CH 44

Two Gazes

At a seven-story shopping building in front of the station. On the floor for women’s clothing, Nakano-san bought one outfit, and next we came to the floor where the fancy stores were located.

It was two o’clock in the afternoon when we left the sweet buffet restaurant. Now it was a little after that, three o’clock in the afternoon.

The last reply from Asatani-san to Nakano-san did not come until at least one hour before the meeting time.

“Girls like cute things, don’t they? My little sister collects them too. I’ve become quite familiar with them myself.”

“I think Takadera-kun seems to have a soft spot for his younger sister. It’s just a hunch, though.”

“Well, so does my big brother. She’s the youngest, so she’s spoiled.”

“He’s really trying to buy it and take it home. I don’t mind this kind of thing either.”

“What? You want this big brother to buy it for you? …Senda, Noarin… No, Asatani-san is definitely coming.”

“Yeah…”

Around this time, everyone seemed to think that there was no point in rushing anymore. I felt the same way, but if any more time passed, I wouldn’t be able to hang out with Asatani-san after her work was done.

Realistically, I should probably assume that she wouldn’t be coming. That’s not a bad thing, we could go another time – But…

“…Nagisen, I’ve been thinking about something. Can you guys hear me out?”

“Hmm? Ask anything, and no matter how reckless it is, Senda will do it, and I’ll be right there with him.”

“Nakano-san, did something happen to Asatani-san?”

Ogishima asked, and Nakano-san looked at each of our faces before finally looking at Takane-san.

“I know the nearest station to where Kiri-chan works… How about we head there now?”

Everyone was surprised at the suggestion by Nakano-san – I thought about it, too, but didn’t think it was realistic.

If the job wasn’t done, there’s nothing we could do if we barge in. The recording studio didn’t allow you to use your phone, so we didn’t know what Asatani-san was up to right now.

“It will take us an hour to get there by train from now, and it’s already 4:00 p.m, so we don’t have much time to spend together… But maybe on the way home, we could go to karaoke or something like that…”

Nakano-san was gradually losing momentum. It was probably because she was thinking that even if she went there, she would not be able to meet Asatani-san.

“…I wonder if Kiri-chan would be troubled if we did that.”

“Hmm, well if Noari… If Asatani-san is at work, that means it’s not over. If that’s the case, why don’t we just call it a train trip?”

“Yeah, I think it’s a good idea too. What station is the train?”

Takadera and Ogishima readily gave the OK – as if it were nothing.

“U-Um… Is everyone okay with the transportation expenses?”

“Oh, I don’t have a problem with that. I go to Tokyo quite often for errands and other things.”

“I sometimes go to the Chiba area, too. I often go to Maihama.”

“Then, then, what about Nozomi-chan?”

“Yes, I have a regular IC card, so I’m fine. What about Nagito-san…?”

It’s not about the cost of transportation, it’s about whether to go or not. It seemed I was the only one who was struggling with that. With this group of members, such things were not an obstacle.

“I can come too. And the timing… If we go to the station now, there’s an express train coming right on time.”

“Yes, then it’s decided… Let’s go!”

“Nakano-san, you can’t run in the store…”

Even though she said that, Takane-san followed Nakano-san with room to spare – We didn’t have time for this either. Takadera and Ogishima looked at me and laughed, and I also laughed.

“So this is what it’s like playing with school idols… No, national celebrities, Senda.”

“Wow, that sounds really over the top.”

“You two, you’ll run out of breath if you keep running while talking.”

“Oh, come on, Senda’s so fast! How much do you want to see Noarin? Me too, though!”

Takadera repeated ‘Noarin’ without learning his lesson, but now was not the time for blame.

All of us were taking bets on whether or not we would be able to see Asatani-san. Even if we didn’t make it, it was better than running out of time and having to split up.

I caught up with Takane-san, who was running ahead of me. When she saw me, she smiled even though she was out of breath – She just had a cold, but Takane-san was still an amazing girl who smiled even when she was running as fast as she could.

Maybe because we took the express train, we arrived earlier by an hour. However, we didn’t know where Asatani-san was recording, so we had to wait at the station.

“I guess she can’t send us a message after all… Eh? It’s already been read.”

“Then, call her… What’s wrong?”

Nakano-san looked at me with a sullen look – Did that mean she was nervous about calling Asatani-san herself?

Takane-san was looking at me. As Takadera and Ogishima didn’t know Asatani-san’s phone number, then I would have no choice but to call her.

“Senda, you’re in the same junior high school as Asatani-san. You’re the only one we can count on here.”

“Yeah, I get it… I’ll try.”

I wondered if she would answer. Praying, I displayed Asatani-san’s number and pressed the call button.

I could feel everyone’s nervousness. A few rings later, just as it’s about to switch to voicemail–

“–Senda-kun?”

It wasn’t from my phone that I heard Asatani-san’s voice.

I turned towards the voice – I had a sudden vision of her laughing at me for overreacting.

She was wearing different glasses and a hat from before. I could tell even in such disguise, she was Asatani-san.

“–Kiri-chan…!”

“…Y-Yui-chan, calm down. Also, why is everyone here…?”

“We’re all here to pick No… Asatani-san. Right, Senda?”

“I’m glad we all met here. Let’s go and do something now. …Is that okay?”

Takadera and Ogishima came out from my right and left respectively and said. When Ogishima asked with a worried look on his face, Asatani-san made a mysterious expression and made a pause. Then, she turned to us and made a peace sign.

“Whoa! Senda, we did it! I’m so glad we ran after all. To have such an emotional finish line waiting for us!”

“Takadera, you’re talking too loud. But I’m glad, I’m really glad… I know it’s not for me to say, but I was hoping we could all have fun together.”

“Thanks, you two. I know we haven’t talked much, but you ran for me?”

“I-If it’s for Noa… Asatani-san, we and especially Senda will come running from anywhere, so please call us anytime.”

“You can’t do that…is what I’d like to say. But for today, let’s just say that’s a good thing.”

“It’s called a no-holds-barred attitude. No, I don’t know what a no-holds-barred attitude is, but that’s what it is, right?”

“Mou~. The boys are all excited. I’m so happy that Kiri-chan could join us.”

“I’m the same as Nakano-san. Thanks for your hard work, Asatani-san.”

When Takane-san said that, Asatani-san smiled happily and lightly high-fived Takane-san and Nakano-san.

“Thank you all for coming today… Eh, I kind of sounded like an idol just now.”

“What are you saying, Noa… Asatani-san is a real idol…”

“I’m sorry, Asatani-san, Takadera is a huge fan of Asatani-san’s…”

“Yes, but ‘Noarin’ is not allowed outside. Can you follow this rule?”

“Yes, I can! SS-1 Takadera will protect Asatani-san till the next location!”

“Don’t worry, Nagisen is here. He looks like a quiet guy, but he’s very strong.”

“…Don’t say that so suddenly. I was really surprised.”

“Ah, Senda’s physical strength is insane. He can run this far without a care in the world.”

When it’s put like that, it’s like I ran to see Asatani-san – and you’re right, with no room for correction, but it somehow made it harder to see Asatani-san’s face.

“…I see, I see. Thank you for running, Senda-kun and everyone else. I’ll definitely run if you guys have any problems.”

“Uwaa~! Kiri-chan, don’t make us any happier! My tear glands would go silly!”

Nakano-san was so moved that she hugged Asatani-san. Takane-san looked a little puzzled by this – but when her eyes met mine, she softly and gently smiled at me.

We took the train back to our local area, thinking about what to do when we split up. Everyone’s faces were cheerful, unlike on the way there.

I appreciated the lightness of footwork and the boldness of Takadera and Ogishima. They both acted like it’s nothing, and that’s what I find amazing about them.

Nakano-san had called the karaoke bar we were going to visit in advance. Thanks to Nakano-san’s quick thinking, we were able to enter the establishment with little wait, despite the fact that the rooms were booked and there was a waiting list during the holidays.

“Yes, thank you, thank you. Well, I haven’t sung in a while, so I can’t hit the high notes.”

“I didn’t know Takadera-kun would sing ballads. I thought he was going to rap.”

“If the song has a rap part, leave it to me, Nakano-chan.”

“Mhmm, you definitely don’t want to do a duet with Takadera. But it’s fine if it’s a chorus with everyone.”

“Hey, you say the meanest things. Then, I’m going to sing with Senda. Ogishima, do you want to sing too?”

“The tension is getting weird, and all I had was a cream soda.”

Ogishima was sipping his Blue Hawaii cream soda as he accepted Takadera’s invitation. Ogishima sang as the lead singer, but his high notes were high enough to sing R&B with female vocals in a normal way, as expected of a theater club member.

“Nozomi-chan, Kiri-chan, have you decided on the song you’re going to sing? Don’t you need to look at the controller?”

Takane-san and Asatani-san were clapping their hands while listening to other people’s songs, and they didn’t seem to be choosing songs.

“U-Um… I’m not saying that I’m excited about a celebrity, but… Well, I can’t deny that I’m really looking forward to Asatani-san’s songs. And of course, Takane-san and Nakano-san’s too.”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to worry about us. I want to hear Kiri-chan and Nozomi-chan sing too. I’m fine with being a tambourine player.”

“Ah, is the next song the one you put in, Nakano-san? Senda-kun, it’s about time you put yours in too.”

“I don’t mean to brag, but I’m a renowned listener.”

The intro came in and Nakano-san began to sing – She chose a song that Ruru-nee had recently told me was popular on a video app. The groove was good and the chorus was easy to understand.

Nakano-san was stirring things up, and Takadera, Ogishima, and I were singing along. It was the kind of groove-driven frenzy that only a karaoke box can provide. I wondered what we were doing, but it wasn’t that bad.

“Thanks, everyone! Now, sit up straight and listen!”

“……”

“Eh…?”

The song that Nakano-san put in was the ending song of the drama that Asatani-san was currently in.

“Uwaa~! I’ve been waiting!”

“Ah, this song. Who’s going to sing?”

It was Asatani-san who’d sing – We had talked about this, so I was not surprised when Asatani-san picked up the microphone.

But it wasn’t just one person singing. Takane-san also had a microphone.

“Eh, you’re singing too, Nozomi-chan? It’s the Hekisakura Academy’s idol showdown… To see something this awesome… Nagisen, this is no time to be spacing out!

I thought Takane-san knew this song because she had watched Asatani-san’s drama. But the fact that they both were singing the same song together meant…

“Then… Please listen. Takane-san, I’ll go first.”

“Yes.”

Takane-san’s reply was clear. I thought we could assume what ‘this was about’ now.

–This was a showdown between the two.

Asatani-san took a deep breath. And as she began to sing, Takadera, who had been bracing himself, stopped moving, Ogijima’s mouth half open, and Nakano-san, who was ready to cheer her on, froze in her posture.

I was stuck with my hands on my knees, too. I was told that a song she put up on her Instagram story got a lot of buzz because of her popularity, and that I had heard her sing before in middle school. All those assumptions were blown away.

She worked tirelessly to get out in front of people and have her voice heard by many. I couldn’t speculate, but I could say with certainty that this was true.

The drama was a typical love story based on a shoujo manga that was sometimes heartbreaking, but the ending song was a bright, pop tune, and the dances performed by the cast were gaining popularity.

She was concentrating on her singing and not on her dance moves. But her whole body was in rhythm, and it seemed as if Nakano-san was about to start dancing along with her.

After singing the first verse, Asatani-san held the microphone to her chest and looked at Takane-san.

“Go ahead,” Asatani-san’s lips moved. Takane-san was perhaps a little nervous, but her eyes were serious.

Takane-san looked at me. Our eyes meet, and her eyes seem to shake a little – But,

Takane-san sang, and her voice was as powerful as Asatani-san’s, once again overwhelming us who were watching.

Asatani-san was listening to the rhythm. She smiled. She seemed to approve of Takane-san’s singing, but there was still some room for improvement.

“…Wow… So good…”

Takadera unintentionally said it out loud, and I could hear it next to me.

It’s a side of Takane-san that I didn’t know about either. Her pitch was a little shaky at times, but she was still a great singer. She didn’t seem to be used to karaoke, but she changed the atmosphere of the place with the microphone – Just as much as Asatani-san.

After the second verse, they entered the interlude. Takane-san and Asatani-san were looking at each other.

Both were good, but the air was so heavy that no one could interrupt them, and everyone was swallowed up by the two.

But now it was not about which one was better or anything like that.

Takane-san and Asatani-san looked at me. At that moment, I stopped thinking about difficult things.

I stood up briskly and shook the tambourine as hard as I could.

It wouldn’t be karaoke if they didn’t get the crowd going. The two of them have enough energy in their songs to overwhelm us and then get us all excited as if it’s a concert hall.

Takane-san and Asatani-san, who had been surprised, laughed. It was the kind of laugh that makes you burst into laughter.

“Takane-san, sing with me!”

“–Yes…!”

“Okay, then, we’ll sing in the chorus, too!”

The three girls started singing.Takadera, Ogishima and I, joined in on the chorus. We could just look at the screen for the lyrics, and let ourselves go for now.

The chorus was repeated one last time. At its climax moment, there was a famous gesture – A decisive pose like that of an idol.

Asatani-san decided on that. Takane-san may not be able to do the choreography, but she supported the stage with her singing.

Everyone was laughing. I didn’t expect the tension to swing so far out of control – After sitting down once more and singing the last melody softly, the song ended with a lingering note.

–This was the final part of the ending choreography. Takane-san and Asatani-san recreated the scene, winking at the screen and extending their hands, while smiling at me.

“-UWAAAAAA!!! Noarin~~!!!”

“Nozomi-chan! What’s with your singing ability?! You and Kiri-chan were glittering!”

Takadera and Nakano-san seemed to have lost their minds with excitement, and Takane-san’s face suddenly turned bright red – I worried that she had a fever, but it seemed as though embarrassment had followed.

Asatani-san looked at me again. The small gesture of sticking out her tongue was, frankly speaking, foul.

“What a great group of people to go to karaoke with… I’m still shaking.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Ogishima looked at me and laughed a little, as if he were a little taken aback. Then he said in a voice that only I, beside him, could hear.

“I think it was Senda-kun who brought those two together.”

“That’s… I don’t know what to say…”

“Hahaha. It’s the same with Takadera and me.”

Seeing Ogishima laughing like that, and Takadera in tears of joy, I was thinking how lucky I was to be in the same class as these students at Hekisakura.