Why Play in a Band If Not Forever

Ryo's other task was to complete a duet with Rinko. As both were power users whose abilities were primarily carried by sound waves, Ryo and Rinko already collaborated frequently in battles. Recently, Ryo had a sudden idea to try out special effects if the bass and organ performed a duet, and so it was decided. However, only halfway through the song's completion, Shiko's request came in.

Ryo was genuinely surprised by Rinko coming to rush her. As she understood it, Rinko had a similar personality to Ichiri – someone who would never ask others for favors, and even if they did, would never inquire about progress, only worrying by themselves.

Rinko walked down the corridor in the dark. She could still faintly hear her own heartbeat. Urging someone to do something felt like the first time... it was so scary...

"Eek!" She bumped into someone.

"I-I-I'm so sorry!" "S-Sorry!" Their apologies collided. "(It's Gotou-san...)" Rinko recognized her voice.

"Wait, wait, the torch..." Ichiri hastily tucked the torch Shiko had given her under her armpit and took out a flint to try and light it. The pose was uncomfortable, and Ichiri failed after several attempts.

"Let me... hold it..." Rinko took the torch and, by feel, brought the tip close to Ichiri's hand.

"Fzzt!" A spark flew, and the flame ignited, illuminating both their faces.

"Thanks..." Ichiri took the torch back. "I didn't light it before because I thought holding this on an airship was a bit silly... Ahaha..."

Rinko looked around but didn't see Kita. "Kita-san... isn't here?"

"We're not always together..." Ichiri explained. "I'll be going then... Do you want me to escort you with this?"

"Then... I'll trouble you..."

And so, the two walked on the path back to Rinko's room. It wasn't far, and they soon arrived.

Standing at the door of the room, Ichiri didn't go in and turned to bid Rinko farewell. "I'm leaving then..."

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

Ichiri flinched and immediately turned back. "Yes!" Sweat instantly covered her face.

Seeing Ichiri's reaction, Rinko inexplicably became nervous too. "It's... it's nothing important... it's just... have you ever asked someone for a favor before, Gotou-san?"

Hearing it wasn't anything serious, Ichiri relaxed. She carefully considered Rinko's question. "(If asking for favors counts, does my promise with Shiko count? If Rinko-san is asking about this kind of thing...)"

"Yes."

"Then... if the other person's progress is a little slow... would you urge them?"

"Hmm..." Ichiri recalled. In her memory, Shiko had never broken the promise to "write her a song," though it wasn't always in the form of a complete song. Sometimes it was complete guitar tabs, sometimes with lyrics, and sometimes just a solo inserted into a live performance. There were times when she hadn't written a song for a long time, but Ichiri didn't think she had ever urged her. After all, even if it was Shiko, she wouldn't dare...

Seeing Ichiri's expression, Rinko had a pretty good idea. "(Did I do something wrong? I asked Yamada-san to do it, and then I went to rush her...)"

Rinko's body trembled. Ichiri noticed the change and guessed part of the reason.

"I think... daring to urge someone is... 'taking a step forward'!" She used the words Rinko had used to comfort her to comfort Rinko instead.

"You're right... you're right..." Rinko seemed relieved.

"(Since I even dared to urge Yamada-san, does that mean... we're already quite close?)"

Rinko remembered the time when she first met Ryo.

Chapter 8: Ryo and Rinko's First Time (Happy Birthday, Eve~)

The raft floated on the water, propelled forward by the river current.

When the sun reached its zenith, the raft docked. They needed to build a fire to cook. It wasn't impossible to just have Shiko provide rations, but unfortunately...

"Hey, hey, hey, when's the next live? Are you going up against Roselia? You'll lose, right? You'll definitely lose, right?" Shiko said with an excited yet dejected tone, speaking inappropriate words.

It seemed she was useless right now.

"(Next time, I should have her prepare rations in advance.)" Nijika reflected on her oversight. Fortunately, there were still ingredients in the cardboard box beside her.

The boat docked.

"Yesterday we were hosted by Roselia, so today let Kessoku Band do the cooking." Before Lisa could speak, Nijika eagerly raised her hand.

On the shore, all sorts of strange monsters were approaching. "Monsters" was Roselia's term for them, and Kessoku Band found it more RPG-like, so they adopted it.

"Then let us clear this area." Yukina stepped ashore first, and from her wrist, thorns began to grow.

She stepped onto a muddy riverbank. Beyond the narrow bank was a natural levee covered in green grass. Climbing the levee revealed an open plain with few trees and a wide field of vision. In the distance were several hills, with patches of forest on them. The deep green of the leaves and the light green of the grassland interspersed, creating a refreshing sight. It would have been even better if not for the unsightly monsters wandering everywhere.

"You guys are no use here. Little Shiko, come help me. Everyone else, go help Roselia too." Nijika set up a simple stove on the river levee and brought out pots and pans, issuing instructions to the other members of Kessoku Band. "Don't let them look down on us!"

"Ooh!" "Ooh." "Ooh..."

"What's the plan?" On the other side, Roselia was ready. Lisa handed everyone a bag of cookies. Lisa had gotten the bag designed by Shiko last night. It was divided into three small bags of different colors, each with an independent opening that could be opened with one hand and prevented the contents from falling out, showing she had designed it in her mind for a long time. "Red boosts your main offensive stats, green is for healing, and yellow is for Mental Strength. Remember~"

Lisa retreated to the back row, sitting beside Rinko, who was already at the organ. In front of them were Sayo and Ako, and at the very front was Yukina.

"Let's join in too!" With Kita's call, the three members of Kessoku Band joined in, standing with Ako and Sayo. This made the middle of the formation rather crowded.

"Too many mages..." Squeezed in the middle of the crowd, Ako inexplicably felt a bit hot.

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

"Thanks."

Yukina looked back. "Can we start?"

The combat flow was simple: Sayo had low attack power but a wide attack range, mainly responsible for initiating combat; other mages were responsible for output, and Yukina would clean up any monsters that got too close. Although the three members of Kessoku Band were collaborating with Roselia for the first time, their coordination was quite tacit. A small area nearby was quickly cleared. Although the density of monsters on the plain was much higher than in the highlands, it was daytime, after all.

"That's it? If it's just this small area, maybe outside monsters will run in later," Kita said.

"So we'll move to a few more spots and do this a few more times." Yukina was the first to act again. "Let's go."

As they walked, Ako explained to Ako, "Actually, in terms of attack range, Saya-san and Ako's 'shashasha' combo is wider. Saya-san creates the rainwater, and then Ako converts it into something else. But this skill has friendly fire, so we can't just use it carelessly. Rinrin's [Song of Suffering] is perfect for it, but its range is a bit smaller than Saya-san's, and our attack range is even smaller than Rinrin's, so..."

"I think I just discovered something," Ryo suddenly interjected. "Rinko, do you see that monster in the distance? Can you attack it right now?"

Rinko squinted in the direction Ryo was pointing. A black mist swirled around a tree. Clearly, that location was beyond her current reach. Even Saya couldn't reach it.

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

"Huh? O-okay." Facing Ryo, who had just confronted Yukina, Rinko was exceptionally nervous. The phantom image of the organ reappeared behind her. She sat down, played the keyboard, and tremblingly sang [Song of Suffering] in Latin.

The black mist remained completely unaffected. A gust of wind blew, and the treetops swayed gently.

Ryo picked up her bass and played a few notes. The notes merged with the keyboard melody, giving it form and pushing it forward. In an instant, it surpassed Rinko's previous limit, and even Saya's limit, in the blink of an eye! The sound waves finally reached the tree, and the black mist was scattered before it could even react.

Ako's mouth hung open as she watched the scene.

Ryo turned around and gave Rinko a thumbs-up. "Looks like we'll need to cooperate more, Rinko."

Cold sweat began to break out on Rinko's back.

Sitting in her room on the airship, Rinko played the keyboard alone. Her distracted state was evident in the music. Rinko's room was very minimalist, with only the essential furniture like a bed, desk, and chair. There was also a keyboard and a few vases for decoration. Several half-body mannequins were lined up against the wall, dressed in outfits Rinko had recently designed for Roselia.

The music suddenly stopped.

"Ah... the battery's dead..." Rinko checked the power bank connected to the keyboard. Even its display screen wouldn't light up. She unplugged it and connected it to the generator. With a rumbling vibration, the power bank began to charge. Although Shiko couldn't generate a new generator, she could replenish the fuel for the existing ones.

The generator's noise was too loud, and Rinko didn't want to stay in her room any longer. She took a torch from under the desk, lit it, and opened the door to leave.

(It's really stupid, holding a torch inside an airship.)

Yukina's room wasn't far. Rinko gently knocked on the door with her free hand.

She didn't need to knock a second time before hearing steady footsteps approaching the door. Rinko extinguished the torch just as the door opened.

"Rinko?" Yukina, wearing simple loungewear, stood behind the door.

Rinko quietly hid the torch behind her back. "Yukina-san... excuse me... do you have some time?"

"Mm," Yukina stepped aside, letting Rinko in, and then closed the door.

Yukina's room was similar to Rinko's, except there were no mannequins, and the keyboard was replaced by a guitar. That guitar was only played when Yukina was composing, and it was currently leaning against a stand by the desk. It was still connected to an amplifier, which was connected to headphones, placed on the desk.

"Are you... composing?" Rinko was afraid she was disturbing her again.

"I just hit a creative block, so a change of pace might be good," Yukina replied casually. "I'm planning to hold a live performance in a few days, at that little bar's stage." Although none of them were adults yet, Shiko had set up a bar out of some kind of principle. Of course, none of the drinks contained any alcohol.

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

"Yeah," Yukina admitted readily. "The airship is much faster than I imagined." However, she didn't dwell on the topic. "What brings you here?"

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

Chapter 9: Ringing Bloom

Hearing Rinko's words, Yukina re-examined her.

"Did something happen?" she asked.

"Mm," Rinko replied. "I... want to be of help to Yamada-san."

Be of help? Yukina remembered that Ryo seemed to be writing a duet for her and Rinko. Was it related to this?

Yukina didn't think it was necessary to probe further. However, she still needed to offer a warning.

"Composing isn't easy. Even if you start learning now, it'll be difficult to help her much in a short time."

Rinko seemed to have anticipated this. She clasped her hands in front of her chest. "It's okay... even if I can only help a little... it's enough..."

Yukina nodded slightly. She pulled out her chair and gestured to the edge of the bed. "Sit down, then let's start now."

Yukina taught meticulously, and Rinko learned diligently. Once focused, it was easy to lose track of time. Before they knew it, Ako, using her night vision, had already passed by the door, ringing the meal bell and pushing the food cart. She had voluntarily taken over the meal delivery duty from Lisa.

Knock, knock, knock. "Yukina-san, dinner! It's Beef Bowl today!" she cheerfully knocked on the door.

"This is... Beef Bowl!" In the control room, Shiko made an exaggerated gesture like a country bumpkin.

"Haha, you always react like this every time you get Beef Bowl," Lisa said, sitting next to Shiko.

"The meal was very delicious, thank you very much!" After finishing, Shiko gave Lisa a gesture of international friendship with a bright smile.

"This reaction is also..." Lisa struggled to maintain her expression.

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

"Speaking of which... is the kitchen missing something?" Otherwise, Shiko couldn't think of a reason for Lisa to keep staying here.

"Come to think of it... it seems like we're a bit short on pepper," Lisa tilted her head. "But I mainly came to check on your condition."

Shiko had been awake for two days straight. Even Yukina hadn't experienced anything like it. Although, theoretically, their multi-ability support should allow Shiko to survive normally, and the person providing the solutions included Lisa herself, and Ako had repeatedly assured her that Shiko's condition was perfectly fine, Lisa was still a little uneasy. Since Ako had voluntarily taken over the meal delivery, Lisa decided to take this opportunity to personally confirm Shiko's well-being.

Externally, Shiko seemed the same as yesterday. The dark circles under her eyes hadn't worsened, but they hadn't lightened either. Her eyes showed deep fatigue, but she seemed alright. However, her internal state was harder to confirm.

"Um... are you really okay? I'm sorry, but it seems like you don't have much to do here."

"Come to think of it, I really don't," Shiko placed her bowl and chopsticks on the table, letting them dissipate on their own. "There are no high mountains within the distance the airship can travel in a day, nor any notable terrain. The airship is operating on autopilot the entire time, so strictly speaking, I'm just spacing out here."

"Then..."

"Since I've started, I want to see it through. Otherwise, it would just be a waste of time," Shiko gave Lisa a gentle smile. "Besides, measuring 'how long we can stay awake right now' might be useful somewhere, right?"

That's right.

Even though the other party had always taken the initiative...

But this time, Rinko thought, she could definitely play a role.

Back then, when her relationship with Ichiri gradually improved on the same raft, Rinko had also made a silent resolution in her heart. For a long time, she and Haku had been battle partners. Their similar abilities allowed their cooperation to achieve an effect of 1+1>2. However, outside of battle, they still didn't have much interaction. After all, neither of them had much to say. This situation kept their relationship at the level of ordinary teammates, neither too close nor too distant. For their respective social circles, this kind of relationship was actually the most normal, but this "normalcy" belonging to introverts had become an obstacle in their cooperation.

Rinko often felt that when their voices overlapped, there was always some dissonance. No matter how she played, it felt uncomfortable, completely different from playing with Roselia.

On the airship. Haku's room.

The clutter piled everywhere had been tidied up. The floor had also been swept. Nijika lay on the bed in a starfish position, too tired to move: "You know, you can't expect me to take care of you forever..."

Haku tapped her head to a rhythm: "Thank you very much, it's a deal, I love you."

"Don't say such embarrassing things in that tone..."

"Take a look at this, how is this part?" Haku asked, holding the sheet music and sitting next to Nijika.

"Why don't you discuss Rinko-senpai's song with her..." Nijika waved her hand, not even lifting her head.

"Not that song. It's Shiko's song."

Hearing this, Nijika finally propped herself up. She looked at the sheet music: "There's no drums here... Are we going to the bar?"

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

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

"A live... huh..." Haku said calmly, this was to be expected. "My song with Rinko should also be ready in the next couple of days."

"Oh?" Nijika turned her head. "So, are you going to perform it at the live? Even though it's a duet piece for battle, it should be pretty good as music, right?"

"I don't have a problem with it. I'll ask Rinko about it later."