Everyone paused for a moment after hearing it — then all came to the same conclusion that yes, this was absolutely the kind of idea only Sayuri could come up with.
Tsushima Kagami smiled along with the rest of them.
"Then it's decided — Chief Sayuri~"
"Ah, thank you for your generous recognition, President!"
Sayuri bowed deeply, with all the ceremony of a new hire on her first day.
At that moment, Kosaka Akane spoke up again.
"Since we'll be drinking your coffee from here on out, special training starts today."
"My standards for taste and aroma are quite high, you know."
As she spoke, Akane somehow produced a full coffee set — kettle, beans and all — from the cabinet beside her.
"My, my — ever since Kagami started coming to the Manga Research Club, I haven't had a free moment to brew anything."
"Chief Sayuri, use these and get some practice in!"
With that, Kosaka Akane handed Sayuri the kettle, the coffee beans, and a hand-cranked grinder.
Machida Sonoko chimed in immediately.
"Chief Sayuri, make me a cup too — no milk or sugar."
Sayuri accepted the items, then turned to look at the two of them with a pout.
"Honestly — you two just want someone to boss around!"
With that, she marched straight out the door to go fetch water.
Tsushima Kagami glanced at the time, then turned to Kosaka Akane and Machida Sonoko.
"I'm going upstairs to check in on Ijichi and the others."
"We made plans earlier."
"Go ahead, then."
Both of them nodded together.
Kagami made his way up to the music room where Ijichi Seika's band practiced. The door was already wide open, and there wasn't a single sound of instruments being played inside. He walked straight in.
"Oh — senpai, you're here."
Hiroi Kikuri spotted him first and immediately stood up to welcome him in.
"No practice today?"
Kagami glanced over at Ijichi Seika and PA-san, who had already drifted to the side to brew tea and arrange snacks, and directed the question at Hiroi Kikuri.
Kikuri pulled him over and sat him down in her old seat before answering.
"Well... we ended up talking for quite a while today."
"That's not bad at all. Sounds like you're all settling into school club life."
Kagami smiled and glanced between Kikuri and the other two across the room.
Just then, Ijichi Seika walked over carrying a cup of tea and set it in front of him. PA-san followed with a plate of small strawberry cream cakes, placing it right before him as well.
Kagami looked at the three of them.
"What's all this — afternoon tea?"
Ijichi Seika glanced over at Kikuri, then said:
"Kikuri picked these up specifically to thank you."
"And of course — we all want to thank you for saving the show last night."
Kagami looked at Hiroi Kikuri, who was normally a little shy around people and was now visibly on the verge of tears, then looked at Ijichi Seika and PA-san already preparing to bow. He lifted a spoonful of cream cake, placed it in his mouth, and spoke.
"I'll accept the cake. The bowing and the formal thanks — save it."
"Otherwise it'll ruin the taste of the cream cake."
All three of them froze mid-bow — then looked at each other and broke into smiles. PA-san quickly darted to the side and came back clutching an entire box.
"There's a whole box, senpai — Kikuri bought a full one."
"Then I'll take the whole thing."
"By the way — how did your piano competition go yesterday?"
Kagami asked between bites, looking at Hiroi Kikuri.
"Well... I spent the whole time worrying that because of me, we'd never get to perform at that Livehouse again. My head wasn't in the right place — I only placed third."
"You placed third at a competition while in that headspace."
"Kikuri-kouhai, you really are something. With that kind of talent — why did you end up picking bass instead of staying with keys?"
"Ah, it's nothing, really. I was never all that fond of piano to begin with — it was just something my family arranged for me when I was little."
"Kikuri isn't just good at piano and bass — she handles composing, lyrics, and lead vocals too, you know."
Ijichi Seika smiled as she said it.
"That's right, that's right. On stage, Kikuri is a completely different person from how she is every other day."
"Then I'll have to properly catch one of your performances sometime," Kagami said. "Every time I've run into you all, something else has been going on."
At that, all three of them thought back to the circumstances of their very first meeting — and could only manage awkward, sheepish smiles in response.
"Well — I've had my cake, I've had my tea, and I've received your appreciation loud and clear."
"If there's nothing else, I'll head back to the Manga Research Club."
Kagami stood, picked up the box of cakes, and was just about to say his goodbyes — when PA-san and Hiroi Kikuri both turned to look at Ijichi Seika.
Seika stepped forward, hesitating.
"Actually... there's one more thing we wanted to ask you."
She scrunched her neck slightly, looking a little embarrassed.
"Sure, what is it?"
Kagami sat back down. PA-san promptly poured him a fresh cup of hot tea.
"You mentioned before — had we ever thought about filling out the band's full lineup?"
"It's not that we don't want to — we just haven't found the right person."
"More like no one wants to join our band," PA-san said with a quiet laugh.
"It's definitely because I'm always so gloomy, and I keep causing trouble for everyone," Hiroi Kikuri said, reflecting on herself from the side. "People probably think we're a total disaster of a band."
Kagami looked between the three of them.
"So — where are you going with this?"
Seika scratched her cheek, a little flustered, then glanced at Kagami — and immediately looked away — then let her eyes drift back.
"Um..."
"You—"
"I'm not 'you.' My name is Kagami."
Seika blinked. The awkward atmosphere that had been building dissolved all at once.
She'd never been able to bring herself to call him by name. Calling him by his family name felt too distant and formal, but she could never quite get comfortable enough to say his given name — so she'd just been defaulting to "you" this whole time. She hadn't expected him to suddenly call her out on it today.
Seika looked at Tsushima Kagami's easy, open smile — and felt her face grow warm.
"Ka... Kagami-kun — the way you played bass last night was incredible."
"I imagine you must know at least a little of other instruments too, right?"
Kagami took a sip of his tea, smiling.
"And if I do?"
Seika drew a breath — then bent forward in a deep bow.
"We would like to invite you... to join our band!"
PA-san and Hiroi Kikuri bowed in unison right alongside her.
Kagami stood with his tea and drifted over to the window. Below, in the school garden, he spotted the resident delinquent teacher Hiratsuka Shizuka sitting on a bench, pulling out a cigarette and turning it over in her fingers — clearly debating whether or not to light it.
He turned back to face the three of them, then glanced at the drum kit sitting nearby.
"You're short a drummer, right?"
"Sorry — drums aren't something I can do."
Seika spoke up again quickly.
"Keyboard or guitar is fine too — we could switch someone over to drums!"
Kagami shook his head again.
"Guitar and keyboard are beyond me as well."
Hearing what was clearly a refusal, all three of them couldn't help but deflate a little.
But then Kagami added:
"Though — I do know someone who might be able to play a little. If you don't mind, I could ask her to come give it a try?"
At those words, the light came back into Ijichi Seika's, PA-san's, and Hiroi Kikuri's eyes all at once.
"If it's someone Kagami-kun recommends, there's no way she'd let us down!"
Kagami turned back toward the window — and called down to the figure below.
"Shizuka! Up here!"
____
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