After school, Kita headed to STARRY first.
Only Nijika was there yet. After arriving, Kita hesitated, then told Nijika what Hikigaya had told her at lunch.
Nijika went quiet for a long time. After much thought, she urged Kita not to tell the others—for now.
"If Aoki-senpai doesn't want to say it, Kita… let's pretend we don't know. We'll just work harder during practice."
Kita thought, then agreed.
However—
Even after saying that, Nijika couldn't sit still. Learning that Aoki had burned his bridges to devote his time to the band made her restless.
…
The rainy season air was soggy. The forecast was right; after the weekend, Tokyo stayed gray.
Thursday— two days after Aoki filled in that "transfer student intent" survey.
From around 6 a.m., a drizzle fell. After noon, it turned to a downpour.
Summer rain—fickle and moody. Not unlike Hiratsuka's mood swings.
Luckily, Aoki had his umbrella lately. He wouldn't be drenched after school.
Being Thursday, he stopped by the Service Club after school, read for thirty minutes in the chilly silence, then left.
For the record, Aoki had "Advanced Real Analysis," while Yukinoshita had Sōseki's "I Am a Cat."
Not that "I Am a Cat" was bad—Aoki read literature too. He just had a petty thrill, studying while Yukinoshita read for leisure—"heh, I'm secretly pulling ahead."
Shaking off the thought, he took his umbrella from the shoe lockers and stood at the entrance. The downpour wasn't stopping, so he popped it and stepped out.
The rain was heavy enough to soak him even with an umbrella. He splashed to the station, waited five minutes, and rode to Shimokitazawa.
He got off—still pouring.
He didn't want to get wetter, but there was no choice. He headed out under his umbrella.
Even usually busy Shimokitazawa was sparse, people hurrying by.
Aoki didn't rush. The faster you went, the more you got splashed.
Walking steadily toward the livehouse, he noticed a familiar figure through the rain—not far away.
A blonde girl, clutching something to her chest, no umbrella, jogging at a modest clip.
"Nijika?"
Aoki quickened and called,
"Hey—Ijichi!"
She heard him despite the rain's roar, stopped, and turned.
He jogged up and tilted his clear umbrella over her.
"In rain like this, you'll catch a cold tomorrow," he said.
"Ah… Aoki-senpai." Nijika glanced up at the umbrella, then explained, "My usual drumsticks had an issue. I came to buy new ones."
She raised the unopened pair she was hugging.
He cast a glance, then shifted the umbrella further to her side.
"You could wait for the rain to ease."
They walked on. The umbrella was small; sheltering Nijika meant Aoki's own clothes were taking the brunt.
"Wait, huh…"
Nijika blinked. After a pause, she said,
"Everyone's working hard. I can't be the reason we stop practice."
Aoki didn't answer immediately. A few steps later, he said,
"Ijichi, you put too much pressure on yourself sometimes. In rain like this, even if we pause for a day, everyone will understand."
She drew a breath and looked up at his profile.
Too much pressure…
She remembered what he'd told her by the vending machine days ago; and what Kita had told her the day before yesterday.
"The most important thing in a band is to enjoy being together. Results are secondary—don't dump real-life pressure on the band."
He'd truly done what he said—he hadn't pushed his burden on them. And yet—
Telling her "you put too much pressure on yourself," when he was carrying weight alone, too.
They were close to STARRY now.
Down the stairs, he closed the umbrella and propped it by the door.
"Even if someone messes up someday, the band won't be disappointed," he said.
Hand on the door, Nijika paused.
She shook her head, not turning back.
"Aoki-senpai, I'll work hard."
…
They practiced till eight Thursday and went home.
Friday: nothing special—school, STARRY, practice.
Saturday: weather brightened a bit, though drizzle came and went.
Kessoku Band's first proper live started.
-------
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