"—Rinto, Rinto, Rinto~!"
Rinto had just finished buying groceries and returned home. As soon as he pushed open the creaking, battered old door, he heard Momoka's hurried footsteps tumbling down from upstairs.
The sound of her stockings on the wooden floorboards, barefoot without slippers—Rinto thought, that's something I'll never forget for the rest of my life.
Her mood today was even higher than usual. She rushed straight at him and threw her arms around him without hesitation:
"You finally came back, kid~! I've been waiting forever!"
"Listen, listen, I went to the studio today to record! Three new songs, all done in one go! I've already uploaded them to the video site. Tomorrow we'll see what kind of response they get... ah, but you're not allowed to sneak a listen! If I get roasted too badly, I'll cry, cry right in front of you!"
Rinto: "Mm, mm, I get it... I get it, so let me go first—Morgana's about to get crushed."
Still stuffed in Rinto's schoolbag, Morgana had been squeezed tight in the hug, and right now was thrashing around like some scene straight out of a horror movie.
Momoka laughed awkwardly, jumping back to apologize. That careless, open-hearted attitude of hers was, as always, oddly reassuring.
Rinto set his bag down, starting to prep dinner as he asked:
"Looks like your closed-door grind these past few days really paid off, huh? Three songs in one breath. How do you feel?"
"Mm! Most confident I've been in months."
Momoka didn't even bother picking up her guitar. She plopped herself down at the counter, propping her chin up with her hands, staring at Rinto's busy figure while bragging:
"Even the studio manager said the style's totally different this time, feels like it's got a real flavor. I also challenged myself a bit—dropped the BPM, tried messing with a little ballad feeling... hey, what's with you bursting out laughing! Is the word 'ballad' that weird when I say it??"
Rinto: "No, no~ not weird at all. Empty Box is full of emotion, right? It's my favorite song in the whole world, I mean it."
He stifled his laugh, speaking sincerely to comfort her.
Empty Box had been Momoka's old band's breakthrough hit—the very first song she wrote and composed herself back in high school.
That was the one that blew up online, leading her and her schoolmates to form a girl band that shot to sudden fame, catching the attention of an agency and eventually leaving Hokkaido to fight for their dreams in Tokyo.
Rinto, looking every bit like an old hardcore fan, nodded with emotion:
"In the blink of an eye, ten years already... At the time you were only seventeen, the same age as I am now—Kawaragi Momoka-san, who, together with your three partners, bravely dropped out of school to chase your dream, coming to this great stage called Tokyo. After weathering all those storms, now you're still—pfft—"
Momoka snatched a cushion off the sofa and hurled it at him, biting down on her canine teeth with murder in her eyes:
"Ten years my ass! It's barely been just over three years! I'm only twenty! Say I'm old one more time, and I'll force booze down your throat, snap some photos, and send them to your school to report you!"
Rinto: "Wow, that's a real dirty move. Feels straight-up yakuza."
He handed the cushion back to her, so it wouldn't get grease stains from the kitchen.
These past days Momoka had been a little gloomy, maybe from the pressure of composing—she hadn't been bickering or messing around with him much.
So now, getting a reaction out of her with just a bit of teasing—that alone put Rinto in a very good mood.
He had to admit, he was definitely the type with a bit of an M streak. He liked being pushed around.
Tonight's dinner was sukiyaki, Momoka's favorite. He'd bought beef rolls, fresh mushrooms, and Chinese cabbage on the way home.
When the steaming hot clay pot was finally set on the table, the two sat down with rice bowls in hand, even giving Morgana a little bowl of her own.
Momoka hesitated:
"Is it even okay for cats to eat cooked food? Animals aren't supposed to have salt, right? And things like scallions or mushrooms—if Nyako eats them, won't she die?"
Rinto: "So you're really calling her Nyako, huh... Well, yeah, good question. Can Morgana eat it?"
He glanced over at his cat for confirmation.
Because Morgana's pompous, knightly tone in the Metaverse had left such a strong impression, Rinto honestly had no idea whether it was male or female—or if it even had a gender.
But Momoka seemed dead set on thinking of Morgana as a female cat, calling her Nyako. Very much in line with Rinto's stereotypes of people from Hokkaido.
Morgana was already camped in front of the empty bowl, meowing impatiently:
"No problem! I can eat anything! Hurry up, hurry up, I want beef! And that soft, white stuff too~!"
Well then. Rinto translated:
"She says she wants beef and konnyaku, and she promises she won't die. She's smart enough, just let her eat."
Momoka: "Hee~eh, Rinto, you really can understand what she's saying, huh? But honestly, I think Nyako's super smart too, totally unlike a normal cat."
Momoka quickly accepted the "setting," piling Morgana's bowl high.
So the two humans + one cat dug in together, warm and cozy—really like a family.
"...Ugh, it's so hot. Before the live I have to shower again."
Momoka stripped off her jacket without hesitation, left in just a tight crop top baring her stomach. Clearly not treating Rinto like an outsider.
Rinto didn't say anything, but his eyes were, honestly, very honest about enjoying the view.
Sure, this woman loved her drinks a little too much, and lately her belly had gotten a bit soft.
But with all the physical work she put in at her part-time jobs, her figure overall was still slim and toned, carrying a surprising kind of athletic beauty.
Rinto drank in the sight of her healthy body, the slender curve of her navel. Tonight's cooking had already paid back its reward in full.
He asked:
"So you're finally planning to hit the live street performance today? Going to promote the new songs too? I'll come with you."
"Mm, I'll be counting on you."
Momoka didn't refuse, openly accepting his help.
She eagerly pulled out her music sheets, handing them to Rinto:
"Even though you're not allowed to sneak a listen online, you can look at the sheets. During the live I'll use effects pedals—the sound will be weaker, but better than nothing."
Rinto took them.
He wasn't exactly well-versed in music himself; only in these three months living with Momoka had he slowly picked up some basics.
He'd looked through all her past songs' scores, enough now to spot the fundamental differences.
Momoka's earlier songs were all rock—intense, full of sharp and skillful guitar riffs, chasing that sense of speed.
But looking at these new ones, his first impression really was exactly what she said: ballad-like.
"You said you dropped the BPM? Was that to make it easier with the pedals?"
"Mm. Also to try a different style." Momoka kept shoveling rice into her mouth:
"Since I have to sing and play at the same time, I had to make sacrifices with the rhythm. But I still left a guitar solo showcase in every song, so the sound'll hold up. After that it depends on whether the lyrics move people... I think they should, especially the third one."
She subtly pointed him toward her "main push." Rinto looked over.
The title: Love That Cannot Be Conveyed. Surprisingly, a love song.
This was a field Momoka had never touched before, which startled Rinto quite a bit:
"So our dear Momoka-san actually writes love songs too? And it's heartbreak-style, no less... Where'd that inspiration come from? Don't tell me you actually got du—pfft!"
This time it wasn't a cushion flying at him. Momoka really drove the heel of her foot straight into his shin.