4:30 p.m.
It was still early, yet every grade at Hanasakigawa Girls' Academy had already wrapped up their final class. It was time to head home.
And yet… there was a chill hanging in the air.
"What do we do now?"
"It just keeps pouring. If I'd known this would happen, I never would've brought my instrument to school."
"Our band has an emergency rehearsal today. The performance is tomorrow, we really can't mess this up!"
"Should we call our families to pick us up?"
"My parents won't get off work until really late…"
Misumi Uika sat neatly at her desk, her expression calm as she quietly took in the mood of the classroom.
At Hanasakigawa, where girl bands were practically the lifeblood of the school, a sudden downpour like this was nothing short of catastrophic.
Leaving instruments at school risked theft. Carrying them home in the rain risked damage. Many instruments were extremely sensitive to humidity, and the more expensive they were, the more delicate they tended to be.
As expected… everyone was troubled.
Uika let out a small sigh. She preferred it when everyone was cheerful and upbeat. Sighing and moping really did not suit girls at all, did it?
She possessed a power that could bring smiles back to everyone's faces.
Weather Report
In the days before.
During a performance, she had been struck by an arrow that flew in from several hundred meters away. A fan called for emergency services, and she was rushed to the hospital. After running a forty degree fever for several days, she awakened a special ability.
She could directly influence the weather.
However, the larger the scale of control, the more mental energy it consumed. Affecting the weather over a wide area drained her mind at an alarming rate.
"Whoa! The rain stopped!"
A high school girl cried out in surprise.
"Um… maybe we should still wait a bit. My dad is coming to pick me up. He can give you all a ride. Getting caught in the rain on the way home would be a pain, right?"
"You're the best, sis. But I don't think it's going to rain again! Look, it already cleared up!"
Through the window, still dotted with water droplets, the sky had turned a soft blue. Sunlight streamed down, a stark contrast to the gloomy darkness from moments ago.
"Huh?"
"Whoa! This is practically a miracle! Could it be the will of the Band God? Are we being blessed? Then this performance is totally going to be a success!"
The band girls were already celebrating like they had popped champagne.
What Band God miracle? If you want to succeed, practice more! I cannot keep this up for long, so please hurry to the rehearsal room, okay?
"The Band God doesn't really exist. If you want to succeed, you just have to practice harder," Misumi Uika said with a gentle smile, reminding them.
"Ah! It's Uika!"
"Hehe, if Kiyono is Hanasakigawa's master strategist, then Uika must be the Band God herself! I love you so much. Please give me an autograph!"
"Oh my, calling me a god is a bit much," Uika said, unable to stop the smile creeping onto her lips as she watched the girls laugh and joke around.
"In the end, Sumimi is just an idol duo. It's only Mana and me. We hardly count as a band."
After a few minutes, she finally managed to send the band girls on their way. Uika looked up at the bright, sunny sky and roughly calculated how long she could maintain it.
About forty five minutes.
Unless someone decided to sprint all the way to a live house like an idiot, that was more than enough time to get there.
Once the time ran out, she would be completely drained anyway.
So Uika began packing her bag, ready to leave. Just then, her gaze suddenly settled on Kiyono Inori's seat.
A dark gray violin case.
She stepped closer and gently touched it. The material was high quality. You could tell the instrument inside must be beautiful.
"A violin…?"
She murmured instinctively, resting her chin in thought.
Kiyono was physically weak. Maybe she had fallen asleep in the infirmary and forgotten it. I should bring it to her so she can hurry home.
…
Misumi Uika. Her real name was Misumi Uika.
The second daughter of the Misumi family.
She grew up on a small island with beautiful beaches and crystal clear seas. Her mother had remarried into the Misumi family, bringing along an older daughter, and later gave birth to Uika.
Strangely enough, Uika and her older half sister looked at least ninety percent alike.
That half sister was taken back by the main family. Her mother later passed away from illness. Her father was lost at sea in a shipwreck. For a fourteen year old girl, that difficulty setting was far too high.
Later on.
She came to Tokyo to look for her sister, who had been taken in by the main family. Her sister refused to let her stay, citing how dark and oppressive the Toyokawa household was, but secretly provided her with plenty of help.
A place to live. A part time job. Enrollment procedures. Everything was arranged for her.
She managed to barely get back on her feet.
At fifteen.
Uika entered a singing competition and caught the attention of the organizers and an agency. She was given the chance to debut as a duo with Sumita Mana, the five time champion of the competition.
The gears of fate began to turn.
Despite suffering many setbacks, her happy childhood left Uika with a bright, gentle personality. She was considerate, sensitive to others' emotions, and good at building relationships.
But… being an idol was seriously stressful.
She had to travel constantly for events. Even on the train, she had to hide her identity as much as possible, wrapping herself up like a rice dumpling.
That day.
It was spring break before high school started. After finishing a sponsorship event for a dessert milk tea shop, Mana went off to another job, while Uika took the train back to Tokyo.
Uika: Mana-chan do your best. I'm heading back to prepare for our new song. Whether you're happy or upset, you can always tell me.
Mana: I'm the senior here! You're the one who should come to me if there's anything you don't understand.
Two and a half hours on the train.
Wearing a mask and sunglasses the whole way, combined with the gloomy weather, Uika's mental state was at rock bottom. Chatting with her partner who was attending an important event helped her relax a little and regain some energy.
Then.
Because she was typing while walking, she failed to notice the unsteady black silhouette ahead. By the time she realized, the girl had already collided with her.
"Huh? Wait, are you okay?"
Ignoring the phone that fell to the ground, Uika quickly crouched down and supported the girl she had bumped into.
Overexposed flaxen hair, pale milky skin that looked almost sickly, a straight nose bridge. The girl's fragile air instantly caught Uika's attention.
She's kind of pretty.
After some effort, she moved the girl to a bench near the station and observed her for a while. Just as she was starting to think she should call the police, the girl woke up.
"I'm sorry for the trouble. By the way, may I ask your name?"
After catching her breath, the girl spoke with an unmistakable refined air.
"Misu…"
Uika was about to say her real name, but remembering her idol status and wanting to avoid trouble, she gave the online name she often used.
Usagawa Karin.
Oh no.
The moment it left her mouth, she knew it was bad. Eastern surnames were common, but Usagawa Karin was way too obviously fictional.
It was fake at a glance.
"…I see."
Just as Uika expected, her suspicious behavior and fake name put the girl on guard. The girl calmly tucked her hair behind her ear and said without much emotion,
"If you need any help, you may call the number on this card."
She handed over an elegant card with a contact number and the Kiyono family crest.
"Huh?"
Uika was completely caught off guard by this sudden development and could only blink in confusion.
"Thank you very much."
That was all the girl said before unsteadily hailing a taxi and leaving.
And then.
They ended up in the same class.
Honestly, Uika regretted not giving her real name back then. If she had another chance, she would definitely do it properly.
Kiyono Inori.
Her sense of social boundaries was incredibly strong.
She seemed to get along with everyone, yet also kept everyone at arm's length. It looked similar to Uika's own social style, yet was actually the complete opposite.
Even worse.
Uika had tried several times to befriend Kiyono, but Kiyono clearly was not interested. The more proactively Uika approached her, the more guarded Kiyono became.
Uika had no idea where that wariness came from. But either way, becoming friends with Kiyono was absurdly difficult.
Approach her and get treated with suspicion.
Do nothing and get nothing.
Calling the number on that elegant card and revealing her identity would be awkward too.
First, it clearly was not Kiyono's personal number. Second, calling someone's family just to say:
"Hey, I helped your young lady once. Could you let her be friends with me? I want to copy her homework!"
That would be bizarre.
Incredibly bizarre.
Yes. Misumi Uika wanted to be friends with Kiyono Inori, and her motive was very pure. Homework and study notes.
At Hanasakigawa, a school overflowing with band girls.
Kiyono Inori's academic dominance was like a third anniversary top carry facing launch era beginners.
She was miles ahead of everyone else.
Even students who consistently ranked in the top ten were nowhere near her level. She was an absurdly overpowered, utterly broken top carry.
"Kiyono Family Homework" was practically a fashion item at Hanasakigawa. Almost every band girl in the same grade had copied Kiyono Inori's homework at least once.
As for "Kiyono Family Study Notes".
That was a legendary martial arts manual that existed only in rumors. Supposedly, any student in the top hundred could break into the top fifty after reading it once.
Divine.
Thanks to her status as part of Sumimi, Uika could ask classmates for homework, but that was just homework. She had no access to the study notes.
After all, this was Hanasakigawa.
Band girls willing to copy homework were already rare elites. Band girls willing to copy entire textbooks basically did not exist.
So.
If she became friends with Kiyono Inori, she could get her hands on the legendary Kiyono Family Study Notes, original version. No copying required. Just read them.
When that happened.
Her reputation would instantly upgrade from "Oh, that's Sumimi's Uika. Her singing is amazing" to:
"Not only is she a popular idol, she's also top class academically. Sumimi's Uika really is a genius."
Who would not want to be a genius girl?
Everything was going according to plan. Misumi Uika had been searching for a chance to break through Kiyono Inori's emotional wall and befriend her. Now, she had found it.
Return Kiyono Inori's violin.
Close the distance.
Even if it did not work. At the very least, she wanted to understand why Kiyono always pulled away from her when she approached, when other classmates did not get the same treatment.
With her guitar on her back and Kiyono's violin in her arms, humming a Sumimi tune, Misumi Uika headed toward the infirmary.
Just then.
"Meow! Mrrrow?"
Why was there a cat all of a sudden?
Girls loved cats. Uika was no exception. She instinctively looked around, trying to find the stray, only to realize it was right by her feet.
"Oh my, what a cute kitty," Uika's eyes lit up. "When did our school get such an adorable cat?"
Unfortunately.
Both her hands were full. Kiyono's violin looked expensive, and as a professional idol who loved instruments, she could not bring herself to casually set it on the ground.
"Meow! Mrrrow?"
Uika did not pet the cat, but the cat very humanlike patted her leg with its paw.
"Ah, big sis has something important to do right now. How about this, okay? Once I finish delivering this violin, I'll go to the convenience store and buy you some cat snacks."
Seeing such an adorable cat for the first time, every little movement was irresistibly cute. Her heart felt warm, on the verge of melting.
Elysia Cat: blank stare
Turning into a cat is such a pain! I have been meowing forever and she does not understand a thing! I am not actually a cat, who wants cat snacks anyway! Do not think cheap treats or canned food will lure me away from Inori-chan!
Elysia Cat's inner monologue was extremely rich.
Her thinking speed was fast too.
Since her words came out as meows, she had no choice but to communicate through actions.
Elysia Cat ran in front of Uika, spun in circles around her own tail to show urgency, then raised a paw and pointed ahead, meowing twice.
"…?"
The cat's overly human gestures tipped off the sharp eyed girl. "Kitty, are you… trying to get me to follow you to see something?"
Uika was not entirely sure.
More than anything, she was stunned. This was the first time she had ever seen such an intelligent, well trained cat. Even circus animals were not this smart.
"Meow, meow!"
Growing impatient with the girl who was completely bewitched by her cuteness, Elysia Cat dashed forward, looked back, spun around her tail again, meowed, then ran a few more steps.
"Okay, okay, I'll go with you!"
The cat's request successfully crossed the language barrier and reached Misumi Uika.
What she did not expect was that the cat led her straight to the infirmary where Kiyono Inori was. At that moment, a bad feeling crept up on her.
Cats saving people. Dogs saving people.
Stories like that were common. She had seen plenty of them online, whether they were true or not.
Wait. No way.
An anxious cat and a frail girl made Uika think of something terrible. Without hesitation, she pulled open the infirmary door.
…
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Let me know if I got a name wrong. I know basically nothing about MyGO.