The next day after school, the band gathered in the second music room. Serika was the first to speak up.
“Saya, I read your lyrics,” she said.
“Wh-What’d you think?!” Yamano asked.
“They were packed with your feelings. I thought they were good.”
“Th-Thank god!” Yamano rubbed her chest and let out a sigh of relief.
“You know Natsuki has a girlfriend, right?” Serika pointed out.
Yamano’s face instantly reddened. “I-It’s not like that!”
So those incredibly intense lyrics aren’t meant in a romantic sense? That’s a huge weight off my shoulders. Not gonna lie—I had my suspicions. I mean, come on! It sounds exactly like a love song!
“It just means I like him, um, as a senpai!” Yamano added.
“Gotcha. For a moment, I was worried we’d have to deal with unrequited love issues in our band,” Serika said.
Sounds like Serika was shaking in her boots too. Then again, we nearly lost a member only a few days ago. Of course she’d get anxious.
“Yamano-san.” Mei regarded her with a sympathetic look. “It’ll work out next time for sure.”
“Don’t treat me like I just got rejected!” Yamano lightly bopped him on the back.
I’m glad they’re getting along.
“Well,” Mei said, “there is something that’s been on my mind all this time, Yamano-san. Natsuki is the only one you call ‘senpai’ without anything attached to it, whereas you address all your other upperclassmen by name plus ‘senpai.’ Why do you do that?”
You’re bringing that up now? Admittedly, I’m a little curious about it too.
“I’ve also wondered about that,” Serika joined in. “It’s kinda obvious that you only treat Natsuki special.”
“I know, right! I’ve been wondering for ages why no one has pointed that out.”
Yamano stood still as a rock, her face bright red. “Why...” Tears began to trickle down her cheek. “Why would you even say that?!”
“Uh-oh. Shinohara-kun, you made Saya cry.”
“It’s my fault now?! Hondo-san, you just agreed with me!”
“Mei, you shouldn’t bully your underclassman,” I said.
“Natsuki, not you too! I was just curious about it!”
Finally, Yamano quietly said, “Haibara-senpai is my number one senpai because he stayed by my side...”
The room fell silent, and the atmosphere was stifling.
“Wh-Why isn’t anyone saying anything?!” she cried.
“Oh, I just found your feelings so purehearted.” Mei awkwardly averted his eyes.
I should probably say something here, but I’m struggling to come up with anything. “Uhhh... Thanks, Yamano?”
“I didn’t do anything that deserves gratitude, though.” Yamano fidgeted this way and that, looking not entirely displeased.
“Anyway, the song title is really good,” Serika said as she pointed to “Stray Luminous.”
Always marching to the beat of her own drum...
“Let’s make it our band name,” she added.
“Huh?!” Yamano yelled, her tone borderline hysterical.
“Wouldn’t it be cool if our debut song was the same as our band name?”
We aren’t debuting, nor do we plan to. That aside, I think there are quite a few bands whose first songs are the same as their name.
“This stuff is all about vibes. What do you guys think?” Serika asked.
“Sounds good to me,” I said in agreement. “It’s cool, and it is true that we were outcasts.” Serika, Mei, Yamano, and I all have a history of being misfits. And we all want to shine.
“I also think it’s a good name. It’s much better than Youth Rocket,” Mei said.
Don’t compare it to my idea for no reason! That’s just mean.
“It shortens to Stray Lumi, which sounds kinda cute. I like that.” Serika nodded to herself as she appraised her idea.
“A-Are you guys sure about an idea that came from me?” Yamano gawked at us in consternation. “I think you guys should come up with the band name, since you’re older than me...”
“Why? What’s the point of splitting hairs like that?” Mei asked. Although he looked somewhat sheepish, he continued on. “Yamano-san, aren’t we all bandmates?”
“Shinohara-senpai...”
“None of us are going to complain about a band name coming from one of our members,” he said.
Hey, weren’t you flagrantly ridiculing my superb idea—Youth Rocket—only seconds ago? No one noticed my silent fuming, and the atmosphere in the room warmed up amiably.
“Let’s go with that, then. From now on, we’re Stray Luminous.” Serika directed her gaze to me. “Okey doke. Make an announcement on our social media.”
Okay, make a post that our band is changing from Mishle to Stray Lumi. And also mention our new song.
“I’ll tweak the melody to fit with the lyrics,” Serika said.
“Oh, I can totally change the lyrics. Just let me know!” Yamano exclaimed.
“Saya, I could never do something as inhumane as forcing you to rewrite your love letter.”
“Again, it’s not a love letter!”
One of the downsides of shoving your emotions into the lyrics is that it’ll expose everything.
Serika glanced at the clock as she teased Yamano, and then clapped her hands to get our attention. “Okay, let’s start practicing our new song. If you have any suggestions on how to improve it, say so without hesitation. We’re going to adjust the music to go with the lyrics.”
The mood transformed, and our idle chatter was replaced by practice. Yeah, it’s important we can flip the switch like this when we want to be serious. If the atmosphere was constantly heavy like this, we would be too on edge all the time and it’d wear us out. Know when it’s time to work and when it’s time to rest! We’ve been able to do that lately.
“Our next goal is the light music club’s concert. It’s in two weeks, so I want to be ready by then,” Serika said.
The light music club put on a concert every two to three months. It was attended by club members and their friends. This show was on a much smaller scale compared to the music festival we had participated in. People unaffiliated with the school weren’t allowed to enter an event held in a school clubroom. At most, there would be forty attendees.
Even so, a concert was a concert. It would be a fitting start for Stray Luminous.
✦ ✦ ✦
And so, two weeks passed in the blink of an eye. The day of the light music club’s concert was here. It was being held on a Saturday afternoon, and we had spent the morning hectically setting up our equipment. The club had slotted Stray Lumi as the headliner, as if it were a given. Man, we’re being treated like the club’s ace!
I was playing hype man for our opening act, a first-year band, while simultaneously working behind the scenes.
“Natsu, we’re here!”
While I was running around, Uta and Miori entered the room.
“Oh, you made it,” I said.
“We had practice today, but we came right after it ended!” Uta exclaimed.
They were both in their school uniform, but they must’ve just changed out of their gym clothes, because they each had a towel hanging around their neck.
These two smell like deodorant. We’re only halfway into May, but it’s steadily getting hotter.
“I’m just here for Serika. I don’t particularly care how you do,” Miori told me.
What’s with the tsundere act? Is it me, or has she been all over the place lately?
“’Sup.”
“Hello, I see you’re all here already.”
Tatsuya and Reita came in next.
It was right around the time when those who had morning practice were finishing lunch and assembling here. In addition to my friends, other students were arriving one by one and filling up the venue.
“Natsuki-kun!”
“Hello, Haibara-kun.”
A short while later, Hikari and Nanase also joined us. Neither of them had extracurriculars, but they had made the trip to school anyway. Even though I’d told them about the event in advance, I was still thrilled that they had actually showed.
“What the heck? Everyone ended up coming,” I remarked.
“Yeah,” Tatsuya said. “I had practice at school anyway, so might as well drop by.”
“I came to cheer for you, Natsuki-kun!” Hikari told me.
I happened to be on break, so I chatted with the crew outside the clubroom.
“What’s with you, Natsuki? You’re grinning,” Tatsuya said.
“Oh... I’m just happy that you all came.” I’m glad we can still get together like this even though we were split up in our second year. It’s kinda embarrassing, but I’m moved to bits.
“Natsu, you’re always so sappy,” Uta said, feeling a little shy herself.
Reita shrugged. “Natsuki’s just that kind of guy. He can’t help it. He’s painfu— I mean, wet behind the ears.”
“Why’d you even bother rephrasing?” I asked.
He smiled.
Does this guy think he can get away with anything just by smiling?
While we were chatting, Serika came to fetch me. “Natsuki, we’re almost up,” she said.
I peeked into the clubroom to see that the band before us, the Clock Ups, were beginning their turn.
“Break a leg!” Hikari said supportively, her clenched fist raised in front of her chest.
So damn cute! “Thanks.” I nodded and left the circle with Serika.
“Enjoy the show,” Serika said with a wave. “We’re totally in the zone.”
Apparently we’re in the zone now?