CH 42.2

The march continued until the sun went down. The spectators returned to their roosts after saying goodbye.

We polish our instruments and have a final meeting for tomorrow.

However, we have been listening to it every day for the past six months.

We can do it perfectly well even without this meeting.

However, it has almost become a habit so everyone gets together without saying anything.

「Listen, don’t stop playing until all the guests are there. Wait for the signal.」

「We know. The conductor(you) will instruct Alp to hit her drums. My ears already hurt hearing that.」

「As it should be!」

「Alp, are you ready〜」

I suddenly became nervous now that everyone was looking at me.

It’s just a song that I’ll be starting with….

I wonder if I’ll be okay. What if I get the song wrong?

「I’ve written down tomorrow’s song list. Just put it next to the big drum.」

「T-thanks…」

Leona, the conductor, handed me a small piece of paper.

I’m grateful that the big drum drummer Muhara is always next to me. If I put it on her instrument, I can move while looking at it.

Come to think of it, some time ago, master told me that if I wrote my name ten times on the palm of my hand and drank on it, I wouldn’t get nervous.

Areh, how do you write Alp?

「And you’re getting all nervous now!」

Everyone laughed at the good-natured Sheena’s words but I couldn’t laugh at all.

My body feels stiff as if I’m not myself anymore.

How should I deal with this….

「By the way Alp, you’re about to retire. What are your plans?」

「Eh? Retire? Ah, retire. I wish I could stay in the band.」

「Maa, I guess you don’t have any reason to work elsewhere.」

Sheena, a dogkin, is holding her knees while smiling. She’s asking Chicken-san to let her run a stall when she retires.

I wish she could stay in the band. Sheena’s flute is lovely.

「Right right, I can’t even think of anything bad.」

「We have friends, the food is delicious, and master never treated us badly.」

Yes, we’re really in a good place. Especially that master was never angry at us.

In my old house, whip flew according to master’s mood so everyone was always on the edge.

「I mean, just the earnings alone are already the best. No way we would be hired by someone richer than the Schenkers, right? Unless they are nobles.」

「Oi oi, starting tomorrow, master will be a noble too, right?」

「Ah, right!」

「There’s a rumor that we’ll get gratuity tomorrow. The source of this news is Jiren so it’s definitely true.」

Sheena made a circle with her index finger and thumb and laughed vulgarly.

Sheena, you should act more like a lady or you’ll be dumped by the man you sometimes meet in secret.

Our incoherent conversation melts into the night.

Leona, the conductor, just shrugged her shoulders with a slightly annoyed expression.

It no longer needs to be checked. Everyone has already ingrained the routine in their bodies.

Of course, me included.

Before I knew it, my nervousness seemed to have gone away.

I’m sure everyone here will be fine.

We’ve done this so many times there’s no way we could fail.

By the way, I’ll be retiring as a Schenker family slave soon.

I’m looking forward to it. What should I buy?

A small drum for myself, pretty clothes, a decorative chain for my costume, or maybe another musical instrument.

Ah, right!

Maybe I should buy that sake named after master’s wife….

It is fascinating to have a sake named after you.

-0-

The title of the national anthem is “Railroad Tracks will Go on Forever”.