After my heart-to-heart with Airi, we both decided to go back to school. Even though we had missed months of school since we were literally the top two in our grade it wasn't hard to catch up.
For the most part, our return received a warm welcome. Since Airi had kept in contact with a few girls she was close to they knew the reason we were absent. Of course, that didn't stop a few people from spreading that we had been skipping school to mess around. But that didn't bother me as I knew it was just out of jealousy.
Since we were popular in school mainly because both of us were considered attractive, we were also good at academics due to the fact that both of us had already been through middle school before. Adding in the fact we were good at athletics because we had basically exercised daily since we were 4 years old. We were basically considered a power couple in school since we were 1st years, it didn't help that we basically stuck together like glue. Though this didn't stop people from asking us out having both received the iconic love letters numerous times since the beginning of school.
Though while Airi was popular with both girls and boys. I was popular with girls but considerably less so with boys. It didn't bother me though as I still had a few I could call friends.
…
During lunch break, as we were sitting on the rooftop eating Airi suddenly got my attention.
"Do you want me to feed you?"
"Only if you want to"
"Hmm"
"So do you?"
"…not really"
"See like I could see if either of us made the food we were eating and we wanted the other to try it but your mother made both of our lunches"
"I know it's just that we've been dating for weeks now and other than a handful of dates and some handsy make-out sessions we don't really act like a couple"
"I mean whose definition of a couple are you talking about?"
"Hmm, I don't know society's?"
"Uhh, you do realize that the entire school thought we were a couple since our first day, right?" When she heard my rhetorical question her eyes immediately went wide.
"Ohh yeah how'd I forget that"
"Look we've been together for over a decade and that's not even counting our past lives, we train together eat together we're in a band together heck we even slept together even before going out so let's not worry about society, and just do our own thing."
"Yeah, you're right, Hehe I suddenly want to kiss you." She said while wrapping her hands around my neck.
"As long as that's what you want," I said with a smile. As soon as I finished my sentence her lips were on mine.
…
As we were walking home holding hands Airi's voice suddenly reached my ears.
"Did you see Jiro's text in the group chat?"
"Yeah, she wants to know if we're up for a gig next weekend, right?"
"Yeah, I think it's a good idea it's a good opportunity to vent your emotions"
"Hmm alright you can let her know we're in, but we should probably meet up to practice I've written some new songs and we have played in a while"
"Yess! Alright I'll let her know"
The week came and went and it was time for our gig. As we were getting everything ready Jiro decided to voice her concerns.
"Sorry for asking to do a gig with everything that's going on, I hope you didn't feel pressured."
"No worries I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be, it'll be a good opportunity to work out some stress"
"Ok, that's good and lemme know if you ever need anything"
"Will do" Once everything was ready, we each took our positions. The venue we were currently at was noticeably different from where we had first played. Over the past year or so we had built up a pretty good reputation in the underground scene. We were at a bigger venue with its own standing section. Looking towards Airi and Jiro I received a nod from both of them, so I turned to face the crowd.
"Hello, we are The Modal Nodes this first song is called Broken Youth please take care of us!" And with that introduction, we began to play.
…
(Jiro's POV)
As soon as he finished the introduction the medley of instruments came in. Then half a beat later you could clearly hear his guitar jump into the fray. Slowly followed by the singing of lyrics,
"The young give up everything for such 'easy' reasons. You see, I already called out to the rescue squad. I told you please kiss me, please kiss me. All night, all night… All night.
The scar on my right eyelid itches and I remember him. 'He who strikes first wins,' and since then, I wonder what sort of changes have come to that simple-minded you…"
His voice had gotten deeper in the past year but thin enough to know he was in his youth. It still carried that slight hoarseness that made it so attractive to the ear. The crowd immediately reacted to the song jumping and dancing turning the venue into a jovial atmosphere.
Time flew by in what felt like a blink of an eye and I found myself wishing this moment could last forever. As if to crush my hopes I heard Akira voice announce,
"Thank you for everything this will be our last song, this song is for my mother I hope she gets well, it's called Re:Re!" With that said he immediately began to pluck at the strings of the guitar. Then me and Airi joined in followed by the voice of the boy that I had slowly come to admire."
"I waited for you, yes, I waited. As tomorrows passed seamlessly into each other. We stopped and turned around, and we lamented the endless today.
Memories are things that don't last forever. Coming to that realization tore me up for so long. Then I cried in the corner of my heart, so I beg of you, don't lose them those days we spent under the overpass. I've been regretting the day I missed my chance to tell you that…"
I could feel the emotion in his voice as he sang of his regrets. Then as I was concentrating on playing the bass out of the corner of my eye, I saw a glint of crystalline tears reflected off the lights from above. I was so surprised by what I saw that I almost messed up the rhythm of my playing.
Akira had always been serene and calm it seemed only when he was on stage that he could let his emotions fully out.