Even though they had come to buy a bass, it was obvious that Tsuzuki Chihiro wasn't in any particular hurry.
Besides, since Nina had ordered her a cup of tea, it would only be polite to finish it before leaving, right?
"Failing to form a band successfully… that's pretty normal, isn't it?"
"In this industry… the ones who make it to the end together are rare."
"…Is that so."
If this had been the Momoka who had just left school and was forming a band with friends for the first time, she probably would've argued against Chihiro's pessimistic words without hesitation.
But now, she couldn't.
She didn't argue back, but Nina, sitting beside her, grew anxious instead. "But… we're different!"
"Every band says that."
"Subaru's problem can definitely be solved…"
"Right, everyone in a band always thinks every problem is solvable."
"..."
Great. Now Nina was going into hedgehog mode—curling up in frustration.
Seeing the stubborn, unwilling expression on the troubled girl's face, Momoka let out a resigned sigh.
"Speaking of which, Subaru," Chihiro took a sip of tea before turning to Subaru and Nina, who had barely spoken, "when does your drama start filming?"
"Ah… next week, I think."
"That soon?!"
Ignoring Nina's startled reaction, Subaru responded calmly, "Even though it's a drama, I actually don't have many scenes. The main characters are really Mori-senpai and my grandmother. They're the ones carrying the show."
"How long will filming take?"
"Not long, about a week. But next week, I probably won't be able to attend any practice sessions."
"What about this week? Do you have any plans for tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow?"
The sudden question caught the other three off guard.
"…Don't tell me you guys have never performed live before?"
The way Chihiro said it, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, made Subaru feel an almost irresistible urge to punch her. Probably because she was reminded of this girl's two-faced acting skills.
And her current bad-girl boss-like posture.
"Of course we've performed! We even had custom stage outfits, right, Nina~?"
Momoka grinned mischievously as she spoke. After all, Nina's cake-princess look had been so ridiculous it was impossible not to laugh.
"Momoka-san!"
"In that case… how about doing me a favor?"
Well, it wasn't just her favor—it was also for Soyo, Taki, and the others.
Back when Soyo had booked the live show with Taki, they were given a ten-minute slot, meaning they needed two songs to fill the time.
Hitoshizuku wasn't a problem. Chihiro couldn't guarantee anything for the others, but she figured Anon could probably pull through—especially after an intense crash course under her guidance.
Of course, the downside of this focused training was that Anon would likely only remember how to play that one song. Anything else? Probably not happening.
That meant they had no second song. Chihiro's drum-heavy practice piece was out of the question. The only possibility left was Taki leading a last-minute attempt to rehearse Haruhikage, the song Soyo treated like some kind of unspeakable curse.
For whatever reason, Soyo seemed terrified of that song being performed—like she could see some kind of horrible consequence unfolding if they did.
"Tomorrow, my friends are performing on stage, but they only have one song. It won't be enough for a ten-minute set."
"…You're saying we should go?"
As the de facto leader of their three-person band, Momoka was the first to voice her thoughts. "But wait—you're saying the show is tomorrow?"
"Isn't it kind of late to be swapping out performers? Would the LIVE house even allow that?"
"They don't have a choice."
"…Why?"
"Because that LIVE house belongs to my family."
Chihiro sipped her tea, her delinquent-like posture suddenly replaced with the elegance of a proper Yamato Nadeshiko—a perfect, refined lady.
"...Don't hold me back. You two, don't hold me back. I swear I'm gonna teach this filthy rich, freeloading little fox a lesson today."
"Calm down, Momoka!"
"Don't be rash~"
"..."
Of course, Momoka wasn't actually about to throw hands. After taking a moment to cool down, she finally nodded in agreement to Chihiro's request.
"But… I have one condition."
"What is it?"
Looking at the beautiful girl in front of her, now frowning slightly in confusion, Momoka's lips curved upward. She had been waiting for this moment.
"You have to perform with us. Join our band."
"Eh?"
"That's fair, right?" Momoka crossed her arms, confident Chihiro had no reason to refuse. "I'll send you the sheet music later. Practice it tonight. Our song is still missing a keyboard, but we can pre-record it and play it through a computer."
"…Then why not pre-record the bass too?"
"Nope, not an option. My condition is that you play with us—even if it's just temporary."
Momoka knew that getting Chihiro to join their band for real was unrealistic. She wasn't like the others—she didn't seem passionate about being in a band.
And yet… Momoka felt that Chihiro was someone like her—someone who had once been hurt when a band fell apart, who had cried over creative differences. But deep down, she still longed for the stage.
The real question was whether Momoka could reignite that passion.
For now, at least, she could offer a middle ground: "temporary."
"…Fine. I'll perform tomorrow. But just this once."
"Okay, even once is enough."
Where Chihiro would go from here, whether Subaru could balance acting and the band—those questions didn't matter to Momoka right now.
What mattered was creating more unforgettable moments on stage.
Because if they had those…
Then everyone would have more confidence and hope for the band's future.
"Let's go. Time to buy some gear for our bass player without a bass."
"Ah… okay. Then let's head to that Sunkei Music store nearby."
"What? Why go there?" Momoka frowned. "That place is fancy, sure, and they've got a lot of stock, but their prices aren't exactly reasonable."
"…Because that store… cough also belongs to my family."
"…Are you about to tell me that all the store clerks there are your family's servants, too?"
"Don't be ridiculous…" Chihiro scratched her head awkwardly. "They don't even know me. I haven't been back in ages."
"Relax, I'm just a regular customer there. Don't act like I'm flaunting my wealth on purpose."
"They better not recognize you…"