Find Your Own Bass...
Club Membership Application.
Honjo Rena.
Asakura, who had received the application, flashed a smile laced with a mix of emotions.
"Looks like your lucky streak in life has finally arrived."
"You really believe in that stuff?"
"Nah."
She grumbled that if such a thing as a personal lucky streak really existed, she'd have gone through it three times over by now.
Nyaa.
"See? Even Tama agrees."
Asakura stroked the head of Tama, who was wriggling in her arms.
The cat's once fierce glare melted away the moment it turned toward her.
"Do cats' words make sense to you?"
"Nope."
Asakura made a rare sad face.
"Wouldn't it be amazing if we could understand them?"
"They'd probably just be trash-talking their owners, though."
"Don't ruin my fantasy."
Asakura turned her back to Tae-il as if she didn't want to hear it anymore, hugging Tama tightly.
To Tae-il, who had no illusions about animals being cute or otherwise, her behavior was utterly incomprehensible.
Asakura grumbled.
"Taichi, you've got no romance in you."
"Romance is something you find in people."
"That's true, and it pisses me off."
Asakura considered getting childish revenge by tossing a cricket at him but thought better of it.
It was too immature for a full-grown teacher to prank a student like that.
"Anyway, this application—is it really from Honjo Rena herself?"
"Probably her, yeah."
"'Probably'? What do you mean 'probably'? Be certain."
"I'm still kinda dazed myself."
Asakura studied Tae-il's expression.
Yeah.
The kid looked totally out of it, like he couldn't believe it was real.
Or maybe not.
Thinking back, didn't he always have that spaced-out look anyway?
"Fine. You're one lucky bastard."
"They say my face reads as having good fortune."
"Work luck, maybe."
"Uh."
Tae-il fell silent.
He had been dumping a lot of work on Asakura lately. But he had his own excuses.
"You told me to lean on you anytime."
"And you've gotten so shameless."
Asakura shook her head.
"Ugh. Fine. It's all my karma."
She'd already steeled herself the moment she accepted the application. Complaining now was just silly.
Her only issue was that the lineup was so intimidating, she was starting to lose her grip on reality herself. Anyone would think they were plotting a school takeover.
"Anyway, I'll handle this. Now scram. It's the end of term—you wanna have some fun."
Asakura shooed him away with a wave of her hand.
She'd rather spend time with her adorable cat, who soothed her mind and soul, than keep testing her mental fortitude with this boy.
"Oh, right."
Before leaving, Tae-il suddenly remembered and asked about the vacation schedule.
"When should I come by during break?"
The Animal Husbandry Club was all about raising animals.
Of course, that meant visiting the school steadily, weekends and breaks included, to check on them.
"Over there."
Asakura nodded toward the door.
Tae-il turned and saw a small whiteboard hanging on it.
Schedule
You: Mon/Wed/Fri
Mori Yuuya: Tue/Thu/Sat/Sun
Advisor: Every day
"You're on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays. Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays are Yuuya."
"What about you, ma'am?"
"Every day."
"Oof…."
Asakura chuckled at Tae-il's reaction.
"It's on nights I'm staying over anyway—two birds, one stone."
"You must have it rough."
"Rough? Nah, desperate people do this stuff."
No matter how desperate she was, wasn't this basically workaholism?
There was a reason she always looked exhausted.
Tae-il shot her a pitying glance.
Asakura just shrugged, used to it.
"Alright, I'll head out then."
"See you Monday."
Tae-il bowed politely and left. Asakura let out a sigh.
"Haa."
In her hand was the membership application with Rena's name on it.
"Guess I'll get called in by the chairman soon."
Asakura was starting to feel like Tae-il was becoming a symbol of bad omens.
The school entrance with the shoe lockers.
Ayane spotted Tae-il coming down the stairs and waved her arm.
"Ah, Shin-zzang!"
"Sorry, did I keep you waiting?"
"No way. Ayane just got here too, morals committee stuff."
Like the childhood friends they were, they chatted easily while changing shoes and walked side by side.
They left the quiet main building and crossed the bustling school grounds.
"Excuse me."
A track team boy brushed past in the narrow path.
He wasn't the only one.
Even after the closing ceremony, the grounds were packed with students in gym clothes or sport-specific uniforms.
What they all had in common was boundless energy.
Ayane spoke to Tae-il, who was watching the track kid who'd passed them.
"Interhigh's got everyone hyped."
"Yeah. Morals committee doesn't get busy during break?"
"Just the sister school exchange next week—nothing much?"
Even that was mostly student council work; morals committee just filled in numbers.
"Hmm. Interhigh, huh…."
"What? Suddenly wanna do sports?"
"Me? No way."
Tae-il had started light home workouts lately to build stamina, but he still hated exercise.
"Just wondering if Sakuya's out there somewhere."
"Sakuya?"
Ayane's voice turned icy in an instant.
Her amber eyes fixed on Tae-il with a chill that could cut flesh.
"Since when did you get yobiste privileges?"
"Uh? R-Recently."
To be precise, after grades came out and their postponed promise, but Tae-il had been calling her Sakuya anyway. Her reactions were too fun to quit.
"Always calling her Sakuraba feels kinda harsh, right?"
"Hmph."
A semester as desk buddies made "harsh" understandable on a logical level.
But her heart wouldn't accept it so easily.
As Ayane's glare refused to thaw, Tae-il's voice grew softer, more pleading.
"For real…."
"Fine, I admit it. Might seem heartless."
"R-Right?"
"Must be nice for you, Shin-zzang. Getting close to Sakuraba."
"Ahaha."
Ayane was pouting.
At least the interrogation didn't drag on—that was a silver lining.
"Hey, Shin-zzang, Ayane's got a question."
"Yeah? What?"
Tae-il jumped in eagerly to lighten the mood.
Ayane's gaze quickly scanned him up and down.
A flicker of curiosity crossed her eyes.
"Why are you in gym clothes instead of uniform?"
"Oh, this? No big deal. Spilled water on myself by accident."
"Wanna swing by home first then?"
"Sure?"
Closing ceremony meant school ended early anyway. Detour home, then station—plenty of time.
Meeting someone like this feels off.
Uniform was a student's best formal wear, but he was in gym clothes.
The person they were meeting was none other than Arthur's acquaintance.
No telling what weirdo might show up—better show basic courtesy.
Tae-il nodded readily.
"Yeah, let's. Gotta change clothes anyway—it's been a while."
"Yay!"
Ayane beamed at his agreement and grabbed his hand, tugging him along.
"Ayane?"
"Ayane's super excited today?"
Ayane recalled that morning.
On the way to school, hyped for the short day, Tae-il had suddenly proposed.
"Let's go buy instruments after school."
"Instruments?"
"Asked a friend to scout some used ones."
He needed a personal instrument anyway and convinced her to come along—said he'd help pick hers too.
Basically a date. Ayane agreed instantly.
The mere three periods had felt endlessly long and grueling.
Even the usually brief chairman's address dragged on forever.
Been a while since I saw Izumi-san….
She'd been dying for this date, but Tae-il's gym clothes were a letdown.
Uniform would've made it a uniform date.
She'd suggested changing first, and he'd agreed right away.
Something felt good today. Like only good things would happen.
"So, where we headed today?"
"Butler cafe in Ikebukuro."
"Whoa…."
Ayane's delight shifted to suspicion as she eyed Tae-il.
Butler cafe for instruments?
Fearing misunderstanding, Tae-il hurriedly added,
"No idea what you're thinking, but it's their pick—I'm innocent."
"A girl?"
"Probably? Could be a butler who works there, but…."
No normal person picks their workplace for a meetup.
Though expecting normalcy from Arthur's contact was a stretch.
Yesterday.
After chatting with Ayane through the window, Tae-il decided to get a personal instrument, used was fine.
Luckily, he had Arthur, well-connected in music circles.
Tae-il hoped for a good used deal at a discount.
True to form, Arthur hooked him up within a day.
Problem: the meeting spot had sky-high entry barriers.
Should've figured the seller might be a woman, given it's that guy's contact….
When the LINE message with the location hit, Tae-il did a double-take.
No Comic-Con or maid cafes in my life, and now a butler cafe? What the hell….
As an otaku, it felt like leaping four hurdles at once.
While Tae-il fretted, Ayane's eyes sparkled.
"Wow, Ayane's never been to a butler cafe."
"Same here."
"Ayane's kinda looking forward to it?"
"Is that so…."
Ayane was subtly hyped, but Tae-il stuck to curt replies, clearly unenthused.
A guy with no weird tastes had no reason to hit a butler cafe.
But her casual reaction made Ayane tilt her head.
"Shin-zzang really hates butler cafes, huh."
"Would any guy go to one…."
Sure, some existed.
Aspiring butlers, maybe.
"Hmph. What about maid cafes, then?"
"Why would I…."
"Well, maids are a guy's romance?"
Of all things, maids as Japanese women's idea of male fantasy.
Aaah, Japan's future is bleak….
Tae-il's sigh hit the ground.