Chapter 5 – One Day, I'll Sing for You
Sakuramine Academy, Class 2-B – 10:42 AM
"Alright, everyone! Back desks cleared! Stage front ready!"
Ayame's voice rang out across the classroom like a rehearsal director possessed.
She'd commandeered half the room and drawn a masking-tape square on the floor that she called "the performance zone."
Kazuki, in the second row, leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed.
"Is this… legal?" he asked under his breath.
Naomi, seated beside him, flipped her notebook with calm confidence.
"It's Ayame. She probably submitted a permit to herself and approved it."
Kenji popped his head between them.
"Your judges have arrived!"
He wore sunglasses. Indoors.
Kazuki blinked. "Why do you look like you're hosting a game show?"
"Because I am, Kaz-man." Kenji adjusted his glasses dramatically. "Welcome to Class 2-B's Got Questionable Talent!"
Naomi sighed but didn't protest.
She had a clipboard too — much more serious-looking — and a line of names written neatly in columns.
"Let's keep this organized," she said. "We'll hear each person. Two selections get submitted to Ayame by the end of the day."
"Unless I get emotionally overwhelmed," Kenji added. "In which case I'll need a juice box break."
Naomi ignored him. "First up — Takeda."
A nervous boy stepped forward, cleared his throat, and launched into an off-key rendition of a popular anime opening.
Kazuki flinched at the first note.
So did the window.
By the time Takeda hit the chorus, Kenji was crying. For real.
"So brave," he whispered.
"Thank you, Takeda," Naomi said kindly. "Please… sit down."
The auditions spiraled from there.
One girl thought it was a debate tryout and brought a printed speech on the economic importance of music.
Another guy forgot the lyrics halfway through and just started reciting his lunch order.
A duo of boys rapped an improvised version of the Pokémon theme — it was… passionate, at least.
Then came Hana.
She stepped confidently into the masking-tape zone, fists clenched like she was entering a martial arts ring.
Kenji leaned forward. "Oh boy. We're about to hear the raw power of violence in audio form."
Naomi checked her clipboard. "Do you have a song prepared?"
"Absolutely," Hana said, cracking her knuckles.
"...And what will you be singing?"
She took a deep breath. "It's more of a movement piece, really."
Kazuki narrowed his eyes. "That's not singing."
"Let the art speak for itself."
Hana raised her arms, summoned all the dramatic energy in her body… and flipped a desk clean over with a battle cry.
There was a stunned silence.
Kenji raised a placard that said "9.8."
Naomi wrote something in her notes. "Impressive… athleticism."
"I told you I was tone-deaf," Hana said, brushing her hands off.
She stuck her tongue out at Kazuki on her way back to her seat.
Sakuramine Academy, Class 2-B – 10:58 AM
"Next — Kazuki Yamada."
The classroom quieted, heads turning toward the window seat.
Kenji leaned forward like a sports commentator sensing a final match.
Kazuki sighed, pushing himself up.
He walked to the masking tape square in front, hands buried in his pockets, headphones resting around his neck like always.
No theatrics. No nerves. Just steady.
He stopped in the middle, waiting.
Naomi clicked her pen. "Approved."
Kazuki blinked. "...What?"
Kenji shot upright. "Hold up — he didn't even sing!"
A ripple of voices rose from the class.
"That's unfair!"
"How do you know he's good?"
"What's the point of auditions then?"
Naomi didn't flinch. "I know because I've heard enough to be certain."
She leaned forward slightly, voice calm but carrying weight.
"Kazuki hums in perfect pitch. He uses rests naturally, like they're part of his breathing. He keeps time without thinking about it. That's not luck — that's someone who understands music on instinct."
A few of the students fell quiet at that.
Kenji still squinted. "So… what, you've been secretly spying on him with a tuning fork?"
Naomi's lips curled faintly. "Something like that. We went to the same performing arts—"
"I think that's enough," Kazuki cut in sharply.
The interruption came fast — a little too fast — and Naomi's eyebrow twitched ever so slightly.
She leaned back in her chair, flipping her clipboard shut.
Kenji's gaze bounced between them. "...Okay, now I really wanna know."
"No you don't," Kazuki said flatly, already turning back toward his seat.
The murmurs in the room slowly died down.
Naomi, for her part, simply marked his name and moved on to the next audition.
Kazuki sat back down, jaw tight, silently willing the topic to drop.
Sakuramine Academy, Class 2-B – 11:21 AM
Ayame stepped forward, clipboard stacked with tally sheets from Naomi and Kenji.
"Alright, Class 2-B. After much deliberation… and some questionable scoring criteria—"
She side-eyed Kenji.
"—your two acts for the Sakuramine Spring Music Performance will be…"
"Kazuki Yamada."
The reaction was instant.
A mix of approving cheers, muttered "of course" comments, and a few "how come he didn't even sing?" protests.
"And — Aoi Minase."
Aoi, one of Hana's friends, blinked before standing with a small bow.
"She's good," Hana whispered.
"Better than you?" Kenji asked.
Hana threw an eraser at him.
Ayame tapped the board with her pen. "That's it. You'll both represent Class 2-B. Start preparing — auditions close for everyone else on Friday."
The class began breaking off into lunch groups.
"Roof?" Hana said.
Naomi nodded. "Roof."
Kenji hopped up. "Oh, we're doing this rooftop drama style? Love it."
Shun quietly followed.
Kazuki hesitated a second, then got to his feet.
Sakuramine Academy Rooftop – 12:47 PM
The rooftop door creaked open, letting in a rush of cooler air.
Kenji stretched his arms wide. "Man, every important anime moment happens on a school roof. I feel like I should have a monologue ready."
"Please don't," Hana said flatly.
Naomi sat near the railing, unwrapping her lunch with calm precision.
Shun leaned against the fence, hood up.
Kazuki joined them last, sitting opposite Naomi.
Kenji grinned. "Alright, mystery man. If you're as good as Naomi made you sound, you could win this thing in your sleep."
Hana smirked. "Assuming he actually can sing. I've never heard him do it."
Naomi didn't look up. "It wasn't the aura."
Kazuki raised an eyebrow. "Then what?"
Naomi's tone stayed even. "You hum in perfect pitch. You keep time without trying. You breathe in rests like you've been performing your whole life. That's not normal."
Kenji whistled. "Sounds like a superhero origin story."
Kazuki looked away.
Hana leaned on the railing. "So? Gonna prove her right or what?"
Kazuki finally met her eyes. "One day."
They stilled.
"One day, I'll sing for you. And when I do… it'll be the best day of my life."
Hana's grin faded into surprise. "…You're serious?"
Kazuki's gaze didn't waver. "What you said the other day — about people protecting the things they're good at — it stuck with me."
Naomi smiled quietly.
Kenji leaned back. "That's what this group's about. We pull each other up. Always."
Shun nodded. "Support doesn't have to be loud."
Then Hana moved — sudden and sure — and hugged Kazuki.
She froze, pulled back, and blurted, "D-Don't read into that! Reflex! Martial instinct!!"
Then she flipped him over her shoulder.
Kazuki landed with a grunt, but he was laughing.
The others laughed too.
Even Hana, red-faced, couldn't hold it back.
END OF CHAPTER 5
NEXT - BONUS CHAPTER: THE HALFTIME SHOW WITH NAOMI AND KENJI!!
CHAPTER 6: "FIRST NOTES, FALSE STARTS"!!