Ijichi Seika paused for a moment, then glanced over at PA-san and Hiroi Kikuri. The two of them exchanged a look and gave each other a small nod.
"If it's someone Kagami introduced — as long as they're willing, we wouldn't have any objections."
"We can teach them little by little, too."
"So, Kagami — who exactly did you have in mind?"
All three of them, Hiratsuka included, turned to look at Tsushima Kagami with curious eyes.
Tsushima Kagami pulled out his phone and dialed.
After a short wait, the line connected — and he spoke.
"Shizuku, you haven't started your shift yet today, right?"
"Where are you?"
"Library duty?"
"Top floor classroom, west wing of the main building."
"Yeah — I'm here waiting for you."
By the time Yukinoshita Shizuku arrived at the band's practice room, she took one look at the crowd of familiar faces inside — then walked over to Tsushima Kagami's side and asked:
"What's going on? What did you need me for?"
Before Kagami could say a word, Ijichi Seika's group and Hiratsuka Shizuka all chimed in together:
"Shizuku — / Senpai — would you be interested in joining our band?"
Yukinoshita Shizuku blinked, then looked past them at Hiratsuka Shizuka and asked:
"Shizuka joined Seika's band too?"
Hiratsuka nodded, excitement clear on her face.
"Just now — Kagami was the one who called me in."
"It'd be even more fun if Shizuku joined too!"
Yukinoshita Shizuku turned to Tsushima Kagami with a small smile.
"What — you want me to join the band?"
"Just thought of it out of the blue, so I figured I'd ask," Kagami said, looking at her evenly. "You don't have to if you're not feeling it."
Shizuku thought it over for a moment, then looked at the four of them.
"Sure, why not."
"...Wait, really? You've decided already?"
Nobody had expected Shizuku — who they'd all assumed would most likely decline — to agree so readily.
Yukinoshita Shizuku smiled and continued:
"My shifts have been cutting back lately, so I've been wondering what to do with the extra time."
"And watching Kagami perform with Seika and PA-san yesterday — it got me a little interested."
"If you don't mind taking in someone with absolutely no background at all, I'd love to give it a try."
"We'll definitely teach you everything we know!"
All three of Ijichi Seika's group said it in unison.
Yukinoshita Shizuku gave a small, polite bow.
"Then — please take care of me."
She then glanced over at Tsushima Kagami.
"Though — since I'm starting from scratch and will need time to learn..."
"...and I still have to look after Kagami in the evenings..."
"...it might not be possible for me to join you at a Livehouse like yesterday anytime soon."
Shizuku looked at the others with a smile as she said it.
"That's perfectly fine," Ijichi Seika said quickly. "We started the band just because it made us happy — not for performances or competitions or anything like that."
"Just come hang out with us after school and practice in the club room for a bit. That's really all we need."
"As for the Livehouse — we can always revisit that later, once you feel like you're ready."
"So, senpai — about our band name?"
Just then, Hiroi Kikuri remembered the still-unresolved matter and looked over at Tsushima Kagami.
Kagami smiled.
"How about... Ave Mujica?"
"What kind of name is that? It sounds so strange."
Hiratsuka Shizuka was the first to raise her hand.
The others nodded along, equally puzzled.
"Well, I'm afraid this is going to require a bit of a story."
Kagami gave the group a mysterious smile.
"Have you ever heard the tale of BanG Dream?"
Everyone stared at him blankly.
"The tale of... what?"
"The seventh year of Heisei."
"Lo — such are the great currents of the world: what is long divided must unite, and what is long united must divide. Since the ancient days of Bangg's founding, the performing arts world had fractured into three..."
"To the north stood Tsukimori — heir to the classical tradition, its halls draped in splendor and ceremony. Its students immersed themselves in Western instruments, the art of flower arrangement, and the way of poetry. Revered far and wide for its grandeur and refinement."
"At the center lay Hanasakigawa — nestled at the crossroads of all things, a realm of boundless variety, beholden to no single path. Its students prized freedom and innovation, whether in theater, rock, or modern dance. Known throughout the land for its vibrant, restless spirit."
"To the south rose Haneoka — planted in fertile and flourishing new lands, its students honing their craft with razor-sharp ambition. Masters of pop, street dance, and multimedia performance. Its name carried far on the winds of novelty and dazzle."
"These three schools each harbored talent beyond measure, each commanding the heights of their domain, trading victories and jabs across decade upon decade. Truly it could be said — the performing arts world stood as a three-way standoff beneath the heavens, with each school's finest vying for supremacy."
"So, senpai — what does any of this have to do with Ave Mujica?"
By now, all four of them had settled around the table with their tea, listening to Kagami's increasingly unhinged narration. Hiroi Kikuri raised her hand.
"Ah — right."
Kagami thought about it for a moment and quickly realized it was going to be genuinely difficult to explain, so he pivoted at once.
"Anyway. You — your name is Doloris!"
"You — your name is Mortis!"
"You — your name is Timoris!"
"You — your name is Amoris!"
"You — your name is Oblivionis!"
"What is even happening right now?"
Ijichi Seika frowned, watching Kagami point at each person in turn and rattle off a string of Latin-sounding words. She was beginning to seriously question whether letting him name the band had been a mistake.
"Why, those are your stage names, of course!"
"Then what's senpai's stage name?" Hiroi Kikuri asked curiously.
"Mine?"
"I'll go with... Hanyu Momoka."
With that, he spun around, struck an adorable pose, and gave the group a wink.
"Please give Momoka all your love and support~"
Watching Kagami carry on like that, all the girls burst out laughing.
"That's so unfair — how come only senpai's stage name sounds so... normal?"
PA-san added through her laughter.
"Um — could we maybe swap mine for something else?" Hiroi Kikuri said in a small voice.
Hiratsuka Shizuka frowned as well.
"Honestly — mine is impossible to remember!"
Ijichi Seika glanced at Yukinoshita Shizuku, then looked back at Tsushima Kagami.
"I've got a bad feeling about this, somehow."
"Oh, you're all just impossible to please."
"Fine, fine."
"Then how about... 'Mugen Dai'?"
"Mu... Mugen what?"
Hiroi Kikuri's eyes were practically crossing from being subjected to one bizarre name after another.
"Mugen Dai is, you see..."
"Hmm..."
"Actually — let's scrap that one too."
This time, Kagami paused in thought for a moment before volunteering the verdict himself.
"Stop making up such weird names!" Yukinoshita Shizuku said with a smile, glancing at Ijichi Seika and the others' increasingly pained expressions. "Can we keep it simple, please?"
"Alright, let me think..."
Tsushima Kagami began circling the group.
This is bad. I genuinely cannot remember the name of a single legitimate band.
It's not like I've watched that many music anime.
What on earth do I name them?
"It doesn't have to be something with deep meaning," Hiroi Kikuri said quietly, slipping in while Kagami paced with a troubled look.
"After all, the reason we started the band in the first place was because playing music together just felt... relaxing."
"All the stress from school and home — it melts away instantly."
"Being with Seika and PA-san — it's like nothing can really touch you."
"And of course, now that Shizuka-senpai and Shizuku-senpai are joining too — it's only going to get better from here."
Ijichi Seika and PA-san looked over at Hiratsuka Shizuka and Yukinoshita Shizuku and nodded with warm smiles.
"I understand that now, too — when everyone's together, even the hard times don't feel quite so hard to get through."
"I'm sure it'll be just like Kikuri said — lighthearted and fun, every step of the way."
"And we have Shizuku and Kagami to thank for that."
At that moment, Tsushima Kagami suddenly stopped pacing and looked at the group.
"Lighthearted..."
"K-ON!"
"K... KO? Like a knockout?" Hiratsuka Shizuka perked up immediately.
"It's K-ON! Not KO!" Kagami corrected her.
The other four looked over with curiosity.
So what does that even mean?
Kagami smiled.
"Keion! — the romanization of けいおん."
"'Kei' corresponds to "軽" — light. 'On' corresponds to "音" — sound."
"Put them together: light music."
He looked at the five girls standing before him.
"Or — you could call yourselves the Light Music Girls!"
____
👻🔥Seek: Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: All My Employees Are Naughty Girls
Let's hit these goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = 1 extra chapter for the public!