Better Than Yesterday
Thanks to my ingenuity, I successfully recruited Minami Yoko, the one Lara had her eye on. This was a huge accomplishment, and since it was something Lara herself wanted, I figured she'd at least be pretty happy about it, even if she didn't outright praise me.
"…Lara? What's up?"
"Nothin'."
For some reason, Lara didn't look thrilled at all. If anything, she was frowning, like she was seriously pissed off. What could be the issue? It was like she'd seen an ad, impulse-bought some home shopping crap, opened it up, and now wanted to return it because it sucked. I got the sentiment somewhat, but did she have to show it this much?
As I pondered the reason, a sudden realization hit me, and my eyes widened.
'…Is she jealous or something?'
It was her wish come true, sure, but with a perfect guy like me around, it might be hard for her to get one-on-one time. Lara could be feeling some psychological discomfort from that. This sinful stud! Forgetting to be considerate of a girl's delicate feelings!
"Lara, sorry. I didn't pick up on how you felt…"
"Huh? Did I say it out loud? No, I'm not saying send Yoko packing or anything."
"Stop. You don't need to say more. I'll be careful."
I nearly scarred these two girls for life. Had I been flaunting my fatal charm too much? Almost looked like I was playing the field. I'm Seonggwang, the upright high schooler cheering for healthy teen relationships—no cheating. From now on, I'd tone down the charm offensive and take a step back from them.
"…Well, I did ask for it. Guess we're stuck together now anyway."
Lara, looking a bit resigned, forced a smile onto her face and stepped toward Yoko, bowing slightly at the waist.
"Minami… Yoko, right? We had some misunderstandings before… Sorry about that."
"Ah, no! I-I jumped to conclusions too, so it's fine. I heard you didn't mean it that way, so all good!"
"Good. We'll be working together from now on, so… wanna be more casual? Can I call you Yoko?"
"Yes! Call me Yoko, it's good… Tr-treat me casual!"
Lara and Yoko shared a quick handshake, but Yoko kept bowing repeatedly, like she was terrified of Lara. Lara might have a thuggish face, but she wasn't that scary. Was there some rumor about Lara in Class G that I didn't know about?
"Ah, no! I meant let's be friends! We're in the same band now! Friends!"
"Ah, tomo…dachi? Casual?"
"Yeah. Casual. Like friends."
Hesitant but picking up on Yoko's wariness, Lara gave an awkward smile and reassured her. Yoko finally got the message, loosening her guarded stance a bit and looking up at her.
"C-Can I be casual with you too?"
"Be casual. We're friends. Call me Lara. Shin Lara."
"Ah! Your name's Lara?"
"Yeah. Shin's the family name, Lara's the given. Just Lara."
After exchanging names, Yoko mulled over Lara's name alone, the awkward vibe easing as she broke into a big grin and greeted her back—casual, like a friend, just as Lara wanted.
"Lara! What a hilarious name! Like a puppy!"
"Fine, Yoko. No more casual from now on."
Lara's smile turned sharper than before at the name jab, and Yoko got cut off by her brand-new friend. Whether it was a sly ploy to trash-talk Lara or just her blurting out that she legit thought no human could have a name like that, Yoko looked genuinely wronged. Fair enough, honestly.
"How's a person's name Lara…."
"Shut it, Seonggwang."
"Seonggwang!"
I'd been about to zip my mouth to avoid getting iced too, but then I remembered I was the one who had to drive this conversation, so I unzipped it again.
"Ahem, now that Yoko's here… and we filed the club application yesterday, time to get started."
"Started on what?"
Lara asked, and Yoko tilted her head.
I'd planned to kick things off properly once we had four members, but no point delaying further. Band members could grow gradually anyway. We'd met the minimum for club creation, so starting small with us three made sense.
"Alright, band's official, so let's have a quick meeting."
"Meeting?"
"It's like a welcome party. Some simple icebreakers to loosen up."
Yoko's eyes sparkled at "welcome party," and Lara sneakily pulled out some banana-flavored snacks she'd stashed in a classroom corner.
"Ah, but not a straight-up party. Strictly music-related. This is our band club."
"Ehh… no party?"
Yoko slumped her shoulders in disappointment, and Lara subtly pouted before stuffing the snacks back. I got the hype, but why glare at me like that? We weren't here to hang out—we were here to make music.
Noting where she'd hidden the snacks for later, I pressed on, ignoring Lara's boos.
"First off, let's build some musical understanding between us."
I glanced at Lara and Yoko. They were side by side, but with this awkward gap between them—like a psychological distance. I wasn't some kindergarten teacher trying to force them to play nice. Bands just needed to make music; a bit of professional distance actually cut down on drama better than being too chummy.
"But you're the ones hitting the stage. So you two need to get each other."
Bass and drums would come later, but full activities would ramp up over break. Until then, it'd be basics: songs, member coordination. Still over a month till break, so no rush.
"What, you're not performing anymore?"
"Nah, no need now that Yoko's in. Crossdressing on stage every time would get old."
"Fair point…."
And I had no intention of doing it. Guitar was just a hobby now; with composing, school, errands, and band scheduling, stage practice time was tight. Plus, I didn't crave it that bad.
"So while I'm off stage, our Yoko-chan fills that spot. Ready, Yoko?"
"No. Can't do it. I don't play guitar."
"No pressure. Jump in if you wanna."
"Wait, I can practice! Challenge spirit!"
"Nice. Full of energy."
I eyed Yoko's enthusiasm approvingly, while Lara eyed her skeptically. Frogs forget their tadpole days, huh? Lara's own shaky vocals made her blind to Yoko's greenness.
"Anyway… self-intros? Like favorite music?"
"No need. There's a surer way to connect."
They both looked at me, and to bridge their musical gap, I grabbed the mic—dusting it off from atop the amp I'd been using as a chair.
"With that, our band's first activity: music appreciation."
"Yoko's?"
"No, just yours."
Lara's face soured at that, and Yoko eyed her curiously. Why was Lara acting up? Too awkward to ask her directly, Yoko raised her hand like she was in class.
I nodded permission, and she asked,
"Not listening to my songs? Why only Lara-sunbae?"
"Good reason and bad reason. Which first?"
"Just the good one, pleeease."
"Bad first: I don't like your songs. Least not composing-wise—no need for help from an amateur like you."
"Said I wanted good only."
"Life doesn't flow your way, kid."
That's what makes it fun. Yoko didn't look amused, but I was, so whatever.
"Good reason: You need to adapt to Lara's singing."
"Sounds good… but how?"
"Not bad. It's… unique? Distinctive voice."
It had character once you got used to it. First listen? Might hit fragile ears hard. I liked it personally, but normies might struggle. No forcing tastes, but as bandmates, Yoko had to get familiar.
"So, Lara, sing one."
"…In front of her?"
"Duh. You're teammates now."
I got stage fright, but bandmates deserved better. If it was anti-Japanese bias or something, I'd back off—but it wasn't.
"Lara, belt it out for the welcome party."
Unhappy but relenting, Lara took the mic, sighed loud enough to breathe static, and glared a bit.
"Haa… Just this once?"
"Can't have vocals singing just once."
"Fine, whatever. Any song? Or the one you made?"
"Whatever you like, plus that stage one."
"Got it… What was it called again?"
"Lara Stage Exclusive Final Final Final Revision 8888."
Wanted a proper title, but nothing fit. Slapping one on felt wrong. Would come with time. It was unfinished anyway.
"A~"
Lara gripped the mic, warming up. Her clear, pure high voice flowed out, and Yoko nodded, intrigued. Great raw material—decent even straight.
Yeah, straight-up decent.
"…Here goes?"
Lara queued the track on her phone, accompaniment filling the air. Deep breath, straight posture.
"Let's go."
Her first song for Yoko began.
"……."
"…Hoo."
The song wrapped up. Lara chugged water for her raspy throat, and Yoko sat stock-still, staring into space. I poked her to check if she was alive, then asked for feedback.
"So, Yoko? What'd you think of our band vocal?"
"Eh… Again."
She hemmed and hawed, cheeks twitching like she was picking words, eyes darting like chasing flies, then forced a grin.
"G-Good… So unique! Uniq! Special!"
Forced smile for Lara's glare and social face. Probably couldn't be blunt in front of her—maybe her words earlier, or cultural stuff.
"Yoko, hometown? Tokyo?"
"H-Home? Fushimi…."
"Where's Fushimi?"
"Kyoto… desu."
Figured. That filthy murahachi culture. Indirect shade when direct speech's taboo—Yoko soaked in it too. (Murahachi means insidious social lynching.) Whatever, moving on.
"Lara."
She averted her eyes at my call. We weren't that close, but our quirks made intentions clear from a name alone. She knew exactly why and dodged, but couldn't escape voyeur Seonggwang's gaze.
"Haa… Fine! Got it!"
Outmatched, Lara surrendered and beckoned hesitant Yoko.
"Yoko, be real. If it sucks, say it. Helps us both."
"B-But… you said earlier…."
"Water under the bridge. Speak free."
Lara grabbed Yoko's shoulder, deadpan.
"Unlocked."
"Kuso mitai desu ne. Song's garbage…."
"Locked again."
Sealed before she finished. Stunned, I gaped at Lara.
"Lara! You know 'unlock'?! With your old vocab…."
"You too. Locked."
Yoko and I were speechless; Lara grumbled like she'd expected it.
"But Lara, it's something you gotta face eventually. Objectively, you can't sing."
"Knowing it and hearing it from others hits different… True, though."
She pouted but couldn't deny, eyes down. Objective view good—no need to shrink from it. I played her song to hype, not hate.
I turned to Yoko, who eyed whiny Lara sympathetically.
"Yoko, as you heard, Lara's vocals suck."
"Hai. Just noticed."
"So why's she our band vocal?"
Raw skill, tough listen. Yet she had to be. Yoko pondered, then ventured,
"Cuz… cute?"
"…."
"World peace? Wrong?"
"Not wrong. Covers half. 70 points partial."
"Yatta!"
Yoko cheered; Lara sidled up, glaring holes in my back.
"Nah, full wrong. Other judge says no partials."
"Ehh…."
No real prize, but Yoko groaned anyway. Cut her some slack—our vocal sulks over nothing and ghosts texts if pissed hard.
"Backtrack? Cheat? Biased score? Like that rapper?"
"Rapper? Oh, Brahhknut?"
"Hai. Barbarian ja nai no!"
"Where do you even pick this up?"
Not from Japan proper. Internet ruins people.
"Anyway, wrong. I judge looks sometimes, but not that shallow."
"Surprise… Then really dunno."
Yoko surrendered; time to explain.
Can't sing, sucks technically, no silver tongue—why her? Why me hooked?
"Even with that baggage, Lara's singing enchants people."
"Enchants?"
"Yeah, not great technique, but something captivating. I'm hooked too."
Yoko blushed, hand over mouth.
"Majikoi… ara! Scary…."
Didn't get it fully, but positive. Lara played coy at the praise, but her twitching lips betrayed her.
"Anyway, you'll get it in time. She's not like this live—pretty solid."
"Live… Can't wait! Me too!"
"Stick around, you'll hear. Gotta practice stage for that."
Yoko probably strummed acoustic; electric adaptation needed, but short. Concepts similar—nail differences, done.
"Lara-sunbae… Let's grind! Ganbarimasu!"
"Yeah… Together."
My sincerity landed; they'd warm up despite the ice. Yoko brimmed with band hype, so I assigned her real work.
"Alright, Yoko! First homework for our new guitarist."
"Hai! Sensei! What?"
"Lara's recordings. 100 listens per song, analyze harmony/logic in 2000 chars max."
"…No comprendo?"
Light fled her eyes. I smiled.
"Heard right. Bandmate duty: get used to the vocal."
"I'm guitarist. Ja. No compose cuz amateur."
"No composing. But arrange—yes. You're onstage, so direct feedback."
Wanted Lara for that, but zero theory knowledge; her "shiny melody" vagueness wrecked revisions. Yoko fixed that.
"Gotta grasp her habits deep!"
"……."
Band excitement gone; she looked like a kidnap victim plotting escape. But no quitting, no refusing me. To me, she was absolute beta.
"Wanted VOCALOID? Free tunes?"
"……."
"Don't know Seyroku? Composer Hoshikira charges. Band discount—else 300k commission."
Yoko trembled, swallowing tears, spitting her new habit:
"Shibaru…."
This quiet dawn was too savage for fragile Japanese. Felt K-spicy yet, Minami Yoko? Don't underestimate Korea again.
*Flutter.*