The guitar Nakano Azusa was holding was reddish-brown, and the gorgeous grain on its soundboard resembled blazing flames.
It was the second guitar Sato had bought after coming to Chiba. As for the first one, he had given it to the eldest son of the Koshigaya family, Koshigaya Suguru, before leaving the countryside at the end of last summer vacation.
After returning from summer break, he had bought this second guitar. It cost over 700,000 yen, making it much more expensive than the first. The soundboard was made of spruce, giving it a distinct grain, strong projection, and a bright, clear tone. The back and sides were crafted from mahogany, with beautifully figured wood grain.
Nakano Azusa's parents both worked in a jazz band, so her family could barely be considered a musical household. Growing up in that environment had broadened her knowledge, allowing her to recognize at a glance that the guitar in her hands was no ordinary instrument.
"Is... this your guitar, senpai?"
Holding the guitar carefully with both hands, Nakano Azusa asked Sato cautiously.
Sato was briefly taken aback before smiling.
"It is. Is something wrong?"
"It must be really expensive, right?"
Although she phrased it as a question, she was already certain the guitar couldn't possibly be cheap.
"It's not too bad. It only cost a little over 700,000 yen."
"Seven... over seven hundred thousand?!"
The exclamation didn't come from Nakano Azusa, but from Ritsu, Mio, and the others standing nearby.
They stared at Sato's guitar with their mouths hanging open, completely overwhelmed.
Nakano Azusa had already been startled by the price. Startled further by their reactions, her hands instinctively trembled, and the guitar nearly slipped from her grasp.
Her heart practically stopped.
Fortunately, she reacted in time and caught it securely.
Even so, her legs were still shaking.
Th... that scared me to death!
Nakano Azusa hugged the guitar tightly, her face pale as she froze.
She turned stiffly toward Ritsu and the others.
Wait... you all didn't know either?!
They really hadn't.
When Sato had changed guitars, they had simply assumed the new one cost about the same as the old one. In their minds, a guitar worth over 100,000 yen was already incredibly expensive. A price any higher had never even crossed their minds.
Their faces turned pale as memories surfaced.
Mio muttered absentmindedly,
"My bass bumped into this guitar several times during practice..."
Ritsu continued blankly,
"I even messed around strumming this guitar before."
"I... I did too."
Yui swallowed nervously.
The carefree days when they'd laughed while casually playing with this guitar flashed through both their minds.
Suddenly, they felt a chill run through their entire bodies.
"You're making way too big a deal out of it. It's just a guitar."
Seeing their expressions, Sato shook his head with a smile.
The way they were looking at the guitar now was practically like pilgrims paying homage to the holy chalice.
Just a guitar?!
This was a guitar worth over 700,000 yen!
The girls stared at Sato as though he were some kind of monster.
Meanwhile, Yui began counting on her fingers while trembling.
"I only get 5,000 yen in allowance each month. Seven hundred thousand means... twelve months in a year... 5,000 a month is 60,000..."
"At least twelve years!"
Ritsu declared with absolute certainty.
"You'd need at least twelve years of allowance to buy it."
"Th... that's so much..."
Yui stood there in a daze.
If I broke it, I'd have to spend forever paying it back...
I haven't even finished paying off Gitah yet.
"Senpai... are you from a rich family?"
Nakano Azusa asked curiously.
Sato couldn't help laughing.
"I'm not some rich second-generation kid. My family just lives out in the countryside. The real young lady here is Mugi-Mugi."
"Mugi-Mugi?"
"There she is."
Sato looked over and pointed toward Kotobuki Tsumugi.
"This is Kotobuki Tsumugi. She's also a second-year like me, and she's the keyboardist. She's a genuine wealthy young lady. The snacks and black tea you just had were all brought by her."
"Yeah! Mugi-Mugi's family is super rich! I heard they have villas all over the world."
"And they have more than a dozen maids at home!"
Ritsu and Yui eagerly added one piece of information after another.
Already too shocked to speak, Nakano Azusa turned stiffly toward Kotobuki Tsumugi.
Tsumugi smiled warmly and waved at her.
Seeing that, Nakano Azusa hurriedly bowed.
Watching the scene, Sato nodded thoughtfully.
"Since we're at it, I might as well introduce everyone properly."
"I'm the club's guitarist, Nohara Sato."
"Besides Mugi-Mugi, this is our drummer and club president, Ritsu."
"Hehe, nice to meet you!"
"And this is our bassist, Mio."
"Nice to meet you."
"And this is our other guitarist, Yui."
"Hehe, if there's anything you don't understand, just ask me. Leave it all to me!"
Yui proudly puffed out her chest and patted it with one hand, putting on her best upperclassman demeanor.
"Hello, senpai!"
Nakano Azusa bowed politely to everyone once more, silently committing each of their names to memory.
"If I have any questions, I'll definitely ask you for help, senpai."
She then looked earnestly at Yui.
Seeing this, Sato couldn't help but cut in.
"You'd better not expect too much from her. She's only half-competent herself."
"Huh? That's so mean, Sato!"
Yui immediately puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction, glaring at him with her bright, sparkling eyes.
Sato calmly met her gaze.
"At least be honest with yourself."
"Anyway, never mind her. Go ahead and play something first."
"Okay!"
Nakano Azusa nodded before nervously lifting the guitar into playing position.
After tuning it slightly, she looked pleasantly surprised by the guitar's clear tone.
After a brief pause, her slender, fair fingers gently plucked the strings, and a melodious guitar performance slowly filled the room.
The notes flowed like a mountain stream cascading gently downhill, smooth and natural with a fresh, refreshing quality. There wasn't the slightest hint of awkwardness from beginning to end, and before anyone realized it, the piece had come to an end.
When Nakano Azusa finished playing, the clubroom became exceptionally quiet.
Sato suddenly looked toward the dumbfounded Yui with an amused smile.
"Now the question is... who exactly is supposed to be teaching whom?"