Haru's train ride back to Tokyo was delayed by about two days compared to the original plan.
The band's first live show had ended in perfect success, but the so-called afterparty that followed took a turn so strange it could hardly be called anything but bizarre.
The return train sped along the steel tracks, and Haru, stepping out of the restroom, rubbed his temples with a weary hand.
He truly had not expected that what was supposed to be a simple band training camp would turn into such a peculiar trip.
"Ah, s-sorry! Haru, go back to your seat first, I need a little more time to get ready!"
"Alright, I'll head back then."
Hearing Ikuyo's flustered voice behind him, Haru awkwardly scratched his cheek, gave a soft reply, and then walked forward, returning to his seat before her.
Seated beside him now was the angelic Nijika. When she noticed he was back, her cheeks flushed at once, though she quickly forced a casual smile and whispered,
"Shh, Haru, move a little more gently when you come over. Ryo is in a deep sleep right now."
"She's asleep?"
Only then did Haru notice Ryo, sitting directly across from him. She had taken the stiff-bodied Bocchi as a pillow, resting her head on Bocchi's lap as she drifted into a deep slumber.
Her steady breathing made her chest rise and fall ever so slightly. With her eyes closed in sleep, the aloof bassist revealed a beauty that was almost painting-like, serene and distant, the quiet face of an ice goddess.
Ryo meant what she said. She really hadn't slept much at all.
Perhaps it was a little revenge on her part. Having been turned down by Haru more than once, she must have seen this as her chance to vent all her pent-up frustrations. The delay in returning to Tokyo had plenty to do with this troublesome woman.
The thought made Haru sigh with helplessness. Still, he gently removed his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. Only after that small act did he let out a quiet breath and settle down beside the angel at his side.
"I-I'm really so sorry!"
Nijika pressed her palms together in earnest, eyes squeezed shut, her guilty expression so over-the-top that Haru couldn't help but feel amused.
"Nijika, you've apologized to me dozens of times these past two days. Haven't I told you already? I more or less saw this coming. Honestly, I'm not angry with you all."
A faint smile curved across Haru's lips as he waved a hand.
The girls had been so conspicuous, even before the live. They had slipped up more than once. With his sharp eye, how could Haru not notice something was off?
"Well, even so… because of it, you ended up delayed two whole days in Suwa! And now you have to rush back and help get ready for Taki-san and the others' live. Plus, these past two days you've barely had any rest at all…"
"But don't worry! Once we're back, I'll cook plenty of meals for you. Eating well is the only way to stay healthy!"
At that, Nijika's face flushed bright red. She fiddled nervously with her fingers, head ducked so low she couldn't meet his gaze, her flustered shyness stirring something restless in Haru's chest.
Now she remembered to worry? They had practically thrown him into the ring!
There had been no restraint whatsoever!
The plan had been to return to Tokyo by train on the fourth day of camp, but the night before had ended in a wild, never-ending afterparty. The next morning, not a single one of them could even stand straight, much less drag their luggage back to Tokyo.
Still, Haru had to admit he bore some responsibility too.
Lifting a brow with a mischievous glint in his eyes, he teased, "That's true. In that case, give me a kiss and I'll forgive you, Nijika."
"Eh?"
Blinking wide-eyed, Nijika hesitated only a second before her face turned scarlet. Then, trembling with embarrassment, she leaned forward and pecked his lips.
It had been only two days since they officially became a couple, yet her movements were already far more practiced than before. In fact, it almost felt like her sense of limits had been pushed forward all at once.
Sitting across from them, Hitori barely reacted, as if she had long since grown used to such scenes. Even Bocchi, timid as she usually was, had started to grow bolder. Perhaps that courage came from performing live on stage.
"Sorry, I kept you waiting a bit…"
Kita Ikuyo returned at last, her cheeks glowing like she was tipsy, her radiant smile sweet as ever as she slipped naturally into the seat beside Bocchi.
Nijika had just opened her mouth to greet her when, in the next instant, Ikuyo's vivid red eyes trembled.
"Kita! Your neck, your neck!"
"Hm?"
Almost by reflex, Ikuyo reached up to touch her neck. The moment she realized what Nijika meant, her face turned crimson. In a flash, faster than anyone could blink, she ripped off the collar around her neck and stuffed it into her bag as if nothing had happened.
The air froze in silence.
"Ah...Nijika-senpai, look. We're a proper, popular rock band now, right? Carrying punk-style accessories like this… isn't that pretty normal?"
"Don't spout ridiculous things with such a straight face!"
Nijika let out a breathy complaint under her breath, though at this point she had almost grown used to Ikuyo's quirks. Out of the four members, she was the one who took the rock-and-roll spirit to the most extreme.
Even if Nijika herself felt a little guilty, as the leader she knew she had to set an example. "We'll be back in Shimokitazawa soon. Before then, everyone needs to calm down a little."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Watching the girls' antics, Haru rubbed at his temple with a headache. His mind was already a mess, and whether he spoke up or kept quiet, neither felt right. In the end, he chose silence, playing the mute.
…
The Kazami residence.
Every so often, a green-haired girl raised her head toward the clock on the wall, then back to the Line chat window on her phone. Sitting expressionless on the sofa with a cup of tea that had already begun to lose its warmth, she looked almost like a doll.
The cucumber fairy lifted her doll-like face, blank as ever, yet somehow giving the impression she was anxiously waiting. The mood contrasted starkly with the silver-haired girl beside her.
"Mogu mogu."
Kaname Raana gripped a silver spoon, a tall matcha parfait in front of her. Each time she scooped a bite of green and white and slipped it into her mouth, her mismatched eyes narrowed in bliss.
She was happy.
The cat only wanted to eat her matcha parfait. Her master's unease meant nothing to her.
"…"
Wakaba Mutsumi stared at the phone screen again, unable to hold still. Rising from the sofa, she continued pacing the living room with the cooling cup of tea in her hands. The image of a silent doll no longer fit her.
She was simply worried.
Trying to push down her panic, she held her phone tightly but couldn't bring herself to press the call button. What if she interrupted Haru at the wrong time? What if she disturbed him without meaning to?
Just then, the cat's nose twitched as she took another bite of parfait.
"Haru?"
Raana spoke the name casually, as if only reminding Mutsumi, then set down her half-eaten parfait. Forgetting even to slip on her cat-shaped slippers, she padded barefoot toward the entrance.
Mutsumi quickly followed, still clutching the cup of tea.
Click
The door opened from the outside under both girls' gaze.
Haru stepped in, hands full of bags. The moment he raised his head, his eyes met Mutsumi's, who stood there with her tea in hand. The tension in her heart finally eased.
"Haru, welcome home."
"I'm back. Sorry, things got a little delayed, so I'm later than expected."
With a gentle smile, Haru reached out to ruffle Mutsumi's small head, then accepted the tea from her hands. He hadn't even had a chance to set down his luggage before she took it from him herself.
The smoothness of her gestures gave Haru pause.
Uh oh. Was Mutsumi starting to feel more and more like a wife?
Guess he'd have to eat cucumbers tonight.
"Haru, hug."
A soft voice brushed against his ear. He felt something ticklish at his neck, and realized the house cat had clung to him without warning, rubbing her silvery hair against his chest.
Back home and already rewarded with a clingy white cat, her small hands locked around his waist and refusing to let go. Beside her, Mutsumi fixed her golden eyes on him with a quiet glimmer.
Even without a word, her thoughts were easy to read.
So what? Since when had Haru ever been afraid?
A little cat and a little cucumber, that was all. He would conquer both with ease.
"Then, let's all do this together."
After lingering a while in the entryway with his two little clingy creatures, Haru finally stepped into the living room he hadn't seen in days. At once, he noticed something different.
There was a new pink cushion on the sofa, some extra decorations scattered across the room, and lavender-scented aroma diffusing from a burner on the table. Even the fridge had gained a few more round magnets.
Seeing his puzzled expression, Mutsumi quickly explained.
"While you were away, everyone dropped by. Sometimes they brought little things to decorate."
"Later, someone brought cups, toothbrushes, even bedsheets… Then everyone else started competing, one after another, buying more and more things."
The first one to do this was definitely Chihaya Anon.
Did they think this was a board game? Each piece racing toward the finish line, knocking the others aside, all to mark their own territory. It was like they were trying to paint the whole house in their own colors.
Haru picked up the pink cushion in his hand. Its gaudy design was all he needed to know who had brought it. Only one girl among his girlfriends had such indescribably questionable taste.
He only muttered to himself for a moment before setting the cushion back down.
"Forget it, let them be."
"And while you were away… I did quite a bit of cleaning."
A faint smile lifted Mutsumi's lips, her cute nose giving the tiniest huff. The quiet pride in her eyes made Haru chuckle, though he was happy enough to play along.
"Oh? And what exactly did you clean?"
"The basement."
The hand holding his teacup gave a tiny twitch. Haru turned toward his petite fiancée with a strange look.
"The basement?"
"The basement."
The doll-like girl nodded seriously, inching closer to Haru. Her golden eyes, tense yet full of anticipation, sneaked glances at him, unable to hide the pride shimmering within.
Haru sucked in a breath.
Why exactly had she gone out of her way to clean up the basement? What was she planning?
Was tonight going to be cucumber salad for him, or cucumber with scrambled eggs for her?
But with that look in Mutsumi's eyes, as her boyfriend, it was only natural that Haru should give her encouragement. Anything less might affect the girl's future, after all. Stifling his urge to poke fun, he raised his thumb high in approval.
Hesitate? Not a chance.
Praise, praise, and praise again!
So what if she only cleaned the basement? Whatever Mutsumi did at home, he would say it was wonderful.
At once, her lips curved in faint delight. Just that bit of praise brought a flush to her cheeks, her expression as pure as a child's.
"Haru."
A soft murmur brushed his ear, pulling Haru's thoughts away.
"Hm?"
He turned to find Raana puffing her cheeks, clearly sulking. She had been ignored for too long, and as the clingy house cat she was, she refused to put up with it. Without hesitation, she climbed into his lap.
"…"
Mutsumi only watched calmly, showing not the slightest trace of jealousy. As a wife, she should have the grace to overlook such things, and she would not lower herself to quarrel with a cat.
Haru stroked Raana's silvery hair fondly, his voice teasing.
"I didn't expect you to be here today too, Raana. How did you know I'd be coming back today?"
"Heh heh."
The little cat puffed out her flat chest proudly, looking very pleased with his question.
"Because I knew. So I came."
"I wanted to see you first."
What a sly ambush. Cunning cat!
Unable to resist, Haru pinched her pudding-soft cheeks and laughed. "Since you were the first to see me, I'll give you a reward. Want to hear some good news?"
"Hmm?"
The white-haired girl blinked, leaning in to listen.
"Remember what I promised Tsuzuki-senpai?"
"Grandma."
Raana arched her brows, clearly dissatisfied with his choice of words. Haru coughed lightly and offered an apologetic smile.
"Right, Tsuzuki Grandma. I promised her that I'd perform a live as your guitarist, with you. And about the timing of that live… I actually reserved it in advance."
"If all goes well, it should happen before the end of the month."
"Really?"
Light bloomed in Raana's mismatched eyes. She rubbed her face against his chest like a cat, lips pursed in anticipation, her gaze full of expectation. Haru could not get enough of that look.
Yes, this was exactly the expression he wanted to see.
"But you can't get too impatient yet. Before then, I still have to prepare for Ave Mujica's next performance."
Exchanging a glance with Mutsumi, Haru nodded.
"The next Ave Mujica live will basically serve as the announcement for our national tour. We'll need to prepare it carefully. And I have to be ready for the live with you too, Raana, which means setting aside plenty of time."
Of course, things with Ave Mujica were never simple.
Long before, Yahata Umiri had warned him. For this prelude to Ave Mujica's national tour, Yuutenji Nyamu would never sit quietly on the sidelines. With her extreme personality, she was definitely plotting something.
That said, Haru's role was still behind the scenes.
He could handle the bulk of the planning and production for Ave Mujica, but the onstage script and the performance itself were beyond him. That responsibility rested solely with their leader, Sakiko.
But ever since she had started dating, Sakiko's personality had grown softer and softer.
The dignified aura she had shown when Ave Mujica was founded was fading away. Now, the young lady of the Togawa family was more prone to acting spoiled. Even in the band, she struggled to maintain her icy authority. It was doubtful she could still keep the fiery Nyamu under control.
"It's fine."
Raana's lips curved into a playful smile as she wrapped her arms around Haru's neck.
A faint taste of matcha filled his senses, and then a sudden sweetness pressed against his lips. The little cat, fresh from her parfait, launched a sudden ambush, stealing kiss after kiss.
The soft, fragrant sensation made Haru's head spin for a moment. After several pecks, Raana tilted her head up, licking her lips with her small tongue before smiling in smug feline triumph.
"Haru remembered the live. I'm happy."
"Kiss, I want."
Stop, stop, or else he really wouldn't be able to hold back!
Haru pushed thoughts of Ave Mujica to the back of his mind. Now was not the time to overthink.
He let out a long breath.
For now, he would focus only on the two girls before him.