Why play in a band if not for life?

"But since it's a new live, we need new outfits!" This live was their first after boarding the airship, so it naturally held commemorative significance. Nijika mentally brainstormed outfit ideas. Should she reference the old ones? Shiko had given her a design last time, claiming it was from another timeline, but Nijika had refused it then because she was tired of that style. Now that their clothes were back to normal, she recalled that simple style of performance outfit and thought it might not be bad...

"I was thinking..." Ryo said, "Maybe this time we can switch. I'll design Roselia's outfits, and Rinko can design ours."

"Ah, right," Nijika snapped her fingers. "I forgot you're both skilled at costume design."

"Summer End Plan" Day One. By the riverbank, under the shade of trees.

"See, if you both have some expertise in clothing, you can deepen your understanding through this connection?" Nijika sat beside Ryo, offering advice.

Ryo had also noticed the difficulties in her collaboration with Rinko. While she was more inclined to avoid communication than fear it, the fact remained that she lacked social experience. She could only turn to Nijika for help on how to get closer to Rinko. Therefore, the "Summer End Plan" wasn't just about leaving Ichiri to her own devices; it was also about bringing Ryo and Rinko closer.

"Play to their interests..." Ryo didn't really like this approach. Rather, deliberately trying to get close to someone wasn't her style at all. But for the sake of collaboration, she'd try it for now.

On the grass on the other side, Rinko sat on a blanket, needle and thread flying through her hands as she wove something. She sat there alone, with a large empty space beside her, not even Ako was there.

Chapter 10: Shiko - An Absurd Monologue

Rinko quietly made clothes by herself. Although she could have Shiko conjure the finished product directly, Rinko preferred the feeling of weaving it herself, and she had more experience with the details than Shiko. What she was making now wasn't for a performance, just ordinary casual wear. As she sewed, she recalled various costume designs she had seen, drawing inspiration from them and decorating her current work with needle and thread.

Ryo suddenly crouched beside her, silent, staring intently at Rinko's hands.

"(Ehh...)" Rinko's hands gradually stiffened. "(Help me... Imai-san...)"

The news that Yukina wanted to hold a commemorative live for the airship's ascent spread throughout the airship with the ringing of the meal bell. Naturally, it reached Lisa.

"Shiko won't object this time, will she?" Lisa asked Shiko, who was standing by the porthole. The fight she and Yukina had last time still left her with lingering fear.

"Why would I object? It doesn't interfere with the schedule," Shiko turned her head. "I'm itching to play live after so long. But I'd prefer it to be a few days later... I feel like if I play the keyboard in my current state, it'll be a complete mess."

Shiko's dark circles were strikingly prominent.

Meanwhile, not long after dinner, Rinko bid farewell to Yukina. Although she still had much to learn, Yukina-san also had her own things to do and couldn't be bothered constantly. Rinko, holding a torch to light her way, recalled some of the details Yukina had mentioned in her mind.

Drumbeats could be heard from a distance. Listening closely, there was also the sound of a bass. Unconsciously, Rinko was drawn by the sound, as if tempted, and stepped over the scorched earth-like floor tiles, the stone walls covered in ash, the archways made of bones, finally crossing the mythical gates of hell and entering the "Abyssal Maw" bar, which seemed like darkness itself.

Rinko stood at the edge of the giant maw, trembling all over. Above, below, left, and right, there was nothing but darkness. The drumbeats had reached their climax, each one controlling her heartbeat, as if her physical body had already died, merely sustained by the rhythm for this temporary life.

Where were the drumbeats coming from? She followed the sound—in the bottomless abyss, there was only a single point of light—

Oh, it was Idochi-kun. She was glowing all over, literally. Yamada-san was also nearby.

Rinko silently retreated, intending to leave and not disturb them. But Nijika, with her sharp eyes, had already spotted her.

"Ah! Rinko-senpai!" she greeted Rinko energetically. When they first met, Nijika's energetic voice often reminded her of Ako, but after spending time together, she felt Lisa was more similar.

"Is Rinko-senpai here for a drink?" Nijika hopped off the stage with a penguin walk and went to the bar to pour herself a glass of orange juice. Several drink machines were placed on the bar, some from Shiko's own memories, others from the wild fruits of this place. Ice and other ingredients were also placed nearby, free to take.

"Ah... I just heard the sound... so I came over..."

Ryo also came over and poured herself a cola. Seeing this, Rinko hesitantly walked over as well: "Hot milk, please... Is there a heating device here?"

"Yes, there is," Nijika pulled a small stove from under the bar, opened a bottle of milk, and put it in.

The three sat by the bar and drank, chatting idly. Although the chairs by the bar were equally spaced, Rinko always felt in her heart that Ryo, sitting beside her, seemed closer to Nijika, and there was a subtle barrier between them. Rinko felt like she was sitting on pins and needles and began to regret staying.

"I... I'm not bothering you, am I?" Rinko rubbed the rim of her cup. "(I need to find a chance to slip away...)"

She suddenly realized she had asked a stupid question. No matter how the other person answered, such a question would only make the atmosphere more awkward... At least, she herself couldn't answer such a question... Socializing is really complicated... I'm sorry...

"Ah? No, we were actually looking for you," Nijika said, as if she had expected it, and patted Ryo. "Ryo, weren't you looking for Rinko-senpai about something? Now's a good time to talk."

Rinko and Ryo leaned forward simultaneously: "Eh? What is it...?"

The attention of the three immediately shifted to the new topic.

After Nijika's reminder, Ryo explained the proposal for the two bands to design each other's performance outfits.

"Ah... I think... it's okay..." Rinko nodded.

"It'll definitely be okay, Rinko, don't worry," Lisa assured Rinko with a wink by the riverbank. "If anything goes wrong, we'll be watching from afar."

"Okay... okay..."

Yukina still didn't quite understand: "We're just trying to help two people get along, why are we making it sound like a military operation?"

"But it feels like it'll have more of a sense of occasion this way," Ako said. "No matter what, Ako will always be Rinrin's partner!"

So, according to the plan, Rinko sat alone on the blanket, diligently sewing clothes.

Ryo did come. In the shadows, Lisa gave Nijika a "V" sign. Nijika responded with the same gesture.

As planned! They were starting to interact!

However, the two of them held back for a long time without exchanging a single word. Rinko almost pricked her finger with the needle.

Nijika looked like she was dying of anxiety. She wished she could crawl into Ryo's body and speak for her.

"This is how introverts are," Shiko's voice suddenly sounded by her ear. Nijika turned her head and saw Shiko squatting beside her, looking at Ryo with a hint of amusement.

"Do you have any advice?" As an introvert herself, Shiko should understand their behavior better, right?

Shiko's mind went blank for a moment, and she immediately gave up: "No. I'll let them figure it out themselves."

On the airship, two more days passed.

Kita, Ichiri, and Nijika, three heads piled one after another by the crack in the command room door, peeking inside.

"Shiko hasn't slept... for three days..." Ichiri didn't dare to take a deep breath, as if even a slight gust of wind blowing in from outside would cause the current Shiko to crumble.

"Ever since yesterday, Wu-san hasn't been quite right..." Even Kita couldn't maintain her "Wu-san is the worst" attitude, looking at Shiko inside with concern no less than Ichiri's or Nijika's.

In the room, Shiko stood by the window, seemingly lost in thought. From the outside, she looked no different than before. The toilet and shower were right next door, and she was the kind of person who paid attention to hygiene.

Speaking of which, never mind the toilet, why put a shower right next to the control room?

"Yesterday, she recited the Diamond Sutra perfectly, and even said things like 'Worries vanish, the mortal world recedes'..." Nijika swallowed. What would Shiko be like today?

In the room, Shiko seemed to have grasped something. She suddenly turned and roared at the empty space, "Kai Shi! Why must you be so stubborn!"

Before the four of them could react, she immediately turned back, her expression a mix of confusion, determination, and a hint of willfulness, "Why? Because someone is crying, because I heard it."

After performing this short scene, Shiko returned to her pensive expression, rubbing her chin and muttering to herself, "Should I be a little more... like this? That would be better..."

She rehearsed the scene alone a few more times, and seemingly satisfied, moved on to the next part.

"This is..." Nijika blinked.

Ichiri guessed, "She's performing a monologue."

"Some things are more important than others."

"Your fantasies will be shattered by me!"

"Key that hides the dark power..."

Shiko stood still, eyes tightly closed, "I am the bone of my sword..."

She suddenly opened her eyes.

And met the gazes of the people peeking through the door crack.

She then elegantly fainted.

Consciousness duration: 3 days, and who knows how many hours, minutes, or seconds.

"..." The four outside looked at each other in silence, tears streaming down their faces.

What in the world was that?

"Um... should we carry her back to her room?" Nijika suggested.

"Agreed," Kita said.

"Okay," Ichiri said.

"No problem," Ryo said.

The three pairs of eyes focused on Ryo, "When did you get here?"

Chapter 11: Preparations Complete

When Shiko woke up in bed, the morning light happened to fall upon her.

A strange ceiling... No, she had molded the ceiling herself.

Shiko looked out the window through a sliver of light peeking through the gap in the curtains. The airship was still cruising smoothly through the sky. A black shadow the size of a basketball rolled off it, falling below with flames. For a moment, Shiko thought she recognized the outline of an eyeball within the shadow.

In short, it was a normal morning.

Hiss...

"(Did I fall asleep before?)"

Her brain was finally shaking off its grogginess. Shiko gradually became aware of her situation. She scanned the room: bed, desk, display shelf, wardrobe – the standard room configuration they had designed. Only the Hisajima Ou's signature suitcase, containing Shiko's important belongings, placed by the desk, indicated that this was the room Shiko had casually chosen earlier.

Her limbs were a bit sore, probably from sleeping too long. "(What was I doing before I fell asleep?)" Shiko climbed out of the covers, trying to recall her memories from before. However, memories from just before falling asleep, much like dream memories, were difficult to retain. Whatever. It wasn't anything important anyway.

As Shiko got out of bed, she realized she wasn't wearing the same clothes she had fallen asleep in; she was wearing pajamas. Someone must have helped her change. Who was it? Whoever it was, it was a bit embarrassing.

A pair of slippers appeared out of nowhere by the bed. Shiko slipped her feet into them and wobbled over to the window, pulling the curtain, which had only been slightly open, completely aside. The brilliant morning sun then fully illuminated the room.

"Haa—" Shiko yawned, stretched her arms, and turned towards the desk. She laid the suitcase horizontally, opened it, and carefully took out items one by one, placing them on the display shelf. The compartments had small mechanisms to prevent shock, which was why Shiko felt confident taking them out.

The first item was a small stone carving that everyone had personally given her before she joined Kessoku Band. They said it was carved in her likeness, but in reality, it was unrecognizable. Another stone carving, given out at the same time, still stood alone in the cold wind of the highlands.

The second item was Ichiri's autograph, from before Guitar and Loneliness and the Blue Planet was even released.

The second and third items, also from that period, were a group photo of her, Kessoku Band, and Miss Marina, and another photo of the seven of them taken when Miss Niiki left CiRCLE. One was a reunion, the other a farewell.

Next was an album, only half-filled, with the rest of the pages blank. It contained memories Shiko had captured during her travels, some of which were taken by another version of herself.

There were still a few empty spaces left on the display shelf. Shiko hadn't used vases or anything to fill them, but instead placed a blank photo frame in one of the slots, as if reserving it for something.

Shiko looked into the suitcase. Only a bundle of envelopes remained. She didn't take them out, but instead smiled gently, pulled out a chair, sat down, picked up a pen, and began writing a new letter, addressed to herself, to be read when she eventually woke up.

When she finished writing, she felt a pang of hunger.

"I haven't had breakfast yet..." she muttered to herself. She put the finished letter into an envelope, tucked it into the bundle, and waved her hand. Several empty plates appeared before her, followed closely by a fried dough stick and a steamed bun on each plate. There was also a cup of soy milk next to them. Normally, Nijika or Lisa would deliver breakfast to everyone's door on a cart, but she hadn't heard anything. Judging by the sun's position, she must have woken up too early. Since that was the case, she decided to fend for herself for a change.

Shiko took a bite of the bun. It wasn't as tasty as Nijika's. She took a sip of the soy milk. It was Ryo's.

Just then, the sound of a wooden fish, "tok, tok, tok," came from outside. The wooden fish was their agreed-upon breakfast bell, inspired by a prose writer's work. The sound of the wooden fish was just enough to alert those who were awake without disturbing those still asleep. Shiko stood up, the unfinished food behind her disappeared, and she walked towards the door.

She decided to have breakfast made by professionals.

When she opened the door, she found Nijika, glowing, and Kita, still in her pajamas, standing outside.

"Ah, little Shiko, you're awake?" Seeing Shiko emerge, Nijika casually sent a beam of starlight her way. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Even if there was, it's gone now," Shiko looked at Kita. "Kita, you live next door to me?" She never knew where the others' rooms were.

"No, diagonally across," Kita pointed to the door opposite Shiko's room. Her own room had no windows, only a ventilation fan, so it naturally didn't get any light. But with her abilities, she naturally didn't need to worry about that. Just then, the door to the room next to Shiko's opened, and Ichiri walked out, rubbing her eyes. "Good morning..."

The rooms of Shiko, Kita, and Ichiri formed a perfect equilateral triangle in terms of distance.

"Ah, Shiko's awake?" Ichi also noticed Shiko.

"That's right," Shiko said seriously. "The experiment on how long I can last without sleep is complete. After this meal, I'm going to test how long I can last without eating."

"Eh? Really? Did you pick up some weird new habit?" Kita leaned closer and touched Shiko's forehead. "You seem normal..." Although it sounded like she was concerned, her tone always carried a hint of sharpness.

"Okay, okay, little Shiko, be more normal," Nijika chimed in. "You still don't know where everyone lives, right? Finish eating quickly, and then you can come with me for a tour."

"Oh."

A few rooms away, Rinko and Ryo, who had been dragged out of bed by Nijika, had already started working early. They weren't just composing together; they were also designing outfits. There were no sewing supplies on the bed, only paper and pens spread out on the desk. After all, Ryo wasn't actually good at sewing. This was Rinko's room. Rinko had originally intended to go directly to Ryo's room, but then she thought that only her room had a keyboard connected to a power bank, and the concept of "her own room" also gave her more peace of mind, so she gave up on that idea.

The two worked quietly on paper, pausing occasionally to discuss.

Around noon, Ryo leaned back. "Phew~ Done." She was referring to the song Shiko had commissioned. Her eyes darted around, landing on the lyric book that Ichiri had given her yesterday, which was spread open beside her. She picked up the book. The open pages bore the song's title: Time Flows, Triangular Day and Night.

No matter how many times she looked at it, the lyrics were still so interesting.

"I'm... done too..." Across from them, Rinko sent the part she had finished to Ryo. She was responsible for a portion of their duet—or rather, a part of it. After all, she was still a beginner at composing, so being able to handle this much was already a lot.