Natsume Izawa and Nagi Kotohira

...

"Most students go to a Café after school. Me? I'm swamped with composing and band practice. Same as always."

"No carefree after-school days for me. But that's okay. I knew the sacrifices this path would demand when I chose it."

(Good... That came off cool.)

(Self-branding matters these days. By letting people see my life and what I stand for, I can...)

Oh, you have practice today? Good luck!

Are you free tomorrow? Maybe we could go to a Café together~?

Ah... Sorry. I've got to go.

...

By the way, when's your next live? I'm definitely coming!

Oh, me too~! I'll bring you some snacks!

Thanks... But... I need to get through here now... Ah...

Ugh.

Hey, Natsume-senpai. Good work todayyy.

...

Wait, seriously? Natsume-senpai, don't ignore me.

Ah... I thought I heard an annoying little gnat buzzing.

Ahaha. Someone's grumpy.

Wait, was that about us? That's so mean!

Right~? Isn't she that weird girl from the roof? Poor Kotohira-senpai, getting stuck in a band with someone like her.

Will you two just give it a rest already...?

Uh-oh.

Twenty seconds.

...?

That's how long you two just wasted. I could've done one set of finger exercises in that time.

Maybe ordinary people like you wouldn't understand, but time is limited. And it's precious.

Don't make me waste it on something so pointless.

Excuse me!?

Come on, Nagi. We're losing practice time.

W-Wait, Kotohira-senpai...

Sorry. See you around.

Natsume-senpai... wait up. You didn't have to go that far.

If you've got a problem with it, I'll ignore you next time.

And you're no better. Don't let a bunch of girls fawning over you go to your head.

I wasn't letting it go to my head... Besides, you're just giving people more to gossip about, Natsume-senpai.

Hmph. Let them say whatever they want.

It's not like I care whether that lot likes me. All I need is the approval of people who know what they're looking at.

Is that how it works?

That's how it works. Someone who knows what they're looking at won't suck up or make themselves small. They've got to have a bit of nerve.

Ahaha. You're making me blush.

What...?! Don't get ahead of yourself. You're just cheeky, that's all.

Am I, though? I do respect you, you know.

That's exactly what I'm talking about! You don't take me seriously at all, do you?!

Ahaha. As if.

That's what I'm sayinggg!

Good work todaaay... Huh? Is it just you, Natsume-senpai?

Yeah. What are the other three even doing?

Well... They'll get here eventually.

...

(It's just Nagi and me in the garage...)

(If there's ever a time to show this off, it's now...!)

...

...

...

Seriously? How have you not noticed?

Huh...? What's with you all of a sudden?

There's something you're supposed to say. Come on.

Uh... Nice weather we're having?

No!

Oh, did you get your bangs cut?

That's not it either! It's the effector! The effector! You seriously couldn't tell from the sound!? Look!

Hmm... Maybe it does sound a little different from usual...

Not "maybe", it does sound different! Look down! It's a new one!

Oh. Now that you mention it.

I can't believe this... You're a guitarist, aren't you? How can you not tell the difference?

Maybe you're just a little too particular, Natsume-senpai...

Didn't you buy a new one before, too?

Hmph. You put your paycheck straight into gear. That's what being in a band is all about.

How do you even have that kind of money...? What kind of job do you have?

Specialized work...

And you should pay more attention to your pedals. Don't you care about shaping your sound?

Hmm... I think what I've got now is fine.

It's not like I need a whole bunch of pedals to play. Besides, the amp can do some of that too.

You sure are cheeky...

All right... Listen up. A guitarist's sound is their calling card.

Technique matters, of course, but the way you shape your sound says something about you too. Right now, though, you couldn't sound less distinctive.

Huh...? But aren't you our lead guitarist, Natsume-senpai? I mean, we've never really decided that, but...

Then isn't it fine if I don't stand out...

No, it isn't!

!?

Do you think the only difference between lead and rhythm guitar is whether you stand out or not?

If you do, you've got it completely wrong!

Sure, there are differences in where they sit in the mix. But rhythm guitar isn't a part you can just phone in.

Anyone with a good ear notices those things. In other words, they'll know if you're cutting corners!

And anyway, we don't divide up our guitar parts like that in the first place!

*Sigh*...

So take a page out of my book and put real work into shaping your sound! This affects the whole band!

Uh... Yeah, okay. Your attention to detail is seriously something else, Natsume-senpai.

Exactly. You'd do well to apply yourself more.

I've only been playing for about two years. I'm still a beginner, so I might not be ready for that level yet.

Man, I've got a long way to go before I can catch up to you.

Hmph! Now that's the right attitude!

Whenever you're ready, I'll teach you! Just make sure you work hard!

Okaaay.

So this is where you were, Natsume-senpai.

What...? Could you not interrupt my practice?

Will you check your messages already?

Messages?

Yeah. Mahoro sent one. You still haven't said which proposed date works for our next live.

Oh... this. I didn't notice it.

You know how I stop checking my phone when I get absorbed in something, right?

I don't, actually. Just make sure you reply to her.

I assume you must be very busy, seeing as you left half your lunch untouched.

Hey... What? Quit staring at my lunch, okay?

You're the one trying to hide it. Also, that's a cute lunchbox.

Enough! If you're done here, just go already!

No, if I head back now, I won't have time to eat... Can I eat here?

Do what you want...

It's an egg sandwich from the school store. Nice, right?

What's so nice about that?

...

So the "Rooftop Guitarist" is back.

Yeah... Now that I'm back in the band, I need to practice too, right?

No idea who came up with it, but having a nickname isn't such a bad feeling.

It's more of a bad reputation than a nickname, though. You've been claiming the rooftop and playing guitar by yourself forever.

Were you like that even before you met Kanata?

So what if I was...? If you don't play every day, you get rusty fast.

(Every day...)

(Then things must've been really bad during those six months she stayed away from school...)

Still, you don't have to make such a show of practicing up here.

Oh, give it a rest. There are reasons I can't play at home.

More importantly, are you actually practicing? I'll know right away if you've been slacking off.

I've got my own pace.

What? If you're serious about aiming for Comet Rising, you know doing what you've always done won't cut it, right?

Hotaru may be a genius, but the rest of us can't afford to fall short.

Of course, I won't lose to Hotaru either. But I can't be satisfied with just that.

You're really fired up.

Obviously. We can't just settle for Comet Rising.

The kind of cool I'm aiming for is way beyond that.

Haaah...

(That's exactly why I find her so hard to deal with...)

That's pretty cool.

You don't mean that at all, do you?

I meeean it.

This girl...

Mmm... This egg sandwich is good.