Chapter 300: Sudden Visit, Guilty Seika (Patreon)

In the wreckage that followed.

Seika Ijichi's bedroom, never especially tidy to begin with, was left even more of a mess.

Tsushima Kagami couldn't pinpoint the exact moment Seika's fervor had scattered his reason to the wind.

The last thing he remembered clearly was her long golden hair, loose and falling, brushing across his cheek.

It tickled, carrying a faint trace of shampoo.

By the time he came back to himself, Seika was pinned beneath him, her eyes hazy, breathing hard.

The earlier downpour had washed everything clean; even the air still carried the damp smell of wet earth.

Kagami rolled onto his back and stared at the unfamiliar ceiling, sliding into that hazy post-coital calm.

Then he felt something pressing against his arm.

He turned his head slightly.

Seika was curled up beside him, her breathing already even.

Her hair spilled across the pillow, a few strands sticking to his cheek and arm.

Her skirt was bunched up around her waist, her shirt completely undone.

The sharp lines of her shoulder blades showed, rising and falling gently with each breath.

Seika blinked, staring at Kagami, her lashes trembling faintly.

"Um, Seika..."

Feeling a little embarrassed under her gaze, Kagami finally spoke.

"What is it?"

Seika's smile deepened.

"Could you not look at me like that? It's a little embarrassing."

"Oh?"

Seika arched an eyebrow.

"And who was the pervert who made me put on a gyaru, looked at me like I was some kind of bug, and wouldn't even let me take it all the way off?"

"Ahaha, it's just that it suits you so perfectly, Seika."

"You used to be a delinquent, after all."

"Okay, stop bringing that up already. I graduated and got into a good university, you know!"

As if some dead memory had risen up to attack her, Seika suddenly clutched her head and rolled around beside Kagami.

When she finally stopped, she stared blankly at him for a moment.

Then she grabbed a lock of her hair with a grin and tickled his face with it.

"Hey, you said..."

"I loved you—save the grown-up—I'll save you first!"

Before Seika could finish her sentence, Kagami blurted it out on pure reflex.

It caught Seika off guard for a second, and then she burst out laughing.

"That's not what I was going to say."

"Then what were you going to say?"

Kagami felt a little embarrassed himself, having blurted it out without thinking.

"But since you already said it, we might as well talk about that first."

Kagami regretted ever picking up that thread.

Seika's eyes suddenly sharpened as she looked at him.

She leaned in closer, pressing herself slowly against his chest, right over his heart.

She pressed her ear tight against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"Kagami, do you say the same thing to Yukinoshita Shizuku and the others?"

"Oh, come on, I've only ever said it to you, Seika."

"I swear!"

At the very least, those words really were the first time he'd said them to her—he'd never said them to anyone else.

Kagami thought to himself.

After lying against his chest for a while longer, Seika finally raised her head to look at him.

Kagami looked at her carefully blank expression and slowly began to smile.

And then he smiled wider, unable to help himself.

Then he heard Seika speak slowly.

"Honestly, you can't even tell a lie without blinking, can you?"

"I—"

Kagami tried to say more.

But Seika silenced him with her lips.

After a long moment, she finally spoke.

"Believe..."

"Even if it's a lie, Kagami, I'll choose to believe it."

"So you don't need to explain anything."

"Even if it's deception, please just keep deceiving me forever."

Something in Kagami's chest ached.

He suddenly remembered something he'd read online once: when a girl is completely infatuated with you, she'll go on believing your words even knowing full well they're lies.

Back then, he'd thought such a woman was hopelessly lovestruck—and that once the feeling faded, you'd end up lower than dog shit on the roadside, not worth a second glance.

But now that he'd actually met a woman like that, who wouldn't want to hold her close and never let go?

With that thought, he pulled Seika a little tighter into his arms.

She leaned against his shoulder.

"I hope you never end up disappointed in me either, Seika. Don't ever suddenly leave me—please just keep leaning on me."

Seika nodded softly.

Then Kagami asked again.

"By the way, what were you actually going to say earlier?"

"I don't really feel like saying it anymore."

She brushed the golden tips of her hair across his nose.

Then settled back against his shoulder.

The two of them stayed curled together like that for a long while.

Until Kagami realized his left arm had gone completely numb.

As if it had been amputated at the shoulder—he couldn't even move his fingers.

He carefully tried to pull it free.

"Um, Seika, my arm's kind of gone numb..."

She frowned, murmuring something unintelligible, and burrowed even deeper into his arms.

Well, that settled that.

"Just a little longer."

Kagami gave up struggling, went back to staring at the ceiling, and began contemplating life in earnest.

A while later, both their stomachs suddenly growled.

They both froze, then looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Seika finally got off him.

She glanced at her rumpled clothes, then walked to her closet and pulled out something to wear.

Just as she was about to change,

she suddenly turned to find Kagami still lying on the bed, staring straight at her.

"Don't look over here!"

Seika snapped, pouting.

"You already saw everything a minute ago."

Kagami suddenly turned shameless.

"That was different from now!"

"How is it different?"

"Just turn around already!"

"Fine, fine."

"There, I've turned around."

"No, even turning around isn't enough!"

"Then where am I supposed to look?"

"Look at the ceiling, look out the window, look anywhere—just not at me!"

"Fine, fine."

Kagami obediently turned back and stared at the ceiling.

The room fell quiet again.

Only the soft rustle of Seika changing filled the silence.

"Are you... hungry?"

Kagami turned his head to see her already dressed in loungewear.

He got up too and started straightening himself out.

"Yeah, I really am."

"Should I cook, then?"

"You can cook?"

"Well, sometimes when Mom's at work I have to cook for myself, you know."

"So now I know Seika's a good big sister and a good daughter."

"What are you even saying!"

Seika glared at him, a little embarrassed.

Then walked out of the bedroom.

The Ijichi kitchen wasn't big, but it had everything it needed.

The stovetop was spotless, the seasonings neatly arranged, and the dishes stacked by size on the drying rack.

Seika got rice from the cupboard, rinsed it, put it in the rice cooker, and pressed the start button.

Then she opened the fridge.

Eggs, greens, a box of tofu, half a carrot, a few scallions.

And a container with leftover curry from the day before.

After a moment's thought, she decided on a simple egg drop soup and some stir-fried greens.

While she was cutting the scallions, footsteps sounded behind her.

Kagami had come out of the bedroom too.

He came up beside her, arms crossed, watching her busy back.

"You really can chop vegetables."

He watched her, apron tied on, her loose hair now pulled back into a casual ponytail.

"What did you expect?"

"I thought you could only play guitar."

The corner of her mouth twitched, but she didn't argue back.

He stepped closer, stood beside her, and picked up a piece of the scallion she'd cut to examine it.

"Not bad cutting."

"Thanks for the compliment."

"It's not a compliment, it's an objective assessment."

He smiled and said nothing more.

The two of them stood side by side in the kitchen, one cooking, the other watching.

Occasionally passing a plate or fetching a seasoning.

The rice cooker clicked and switched to warming mode.

The smell of egg drop soup drifted from the pot, mixing with scallion, filling the whole kitchen.

Seika suddenly spoke.

"Kagami."

"Hm?"

"That song... the one you sang earlier."

"What about it?"

"Did you write it on the spot?"

He answered.

"No, not on the spot."

"I'd wanted to write it for a long time. I just never found the right moment to give it to you."

"I see."

Seika didn't press further, but she clearly understood.

She grabbed two sets of bowls and chopsticks from the rack, walked to the table, and began setting them out.

By the time Kagami finished carrying the last dish to the table, Seika was already seated.

She sat across from him, hands on her knees, back ramrod straight, like a schoolkid waiting for dinner to start.

Once Kagami sat down too,

Seika ladled the soup and set it in front of him.

"Try it."

Kagami took a sip and looked up at her.

"How is it?"

"Not bad."

"How not bad is 'not bad'?"

"I mean... better than ginger tea."

"Honestly, can't you compliment me a little more?"

Seika crossed her arms and turned her head away as if angry, though her eyes never left him.

"Oishii!"

Kagami gave a thumbs up.

Only then did Seika smile and start eating.

Kagami sighed inwardly.

Sure enough, when a girl likes you, even a compliment she knows is insincere can make her happy for a long while.

The two of them chatted their way through dinner.

Halfway through, Seika suddenly set down her chopsticks.

Staring at the rice in her bowl, as if speaking to it, she said quietly,

"Kagami."

"Hm?"

"I'm... not going to change because of something like this."

He looked up at her.

She didn't meet his eyes, only traced her chopsticks lightly along the rim of her bowl.

"What I mean is... I'm still me."

"I'm still going to keep playing in the band, still going to want to open a livehouse, still going to have my own plans."

She paused, her voice dropping lower.

"I won't become... the kind of girl who spends all day revolving around her boyfriend."

Kagami listened and nodded seriously.

"Then how about I revolve around you instead?"

"Really?"

Her eyes lit up.

"Kidding."

"Even if you're kidding, I'm taking it seriously."

"A real man has to follow through on what he says!"

Kagami had the distinct feeling he'd just been played.

Seika picked her chopsticks back up, took a bite of the greens, chewed, and then seemed to suddenly remember something.

"One more thing."

"What?"

"That song you wrote... I forgot to ask what it's called."

"'17.'"

"'17'?"

"That's right."

Seika thought back to the lyrics—they really did capture the kind of worries you'd have at that age.

And the title couldn't have fit better.

"Something wrong?"

Kagami asked.

"You said you wanted Kikuri, PA-ko, and me to arrange it together."

"Yeah."

"So this song... counts as our band's song?"

"It's our song."

Kagami said it as if it were obvious.

Seika stared at him for a few seconds, then smiled and lowered her head to keep eating.

After dinner, as Kagami was clearing the dishes, Seika suddenly spoke.

"Are you... going home tonight?"

His hands paused mid-wash.

He turned to see her sitting on the sofa, knees hugged to her chest, chin resting on them, head tilted as she watched him.

"When are Nijika and your aunt getting back?"

Instead of answering, Kagami asked.

"The day after tomorrow."

He was quiet for a moment, then turned off the faucet and dried his hands on the apron.

He walked back to the living room and sat at the other end of the sofa.

"Then I guess I can stay until tomorrow morning."

"It's not like anyone's waiting for me at home anyway."

Seika said nothing, but nodded slightly.

The two of them sat on the sofa, a person's width of space between them.

The TV was off, no music playing, only the sound of insects chirping outside drifting in every now and then.

As if providing background music for the night.

After a while, Seika leaned slowly to the side, resting her head on his shoulder.

Her hair brushed against his neck, a little ticklish.

Kagami said nothing, just gently stroked her hair.

He silently thought about one thing.

Once he got back tomorrow, he needed to proofread the final draft of The Little Prince again.

And then... Sayuri's illustrations weren't finished yet either, he thought.

He should ask her how they were coming along.

"What are you thinking about?"

Her voice came from beside him.

"I'm thinking..."

Kagami pretended to think hard.

"I'm thinking maybe you should switch shampoos. This one's too sweet."

A fist landed on his shoulder immediately.

"You idiot."

Seika grumbled, but didn't lift her head—if anything she burrowed further into him, like a cat that had found a warm spot.

Kagami raised his hand, hesitated, then let it rest gently on her shoulder.

She stiffened for a moment, then slowly relaxed.

"Ding-dong..."

When the doorbell rang, Kagami was lying on the sofa with his head pillowed on her lap.

The two of them had been chatting idly about the band.

Her hand rested in his hair, absently ruffling it like she was petting a cat.

They were both enjoying the quiet, needing to say or do nothing at all.

Then the doorbell rang.

"Ding-dong... ding-dong-dong-dong..."

It rang again and again, growing increasingly impatient with each press.

Her fingers stopped moving.

They both froze for an instant, then sprang apart.

Seika bolted upright off the sofa; Kagami flipped himself into a sitting position.

They exchanged a glance, and in each other's eyes saw the same thought.

Who?

"Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong!"

The doorbell rang again, its rhythm shifting from impatient-but-restrained to a relentless barrage.

Seika frowned, trying to decide whether to pretend no one was home and preserve their little world for two,

or go answer the door in case it was something urgent...

when a familiar voice, slurred with a bit of drunkenness and a lot of cheer, came from outside the door.

"Seika... aren't you home... I came to hang out..."

Kagami's eyebrows rose.

Hiroi Kikuri.

Before he could say anything, another voice rang out.

Much calmer than the first, but with an obvious note of pleasure.

"Seika, Kikuri says she wants to mooch dinner off you tonight."

"I couldn't stop her, so I just came along."

PA-ko.

Seika took a deep breath and swept her eyes quickly over the living room.

The spot where they'd been lying still bore an unmistakable two-person indentation in the cushions.

Two used teacups sat on the coffee table.

And then there was Seika herself.

She glanced down at herself—a loose home T-shirt, hair down, her expression probably not yet switched back from the softness of moments ago.

"Get to the bedroom, quick."

Seika hissed, shoving Kagami's shoulder toward the bedroom.

"Huh?"

"Never mind 'huh', just go, and don't make a sound."

"But I..."

"No buts!"

Her eyes flashed fierce for a moment, but beneath that fierceness, Kagami could clearly see panic.

In all the time he'd known her, this was the first time he'd seen her panicked.

He found it a little funny, but went along with it anyway, walking briskly into the bedroom and pulling the door shut behind him.

Seika stood at the door for a second, took a deep breath, tugged her hem straight, smoothed her hair, and walked to the entryway.

The moment the door opened, Kikuri barreled in.

"Seika! Long time no see! I missed you!"

She had a huge case stuffed with a bass slung over her back, a canvas bag dangling crookedly beside it.

She radiated the warm energy of a puppy fresh from running wild outside.

She started changing her shoes the instant she stepped in, movements smooth and practiced, with absolutely no sense of being a guest.

"Long time no see, Seika."

PA-ko followed behind, carrying a convenience store bag.

Inside were a few cans of beer and some snacks.

She wore a white linen shirt and dark trousers, still the picture of gentle propriety as always, a sharp contrast to Kikuri.

"Why did you two suddenly show up?"

Seika stepped aside to let them in, her voice straining to keep its usual calm.

But if you listened closely, there was a hint of unnaturalness.

"It's break, and I got tired of studying at home. It was boring."

"Kikuri happened to come by and ask me out."

"Then it started raining, so the two of us ducked into a convenience store."

"She suddenly said she was thirsty and went to buy water."

"And by the time I noticed, she was already drinking beer."

PA-ko gave the plastic bag in her hand a helpless little lift.

Inside was another can she'd specifically bought for herself, along with a few small snacks.

Kikuri had already made herself completely at home on the sofa, legs crossed, guitar case set aside, sinking into the cushions with a satisfied sigh.

"PA-ko said it's been ages since we came to Seika's place, so we figured we'd drop by."

"Was that me?"

PA-ko tilted her head, looking innocent.

"It was clearly you who dragged me along."

"Heh heh, same thing."

Kikuri said cheerfully, then suddenly wrinkled her nose as if catching a scent.

"Hm? Seika, did you cook? It smells amazing."

Seika's steps faltered slightly.

It was the lingering smell from Kagami's cooking—most of the egg drop soup and stir-fried greens aroma had faded, but traces still clung to the kitchen.

"Yeah... just threw something together for dinner."

"Even 'thrown together' smells this good?"

Kikuri thought nothing more of it, glancing carelessly toward the kitchen.

"Is there any left? PA-ko and I haven't had dinner yet."

"There's still some curry in the fridge. I'll go heat it up."

Seika all but fled into the kitchen, leaving the other two her back.

PA-ko stood in the middle of the living room, her gaze sweeping casually across it.

The two teacups on the coffee table.

The two-person dent in the sofa.

And...

She glanced down at the floor beside the sofa, where a pair of men's sneakers sat half-hidden by the sofa's dangling fringe.

Her gaze lingered on the shoes for a fraction of a second before she casually looked away, sat down on the sofa, and said nothing, her gentle smile unchanged.

"PA-ko, what do you want to drink?"

Seika's voice came from the kitchen, mingled with the clatter of pots and dishes.

"Water's fine, thanks, Seika."

"What about Kikuri?"

"Beer! Beer!"

"You're not even old enough to drink beer!"

"Then I'll drink after dinner!"

"That's not the point!"

Kikuri settled into a comfortable position on the sofa.

She pulled her feet up too, curling into a ball like a cat that had found a warm nest.

She yawned and said offhandedly,

"Seika's sofa feels comfier than the last time I was here."

"We haven't changed the sofa."

Seika came out of the kitchen with two glasses of water and a plate of cut fruit, setting them on the coffee table.

"Huh, really? Must just be my imagination then."

Kikuri grabbed a piece of apple and popped it in her mouth, chewing with a loud crunch.

PA-ko took the glass, sipped, her gaze drifting casually past the bedroom door.

It was shut tight.

But a sliver of light leaked out from underneath it.

PA-ko lowered her eyes and smiled faintly.

While Seika reheated the curry in the kitchen, Kikuri, bored, glanced idly around the room—then her eyes suddenly lit up.

"Hm? What's this?"

She pulled something out from under the coffee table.

It was Seika's music notebook.

The very one where Kagami had written down '17.'

Seika poked her head out of the kitchen, her expression visibly changing.

"Um... don't—"

But it was too late.

Kikuri had already flipped to the first page. She froze for a second, then let out a long, drawn-out "..."

"Seika! Did you write this song!"

"I..."

She opened her mouth but couldn't get an answer out in time.

Kikuri had already leaned in over the notebook, eyes shining like two stars.

"Whoa! There are lyrics too! Let me see, let me see!"

"now I'm seventeen...my school is in the country..."

She read haltingly, her English thick with a Japanese accent.

But as she kept reading, her voice slowly dropped.

"Lonely..."

PA-ko leaned in too, reading the lyrics quietly.

Both their expressions turned serious.

As if something had struck them both.

Seika came out of the kitchen, ladle still in hand.

She stood watching their reactions, her heart, for some reason, beating a little fast.

It felt like laying her most private self bare before others, waiting for an uncertain verdict.

Even though Kagami had already said he wanted them to arrange it together,

Seika had already decided that this time, she would be the lead vocalist for this song.

No—more than that, she'd already come to think of it as entirely her own.

A private thing Kagami had given her...

"Seika."

Kikuri looked up, her voice suddenly much more serious.

"Did you write this?"

"Well... actually, Kagami wrote it."

Seika hesitated, but said his name anyway.

Kikuri and PA-ko both looked surprised at first, then their expressions shifted to something more like of-course-it-is.

PA-ko took the notebook to look it over, while Kikuri, a little tipsy, glanced around the room.

"Where's Senior, then?"

"He's not here."

Seika said quickly.

She felt like she'd told a lot of lies today.

She herself didn't know why she'd made Kagami hide when there was no real need to.

But a sudden wave of panic had made her shove him into hiding on instinct.

"Then how did it end up in your notebook?"

Kikuri pressed on.

"Oh, he wrote it a while back when he came over."

"Kikuri, you're drunk!"

Seika added, patching the hole in her story.

"Ah, I see..."

Kikuri scratched her head.

"Heh heh, I thought maybe it took you so long to open the door because Senior was here and you were hiding him..."

"Wait, even if he were here, why would you need to hide him?"

"So why hide him, then?"

Kikuri, tipsy, had confused herself with her own question.

But hearing this, Seika's own heart skipped a beat.

She glanced unconsciously toward her bedroom.

"Ugh, quit talking nonsense."

"I already said he came by a few days ago."

Seika glanced over at PA-ko, who was sitting quietly with her head bowed over the song.

Seeing no reaction, she let out a quiet breath of relief.

Kikuri went quiet for a few seconds, then suddenly grinned wide, eyes crinkling into slits.

"This song... this song is really something."

She leaned toward PA-ko again, reading the lyrics once more, her voice softer.

"Seventeen, huh."

She didn't finish the thought, but Seika caught the flicker of emotion that crossed her eyes.

Kikuri's seventeen—or really, everyone's seventeen—probably found some trace of itself in this song.

That feeling of loneliness even in a crowd, that alienation of being misunderstood, that confusion of wanting to run but having nowhere to go.

"Let me see the score."

PA-ko studied the melody carefully, her fingers silently tapping out the notes on her knee as if playing.

Then she looked up at Seika, her eyes earnest.

"Seika, this song... it's really good."

"Really?"

Seika didn't even notice the faint uncertainty creeping into her own voice.

"Mm."

PA-ko nodded, her tone certain.

"The melody isn't complicated, but the emotion in it is."

"Every note lands exactly where it should."

She paused, choosing her words.

"It's like... the feeling of someone saying the things you couldn't put into words yourself."

Seika's throat tightened, but she said nothing.

Kikuri suddenly clapped her hands.

"Since PA-ko and I are both here, why don't we try playing this song?"

"Now?"

"Yeah! We're just sitting around anyway!"

Kikuri was already reaching for her bass, opening the case as she talked.

"Your guitar, my bass, PA-ko's keyboard—perfect!"

"We're missing a vocalist, but it's fine—let's just arrange it first and get a feel for it!"

Seika opened her mouth to say something, but her eyes drifted involuntarily toward the bedroom door.

PA-ko noticed, but asked nothing, simply standing up.

She walked to the corner and picked up what was obviously Nijika's melodica.

"Seika, mind if I borrow this?"

"Sure... go ahead, use whatever you like."

Seika sighed inwardly.

But then again... she also wanted to hear what the song would sound like actually played.

Just as the three of them were tuning their instruments, the bedroom door cracked open a sliver.

Kagami poked half his head out and met Seika's horrified stare.

He mouthed, without a sound,

"I can't hold it much longer."

Seika glared at him and quickly signaled 'wait a bit longer.'

He gave a thumbs up and silently closed the door again.

PA-ko lowered her head, put the mouthpiece to her lips, the corner of her mouth curling up just slightly.

Only Kikuri noticed nothing at all.

She was busy excitedly tuning her bass, plugged into the amp, humming the melody she'd just seen.

"Seika, come on, let's start already!"

"Okay, okay, keep it down or the neighbors will complain."

"Heh~"

Seika sat down, cradling her guitar, and lightly strummed a chord.

The moment her fingers touched the strings, her expression changed.

No longer the flustered, at-a-loss Seika from a moment ago.

But the composed lead guitarist.

Kikuri stood off to the side with her bass, PA-ko sat on a stool, her cute little melodica ready in hand.

The three of them glanced at each other.

"How should we start?"

PA-ko asked.

Seika thought for a moment, then swept the pick lightly across the strings four times.

A few clean single notes flowed out of the amp, simple as fingers taking a stroll along the strings.

Then Kikuri's bass joined in, its low tone laying a thick foundation beneath the simple melody.

PA-ko's melodica slid in at just the right moments with a lilting line, now soaring, now dipping low.

With just these three instruments, calling it an arrangement was generous—really it was three people improvising together in perfect sync.

But this simple arrangement was exactly what it took to capture that hollow, lonely, seventeen-year-old feeling.

None of them sang; they just played quietly.

Once, and then again.

Each pass brought some subtle change.

Kagami listened from the bedroom, leaning against the door, unable to stop a silent smile.

Handing this song over to them had been the right call after all.

After a few more run-throughs, PA-ko was the first to stop.

"Kikuri, at that transition before the chorus, want to try the bass not following the root note, going up into the higher register instead?"

"Go up high? But wouldn't that feel too floaty?"

"Just try it."

Kikuri thought it over, played it once, and her eyes lit up.

"Oh! That sounds good!"

"Right?"

PA-ko smiled and added,

"Also, Senpai, when the chorus comes in, could you add a run of chromatic notes in the bridge that resolves back to the tonic?"

Seika tried it, then nodded.

"That works."

The three of them ran through it again, and at PA-ko's suggestion, Kikuri's bass slipped in a short walking bass line during the interlude.

It sounded like the jumbled thoughts flitting through your head while walking alone down a school hallway.

"Here, Kikuri, hold that last note a bit longer."

"Okay—like this?"

"What if I add a string bend right after?"

"Where?"

"Right where Kikuri's bass stops—bend it up, then release."

"Let's try."

They worked through it, run after run.

The three of them shifted from cautious testing to genuine immersion.

Just like they'd done countless times before in the practice room.

Each of them focused on their own part while listening to the others.

You pull back, I step forward; you step forward, I pull back—like a conversation without words.

The three of them felt as if they'd been pulled back to those after-school afternoons in the Eiyu Private Academy Light Music Club.

The song came to an end.

The living room fell silent for a few seconds, then all three of them burst out laughing at the same time.

It had been a long time since they'd felt this kind of pure, exhilarating joy of playing together.

"Again, again!"

Kikuri swayed back and forth, bass in hand, her braids flying like a wind-up toy.

"Do you know what time it is?"

Seika pointed at the clock on the wall—the hour hand had quietly slipped past ten.

"...But we just found our groove!"

Kikuri whined, her lower lip jutting out in a pout.

PA-ko pulled the melodica's mouthpiece away and wiped it with a tissue.

She set it gently on her knee, smiling at the other two.

"Kikuri, if we don't head back soon, we'll miss the last train."

"If we miss it, I'll just sleep over at Seika's!"

"I don't have a place for you to sleep."

Seika shot the idea down mercilessly.

"It's just you here—you've got so many empty rooms!"

"No!"

Seika made a 'no can do' gesture.

"Then I'll sleep in Little Nijika's room, she'd definitely say yes!"

"Still no!"

"Then... then I'll sleep on the floor!"

"Still no!"

"Seika's so heartless!"

Kikuri, bass still in her arms, rolled once across the sofa.

Reluctantly, she finally sat up and started packing her gear.

"Guess we'll work on this song more at next week's practice."

PA-ko cleaned the melodica and put it back, then turned to look at Seika.

"Seika, make a few copies of the score for next time. Let's really rehearse it properly."

"Sure."

Seika nodded, her grip tightening around her guitar.

Truthfully, she wanted to keep playing a little longer.

Those few run-throughs, simple as they'd been,

had brought back the feeling of three voices layered together, stirring up something from long ago.

"Seika?"

PA-ko's voice pulled her back.

"Ah, what is it?"

"I said, we're heading out now."

PA-ko was already at the entryway putting on her shoes, and Kikuri, guitar case on her back, was pulling her own shoes on.

The way she put them on was very Kikuri.

Left shoe on first, right foot still balanced on top of its shoe, wobbling on one leg like she might topple over any second.

"I'll walk you out."

Seika stood up and followed them to the door.

"No need, it's not far."

Kikuri finally got both shoes on, stood up straight, and grinned at Seika.

"See you next week!"

"Yeah, see you next week."

Seika braced a hand on the doorframe, watching them go.

Kikuri strolled ahead, carefree, already humming the melody from before.

Wildly off-key.

PA-ko followed a couple steps behind, then suddenly stopped.

She turned back to look at Seika.

Her smile stayed the same, giving nothing extra away.

But in the dim hallway light, her eyes glinted.

As if she knew something, and had chosen to say nothing.

"Um, Seika."

"Hm?"

PA-ko walked back after all, leaning in a little closer.

Her voice dropped low, meant for only the two of them.

"Next time, remember to hide the shoes properly."

Seika's smile froze on her face.

Her pupils widened slightly, and her mouth opened as if to say something.

But her throat seemed to lock up, and no words came out.

All she could do was let her eyes dart around awkwardly.

PA-ko straightened up and waved casually.

"Good night."

"Say hi to Senior for me~"

Then she turned and hurried a few steps to catch up with Kikuri.

The two of them disappeared down the end of the hallway.

Seika stood frozen, hand still on the doorframe.

Night air drifted in through the hallway window, carrying the cool freshness of a post-rain evening.

But her face felt like it was burning.

The heat spread from her cheeks to the tips of her ears, as if she were being roasted over a fire.

She stepped back inside and shut the door.

Then stared at the shoe rack in the entryway.

Those sneakers...

She'd only shoved Kagami into the bedroom before rushing to answer the door.

The shoes had just been sitting right there on the rack, plain as day.

PA-ko had noticed them while arranging her own and Kikuri's shoes.

Honestly, PA-ko.

She'd seen through everything ages ago and hadn't said a word.

Call it understanding if you like, but really, she'd always had a bit of a wicked streak.

The way she casually unveiled the truth at the end always burned worse than any direct confrontation.

Seika sank slowly to the floor and buried her face in her knees.

"Ahh..."

She let out a muffled, incoherent groan.

There was shame in it, and frustration, and a faint, indescribable guilt.

She hadn't really done anything shameful.

No, wait.

Actually... she kind of had.

Her face burned even hotter...

Out on the street, PA-ko quickened her pace to catch up with Kikuri.

The two of them walked side by side.

Kikuri was still her carefree self, guitar case slung crookedly on her back, her steps light and bouncy as if dancing.

Still humming '17' under her breath.

Then, mid-hum, she suddenly stopped.

Her footsteps stopped too.