This song is called the anthem of punk, you know!
That was what the little angel of a junior colleague had said — the one who carried alcohol on her person, hummed song lyrics when she was in a good mood, and somehow made it all seem perfectly natural.
"Senpai, what do you usually eat for lunch?"
"I…"
I curl up on the cozy little sofa in the second-floor break room, drink the free black coffee, and eat the lovingly packed bento I made myself.
Tomori hesitated, then decided against saying any of that — because it was too ordinary. Chiose would probably file her under 'hopelessly boring woman.'
But there really wasn't anything else to say.
Takamatsu Tomori fidgeted, her hands clasped behind her back, pinching and re-pinching the hem of her blazer.
"I grab something to eat, and then," she started, thought it over, and gave up on any pretense of glamour — with a faint air of resigned self-abandonment, she just said it:
"Then I go back to my desk to check the stone samples, collect whatever scrap material the company's throwing out, pick up a few more rocks on the way home, and that's the day done."
Fine, let her think it's boring. The whole twenty-six years of her life had been exactly this boring, this unremarkable — except for that one year in middle school—
"Eh!"
Tomori heard a gasp and almost thought she'd imagined it, until Chiose snatched up her chosen bento and rushed over, closing the distance in an instant.
"I only asked what you eat for lunch and senpai went ahead and enthusiastically shared her whole day's itinerary of joys with me! That's not fair at all — doesn't that mean I have to trade you something equally interesting?"
"Something… interesting?"
Takamatsu Tomori was baffled. Takamatsu Tomori was bewildered. Takamatsu Tomori was frankly astonished.
This girl… really was one of a kind. No wonder she was able to become friends with someone as socially out-of-step as Tomori…
It felt a bit rude to think it, but Takamatsu Tomori genuinely could not understand what Chiose found interesting about any of that.
It was the most boring life in the entire world, wasn't it.
"I bet senpai is muttering to herself right now: 'There's nothing interesting about this at all, it's the most boring life in the entire world.'"
"!"
"It's written all over your face, you know."
Lunch was convenience store curry chicken rice — the curry and chicken weren't particularly good, but passable enough to get down.
Two working adults ate their meal on the little swings in the Park like a pair of children.
"Chiose."
Tomori spoke up, watching Yoshiiro Chiose — silver hair pulled back — working her way earnestly through her meal.
"Mm? What's up, big sis Tomori?"
"..."
Just like that, one little 'big sis Tomori' shoved whatever Tomori had been about to say right back down her throat.
"Well, what is it? Say it already, or I'm going back to eating."
"I… I'm curious why you said my daily routine was interesting just now."
"Oh, that question."
Yoshiiro Chiose puffed out her cheeks — still full of food — and gave a small nod, glancing sideways toward the bare branches of a nearby cherry tree.
"Because Tomori fits the spirit of punk perfectly. I think senpai is exactly the kind of person who could play punk!"
"Me — play punk? Are you serious?"
Tomori was sure Chiose was joking, but then she noticed the other girl put down her chopsticks with complete, unironic seriousness.
"I mean it. Does senpai know why My Chemical Romance's 'Welcome to the Black Parade' is called the punk bible?"
"Sorry, I really don't…"
"There's a lyric in the fragment I sang this morning — it means: 'Will you be the savior of the broken, the beaten, and the damned?'"
"That one line captures the deepest, most essential spirit of punk. It's about becoming the champion of the oppressed, the forgotten, the cast-out — speaking up for them at the top of your lungs, leading them forward together through music!"
"But this march isn't a triumphant military parade. It's the exact opposite — it's about letting all those poor souls who get pushed aside every day step out into the street, step out into the sunlight."
"I think senpai is exactly the kind of person who could lead everyone — a real savior."
"Wha — wait, that's a bit…"
Is she really talking about me? Leading everyone? A march? That feels a little… like something out of a shounen manga…
Takamatsu Tomori had never once imagined that one day a girl four years her junior would describe her in terms this rock-and-roll.
"Little Tomori is just too conservative! Honestly! How can anyone live life like this! After work, I'm taking you out to broaden your horizons!"
"I—"
Tomori knew she was standing at a crossroads.
Keep living the same unchanging, rock-like existence — or go out and have fun with this very personable junior of hers?
"I'm in!"
Whatever happened, it couldn't possibly be worse than her current situation.
A rare burst of sunlight broke through the gaps between the clouds and spilled down, making the girl beside her — the one who loved alcohol and punk — shine all the brighter.
Someone else's savior… that was what a person like that was supposed to be.
Tomori was more like the oppressed, the forgotten, the cast-out — the ones who needed saving.
The amount of thoughts she'd had rattling around inside her head these past two days was frankly unbelievable…
Takamatsu Tomori followed Yoshiiro Chiose's lead and started eating her lunch in big, unself-conscious bites.
She still hadn't found that missing taste she'd been chasing at the bottom of yesterday's glass.
...
STARY — an extended hall with a legendary reputation.
Most people came for the diverse live music program, though a handful, like Yoshiiro Chiose, were drawn equally by the music and a deep, fond attachment to the drinks served here.
Since opening, the venue had witnessed the shifts and changes of Tokyo's underground music scene, and as the years passed, the variety of acts on its stage had only grown.
"To~mo~ri~-senpai~" Chiose, already nursing a cocktail, perched on a tall barstool and ambushed Tomori in a soft, drowsy voice.
"Tonight~ you absolutely have to let yourself sink into the Happiness Spiral that drinking brings, okay."
Go on, drink up, Takamatsu Tomori — the more the better.
She'd already had quite a bit to drink today, but Chiose knew that the more clear-headed she was, the harder it would be to go through with what she needed to do.
The simulated drinking inside the simulation was like a direct antidote — it dissolved the anxiety in her chest and the ache of missing little Tomori.
Get drunk… as long as she was drunk, she'd be able to do it. It would be better for everyone that way, wouldn't it.
"Little Tomori, the band that's about to take the stage — that's the real reason I brought you here tonight."
"Hmm? Is it because they play punk?"
"Yes, of course."
Yoshiiro Chiose nodded and shook her head at the same time.
"But it's not quite that simple — you see, what they're performing tonight isn't their own original material. They're covering the signature song of the American rock band My Chemical Romance."
Over the course of their back-and-forth, Yoshiiro Chiose had already pressed several rounds of drinks into Takamatsu Tomori's hands.
Having gone through it once before, Tomori wasn't quite as much of a mess as she might have been — but she wasn't exactly holding up either.
After a few glasses, she'd started to drift into that pleasant, hazy blur again.
"Little Tomori, pay attention — the show's about to start."
A gentle piano introduction floated out, and the opening notes of "Welcome to the Black Parade" snapped Takamatsu Tomori instantly awake.
____
________________________________________
🌸 Help Love Bloom!
Our girls need a little push... and you can help!
💖 Gift for Everyone: Once we hit 50 Powerstones, I'll release +1 bonus chapter to warm your hearts.
🚀 Community Reward: If we reach 20 supporting members, we'll have a +5 chapter marathon across all stories! The romance won't stop.
👻 Come to our secret corner: Search for GirlsLove on (P). You know that's where the magic happens... 😉