"Read the lyrics, don't run your mouth!"
The tsundere Momoka wolfed down rice fiercely, refusing to take Rinto's joke at all.
Which made Rinto honestly think: No wonder this woman's still single. It actually makes sense.
He rubbed his shin, then carefully read through the lyrics again.
With a title like Love That Cannot Be Reached, of course the whole piece carried that flavor of longing and unattainability.
This really didn't seem like Momoka's style, Rinto thought.
But the more he read on, the more his impression shifted.
—Even if it's a love with no ending,
—Was there still a day it reflected in your heart?
"...This doesn't sound like a heartbreak song. Feels more like declaring war, like trying to steal someone's man."
"Right, right? You get it, don't you? Rinto, you really get it!"
Momoka clapped his shoulder in excitement, not even noticing how, with only that crop top on, her body was brushing against his arm.
But honestly, Rinto was caught by the lyrics she'd written, too absorbed to mind such little hints of intimacy.
—Even if only a faint glimmer of dawn can be seen,
—This love will surely begin to turn.
Unlike the fiery emotions of most of Momoka's past songs, this one carried a quiet beauty, like water nourishing without a sound.
It felt like a song meant for those who were already in a relationship with someone else, yet still kept some ambiguous thread tugging with a third party.
The melody was graceful throughout, but the hidden power was astonishing—its long guitar solos pure showmanship.
Rinto imagined Momoka singing, her voice warm but strong, carrying this emotion. It would definitely sound like a confession that was also a declaration of war.
This would be a song full of flavor, Rinto was sure.
...Only, how to put it.
"What's off about it? Just say it straight."
Momoka, sharp as ever, caught the shift in his expression—her professional side showing through.
Rinto said honestly:
"I think it'll be a really moving song. But for that exact reason, replacing bass and keys with effects pedals is going to be tough. It'll lose some of its unique flavor."
"If you went with guitar-and-vocal only, it might suit a street performance better. Just go out light, what do you think?"
"...Mm. You've got a point."
Momoka was quiet for a moment, then nodded, accepting his opinion.
But she added her concerns:
"Just pure guitar and voice can't be released as a proper single—it needs to meet a real standard. And the studio version's already up online. If people hear it at the live, then check it online and find a big gap, that'll be a problem too."
"So for today we'll stick with this. Later I'll post a stripped-down version... and I really need to get moving on recruiting band members. I can't stay a one-woman act forever."
She scratched her head, frustrated, her mood sinking a little.
The bandmates who had once come to Tokyo with her from Hokkaido—by now they were no longer with her.
No—that wasn't quite right. It was actually Momoka who had split off on her own, the group breaking apart cleanly.
Their old band, Diamond Dust, was still under agency management, continuing commercially—but they'd shifted into idol-style performances.
So here she was, Momoka, three years grinding in Tokyo, left with no connections, no savings, no resources—starting completely over as a street musician.
But if she felt something was good, then it had to be good.
Rinto kept supporting her in every way he could, smiling as he said:
"Go take your shower first. I'll wash the dishes, and I'll get your mic and gear all set up."
"...Mm. Thanks."
Momoka gave him a faint, drifting smile, just offering that small word of thanks.
Later that evening, Momoka and Rinto rode the subway for a long stretch, arriving at their battlefield: Shimokitazawa.
Shimokitazawa had more live houses and performance spaces than anywhere else in Tokyo—it was the stronghold of young musicians.
Bands that got their start here were even called Shimokita-kei, proof of how iconic the place was.
Since this trip was about promoting her new songs, Momoka went bold—straight into this youth-packed street for the fight!
The big sis clenched her fist: "A real rock band isn't just a bunch of dolled-up high school girls singing and dancing together! Rock means rock, punk means punk! At the very least you need to throw up a middle finger to count as rock, right Rinto?"
"I don't care."
The ever-patient Rinto kept his opinion to himself, busy setting up her mic and pedals with practiced efficiency.
If the police came by to check, he'd also have to handle the performance permit—those had to be applied for ahead of time.
While working, he tossed in a casual jab:
"A line of cute high school girls jumping together for photos works too. That's the kind of scene you see in anime OPs that blow up."
"And besides, weren't you also in a band that debuted back in high school? Now you're older and you turn around to criticize high schoolers—don't you think that's kind of ugly?"
Momoka: "That's different! I dropped out in high school. So technically I wasn't a high schooler anymore—I was in a dropout band!"
Fine, you win. Rinto had no energy left to argue with this stubborn onee-san.
But in the end, he still liked her.
It was exactly this stubborn, unyielding spirit of hers that was amazing.
Grinding in Tokyo all on her own and refusing to lose. Clinging to the music she loved with a will ten oxen couldn't drag her from. That was her charm.
Compared to those strengths, her sloppy lifestyle, her messiness, her drinking, her laziness... even the little beer belly she was starting to get lately—those were all still within Rinto's tolerance range.
Once the gear was ready, Momoka opened with a sharp, cutting guitar solo, drawing heads from the crowd.
Then she warmed them up with her most popular original, Empty Box, before cutting straight to the main act:
"Please listen to my new original song—Love That Cannot Be Reached!"
Rinto listened, savoring Momoka's performance. Just as he imagined, it carried real flavor.
Momoka, who usually clung to speed, rarely wrote anything with a BPM under 80. This new one shattered that bottom line, yet it was still excellent.
I really could listen to her songs my whole life.
He tapped along to the beat, lightly poking Morgana's head in rhythm.
"—I'll take three CDs."
The voice of a big customer made Rinto immediately look up.
He pulled three CDs from the stack in the guitar case, handing them over:
"Thanks for the support. That'll be 3000 yen... oh, Yamada-san, you again."
Yamada Ryo: "Mmhm. Where Momoka-san is, there I'll be. That's the loyalty of a hardcore fan."
The expressionless, tear-moled beauty flashed a V sign, clicking her index and middle fingers open and shut like crab claws—so cute it hurt.