"Um... hello?"
Amber didn't realize at first that the girl before her was Sakiko Togawa.
After all, this world had no shortage of beautiful girls, their hair a rainbow of colors.
Even among them, Sakiko's looks stood out, but there was always a certain gap between two dimensions and three.
Still, hearing "Mutsumi" made it easy to connect the dots.
This Sakiko seemed to be from before she ran away from home?
Hard to say—even for a while after leaving, Sakiko had kept up a fairly positive attitude.
"M-my apologies, hello. Sorry for interrupting so suddenly. I'm Togawa Sakiko, and this is Wakaba Mutsumi."
Regaining her composure after her earlier outburst, Sakiko awkwardly reined in her emotions and introduced herself and the light green-haired girl beside her.
The girl called Wakaba Mutsumi wore an expressionless face, but as Sakiko made the introduction, she gave a polite nod to the two.
"No problem! My playing was fantastic anyway—it's only natural you'd be drawn in!"
Of course, Amber didn't mind the interruption. She'd already finished her piece, and it wasn't like they'd disturbed her mid-performance.
"You two are juniors from Tsukinomori Girls' Academy, right?"
Glancing at Mutsumi, Dark Amber picked up the thread. "I'm Raiden Mei. Though not officially enrolled yet, I'll be entering the high school division soon, so I suppose you could call me your senior."
"And I'm Kiana Kaslana! Just Kiana is fine. Like Mei, I'll be starting at Tsukinomori soon!"
"So you're our seniors?"
Hearing this, Sakiko wasn't surprised they'd recognized them as Tsukinomori students. Mutsumi was something of a known figure, and her enrollment there wasn't exactly a secret.
Upon learning that the two before her were soon-to-be seniors at Tsukinomori, Sakiko's eyes lit up with anticipation.
"Your technique is incredible, Senpai! Even using an unfamiliar guitar, after the very beginning, there wasn't a single off-note in your entire performance!"
"You must have practiced really hard, right? Are the two of you band partners?"
Her phrasing was enthusiastic yet measured, keeping just the right distance, with a subtle hint of probing.
"Not really... Actually, I only know how to play this one song. A friend wrote it. I just memorized the fingering and the score back then, so I probably don't count as having learned guitar properly?"
At this point, Amber truly couldn't say whether she knew how to play guitar or just knew this one song.
"As for a band, Mei and I are still discussing it. We both plan on playing guitar."
Hearing this, Sakiko felt both amazed and disappointed.
She'd been hoping to invite them to join her band—maybe as lead guitarist and vocalist, or at least as a solid rhythm guitarist. But it seemed her hopes were dashed.
Though they weren't in a band yet, they were already in the early stages of forming one. Both were guitarists, so they couldn't join her side.
After all, she couldn't ask Mutsumi to switch instruments.
But still...
"It doesn't sound like Kiana-senpai has been learning for very long. To get this skilled in such a short time? That's amazing!"
Sakiko was genuinely surprised by this talent.
She'd witnessed the whole thing—the other girl's control over the guitar was such that she hadn't even needed to tune it, and on her first try with that instrument, she'd delivered a performance with no pitch errors at all.
Was this the legendary perfect pitch?
Not exactly. Amber could confidently say she didn't have that kind of innate gift. She'd managed it purely through stats—using senses and bodily control far beyond the ordinary to tune by feel.
Still, she put on a boastful front.
"Of course! No matter what it is, with my skills, I can be the best at anything!"
Such overt pride usually made people seem unapproachable, even difficult.
But the white-haired girl, sitting on the sofa with her eyes closed, head tilted back, and hands on her hips, looked utterly endearing.
Far from being off-putting, she came across as adorable—the kind you just wanted to ruffle.
A friendly, lively, and exceptionally talented senior was clearly someone Sakiko took to instantly.
A smile immediately appeared on her face, but just as she was about to speak, she was interrupted by Dark Amber's question:
"It sounds like you're planning to form a band too? Did you come here to pick out instruments?"
If not for the fact that her smile remained as gentle and warm as ever, Sakiko might have thought she was intentionally cutting her off.
Collecting herself, she replied, "Yes, I have plans to start a band, though currently the only members are me and Wakaba... We came because Wakaba's guitar needs maintenance, so we dropped by together."
So it's this timeline. Seems Sakiko's father hasn't crashed and burned his business yet.
If she hadn't seen them or didn't know them, Amber wouldn't have paid much mind to their situation.
But since they'd crossed paths now, and it was a character she'd once liked, giving a helping hand if she could seemed right—just a simple nudge in the right direction.
"I see. I hope you find the right members."
Dark Amber offered her blessing with a smile.
Though her demeanor was also friendly, perhaps due to her more formal etiquette or the strong 'senior' aura she carried, Sakiko couldn't feel as relaxed around her as she did with the white-haired girl.
"Thank you for your kind words, Senpai."
Mutsumi, however, faintly sensed something slightly off about the black-haired senior's attitude.
She wasn't confident enough to be certain, but since they were outsiders who had barged in unexpectedly, it was probably better not to overstay their welcome.
Thinking this, Mutsumi spoke up. "Saki, time."
"Huh? It's still early, isn't it?"
Sakiko was taken aback but quickly caught Mutsumi's meaning. "Ah, right, going earlier might mean getting a better spot. Sorry, Raiden-senpai, Kiana-senpai, we should get going."
"No problem! We'll see you at school then! Make sure to let me hear your playing too!"
Amber waved a hand nonchalantly.
"See you at school."
Dark Amber's smile remained unchanged.
Though it was just a chance encounter, the pair of seniors—one dark, one light; one poised, one lively—left a strong impression.
After saying their goodbyes, Sakiko found herself looking forward to meeting them again on campus.
Kiana-senpai... she seems like someone I could get along with.
Kaslana sounds like a foreign surname, so it's normal I haven't heard it.
But Raiden... such a rare Japanese surname. If they were from a wealthy family, I should have some impression... Could they be newly prominent?
Sakiko mused to herself but quickly brushed the thought aside.
The Togawa name was fairly well-known among Japan's elite.
People who treated her normally even after knowing her surname were exceedingly rare. In all her life, only Mutsumi and Uika had been like that—and they were her only truly close friends.
Perhaps... she might get to know two more good friends?
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.