Chapter Eight: Ryo and Rinko's First Time (Happy Birthday, Eve~) / Chapter Nine: Ringing Bloom

Ryo had another task on hand: completing the duet she was composing with Rinko. As ability users who mainly wielded power through sound waves, the two had already worked together often in battle. Recently, Ryo had suddenly wondered whether a duet between a bass and a pipe organ might have some special effect, so the matter had been settled. But just as the song was half-finished, Shiko had come with another commission.

Ryo was genuinely surprised that Rinko had come over to hurry her along. In her understanding, Rinko had a personality much like Ichiri's: both would rather die than ask anyone for anything, and even if they did ask, they would rather die than inquire about the progress. They were the type to worry secretly on their own.

Rinko felt her way through the darkness as she walked down the corridor. She could almost hear her own heartbeat. It was probably her first time urging someone else to do something... How terrifying...

"Whoa!" She bumped into someone.

"I-I-I-I'm sorry!" "S-Sorry!" Their apologies collided as well. (That was Gotou-san...) Rinko recognized her voice.

"Wait, wait, the torch..." Ichiri hurriedly tucked the torch Shiko had given her under her armpit, then took out a fire striker and tried to light it. The position was awkward, and Ichiri failed several times.

"I'll... hold it..." Rinko took the torch and, feeling around, brought its tip close to Ichiri's hand.

"Scratch!" A spark flashed, and the fire caught, illuminating both their faces.

"Thanks..." Ichiri took the torch back. "I didn't light it earlier because I thought carrying this around on the airship would look kind of stupid... Ahaha..."

Rinko looked around, but Kita was nowhere to be seen. "Is Kita-san... not here?"

"We're not always together..." Ichiri explained. "Then I'll be going... Or would you like me to hold this and walk you back?"

"Then... I'd appreciate it..."

And so, the two of them set off toward Rinko's room. It wasn't far, and they arrived soon.

Standing outside the room, Ichiri did not go in. She turned around and said goodbye to Rinko. "I'll be going, then..."

"Thank you..." Rinko suddenly thought of something and called out to Ichiri again. "Wait."

Ichiri's whole body jolted, and she immediately turned around. "Yes!" Her face was instantly covered in sweat.

Seeing Ichiri's reaction, Rinko inexplicably grew nervous as well. "I-It's nothing important... I was just wondering... Gotou-san, have you ever asked someone else to do something for you?"

Hearing that it really was nothing serious, Ichiri finally relaxed. She carefully considered Rinko's question. (Does my promise with Shiko count as asking someone else for something? If that's the sort of thing Rinko-san is asking about...)

"Yes."

"Then... if the other person was a little slow with their progress... would Gotou-san urge them along?"

"Hmm..." Ichiri thought back. As far as she could remember, Shiko had never broken her promise to "write songs for her." It just wasn't always in the form of a complete song. Sometimes it was a finished guitar score, sometimes it came with lyrics, and sometimes it was only a solo woven into a live performance. There had indeed been long stretches when Shiko had not written a song, but Ichiri did not seem to have ever hurried her. After all, even if the other person was Shiko, she still wouldn't dare...

From Ichiri's expression, Rinko more or less understood. (Did I do something wrong? I was the one who asked Yamada-san to do it, and then I went and hurried her along...)

Rinko's body began to tremble. Ichiri noticed the change and guessed part of the reason.

"I think... daring to urge someone else along means... 'taking a step forward'!" Instead, she used the words Rinko had once used to encourage her to encourage Rinko.

"You're right... You're right..." Rinko seemed to relax.

(Since I dared to hurry Yamada-san along, does that mean... I've become fairly close to her?)

Rinko recalled the period when she had first met Ryo.

Chapter Eight: Ryo and Rinko's First Time (Happy Birthday, Eve~)

The raft drifted across the water, the river carrying them forward.

When the sun reached its zenith, the raft came ashore. They needed to start a fire and cook. It was not as if they could not simply have Shiko provide them with rations, but unfortunately...

"Hey, hey, hey, when's the next live? Are we going to have a band battle with Roselia? We'll lose, right? We'll definitely lose, right?" Shiko said excitedly, spouting depressing and thoroughly inappropriate remarks.

It seemed she was of no use at the moment.

(Next time, I'll have her prepare the rations in advance.) Nijika reflected on her own oversight as she opened the cardboard box beside her. Fortunately, there were still ingredients inside.

The boat reached the shore.

"Roselia hosted us yesterday, so today Kessoku Band will do the cooking." Before Lisa could say anything, Nijika hurriedly raised her hand.

On the shore, all kinds of strange monsters were approaching. "Monsters" was what Roselia called them, and Kessoku Band thought it sounded more like an RPG, so they used the term too.

"Then let's clear this whole area." Yukina stepped ashore first. Thorns began growing from her wrist.

She had stepped onto a muddy riverbank. Beyond the narrow bank was a natural embankment covered in grass. Once they climbed it, they could see an expansive plain with few trees and an unobstructed view. Several hills rose in the distance, with patches of forest on them. The deep green of the leaves and the pale green of the grassland complemented each other, creating a refreshing scene. It would have been even better without the obtrusive monsters wandering everywhere.

"You three won't be much use here. Little Shiko, come be my assistant. Everyone else, go help Roselia too." Nijika set up a simple stove on the embankment, brought out the pots, bowls, and utensils, and gave the other members of Kessoku Band their orders. "Don't let them look down on us!"

"Yeah!" "Yeah." "Yeah..."

"What do we do?" Roselia was ready on the other side. Lisa stuffed a packet of cookies into everyone's hands. She had designed the bags herself and asked Shiko for them last night. They were divided into three small packets of different colors, each with its own opening. They were easy to open with one hand and made it difficult for the contents to spill out. Clearly, she had designed them carefully in her head. "Red boosts your own main attribute, green is for healing, and yellow is for Mental Strength. Remember~"

Lisa retreated to the back row, where she sat beside Rinko, who was already seated at the pipe organ. Sayo and Ako stood in front of them, with Yukina at the very front.

"Let's join in too!" At Kita's call, the three members of Kessoku Band joined them of their own accord and stood together with Ako and Sayo. The middle of the formation became bloated.

"There are too many mages..." Crowded in the middle of the group, Ako inexplicably felt a little hot.

"Here, I prepared some for you too." Lisa handed three small packets to the three of them.

"Thank you."

Yukina turned around. "Can we start?"

The battle process was simple: Sayo had low attack power but a wide attack range, so she was mainly responsible for drawing the monsters' attention. The other spellcasters dealt damage, while Yukina cleared away anything that came too close. Although it was the first time Kessoku Band's three members had worked with Roselia, their coordination was fairly smooth. They quickly cleared a small area nearby. The monster density on the plains was far higher than in the highlands, but it was daytime, after all.

"That's it? If we only clear this much territory, monsters from the outside world might wander back in later," Kita said.

"That's why we'll move to several places and do it a few more times." Yukina was once again the first to move. "Let's go."

As they walked, Ako explained to Ako, "Actually, if we're talking about attack range, the combo between Sayo-san and Ako's 'shasha-sha' is even wider. Sayo-san creates rainwater, and then Ako transforms it into something else. But that skill damages allies, so we can't use it carelessly. Rinrin's [Song of Suffering] is just right, but its range is a little smaller than Sayo-san's. Our attack range is smaller than Rinrin's too, so..."

"I think I just noticed something." Ryo suddenly cut in. "Rinko, can you see that monster in the distance? Can you attack it right now?"

Rinko narrowed her eyes in the direction of Ryo's fingertip. A patch of black fog was circling beside a tree. Clearly, however, it was beyond her current reach. Even Sayo could not reach it.

"Try using that [Song of Suffering] now," Ryo said.

"Huh? O-Okay..." Facing Ryo, who had just confronted Yukina head-on, Rinko was especially nervous. The phantom of the pipe organ rose behind her again. She sat down and, while playing, began singing [Song of Suffering] in Latin with a trembling voice.

The black fog was completely unaffected. A gust of wind blew past, and the treetop swayed gently.

Ryo picked up her bass and played a few notes. The notes merged into the organ music, giving it form and pushing it into the distance. In an instant, it surpassed Rinko's former limit—and even Sayo's limit was exceeded in the blink of an eye! The sound waves finally reached the base of the tree. Before the black fog could react, it was shaken apart.

Ako stared at the scene with her mouth wide open.

Ryo turned around and gave Rinko a thumbs-up. "Looks like we'll be working together a lot more, Rinko."

Cold sweat began to bead on Rinko's back.

Back on the airship, in her room, Rinko played alone on the keyboard. It was clear from the music that her mind was elsewhere. Rinko's room was extremely simple. Apart from necessary furniture such as a bed, table, and chairs, it contained only a keyboard and several vases for decoration. A few half-body mannequins stood along the wall, dressed in outfits Rinko had recently designed for Roselia.

The music suddenly stopped.

"Ah... The battery's dead..." Rinko checked the portable power supply connected to the keyboard. Even its display would not light up. She unplugged the cable and connected it to the generator. With a rumbling vibration, the power supply began charging. Shiko could not conjure a generator, but she could replenish the fuel in existing ones.

The generator was too noisy, and Rinko no longer wanted to stay in the room. She took a torch from beneath the table, lit it, and opened the door.

(It really is stupid to carry a torch around on an airship.)

Yukina's room was not far away. Rinko gently knocked on the door with the hand that was not holding the torch.

She did not need to knock a second time before she heard steady footsteps approaching the door. Rinko extinguished the torch, and at that exact moment, the door opened.

"Rinko?" Yukina stood behind the door in plain house clothes.

Rinko quietly hid the torch behind her. "Yukina-san... may I ask... are you free right now?"

"Yes." Yukina stepped aside to let Rinko in, then closed the door behind her.

Yukina's room was much like Rinko's, except that it had no mannequins, and the keyboard had been replaced by a guitar. It was a guitar Yukina played only when composing. At the moment, it rested on a stand beside the desk. An amplifier was connected to it, with headphones plugged into the amplifier and set on the desk.

"Were you... composing?" Rinko was afraid she had interrupted someone again.

"I happened to hit a bottleneck, so changing my approach is fine." Yukina answered casually. "I'm planning to hold a live performance in a few days, for the first time in a while, on the stage of the little bar." Although none of them were adults, Shiko had created a bar out of some kind of stubborn insistence. Naturally, none of the drinks inside contained any alcohol.

Rinko noticed the tone of Yukina's voice. "Yukina-san... you seem happy..."

"I am." Yukina admitted it openly. "The airship is considerably faster than I imagined." She did not linger on the topic. "What brings you here?"

Rinko's expression turned serious as she faced Yukina. "I... want to learn composition."

Chapter Nine: Ringing Bloom

Hearing Rinko's words, Yukina looked her over again.

"Did something happen?" she asked.

"Yes," Rinko replied. "I... want to help Yamada-san."

Help her? Yukina remembered that Ryo seemed to be composing a duet for herself and Rinko. Was this related?

Yukina felt there was no need to pry further. Still, she had to offer a warning.

"Composing is not simple. Even if you start learning now, it will be difficult to help her much in a short time."

Rinko looked as if she had considered that long ago. She clasped her hands in front of her chest. "It's all right... Even if I can only help a little... that's enough..."

Yukina nodded slightly. She pulled out her chair and pointed to the edge of the bed. "Sit down. Then we'll start now."

Yukina taught very carefully, and Rinko studied just as earnestly. Once they became absorbed, it was easy to lose track of time. Before they knew it, Ako had already shaken the dinner bell and pushed a food cart past the doorway. Because she had night vision, she had volunteered to take over the meal deliveries from Lisa.

Knock, knock, knock. "Yukina-san, dinner's ready! It's beef rice bowls today!" she called energetically as she knocked on the door.

"This is... a beef rice bowl!" In the control room, Shiko made an exaggerated gesture like a country bumpkin seeing the world for the first time.

"Haha, you react like that every time you eat a beef rice bowl." Lisa sat beside Shiko.

"The meal was extremely delicious. Thank you very much!" After finishing, Shiko gave Lisa an international gesture of friendship, beaming brightly.

"That reaction too..." Lisa struggled to keep her expression under control.

"Sorry, I can't help myself every time." Shiko switched back to her normal voice and put her hands together.

"By the way, is something missing from the kitchen?" Otherwise, Shiko could not think of any reason for Lisa to keep staying here.

"Now that you mention it... we might be a little short on pepper." Lisa tilted her head. "But mainly, I came to check on your condition."

Shiko had been awake for two days without sleep or rest. Even Yukina had never experienced anything like it. Although their theoretical combination of abilities could maintain Shiko's normal survival functions, and Lisa herself had been one of the people who came up with the solution, while Ako had repeatedly assured her that Shiko's condition was perfectly normal, Lisa was still a little worried. Since Ako had voluntarily taken over the meal deliveries, Lisa had taken the opportunity to personally confirm that Shiko was all right.

From the outside, Shiko seemed the same as yesterday. The dark circles under her eyes had not worsened, but neither had they faded. Her eyes revealed deep exhaustion, though she still appeared fine. Her internal condition, however, was not so easy to confirm.

"Um... are you really all right? I'm sorry, but you seem to be doing nothing here."

"Come to think of it, I'm really not." Shiko placed the dishes on the table and let them dissolve on their own. "There aren't any particularly high mountains or notable terrain within the distance the airship can travel in a day, and the airship is running automatically the entire time. Strictly speaking, I'm just spacing out here."

"Then..."

"Now that I've started, I want to see it through. Otherwise, I'd just be wasting time." Shiko smiled lightly at Lisa. "Besides, determining 'how long we can stay awake at our current maximum' should be useful somewhere, right?"

That was true.

Although the other person had always been the one to take the initiative...

This time, Rinko thought, she would surely be able to serve some purpose.

Back when she and Ichiri had gradually grown closer on the same raft, Rinko had also silently made up her mind. For a long time, she and Ryo had been battle partners. Their similar abilities allowed their teamwork to produce an effect greater than one plus one. But outside combat, they still had little interaction. After all, neither of them had much to say. Their relationship had consequently remained that of ordinary teammates who were neither close nor distant. For their respective social circles, this kind of relationship was actually the most normal. But this "normality" belonging to the socially awkward had already become an obstacle to their cooperation.

Rinko often felt that when their voices overlapped, something was always out of tune. No matter how they played, it was uncomfortable, completely unlike the feeling of performing together with Roselia.

On the airship. Ryo's room.

The clutter piled everywhere had all been tidied up. The floor had been swept as well. Nijika lay spread-eagled on the bed, exhausted and unwilling to move. "You can't expect me to take care of you for the rest of your life..."

Ryo tapped out a rhythm with her head. "Thank you very much. Then it's settled. I love you."

"Don't say something that embarrassing in that tone..."

"Come take a look. How does this part sound?" Ryo held the sheet music and sat down beside Nijika.

"For the song with Rinko-senpai, just discuss it with her..." Nijika waved her hand without lifting her head.

"It's not that one. It's Shiko's song."

At that, Nijika propped herself up. She looked over the sheet music. "There's no drum part here... Should we go to the bar?"

On the way to the bar, the two walked side by side, with Nijika providing the light.

"I heard Yukina-senpai is planning to hold a live performance in a few days," Nijika said. "It'd be great if this song could make it in time."

"A live performance...?" Ryo remained unruffled. It was within expectations. "The song with Rinko should be nearly finished too. It'll probably be done in the next couple of days."

"Oh?" Nijika turned her head. "Then should we put it in the live performance? It's a duet meant for battle, but it should work as music too, right?"

"I have no problem with that. We just need to ask Rinko afterward."