After the encore ended-
Having shaken off his two students, Zephyr hid in the corridor, gasping for breath and taking his medicine. "Infinite" had nearly hounded him into unconsciousness.
"Excuse me, my friend. Are you all right?"
The sound of wooden sandals on tile made Zephyr hurriedly put on his sunglasses and turn toward the newcomer.
He found a burly blind man with tear tracks at the corners of his eyes.
"...I should be asking you that."
Zephyr stubbornly curled his lips.
"I... am quite all right."
Issho's smile was even more stubborn than his, producing an expression that was hard to look at with a straight face.
An inexplicable connection, along with the songs' lingering influence, got the two talking about the concert.
"I thought 'The Gate of Flame' was the best-"
"What do you know? 'The Gate of Flame' was good, sure, but 'Akatsuki no Kuruma' was the best! I'm older. Take my word for it..."
They both agreed that "Butter-Fly," that outrageously devastating weapon, belonged in first place.
One was over seventy, the other over fifty. Yet here they were, arguing over second place like children.
"Instructor Zephyr, the Great Angel has invited us to the banquet."
Ain came around the corner and saw her teacher... fooling around with another middle-aged man almost as tall and broad as he was.
"Ahem... Right. I'm not going-"
Zephyr's weathered face flushed as he declined.
That Great Angel fellow had definitely been up to no good when he invited him to the concert.
He suspected the man had known he would be operating in nearby waters this month and deliberately decided to mess with him.
He had fallen for it. He should never have come.
"...But Miss Uta, the lead vocalist, will be there too."
Ain really wanted to attend.