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Chapter 88 – Don’t Worry About Storms That Haven’t Come Yet, But Be Prepared for the Wind
🕑 Added 2025-08-15 16:02:43 +0000 UTCSomewhat unexpectedly, it was Kita who spoke up before Aoki Kei, politely refusing the offer.
After her words, a brief silence settled over the recording studio.
Aoki glanced back, blinking when he noticed the others silently signaling, "It’s up to you."
He turned back toward Ijichi Seika and gave a small shake of his head.
“If it’s just one of us going up, it won’t be much of a practice. So let’s skip it this time—sorry, Manager.”
While he spoke, thoughts stirred in the back of his mind.
Kita’s refusal probably meant she had something else lined up soon.
In fact, ever since summer break began, Kita’s schedule had been unusually packed.
Even her regular practice sessions had become shorter and more infrequent.
Aoki didn’t know the exact reason, but something was clearly off about her lately.
The signs were small but noticeable—dark circles under her eyes, a slight drop in her usual energy, and today, a lack of motivation during training.
Still, he didn’t want to bring it up directly.
Everyone has off days.
And if Kita was dealing with something personal maybe even important then the least he could do was give her space.
From her muttered comment the other day—“I might not have enough time” and the frequent calls she’s been getting at home, he had a pretty good guess: family matters.
And when it came to that, Aoki had always tried to maintain a respectful distance. Not everything needs his involvement.
So he simply left it at that.
After Kei’s response, Ijichi Seika seemed to consider her options for a moment.
Then, with a nod, she replied, “No problem,” and quietly stepped out, closing the studio door behind her.
Silence lingered for a few seconds before the group returned to practice.
Training continued until Kita left early.
The others stayed a little longer to do some individual practice before Aoki himself excused himself and headed home.
On the train ride back to his apartment, he received an email from Yuusuke Niijima.
The message was short and to the point—he wanted to confirm Kei’s availability to discuss the contract in more detail.
Since Kei had plenty of scattered free time, he accepted right away, and they arranged to meet on Saturday.
Later that day, he did a bit of tidying up in his apartment, grabbed some ramen around dinnertime, and headed home again.
With Kita busy, there was no tutoring session.
So, he read for a while, watched a few videos, and finally went to sleep around 1 a.m.
Things were busy, but not overwhelming.
Time passed like this—peaceful and consistent for several days.
He continued teaching Kita whenever she had time.
And before long, Saturday morning arrived.
It was the tail end of August, and the weather had been acting strange lately.
Some afternoons were sweltering, but the mornings brought a cool, almost autumn-like breeze.
Kei woke early, as usual.
After his morning routine and a quick breakfast outside, he returned home to read, then set out for his meeting with Niijima.
The venue was the same café as last time, but this time, Kei arrived early.
He ordered the café’s signature mocha and waited.
Not long after, Yuusuke Niijima entered the shop.
Wearing long bangs, glasses, and a slightly disheveled look, he carried a plain black briefcase as he scanned the room—his eyes quickly landed on Kei in the corner.
Waving, he approached, greeting Kei with a casual, “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
Kei stood to return the greeting, and they exchanged a few polite pleasantries.
While Niijima didn’t seem overly focused on formalities, Kei still made an effort to be courteous—it was easy enough to say a kind word or two.
They chatted briefly about unrelated topics until Niijima’s coffee arrived.
Then, Kei cut to the point.
“So, about the contract... Niijima-san, do you mind if I take a look at it first?”
Niijima, who had just taken a sip of his cold brew, quickly set the cup down and nodded enthusiastically.
“Of course, no problem at all!”
He pulled a modest-looking document from his bag and handed it over with both hands.
“Thanks,” Kei said, accepting the papers and immediately scanning them.
He’d done some prior reading online about contracts for music and film work, so he had a decent idea of what to look for.
After going through it carefully, nothing stood out as a problem.
The only notable requirement was that Kessoku Band would need to attend a promotional event before the film’s release.
But that was understandable—and honestly beneficial for the band’s exposure.
Everything else was in line with what had been discussed.
As for compensation... Kei wasn’t surprised to see it wasn’t especially high.
The band wasn’t that well-known yet, and the agreement was a licensing deal, not a full rights buyout.
Still, none of that bothered him.
After reviewing the document, Kei gave a nod.
“No issues on my end. Should we sign now?”
Niijima was about to respond with a simple "yes," but paused.
A flicker of hesitation crossed his face.
Looking down at the contract, then back up at Kei, the director’s expression suddenly shifted—there was something conflicted in his eyes.
“I really wish I could just say yes and leave it at that... and honestly, I probably don’t even have to bring this up. But I don’t want you walking into this blind, Aoki-sensei.”
He sighed, clearly speaking from personal conscience rather than obligation.
“The truth is... there were other companies vying to provide the theme song. But I pushed hard for your band. That’s the only reason the team ultimately agreed.”
“But... it might not be the end of it.”
Niijima looked pained as he continued.
“There’s this band that’s really popular right now—Ghost Elements. Their management is aggressive.
When we made our decision, they told the film’s producers something like, ‘Even if you choose someone else, we’ll cover the breach of contract fee ourselves.’”
“And a company willing to say something like that... they’re definitely going to take action. Your band might get targeted online—smear campaigns, nasty rumors, manufactured scandals... all to make the production team second-guess their choice.”
Niijima laid it all out without sugarcoating a thing.
Aoki Kei understood perfectly.
In fact, he’d already considered the possibility.
Nothing worthwhile ever comes without risk.
So, without flinching, he looked up at Niijima and said calmly,
“That’s fine. If we can sign now, then let’s do it.”
