Maki was a big fan of pop rock and some country songs that he had grown up listening to with others . Sometimes, he leaned more toward rap music, especially when the rapper was spitting verses about their own life story.
He liked so many songs that he couldn't even count them all. Music was also a way for him to pass time when he went out to sea for fishing.
Maki planned to recreate some songs and music, staying true to himself. He had memorized some lyrics well enough to sing them by ear, and since he was an acoustic user, it was easy for him to play music with his own revised tempo.
In this new world, there were sites similar to those from his old world, such as Yotube and Hero-net, which sounded almost exactly the same as the originals.
The first thing Maki did was create his own page. It took him an entire day just to decide on a name and other details. His artist name—and his pages on both Yotube and Hero-net—were the same: Da–Fallen. It felt fitting, considering how he had ended up in this world.
After creating his pages, he began rewriting lyrics he had memorized. Everything still flowed naturally in his mind. He even remembered some double entendres he had heard before.
One time, while he was busy writing, he didn't notice Nemuri returning home. She quietly snuck up behind him.
Nemuri saw all the writings spread across the papers. She didn't know exactly what they were at first, but when she noticed downward arrows, upward arrows, and slurs written above certain words, she realized that Maki was writing a song.
She read the lyrics. Even though they were in English, Nemuri could understand them well—she was fluent. As she read, she raised an eyebrow. Some lines ended with rhymes that were surprisingly good, and some carried deep meanings. However, the topic wasn't about heroes, unlike how artists in this world usually wrote their songs.
She noticed many sheets of paper with tags on them. Some had genres written at the top—country, pop, soul, trap, boom bap—and many of them were unfinished.
She tried to read everything, but then she heard Maki's teasing voice.
"Oh honey, you're already home?"
Nemuri was accustomed to Maki's sarcastic way of greeting her. She teased back, "Oh honey, I'm home—and I'm very tired." She acted weak as she spoke. "And you're here, scribbling some writings."
"Tired, you?" Maki said. He stood up and added, "Wait, I'll make you your favorite latte." With that, he headed into the kitchen.
Nemuri smiled. She sat down on the sofa and continued reading.
♤
Nemuri took her time reading. She was genuinely surprised that Maki could create things like this. The more she read the lyrics, the more she wanted to hear them herself.
On one of the sheets of paper, she noticed drawn strings and chords. She recognized those symbols—some of her friends, fellow U.A. teachers, and alumni used them as well.
But Nemuri knew one thing clearly: Maki didn't own a single instrument at home. After living together, she understood what kind of person he was. He wasn't someone who would request or ask for things. If he wanted something, he would do it himself. She knew that all too well.
This time, though, she didn't need to ask him.
She picked up her phone, opened her contacts, and tapped on the avatar with a speaker icon. She pressed call. It rang once, then—
"YOOOO! WHAT'S UP, NEMURI? WHY'D YOU CALL?"
The voice belonged to Present Mic—Hizashi Yamada. Their relationship was long-standing and specific. They had been classmates at U.A. High together, along with Aizawa, and Mic usually spoke to her with a mix of professional respect and old-friend energy.
"Oh, Hizashi," Nemuri said. "Do you know where I can buy a good-quality guitar?"
"WHAAAAAT? A GUITAR? NEMURI, DON'T TELL ME YOU FINALLY DECIDED TO JOIN MY BAND! THAT'S WHAT'S UP!"
Nemuri laughed softly. "Fufufufufu… nope. Not happening. Ever."
"WHAAAT? THEN WHY ASK? ARE YOU GIVING IT TO SOMEONE ELSE? FOR WHO?" Mic asked.
Nemuri replied teasingly, "Fufufufu… it's a gift for my honey."
"WHAAAAAAT?! DUDE, YOU FINALLY MET SOMEONE?! THAT'S BIG NEWS! WAIT A MOMENT—AIZAWAAAAAAAA! HEAR THIS! NEMURI GOT A MAAAAAAAN!"
From the background, Nemuri heard Aizawa's bored voice. "Hey, Mic. You're noisy. Don't butt into other people's personal lives."
Nemuri smiled. "Hey now, Mic. Do you know where to buy it?"
Mic quickly snapped back to his senses. "OF COURSE! WHAT TYPE IS IT? I'LL DELIVER IT TO YOUR HOUSE—JUST SEND THE PAYMENT!"
Nemuri glanced back at the sheets of paper. From the drawings, it looked like some kind of acoustic guitar, judging by the black circle and the strings.
"Anyway," she said, "bring an acoustic guitar—and add an electric one too. The full set, okay?"
"NOW THAT'S HOW IT SHOULD BE! I'LL MAKE A CALL RIGHT NOW!" Mic said enthusiastically.
"Okay, thank you, Hizashi," Nemuri replied.
"NO PROBLEM!" Mic said.
Nemuri ended the call.
When she looked up, she saw Maki standing there, holding a tray with a mug on it.
"Oh honey," Maki said, "here's your drink."
Nemuri smiled warmly. "You're such a sweet one," she said, licking her lips slightly.