Chapter 5. Hiding Feelings in Russian, AKA the Verbal Exhibitions
Chapter 5. Hiding Feelings in Russian, AKA the Verbal Exhibitions
Chapter 5. Hiding Feelings in Russian, AKA the Verbal Exhibitions CHAPTER 5 Hiding Feelings in Russian, AKA the Verbal Exhibitions
“Oh. No go, huh?”
“Yeah… I don’t blame them, though.”
Masachika was talking on the phone with Takeshi in his room the day after Alisa agreed to do vocals for the band, and they were currently talking about the band’s bassist, Ryuuichi, and keyboardist, Riho.
“Anyway, both said they wanted to take a break from the band for a while… I don’t know how long ‘a while’ is, but I really doubt we’re gonna be ready for the school festival.”
Takeshi’s uncharacteristically jaded voice made it transparent that he was exhausted from dealing with them.
“I feel for you. I guess it’d be hard to perform with all the jealousy and bitter feelings going around anyway.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right… Anyway, I still can’t believe that Riho had feelings for Hikaru, too…”
“…Hmm?” A puzzled expression crossed Masachika’s face. “…Did she say that?”
“What? Remember what she said before she stormed out of the room? She was like, ‘But…I like—’ She had to have been talking about Hikaru, right? That’s part of why he was so depressed.”
“…Oh.”
That was what it sounded like she was trying to say, given the context, but something still felt off about it to Masachika… In fact, something had felt off even before all that. Although he wasn’t close with those three, they were friends of his friends, so he had hung out with them more than a few times and knew them relatively well, and that was why Takeshi’s account of what happened seemed strange to Masachika. Takeshi and Hikaru were perhaps far too shaken up over what happened to have noticed, because if anything, this probably went even beyond a simple feeling that something was wrong.
“ Sigh… Anyway, what are we gonna do without a bassist and keyboardist now? We finally get Princess Alya’s support, and now this … ,” mumbled Takeshi despondently, breaking Masachika’s train of thought while simultaneously making him realize that Takeshi didn’t have the luxury of quitting. But even after coming to this realization, he had to ask:
“Are you still planning on performing at the school festival? Even though you lost over half your band?”
“Hmm? Yeah… I promised Kanau I would. Besides…”
“Besides?”
“If we cancel, then Hikaru’s never going to be able to put all this behind him,” suggested Takeshi, conveying nothing but love and consideration for his friend. “Plus, there’s no way I’m going to let the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform with Princess Alya slip by!” he added as if to conceal how much he cared about his friend.
“…Ha-ha. Yeah, good point.”
But it was obvious that Alisa wasn’t really the reason why he felt compelled to make this work. Because in the end, he was the kind of person who prioritized his friends over his lust for women. That was just who Takeshi Maruyama was.
“All right, let me take care of your bass and keyboard problem.”
“Wait. Do you really know someone who can play? Someone who plays keyboard, maybe. But someone who can play the bass? I doubt there are many people outside our club who can play…”
“Yeah, I might know some people. And if that doesn’t work, I’ll play.”
“For real? Can you even play bass?”
“I’ve never tried, but I can play violin, and stringed instruments can’t be all that different from one another, right?”
“They’re completely different! And since when can ya play violin?!”
“Oh, I didn’t tell you? I’m not brag-worthy good or anything, but I can still play something like Czardas at double speed.”
“What kind of devil did you sell your soul to?!”
They chatted over the phone for a while after that, until Takeshi had finally returned to his usual self. Right after hanging up, Masachika opened his instant messenger app and texted the person who might be able to help them.
“…All right. I understand the situation you’re in.”
The next day, Masachika met with the person he’d texted at a caf é where they were sitting facing each other. It was his former clubmate during his time in the student council in middle school, Sayaka Taniyama, who had been quietly listening to Masachika explain the situation while they waited on their order.
“So … ? What do you want me to do about it?” she asked softly.
There was no indication in her distant gaze or cold voice that she was going to meet him halfway. Sayaka was usually laid-back and levelheaded when dealing with most people, but she was especially strict with Masachika due to their past rivalry during the election. It didn’t help that she was acting like an uncompromising boss who was interrogating her subordinate. The penetrating light in her eyes made it clear that she couldn’t be fooled, either, and that was why Masachika decided to be straight with her instead of bending the truth or joking about it.
“Okay, I’ll get to the point. Would you play bass for Takeshi’s band?”
“Why me? And bass? I—”
“You know how to play bass.”
He interrupted her as he stared hard into her eyes, and she stared back into his as if she were trying to uncover his true intentions. But when Masachika shifted his gaze to her hands on the table, she sighed and leaned heavily back in her seat.