[5-Minute Short Story] Seventeen

Today, too, the
ridiculous classes continue, enough to make me lose my mind.
The teacher with the face of a CRT television
is talking.

In the seat next to me,
the class representative with the face of an apple
is diligently copying the characters written on the blackboard into her notebook.

In the seat by the window,
the class clown with the face of a laundry hanger
is boredly spinning his pen.

In the front row,
the mayor's son with the face of a shrimp tempura bowl
is snoring away, fast asleep.

If I look out the window from the classroom, it's a ridiculously sunny day.

When break time comes,
the senior with the face of a lion
calls the quieter students, including me, up to the roof.

Paying 3,000 yen once a month to the lion senior and his cronies
is our daily routine.

No, it was our routine.
Apparently, it's being raised to 5,000 yen starting this month.

The guy from Class 2-C with the face of a flashlight who was standing next to me talked back and got beaten up by the lion senior and his cronies.
To have a peaceful school life, it's important to stay under the radar.


Because it's better not to get hurt if you can help it...

After school,
I sneak into the old school building next to the main building that is scheduled to be demolished next year.

And in the empty music room, I pick up a guitar that looks like junk and strum it with all my might.

Like Jeff Beck,
who left his name in history with just one guitar.

This is a special time allowed only to me.

I don't need a classmate who can talk about rock and roll with me...

After finishing another ridiculous class today,
and paying my tribute to Lion-senpai during the break,
it's time for my own private concert after school.

"Oh God of rock and roll, please destroy this pathetic world..."

Just as I made that wish,
the door to the music room, which no one should have been able to open, suddenly swung open.

"Ugh, someone was here..."

It was Takahashi-san from my class.
She's the ace of the basketball team,
and she should be at practice right now, so why...?

Takahashi-san is looking at me with a disappointed expression.

"You're Mineshima from my class, right?
What are you doing all by yourself in a place like this, you gloomy loner? Were you doing something like XXXXX?"

"...Huh!? Whaaaaaaah!???"

I was shaken by such a sexual question
coming from Takahashi-san, whom I had barely ever spoken to.

"Well, whatever. Anyway, if you talk about today, I'll kill you."

Saying that, she sat down listlessly,
put a cigarette in her mouth, and lit it.

"Huh? What? What? A cigarette!? Takahashi-san...!?"

I was surprised. The usual Takahashi-san wasn't exactly as serious as the apple committee chair, but she was always enthusiastic about club activities and wasn't the type to do bad things...

"You, now that I look closely, you're clutching a guitar. That's hilarious."

Takahashi-san, with a face that didn't look amused at all,
requested, "Play something."

She was the first audience member at my private concert.

I had so many things I wanted to ask her,
but it didn't matter anymore,
adrenaline was gushing out
from my brain,
and before I knew it, I was strumming my guitar and singing as if howling.

Takahashi-san, while exhaling smoke,
listened with an expressionless face.

"What is this song? I've never heard it before."

"It's a song called NO NO NO by The 50 Kaitenz. The kids in our class who only listen to lame songs wouldn't understand, but this song is packed with rock 'n' roll. I can feel the thoughts Danny had when he wrote this song painfully well. I'm sure he must have had a school life just like mine. It's one of the songs that changed my world."

While I was speaking passionately, Takahashi-san boredly put out her cigarette.

"From now on, I'm"
coming here at this time every day,
so play something random each time."

"Huh...?"
"Takahashi-san, what about your club activities...?"

With my question at her back, she left the music room, leaving behind only the smell of smoke and a faint, sweet scent.

That day, I shifted my bike gear one level lighter
and rode home standing up, staring down the sunset.

The next day, Takahashi-san came to the music room as promised,
and I played again, as if barking.

“What’s today’s song?”

“It’s a song called Stereoman by ELLEGARDEN.
This song is, you know…”

“Anyway,
do you know Muramoto from Class A?”

Takahashi-san asked lazily
while fiddling with her phone.

“Muramoto… Muramoto…
Oh! The girl with the cream puff face!”

“What is that supposed to mean?
…Well, whatever.

Apparently, that Muramoto is dating our homeroom teacher.”

“Huh, is that so?”

I was more focused on tuning my guitar
than on the cream puff girl and the CRT TV teacher.

A silence followed for a while,
and “That’s why you’re such a loner,”
Takahashi-san muttered before leaving.

That day, I shifted my bike to a heavier gear
and rode home slowly, looking down.

The next day, Takahashi-san appeared in the music room again
and listened to my playing with a bored expression.

"What's today's song?"

"It's a song called 'Chiritori' by
Shinsei Kamattechan.
You see, this song..."

"You remember Hirooka from our class, right?"

"Hirooka... Hirooka...
Oh, that guy with the gerbera-like face who quit school last month."

"Apparently, he jumped in front of a train
and died this morning."

"Huh..."
I tuned my guitar as usual. I didn't care about other people.

"Seriously, what a boring guy..."
Takahashi-san muttered that, scratched her light-colored, shoulder-length hair, and left the music room.

That day, I shifted my bicycle gears two levels heavier
and raced down the hill without braking, never blinking once.

From then on, the strange days of Takahashi-san and me continued.

Even though we were in the same class,
the only time she and I spoke was in this music room after school.

When the season of continuous June rain arrived,
the kids in class would croak like frogs and jump around.

Regardless of whether it was a rainy day,
I would be in the old school building's music room as usual,
blasting my favorite rock 'n' roll at Takahashi-san.

"What's today's song?"

"It's a song called YOUTH by GOING STEADY."

"Oh, really... anyway, when I first came here, you asked me what happened to my club activities, didn't you?"

"...Oh, uh, yeah, right."

It had become so natural for Takahashi-san to come here after school that I had completely forgotten I'd asked such a question.

"I quit the basketball team, you know."

I had a feeling that was the case.

"But you were expected to be the ace of the basketball team, why?"

"Because my mom decided to live with her new husband."

"Does that have anything to do with why you quit the basketball team?"

"You always end conversations with such boring reactions, but when it comes to me, you ask so many questions, you virgin loner."

"Uh, no, that's..."

As I stammered, Takahashi-san brought her face, with its familiar freckles, closer to mine.

"Come to think of it, you see other people as objects or animals, right?"

"How do I look in your eyes?"

Takahashi-san's sharp, single-lidded eyes stared at me with such intensity that it felt like they were absorbing my own.

30cm...
20cm...
10cm...
Her face slowly drew closer.

The sweet, dizzying scent of a girl tickled my nose.

My heart pounded so loudly that I could no longer hear the rain that had been noisy just a moment ago.

My whole body felt hot, as if it were about to explode.

I forgot how to breathe and
shut my eyes tight.

"Tomorrow, Mineshima, you'll change my world..."

Takahashi-san whispered
in my ear, her voice mixed with a sigh.

That day, I shifted my bike gears three levels lighter and
rode home, splashing through puddles while getting soaked in the rain.

Once I got home, I hurried into my room and
practiced the song all night without sleeping, so I could play the best rock 'n' roll for Takahashi-san tomorrow.
And, just in case, I also practiced kissing with my pillow.

"Tomorrow, I will change Takahashi-san's world..."

“Well, this is sudden, but as of today,
unfortunately, Rina Takahashi will be transferring schools due to her parents' circumstances.”

The CRT television teacher
explained it indifferently in front of the podium.

“It was a short time, but I enjoyed it.
Thank you very much.”

Standing next to the teacher, Takahashi-san bowed with her usual listless expression.

The kids in the class were buzzing,
filled with people acting sad on purpose
and people telling stories about memories no one even asked for.

Heartless kindness filled the classroom.

I could only stare blankly at Takahashi-san as she left the classroom.

She didn't look at my face even once.

“Tomorrow, Mineshima, change my world.”

The words whispered in my ear yesterday
echoed in my head over and over.

“I... today...
change Takahashi-san's world...”

Before I knew it, as if the sad atmosphere from just a moment ago had been a lie, the usual ridiculous class had begun.

"...Change... change... I will... change... Takahashi-san's... world..."

"Teacher, Minejima-kun is muttering to himself and it's creepy."

The class representative, Ringo, who sat next to me, raised her hand seriously and snitched to the teacher.

"I'm going to change it!!! I'm going to change Takahashi-san's world!!!"

I shouted at the top of my lungs and bolted out of the classroom. Running at a full sprint like I had never even done in P.E. class, I went to pick up my guitar from the old school building and raced up to the rooftop.

The sky was annoyingly clear.

On the rooftop, Lion-senpai and his cronies were skipping class and playing cards.

"What is it, Minejima? You just paid your tribute yesterday, did you bring next month's share already?"

"Shut up!! Get out of my way, you cat-bastard!! I'm going to change Takahashi-san's world with my rock and roll right now!!"

I trampled over the cards the seniors were playing with and strummed my guitar.

Then, facing the schoolyard, I sang as if screaming.

"Let's sing an unending song!!! For the sake of this shitty world!!!"

Down in the schoolyard, Takahashi-san was heading toward the school gate where her new dad's car was waiting.

"Let's sing an unending song!!! For the sake of all the scum out there!!!"

Man, this guy is screaming with such a creepy face.

Lion-senpai's cronies laughed.

Besides that, didn't this guy just tell me to get out of his way? I need to teach him who's in charge at this school.

Lion-senpai's fist, swung with all his might, slammed into my face.

I forced my body back up with sheer willpower and continued to sing, ignoring the seniors.

The nights I cried all alone, treated coldly by the world!!

There have been so many times until now when I thought it was all over!!

Blood dripped from my nose. But I didn't stop singing. Lion-senpai and his friends kept punching and kicking me, saying, I don't know what you're so desperate about, but it's disgusting.

Because the moment of truth is always terrifying enough to kill you!!

There have been so many times until now when I wanted to run away!!

My body ached all over, and the taste of blood spread through my mouth.

I don't like cozying up to people, so it can't be helped if I'm misunderstood!!

Perhaps hearing my clumsy guitar playing and my shouting, the school building began to buzz with commotion.

Even so, I will probably always remember you!!!

Takahashi-san keeps walking without even looking back.

Let's sing an unending song for this shitty world!!

The teachers rushed to the scene, gathered on the roof, and started to stop the assault by the Lion seniors.

Let's sing an unending song for all the scum!!

I continue to play with unsteady feet. Every time I catch my breath, intense pain strikes me.

Let's sing an unending song for the night I cried all alone!!

The CRT TV teacher tried to take my guitar away, saying, "Minejima, that's enough."

Let's sing an unending song for the days I was treated like...!!

When I resisted desperately, my precious guitar snapped.

But it doesn't matter. Today, Takahashi-san is being taken away to a town I don't know.

I gripped the rooftop railing tightly and kept shouting toward the schoolyard.

Let's sing an unending song!! For this shitty world!!

Let's sing an unending song!! For all the scum!!

Let's sing an unending song!! For me, for you, and for them!!

Let's sing a song that never ends!!!!

So that we can laugh tomorrow..."

My consciousness was fading, and
in my blurred vision, Takahashi-san
finally turned toward the rooftop
and mouthed the words, "What song is that?"

Gasping for air, I replied,
"It's 'Owaranai Uta' by THE BLUE HEARTS," and then I lost consciousness.

I felt like it was the first time Takahashi-san had ever smiled at me.

After that, because of this incident, the Lion seniors had all their misdeeds exposed and were expelled.
Following accusations from students, the CRT TV teacher's compensated dating with a high school girl was discovered, and he was demoted.
At the station where my former classmate with the gerbera-like face had jumped, a pair of muddy soccer cleats, left by someone unknown, had been offered as a tribute.

And so, the old school building was demolished without a trace.

But rock and roll never ends.

Today, too, I shift my bicycle to the heaviest gear and sing, howl, and scream my heart out toward the sunset.

Thinking of Takahashi-san, who is no longer in this town.