After asking for Nijika's opinion, Ishikawa Hayabusa began calling her by her first name.
Well, maybe "asking" wasn't quite the right word.
"Don't make it sound weird. I already started calling you Hayabusa-kun directly, didn't I?" Nijika replied with a playful pout.
At the moment, the two of them were helping Ishikawa Hayabusa dig through the chaotic piles of books in a secondhand bookstore in Shimokitazawa, searching for the right study materials.
Only now did Hayabusa finally have a chance to properly notice the two girls.
The girl crouching down, shifting boxes aside and carefully checking the spines of books, was Ijichi Nijika.
Her long blonde hair was tied up on one side, with soft, airy bangs brushing her forehead. Her bright red eyes carried an impression of gentle liveliness.
At about one meter fifty tall, she looked small and delicate when crouched down. But her ever-present smile—confident, gentle, and reassuring—made her appear both petite and dependable at the same time.
She looked exactly like the kind of sweet, gentle girl anyone would call a "perfect beauty." And from Hayabusa's brief experience interacting with her, she really did give off that impression.
Beside her, pulling books out carelessly and shoving them back without much thought, was a cool and aloof-looking girl with deep blue hair. Her bangs fell over one eye, giving her an air of cold detachment, as though she couldn't care less about anything. This was Yamada Ryo.
Slightly taller than Nijika, the difference in height paired with her aura gave off a completely opposite impression.
Even though they wore the same school uniform—white shirt, black pleated skirt—on Ryo, it looked heavier, weighed down by her quiet, rational presence.
She was the type of girl who carried a strong sense of self, indifferent to outside opinion. A cool, androgynous beauty.
"Guitars… basses… keyboards… digital pianos… everything's all mixed together here," Nijika murmured with a small sigh of complaint.
"Found it."
Ryo's normally calm voice carried a flicker of delight.
The other two quickly rushed over.
"That's great—!" Nijika's happy exclamation froze halfway, her bright eyes turning flat and lifeless as she stared at Ryo.
Because in Ryo's hands wasn't a textbook, but a magazine. She was holding it up proudly.
"An interview with Stone Pool Band about their debut! People have been looking for this online—"
Moments later, Hayabusa found himself looking at Ryo, who now had a small bump on her head yet continued calmly searching through books. He felt a wave of conflicting emotions.
So this is what people mean when they talk about the chemistry between the drummer and bassist, huh?
It almost made him want to wish them "a lifetime of happiness together."
Hayabusa felt the silence was starting to get awkward, so he kept flipping through the stacks while speaking.
"By the way, Nijika and Ryo, you're both really kind. Even though this is the first time we've met, and I haven't even officially joined your band yet, you've already gone out of your way to help me like this."
"Because you don't seem like someone who just wants to mess around. It feels like you're seriously committed to learning," Nijika said brightly, lifting her gaze from the books with a cheerful smile.
Pervert Gauge: 20%
Hayabusa nodded silently.
"Band," came Ryo's flat voice from behind Nijika.
Nijika blinked, tilted her head in thought, and suddenly froze with a dumbfounded look.
"Wait… I never actually said you could join the band, did I?!"
"Not at all," Ryo replied coolly from the side.
"Ughhh, I can't believe myself… ahahaha…" Nijika scratched her cheek and gave a silly, awkward laugh.
Watching her, Hayabusa mentally slapped an attribute label on her: Clumsy Girl.
But just as he thought that, Nijika's eyes sharpened, studying him for a moment. Then, instead of saying anything, she simply smiled and extended her hand.
"Then, Hayabusa-kun—welcome aboard."
Hayabusa returned the smile and grasped her slightly roughened but warm little hand.
"It's an honor."
The moment of warmth was instantly shattered by Ryo's monotone voice.
"Found it."
She stretched out her arm, handing the book over without a change in expression.
…
I'm officially a member of the band!
Hayabusa almost wanted to play background music in his head to mark the moment. Something like:
La, la-la-la, la-la-la-la~
But he thought better of it and decided to act normal.
The three of them left the bookstore and headed for the station.
When they arrived, Hayabusa kept walking straight ahead until Nijika called out to him.
"Hayabusa-kun, this way."
He turned, blinked at the station entrance, and asked the two girls waiting there:
"Doesn't Shimokitazawa have any specialty shops?"
"No, we'll need to take the train," Ryo replied without even glancing up from her phone.
Hayabusa suddenly had a bad feeling. Japan might be small, and its cities packed closely together, but that also meant even short distances could end up taking a long time.
"Where?" he asked, stepping closer to look at Ryo's phone.
"Shinjuku."
She tilted the screen toward him, showing the map.
Hayabusa calculated quickly. From leaving to returning, the whole trip would take nearly an hour and a half.
He found it hard to believe anyone would spend that much time for the sake of a brand-new bandmate.
Taking a deep breath, Hayabusa bowed deeply in the middle of the station, completely ignoring the stares of passersby, and declared loudly:
"I'll remember this kindness for the rest of my life!"
Ryo slid her phone back into her pocket, expressionless.
"Mm. I'll make sure you pay it back."
Nijika, long used to Ryo's personality, could only sigh helplessly.
"We're going to miss the train…"
…
That evening, Ishikawa Hayabusa returned home carrying a tall case over a meter long in his left hand and a heavy box in his right.
Cradling his brand-new equipment—worth nearly a million yen—he pushed open the door and stepped inside.
At the sound of the door, his little sister Ishikawa Hibiki came to the entryway.
"Onii-chan, you're home so late—"
But when she noticed what he was carrying, she froze, blinked, then stomped her foot in outrage, her white socks slapping the floor.
"Don't bring dead bodies into the house!!"
…For the record, Ishikawa Hayabusa's family was perfectly ordinary. Not some clan of assassins.
Honestly, what went on inside this dumb little sister's head?
As Hibiki's voice rang out, a clatter came from the kitchen.
"Eh—eh—eh—eh?!"
Accompanied by the sound of pots and pans, their mother rushed out in a panic, staring anxiously at what Hayabusa was holding.
"I believe in you, Hayabusa. I know you're not a bad kid."
…Mom, if you're going to say that, could you at least try to look less nervous?
Hayabusa couldn't help but wonder just what kind of image his mom had of him in her mind.
"They're instruments, idiot," he said flatly.
Slipping off his shoes, he put on house slippers and walked over to his sister, who was still staring at his gear. Then, without hesitation, he gave his stupid little sister a light headbutt.
His mom finally exhaled in relief, then suddenly gasped again and rushed back into the kitchen.
Hayabusa peeked in, saw nothing he needed to help with, and instead called out belatedly:
"Good evening, Mom."
He turned to his sister, who was holding her head and already shuffling toward the living room to watch TV.
"And good evening to my dumb little sister, too."
"Hmph."
Her pouty little huff and his mom's welcome were all the response he got.
Just as Hayabusa was about to haul his synthesizer and amp to his room, he looked over at Hibiki sprawled lazily on the couch, watching TV with nothing to do.
Feeling it was his duty to give this useless sister something to occupy her time, he marched into the living room.
"Huh?"
Hibiki looked up to see her brother carrying what looked suspiciously like a severed head (the amplifier) in one hand and a headless corpse (the keyboard) in the other. Alarm spread across her face as she shrank back into the sofa, curling her legs together.
"What are you planning?!"
"Come upstairs with me."
Completely unconcerned by the extra weight, Hayabusa hooked an arm around his sister's head and started dragging her out.
"Ehh—ehhh?! Mom! Save meee!! Onii-chan's gonna kill me!! If you keep cooking, there'll be one less person to eat dinner tonight!!"