awakeningking

[awakeningking]

Awakening King | Chapter Three: May Those Wings Never Break

Two weeks after his exile, Reon returned to Gyroaxia.

The band was in the middle of another of their usual strenuous practice sessions, eventually stopping to allow for a break.

“By the way, Kenta-san…how’s that ‘revenge’ thing you were talking about going?” Reon asked, breaking the silence.

“Ah yes, that.”

Kenta sipped from his mineral water and took a moment to consider how much he should reveal. After some time, he decided that now was as good a time as any and began to explain.

“Well, it’s proceeding smoothly. When considering the sheer size of major record labels, you’ll realise they’re not entirely unified. I’ve been able to take advantage of that fault and I’m working on laying the groundwork for us.”

“Huh…?” Reon responded with a confused tilt of the head but Kenta didn’t pay it any mind. His explanation hadn’t particularly been intended to make Reon understand. 

“What I’m saying is that sooner or later, someone else from their company will reach out to us,” Kenta simplified.

“That’s great and all but…I’m not big on the idea of running into that producer again…”

He laughed dryly at the pout on Reon’s face.

“I’m taking measures to prevent that. I don’t have any intention of leaving Gyroaxia in the hands of someone like him. Just allow me to take care of this matter.” 

“Whatever you say, Kenken,” Ryo nodded in agreement as he nibbled away at a CalorieMate bar. He felt oddly similar to a small animal in that moment, in spite of his tall height. Contrary to his ‘go with the flow’ personality, he was a bassist with the abilities of a genius. His habit to not say more than he deemed necessary was another trait of his that Kenta liked.

“Are you sure about this?”

Looking at him with an element of suspicion in his eyes was Miyuki, the complete opposite. 

“Everything is fine. Besides, have I ever done something that didn’t have Gyroaxia’s best interests in mind?”

“...No, you haven’t. That’s the type of guy you are,” Miyuki spat out, turning away in discontent. His disapproval wasn’t directed towards Nayuta—rather it was Kenta who was so often getting on his nerves. He knew his grievances stemmed from Kenta’s attitude towards both Nayuta and the other band members, though the man in question couldn’t care less. His drumming skills were first-rate, and that was all that mattered. As long as they produced the sounds that Nayuta wanted, Kenta didn't care what anyone said to him. 

Noting that Miyuki had nothing more to say, Kenta turned his attention towards his favourite. Said favourite—Nayuta—despite the uninterested look on his face, was listening closely to the other member’s exchange. He seemed like he wanted to jump in and make a comment about how his ears were rotting from hearing mention of the producer that had struck such a deep nerve in him. Nayuta moodily furrowed his well-shaped eyebrows but the fleeting glance he cast at Kenta failed to conceal his interest in their conversation. 

When their gazes met, Kenta turned his whole body towards Nayuta and addressed him in a gentle tone, taking care not to further dampen his mood. 

“To carry out this plan, there’s a weapon I’ll need. Nayuta, there’s something I’d like to ask of you.”

“What? If it’s anything stupid then I’m not interested.”

“I want you to make a new song—a powerful one that will make everyone understand the essence of Gyroaxia, and of Asahi Nayuta.”

Nayuta stared at Kenta with narrowed eyes. On the receiving end of a look that seemed to read him like a book, Kenta tensed up a little. He considered himself to have a good grasp on how to work with Nayuta but when faced with eyes that mimicked an unsheathed katana, he couldn’t help but feel nervous. 

“...Fine. I’ll make something that slams into them and says, ‘This is our sound,’” 

“I’ll be counting on you then.”

Kenta couldn’t help but smile, relieved that Nayuta accepted his request so quickly. Although he believed that Gyroaxia’s current discography could’ve sufficed, he knew that they wouldn’t provide the same impact as a new song. It’d also serve to prove the consistent high standard of the songs they released. He had an unwavering confidence in the quality of the songs Nayuta made so Kenta was positive that he’d create a song that would make the major record label turn their way again. 

“Good luck. Our debut is in your hands,” Reon said to Nayuta with a clap on his shoulder. 

“Shut up. I’m going to make the sound I want to make.”

“Geez, I was just trying to be supportive.”

Reon felt the irritation setting in when Nayuta shook his hand off. 

“Don’t worry, I’m sure Nayuta knows that,” Miyuki chimed in, attempting to calm Reon down.

“That’s right. We can trust Nayuta to take care of this.”

“Miyuki-san, Ryo-san, you’re on his side too…? Alright, fine.”

With even Ryo joining in, Reon drew back, albeit still harbouring some anger. Nayuta had already lost interest in the trio’s conversation and had become lost in his thoughts with a downcast look, presumably already planning out the new song. After assessing Nayuta, Kenta clapped his hands together.

“Alright, we’ll leave it here for today. Focus on individual practice until next time…Nayuta, are you okay with that?”

“...Yeah.”

With a nod, Nayuta made quick work of packing up his belongings. As he expected, Nayuta couldn't shake the urge to jump right into writing a new song. At their current rate, he could expect promising things from whatever Nayuta might come up with. Looking at Nayuta’s turned back, Kenta smiled contently. 

A few days later—

Following one of their practice sessions, in an unusual occurrence, all members of the band decided to go out for dinner together. Miyuki happened to have a coupon and brought up the idea of getting Genghis Khan together…when Kenta asked if Nayuta wanted to join, he spontaneously agreed.

After entering the restaurant, they started off by ordering beer for the adults and oolong tea for the minors. In high spirits, Reon wiped his hands with a wet towel and opened the menu on the touch screen. 

“Should we start off with a platter?”

“Sounds good to me.”

“I want a salad too.”

While Miyuki, Reon and Ryo were fussing over the screen, Nayuta reached out and quickly ordered loin and grilled ribs. 

“Hey, Nayuta! Don’t just decide on your own!” Reon objected to Nayuta’s selfish behaviour.

“I’ll eat what I want to eat. The rest of you can just do the same.”

“We came here together so the least you could do is consult with us first!”

Reon arched an eyebrow at Nayuta, whose gaze fell to his phone as if to say he had no further comment after making his own order. 

“Well, Nayuta rarely ever comes out to eat with us and I planned on ordering a couple of things anyway. Why don’t you go ahead and get whatever you want too, Reon-kun? If you like, I’ll even cover for you and Nayuta since I just got paid,” Miyuki swooped in to amend the situation.

“Are you serious!? Thank you so much, Miyuki-san! Nayuta, say thank you too.”

“I’ll pay for myself. I don’t make a habit of indebting myself to others.” 

Reon made a face of disagreement at Nayuta’s refusal to stray from his stubbornly independent attitude.

“I can’t believe this guy…”

Before another one-sided fight could break out, Ryo swiftly ordered a salad and steak tartare from the side menu and handed the touch screen to Reon.

“Get whatever you want and order quickly. I’m hungry.”

“Not you too, Ryo-san…fine, I get it. If this is how we’re doing it then I’ll get whatever I want too!” 

Reon ordered meat, more meat…and of course, meat. Once he was done, Miyuki grabbed Kenta’s attention. 

“Say, Mr. Accountant. Do you think we could cut into our celebration budget? We rarely ever do anything like this so I’m sure we could spare some, right?”

“Hmm.”

Like Miyuki said, they usually never put on any kind of celebratory events so they’d have enough to cover the dinner. Despite the studio costs they had to manage, their live shows sold a considerable amount of tickets so even for an amateur band, they were blessed with quite a generous amount of funds.

“You’re right. This is a special occasion, so I’ll allow it.”

The price was nothing if it raised all their morales. Maintaining motivation was essential for putting on a good performance and he was making an investment in that. Additionally, it would also prevent Nayuta—who had little financial freedom—from needing to spend any money.

“Now you can be treated too, Nayuta.”

“...Tch.”

Miyuki turned towards Nayuta with a big charming smile. Regardless of if he was convinced, he didn't say anything more. Eventually, their order reached their table and they all took their respective drinks. Miyuki raised his glass to initiate a toast. 

“To the future of Gyroax—”

“Oi, Nayuta! Don’t just start drinking before the rest of us!” Reon scolded Nayuta, who had already gotten started on his drink before Miyuki had the chance to finish.

“It’s alright. He can do what he wants.”

Ryo followed suit and wasted no time in taking a bite of his salad. With a dry laugh, Miyuki lowered his glass. 

“Well, it is what it is,” Miyuki sighed. 

“M-Miyuki-san! I’ll toast with you! To Gyroaxia!” 

“Oh, cheers.”

Reon bumped his glass against Miyuki’s with a resounding clink. As Kenta watched the duo, he began taking meat from the platter. 

“I’ll handle the cooking.” 

“So you’re our grill master for today, huh?” Miyuki immediately commented but Ryo pushed the plate of meat towards Kenta nonetheless. 

“Kenken will take care of it.”

“Yeah, Kenta-san is the best at this kind of stuff,” Reon nodded in agreement. Their input seemed to convince Miyuki. 

“Alright, I’ll leave it to you then. I like my meat a little bit rare.”

“I prefer mine well-done.”

“I’m fine with whatever Kenta-san does.”

As the trio shared their personal preferences, they began picking away at the sides they had ordered. Kenta turned to Nayuta who had been silently eating some pickled vegetables.

“Nayuta, do you want to start off with the loin meat?”

“...Sure,” Nayuta replied, somewhat absentmindedly. Although Kenta found his behaviour slightly concerning, he decided to focus on grilling the meat for the time being. A pleasant smell filled the air as Kenta continued to distribute grilled meat to each of the members’ plates. Like starved wolves, they devoured the meat.

“This is so good! White rice tastes the best with this sauce!”

“I don’t need any rice. When I’m eating Genghis Khan, just meat is enough.”

“I knew Kenken would make it taste delicious.”

Kenta grabbed a well-done slice of meat and placed it on Nayuta’s plate. He watched Nayuta chew on the meat before silently reaching for another piece with his chopsticks. He must have liked it, it seemed.

“Nayuta, I’ll cook some more for you to eat.”

“...Okay.”

The image of Nayuta contently eating the meat he grilled for him reminded Kenta of feeding a stubbornly unaffectionate cat. Nayuta tended to fall somewhat on the thinner side so he decided to take advantage of the opportunity to feed him meat and quickly prepared him some more. His physical strength was just as important as his musical prowess, after all.

“Y’know, it’s super weird that Nayuta came too. I thought I’d see pigs fly before a day like this ever came,” Reon said as he animatedly chowed down on his food.

“For sure,” Miyuki agreed, “This kind of feels like a kickoff party in the lead up to our comeback, don’t you think?”  

“It does! Next time we see that producer freak we’ll knock him down with our music!”

“Yeah! Once we have our major debut, I’ll be sure to rack up even more fans.”  

“Not only will Miyuki’s fans increase…but I hope the amount of people we’ll bring happiness to with our music will grow too. The day when I can return to the stars can’t be too far away now.” 

“Let’s make sure our music is heard all over Japan.” 

“Miyuki-san, don’t stop there—set your sights on the entire world! Total global domination!” 

“ …Galactic domination.” 

While the trio busied themselves with scaling the goal higher and higher, Kenta slid a glass of water Nayuta’s way.

“I was wondering how the progress on the new song is going? There’s no rush, but it may change how things will proceed depending on when it’s completed.”

“ …New song?” 

Nayuta’s chopsticks froze in his hand. His brows furrowed and his shapely lips contorted but rather than resembling his usual sour mood, his expression seemed to read more as confusion.

“Again, there’s no hurry. Just make something that you're happy with.”

“I don’t need you to tell me that! Don’t order me around!” 

Nayuta slammed his fist against the table, the tableware shaking in its wake. Ah, he’d said something to set him off, hadn’t he? Nayuta looked away in embarrassment, as if regretting his outburst of anger. 

“...Just shut up and wait. I’ll make a song that no one could complain about.”

“Very well then. I’m looking forward to hearing it,” Kenta said as gently as he could, taking care not to upset Nayuta any further. For good measure, he added a few more slices of well-done meat to Nayuta’s plate.

“If you can provide me with a new song, I can take care of everything else. For today, just focus on eating.”

“...Okay.”

Unlike the Nayuta he was familiar with, he responded with an unpleasantly meek nod and picked up the meat he had been given. Kenta sensed that he may be experiencing some complications with the writing process. 

A sudden eruption of cheers came from the table beside them in what appeared to be a celebration of sorts. They filled the restaurant with the sound of merry laughter and glasses clinking against each other. Someone amongst them must have lit a cigarette because the horrid smell of smoke began drifting towards the band’s table.

“The air flow in here sucks,” Miyuki said with a frown.

“Maybe the smoke filters aren’t working properly?” Ryo wondered, mirroring Miyuki’s look of displeasure.

But the one who had the most extreme reaction amongst them all was none other than Nayuta. Dropping his chopsticks, he immediately shot to his feet.

“Nayuta?”

“...I’ve lost my appetite. I’m leaving.” 

“Hey, wait…Nayuta!” 

Disregarding Reon’s objections, Nayuta grabbed his bag and left the restaurant. After being completely ignored, Reon’s anger began to flare up.

“Can he be any more self-centred!?” 

“Aah…hey, I consider it a win that he at least went this long quietly eating his food. Besides, now we get to eat his share of the meat too,” Miyuki placated Reon and gave him a slightly larger helping of beef tartare. 

“But…” 

“You know how Nayuta is,” Ryo said as he leisurely ate his salad, seemingly unbothered.

“No one can stop Nayuta from doing as he pleases. Like Ryo said, you know how he is,” Kenta agreed.

“You two are way too soft on him!” Reon huffed but despite his anger, without Nayuta in the room with them, he couldn’t articulate any further complaints he had.

“It’s alright, I’ll have a word with him next time we see him. okay?”

“I have a feeling you’re just saying that, Miyuki-san.”

“Hey, eat your meat.”

Pacified, Reon followed Miyuki’s prompting and began chewing the meat. Finally preparing a portion for himself, Kenta started eating too. 

Despite what Reon believed, Kenta wasn’t trying to spoil Nayuta. As the heart of Gyroaxia, it was only natural he held Nayuta’s wishes in high regard. For that same reason, his behaviour earlier bore slight concern for Kenta. It wasn’t the fact that Nayuta had left that worried him, but rather his abnormal reaction when mention of the new song had been brought up. It weighed heavy on his mind.

“Huh? Is that...Nayuta?”

A few days had passed since their last rehearsal. While on his way to the studio, Kenta passed by Odori Park but stopped in his tracks as he caught sight of Nayuta. It was an unexpected sight to say the least and Kenta couldn’t help but stare in wonder. 

Was Nayuta...playing with a cat?

The animal had curled itself up around Nayuta’s feet with a grumpy look and despite the equally gloomy expression Nayuta wore, he made no attempt to shoo the cat away. Kenta pondered whether or not to call out to him but before he could make a choice, Nayuta lifted his head and caught his gaze.

“Is this your cat, Nayuta?” Kenta asked as he walked up to him.

“No, it’s not. He’s just decided to follow me around,” he grumbled, yet still crouched down to meet the cat’s gaze. In comparison to its sharp eyes, the cat's purrs were adorable. Nayuta’s brow furrowed.

“You shouldn’t get attached so easily.” The cat titled its head curiously as Nayuta met its stare with a stern look. “Never lose your pride. Remember that.”

Even if it was to a cat, Kenta strangely admired the way he spoke of his philosophy. Needless to say, the cat was unfazed by Nayuta's words, instead opting to nestle up to him and continue purring. Despite his annoyed expression, he reached out to pet the small animal. To Kenta’s surprise, Nayuta seemed to be fond of cats.

“Stay strong,” Nayuta said as he stood up, letting out a small cough as he did so. The rough sounds mixed within brought a frown to Kenta’s face.

“Have you caught a cold?”

“...It’s nothing,” Nayuta replied, sullenly turning his face away. Kenta tried to examine his expression, knowing he wouldn’t be content with pushing the matter aside. Nayuta looked rather unwell...

“Don’t push yourself too hard. You should rest instead of practising.”

“I told you it’s nothing. This won’t get in the way of my singing.” 

Nayuta’s words betrayed him as he began to cough again.

“No. You should go see a doctor before anything else. I’ll get you some things to ease your throat later.”

As the jewel of Gyroaxia, Nayuta’s voice must not be damaged in the slightest. 

Kenta fumbled around in his bag, taking out a towel from their live shows and wrapped it around Nayuta’s neck.

“The weather will get colder soon. I know it might look silly but make sure to keep it on. Should I get you a scarf or a muffler?

With an indignant look, Nayuta brushed Kenta’s hands away in irritation. 

“Nayuta. What will you do if your throat is damaged?”

“I already told you, it’s fine.”

“I see. I’ll buy you some throat lozenges then. They should soothe your throat a little, at the very least.” 

Kenta wracked his brain, trying to recall any nearby pharmacies located along the way. Which store was it that had the best selection of throat lozenges? Nayuta quickly became fed up as Kenta lost himself in thought.

“Are you my mum or something?”

“You’re our precious vocalist. It’s only natural for me to be worried.”

“...Hmph. Suit yourself. I’m going ahead,” Nayuta huffed and hurried away. 

“How stubborn,” Kenta thought to himself before following along behind him. An icy wind raged between the two.

It only grew worse from there. In a stroke of bad luck, the studio’s air conditioning had stopped working.

“Huh? Is there something wrong with the air conditioner?”

Reon knitted his brows and sipped at his sports drink. Ryo also made a face of annoyance as he licked at one of the throat lozenges Kenta had bought.

“The air is so dry in here…”

“I’ll go and ask them about it.”

“Thank you.” 

With that, Miyuki left the studio to seek out a staff member to question. In the meantime, Kenta kept an eye on Nayuta’s condition. He had coughed several more times since their practice session had begun. Despite his continued dismissal of Kenta's worries, he could hear the slight change in Nayuta’s voice. His high votes lacked their usual sharpness and power.

“Is he really alright…?” 

Kenta peered over at Nayuta who raised his head with a bitter expression. As expected, his complexion had still yet to return to normal. Kenta took one of the lozenges from the bag Ryo held and offered one to Nayuta.

“Suck on this until Miyuki returns.”

“...Are you my mum or something?” Nayuta grumbled, yet still obediently took the lozenge. He popped the honey-coloured candy in his mouth and began intently glaring at his music sheets. Eventually, Miyuki returned.

“Bad news. Looks like the aircon is broken. They've called someone to fix it but it won’t be working today. What should we do?”

“Hm…” After hearing Miyuki’s report, Kenta came to an immediate decision. “We’ll end practice here for today. Nayuta doesn’t seem to be feeling well.”

“Quit screwing around!” Nayuta snapped, “I’m going to sing! If you want to stop then get out!”

However, as Nayuta began to yell, he delved into a violent coughing fit. Even as his hacking died down, his breaths remained harsh and laboured. Kenta instinctively rushed to his side.

“Are you alright!?”

“I told you I’m fine!!” Nayuta shook off Kenta’s hands and shot him a deathly glare. Unable to watch from the sidelines, Miyuki stepped between the two with a casual demeanour. 

“C’mon, Nayuta. No need to be like that, he’s only looking out for you. Well, I guess I can see how it might be annoying.”

“You seem really unwell. Overworking yourself will only make it worse. You’re not a kid, you should know how important rest is to maintaining your health,” Reon piped up, agreeing with Miyuki.

“I feel the same. Let’s end it here for today.” Ryo’s words brought a flush of anger flooding to Nayuta’s face.

“...Shut up,” Nayuta violently slammed his fist against the wall, “Get out! All of you!”

Nayuta’s eyes burned with anger as he glowered at the other members. Reon was the first to react.

“Alright, alright! Geez, suit yourself then! Guess I won’t bother worrying about you anymore!” Reon yelled out his frustrations, packed up his guitar, and promptly left. Ryo followed after with a shrug of his shoulders. Miyuki seemed to hesitate, until Nayuta turned towards him.

“Didn’t you hear me? I told you to get out.”

“...Right. I’ll be going then. But seriously, don’t push yourself too hard,” Miyuki said. Knowing there was no room for discussion, he made quick work of tidying up and left the studio. With a cruel gaze, Nayuta turned to Kenta, the only one who remained.

“You too, Satozuka. Leave. You’ll only get in my way.”

When Nayuta reached this level of anger, he wouldn’t let anyone come near him. It would be futile to try and communicate with him and any attempts to converse would only fuel his stubbornness. With an adept understanding of that, Kenta let out a sigh. Even so, Nayuta wasn’t a child. He knew how important his throat was, so no matter how brash he acted, he would never purposely bring harm to it.

“Very well. Will tomorrow’s practice go ahead as planned?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll see you then, in that case.” 

Although it pained him, Kenta left the studio.

Despite being kicked out...Kenta couldn’t bring himself to go straight home. He found a seat in a café with a view of the studio’s entrance and took out his laptop while he waited for Nayuta to finish rehearsal. 

Since the other day, he couldn’t help but notice a change in Nayuta’s behaviour. Kenta was unfazed by Nayuta’s short temper, frequent outbursts and tyrannical behaviour. Those qualities never got in the way of Nayuta’s ability to create music. He didn’t care what type of person Nayuta was, as long as he produced the best of the best.

It was a different story once his sound began to break. Little progress was being made on the new song, and he couldn’t help but feel concerned. Once his coughs had arisen, his voice began to lose its usual power. He simply couldn’t ignore it if Nayuta’s songs dipped below the bar of perfection. As Gyroaxia’s leader, and a man who had become enamoured with the voice of Asahi Nayuta, he had to do everything in his power to help him. It didn’t matter how much Nayuta came to hate or loathe him, as long as he could spread his divine voice.

“He should be leaving soon.” 

The time that their usual rehearsals would end had come and gone, but Nayuta had yet to leave the studio. That in itself was not unusual, however when he was unwell and practising on his own, Kenta couldn’t help but be concerned. He’d assumed that Nayuta wouldn’t overdo it, but his stubbornness may have gotten the best of him and led him to push himself more than usual.

“I have no choice. I should go check on him.”

He knew Nayuta would be upset with him, but the well-being of his throat was more important. Kenta briskly packed his belongings away and returned to the studio.

“Nayuta!!” 

The moment Kenta opened the door, his eyes darted straight to Nayuta, collapsed on the ground. He was at his side in an instant.

“Shut up…” Nayuta weakly lifted his head. He was ghostly pale and wheezes whistled from his throat. As Kenta tried to lift his frail body, Nayuta was attacked by another fit of violent coughs.

“I’ll call an ambulanceー”

“Don’t...there’s medicine...in my bag....”

“I’ll get it!” 

He gently laid Nayuta back down and frantically opened his bag, immediately spotting an inhaler. He handed it to Nayuta, who brought it to his mouth as if he’d done it a thousand times before. After a while, Nayuta’s pained breaths eventually subsided. Although the colour had yet to return to his face, he seemed to have calmed down. Nayuta took the inhaler away from his mouth and glared at Kenta.

“Don’t tell anyone. If someone finds out, I'll leave Gyroaxia.”

“Understood. I won’t tell anyone. You have my word,” Kenta immediately replied.

If Nayuta ordered it, he wouldn’t tell a soul. Nayuta was a prideful man who couldn’t stand to show even the slightest of weaknesses. Kenta knew that Nayuta never intended for him to see him in such a state. The way he glared at Kenta with his pale complexion was both painful and divine.

Although Nayuta’s breathing had calmed down, he still shook with coughs from time to time, spiking Kenta’s worries. Judging from the way he handled the inhaler, it seemed that this was far from his first attack. Did he have a chronic illnessー

“...Can you still sing?” 

The fear of losing Nayuta’s singing voice made the words spill from his mouth. Needing his dreadful nerves to be quelled, he couldn't help but ask. Howeverー

The moment he said those words, Nayuta’s composed features were dyed with rage.

“Of course I can,” he replied in a low tone, holding back his anger. However, that did nothing to hide the icy depths of his rage. “If you doubt me, you’re not needed here.”

Roughly grabbing his bag, he wobbled to his feet.

“Nayuta!”

“...Don’t follow me.” 

In a clear rejection, Nayuta turned his back on Kenta and left the studio with an echoing slam of the door.

“It appears I’ve made a mistake…” Kenta brought a hand to his forehead with a heavy sigh. It seemed that his excessive concern for Nayuta's throat had led to him hitting an explosive nerve.

“I’ll leave it alone for now. I’ll see him tomorrow for rehearsal anyway.”

He could follow up with him then. Kenta tucked the thought away at the back of his mind and began to tidy up the studio.

The next day, Nayuta didn’t show up to the studio.

“Wait, Nayuta’s still not here?” Reon, the last to arrive, looked around the room in confusion. This kind of thing was unheard of.

Kenta impatiently checked his phone again and again. He had sent Nayuta countless messages, but none of them had even been read. After what he had seen yesterday, Kenta wondered if had collapsed at home. The thought made him uneasy.

“Have you tried contacting him?” Ryo asked

“I have…” Kenta half-heartedly replied. Nayuta’s pale face from yesterday burned in his mind. Miyuki set up his drums with a doubtful look.

“Okay, what happened? Did you two fight?”

“Nayuta and Kenta-san fighting? That’s impossible!”

“Well, maybe that sort of thing is needed from time to time. Kenta is always too soft on Nayuta, after all.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“You two should hurry and make up already.”

“It’s nothing like that,” Kenta retorted, having lost patience with Miyuki and Reon’s incorrect assumptions.

What happened yesterday wasn’t a fight. He may have hit a nerve in Nayuta but...he’d be able to recover. He had created Gyroaxia in a way that would allow Nayuta to concentrate on music without sparing a worry for anything else. This was meant to be the perfect environment for Nayuta to sing. He didn't think Nayuta would throw that away so quickly which only fed further into Kenta’s worries. No matter what he did, he couldn’t free his mind from the image of Nayuta collapsed on the floor of his home.

“...I’m going to go see him.”

“Take care,” Ryo waved him goodbye.

“Huh?” Reon responded in surprise, “What about rehearsal!?”

“The three of you can go ahead with practice. You don’t need me here instructing you.”

“Alright…”

“I’ll contact you all once I know the situation...goodbye then.” 

After bidding them farewell, Kenta rushed out of the studio. He couldn’t think about anything but Nayuta.

After leaving the studio, Kenta immediately called a taxi and set course for Nayuta’s apartment. Once he arrived, he frantically pushed the intercom, impatiently tapping his foot while he waited.

There was no response. 

“If only I had a spare key.” 

While contemplating whether he should ask the building owner to open the door for him, the resident that lived next door came out.

“Uhm, if you’re looking for the person that lives there, he went out this morning.”

“He left? Do you know where he went?” 

“S-Sorry, I’m not sure…”

He tried pressing the kind neighbour for answers, but he only seemed to make her uncomfortable. Resisting the urge to click his tongue, Kenta bowed his head.

“Thank you for your help. Ah, if you happen to see him, could you please tell him that ‘Satozuka’ was looking for him?”

“S-Sure.”

After thanking the neighbour once more, Kenta left the apartment behind. Nayuta must have been feeling better if he went out.

But what if he had been hospitalised? Where was the closest hospital that treated respiratory related injuries?

“Where are you?” He messaged Nayuta and began researching hospitals in the area.

“Nayuta, please be okay…”

While he prayed for his safety, Kenta headed off to the hospital his search results provided him. He just needed to know that Nayuta was safe.

Nayuta wasn’t there.

He tried visiting the other hospitals in the area but Nayuta was nowhere to be found.

“Nayuta, where are you…?” 

Desperately, he ventured to other places that Nayuta could be. He tried the cafe they’d occasionally visit after practice, their usual live house, the music store they would get their equipment fixed at… but there was no sign of Nayuta. 

His agitation was quickly growing. 

“Nayuta, do you really plan on quitting Gyroaxia?”

That couldn’t be the case. He didn’t want to believe it, but there was a detestable hunch he couldn’t shake off that he was right.

“If he could at least send me a text…” 

Kenta had already sent Nayuta a number of messages but they had all been left unread. Where was Nayuta? What was he doing? He didn’t have a clue.

“I thought I knew him better than this.” 

Kenta had no idea where Nayuta could have gone. His understanding of Nayuta didn’t extend beyond the topic of music.

The sun was quickly setting. He returned to Nayuta’s apartment once more, assuming he would have gone home, but there was no sign that he had returned yet. He tried going back to the studio, but the other members said Nayuta hadn’t come by. Naturally, they all began to worry.

“The least he could do is message me!”

“Should we look for him together?” He knew that Miyuki was offering out of kindness, but Kenta shook his head.

“No, this is Nayuta we’re talking about. If we make a big fuss about it, he’ll only grow more stubborn. Just leave this to me.”

In the wild, animals hide away when they’re injured. Nayuta had that trait too. He couldn’t show any weakness, lest his pride be damaged. After being ordered not to speak of his asthma to anyone else, Kenta decided that searching for Nayuta had to be up to him alone.

“...Right. But if anything happens, let us know.” 

Miyuki was also aware of Nayuta’s characteristics, but he backed down faster than Kenta expected. He seemed rather opinionated on the dynamic between members of the band but thankfully, he knew that there were certain situations he should stay out of.

“Kenken, take care of Nayuta,” Ryo said, throwing a CalorieMate bar and a sports drink his way.

“I will...thank you.” He had been running around without anything to eat or drink so he appreciated the consideration. He accepted the drink and took a sip, swallowing it down his parched throat. “I’ll be going now. I’ll leave the tidying up to you guys.”

He left the studio and rushed out into the city again, now cloaked in the night sky. He didn’t know where to go but he couldn’t stay put.

Kenta thought about Nayuta’s behaviour. He hadn’t come to the studio, but he knew he couldn’t go a day without singing. Other than his home and the studio, he looked for places that Nayuta may have gone to sing. Karaoke? No, he rarely ever went to places like that. He opened up social media and searched for places near his high school and residence that he might have gone to sing. He stopped when an image of a street musician caught his eye.

“Nayuta?” He unconsciously said aloud. The video only had a short title, being named Nayuta is Performing a Street Live? It seemed that someone had secretly recorded Nayuta while he walked down the shopping arcade singing.

“Nayuta? From Gyro?”

“Huh? Is this a solo?"

“Wow, he’s really cool.”

“Even his acapella is perfect.”

“Who is this? He’s not a pro, right?”

There were a variety of comments left on the video. 

“Is this...Tanukikoji?” 

Based on the background, that was his best guess. Judging by the time the video was uploaded, there was a good chance that Nayuta was still there. It was lucky that he left the studio so soon, Nayuta could be just around the corner. They might have even passed by each other already.

Kenta ran off in the direction he suspected Nayuta to be, praying that he was still singing.

It wasn’t long before Kenta found Nayuta. Not far from the shopping arcade, a crowd had gathered around a closed storefront. From the middle of them, Nayuta’s powerful yet delicate singing drowned out the bustle of the city.　

“Please excuse me,” he said, attempting to make his way through the crowd, however it seemed a futile task. Yet, even though they were separated, he could still see Nayuta. Even if he didn’t stand on a stage, even if he didn’t have a musical instrument, Nayuta still sang with the voice of a king. His voice was solid like a winter night sky, spinning the most exquisite music there was. As many times as he had heard Nayuta sing this song, he never found himself less entranced.

He didn't want to let Nayuta go, he wanted to protect his voice—that, he was sure of. 

Like Kenta, the crowd found themselves lost in Nayuta’s song. His surroundings fell silent, with Nayuta’s voice being the only thing that flooded the area. One by one, more shoppers stopped to watch and joined the ever growing crowd.

“Who is that?”

“That’s amazing. He’s super cool…”

“I wonder if he’s debuted yet?”

A number of whispers swept past his ears. He was proud of Nayuta to be able to make even those who didn’t know Gyroaxia lend him their ears. Kenta’s chest swelled with pride that Nayuta was their vocalist. 

“I wonder if this could be of use too…?” As the thought arose, Kenta opened his phone’s camera and began to film. He recorded the performance and made sure to include a view of the crowd he had gathered. “I won’t disturb Nayuta until he’s satisfied.”

Nayuta wore his usual moody expression, but while he sang, in a way it seemed like he was having fun. His voice wasn’t at the peak quality that Kenta was familiar with, meaning his body had likely yet to fully recover. Nonetheless, he felt his worries and fears from yesterday be dispelled.

No matter what happened, Nayuta would continue to sing.

Kenta stared at the man who had been brought into this world to sing, feeling ashamed that even for a moment, he had doubted the person he had wagered his life on.

“...That’s all.” 

Once he felt satisfied, Nayuta announced the end of his performance. Momentarily, the audience began to beg for an encore, but when it was clear that Nayuta had no interest in continuing, the crowd gradually dispersed. Once the audience had thinned out, Nayuta caught Kenta’s gaze and narrowed his eyes with a threatening glare.

“What’re you doing here?” 

“You shouldn’t sing in here. It’s a dome,” Kenta replied, opposing Nayuta’s glare with an earnest look. The hostility in his eyes only grew. “We need to talk. Can you come with me?”

Nayuta’s gaze seemed to tear him to pieces, but Kenta didn’t dare shy away. Nayuta held his glare for a moment before letting out a small sigh.

“...Fine.”

“Let’s not stand around. We should go find somewhere to sit, at least.”

They walked a short while until they found themselves in Odori Park. Kenta bought a warm citrus drink from a vending machine and handed it to Nayuta. At first he seemed suspicious, but he accepted it in the end. Kenta purchased a coffee for himself and took a seat next to Nayuta on a bench.

“Why’d you pick this one?”

“It’ll be good for your throat. You’ve really overexerted it. Try to stay hydrated.”

“...You bastard.” 

Nayuta’s anger flared up again at the mention of his throat, grip tightening on his drink with a crinkling sound. Before Nayuta could lose his temper, Kenta bowed his head.

“...I apologise for yesterday!”

“What’re you doing?”

“I never meant to doubt you. I was only worried. I’m sorry if it seemed that I didn’t have any faith in you.”

“...”

“You’re someone who won't let anything stop you from singing. I should have realised that sooner.”

The anger that still burned in Nayuta’s eyes began to simmer out little by little. Kenta’s eyes never left his as he announced his request.

“Nayuta. I never want you to stop singing so please, let me protect your throat. I’ll do everything in my power. What can I do? What can I do to protect your voice?”

Nayuta’s eyes widened slightly at Kenta’s desperate plea.

“...Can’t you quit that already?”

“No, I can’t. You were born to sing.”

Nayuta raised an eyebrow at his uninhibited assertion but Kenta continued without regard, taking the opportunity to lay out his feelings to Nayuta.

“Of course I’m concerned about your asthma, but it hasn’t brought any harm to your singing. If you need help on stage, I’ll do everything I can to support you. You don’t need to worry about anything other than creating the music that you desire.”

“...So it’ll just be the same as before?”

“No, I’ll do more for you than ever. I’ll take care of your health. You won’t have to deal with trivial tasks either. Just sing and perform, Nayuta. It’s the reason for your existence.”

Nayuta was astonished by the pride he held in his words.

“I don’t sing for your sake.”

“I’m fully aware of that too. I selfishly fell in love with your music all on my own.”

“...What a maniac,” Nayuta spat out, opening the lid on his drink and downing the contents. Seemingly pleased, he drank half the bottle before casting his gaze to the ground.  Kenta turned to Nayuta, who held the air of an arrogant stray cat that always stood proudly.

“We’ve known each other for a while...yet I’ve never seen you have an attack as vicious as yesterday’s. Has it been worse lately? What causes it? Do you have any ideas?” Kenta asked. The sudden barrage of questions put a sour look on Nayuta’s face. “Please. I’m here to support you, but I also want to be aware of your situation. Can you tell me?”

After being asked again, Nayuta begrudgingly offered an answer.

“The doctor said...it was stress. But, I’m not that weak.”

“Stress? Did something happen? Even if it was only small, do you know what it could’ve been?”

“...It was that piece of shit’s band.” 

Nayuta’s face turned sour. From that point, Nayuta’s words only grew more and more depressing. Like skipping a pebble across a lake, Nayuta told his story in brief words, with Kenta listening earnestly at every step. 

Nayuta’s father was the vocalist of a legendary band. He abandoned both him and his mother for the sake of music. After he discovered that Nayuta had asthma, he told him, “You’ll never sing,” and cut him off. From then on, his mother would continuously apologise and look at him with sympathy and pity in her eyes…consequently, that legendary band had become an awfully sensitive topic for Nayuta.

Kenta was able to gather that much from Nayuta’s story, along with the fact that beating that band was his greatest motivator. 

“I’m not going to try and idiotically copy him. I’ll beat him as my own self.” With a crunch he crushed the bottle in his hands. “But now when I try to write a song, my throat clogs up. It’s bullshit! My voice is completely different to his. I’m nothing like him!”

The flame in Nayuta’s eyes reignited and burned with anger once again. The fire they held blazed with a beautiful furocity that had the power to scorch all in its path. Kenta was enchanted by them. With the anger held in his eyes, Nayuta seemed like Icarus, flying towards the sun. Though he knew he’d crash to the ground, he didn't know how to do anything but aim for the top and continue soaring.

That’s why...Kenta wanted to protect Nayuta. 

So that those wings would never be broken. So that nothing could hold down his wings of blazing flame that even the sun could not stand against.

“There’s certainly some similarities between your voices.”

“What?” Despite all the passion Nayuta had laid out, he bared his fangs at Kenta’s indifferent reply. 

“Of course, there are clear differences. Your low notes are deeper and you're far better at expressing the delicate changes in notes. The music you suit is also completely different,” Kenta rationalised in his usual fashion.

“...What’re you trying to say?”

“Don’t let meaningless matters get in your way—it’s not like you. The only thing you need to be is yourself. In my eyes, your singing is the greatest in the world.”

 Nayuta looked at him with wide eyes. 

“One day, people will say the opposite. Instead, they’ll ask, ‘Is that Asahi Nayuta’s father?’.” 

The view of the street live came to Kenta’s mind. One by one, he had dragged people in with his song.

“Even people that don’t know our music have stopped in their tracks for you. That’s the kind of power your voice holds.”

Kenta had seen it himself. One day, he would sing in front of a huge audience beneath that dome, and everyone would cheer the name Asahi Nayuta.

“I’ll make every person on the earth your fan...or will you lose your confidence and run away?” Kenta challenged with a smile. Nayuta took a deep breath and exhaled as if expelling everything he had been holding in his chest.

“Pretty cheap attempt at stirring me up...but I’m on board.” He said as he rose to his feet and threw his drink into the trash can in one clean shot. With the burning eyes of a king, he looked down at Kenta. “Just you wait. My new song will be the best thing you’ve ever heard.”

Nayuta’s chest swelled with pride as he flashed an arrogant smile that dripped with confidence.

The next day, Nayuta arrived at the studio before anyone else.

“You’re late. We’re beginning immediately!” Nayuta yelled once the other members turned up. Reon was taken aback by the display of his usual tyrannical behaviour, as if the events of the previous day had never happened. His cheeks flushed red with anger.

“You littleー! Where the hell were you yesterday!?” he yelled in outrage. Reon seemed like he might grab Nayuta by the collar so Miyuki rushed to keep the peace.

“Did you catch a cold? We were all worried about you.”

“I wasn’t…!”

“I never asked anyone to worry about me.”

“Geez, why do you have to act like this…?”

“Miyuki’s right, he was bedridden with a cold. Before our last rehearsal, the cold had begun to agitate his throat and the situation with the air conditioning did nothing to help either,”  Kenta took the initiative to explain on Nayuta’s behalf before a meaningless fight could break out.

“...Hmph.” Nayuta turned away, making it clear that there would be no further discussion on the matter. However, that only made Reon angrier. 

“That’s bullshit! You should’ve told us you wouldn’t be coming!”

“Calm down. He had a cold, it couldn't be helped. Just, let us know next time, okay? I was worried that you had collapsed or something,” Miyuki mediated while setting up his drum set. Meanwhile, Kenta fussed over Nayuta.

“Nayuta, I’ve bought more cough drops and made some honey-pickled radishes. I also bought you a scarf for you to wear on your way home. If the weather gets colder, I’ll buy you a muffler too…”

Kenta had brought along a larger bag than usual and Nayuta was shocked by the amount of items he pulled out. 

“...Are you my mum or something?”

“That’s how he’s acting honestly! I mean, aren’t you being even more overprotective than usual, Kenta-san?”

“Geez, you’re like a parent that isn’t ready to let their adult son go.”

Kenta paid no mind to Miyuki and Reon’s criticisms and placed the scarf and throat medicine into Nayuta’s bag. When their break rolled around, he’d ensure that Nayuta ate all the pickled radishes he had made. Although Miyuki and Reon looked at Kenta with a face of astonishment, they eventually gave up and the preparations for rehearsal proceeded as usual. 

“Now that the air conditioning is working again, we’ll be able to get through today without a problem...huh, hyah!?” Miyuki let out a yelp and stared in shock at the cat at his feet. “Huh? A cat?”

“...How’d that get in here?” Nayuta muttered with a scowl. It was the cat that had been following Nayuta around at the park. Kenta shooed the animal away from their instruments.

“Why don’t one of us take it in?” Kenta suggested.

“Just leave him be. He’s happy being a stray.”

However, the cat seemed to disagree and rubbed its head against Ryo’s leg with a meow. Ryo picked it up and stroked its purring neck before turning to Nayuta.

“That reminds me...how’s our new song going?”

Nayuta raised an eyebrow before the edges of his lips tugged up into an arrogant grin. The other members were shocked by the rare smile from Nayuta.

“I’ll show you...we'll have it mastered before our next live.” 

After his declaration, Nayuta began to sing. The song was powerful yet delicate, striking and intense. It was a song that aimed for endless heights, with a sound that seemed to the tale of Gyroaxia’s endless hard work. It was a song that spread its blazing wings and aimed for what lay beyond even the sun. 

After Nayuta had finished singing, Kenta gave him a pat on the shoulder. “Well done.”

“There’s still more to be done before it’s polished.” A look of seriousness set into Nayuta’s face and he raised his voice. “Practice starts now!”

That day, Gyroaxia took a big step forward.

Back

[awakeningking]

Gyroaxia Novel "Awakening King" ENG Translation Directory

Hello! This blog will be the host for my ongoing project of translating the Gyroaxia novel from it's original Japanese form into English. This passion project has been in the works for a while now but I felt that it was about time it saw the light of day. Please take a look at the notes at the bottom of the post before reading, but other than that enjoy!

Translation Directory

Prologue: That Destined Day Chapter One: Gyroaxia Reborn Chapter Two: A Promise Made Upon a Shooting Star Chapter Three: May Those Wings Never Break Chapter Four: Aiming for Endless Heights Epilogue: The Story Goes On

Some notes to keep in mind before reading!

Creative liberties have been taken to make for a more fluid and enjoyable English reading experience.

This is a solo project and with such a large amount of text, mistakes are bound to fly under the radar. Please feel welcome to contact me if you feel there's a correction that should be made.

The novel contains illustrations of certain scenes but they will not be included in this translation. I highly encourage you to purchase the official novel if you're curious about them (and to support the original work too!)

Feel free to use this translation however you like, just refrain from spreading it where it might reach the eyes of official accounts as posting this TL is definitely breaking some rules ;･ω･)

#Gyroaxia #Awakening King #From Argonavis #Gyroaxia translation #Nayuta Asahi #Reon Misono #Ryo Akebono #Kenta Satozuka #Miyuki Sakaigawa #Translation #Argonavis

[awakeningking]

Awakening King | Chapter Two: A Promise Made Upon a Shooting Star

The livehouse shook with cheers of joy. 

The mid-sized livehouse in Susukino had become a familiar sight. The floor was packed to the brim with guests clamouring for Gyroaxia’s encore. Nayuta raised his fist in the air in response to their cries.

“This is the last song…” he announced coldly, the crowd erupting with excitement nonetheless. 

Kenta began the encore song with a guitar solo. Reon’s pick glided over his guitar as Nayuta let his voice loose. Like fire and ice, Kenta and Reon’s guitars intertwined in a show of delicacy and power. Dripping with sweat and strumming his guitar strings, Reon lost himself in the shouts of joy.

The live was ending the way it always did—performing with all the power he had left in him as his heart pounded from strain and fatigue. However, that didn’t stop Reon from moving his fingers as fiercely as ever in pursuit of that ‘greatest sound’. 

He loved this moment. 

Miyuki and Ryo beating out sounds that made his heart race, Kenta playing an impossibly accurate melody, Nayuta singing like an emperor, and with Reon backing them they were flawless.

Today’s audience was one of the most enthusiastic that they had ever seen. Rehearsals alone weren’t enough for him. Joining with the entangled excitement of the stage and crowd, Reon broke out into a powerful adlib. It was an arpeggio demanding of attention.

For a moment, the mingling discord collided with Nayuta’s voice, elevating each other’s sounds like a shower of sparks before exploding. The voltage of the audience reached its peak and Reon continued to play, lost in the great wave of feeling.

As he played the final phrase, the vibrating strum of his pick circulated from his fingers to his elbows in a passionate, electrifying shock. Reon cast his head towards the ceiling as he dwelled in that lingering feeling. It was another incredible live.

Gyroaxia was in perfect form.

“Ahh, I’m on fire–!”

Upon returning to their green room, Reon carelessly dried off his sweat with a towel and downed one of the sports drinks prepared for them. August had arrived and the weather in Sapporo was as hot as anticipated. Having just finished a performance did nothing to help, only inflicting him with a burning body and parched throat. The sports drink had lost its initial chill but still seeped throughout his body nonetheless.

In this state, all Reon wanted was to fall over and sleep but unfortunately, they had packing up to do.

“I’ll get to work after a quick break,” Reon thought to himself as he slumped down in a folding chair, body still coursing with excitement. Likewise, the other members returned to their green room and rested in their own respective ways. Kenta handed Nayuta an opened water bottle.

“Good work out there.”

“Mhm.”

Without thanking him, Nayuta took the bottle from Kenta and downed its contents. It irritated Reon how Nayuta seemed to take Kenta’s help for granted. He had always held the belief that Kenta spoiled Nayuta far too much. Even if Nayuta was a vocalist unlike any other, he should still treat his bandmates equally, but that sentiment would only fall on deaf ears if he brought it up to Kenta.

Nayuta angrily threw the plastic bottle into the trash and shot a pointed glare at Reon. 

“Don’t tell me he’s going to complain again,” Reon thought to himself and prepared for the incoming criticism.

“W-What is it? Have you got a problem with how I performed?”

“...Play like that again next time. I won’t tolerate it if you slack off.”

“...!”

Coming from Nayuta, that was practically the world’s greatest compliment. Reon felt like he might even break into a smile but instead he averted his gaze, refusing to let a few words from Nayuta put him in such high spirits.

“O-Of course! And you can just give me a proper compliment, y’know! Just you watch, you’ll be blown away by how incredible I’ll play next time!” 

“Hmph, go ahead then.”

“I will!”

Despite his antagonistic tone, Reon couldn’t help the way his heart swelled. Nayuta was an asshole, a tyrant, and he had a lot of infuriating qualities but even so, that didn’t change the fact that to Reon, he was the most incredible guy there was. Nayuta was someone he never wanted to lose to.

During every practice session, Nayuta would cut him down endlessly with his remarks, often leading to a fist fight threatening to break out due to their differences as musicians. He knew that Nayuta couldn’t care less about him and that they only had a one-sided rivalry, but that was exactly why small approvals like the one from earlier gave him a delightful sense that his hard work had paid off. Out of bitterness, he would never outright admit that and he didn’t plan on putting a smile on his face either.

“Just you watch. Next time I’ll play so flawlessly that you’ll be the bitter one!”

Reon clenched his fists as his fighting spirit flared up. Someday, he’d win against Nayuta and cast himself into his gaze. When he thought about the reaction at today’s live, it didn’t seem like such a far away goal. 

Right now, both Gyroaxia and Reon were taking everything in their stride.

Consequently, Reon wasn’t all too surprised by the news Kenta shared.

“So the time has finally come, huh?” he thought to himself.

“You wanted to meet with us?”

After their practice session came to a close, Kenta had announced that there was something he wanted to discuss and called the members to a café. Kenta took a seat on a sofa deep into the café that would offer them some privacy and broke the solemn atmosphere.

“We’ve received an offer from a record agency.”

Kenta explained everything in an indifferent manner, never losing his usual calm demeanour. The agency in question was a well-known and influential name. If taken up on their offer to join them, they planned to take care of Gyroaxia until their debut and even wanted to be responsible for producing them after the fact.

“I think it would be beneficial to at least meet with them. It doesn’t seem like a bad offer to me” 

“No, no, no, that’s an understatement. This is incredible!” Reon unthinkingly retorted in response to Kenta’s overly calm behaviour. Even if he wasn’t surprised, he was still excited.

Gyroaxia was fairly popular in Sapporo and Reon was confident that their strength was greater than even that of the bigshot bands that appeared on TV. However, in terms of nationwide fame, they were practically unknown. Undoubtedly, an offer from a major record label was an opportunity they should jump at.

“...What do you think, Nayuta?”

Disappointed that Kenta ignored his comment, Reon instead turned his attention to Nayuta and grabbed him by the shoulders.

“There’s no reason to refuse, right? We should go for it,” he tried to persuade.

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Nayuta said in a cold voice, pushing off Reon’s hands. Like a bird of prey, Nayuta looked towards Kenta. “Satozuka, when and where?”

“They’re leaving that for us to decide. How about two o’clock on Saturday at that café in front of Sapporo Station…do you have any issues with that?”

“No. I’ll let you figure out the details.”

“Understood.”

Reon hit the table, unable to stand the show of mutual understanding between the two. 

“If you’re not turning it down then what was with your attitude before!? You too, Kenta-san. Instead of only listening to Nayuta’s opinion, you should hear out Miyuki-san and Ryo-san too!”

The blatant neglect of the other members made the blood rush to Reon’s face. It irritated him that Kenta seemed to believe that Nayuta’s opinion was the only one that mattered when it concerned an issue as important as their debut. Miyuki attempted to calm down Reon who had squared his shoulders in anger. 

“Well, I for one had no complaints from the beginning. It can’t hurt to let those guys explain their offer, right? But y’know, I would've appreciated it if you listened to Reon-kun and I’s opinions too.”

Even if Miyuki was attempting to keep the peace, he didn’t forget to throw in a dig at Kenta. Kenta lightly shrugged his shoulders, behaving as if he hadn’t been paying attention. 

“...If Kenken is okay with it then I am too,” Ryo said while pecking away at a cream soda ice cream. “It’s the guidance of a new star…”

Ryo, leisurely eating away at his ice cream, stunned Reon and made him back down. As much as Kenta’s lack of understanding annoyed him, getting any angrier was pointless. He didn’t want to cause any trouble for Miyuki either. Reon pulled himself together and took a sip of his cola.

“I’ll keep my schedule open then. Let me know if any more news comes in.” 

“Of course. Nayuta, you’ll come to greet them at the meeting.”

“Fine.”

“Damn it, they’re such a pain!”

Reon threw an empty can into the bin next to a vending machine in a fit of anger. It fell into the bin with a crash, breaking the quiet, night-time serenity of Odori Park. 

After parting ways with Nayuta and Kenta, he opted to take a detour in hopes of calming down but his anger hadn’t simmered out in the slightest. If anything, his rage only grew worse with every second that ticked by.

Accompanying him on his detour with a coffee cup held in one hand, Miyuki let out a strained laugh. Next to him, Ryo drank a cold red bean soup. Rather than tagging along, it was more so that he had just walked in the same direction as the other two, going with the flow as usual. 

“You don’t have to be so upset.”

“You’re not angry, Miyuki-san?”

“I mean, I am pretty ticked off, but…”

“But…?”

“Nayuta is aiming to go pro. He has no reason to refuse an offer as good as that. Kenta is aware of that but he still brought it up regardless. Rather than making the situation worse, we should just try and be happy about it.”

“...Wow, you’re pretty mature.”

Miyuki laughed as he lightly kicked the bin.

“Well, more mature than you and Nayuta. Anyway, aren’t you happy?”

“Yeah! Obviously I’m happy!”

This was a record company with numerous big name artists and bands under their label that they were talking about. If they could debut with this company, it would be as good as having a fastpass to stardom. Annoyed by Kenta and Nayuta’s attitude, he never had the chance to properly express his joy but after hearing what Miyuki had to say, he felt the happiness begin to well up little by little.

“Gyroaxia is finally gaining recognition.”

“It feels like this all happened so quickly.”

“Everything has been going smoothly ever since Miyuki-san joined. Before then, our members would leave just as quickly as they arrived.”

Reon was grateful to Miyuki. In part it was thanks to him joining the band that they now had the chance to debut. It was a relief that he no longer had to watch Nayuta complain about not having enough members despite being the very one who kicked them out.

“It can’t be helped. People that fail to meet the standard would struggle way too much in Gyro,” Ryo said indifferently, tapping the bottom of his soup tin to get the last of the red beans out.

“I know, but…”

“The stars have come out. Even from the ground I could spot them…we’re moving forward.”

Reon’s eyes widened as the words left Ryo’s mouth.

“Ryo-san…are you saying you’re happy about this?”

“Yes…with this, I can feel the day I return to the stars getting closer.”

As usual, he struggled to understand him but Ryo’s firm nod of agreement made Reon feel a rare moment of affinity with him.

“Geez, if that’s the case, it’d be nice if you made it easier to understand. With Nayuta and Ryo-san, we’ve got way too many weird members!”

“C’mon, I was being straight up about my joy, wasn’t I?”

“That’s because you’re normal, Miyuki-san!”

Reon smiled as they joked around. Would he have the chance to perform in front of a huge crowd someday? It was an exciting thought.

His irritation with Kenta and Nayuta hadn’t disappeared but he decided to ignore it for the time being and threw his arms over Miyuki and Ryo’s shoulders. Miyuki was right. He should be honest about his happiness.

“Anyway, let’s go out for some pre-celebration food before we head home! I seriously doubt Nayuta or Kenta-san would’ve been in the mood for that!”

“Oh, that sounds good. What do guys feel like eating? Genghis Khan? What are you craving, Ryo-chin?” Miyuki asked, smiling at Ryo. 

After forming a friendship during their time in Gyroaxia, Miyuki had begun to call Ryo by a nickname. Seeing how close the two had become, a smile found its way onto Reon’s face too.

“Reon, you’re heavy…” Ryo frowned a little but made no move to shake off Reon’s arm. The three of them continued on like that, making light-hearted conversation as they made their way to Tanukikoji Arcade. 

The stars shone beautifully in the deep blue summer night sky, as if offering glimpses into Gyroaxia’s future.

He was a suspicious man.

That was the initial impression he received from the man who introduced himself as a producer from a major record label.

The coffeehouse in front of Sapporo Station that the other party had agreed on was a relaxed and luxurious place, perfect for having meetings and face to face discussions. The sofa Reon sat on was wildly more comfortable than the seats at the family restaurants and cafés that he was more familiar with. It made him a little nervous. He cast a fleeting glance at Nayuta, catching sight of his usual unwavering arrogant demeanour. Feeling a little defeated, he straightened out his posture with a sense of rivalry.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Gyroaxia’s leader, Satozuka Kenta. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to meet with us,” Kenta greeted him in a natural manner, showing no signs of nerves. It was encouraging for Reon to see that even someone from a huge record label wasn’t enough to make Kenta cower away. If his rivalry was instead with Kenta, he’d honestly be able to respect him due to his maturity. 

Prompted by Kenta, the other members took their turns introducing themselves. With the face of a fox, the producer listened to each of them with a bewitching grin on his face and narrowed eyes. 

“Ah, how incredible! It’s fantastic to see that your wonderful looks remain even off the stage!”

Though he wore an expensive looking suit, he gave off a rather facetious attitude, possibly because of his skinny necktie and lapels. Both his voice and his expressions highlighted his glibness.

“I’m not sure about this…” Reon thought to himself. 

Despite his internal doubts, the business card that laid on the table before him undoubtedly belonged to that of a major record label. If this truly was a fraud, Kenta would never have brought it up with Nayuta in the first place. Despite their past problem with switching out band members, they had never run into any issues with external forces. Kenta had creditable capabilities when it came to areas such as that.

“Wild, cool, rogue…you guys have such an impressive range!”

“Thank you…now then, could we proceed with what we discussed over the phone?” Kenta politely interrupted the producer, who had only sung his praises for their looks rather than their music. 

“Oh, yes yes, of course. To put it simply, I can tell that you guys are going to be an absolute hit so I want to take you under our wing before anyone else swoops in to steal you. There’s that Desfes coming up soon, right? Announcing your CD debut there would be awesome, huh?” 

“Wait, you’re saying we get to perform at Desfes!?” Reon exclaimed, unconsciously leaning his body forward.

“Reon, settle down,” Kenta chided.

“S-Sorry…I can’t help it when Desfes is mentioned.”

Desfes was a music festival that any and all band members looked at with starry eyes. Whether they be indie or backed by a label, talented bands from all over Japan come to participate. To hear that they could make their major debut there was like a dream turned reality.

“Ahaha, I know how you feel! I really do!” the producer said in support of Reon’s unabashed excitement, “It’s something all rookie bands chase after! It was a dream of mine when I was younger too. Though nowadays, I’m on the producing side of things.”

The producer went on to share his past as a guitar player and brought attention to the faded scar on his finger from where a string had cut his skin. After realising that he might be a better guy than he expected, Reon began to feel guilt for his initial suspicions.

“As our trainees, we’ll arrange a rehearsal studio for you and even pay you a small fee for your performances. We’d also like for you to relocate to Tokyo so naturally, housing will be provided too.”

The producer spread documents out before them as if performing a magic trick as he further described the specifics of their schedule and pay. Reon didn’t understand market pricing but judging from the look on Kenta’s face, it was a good deal.

“I see. You’ve brought us quite the tempting offer. We also share the sentiment that Nayuta has outgrown Sapporo so if you can promise us a large enough stage, I’ll gladly accept.”

The producer met Kenta’s equally suspect smile with a cheerful nod of agreement.

“Wonderful. In that case, I’ll send over a formal contract…Oh, but before that—”

“Yes?”

The producer retrieved a photograph from his bag. The picture in question featured a live performance by a former rock band who were hailed as legends.

The moment Nayuta laid eyes on the photo, a harsh crease formed between his brows.

“What do they have to do with this?”

The sound of his restrained yet evidently angered voice made Reon break out into a sweat. 

“Hey, hey, quit it. I don’t know what you’re mad about but please just behave for one day!” 

Perhaps in an answer to Reon’s prayers, Nayuta refrained from breaking out into a series of angry yells, instead only moving his finger in an irritated manner. The producer paid no mind to Nayuta’s displeasure and laid out several of the legendary band’s CDs on the table.

“You know them, yes?”

“Of course. They’re a band that were celebrated like legends…but how does this relate to our debut?” Kenta answered in place of Nayuta. He bore a puzzled expression, as if even he couldn’t read the producer’s intentions.

“It’s simple, really. I want you to be the successors to their legend.”

“!?”

“What do you mean by that?”

The producer’s eyes narrowed even further, until they resembled mere pieces of thread. 

“Countless producers have tried to catch lighting in a bottle twice, but recreating them is an impossible task. However, the moment I heard Nayuta-kun’s singing I thought, ‘With his looks and voice, it could be possible!’.”

The depths of those narrowed eyes gleamed hideously.

Reon was at a loss for words. 

“It sounds like…they’re asking us—Gyroaxia—to copy a legendary band.”

“We want your songs post-debut to use them as a reference. The same goes for your performances too. Oh, and feel free to rely on us if that’s something that you guys aren’t able to manage. We have some staff that used to work with them, you see. If you don’t mind, we’d also like you to try covering a few of their songs at your debut live—”

“Shut up. I don’t want to hear another word.”

The producer was forced to stop his eloquent monologue as Nayuta stood from his seat with a face burning red with anger.

“Hey, wait, Nayuta—” Reon was moments too late from holding him back. With only the sound of dull thuds against the floor, Nayuta approached the producer and faced him with a look that seemed like it was trying to tear him to pieces.

“Ah…….”

“If you don’t like my music, then we’re done here,” Nayuta spat out in a voice that seemed to echo with the depths of hell before turning his back on the producer and making his way out of the coffee shop.

“Hey, Nayuta, hang on a sec! Hey!”

As Reon stood up to run after him, Kenta stopped him with a hand on his shoulder and silently shook his head.

“But Kenta-san! No matter how you look at it, this is—”

“I know. Forget this ever happened.” Kenta continued to smile as he turned his back on the producer and followed after Nayuta. 

—It went without saying that the contract had been called off.

“So now what!?” Reon lashed out at Nayuta the moment he entered the studio. Though Reon had been irritated by the producer’s idea, he’d also grown fed up with Nayuta’s way of running things.

“I’m not going to sing anyone else’s songs but my own.” 

Shaking Reon’s hand off, Nayuta shut down any further conversation and turned his attention to his music sheets.

“If you have the time to think about stupid garbage then you have time to practise. All it takes is a single day off to become second-rate.”

“Stupid garbage…?” The blood rushed to his head. “Quit your bullshit!!!”

Reon snatched the music sheets from Nayuta’s hands and was met with the glower of a frenzied bird of prey. But that wasn't enough to make Reon back down anymore.

“Is throwing our debut in the trash stupid to you!?” 

“It is stupid, so that’s what I called it.”

“Don’t say that!”

“Hey, Reon! Chill out a little!”

Miyuki grabbed the fists that Reon had raised and pinned them behind his back.

“Let go of me, Miyuki-san!!”

“I know how you feel but you can’t hit him! Your fingers are important” 

“Agh…” Reon bit his lip and lowered his fists, though his emotions continued to rage on as he scowled at Nayuta.

“It also pissed me off when they told us to copy that legendary band! But we didn’t have any other options!” 

The offer was one too enticing to throw away in a fit of anger.

Working under a major record label. A spot at Desfes. A major CD debut. They would all be necessary components if Gyroaxia had any hopes of reaching the top. He had faith that Nayuta knew that too.

“There’s no point if I can’t perform my own music.”

“Huh…? Can’t you make any compromises at all!? It’s always, ‘My music, my music,’ with you…who do you think you are!?”

“If you have anything else to say on this, then get out right now. You’re only getting in the way,” came Nayuta’s curt response.

But nothing was going to make Reon give up and back down this time.

“They wouldn’t let just anyone cover that band’s songs. That must mean that they approved of you, Nayuta. I mean, your voice is definitely suited for it. Why don’t you try singing one, just once…agh!?” 

Suddenly, it became hard to breathe.

It was then that he realised that Nayuta had grabbed him by the collar and was face to face with an expression ignited in fury. No, fury was too simple of a word for what this was. 

The eyes stabbing into Reon were ones bleeding with hatred.

“Who knew you had such shit taste?”

“Uhg…ah…”

Reon was violently pushed in the direction of the door, with his bag thrown at him for good measure.

“What’re you doing!?”

“Get out right this second. You’re not needed. Don’t ever come back.”

Nayuta’s words sent chills down Reon’s spine. His bad moods were an awfully familiar sight, but that cold and calculated voice was one he hadn’t heard since they left Yuto.

He had walked right onto a landmine, huh?

Miyuki—once again playing the peacemaker—tried to intervene. “Oi, Nayuta. You don’t have to go that f—”

“If he won’t leave, then I will.”

As Miyuki watched Nayuta begin to gather up his music sheets, any further objections died on his tongue upon realising just how serious he was. Ryo quietly walked up to Reon and handed him his guitar.

“You should head home for today.” 

Searching for a saviour, Reon turned to Kenta who only looked away in silence. He wasn’t going to help him. With his guitar clutched in his hands, Reon bit down on his lip and hung his head, just as Yuto had that day. 

“Fine then.” 

Turning his back on his band mates, Reon opened the door and left the studio behind. 

Nobody followed.

After his eviction, Reon idly strolled down Tanukikouji Arcade. If this were any other day, Miyuki and Ryo would be by his side. Today, there wasn’t a trace of Miyuki’s seemingly lighthearted yet gentle and soft voice, nor Ryo’s relaxed murmurs. The bustle of the shopping arcade was all that roared in his ears. 

Quitting had crossed his mind many times before. He imagined that there were plenty of better bands out there—ones where he wouldn’t have to put up with Nayuta’s tyranny, but those thoughts were always quickly thrown aside whenever he listened in entrancement to Nayuta’s singing. This was the first time Nayuta had told him something as extreme as to never come back.

“Is this where it ends…?”

Suddenly, his mind was flooded with memories of their recent live show. Nayuta, always one to find something to complain about, hadn’t said anything that day. He’d acknowledged him for the first time, telling him to play ‘like that’ again. 

That moment.

That moment—when Nayuta’s voice, the other member’s music, the audience’s excitement, all created a perfect harmony with their performance. 

That moment—when all the blood in his body felt like it had reached boiling point.

He’d never feel that again.

The realisation made him freeze. He considered momentarily racing back to the studio and apologising profusely to Nayuta. After all, to Reon, there was nothing that could replace Nayuta’s singing. The only thing that could fire Reon up in such a way was Nayuta’s sound. The only thing that could make him crave victory so dearly was Nayuta’s sound.

That’s why no matter how many times he was insulted, no matter how ridiculously hard he had to work, no matter how much practice he was appointed, he had always stuck by Gyroaxia. 

All so that someday, he could beat Nayuta. 

But that’s an impossible feat. He couldn’t imagine that Nayuta would listen to him while in such an infuriated state. Going back now would only add fuel to the fire.

“...I can at least get some practice in.”

He couldn’t return to the studio but as Nayuta said, even skipping a single day is enough to become second-rate. More than anything, he couldn’t shake the need to touch his guitar.

A karaoke club caught his attention and he wandered in. Initially, he tried out different songs but with his guitar in hand, he couldn’t help but begin to play Gyroaxia’s own music. Be it songs from their recent live, or ones they were saving for their next stage, with the karaoke room as his rehearsal space, he played again, again and again. Even if he was told to never return, the only songs that Reon’s fingers chose were Nayuta’s and Nayuta’s alone. 

Inside his vacant heart, all that shook was Nayuta’s music.

“It’s gotten late…”

The sky had turned dark by the time Reon left the karaoke club. A blanket of stars twinkled above him. The night sky was a sight usually shared by the company of Miyuki and Ryo but today, he was alone.

“I wonder if they’re still practising?”  he thought to himself with an accidental glance in the studio’s direction. He shook his head, flushing away what remained of Nayuta’s songs from his ears.

No. He couldn’t go back yet. 

Reon made his way to Sapporo Station and caught the bus. He got off at his usual stop but wasn’t quite ready to go straight home, so he shoved his hands into his pockets and started leisurely down a detour. 

“...I’m kinda hungry,” he thought, though he wasn’t in the mood to stop for a bite on his way home either. Reon decided to make do and popped into a nearby Seicomart. He picked out a few onigiri, not giving too much regard to the flavours he chose.

“I should get something to drink too…” he thought, looking over the shelves before his eyes landed on a bottle of Napolin.

Napolin—Ribbon Napolin, to be specific—is a Hokkaido-exclusive soda in a vivid orange colour with a sweet and refreshing flavour. While not an absolute favourite of his, he did get a craving for it on occasion. Filled with a curious sense of nostalgia, Reon reached for the Napolin.

This was Yuto’s favourite. 

Reon recalled him drinking it whenever he saw him. When asked if he ever grew tired of it, he responded with, “How could I get tired of something I love?” His mouth twitched into a bitter smile at the thought of that typical Yuto.

Yuto shared the same sentiment with his guitar. He loved it, so he never grew tired of it. With an unfading air of enjoyment, he’d play endlessly without ever growing bored. He’d never had a lack of skill, he just didn’t mesh well with Nayuta. With the way things were, it would’ve been a burden on Yuto if he had carried on working with Nayuta.

But…what about Reon?

That day, he’d left Yuto behind and followed Nayuta, even though he could have chosen to stay by his side. If he’d remained with Yuto, he’d probably have more ‘fun’ playing music instead.

He’d never be yelled at. He’d never angrily grind his teeth at the frustration of being unable to compete with Nayuta. He’d never have his opinions disregarded. In a band led by Yuto, he could have continued down a peaceful path.

Yet in spite of all that, he chose Nayuta. With Yuto, he knew he wouldn’t be able to achieve the music he was searching for. At his core, he was the same as Nayuta. In order to create the world’s greatest music, he was willing to sacrifice anything. It was for that reason that on that day, he had betrayed Yuto’s expectations and chased after Nayuta.

But…

“Was that really the right choice…?”

He didn't know. He really didn’t.

What had he gained by hurting and abandoning his friend?

Now that Nayuta had told Reon to never return, he had nothing left. That moment he thought he had clutched onto—when Nayuta’s, and everyone else's sounds crashed together during their encore—slipped away.

Reon gazed up at the sky as if to make a wish. However, with the smothering dark clouds above him, there wasn’t a single star to send his prayers to.

The next day—

Reon woke up early that morning—reasoning that he should at least try and talk to Nayuta—and waited in front of the studio. With his earphones in and hands shoved into his pockets, the man in question walked by.

“Nayuta!” Reon called out, but he ignored him and neared the studio as if he hadn’t heard him at all. “Wait! Could you just listen to me!?”

“Don’t touch me!” The hand that grabbed his shoulder was instantly shaken off. “I thought I told you not to come back.”

Nayuta hurried off into the studio, looking irritated that he even had to spare him a glance.

Reon went to follow him but halted upon hearing Kenta say, “Stop, Reon.”

“Kenta-san…” He turned around and looked at the man standing before him. 

“Save it for another day. Nayuta is in a rather…awful mood this morning.”

“But…I…”

“If you want to talk, you can come to me later….I’ll let you know when practice is over and meet you at the usual café. Does that work?”

“...Yes.”

Reon took a step back and Kenta nodded in satisfaction.

“Good boy.” 

“Please don’t treat me like a child,” Reon complained with an annoyed scowl, earning a wry smile from Kenta.

“Sorry, sorry. I’ll see you later then.”

“...Yeah.”

As Reon turned to leave the building, he shouted at Kenta’s back as his hand laid on the door to the studio.

“I don’t plan on quitting Gyroaxia!”

“I know,” came Kenta’s flat reply as the door closed behind him. 

He had no idea how his conversation with Kenta would play out. If Nayuta was truly furious with him, then his chances of returning to Gyroaxia were pretty slim. 

But still, he had to do whatever he could.

Unable to aimlessly wait around, Reon headed over to the same karaoke club from yesterday to kill some time.

A few hours later—

After receiving a message from Kenta, Reon made his way to the agreed upon café. He found Kenta already seated far back in the café at a table that had practically become reserved for Gyroaxia at that point. To his surprise, Ryo was there too.

“Wait, why’s Ryo-san here?”

“I just wanted to see.”

Maybe that was his way of admitting he was worried. Ryo was rarely one to show different expressions so it was hard to read what his true feelings were. He felt awkward whenever it was just him and Kenta, so if anything, he was grateful that Ryo had joined them. He took a seat across from Kenta after he gestured for him to sit down and ordered a café au lait.

“Like I said earlier, I’m not going to quit Gyroaxia,” Reon broke the ice and got straight to the point once the waiter had brought him his drink. Kenta took a sip of his hot coffee and nodded.

“You know, you’re a good guitarist, Reon. It would be difficult to find a replacement if you were to quit. Unfortunately, it seems like you really hit a nerve with Nayuta this time, so I’m afraid that there’s not much that I can do.”

“Not even apologising could help?”

Ryo, who had been eating an ice cream float, leaving only the cherry on top, raised his head.

“Telling Nayuta you’re sorry is pointless.” Ryo swallowed the ice cream with a gulp. “An apology won’t erase what you said to him.”

“...”

“And Nayuta doesn’t like pointless things.”

Reon had no rebuttal to the unabashed truth that Ryo had laid out.

“Besides, you don’t think you did anything wrong either, do you? Why would you apologise?”

“I…”

“I have no idea why you went so crazy…but even if it would’ve made Nayuta mad, you were still going to say what you wanted to, right?”

Reon was taken aback by how casually he spoke.

“You don’t know why I was acting like that…? Ryo-san, are you saying you don’t want to debut?”

“I do want to.”

“Then why are you saying this!?”

“Because we aren’t a planetarium.”

“...Huh?”

Kenta laughed in amusement and cut into their conversation.

“What he’s trying to say is that we don’t need to trouble ourselves with becoming mere imitations.”

“...”

Ryo stared at Reon with unreadable eyes.

“Don’t you believe in yourself, Reon? Don’t you think you can debut with a sound of your own?”

The attempt to provoke him made Reon’s anger flare up.

“Of course I believe in myself! I’m not going to lose to anyone! Not even Nayuta!”

“Then you don’t need to debut as an imitation of anyone else. There, now you and Nayuta are on the same page. No apologies necessary.”

“Ah…”

He felt like he had walked right into the bait Ryo had laid out. Even if he didn’t intend to, Ryo had a troubling habit of sharing all of his unfiltered thoughts. He wasn’t very pleased with Kenta’s nonchalant and stifled laughter either. It seemed he had played right into their hands. With what little defiance he could muster, he shot an unwavering glare at Kenta.

“But if I don’t need to apologise, what else am I supposed to do? It doesn’t seem like Nayuta wants to listen to me.”

“Then use music to make him listen,” Kenta boldly retorted. 

“What?”

“If you have a ‘gift’ that Nayuta doesn’t want to let go of, then even he may be willing to offer forgiveness.”

“A gift…? Like what?”

“Perhaps something like a new melody or an arrangement that Nayuta would find agreeable?”

“You say that as if it’s easy…”

If he could do that, he wouldn’t be in this mess. Since the day they met, Nayuta had rejected Reon’s ideas, so much so that you’d think knocking him down was a hobby of his. Kenta smiled malevolently at the unease on Reon’s face.

“You’re capable, aren’t you? It’d be a problem if you were to remain Gyroaxia’s guitarist without being able to achieve something like that….or, are you going to run away instead?”

“I’ll never run away!” 

Even if he knew he was being toyed with, he couldn't help but yell. He would never run away. He couldn’t let it end with Nayuta making a fool of him. Between the two of them, Reon would be the one to come out on top.

“Just you watch. I’ll be sure to bring Nayuta a gift that’ll have him bowing down and begging me to come back!”

At that moment, Reon’s battle began.

From morning until night, he devoted himself to intense practice. Presenting Nayuta with a superficial idea wouldn’t be enough to win his approval. What he needed to back him up was nothing but undeniable skill and the ‘something new’ that Kenta spoke of. A sound that he had grown bored of wouldn’t even reach Nayuta’s ears.

“Damn it, they seriously made this sound easy…”

No matter what he tried, everything came out feeling like a rehash of Nayuta’s songs. After all, every piece of Gyroaxia’s music was done by Nayuta’s hand. They were Nayuta’s one-man band.

Reon took on the part of the rhythm guitar. Along with the bass and the drums, his role fell under the rhythm section. Unlike the lead guitar that played in the melody section, the rhythm guitar focused on supporting and harmonising.

Gyroaxia’s lead guitarist was Kenta. He took the songs that Nayuta created and used his flawless skills to put on an impeccable performance. At times, Reon found his unwavering loyalty to Nayuta to be dreary…but as long as Nayuta had a fixation on his ‘own sound’, Kenta’s views would not budge. When discussing their initial formation, there had been talk of Reon taking on the part of lead guitarist but the idea had been promptly cast aside at Nayuta’s opposition. 

“If you want to play your own way, then go somewhere else,” Nayuta had said with an unforgettable icy glare. 

Regardless, he loved the role of rhythm guitarist. With a change in the backing, he could drastically alter the feeling of a song. Depending on the arrangement, the performance could come out better or even worse. It may not stand out as much as an attention-grabbing guitar solo, but it was a role where skill was a must. Unlike the drums and bass that were tirelessly swapped out, Reon had pridefully protected his place as the rhythm guitarist since the very beginning.

“I’m not gonna lose this time…I’ll make sure Nayuta is sorry!”

He’d never talk badly about Reon’s eye for music again.

With that mindset, he went through the entirety of Gyroaxia’s discography and began a process of trial and error. It was an agonisingly enjoyable experience.

As the days went by, Reon’s restlessness only grew stronger. Although he had come up with a few ideas, he wasn’t confident that they’d be enough to please Nayuta.

“If I could just improve my skill level…” he thought, yet it would be impossible for him to master a technique perfect enough to make Nayuta yield to him in just a few days. 

Ultimately, all he could do was continue to practise. The more he played Nayuta’s songs, the more it was hammered into him just how flawless the songs that he created were.

“Am I even capable of making a sound that’ll shock Nayuta?” 

Questions he shouldn’t be worrying about drifted in and out of his mind, tormenting him. His chest burned with a searing pain when he thought about how Nayuta had probably recruited a new guitarist whilst Reon was here subjecting himself to this.

Though Kenta had been the one to suggest this to him, he knew that he’d ultimately comply with whatever decision Nayuta reached. In Kenta’s eyes, both he and Yuto were disposable chess pieces. He’d known that from the beginning. 

Today marked the first day of the new school term, but Reon had chosen to skip in favour of staying in his room and devoting himself to playing the guitar. His guitar was more important than any boring speech from his principal. Besides, his attendance was already good enough. 

The nauseating thought that he may not make it in time made his fingers fumble.

“Ah!” 

The string had snapped.

His fingers were spared from any injuries, yet they throbbed with heat. 

Reon collapsed onto his bed with a thud. It felt like his feelings had snapped with that string too.

“Shit, this isn’t working…”

He had to move. He knew he had to, yet everything he did felt useless.

Nayuta’s cold eyes full of hatred haunted him. He was never going to get his approval again, was he? He thought that he’d won his favour during that encore. He thought that he had been praised. Even if he couldn’t claim it as a victory, he had thought he’d reached him just a little.

But…he feared that even that had been just a figment of his imagination. He’d been the only one to interpret it that way, and to Nayuta he was nothing worth paying any mind to. Even the other members of the band hadn’t said anything.

He’d believed that no one but himself could be Gyroaxia’s guitarist but neither Kenta, Ryo or Miyuki made any attempt to hold onto him. With just a slip of his tongue, he had been discarded.

Had that been the extent of his worth as a guitarist? Was he…even needed in Gyroaxia?

“...Why am I acting like such a wimp?” He sighed.

Wallowing in his self-deprecation, Reon buried his face in his pillow.

The doorbell rang out with a chime. 

“Who could that be?”

Maybe Kenta had come by to give him his final words of goodbye? With that horrific expectation in mind, Reon opened the door.

“How have you been?”

“Ryo-san…”

Carrying a Seicomart-branded bag in one hand, Ryo stood before him.

“We tried out a new guitarist.”

Ryo helped himself to a seat on Reon’s bed and broke the news.

Reon’s heart froze instantly. 

“...O-Oh.”

“Nayuta immediately kicked him out though.”

“...He did?”

His condolences to the new guitarist but oh was he relieved. The spot was still open.

“You came all the way here just to tell me that?”

“No. I brought food too,” Ryo said as he took out an egg sandwich and took a bite. He reached into the bag again, pulling out a ham sandwich and calmly holding it out to Reon.

“Eat.”

“Oh…okay, thank you.”

He really wasn’t sure how to deal with this guy. Reon knew he wasn't a bad person but his peculiarity was something he couldn’t grow accustomed to no matter how hard he tried.

The duo chewed away at their sandwiches for a while. The saltiness of the ham seeped into his exhausted body. He hadn’t realised how hungry he had become until he started eating. As soon as he got some food in his body, his negative thoughts from earlier gradually simmered away. 

“You hadn’t come by, so I was wondering what you were up to.”

“...If I could pull this off that easily, I wouldn’t even be in this mess.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’ve come up with a bunch of ideas but something always feels off about them…”

“Hmm.” 

After finishing his sandwich, Ryo opened a bottle of Napolin. Reon picked up the music sheets—the evidence of his trial and error—and looked them over.

“You and Miyuki-kun are similar, y’know?”

“We are?”

“Yes. It’s like…you're both always running frantically down the longer path.”

“...”

Reon’s chest tightened at Ryo’s bluntness. He held his knees like he was sulking.

“It’s not like I have any other option. If I don’t put in everything I have, I can’t beat him. Or rather, if I have to fight that hard, do I even have a chance at beating him to begin with…?”

For someone like him, reaching a genius like Nayuta felt impossible.

“One time…you called him a first magnitude star, Ryo-san.”

“I did…”

“I’m not like that. I can’t shine like he does,” his complaint quietly slipped out.

It was no use. He couldn’t dispel the voice that Nayuta had seared into the depths of his ears and heart. The image of those eyes that had looked at him with such absolute rejection had been etched into his mind.

He could try as many times as he wanted, but it wouldn’t make getting through to Nayuta feel anymore feasible.

…Beating him felt unthinkable.

“Are you giving up then?”

“I…” 

He wanted to say no but his voice wouldn’t come out, as if his throat had been sealed shut. In his current state, he didn’t know whether that was something he could truthfully say.

Reon hung his head and bit his lip. His nose burned. 

“...Let’s go.”

Ryo suddenly rose to his feet.

“Huh?”

“There’s something I want to show you…let’s go.”

“Huh? Wait, Ryo-san!?”

Ryo left the room, leaving Reon befuddled. As confused as he was, he couldn’t pass up seeing what Ryo wanted to show him. He hurried to grab his bag and followed after Ryo.

Ryo took him to the rooftop of a building. It stood between Sapporo Station and Odori Park, offering an unbroken view of the city below them. Although it was the middle of summer, the sun had long since set to make way for the frigid night winds.

“Geez, this is high! Wait, are we even allowed up here? Don’t tell me we’re trespassing…”

“Don’t worry, I know the owner.”

“You do!?”

Despite his surprise, it didn’t feel so ridiculous to imagine that Ryo knew all kinds of people. He was a self-proclaimed alien, after all.

Reon looked up at Ryo with a puzzled look.

“So what did you want to show me?”

Ryo walked up to the railing at the edge of the rooftop and gazed down at the nightscape.

“Doesn't it look like outer space from up here?”

“Huh?”

“I come here when I miss my hometown.”

“Uh…I’m not sure I follow?”

Accompanied by the unwelcomed cold, Reon glared at Ryo with a hint of irritation. Seemingly unbothered, he beckoned Reon over and with a small sigh, he joined Ryo at his side.

Then—

The view of the illuminated city and the twinkling sky was enough to take his breath away.

“Woah…”

“Amazing, isn’t it?”

Like Ryo said, the countless glimmers of light contrasted with the darkness truly did feel like looking at outer space. He couldn’t tell where the city ended and the sky began. It was enough to give him the illusion that he was floating amongst the stars.

“Nayuta’s songs…Gyroaxia’s music…they can reach the galaxy.”

“That’s a pretty big aspiration.”

“It’ll be bad for me if they don’t. I won’t be able to go home.”

“...Is that so?”

Reon had no idea what point he was trying to make. Ryo’s words were too abstract for him to understand.

“Nayuta is big enough to do it.”

“Are you saying I’m small then!? Wait, have you been making fun of me this whole time!?”

At his wit’s end, his shouts of anger came out without restraint. Honestly speaking, he’d rather go home and practice than be doing this. Without even knowing what laid ahead, he wanted to keep his fingers moving. Ryo smiled softly as the mask on Reon’s frustration slipped away.

“That live the other day was amazing, wasn’t it?”

“Huh…?”

“That encore song… it shone just like the sight in front of us.”

Reon’s mind became flooded with memories at just the mention of the performance. His body burned with a sudden heat, as if it were about to erupt into flames. That day, he had undeniably grabbed hold onto ‘something’. 

That moment when he collided with Nayuta’s voice in a crescendo of sound. The gratification, the excitement, the bliss. A moment where, for just a moment, Reon was sure he had reached Nayuta. 

He hadn’t been the only one to feel that way after all…?

“On the detour that you and Miyuki-kun take, I’m sure you see things that I don’t. Maybe that’s why your star has always shone with a different colour. It’s fascinating. No matter how long I stare, I never grow tired of it. It’s just like the colourful sea of lights we can see from here.”

Ryo looked right at Reon.

“I like Nayuta’s star, but I like yours too, Reon.”

Ryo’s honest words went straight to Reon's heart.

That was what he had been longing to hear—an acknowledgment of his sound. Miyuki already had enough on his plate, Kenta would never say something along those lines and to even entertain the idea of hearing it from Nayuta would be ridiculous.

So…he never imagined Ryo of all people would be the one to say it.

“Come on…you’re embarrassing me…”

Disoriented with joy and shyness, Reon tore his eyes away from Ryo’s.

“Put on a performance like that again, so that I can return to the stars,” Ryo said as he looked to the sky once more. 

“You’re saying you want me to play for your sake?”

“I do. But you’ll still play, even if it’s not for me, won’t you? Giving up isn’t possible for you, after all.”

“...I guess you’re right.”

Reon gazed up at the sky, mirroring Ryo. Countless stars twinkled above them with a shine that rivalled the illumination of the city below. Though he felt as if he’d been wheedled once again by Ryo, the feeling wasn’t a bad one. In fact, he could sense a weight being lifted from his shoulders and a sensation of relief flooding through him. 

“I’m going to beat Nayuta.”

The words that had been caught in his throat now came out with ease.

Reon continued to stagger deeper into the dark unknown. He couldn’t see what laid ahead, nor could he tell how far he had already travelled. Was the path he walked upon leading him towards his destination, or had he been going in the entirely wrong direction? Unable to express his hopes of victory, it felt like his dreams had been snuffed out along the way. Inside his heart that had been blotted with anxiety, Ryo’s words shed a light.

Someone else had appreciated his sound. Even if the acknowledgement hadn't come from Nayuta, it still filled Reon with confidence and even a whisper of hope. He had faith now that there was no reason to doubt his capabilities. He would get back on his feet again. Within the dark, the goal that he had lost sight of began to shine with a glimmering ray of hope.

He was going to beat Nayuta.

That dream had never been lost during his journey. No, it had always been grasped tightly in the palm of his hand. No matter what it took, he would turn that aspiration into a reality. 

“No, I won’t put on another performance like that encore. Instead, I’m going to show everyone something that exceeds it. Not because you want me to, but because I want to…but I suppose I’d be doing it for you too in the end anyway,” Reon added on shyly. Ryo faced him with a pleased nod.

“I’m glad to hear it,” Ryo replied before pointing up at the sky with a look of surprise, “There’s a shooting star.”

“Oh, you’re right.”

A single bright trail of light raced across the night sky.

“Perfect timing. You should make a wish.”

“No, I’ll pass.”

He watched the shooting star disappear from the sky. His dream of beating Nayuta wasn’t something he would beg the stars to help with. 

“But…I did make a promise to that star just now. I swore to it that I’d overcome Nayuta one day.”

What felt right to him wasn’t a wish, but a promise. As if in answer to Reon’s vow, another shooting star danced across the sky.

During their next rehearsal—

At Reon’s request, Ryo let him into the studio ahead of time where he waited with his guitar ready for Nayuta’s arrival. The door opened fifteen minutes before their scheduled start time and in walked Nayuta wearing his usual look of gloom. The moment his eyes fell on Reon, his face scrunched up into a scowl. 

“...Get out.”

“No.”

Reon ignored Nayuta's raised brow and without missing a beat, he dove straight into playing an impeccable guitar solo—the very same one from the encore that day. Originally, the song began with a solo from Kenta but today Reon would play the part that was never intended for him. Though it bore a similarity to Kenta’s style, the sound that flooded from him had a contrast of its own. 

As the crease between Nayuta’s brows deepened, Reon dove into the part that the sheet music declared as his. He played with more aggression than he ever had before, defying Nayuta’s initial direction in a way that mimicked the final phrase from the encore that day. It was a performance that tore apart the sound Nayuta created and fearlessly picked a fight. 

Nayuta clenched his teeth, not shying away from the challenging gaze Reon faced him with in the slightest. The resolution Reon had reached was to express his current unaltered self. Conjuring up cheap tricks would never be enough to get through to Nayuta, so he took the epitome of his current self and that moment when he did reach him and polished, refined, sharpened and aggressively laid them out. He would not flee, or step down.

Just as Nayuta didn’t want to debut as an imitation of the legendary band, Reon too had no desire to pander to Nayuta. What he wanted was to beat him, and for that he would boldly stand against him. Reon violently strummed the strings of his rhythm guitar, believing that it would make the sound that he envisioned—Gyroaxia’s sound—shine brighter than any other. 

Nayuta ran ahead of him far off in the distance but if only for a moment, he hoped he could stop him. If he failed to meet Nayuta’s standards, he’d shift his focus to his next move. The thought of giving up without ever rebelling against Nayuta after all the disparaging criticism he had endured repulsed him. 

But just as he always had, no matter how many times he was told he was no good, he would never cease trying. With that, like a shooting star falling from the sky, he’d attain a moment where he’d reach Nayuta, just as he did during that encore.

But—

“Stop,” Nayuta coldly ordered, bringing Reon’s hands to a halt.

“This isn’t good enough either, huh?” 

Regardless of the pang of bitterness that spread across his chest, he had no intention of letting this be where he gave up. With a look of disappointment, Reon raised his head to meet Nayuta’s gaze.

“Fine, but next time I swear I’ll show you a performance that competes with your own,” as Reon declared his promise, he went to put his guitar down but—

“What’re you doing? Don’t move.”

“Huh?”

After giving his command to Reon, Nayuta wasted no time in making his way to the mic stand. 

“Hurry up and get ready,” Nayuta called out to Kenta, Ryo and Miyuki who had been watching the scene unfold from the doorway.

“...What?”

As Reon stood frozen with astonishment, the others looked at him with a smile and moved into their respective positions.  

“Quit wasting time and do it again,” Nayuta clarified with a glare at Reon. As soon as Reon came to the realisation that ‘it’ referred to the piece he had just played, he was overcome with a sense of joy. 

“You need to be more clear with your words! If you were impressed by my performance then you can just say that!” Reon spat out, too annoyed to openly express the happiness he felt.

“If you don’t want to play then leave.”

“Obviously I want to play!”

Reon slumped his shoulders as Kenta looked at him with a pitying smile and a pleading gesture. Nayuta’s tyrannical nature truly never changed but if said tyrant wanted to hear him play again, then he’d do just that. 

As Miyuki counted, Reon locked eyes with Kenta and played his guitar with grandeur. The intro was a solo originally belonging to Kenta alone but as the two contrasting timbres overlapped one another, an accelerated harmony emerged. Accompanied by Miyuki’s drums and Ryo’s bass, the intensity climbed even higher. As Nayuta began to sing, each and every sound intertwined and elevated one another to create a melody of the most extaordinary quality. 

His body was on fire. He was itching to get back on stage and share this sound with the sea of people in the audience. Just as Ryo did, he too wanted to make their music echo into the depths of outer space. 

The last phrase arrived and for just a moment, Nayuta met Reon's eyes. As if ignited by that gaze, his soul was set alight. For even an instant, Reon had been reflected in Nayuta’s gaze. Nothing could have made him happier. 

Reon would throw his entire being into the song and ensure he wasn’t bested by Nayuta. His raw arpeggio forged itself into a blade that slashed apart their tenor and struck back against Nayuta’s incisive voice. Reon and Nayuta’s swords glistered as they clashed against each other, creating a sound that echoed a shooting star.

“...How was that?” Reon challenged with heavy breaths, worn out after two more rounds of playing at full power. Nayuta responded with a listless huff.

“...The beginning of the song will be altered accordingly. I’ll update the sheet music immediately.”  

“Got it.”

Reon shrugged his shoulders at Nayuta's disregard of having ordered him to never return. Though he wasn’t at all a fan of that aspect of him, it didn’t hinder the pure excellence of his music.

“...Man, does that guy get on my nerves.”

Yet, in spite of his anger…there was no changing the fact that Nayuta was the source of the music Reon strived for. Once again, he reaffirmed his vow to someday beat Nayuta.

Reon secretly raised his middle finger to Nayuta’s turned back when he felt Miyuki tap his shoulder.

“Welcome back. Sorry for not following you at all.”

“It’s fine, Miyuki-san. Besides, I’m sure it was a pain not having me here, huh?”

“...Haha, seriously, I’m glad you’re back, Reon.”

Despite his laughter, Reon noticed the way Miyuki’s cheeks twitched ever so slightly. It seemed like he must have been through a lot while Reon was away. Maybe he’d hear him vent out his grievances some other time. Reon lifted his head to find Ryo looking at him with a gentle smile.

“Ryo-san, thanks for everything.” 

“What’re you thanking me for again?”

“For when you came to check on me, obviously.”

“ …Ohh. It was no biggie.” 

“Huh? Did I miss something? What’re you two talking about?” Miyuki cut in, plagued with curiosity. With a clap, Nayuta slapped his music sheets.

“You've wasted enough time talking. We’re playing another song.” 

“Got it.” 

The group turned to the fired up tyrant and followed his orders. They could continue the conversation later.

Finally having the chance to practise with the rest of the band again, Reon felt a flame of his own start to burn. Wholly elated, he readied his guitar.

“Well done,” Kenta said to Reon, “We’ll be able to go ahead with our preparations now.”

“Preparations? You mean for our next live?” 

Kenta smirked at the puzzled tilt of Reon’s head.

“No, for our revenge.”

From his pocket, Kenta pulled out a business card belonging to that infamous producer and crushed it in his hand. Behind his glasses, his eyes glowed with danger.

“We’ll make him regret ever making a fool out of Nayuta and Gyroaxia.”

“Naturally.”

Back | Next

[awakeningking]

Awakening King | Chapter One: Gyroaxia Reborn

Finally, it was time.　

Near Susukino Station sat a small underground studio. In front of the studio’s heavy metal door, Sakaigawa Miyuki took several deep breaths. His handsome face became tense with nerves.

“I feel like I’m breaking into someone’s house and challenging them to a duel,” Miyuki thought to himself. He wasn’t entirely wrong either. Today, he had come to test his power and talent.

Just thinking about how Gyroaxia, one of Sapporo’s increasingly popular bands, was practising right behind that door was enough to excite him. Especially when he considered that he could very well be joining them as a member today.

His friend had invited him along to one of Gyroaxia’s lives where he promptly became a prisoner to their explosive style of performing music. He wanted to be a part of the vocalist’s melodies, his lyrics and the intense, dominating outlook of the world they formed through their vigorous performances. Fortunately for Miyuki, the band’s line up hadn’t been fixed into place just yet. As of late, they had been going through a number of substitute drummers and when Miyuki heard that they were accepting applicants, he did a mental air pump. It was fate, he thought.

Miyuki had picked up drumming as a means to gain popularity with women. He had formed a band with some of his seniors at university and while the fun had lasted a while, it no longer felt like enough to him. Something was missing, and it was Gyroaxia who had been able to fill that gaping hole in his heart and show him what he needed. With a sound brimming with ambition and passion, it was clear to him that they were aiming for endless heights. Like them, Miyuki wanted to see how far his ability and music could go.

Consequently, he was there that day to see whether or not he had what it took to become a member of Gyroaxia. With the amount of practice he had packed in, there wasn't anything to worry about. Reading himself, he took one final deep breath and like ripping off a bandaid, he quickly grabbed hold of the door knob.

“I’ve got this!” 

Miyuki opened the door to his fate.

It seemed that he had entered the room right as they were having their break.

Nayuta stood in front of the microphone, scribbling away at a sheet of music with a knitted brow. He recognised him as the genius vocalist that mesmerised crowds with his overwhelming skill and charisma. 

Further back, tuning his guitar was their rhythm guitarist, Reon. Time and time again he would fascinate people with his thrilling ad libs during live shows.

Simultaneously using both a laptop and a mobile phone was the lead guitarist, Kenta. He didn’t show off as much as Reon did, but some would say that his unparalleled accuracy during performances was vital to their songs.

Their bassist, Akebono Ryo, was counting something on his fingers while staring absentmindedly at the ceiling. His deep sounds supported Gyroaxia’s strong performances and his reputation said that he'd practically been born to play the bass.

Miyuki felt a thrill seeing what the members were like off stage. Gyroaxia was really right before his eyes. As he stepped foot into the room, everyone’s gaze turned to Miyuki.

“Who’re you?”

The vocalist, Asahi Nayuta, turned to him with daggers in his eyes. Miyuki tried covering up his nerves with a friendly smile.

“I’m Sakaigawa Miyuki. I hear you guys are looking for a drummer? I’m pretty sure I spoke to your leader, Satozuka-kun, about it.”

“...Hmph.”

Instead of returning the smile, Nayuta slumped down in a chair and crossed his legs. Taking his place, Kenta approached him with a greeting.

“Ah, yes of course. I’m glad you could make it Sakaigawa-kun.”

“Sorry for showing up late. It seems I got the times all mixed up.”

“Don’t worry about it, Sakaigawa-kun. If you’d have gotten here earlier we would’ve been in the middle of practice.”

“You woke me up this morning and told me to be here in five minutes! That’s just crazy,” Reon said with a pout. Nayuta shot a glare at him.

“If you’ve got complaints then you can leave at any time.”

“Something like that’s not enough to make me quit!”

“Then shut up.”

A dangerous atmosphere grew between Reon and Nayuta. Averting his gaze, Reon silently stepped away. Unlike their unity on stage, it seemed that they didn’t get along in ordinary life. Breaking the cold air the two had created, Kenta addressed Miyuki.

“Sakaigawa-kun, you were in a band with some other university students, correct? I’ve seen some of your performances. Your drumming was quite powerful.” 

“It’s an honour to hear that coming from the leader of Gyro.” 

“Your band...what happened to it?” Reon asked with a puzzled tilt of his head. 

“Most of the members were third years. We disbanded so that they could search for jobs. Well, originally we actually formed a band to try and get more popular. I still want that but...more than anything, I want to start being more serious about music,” Miyuki explained with a charming smile.

“You’d definitely become more popular being in this band.”

“Leave.”

The temperature in the studio dropped within an instant.

“Woah woah, Nayuta! You’re making a decision way too soon?!” Like second nature, Reon rebutted Nayuta’s immediate rejection. However, he turned to Miyuki with a displeased look.

“But, if that really is your motive then you honestly should just leave now.”

“I’ve never heard that before. That’s why you want to join Gyro?” Even Ryo, whose voice rarely portrayed much emotion, carried a hint of irritation to it. Regardless, Miyuki refused to give up and lightly waved the drumsticks in his hand.

“I’d never gain popularity if I sucked. I’m quite confident in my skills.”

Reon and Ryo still seemed unconvinced. Nayuta had quickly lost interest and began fiddling with his music sheets. Seeing the member’s attitudes, Kenta shrugged his shoulders.

“I’d still like to see how you play. You had me convinced so you’ll deliver what I expect of you, won’t you?”

“Of course!” Miyuki responded to Kenta’s question with a confident nod.

“What do you think, Nayuta? Our next live will fall through if we don’t have a drummer,” Kenta asked, turning to Nayuta.

“...You get one try. No second chances,” Nayuta said, carelessly throwing the score Miyuki’s way. That was his cue to begin.

After hearing that Gyroaxia was looking for a drummer, he had begun practising with more enthusiasm than ever. He stopped attending parties and cut back on the number of dates he went on.

The song he had been given was one he’d seen them perform live. He’d thought that the drums had been lacking but he’d be able to play the song, even if it was only for his trail. Miyuki thought about the sound he heard that day as he swung his drumsticks. 

Finishing off with one powerful final strike, Miyuki lowered his arms, body dripping with sweat. He’d never felt so nervous about a performance before, not even at his old band’s first live show. Regardless of how confident he claimed to be, he had played with every ounce of his power. Now, he just had to see what the other members thought.

A silence so heavy that a pin drop could be heard fell over the studio. No one uttered a single word. As the silence dragged on, Miyuki grew more and more antsy. Had he failed? Just as he was about to reach that conclusion, Reon hesitantly opened his mouth.

“So…”

“Be quiet,” Nayuta immediately cut him off with a glare. Reon looked like he was about to protest but held his tongue. They were apparently the same age, yet it appeared that Nayuta held far more power over Reon. Miyuki unconsciously straightened out his posture as Nayuta turned to him with a calculating gaze. 

“...Take this music sheet. Get into place, everyone,” Nayuta angrily hissed .

“At least tell us what you think first! I thought you didn’t like this guy!”

“Shut up. Stop yelling,” Nayuta coldly replied to Reon who was stammering like a puppy. Ryo abruptly plucked a string on his bass and the deep sound momentarily echoed throughout the studio.

“I can see the day when I return to the stars just on the horizon.”

The stars? Taken aback by Ryo’s words, Miyuki made a noise of confusion. Well, Ryo was said to be a genius bassist, so he was bound to be a bit of an oddball.

“You’re always acting like this, aren't you? If you could just be less confusing…”

“Hurry up and get ready.”

“Do you even listen to anything anyone says!?”

Nayuta and Reon were in another quarrel. Or rather, it was more of an one-sided argument on Reon’s half.

“Uhh…”

Miyuki had still yet to hear how his tryout had gone. Amidst his confusion, he tried to get a grasp on the situation when Kenta gave him a pat on the shoulder.

“Looks like you’ve passed. Good luck from here on out,” he said with a pleasant smile.

For a moment, Miyuki didn’t comprehend what he was saying.

It was only when Nayuta stood before his microphone and said, without even looking his way, “Hurry up and get to it. We’ll do the same song as earlier,” when Miyuki was able to understand.

It finally hit him—he’d made it.

“Alright!” Miyuki said, raising his drumsticks above him and punching the air.

Gyroaxia proved to be more demanding than he thought.

“...Drums, do it with more power.”

“G-Got it.” 

After two weeks of being in the band, Miyuki had become accustomed to Nayuta solely addressing him as ' drums' . However, in all that time, he was still unable to deliver the sound that Nayuta asked of him.

“No, you went overboard this time! You can’t play without restraint!”

“M-My bad.”

It wasn’t like Miyuki was inexperienced, in fact, he was quite confident in his abilities. He wouldn’t have knocked on Gyroaxia’s door in the first place if he didn’t think he was capable. Yet every time he tried to keep up with Nayuta, he was reminded of how much he still had to learn.

“I think it sounded fine. The stronger the sound is, the bigger of an impression it’ll leave,” Reon interrupted.

“Are you deaf?”

“Excuse me!?”

Another argument began to brew as Nayuta shut down Reon’s opinion. Miyuki intervened between the two, feeling guilty for being the inciting factor. 

“Hey, calm down you two. I’ll hold back a little more next time so let’s just give it another go.”

“Fine. Hurry up and start,” Nayuta ordered, grabbing the microphone. With deep concentration, Miyuki began to count.

Exhausted and full of nerves, Miyuki lowered his arms once the song ended and waited to hear Nayuta’s verdict. The vocalist slowly looked over his shoulder with eyes as cold as ice.

“If you’re going to get in the way anymore, then quit.”

“...!” 

He’d messed up again. They didn’t have much time left until the day of their live performance. He’d made a show of flaunting his confidence when he first joined so he knew he couldn’t start falling behind now. In the end, he still couldn’t produce the sounds Nayuta demanded from him. 

“Satozuka, I have no intention of delivering half-assed music. We might have to cancel the live,” Nayuta said, looking at Kenta.

“Wait!” Reon interrupted. Naturally, he refused to stay silent in the face of such tyranny. “You want to cancel…? That’s so irresponsible! Isn’t Sakaigawa-san good enough for the time being!?

“Don’t make me repeat myself. I won’t settle for just ‘good enough’, ” Nayuta said, throwing a cold glare at Reon. “If you have complaints then get out. It’s not like your guitar is irreplaceable.”

“What…?” 

“You’ve got time to be worried about others, do you? My songs aren’t an opportunity for you to mess around with the guitar. Don’t get in my way.” 

Reon stared dumbfounded as Nayuta bluntly shut him down. The tense atmosphere gave Miyuki chills. Shit, this was all his fault.

“Alright, let’s leave it here for today” Kenta said with a clap of his hands before Reon could lash out at Nayuta again. “We can see if the venue will allow us to cancel another day. For now, let’s switch over to some individual practice.”

“But Kenta-san, isn’t the live coming up soon? We won’t be able to get everything in sync if we don’t practice together.”

“Reon, you made some mistakes during the second verse. Have it perfected next time.”

“That’s because Nayuta goes too fast…”

“Didn’t you agree to the change in the current arrangement? Is it too hard for you after all?”

“No, I can do it! I’ll have it down perfectly next time!” 

Grumbling to himself, Reon put down his guitar and began looking over the marked spots on his music sheet while Ryo and Nayuta started packing up. 

“Sorry, I’ll be sure to have everything polished up by next time,” Miyuki remorsefully apologised to Kenta.

“Please do. It’ll be a pain if we have to cancel,” Kenta encouraged him with a light pat on the back. Miyuki could sense the crushing weight beneath his touch.

Nayuta and Kenta didn’t stick around once they’d left the studio.

“Well then, I’ll be accompanying Nayuta to his vocal training.”

“Satozuka, let’s go already. I haven’t got time to waste.”

“Okay okay, we’ll get going. I’ve booked the usual studio.”

Nayuta walked off in a hurry with Kenta following after. They looked like a master and his loyal servant. Reon looked at Miyuki, sensing his unease.

“So, should we head to the train station?”

“Y-Yeah. Let’s do that.”

Their usual practice studio in Susukino was about a twenty minute walk from Sapporo Station. When practice ended, Ryo, Reon and Miyuki would often walk back to the station together. At the station, the three of them would head to the bus terminal and catch a bus home. There was also an underground train that went from Susukino to Sapporo but it was too much trouble to catch the train for just two stops.

Miyuki had always enjoyed exercise but Ryo and Reon both had their own reasons for favouring walking over riding the train to the station. Ryo, for example, liked looking at the sky so he preferred walking above ground rather than under. Occasionally, Nayuta and Kenta would join them but it seemed that today Nayuta was off to another studio with Kenta in tow.

“Let’s go, Ryo-san.”

“Okay,” Ryo looked up from where he was crouching on the ground, playing with a stray cat. Ryo stood up and the three of them silently set off down the narrow alleyway, side by side.

Although they were in Hokkaido, the nights during July could get a little warm but despite that, there seemed to be a cold air between the three. Usually, Miyuki would talk to Reon and he, in turn, would indulge in his small talk but there was none of that today. Nayuta’s words from earlier haunted Miyuki’s mind.

“If you’re going to get in the way anymore, then quit.”

Nayuta was completely serious. He hadn’t known him for long, but he'd learned enough to get a good grasp on Asahi Nayuta's character. No one took music more seriously than Nayuta. He was always the first one at the studio and never sounded anything short of flawless. On top of that, he had no problem doing a piece over and over again if he wasn’t happy with it. Even if everyone else agreed upon a sound, if Nayuta wasn’t satisfied with it, they’d do it again. ‘Compromise’ wasn’t a word that existed in the Emperor of Music’s dictionary. That’s just how Asahi Nayuta was. 

Despite joining Gyroaxia full of confidence, Miyuki had yet to receive Nayuta’s approval even once. In truth, he was beginning to question why they even let him in in the first place. Was it just on a whim? No, it couldn’t have been. Nayuta wouldn’t do that. He had certainly approved of his performance when he initially tried to audition. Even if it was just barely, a pass was still a pass. It pained him to think that he was betraying the hope that Nayuta had held for him.

“...Hey, Sakaigawa-san? Do you want to grab something to eat?”

Before he’d realised it, they had arrived in Tanukikoji Shopping Arcade and were surrounded by several signs for various bars. Pointing towards a more suitable restaurant, Reon shyly looked at Miyuki.

“Ah...I’ll pass. I’m not that hungry.”

“...Alright then.”

With his head crowded full of thoughts on how to produce a sound that Nayuta would approve of, his appetite had escaped him.

“Oh, but don't worry about me, Misono-kun, Akebono-kun. You guys can go get something to eat if you want. We can just part ways here,” he quickly followed up when he noticed Reon's embarrassed aversion of his eyes.

“No, I’m honestly not that hungry either… By the way, you don’t have to address me so formally. Just Reon is fine. You’re older than me anyway, Sakaigawa-san.”

“You’re a third year in highschool right? Two years isn’t much of a difference. Besides, you’ve been in the band way longer than I have, which makes you my superior in a way. You can just call me Miyuki too.”

“Then...I’ll call you Miyuki-san.”

“...You can call me Ryo too. I’m younger than you, Miyuki-kun,” Ryo said, jumping in on Miyuki and Reon’s conversation.

“S-Sure. Ryo...you’re a first year in university right?” Miyuki asked, ever confused by Ryo’s peculiar behaviour.

“Yep. I came to Earth when I was nineteen.”

“Earth?”

“I’m a criminal, so I joined Gyroaxia to atone for it.”

“O-Oh…”

Miyuki was only trying to make small talk but he felt like he’d just heard something he shouldn’t have. Reon patted Miyuki on the shoulder as if to say, “Don’t worry about it.”

“Don’t think about it too much, Kenta-san is the only one that gets Ryo-san anyway.”

“Kenken...my friend.”

“O-Okay then.” 

Like Nayuta and Ryo, Gyroaxia had many strange members. He was honestly impressed that Kenta managed to act as their leader.

“It feels like he favours Nayuta a bit much, though…”

Kenta never disagreed with Nayuta. While he had pushed discussion of cancelling their live show to ‘a later date’, he ultimately didn’t have any objections. Perhaps if Miyuki couldn’t meet Nayuta’s standards then Kenta really would cancel the live. The pressure felt like enough to drown him.

In Gyroaxia, there was no regard for healthy relationships between the members. Miyuki began to realise that from Nayuta’s continuous angry outbursts during practice. He knew that to some extent, the band was entirely focused on Nayuta. If they couldn’t produce music that passed Nayuta’s judgement then they couldn’t stay in Gyroaxia. 

He couldn’t shake the urge to get back to the drums. He knew it was impossible, but he wanted to run right back to the studio and start practising again. 

“Hey...don’t worry about it too much.”

“Huh?” Miyuki lifted his head, meeting Reon’s concerned gaze.

“Nayuta’s always like that. I mean, he does go a bit far, doesn’t he? We’ve finally found ourselves a drummer but he’s still being a shithead,” Reon complained while kicking at the ground. It was clear he held a lot of resentment towards Nayuta.

“No no, I’m still a newbie in Gyro so I’m gonna be a problem until I can get in sync with everyone. I’m sorry for causing so many arguments and interruptions during practice...”

“Ah, no actually...we’ve always been like that.”

“Really?”

“It’s because of Nayuta’s massive ego! I practiced really hard on a guitar riff for the hook of that song we’re working on, but then he cut it out! Don’t get me started on what else he’s done…” Reon grumbled, his brow creasing. 

“Nayuta is a first magnitude star,” Ryo muttered to himself, walking a little ahead of the other two.

“He’s a first magnitude star…?” 

In a way, Ryo’s comment was awfully fitting.

The night sky peered through the glass panels in the roof of the shopping arcade. The bright lights of downtown Sapporo drowned out much of the starry sky but… there was one star that outshone the city lights. It shined as brightly as Nayuta did.

“I get what you mean. I wanted to join Gyro after hearing Nayuta’s music, after all.”

“I thought you joined to become more popular?”

“If I can be part of a performance like that, I’ll be popular regardless.” Miyuki looked up at the sky and reached out towards the lone radiant star. If only he could be like it too. “So I’m going to give it my all to get Nayuta’s approval.”

“Wow, this has to be the first time ever that someone normal has joined Gyro...” Reon clamped a hand over his mouth and trembled with emotion. Reon enthusiastically grabbed Miyuki’s hands, clasping them in his own. “Miyuki-san! Please don’t ever leave Gyro! I’m rooting for you!”

“S-Sure. Thanks”

Through that burst of passion, Miyuki felt like he could see what Reon’s position in Gyroaxia had been until now. He must have gone through a lot.

He was still unsure of how he could improve his abilities to meet Nayuta’s standards…he didn’t have the answer yet, but for now he’d fight tooth and nail to keep his place Gyroaxia.

“I’ll put in everything I’ve got into some extra practice until our next rehearsal. I can’t give up yet.”

“I don’t think any extra effort is necessary,” Ryo said, having appeared beside him without him noticing.

“Huh? What do you mean?” 

“All you have to do is listen to Nayuta’s sound.” 

Miyuki grew irritated by Ryo’s carefree advice. He always had a cool aura to him and played with an incredible accuracy so he was rarely ever the subject of Nayuta’s anger. While hard to understand, Ryo was undoubtedly a genius, although a different kind than Nayuta was.

Miyuki felt that despite all the sweat, blistered hands and hard work, he still hadn’t done enough to please Nayuta.

“I thought I was listening closely.” 

Maybe there was something Ryo knew that Miyuki didn’t.

“Then you’re already doing enough,” Ryo said, seemingly having lost interest and walked off with his eyes glued to the sky. “A constellation can’t be made with only a first magnitude star.”

Miyuki titled his head, growing annoyed by Ryo’s way of speaking in riddles.

“What’re you even trying to say!?” Miyuki pressed, hurrying after him when Ryo tripped over something. In a panic, Miyuki rushed to catch him by the arm.

“Thank you.”

“Ryo-san, I’ve told you how dangerous it is to stare at the sky while you’re walking! You walked into a telephone pole just the other day,” Reon scolded with a heavy sigh. Unbothered, Ryo took one last look at the sky before lowering his gaze down to the ground.

“I see…if you only look at the stars, you’ll miss what’s at your feet,” Ryo said, staring with unreadable eyes. Miyuki wondered if that was also meant to be advice.

“At my feet…? Is that something else I should be taking another look at?” Miyuki asked, eager to know what Ryo meant. However, Ryo slightly tilted his head and pointed towards the train station.

“We’ve arrived at the station…”

Amidst all their talking, they had reached their destination.

“Ah, I’ll be catching the bus. I’ll see you later then! Good luck with everything!”

“Me too… see ya.”

The pair ran off towards the bus terminal. Left on his own, Miyuki stared at his feet.

“There’s nothing there…?” 

Kenta may be able to decipher the meaning behind Ryo’s words but he couldn’t disturb him while he was at Nayuta’s vocal training. He couldn’t see an answer yet but if he sat around twiddling his thumbs until the next practice, he’d only disappoint Nayuta even more.

“For now, I should head home and work on my training.”

He couldn’t play on his drum set at home because of how loud it was, so he’d just have to practice using a drum pad. For now, all he could do was grow stronger, little by little. It was how he’d always gotten what he wanted. He’d gained popularity with women, his appearance, muscle and drumming skills all from continuous hard work and it’d be the same with his current situation. He’d do whatever it took to get Nayuta’s approval. 

Miyuki walked away with clenched fists, the stars twinkling overhead as if cheering him on.

The blue punching bag swung with a loud bang as Miyuki slammed his toned leg into it. He exhaled deeply and slowly lowered his leg. With his brows furrowed in displeasure, he readied himself once again. This time he’d aim for several lighter, continuous kicks. A rhythm began to form from the sound of the short and repeated bangs.

Kickboxing—like music—was a hobby that Miyuki had picked up for the sake of gaining popularity. Even when he began focusing on band activities, he still went to the gym near the north exit of Sapporo Station three times a week in order to maintain the stamina and physical strength needed to be a drummer. In his wireless headphones, he listened to Nayuta’s singing, matching up his kicks to the punching bag with the rhythm. He was growing impatient.

Gyroaxia had a rehearsal that afternoon. He wondered whether he’d be able to play to Nayuta’s expectations that day…his problem still hadn’t been resolved but he was confident in his skills. He’d even gone over his music sheets so thoroughly that they’d been tattered with his writing. On top of that, he’d booked a studio the day before and spent all day practicing.

But...it still didn’t feel like enough. Nayuta was going to reach far away heights and Miyuki wasn’t sure he’d be able to follow him.

Plagued with anxiety and impatience, Miyuki had come to the gym. He felt awful not indulging in his usual habits and besides, if he missed one day of training, he’d have to do three times the amount of work to make up for it. His muscles and endurance required a lot of work and he couldn’t give up on them. Despite his flirtatious appearance, Miyuki was self-disciplined and had the will-power to put in the hard work. However, he felt that he’d reached a dead end. 

“What am I supposed to do...dammit!”

Overcome with frustration, Miyuki violently kicked the punching bag. He felt a dull aching in his leg and Ryo’s perplexing words from the other day echoed in his mind.

“All you have to do is listen to Nayuta’s sound.” 

 “A constellation can’t be made with only a first magnitude star.”

“If you only look at the stars, you’ll miss what’s at your feet.”

Ryo would often say strange things like, “I can hear the sounds of space,” or, “I want to return to the stars,” but what he said that day felt different somehow. Miyuki wanted to know the truth behind Ryo’s advice so he tried asking Kenta about it, however his reply wasn’t of much help.

“...I see. I know what Ryo was trying to say, however, I wouldn’t want anyone that can’t understand that to be a member of Gyroaxia.”

“Huh...?”

“Find the answer before our next practice session. It’ll be too much trouble if we have to cancel the live. Nayuta isn’t listening to my suggestions.”

That was the jist of what he’d been told.

“That bastard...he thinks I’m just a tool that can be replaced whenever he sees fit,” Miyuki thought to himself. 

To be truthful, Miyuki wasn’t the only one the sentiment extended to. In fact, he’d say it was likely that Kenta saw everyone but Nayuta that way. It was aggravating. Miyuki felt himself flaring up with anger.

“I won’t be thrown away like all their other drummers!” Miyuki thought, violently swinging his leg in time with Nayuta’s shouts.

“Ah, shit…!”

With all his focus honed on kicking his leg, he'd neglected his pivot foot. He lost his balance, almost falling over, but managed to regain his footing. It was against Miyuki’s aesthetic values to show himself in such an unsightly manner.

“No matter how much I’ve been thinking about it, now’s not the time. I know this stuff like the back of my hand, right?”

The pivot foot was essential during a kick. Without firm footing, a kick would have no power. You’d make a fool of yourself if you lost your balance and risked a tumble to the ground like Miyuki just had. In a band, the pivot foot could be compared to the rhythm unit, like the bass and drums. With a sturdy foundation, you could achieve incredible feats and aim for greater heights.

“...Oh.”

He felt everything click into place. He’d been so intent on playing to gain Nayuta’s recognition that he’d made a huge mistake.

“All you have to do is listen to Nayuta’s sound.” 

The true meaning behind Ryo’s words seeped into his heart. Nayuta didn’t need a sound that would overcome him, he needed one that would support him. His duty was to uplift a genius like Nayuta so that he could soar as high as possible.

The moment he realised that, he couldn’t stay put. Right away, he contacted a member from his old university band.

“Hey, it’s me. Sorry about this, but do you think you could lend me your studio? I’m itching to go drum.”

After ending the call, he recklessly wiped off his sweat. With one last flowing, clean, roundhouse kick to the punching bag, Miykui left the gym.

“...Don’t tell me what to do.”

“I’m just saying you could make it a little easier to understand!”

“It’s your fault if you don’t get it. Are you really that stupid?”

“You littleー This is what I’m talking about…!”

Nayuta and Reon were already arguing when Miyuki arrived at the studio.

“Sorry for being late.” Reon shook his head at Miyuki’s apology.

“You're not late. Nayuta just always comes early.” 

From the looks of their light sheen of sweat, it seemed that they had already begun practising. Kenta shrugged his shoulders as he tuned his guitar.

“Well, the studios here are quite reasonable with allowing us additional use of their space.”

“Kenta-san, you pamper Nayuta way too much!”

“It’s not that I’m pampering him, I’m only ensuring that he can deliver the best performance possible.”

It hadn’t been long since Miyuki joined Gyroaxia, however he’d witnessed this kind of exchange more than enough times. As always, if it was for Nayuta’s sake, nothing was too much trouble for Kenta. To Miyuki’s knowledge, he’d even negotiated with several studios, including the one they were currently using, so that Nayuta was free to use them whenever he felt like practising. On the outside, he came across as a good guy who’d go to the effort of negotiating with live houses for them, butー

“More importantly, Reon, haven’t I reminded you plenty of times that we’ve cut that guitar riff out? Instead of talking back, do as you've been told,” Kenta said to Reon, indifferent and cold. 

While always addressing people in a composed manner, there was something about the way he treated all the members save Nayuta that pissed Miyuki off. He didn’t view them as anything but replaceable tools. All that he was concerned with was having people to follow Nayuta.

“But…”

“It’s unbearable to listen to. Quit it,” Nayuta interrupted, cutting Reon off before he could argue any further.

‘Huh…? If that’s the issue, then I’ll just work on it until it sounds better!”

“That’s not the problem.”

“You’re the only one who doesn’t like it!! The crowd from our last show loved it!”

“...Then do it alone. It has no place in my music.”

“Why don’t we just give it one more try and see how it sounds? I’d like to hear it too,” Miyuki intervened, never one to simply stand by. 

“No, Nayuta made his decision so there will be no further discussion. Cut it out, Reon. We’re wasting valuable practice time,” Kenta retorted before Nayuta had the chance to.

“Come on now, don’t be like that. We’re all in this band together. Performing a live is a group effort amongst all the members, so…”

“...Shut up,” Nayuta interrupted Miyuki. “If you’re going to waste any more of my time with useless things then I’m leaving.”

Reon reluctantly stepped down, knowing he was on the verge of losing his patience. “...Fine. Sorry, Miyuki-san. Let’s start rehearsal.”

“I’m always ready to go,” Ryo said, raising his hand from where he was scribbling on a music sheet. Miyuki wanted to check in with Reon but ultimately decided that any further conversation would have been futile. Besidesー

“More importantly, don’t you have something to say? The answer, did you find it?” Kenta asked, cutting straight to what Miyuki had been worried about. “Do your best today. It’ll pose a problem if we don’t begin arranging ticket sales soon. Whether it be finding a substitute drummer or even cancelling the show, we have a lot of work to do.”

Miyuki felt the pressure piling onto him with every second that Kenta’s heartless gaze sat on him. That feeling of being viewed as nothing but a tool returned. He could sense the calculation behind those eyes, evaluating whether or not he was useful.

“I won’t waste anymore of your time.” 

As irritated as he was, Miyuki didn’t leave the house that day without any hope for success.

“Let’s get to it. We don’t have enough time as is,” Nayuta ordered, pointing his chin towards the drum set with a scowl.

“Understood.”

“...Will you be alright?” Reon whispered to him with a worried look.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be getting a gold star today,”  Miyuki replied with a reassuring nod. Truthfully, he wasn’t one hundred percent sure he’d pass. What if the answer he had come to was wrong…? His hands sweated with nerves at the thought. 

Besides...he couldn’t give this position up to anyone else. He didn’t want to give it up. There was nowhere else that he could watch Nayuta’s back and uplift his music in such a way.

“Hurry up,” Nayuta snapped, quickly growing impatient. There could be a thousand meanings behind the look Kenta gave Miyuki. It irritated him being stared at with such a condescending expression.

“Just you watch. I’ll knock that deadpan look off your face!”

With a deep breath, Miyuki started counting and the song that would determine his fate began.

Reon caught on as soon as he started to play—there was something different about Miyuki’s drumming. Not being a drummer himself, it was difficult for Reon to put his finger on how he’d managed to completely alter his sound. 

But…it was easier to play alongside, more so than Miyuki’s previous self—or any of Gyroaxia’s drummers—ever had been. Bouncing off of his rhythm felt incredible. Rather than harshly dragging them along, it felt like he had laid out a firm road for them to run endlessly upon…with this play-style, no matter what arrangement they settled on, he knew Miyuki would be just fine.

The strength of Miyuki’s drums remained prominent and their powerful sound remained alive and healthy, but somewhere in that thundering, something had changed. 

It was full of intensity and vigour…but mingling within was a gentle sound that provided an unbreakable support for both the ferocity and delicateness of Nayuta’s voice. 

That’s when Reon heard it. Swept away in the rhythm, Nayuta’s voice flooded the room like it never had before.

As soon as the song came to a close, Miyuki cast his head towards the ceiling and was overcome with a wave of drowsiness. After releasing his stress, even his lower body that he had always been so attentive towards formed a warm, dull pain. He felt a throbbing heat in his calves and the top of his thighs.

It wasn’t the arms that would give the audience a performance that was easy to follow, but the legs. He had changed the way he stepped on the bass drum to better comply with Nayuta’s voice. He wondered if Nayuta had noticed…or if that sound had met his expectations.

Body tense with nerves, he awaited Nayuta’s verdict. Without ever looking back at Miyuki, Nayuta slightly raised his hand.

“We’re not wasting anymore time. Do it again.”

Again. 

He hadn’t been terminated. Miyuki’s heart beat faster at what he considered high praise from Nayuta. Finally, he had gotten his approval. As he trembled with overwhelming emotion, Nayuta turned around and shot a glare at Miyuki.

“Didn’t you hear me? We don’t have time to waste. We’ll run through that last one three more times and then start work on the other songs.”

In the euphoric aftermath of earning Nayuta’s approval, the merciless decree made his cheeks twitch. He had just played with everything he had. Without having amassed much practice with his new play-style, perfecting it was still a nerve wrecking process. While he was confident in his physical strength, that wasn’t the part of him that consumed so much of his energy. If he was being honest with himself, he could really do with a break, but—

“Show us that you don't just run on luck,” Kenta challenged, killing off any complaints he had.

“Yeah, I’ll show you why Gyroaxia’s only drummer is me,” he flung back and pushed up his sleeves. Looking at Miyuki, a triumphant smile broke out across Kenta’s face. 

“I’m sure you will. Now then, why don’t we get all the songs on the setlist finished off by the end of the day, hm?” 

…He’d make that bastard cry someday.

As his temples twitched with fury towards Kenta, Miyuki raised his drumsticks.

Finally, the day of their live show arrived.

In their green room, Miyuki looked over their set list for the day while the other members of the band killed time in their preferred ways before the performance started.

Nayuta had his eyes closed and listened to music with his earphones, Reon was busy perfecting the tuning on his guitar, while Ryo looked at a picture book on astronomy… As for Kenta, he was occupied elsewhere, meeting with the staff of the live house. From the sounds of it, they were doing amazingly on ticket sales and could expect a full house.

Miyuki’s thoughts drifted to the practice he had dedicated himself to everyday. With a big stretch, Miyuki let out an emotional sigh at how far he had come. Once Nayuta had approved of Miyuki’s performance, they had undergone days of hellish rehearsals. Even though Nayuta hadn’t called for the live to be cancelled, the tensions remained tight and even the smallest of mistakes would lead to shouts of anger and a complete restart. 

He’d say that he and Reon received an equal share of grating critiques but in Reon’s case, he wouldn’t take the criticisms without lashing back at Nayuta, often leading to the two of them arguing amongst themselves. Kenta was also the subject of Nayuta’s anger a fair amount, but he would only ever obediently follow his orders, never once talking back. Whenever Reon and Nayuta got into fights about music, to a fault, Kenta would always take Nayuta’s side. Miyuki would often take it upon himself to intervene and comfort the sulking Reon. Although he could understand in some respects why Kenta held Nayuta in such superior regard, it still gave him a weird feeling.

Nayuta had an undeniably sharp sense for sound but his relentlessness when pointing that out could hurt even someone as mentally strong as Miyuki. The ever tranquil Ryo potentially wasn’t bothered by any of it…but in Reon’s case, it seemed that he had been hampered with a great deal of gloom. 

“It’s not balanced at all…”

Kenta had a pleasant facade that he used with people outside of the band—such as studio or livehouse staff—and he didn’t think it was unreasonable to wish he’d show even a little of that to his fellow bandmates, or to wish he’d at least check in with the people that had been slashed apart by Nayuta’s blade. 

Nayuta was a sword that had been sharpened beyond comparison, and that was just a part of his charm. But that sword had to be sheathed by someone, a feat that Kenta wasn’t capable of. Instead, he was a whetstone whose only goal was to sharpen Nayuta’s blade even further.

“There’s nothing I can do, I just have to keep trying my best.”

If he could just make it through this live show, he’d officially be able to call himself Gyroaxia’s drummer. What followed after would depend on his own efforts but he had no intentions of handing over the position to anyone else. 

He liked Nayuta. Despite his arrogance, sharp tongue and curtness, his musical talent made for ample compensation. No matter his personality, Nayuta was still young. Along his journey to becoming a pro, the people he’d meet could lead him to change. They were sure to hit some bumps along the way but Miyuki would be there to patch things up. Kenta…wasn’t very reliable, in that aspect. 

“Well, that’s my job as an adult, isn’t it?"

Miyuki’s train of thought was suddenly cut off and he turned his head with a look of suspicion. Ryo was braiding Miyuki’s long hair.

“...Hey, what do you think you’re doing?”

“I call it the Bellatrix Parade. I did a good job, I think.”

A look in the mirror revealed that his hair had been done up in some kind of strange hairstyle, with twin tails and a generous amount of colourful clips.

“You little~!! Why’re you doing this when we’re about to go on stage!? Are you serious!?”

He rushed to undo it all but the braided portions had already formed into subtle waves.

“Wax, I need wax…”

“...But all my hard work.”

“Shut up! I can’t go out there with hair like that!”

Miyuki ignored the way Ryo’s shoulders sagged with a look of disappointment and continued looking for his hair wax. Although he’d been thinking about taking over for Kenta and supporting the other members himself…Ryo might be a lost cause. He never had a clue what that man was thinking.

Reon held out a towel and hairdryer to Miyuki.

“Miyuki-san, wouldn’t it be faster to wet your hair a little and then dry it?”

“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll go with that.”

Miyuki took the items from Reon’s hands but the moment he stood up to rush to the bathroom—

Suddenly, the door to the green room was violently flung open. 

For a moment, he thought that Kenta had come back—but he was wrong.

“Nayuta…”

Even after being addressed, Nayuta made no move to raise his head. Just as Miyuki was about to do something, thinking there must have been a mistake, Reon uttered a name.

“Shinya-san…”

The man standing before him was one Miyuki didn’t recognise. He seemed to be around the same age as him and bore a plain face.

“You know this guy?”

Reon met Miyuki’s question with an affirmative nod.

“He was one of the first members of Gyroaxia…or I mean, we used to be in an old band together, but he dropped out as soon as we became Gyro…”

From Reon’s vague explanation, he gathered that he had been driven out in usual Nayuta fashion. Reon casually put himself between Shinya and Nayuta.

“S-Shinya-san, did you come to watch our show? It’ll be starting soon so please go wait in your seat. Hey, Nayuta, he was nice enough to come see us so the least you could do is say hello!”

Nayuta cracked open his eyes and without even removing his earphones, he addressed him with a hellishly cold voice.

“...You’re being a pest. Leave.”

“Oi…”

Reon’s expression changed, but it paled in comparison to the way Shinya’s mood shifted. He looked at Nayuta with a look of absolute despair.

“...Why? Even though I chose you. Even after I dropped out, this whole time I’ve been practising all so that I could earn your approval. I sent you all those clips of me playing, right? Why won’t you even reply to me!?”

“...”

“How many drummers have you gone through? After this, you’re just gonna kick out the one you have now too anyway, right?  So just put me back in again! I’ll do exactly as you say this time! I’ll become a drummer worthy of you, Nayuta!”

Miyuki’s chest ached seeing Shinya desperately ramble on. Shinya had the hands of a drummer—of a man that had undergone endless practice. Like Miyuki, he had poured out all of his efforts for Nayuta’s sake.

Shinya was a reflection of a person Miyuki could have been. Just another discarded tool.

But still, he had refused to give up.

Nayuta could have at least offered him a response. Of course, Miyuki had no intentions of stepping down as their drummer, but just a word or two couldn’t hurt. At the very least, he could mention those videos he sent—

“Don’t make me repeat myself…get out.”

“But…I’ve gotten better…”

“Don’t care. Out.”

It was hopeless. Shinya’s face was as white as paper and until the end, Nayuta never even spared him a glance.

“I’ve been through so much, all for you…!”

Shinya tightly clenched his fists.

“NAYUTAAAAAAA!!” he yelled, and raised his fist. Without a second thought, Miyuki rushed to put himself between Nayuta and Shinya.

“I’m not going to let you do that!”

Before his fist could make impact with Nayuta, Miyuki kicked his long leg towards Shinya. He gasped as the precise kick headed towards him and within an instant his body had frozen solid. Miyuki’s foot had stopped right before his eyes.

“Ah…” 

Miyuki started at Shinya, who was scared stiff. 

“Stop it. Hitting him won’t change anything. Don’t hurt your precious fingers like that.”

Miyuki’s words made Shinya’s face contort, as if he was about to burst into tears.

“Why are you saying this…? You stole my place from me…so why…”

Shinya slumped to his knees. It seemed that someone had called for help, as the clamorous sound of staff rushing down the hallway headed towards them.

“Wonderful work.”

Miyuki shot a glare at Kenta’s unconcerned face as he clapped him on the shoulder. After receiving a message from Ryo, Kenta and the live house staff had quickly made their way to the scene. The staff had restrained both of Shinya’s arms and with no will left to resist, he rose to his feet without objection. With eyes filled with a lingering remorse, he turned to Nayuta.

“Nayuta, I’m sorry…but…if I could play with you…just one more time…”

Fed up, Reon grabbed Nayuta’s shoulder and pulled out his earphones.

“Nayuta! Fucking say something! He used to be our comrade, dammit!”

With a look of irritation, Nayuta shook off Reon’s hand and snatched back his earphones, not even attempting to hide his awful mood.

“...Don’t tell me what to do. You’re ruining my focus.”

“Nayuta, you prick…”

Even Miyuki, who had only just met Shinya, couldn’t stand to watch from the sidelines and jumped in to intervene. 

“Can’t you just quickly say something to him…?” he wanted to say but was stopped by Kenta before he had the chance. 

“Let the grudge go. Nayuta doesn’t need to say anything to you.”

Miyuki was outraged as he watched Kenta nod at the staff as if to signal for them to take Shinya away.

“This isn't right! I know Nayuta’s tough to convince but can’t you just—”

“...No, it’s fine,” Shinya himself interrupted, “I couldn’t become what Nayuta deserves. I’m sorry for causing a scene right before you go on stage.”

Parting with those final words, the staff took Shinya away. Reon accompanied him, perhaps unable to leave things as they were. A heavy atmosphere dominated the room as Miyuki turned to question Kenta, hit abruptly with an unpleasant hunch. 

“Don’t tell me you had something to do with those videos he was sending Nayuta…”

“I disposed of them. They weren’t anything worth troubling Nayuta’s ears with.”

With such a cruel response, the blood rushed to Miyuki’s head.

He understood now. Miyuki and the other band members weren’t the only ones that Kenta viewed as tools, but Nayuta too. He didn’t see Nayuta as a human—all he saw was his music. 

He would never mediate between the members of the band. It was Nayuta alone whom he worshipped, and Nayuta alone who he obeyed. Nothing else mattered as long as Kenta had Nayuta’s voice.

“I can’t stand that part of you…!”

Without thinking, Miyuki grabbed Kenta by the collar of his shirt. Kenta remained perfectly composed and readjusted his glasses.

“It’s time to go on stage. The audience is waiting for us,” he replied plainly. He was right. There was nothing in that moment that Miyuki could have said to change Kenta. 

“...Just you wait. I’m not going to let you just do as you please.”

“As long as it doesn’t hinder Nayuta in any way, you’re welcome to act freely. All I want is for Nayuta to create only the most supreme music.”

Miyuki released his hold with a sour look. At that moment, Reon returned with some members of the staff in tow. 

“Are you ready?” one of the staff asked with concern.

“Yes. We’ll head out now,” Kenta replied. His gaze shifted to land on Nayuta. “Nayuta, there’s no problems, right?”

Nayuta raised an eyebrow and slowly rose to his feet.

“Who do you think you’re talking to? Obviously there’s no problems.”

Throwing on his jacket, Nayuta made his way over to the door.

“This is my moment now.”

He walked away with arrogance in his stride, as if he hadn’t nearly been hit just minutes before. It was the presence of a king.

Miyuki’s worries began to set in once he stepped foot on stage. Although it wasn’t a large venue, there wasn’t a single seat that hadn’t been filled. The only thing reflected in his eyes was Nayuta’s back as he faced their audience.

From what he could tell, the situation that suddenly broke out earlier hadn’t affected him at all. Nonetheless, Nayuta was still only seventeen years old so it wouldn’t have been surprising if he had been even a little taken aback. It was possible he was only putting up a front of strength but regardless, he was furious with Kenta for sending him on stage without checking in on him first. What was up with his attitude of, “It’s Nayuta, he’ll be fine,” ? 

He would make Kenta cry one day. He would absolutely make him cry. 

As his rage towards Kenta burned inside him, Nayuta quickly glanced in Miyuki’s direction. With that signal to begin, Miyuki’s readiness settled in. They were already on stage, he didn’t have time to be caught up in his anxieties. 

Miyuki raised his drumsticks and began to count. The moment the first lyrics left Nayuta’s mouth, Miyuki’s worries vanished.

“Damn…I actually made it this far!”

During their rehearsals, he thought he had a good understanding of Nayuta’s excellence but it was clear to him now that when Nayuta took the stage, he became something entirely different. The strength, intensity and element of delicacy that the core of his voice held teemed with passion. That passion infected the audience and lit up the small live house like a smothering fire. The wild enthusiasm intensified with each passing song, dragging in not only the audience, but the other members of the band too.

Higher and higher. Further and further.

With Nayuta beside them, accompanied by his voice, there was nowhere they couldn’t go.

Caught up in the frenzy, Miyuki frantically rushed to regulate himself, concerned that his own sound was demanding too much attention. He couldn’t allow himself to lose control. He knew his job was to support Nayuta’s sound but the fire in his body refused to simmer down. 

Nayuta had a voice that turned people mad. That sound, that voice, it fed him an illusion that even he could grow wings. Even if the Sun turned him to ash, he wouldn’t stop soaring across the skies with Nayuta.

Gyroaxia existed for Nayuta. He thought he understood that sentiment, but his naivety became all too clear in that moment. He realised why no matter how many times Reon had been beaten down, he had never once quit—and why Kenta prioritised Nayuta to such an extreme extent.

 He knew that all kinds of people had been wounded by Nayuta’s blade. Shinya certainly wasn’t the only one with a grudge against Nayuta.

But it was hopeless. There was nothing that could be done. Once you heard that voice, you had no choice but to worship the vocalist Asahi Nayuta. 

Nayuta’s songs couldn’t be sung by anyone but him. No one but Nayuta could make that kind of sound. To the lone God of Singing, Miyuki, Reon and Kenta were entirely mundane. As for Ryo, he might be a slightly different case.

“Playing music alongside this voice is something I’ll never be able to give up.”

Dammit, his body was already moving on its own. He couldn’t stifle the euphoria of being able to perform alongside Nayuta’s voice. After discovering this exhilaration and incredible sensation, he lost all interest in playing for any band that wasn’t Gyroaxia—he felt that more strongly than ever now. He vowed that he wouldn’t give this spot up to anyone else. He couldn't give it up.

Reon strummed his guitar like he had been overwhelmed with emotion. Ryo’s base resonated pleasantly in the core. As much as he hated to admit it, Kenta’s guitar was…flawless.

The audience’s frenzy climbed to its apex. The band’s instruments melted perfectly together with Nayuta’s voice to give life to an unparalleled sound. Miyuki was entirely drunk on the sensation.

“Shinya…I’m sorry. No matter how hard you try, the position of Gyroaxia’s drummer belongs to me.”

He wouldn’t give it up to Shinya, or to anyone else.

“It’s me…Gyroaxia’s drummer is me!”

To make his declaration known, Miyuki hit his drums with strikes full of power.

“I’m totally beat…”

After their live show came to a close, Miyuki had found a place to lie down in their green room when a towel suddenly landed on his face.

“...Huh?”

Miyuki raised his head to find Nayuta looking back at him. He must have been the one who threw the towel at him then. Miyuki dried off his sweat, albeit puzzled by the strange gesture. The towel was a piece of merchandise Gyroaxia was selling in commemoration of their live, but it was surprisingly soft and absorbent.

“...Play a little better next time,” Nayuta said as he wiped off his own sweat and averted his gaze, “I don’t care what happens before a live show. I won’t tolerate a messy performance.”

Nayuta’s unforgiving comment caused Reon to bite back immediately.

“This stuff only happens because you go around making enemies!”

“...Don’t care”

As Reon loudly yelled his complaints at Nayuta, Miyuki felt slightly moved. It felt like…Nayuta throwing a towel at him was his own way of expressing his concern…but that could just be his imagination. Besides, that ‘next time’ Nayuta had mentioned meant that he’d been approved of as Gyroaxia’s drummer. He hoped that was the case. 

He knew that the character Nayuta had developed over the past seventeen years wouldn’t change overnight…but a force like Kenta that only further enabled that personality was out of the question.

Miyuki raised the towel in celebration and finally let out a laugh.

“Next time, I’ll show you a flawless performance.”

“Good.”

“But I’ve gotta say, I’m kinda worried about what happened today. Please try not to get on anyone else's bad side from now on. You’re our precious vocalist, and all,” Miyuki warned nonetheless. By no means did he expect an immediate change but every marathon begins with just a single step.

“Even if Nayuta is a king, he’ll still face danger. I’ll support him in those areas too, not just in music.”

After all, Kenta certainly wouldn’t.

In exchange for the towel, Miyuki threw a water bottle Nayuta’s way. A suspicious look flashed across Nayuta’s face before he gave in and gulped it all down in a single go. 

Kenta smiled faintly watching Nayuta drink the water that Miyuki had given him. It seemed that their drums had finally been stabilised. Now, they would be able to progress.

Gyroaxia’s rule had only just begun.

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[awakeningking]

Awakening King | Prologue: That Destined Day

That night, I had an encounter with fate.

It was spring, during his first year of university. 

Satozuka Kenta laid his hands on a door with a messily painted “LIVE” plastered across it. It was a small livehouse, located on the outskirts of Susukino. In the gap between two buildings, the door was hidden at the bottom of a staircase as if it were a secret passageway. If you didn’t know there was a livehouse there, you’d be sure to pass right by it. The ticket was given to him as a gift, and truthfully, he had low expectations for the day’s lineup of bands. 

Butー

The moment he opened the door, Kenta was taken aback by someone’s singing.

“What is this voice…!?”

With such a powerful voice, it was hard to believe they were only the opening act. The voice was powerful, aggressive and enough to not only grab hold of your chest, but your very soul too...and yet, there was a delicateness to it too.

The vocalist’s singing was that of a young boy. His eyes that peered through his wildish bangs harboured the same burning fire as his voice. The mesmerised audience were swept away in a frenzy as the boy shouted into his mic and fiercely belted out the lyrics. Kenta too felt as if he was being pulled into a trance and joined the audience in their enthusiasm.

“I’ve found it.”

He didn’t spare a glance for the other members of the band. It was only the vocalist and Kenta. The boy’s voice had a draw intense enough to delude him into feeling like they were the only two people on Earth. His chest was set ablaze and burned in a way he never could have imagined. He never knew such a fire slept within him.

This was his muse. 

As ridiculous as that felt, it was the truth.

In high school, Kenta took up music in hopes of becoming a professional musician. For sometime, he went without a permanent band until he crossed paths with two juniors, Goryo Yuto and Misono Reon, and together they formed a group. Like Kenta, the two of them shared the goal of going pro, so band activities proved to be quite entertaining and their music careers were off to a steady start.

But that was when he realised his mistake. What was the music he had been playing until now?

He wavered where he stood, overcome with a burning urge deep within him as he listened to the rhythm of the boy’s voice. Recently, he had been losing the desire to play instruments, butー

This was it. This was the sound. It was the music he had been searching for.  

It was as if he’d been lost in a deep sleep until now. He and his companions were musically talented, he thought his band took things seriously—but he was wrong. He could see that now. Witnessing such sharpened music coming from the boy before him brought him to his senses. He’d awakened from his slumber. 

It was awful, there was no way to turn back. He could never return to a time when he didn’t know that voice. His singing encompassed everything with a strong, thundering echo.

He could feel the voice’s aspirations to break out of the confines of the tiny live house. His sound was wasted on a place like this, Kenta could see. That voice deserved to spread its wings and soar above a boundless world.

During the second half of the performance, a look of irritation made its way onto the boy’s face and Kenta immediately understood why. The other instruments were nowhere near on the same level as the boy. 

They held him down, stopping the young vocalist from spreading his wings and soaring up, above the sky and towards the stars like he so yearned to. He was stitched to the ground and yet still, like Icarus, his voice took to the skies and headed towards the sun. To Kenta, his singing was divine.

“I want to see how far his voice can go.”

With the finest of performances to complement his singing, he could aim for endless heights. This boy would reach a place that Kenta never thought he would see: the top of the world. 

He hoped he could see that sight. Or rather, that they’d see it together.

He clenched his fists and made a vow to himself. Without a doubt, this was the reason why he had come there that day. Even a simple melody is enough to change a person’s life—that boy’s voice was strong enough to bring Kenta to that resolution.

As the song came to a close, the boy released his grip on the microphone and coldly introduced himself.

“Vocalist, Asahi Nayuta.”

Kenta engraved that name into his mind. Without fail, he would absolutely get ahold of him and he had no intention of letting anyone else have him. He would be the one to make that unmatched genius vocalist soar towards the stars.

“Asahi Nayuta. I’ll take you to the top.”

As Nayuta exited off the side of the stage, Kenta called out to him in his heart.

Asahi Nayuta and Satozuka Kenta. This is where the incredible journey of Gyroaxia began.

“That’s enough.”

Nayuta stopped the opening after just a single line and put down the mic with a scowl. In a small practice studio, tucked away in one of Susukino’s multi-business buildings, the atmosphere grew tense immediatelyーan occurrence that this band was quite familiar with. 

After having his heart captured by Nayuta’s voice during that live show, Kenta had called out to him without a moment's hesitation. Already harbouring a disapproval towards the people he had been performing with, Nayuta was easily won over by Kenta. He introduced him to Reon and Yuto and aside from the various drummers they switched in and out, the band had finally amassed a complete line up.

On rhythm guitar was Misono Reon. While still a bit of a rookie, he had the guts and competitive spirit to snap back at Nayuta. His shining quality was his sharp intuition for music and ability to ad lib in ways that would leave anyone stunned. More often than not, Nayuta would loudly express his annoyance at him for adding unnecessary sounds.

Their drummer was Aida Shinya. He had a weak heart yet in spite of that, his drumming was powerful and precise. He wasn’t the type of person that you’d care to know more about, but his sincere personality shone through during his performances. On this particular day, he said he would be running late and thus had yet to arrive at the studio.

On lead guitar was Goryo Yuto. His skills were unpolished, even more so than Reon’s, but his love for the guitar was clear whenever he played.

Lastly, on bass was Kenta. The five of them had performed a few lives together already and were currently rehearsing for another show. However, Nayuta had brought them to a stop immediately. 

The band would often find themselves restarting from the beginning, all due to their musical tyrant, Asahi Nayuta. If he was displeased with their performance in the slightest, he’d bring them to an immediate stop and they would repeat it until he was satisfied, often leading them to go over the allocated time limit for the studio they rented. When someone said they had other plans to get to or that they were tired, Nayuta would snap at them and say, “There’s nothing more important than music.” If they couldn’t keep up then one by one, he would make them quit. By now, the remaining members they had left were already accustomed to Nayuta’s anger.

With a fed up look Reon shrugged his shoulders.

“Alright, what’s pissed you off this time? Is it me again?”

“No,” Nayuta spat out, voice dripping with anger. 

Yuto sighed hopelessly. “Then, it’s me, right? I don’t think I messed up though?”

Nayuta craned his neck to glower at Yuto, who was puzzled as to what his mistake was.

“...You can’t tell?”

“If you don't tell me then I won’t know. I can’t read minds, y’know?” Yuto replied with a huff and Nayuta knitted his brows even further.

“Really?”

Nayuta’s voice made his blood run cold. He felt himself freeze as the tyrant looked at him and uttered one short command.

“Quit.”

“...Quit?” 

Yuto made a troubled face. Nayuta’s current anger was different from the one he was familiar with.

“You’re not suitable for me. Get out,” Nayuta said, cold-hearted and arrogant. Yuto’s cheeks flushed red with anger. Of all the things Nayuta had said to Yuto in the past, nothing had ever been as blunt as, “Quit the band.” 

“I’ve been trying as hard as I can. We’re doing all we can to give you what you want!” Yuto snapped back. 

“...Is that so? That’s disappointing.”

“What?”

“If you want your efforts to be praised then you’re better off in a band playing with some friends in your free time,” Nayuta said over his shoulder and promptly began to pack away his music sheets. Yuto grabbed Nayuta by the shoulder to stop him but was brusquely shaken off.

“Hey!”

“I’m leaving. I don’t belong here,” Nayuta said, throwing his bag over his shoulder and leaving the studio. Dumbfounded, Yuto laughed dryly. 

“...He left.” 

Kenta, who had been silently watching the exchange between the two, began packing his bag.

“Kenta-san?”

“I have no intention of letting him go,” Kenta declared as he left the room, paying no mind to the confused Yuto.

“Wait!” Reon called out to Kenta as he was leaving the studio. Kenta, unlistening, left the studio with Reon hurrying after him.

“...”

Left to his lonesome, all Yuto could do was hang his head and clench his fists. Eventually Shinya arrived at the studio and stared in wonder upon seeing no one there but Yuto.

“What happened?”

Yuto didn’t have the composure to answer his question, all he could do was continue to clench his fists until his nails began to bite into his skin.

“Wait!” Kenta called out as he opened the door of the studio and stumbled into an alleyway lined with bars. Nayuta, who had been walking towards Tanukikoji Shopping Arcade, halted upon hearing Kenta’s voice.

“Don’t bother trying to stop me from leaving. It’s useless,” Nayuta said in a displeased voice, stopping to look over his shoulder.

“You—” Reon began to form the start of a complaint but Kenta held him back and smiled confidently.

“That’s not what this is.”

“Then what do you want?”

“I’m following you.”

Nayuta raised an eyebrow. Kenta locked eyes with Nayuta, whose gaze glinted like a ferocious carnivore. 

“Your sound means everything to me,” Kenta unabashedly declared. Nayuta’s expression grew even sharper.

“What about the band with your friends?”

“It doesn’t matter. Your sound is the only thing I need.”

Nayuta was the only thing reflected in Kenta’s eyes. He didn’t care what happened to Yuto. If Shinya or Reon didn’t want to come then he would leave them behind too.

“I’m going to take you to the top. We can make a new band. One that can make your music a reality.”

Nayuta narrowed his eyes and turned to Reon. 

“What about you? What's your plan?”

Kenta was surprised to hear Nayuta address Reon. Reon, just as shocked, averted his gaze awkwardly.

“Don’t you care about Yuto?”

“That doesn’t matter. I’m asking you," Nayuta repeated.

“When the day comes when you’ve gone pro and stand at the top, I’m not going to be someone who got left behind, regretting everything," lifting his head, Reon responded in his usual manner. Nayuta snorted at Reon’s declaration and turned on his heel. 

“Do what you want. If you can’t keep up then you’re getting left behind too,” Nayuta said as he walked off. Kenta gazed at his back with dazzling eyes.

Reon chased after Nayuta, yelling out, “Hey, where are you going?”

“To another studio. I haven’t sung enough yet.”  

“Do you even know where another one is?” 

Nayuta glanced at Kenta, who gave a reassuring nod.

“I know one. I’ll take you there.” 

“Geez, even now you’re still relying on Kenta-san!”

Nayuta ignored Reon’s complaints and briskly walked away, with Reon following quickly after. Smiling faintly, Kenta followed behind as if he was Nayuta’s shadow.

He had faith that wherever Nayuta was, the music he was searching for would be tooー

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