"That's a huge help." Ryo rarely smiled, but she did now. "Although I've had some time to get used to it, I'm still not accustomed to composing purely with pen and paper."
"I'm glad... I could help..." Rinko also gave a shy smile.
Next came designing the costumes.
"Summer End Plan," Day One. By the riverside, on the grass.
"...Um... Yamada-san..." On the blanket, Rinko finally couldn't resist speaking to Ryo. "May I ask... if something's wrong?"
Ryo was still staring at Rinko's hands—or, more precisely, at the costume she was sewing. She seemed to be muttering to herself. "Would it look better if I did it this way here...?"
"Hm? You mean... where?" Rinko looked back at her work.
Ryo reached out and gestured over the clothes. "Look, if you did this..."
Gradually, the two of them began discussing the clothes. Rinko's nervousness slowly faded. As the discussion continued, the distance between them unconsciously drew closer.
In the distance, Nijika and Lisa watched the scene with relief.
"That's nice~" Nijika sighed. Speaking of which, she and Lisa had also gradually grown closer, first because of their shared role, then because of their similar personalities and common interests. They were rather like those two. Naturally, though, they weren't nearly as troublesome as those two gloomy types.
The two of them silently high-fived.
After lowering their hands, Ako and Shiko continued to look at each other knowingly. Before them, the bar's small stage had been temporarily fitted with all kinds of decorations. As usual, Shiko was entirely responsible for the stage design. For once, she had compromised on Ako's suggestion, filling the stage with a Western-fantasy style.
"...Is this Roselia too?" Yukina stood before the stage holding a torch, her face as stern as ever, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking.
"Of course!" Ako excitedly hopped over to Yukina.
"No, I mean..." Yukina wasn't looking at the stage, but at the torch in her hand. "It would be better to replace the torches with oil lamps when the time comes."
"The costumes... are finished too." In Rinko's room, the two of them looked at the two designs with satisfaction.
There were still three days before the live officially began.
Chapter Twelve: Wandering Band
Onstage, Kessoku Band had just finished practicing. Although there was a recording studio, it was practically useless now because there was only one drum set, and it had always been kept onstage. Besides, as a recording studio, the room's various features were merely passable. "You can't expect an ordinary student to design a modern, up-to-standard recording studio. Enchantment or no enchantment, it's the same," Shiko had said.
In any case, for various reasons, no one had ever used that recording studio. Their usual band practices were held in the bar instead. Today was no different.
"Little Kita, can't you lower the temperature of the flames?" Nijika wiped the sweat from her face. This was the consequence of using so many flame effects. There were no stage lights, because Shiko simply didn't have the energy to set up a permanent floodlight for the stage. Aside from that, their only light sources were torches, Nijika, and Kita. If Nijika made her whole body glow, or if they planted torches everywhere, they could guarantee enough light for the entire live, but the scene alone was laughable to imagine. So they could only stuff the performance with flame effects, maintaining the stage's visual impact while providing illumination. If necessary, they could have Shiko wring herself dry and forge another jade slip at the last moment. As for Roselia, they had their own method, but they were keeping it secret from Kessoku Band for now.
Kita replied apologetically, "No matter what, it's still fire. Unless I can someday alter the nature of flames like Gotou-san, I don't think I can."
"Ikuyo, can you add a little more flame on my side during the opening? I can't see very well." Even under these conditions, everyone continued trying to find ways to practice.
"Let's practice the new song next." After practicing for a long time, Nijika estimated that it was about time. "Little Kita, are you all right?" The first time she'd seen the new song's lyrics, Kita had clutched her chest and fainted.
"Ah... Huh? Yes, of course I'm fine!" Whether from the heat of the flames or not, Kita's face was bright red.
Naturally, everyone else had no objections. "All right, one, two, three, four!"
Unexpectedly, Kita sang with remarkable skill. She had clearly practiced many times in secret. It was just that... Kita, you might as well stare at Ichiri the whole time. Isn't it tiring, sneaking glances back and forth? We all understand anyway. This is pretty rock and roll... Shiko held back her laughter and focused on her own performance.
"Stop." Ryo suddenly spoke. After everyone else stopped, she frowned at Shiko. "Shiko, you made another mistake there."
"Sorry, sorry."
They practiced this song many more times. Shiko didn't manage to play it accurately from beginning to end even once. It remained that way until practice ended.
"Have you still not recovered?" Ichiri asked with some concern. Of the five, Shiko undoubtedly had the strongest feelings for this song. Yet she had made so many mistakes that the only explanation seemed to be a physical one.
"How about you get some proper rest these next two days and leave the other preparations before the live to us? Or we could discuss it with Roselia and postpone it by a day or two," Nijika suggested.
"No, it's fine. I've just gotten rusty after not playing for a few days. I'll practice by myself for a while." Shiko looked genuinely apologetic and didn't seem to be forcing herself.
"Hmph~" Kita stared into her eyes for a while before speaking suspiciously. "Don't push yourself too hard either. We're only holding this live to relax."
Everyone else left. Shiko lit a torch and placed it on the rack beside her. Ryo stayed behind and asked Shiko one last question. "You really didn't do it on purpose?"
"Take a guess."
Though the dim torchlight made it hard to see, Ryo felt that Shiko was especially punchable at that moment.
"Well, whatever." She sighed and changed the subject. "You saw the designs I gave you earlier, right? Are the performance costumes finished?"
"They're done." Shiko had prepared them long ago. She handed Ryo two bags. "This one's ours, and this one's Roselia's."
Ryo nodded, took the bags, and left. She went to find Rinko. Rinko was naturally in her room. Ryo stood at the door and heard keyboard music coming from inside. Unlike Shiko's music, which was so feverish that it was almost heavy, Rinko's playing was steady and powerful, as solid as rock. Ryo stood at the door without opening it. Free-spirited as she was, she wouldn't interrupt someone else's performance. Only after the piece ended did she push open the door and swagger inside.
"Ah, Yamada-san..." Rinko noticed her and stood up.
"These are Roselia's clothes." Ryo handed over the bag. "If you don't mind, would you like to take them out and look at them together?"
Rinko nodded.
The two of them took the finished costumes out of the bag together. At the same moment, smiles naturally spread across their faces. "As expected, they're beautifully designed."
There were still two days before the live officially began.
Shiko happened to run into Yukina while Yukina was thinking about the live.
"Do you think we should give this live a name?" Yukina asked Shiko.
Shiko tilted her head. "You're actually pretty enthusiastic about this live."
"Yes. It's been a long time since our last live. After the last one..." The two of them inadvertently met each other's eyes, then tacitly looked away.
For some reason, Shiko suddenly wanted to pick a fight. More specifically, she wanted to be beaten up by Yukina. Unfortunately, they couldn't fight here. Shiko's face reddened, though luckily the darkness concealed everything. She hurriedly turned the conversation back. "Speaking of which, how about calling it 'Wandering Band'? It suits our current situation."
"Oh? Is that from that movie?" It wasn't Yukina who answered her, but another voice. Kita came around the corner, a small flame glowing on her fingertip.
"Huh? When did you get here?" Shiko was nearly startled.
"Just now." There seemed to be a trace of delight in Kita's voice.
Even as a social butterfly, Kita thought smugly, there's a day when I can pick up Wu-san's reference... Wait, why am I proud of that?! Realizing this, Kita immediately imitated Yukina and put on a stern face. However, because of the firelight, both Yukina and Shiko saw every change in her expression.
There was still one day before the live officially began.
Even up until the live, Shiko still couldn't play the new song perfectly. She was in excellent form on every other song, but whenever she played this one, all kinds of problems appeared.
"Are you really all right? Should we just drop this song?" Nijika, literally glowing from head to toe, frowned at Shiko.
Shiko gave a mysterious smile. "Just wait and see."
Chapter Thirteen: The Day of the Live
Roselia went onstage first. "Idochi-kun, there's no need for lighting," Yukina indicated to Nijika. Nijika extinguished the starlight around her in confusion. Without a light source, how were they supposed to perform?
Yet after Nijika completely extinguished the starlight around her, she still saw a sliver of light.
It was sunlight.
More precisely, sunlight reflected bit by bit from mirrors. Nijika looked toward its source and discovered that a series of mirrors were continuously reflecting the outside sunlight into the dark space at the center of the airship. "The ancient Egyptians used this method to illuminate the pyramids," Yukina proudly explained.
But a single sliver of light wasn't enough. With a snap of Yukina's fingers, tiny flames lit up in four directions. They were four oil lamps, held aloft by the other four members of Roselia. Under the oil lamps' glow, the entire stage filled with a mysterious, enchanting atmosphere.
Now there was enough light. The performance began.
Roselia has improved tremendously since their last performance, Nijika thought. Every live surpasses the one before it...
Instruments derived from abilities really can do things ordinary instruments can't. Ryo could hear Sayo making perfect use of that fact. We have three such instruments now. Can we perform as well as they do?
I still have a long way to go as a vocalist, aside from guitar... Kita's ears seemed completely occupied by Yukina's singing.
When will I finally be able to perform at my full level onstage...? For some reason, Ichiri was berating herself again.
Shiko, on the other hand, wasn't thinking about anything. She merely clasped her hands together and accepted Roselia's baptism with emotion. If she had to say she was thinking anything, it was this—Greatness needs no explanation!
Roselia's final song, their recently written song Thorny Path, came to an end. Yukina looked refreshed. She had released herself wholeheartedly for the first time in a long while, sweeping away all the pressure she had accumulated over the past few days.
Between the two bands' performances was a duet by Rinko and Ryo. Everyone helped clear the stage and make room for the pipe organ. The two exchanged a glance, nodded at the same time, and began to play.
It was as if torrential rain were pouring down. Shiko felt as though she stood alone inside an ark. The flood had continued for a hundred and fifty days and nights. The rain of judgment, the rain of fury, the rain of the apocalypse—it seemed as though it would never stop. The flood would submerge the world. Shiko was completely immersed in the desperate, oppressive atmosphere. Gloom choked her throat, leaving her unable to speak.
Then the rhythm shifted. Shiko saw the rain in the sky begin to cease. Clear sunlight pierced through layer upon layer of clouds and shone down on her. A wind from a new age blew around her. The flood began to recede. Shiko gulped down great breaths of fresh air. Her soul was renewing itself, and all the old impurities had been carried away by the storm. She was crystal, she was a feather, and like a spirit, she flew freely through the transparent heavens.
A white dove brought her an olive branch.
This was Crow, White Dove, Olive Branch.
"Hey~" Nijika waved a hand in front of Shiko's face. "Little Shiko, wake up~"
"Ah!" Shiko abruptly awakened from the world of music. Nijika and the other members of Kessoku Band stood before her. Rinko and Ryo's duet had ended long ago, and it was now their turn to perform. Suppressing a trace of reluctance, Shiko indicated that she was ready.
"Then let's go up together." Nijika was still worried about the new song, but since Shiko insisted again and again, she stopped nagging. The two of them took the stage together.
"The rest is up to you." Yukina handed the microphone to Kita. "Don't disappoint me."
Kita looked at Yukina with confidence and nodded firmly. "Yes!"
The first song should have been Guitar and Loneliness and the Blue Planet. But before any of the instruments began playing, Kita leaned toward the microphone. Their long training together had given them enough rapport that everyone else turned toward Kita in surprise. This wasn't how the song was supposed to begin! What was she doing?
The instant Kita sang the first note, everyone understood. This wasn't Guitar and Loneliness and the Blue Planet! It was their new song—As Time Flows, Triangle Day and Night!
Kita shot a provocative glance at Shiko. Without any words being exchanged, Shiko understood. The corner of her mouth lifted, and she matched Kita's rhythm perfectly. The others came back to their senses and immediately followed the two of them.
The first song is the new one? No, that's not it... Yukina noticed something.
At first, nothing seemed unusual. But as the keyboard began, the sounds of the other instruments seemed to be drawn along by Shiko. Crimson-red notes peeled away from them and drifted through the air. This was an unprecedented phenomenon! Yet as the notes separated, the entire piece instead grew increasingly complete, as though it had always been meant to be this way.
Kita gave a quiet hum in her heart. I knew you were hiding something big! She sang with even greater focus.
The notes gradually gathered in the air. Shiko seemed to be playing, yet also conducting the notes. By now, the feeling she gave Yukina and Roselia was like—"No way..." Lisa's mouth fell open.
The notes arranged themselves into lines. A staff appeared from thin air, assigning them their positions. The newly formed score revolved around Shiko, around the surging flames, and around every member of Kessoku Band!
"She's composing?" Ako asked incredulously. "On the spot?"
"No." Yukina corrected her. "The song was written long ago. She's merely... bringing it into the world for the first time."
Shiko now played the song most important to her at this moment with flawless perfection. The mistakes she had deliberately made during practice, the errors she had committed to interrupt the song, all of them vanished. In their place was a performance more perfect than anything before it. The two of them, Shiko and Kita, seemed to drag the other three along, forcibly pulling everyone into their own rhythm and driving their bodies to play!
Notes and flames danced together!
When the song ended, everyone was panting. It was as if they hadn't played one song, but had played continuously for three days and three nights. During the final tempering in the blazing fire, the score fully took shape. The notes faded from crimson back into plain black, melted into the sheets of paper Shiko took out, and became an ordinary musical score.
"It's done." Shiko stroked the score, looking as though she were crying and laughing at once.
"Erosion Armament · Love and Separation."
Chapter Fourteen: Mistaking the Smell of Ink for the Scent You Left Behind
Day Fifteen after departure. Clear skies. Kyuushuu-go.
The song you entrusted to me is finally about to be completed. I'm sorry that I didn't completely honor our original agreement; part of it was divided among other people. But please allow me to explain.
In my previous letter, I mentioned Kita's new equipment—[Erosion Armament · Unobtainable]. That thing seems to originate from an intense emotion within one's heart, taking form as something strongly connected to it. Actually, I obtained this kind of equipment before Kita did. No, technically, it was only a half-finished product. That's right—it was the half of the musical score you gave me. I sensed this the moment I obtained it. If I completed it, it would surely grow into a complete Erosion Armament and become my power. But was that all? Unlike a guitar, could the power of a musical score be shared with other people? During that performance, Ichiri and Kita's improvised playing further perfected the score. At that moment, I felt the score's power being shared with them. So I understood: as long as I let other people participate more in creating the song, they could share in this power too. I gave the remaining part of the song to Ryo, specifically asked Nijika to participate in composing it, and handed the lyrics to Ichiri. Now, this song contains the essence of everyone in Kessoku Band while protecting everyone at the same time. The song you left behind will become the strength that helps us move forward.
P.S. I really couldn't think of a reason to have Roselia participate in composing it... I'm sorry...
"I could feel that once I played it all the way through, the score would completely take shape. Of course I had to save such a great chance to show off for the live." Shiko spoke as if it were obvious. But the others' gazes at her had changed. After the live ended, everyone sat together at the bar and ate.
Kita sat to Shiko's left and looked at her speechlessly. "So that's why you kept making mistakes before? Just to look cool at the live?"
"Of course. Anyone would do the same, right?" Shiko turned to the other side. "Ako, don't you agree?"
"Of course. Anyone would do the same, right?" Ako's expression was exactly the same as Shiko's.
"It's about ceremony. That's perfectly normal too." Lisa casually agreed while drawing patterns in ketchup on her omurice. "So, what exactly are the effects of the score?"
Shiko opened the panel. "For me, it's +2 Filth Resistance and +Lv1 Keyboard Technique."
"Same for me, except it's Guitar Technique," Ichiri said.
The other members of Kessoku Band were the same: +2 Filth Resistance and +Lv1 in their respective instruments' techniques. Kita had gained Vocal Technique.
"I'm so jealous~ Forget that Filth Resistance thing that we still don't understand. Just raising an instrument technique by one level is already incredibly valuable." As the least technically skilled member of Roselia, Lisa was also the most envious of this boost.
"Sorry. If I get the chance next time, I'll definitely bring Roselia along." Shiko pressed her palms together toward Lisa.
"You really don't need to apologize..."
"There isn't much point in being jealous." Yukina pointed it out. "This kind of boost might not remain effective once we return to reality. If we can't bring it back, it won't mean much."
"Exactly." Sayo agreed. "Only improving our skills through our own efforts is the proper path."
Before you continue