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Chapter 35: Things About the Band (with Secrets)
🕑 Added 2025-07-30 20:35:01 +0000 UTCAfter school that afternoon, Kita Ikuyo headed alone to STARRY in Shimokitazawa.
Other than Nijika, the rest of the band hadn’t arrived yet.
After a moment’s hesitation, Ikuyo decided to share with Nijika what she had found out at lunch from Hikigaya Hachiman—about Aoki Kei.
Nijika fell silent upon hearing the news.
After a long pause, she finally spoke with a conflicted expression:
“Since Aoki-senpai doesn't want the band to know... Ikuyo-chan, maybe for now we should pretend we don’t know either. Let’s just work a little harder during practice.”
Kita nodded after a thoughtful silence and chose to go along with Nijika’s suggestion.
However—
Even though she told Ikuyo to act unaware, Nijika couldn’t quite calm her heart after learning that Aoki Kei had quit his part-time job and devoted all his free time to the band.
The thought of it made her feel unsettled inside.
The rainy season had fully taken over Tokyo.
The humidity was oppressive, and for once, the weather forecast had been completely accurate.
Ever since the previous weekend, the skies had been draped in an endless gray.
By Thursday, two days had passed since Aoki Kei filled out the school committee's transfer student feedback form during lunch.
It had started drizzling around six in the morning and didn’t let up.
By the time the afternoon rolled around, the rain picked up into a full downpour, pounding against the ground in an unpredictable summer fury—gentle one moment, then violently stormy the next.
In that way, it was a bit like Hiratsuka-sensei’s mood swings.
Luckily, Aoki Kei had been carrying an umbrella these past few days.
Thanks to that, he avoided becoming completely drenched after school.
Since it was Thursday, Aoki Kei first made a stop at the Service Club.
Surrounded by its typically icy atmosphere, he spent about 30 minutes quietly reading a book before leaving.
(For the record: the book Aoki Kei was reading was Advanced Mathematical Analysis. Meanwhile, Yukinoshita Yukino was reading Natsume Sōseki’s I Am a Cat.)
It’s not like there was anything wrong with I Am a Cat.
Aoki himself enjoyed reading literary novels when he had time.
But the fact that he was studying while Yukinoshita was absorbed in a non-academic book gave him a weird, unjustified sense of satisfaction—like he’d secretly gained an edge over her.
Shaking off those stray thoughts, Aoki retrieved his umbrella from his locker.
He waited at the school entrance for a moment, hoping the downpour might lighten up—but it showed no sign of letting up.
With a sigh, he opened his umbrella and stepped out into the storm.
The rain was heavy—so heavy that even with the umbrella, Aoki’s clothes were soon half-soaked.
After trudging through the rain to the train station, he waited about five minutes for the train and then headed toward Shimokitazawa.
The ride didn’t take long, and by the time he exited Shimokitazawa Station, the storm hadn’t let up in the slightest.
Though he really didn’t want to get soaked, he had no choice.
So, he opened his umbrella again and stepped onto the street.
Due to the rain in Shimokitazaw, the usually bustling with foot traffic was practically deserted.
The few people still outside hurried through the downpour with heads lowered.
Aoki Kei wasn’t in a rush.
Walking faster would only splash more water onto him.
He moved steadily through the rain, heading toward the live house.
Then, through the veil of rain, he caught sight of a familiar figure up ahead.
A girl with blonde hair, cradling something in her arms.
Even in this downpour, she wasn’t using an umbrella—just jogging along at a slow pace.
“Nijika?”
Aoki blinked, surprised.
He quickened his pace and called out:
“Hey—Ijichi-san!”
They weren’t far apart, so even over the roar of the rain, Nijika heard him.
She stopped and turned around.
Aoki jogged the last few steps and tilted his umbrella toward her.
“In rain like this, you’ll catch a cold if you don’t use an umbrella,” he said.
“Ah... Aoki-senpai,” Nijika greeted him, glancing up at the clear plastic umbrella above her.
Then she explained, “My usual drumsticks got damaged, so I came out to buy a new pair.”
As she spoke, she lifted the unopened package in her arms.
Aoki glanced at her sideways, noticing her shoulder and arm were soaked.
Without saying anything, he tilted the umbrella further in her direction.
“You could’ve waited until the rain let up. It’s not like you were in a rush,” he said.
They began walking again.
The umbrella wasn’t very big, and now that he was sharing it, Aoki’s once-dry clothes were steadily being soaked.
“Not in a rush, huh...”
Nijika blinked and hesitated a moment. Then she softly said:
“Everyone in the band’s working so hard. I can’t be the reason our ensemble practice gets canceled.”
Aoki Kei didn’t respond right away.
They continued walking through the rain for a while before he finally said—
“You know… Ijichi-san, sometimes you put too much pressure on yourself. If something’s wrong with your drumsticks, and it's pouring rain like this, it’s totally fine to take a break from practice. Everyone in the band would absolutely understand.”
Nijika took a quiet breath and lifted her gaze, her eyes settling on Aoki Kei’s profile.
Too much pressure on herself...
She suddenly remembered something Aoki-senpai had told her a few days ago by the vending machines—then just as quickly, she recalled what Kita Ikuyo had confided in her the day before about Aoki.
“What matters most in a band is having fun. Results come second. We shouldn’t dump real-world pressure on the group.”
Aoki-senpai had indeed lived by those words.
He never burdened the band with his own struggles. But at the same time, his actions didn’t entirely match what he said—
Because wasn’t he, in truth, carrying that pressure all alone? And wasn’t it him who had just told her that she was the one taking on too much?
Nijika looked forward again.
Raindrops hit the pavement, splashing up tiny bursts of water.
Her thoughts swirled.
Aoki Kei was incredibly skilled—not just at playing guitar, but also at composing and writing lyrics.
That one song, "Lemon", was proof of that.
Nijika didn’t know why someone with that much talent would choose to join Kessoku Band.
But what she did know was this:
Even while shouldering the stress of his financial situation all by himself, Aoki never rushed the rest of the band, never demanded that they win the upcoming competition.
He believed in them.
That’s why, even with all that pressure, he could keep going.
She opened her mouth to say something—but stopped herself.
Instead, she tightened her grip on the still-unopened pair of drumsticks in her arms.
Her expression, usually bright and cheerful, turned serious.
The swirling thoughts in her mind quieted at last, silenced by the decision to pretend not to know—for now.
And then, simply and clearly, she said:
“Aoki-senpai, I don’t want to let the band down… and I don’t want to let you down either.”
Aoki Kei paused for a moment, caught off guard, and glanced over at her.
Shimokitazawa Station wasn’t far from STARRY.
They’d walked together for a while after bumping into each other. Now, they were just steps from the stairs leading to the venue.
At the foot of the stairs, Aoki closed his umbrella and leaned it gently by the door.
Then he finally answered:
“The band is a team. Even if one of us slips up someday, nobody’s going to be disappointed in them.”
Just as she was about to open the door, Nijika hesitated.
She didn’t turn around. But she shook her head slightly.
“I’ll do my best, Aoki-senpai.”
————————————————————————
Thursday came and went, with the band practicing until about 8 p.m. before heading home.
Friday passed uneventfully—school as usual, followed by helping out at the livehouse and getting in another practice session.
And then came Saturday.
The skies began to clear just a little—but light showers still came and went.
It was finally time.
Kessoku Band's first official live performance was about to begin.
