"If you're not tired, then keep at it," Asai Yu encouraged casually.
Then he continued, "So? Anything happen last night?"
Togawa Sakiko didn't really feel like dealing with him, but remembering the good news from yesterday, she shared it anyway.
"After I got back from my convenience store shift, someone contacted me and asked me to compose a song using lyrics they already had!"
"That fast?" Asai Yu was genuinely surprised.
Looks like Miss Matsugi really took his proposal seriously.
"Yeah! I was writing until past midnight before I finally went to sleep!"
Getting her first proper job in her area of strength, Togawa Sakiko couldn't help sounding excited.
The two of them then went over the details.
The band had been formed by a Tsukinomori student. Because they were on good terms with Miss Matsugi, they got recommended and reached out directly.
The requirements weren't demanding—simple, upbeat, energetic would do.
Most importantly, the pay was high. Even though it was a lump sum paid upon completion, if the final track satisfied them, they were willing to pay 100,000 yen.
For a completely unknown Togawa Sakiko, that was an exceptionally generous price.
Naturally, there was no risk of it being a scam—after all, the client was introduced by Miss Matsugi and was also a Tsukinomori student.
It really drove home the point: rich kids played rock differently. Poor bands struggling to afford food didn't have the luxury to do this kind of thing.
"How long do you think it'll take you to finish the song?" Asai Yu asked.
"If I take it slow, about a week. If I push myself, five days," Togawa Sakiko replied, suppressing her excitement.
Asai Yu shook his head and held up three fingers.
"Three days."
"Three days? Are you joking?" Sakiko blurted out in disbelief.
"Where's the joke?" Asai Yu said calmly. "Just free up the time. Think about the song during useless classes at school. Quit some of those thankless part-time jobs. Push a bit harder, and it's doable."
…It was technically possible.
But wasn't that squeezing herself way too hard?
Asai Yu: Exactly. That's the point.
Togawa Sakiko felt reluctant, but she'd already endured plenty up to now. In the end, she gritted her teeth.
"…Fine. I'll do my best."
"Oh, and I'll handle delivering the song," Asai Yu added. "If you finish it while I'm not around, just leave it there. Got it?"
He needed to use it to trigger the system's part-time job bonus—after all, composing for another band still counted as working.
That wasn't a big demand, so Sakiko agreed without hesitation.
Compared to ordinary school life, Tsukinomori—the elite girls' academy—always carried a faintly oppressive atmosphere. Even greeting someone properly required etiquette.
Today's classes, however, were relatively easy: either subjects Sakiko excelled at, or hands-on practical courses like cooking.
As a result, most of the time, Togawa Sakiko composed internally while Asai Yu guided things externally with pen and paper.
"Playing with both hands still isn't smooth. The accompaniment sounds kind of rough. But at this pace, the progress isn't bad," Asai Yu summarized while playing the piano.
Inside, Togawa Sakiko was practically dumbfounded.
Is this guy actually a piano prodigy?!
"It's… fine, I guess. Just a little worse than I was back then. Keep it up," she said, shamelessly encouraging him.
A little worse?
Sakiko-sensei's skin was impressively thick in some areas—but the fact that she was willing to encourage him at all was rare. There was even a faint White Saki vibe to it.
Asai Yu was in the middle of practice when the door suddenly opened.
Light brown long hair, sky-blue eyes, and an aura of melancholic widowhood—
The newcomer was Nagasaki Soyo.
She'd come to the music room to retrieve something she'd left behind, only to run into—
"Saki-chan!"
Hearing the unpolished piano playing, Nagasaki Soyo widened her eyes and stared at the blue-haired girl seated at the piano.
Asai Yu glanced toward the doorway.
Nagasaki Soyo?
That was one hell of a coincidence.
Inside, Togawa Sakiko immediately grew uneasy. Nagasaki Soyo—the girl whose mind revolved entirely around her. More than once, Sakiko had nearly lost part-time jobs because of Soyo's relentless persistence.
"She's Nagasaki Soyo, a former bandmate of mine…" Sakiko began, trying to warn him—
"I know already. You don't need to explain," Asai Yu cut in.
Sakiko fell silent. It seemed he really did understand her well.
"Saki-chan."
Nagasaki Soyo walked briskly up to him, looking straight at him, her eyes filled with both joy and concern.
"Mm."
Asai Yu gave a light nod and went back to practicing the piano.
Seeing Sakiko acknowledge her at all, Soyo's mood instantly lifted. She no longer noticed anything odd about the piano skill level.
Saki-chan must be practicing. I shouldn't interrupt.
So Nagasaki Soyo quietly stood to the side for ten full minutes, until Asai Yu finished practicing.
[Piano Bonus Lv.1 (40/100)]
Another 20 experience points gained.
After reflecting briefly on the practice, Asai Yu slowly lifted his hands from the keys and turned to the brown-haired girl beside him.
The closer he got, the stronger that "young widow" aura around Nagasaki Soyo felt.
"Um… Saki-chan, it feels like it's been ages since we last met. I couldn't find you anywhere at Tsukinomori before. Later, I asked Mutsumi and found out you were on temporary leave,"
Soyo said, twirling a strand of hair and speaking in her deliberately sweet, clipped tone.
"By the way, do you have time now? Could we talk properly? I've got so much I want to say to you."
Her eyes brimmed with pleading and hope.
If some innocent, unsuspecting girl were subjected to that kind of appeal, she'd probably follow Soyo without a second thought.
But Asai Yu was different. He knew exactly what was going on in her head.
"Sorry, I'm busy right now. Every day is packed. Let's leave the past in the past—there's nothing to talk about."
He rejected her without mercy, then softened his tone slightly.
"Of course, we can still be normal friends."
With Soyo, you couldn't be too cold—or too warm. You had to keep it balanced. That way, she'd have no excuse to spiral.
Just like now.
Nagasaki Soyo stood there, unable to say a single word of persuasion. All the lines she'd prepared were swallowed back down.
"…Okay," she finally murmured, nodding faintly.
"Good," Asai Yu said with a light smile, then turned and left the music room.