Flower-Bird Relations (6)
Is this for real?
Iris, setting up her guitar alone, shot a glare at the lovey-dovey couple.
"How's your shoulder? Feeling okay?"
Tae-il gently massaged Ayane's shoulder.
True to their childhood friends bond, the touch near her chest felt utterly natural.
Neither Tae-il nor Ayane showed the slightest bit of concern about it.
Come to think of it, they're always glued together whenever they get the chance...
Sometimes, watching those two made her wonder if it was really the hot summer she thought it was.
Ayane clung to Tae-il that much.
Even Rena got mad when Iris stuck too close, but Tae-il never batted an eye.
Iris recalled her first meeting with Tae-il.
The guy who panicked the moment she got close—a total amateur, awkward as hell.
Nothing like the carnivorous types in Rena's thin books; he was the textbook herbivore.
He's not even playing favorites, so what's this about...?
Iris grumbled inwardly.
She preferred how he was back then. He was so cute, frozen stiff in front of her.
But in just a few weeks, the guy had changed.
"This sucks."
As Kiriko had feared, Iris's mood plummeted straight down.
Groups needed even numbers, after all.
They urgently needed to recruit more members.
When two out of three were flirting, the leftover one ended up listless. But with even numbers, it was different.
Matching them one-for-one, even a solo could stand up to a couple.
The problem was summer break—recruiting new members was going to be tough.
In the worst case, we might not get anyone joining until next year.
Of course, if word got out that Ayane and Iris were members, lines would form at the door. But neither she nor Tae-il planned to accept just anyone into the band.
And she still hadn't heard Tae-il's proper vision for how to build the band.
We've still got a long way to go...
Iris resolved to have a serious talk with Tae-il after practice.
Sigh. Such is my fate.
She let out repeated sighs—something she'd been doing more often lately. Iris, who had never faced real hardship beyond middle school woes (not even her unwanted arranged marriage counted as her fate), sighed again.
Life used to seem so easy, but now it didn't feel that way at all.
She was at the point where she'd gladly borrow a monkey's paw if it helped.
Am I a fool...?
Even she knew that wasn't true, so Iris gave a wry smile and plucked a string.
Back in the day, just touching the guitar made her grin ear to ear. Now, her facial muscles felt stiff; smiles wouldn't come.
This was her first guitar demo in front of others in ages, yet instead of nerves or excitement, she was filled with irritation.
Maybe it was all because of the couple in front of her.
Is dating really that great?
Iris tried imagining herself in that sappy scene.
First, she set herself and Tae-il as friends-plus, lovers-minus.
It was hard to picture, but she forced the scenario anyway.
Iris, slinging the famously heavy Gibson Les Paul with its deep resonance.
Tae-il approaches, asking worriedly if she's okay.
His hand heads for her shoulder—but unlike Ayane, her ridiculously overpowered maid gets in the way instead.
And then—
"Where do you think you're touching?!"
Before Tae-il could apologize, Iris's fist flies first.
Tae-il takes the hit and goes down.
Incident over.
"…."
A wave of deep disappointment washed over Iris at this romance-free development.
* * *
Ayane beamed, thoroughly enjoying her chat with Tae-il.
Making him worry about her felt so good.
Even with the superior Iris right behind her, monopolizing his attention made her happy.
Just moments ago, Iris's sneer had sent her mood crashing to rock bottom. Now, it soared to paradise in an instant.
Doing music... might actually be pretty good?
Honestly, half of it was an act.
A calculated move to show him her challenging spirit, knowing it'd make him happy.
Whether it was consideration or not, Iris picking an easy song had helped her make up her mind.
No matter that I'm a total beginner, this level should be...?
That thought sparked her challenger spirit toward the unknown. Having heard the actual performance, even she felt like she could pull it off somehow.
"Thanks, Ayane. Must be a lot of pressure, but you're still jamming with us."
"W-what's this little thing...?"
Ayane shyly covered her face.
The person she'd always depended on was now leaning on her, full of expectations. The unimaginable mental high was downright addictive.
Tasting Tae-il's gaze fixed solely on her, Ayane patted herself on the back. This was the right choice.
"No, really. Honestly, I was feeling a bit lost myself."
"Lost how?"
"If you didn't join, Arisugawa was definitely gonna sulk."
He quietly added that a duo jam would've left both her and him unsatisfied anyway.
"A band without bass is a nightmare in every way."
"I see...."
Ayane curiously plucked the chords she'd be playing.
Just mechanically repeating the same chords, yet the difference was stark. It felt oddly intriguing.
Bass is the instrument that supports the band from below...
Like a tree trunk, bridging each section rhythmically.
Ayane had heard plenty of music missing bass, and frankly, it was just okay. The heaviness vanished, but it was listenable enough.
But hearing Tae-il's lament made the bass's absence hit home for real.
"Arisugawa's gotta be super anxious right now."
"Anxious?"
"We're racing against time."
Maybe the longer it dragged on, the crankier that prickly personality would get.
"I want to soothe her anxiety."
"...Is it really necessary?"
"Yeah. For our band. For my dream."
Erasing it completely was impossible. But he could ease it, if only for a little while.
This jam session was crucially important for everyone, carrying special symbolism.
Shin-jjang's trembling...
Tae-il's hand on her shoulder shook faintly.
His thumb and index finger trembled the most.
He didn't seem to notice.
Ayane nearly burst out laughing.
He talked big about soothing Iris, but the one anxious about the future here wasn't just her.
Tae-il was too.
Probably both feeling the same...
She was the beginner.
The weakest link, the one whose future worried everyone most—even if she hated admitting it.
Ayane could trip up Iris if she wanted, but she decided against it.
You owe me one.
Ayane glared at Iris peeking over Tae-il's shoulder.
At least while doing school band, Iris's ankle was Tae-il's ankle.
I'll shock you both.
She gripped the neck that fit perfectly in her hand.
"Huuuuaaaah."
Ayane exhaled deeply, tension pouring out with her breath.
It was such a boring, simple song that Iris could mock it.
Tensing up was the foolish part.
Ayane straightened her posture and nodded.
"Shin-jjang. Ayane's ready."
"Got it."
Confidence shone in Ayane's eyes.
Feeling the pressure, Tae-il preemptively softened the blow in case she got discouraged.
"I'll start us off, but don't force yourself to match me."
Promenade was ridiculously easy—no way to mess up the tempo.
But difficulty was relative.
Beginners often faced a horrific phenomenon: a song easy enough to play blind solo turned weirdly hard in front of others, when recording, or jamming.
Practice fixed it eventually, but Ayane didn't have time for that.
"So no getting down if it doesn't click. Bass is easy to pick up but hell to master."
Tae-il cushioned her gently, like handling a newborn, so even failure on an easy song wouldn't crush her.
Ayane felt a ticklish flutter in her side every time he fussed over her.
"The way Shin-jjang keeps this up, Ayane feels like she's about to play something epic...."
"Am I making you more nervous?"
"A little?"
Ayane flashed a big grin as she said it.
"You're being cringey."
Tae-il stiffened at Iris's interjection.
"Haha. Shall we get started?"
"Yeah."
Tae-il finally peeled away from Ayane and fired up the metronome app on his tablet.
"If you miss a beat, no panic. Pause a bar or two, then jump back in on the metronome."
"Okay!"
Tae-il sat at the drum throne, lightly tossing a stick in the air as he eyed the other two. From the back as drummer, he had a clear view of Ayane and Iris.
Iris still looked sulky; Ayane seemed a tad tense.
Tae-il wondered if he was overprotecting her but decided to trust Ayane quietly. Performance was her domain—no room for his meddling.
"Arisugawa, you set?"
Iris, mid-warmup, slapped her palm on the fretboard to stop.
She averted her eyes.
"Uh, yeah...."
Not like Iris at all—hardly a clear answer.
"Tone good? Reverb's tricky."
"Well, that's the thing...."
Final setup phase.
One very serious problem dawned on her too late.
Right. Forgot the reverb.
An effect she rarely used, shoved forgotten in some corner after buying it.
Iris, who carried her essentials in a case even without a pedalboard, sneaked a glance at Tae-il.
"Uhh, mind if I borrow your laptop...?"
"Oh. Sure. No prob."
Luckily, Tae-il got it instantly.
"Want me to hook up the amp too?"
"N-no! I wanna set it myself...."
"Gotcha."
Tae-il chuckled—guitarists all had their quirks—and handed over the laptop readily.
"This'll take Arisugawa a bit. Let's just practice the intro, us two."
"Even so?"
Ayane glanced slyly at Iris.
Iris was too busy tweaking the laptop and checking guitar tones to notice.
Tae-il explained tactfully, for Iris's sake.
"It's a BARD song, right? Nailing the tone takes time."
"True. Iris is always all-in on BARD."
Leaving Iris tapping away at Cakewalk, the two started their duo practice.
Tae-il clacked the sticks on the metronome beat.
"One, two...."
The play began on Tae-il's cue.
Ayane was a smidge late.
The bass's low end muddied with the bass drum and beat.
"Slower."
Tae-il held the groove masterfully. Ayane stopped, listened to the metronome, then rejoined calmly.
Possible only because drums and bass had minimal variation here.
No guitar to spice it up—just plain repeating rhythm.
Ayane bobbed her heels to the metronome, embodying the groove.
"Okay. Back to the top."
Tae-il signaled okay, they paused, reset to intro.
First try: a bit late.
Second: eagerness overtook, starting ahead of Tae-il.
Third: first note off, but nailed the groove from the second.
Fourth: perfect timing at last.
"Okay."
Exactly at verse one's end, Tae-il raised a hand to halt.
"How was it? Easy, right?"
"Yeah... Makes me feel silly for worrying...."
Ayane looked a bit deflated as she strummed from fourth string to first.
"That's just us. Full band with guitar will feel different."
Key was focusing on her part without eyeing others—while never losing the overall tempo.
"I'm ready!"
Right on cue, Iris thrust her hand up, guitar setup done.
The anxious vibe and sulk were gone; a confident Iris ripped a wild strum.
"Nailed the tone to original spec!"
"Already?"
"If it's me, this is basic!"
"You ear-copy BARD tunes a lot, huh...."
Every performance held a player's life story.
Perfectly copying it let you live as that player, if only briefly.
Iris flaunted a teaser, nailing Promenade's guitar riff short and sweet.
"Well? Identical, right?"
Tae-il nodded. Pure NA.IN.
Everything was set.
"Let's go for real? Cool with you, Arisugawa?"
"Of course."
Tae-il looked to Ayane.
She nodded quietly with a smile of agreement.
"Here we go."
Tae-il clacked the sticks.
The first jam of their yet-unnamed band began.