their instruments and effect processors, cheered each other on, bowed to the band that had just finished performing, and then rushed onto the stage to set up their equipment.
Kagura Hikaru lingered at the back, skillfully and calmly putting on a black mask, and straightened his collar—he had changed his top on the way there and didn't look like a student at all.
When he went on stage, he noticed the audience had somehow increased; seeing him appear even elicited a low murmur from below the stage, clearly from regulars who knew him.
A brief test of the equipment ended, and the drummer lifted his drumsticks to signal the control booth staff that they were ready to begin.
Everything was set.
As the drummer struck the first drumbeat, the stage lights lit up, and the lead singer Karen accidentally hit her teeth against the microphone upon opening her mouth, quickly grabbing the stand to correct it. When she finally started to sing, her voice was husky with nerves.
The bassist and drummer were immediately affected by the mishap, missing the rhythm, which in turn disrupted the guitarist's playing.
The band members looked desperate.
Their first live show was heading towards a dismal end.