[Novel] Strum the Sky! Episode 11

The training camp, which had been far more intense than the school trip, came to an end, and as the sweltering summer days grew fewer, summer vacation ended and daily life returned. It became a new routine for Sora and the others to gather at the practice space almost every day to rehearse and chat about trivial things. By spending ample time rearranging the songs they had played in the summer, arranging the new songs Sora had brought in, and performing daily fundamental training like rhythm exercises as a band, STUNNUTS was reborn as a completely new band.

For the production of the demo recording to be submitted to the Tyvas event, Sora and the others had Shizuku come to their usual practice space and used the recording equipment she brought. Although the practice space wasn't soundproofed and wasn't ideal for professional recording, as long as no cars were driving by outside, there was no noise to worry about, and they were able to record sounds they were quite satisfied with. Even in the state where they played the recorded tracks through the practice space's mixer, Sora and the others were satisfied, but Shizuku took the recordings home, saying she would ask Kuuma to handle the mixing.

A few days later, what Sora and the others received after Kuuma had finished the mixing and mastering was improved beyond recognition.

"This is amazing. I didn't know the sound could change this much just from mixing and mastering."

"Especially since our individual personalities are exploding in this performance, yet every part can be heard without being buried."

"I wonder if the people at Tyvas will be surprised when they hear this."

"It's completely different from before. If it were me, I'd think they had swapped out the members."

After the playback finished, Sora disconnected the mobile device from the mixer.

"Let's apply right away. We send it through the site, right?"

"Yeah. I think there was an application form on the Tyvas website."

Sora operated the mobile device to open the application form page and entered the necessary information.

"Alright, sending it now."

Confirming that everyone nodded, Sora pressed the send button.

"Okay. This is the real start for STUNNUTS."

Sora said, stretching out widely.

"Hey, I know it's early since we just applied and the demo screening hasn't even happened yet, but before the actual performance, how about we try practicing at a professional studio at least once?"

Rumi said.

"Is this place not good enough?"

Mugen asked.

"It's not that it's bad. It's just that we always practice in the same environment, right? But the real performance will be at a live house. We'll have to play using the equipment there. The acoustics and everything will be completely different. I just thought it might be better to get used to playing in a different environment."

“I see, that might actually be true. It might be a good idea to experience bringing only the equipment we’ll use for the actual performance and using what’s available on-site. The conditions will vary, after all.”

Kotona agreed.

“It’s confusing if you do it for the first time on the day of the performance. Well, it costs money, so I think once is enough.”

“Come to think of it, I’ve never been to a practice studio, so I’ve actually been looking forward to it a bit.”

“I haven’t been to a practice studio either.”

Sora and Kotona said.

“Then it’s even more reason we should do it.”

“The problem is the location. Shimanuma is easy to get to, but they only have one room, so it’s hard to get a reservation.”

Rokugen said.

“Other than that, there’s one on Route 40, right?”

“By Route 40, do you mean National Route 40?”

When Sora asked, Rumi replied, “Yes.”

“If we’re talking about a place with many rooms, it would be the one on Route 40. Or rather, that’s the only one I know. Have you been there, Rumi?”

“I haven’t been there. I looked it up before, though.”

“I see. I used to be in a band with some older guys playing some cool blues, and I went there once.”

“What was it like?”

Sora asked.

“A fairly wide age range of people came, and it felt easy to enter. The equipment was in good condition, and the lobby was bright and clean.”

“How do we get there?”

“Well, it’ll probably be a job for Dad.”

Rumi crossed her arms and said.

"I'll have him drop us off, and then have him come pick us up when we're done. It's only about fifteen minutes from here, so we could also just call him when we're finished."

"We're always indebted to your father, Rumi."

"I've just decided to stop worrying about it and take full advantage of his help. I'm going to make sure we become a band that my dad can be proud of later."

"Alright, let's take him up on that offer."

As Sora said that, Rumi smiled.

*

On Saturday afternoon, Sora and the others booked a practice studio for four hours to rehearse. Sora was first surprised by how little sound leaked out once the massive soundproof door was closed, and was overwhelmed by the power of the sound trapped in the small room.

"That's an incredible sound. My ears are ringing."

"Yeah. Only at first. It really is only at first. That brings back memories."

Rokugen said.

"If we practice all day today, it probably won't ring like that when we come back next time."

"Is that so? Ears are amazing."

"Are your ears hurting?"

Kotona said that as she hit the snare drum. A powerful attack reached Sora's ears, and he felt as if his ears were trying to cope with the excessive input.

"It sounds like there's some extreme compression on it, like a 'whoosh, whoosh' kind of feeling."

"Hahaha. That's the Sora compressor. It's just for now, just for now. You'll get used to it soon and it'll sound normal."

Rokugen said, laughing.

In the practice studio, they borrowed an extra microphone and tried practicing with Rumi's chorus as well. Rumi, who had said she hated singing in front of people, had a clean, careful singing voice that went well with Sora's.

"Rumi's chorus feels so good."

When Sora said that, Rumi smiled shyly.

"It feels so good to harmonize. I usually have trouble getting my voice out when I sing, but when I harmonize with Sora's singing, I feel like I'm being pulled along by Sora and my voice just comes out."

"Your voice is coming out with no problem at all. I can hear it clearly."

Kotona said.

"It's thanks to you, Sora. I think I can only sing properly when I'm harmonizing with you."

"But I also feel like my singing is being stretched by the band's performance. When I sing with the band, it feels like my voice is coming from somewhere other than myself. It feels amazing. Rumi, your harmony feels great too, and it makes me want to keep singing the parts where we harmonize."

"I'm glad we were able to harmonize properly for now."

"I'm so glad we added the chorus."

"Besides, the lyrics to this new song... they really hit home."

Rumi said it in a way that sounded like she was referring to herself.

"Sora, these lyrics are about us, aren't they?"

Kotona asked.

"Hmm. It's a secret. I hope that when people listen to the song, they can relate it to their own lives, so it's a secret."

"I'm going to listen to it thinking it's about you and me, Sora."

"Yeah. Thank you."

As they practiced the song together as a band, Sora's ears gradually got used to it, the sensation of lingering echoes even after the music stopped faded away, and she was able to keep up with the music without any issues, even when they stopped to talk and then started playing again.

Kotona, who had taken a break to go to the restroom, ran into an unexpected person as she was coming out.

"Oh. Hello."

Kotona called out to a man wearing slim jeans and a black T-shirt. The man looked at Kotona's face with a surprised expression.

"Huh? Oh, hello. Um, who was it again? We've met before, haven't we?"

The other person frowned, held up their right index finger, and spun it around as they spoke.

Yes. At the summer festival. You're Kodou, right? From the Russian roulette game.

That's right. You have a good memory, even remembering my name.

I'm Kotona. I performed with a band called STUNNUTS.

Oh, right, right. I remember the sound. Your singing was really good.

Hearing Kodou's casual words, Kotona felt as if the temperature in her chest had risen.

Thank you. Even though you're in the light music club, don't you practice at school, Kodou-san?

We usually do, but since there are other bands at school, sometimes we can't use the room. That's when we come here.

I see, the Ryugamine light music club has a lot of members, doesn't it. Are you and your band participating too? In the Tyvas event.

Yeah, we are. Apparently, that event is connected to a nationwide competition, so it's a chance to make a debut. My band members are really fired up to take on the challenge.

Kodou moved to the edge of the hallway and leaned lightly against the wall.

My band is planning to enter, too.

I see. Then we're rivals. I think only one group gets a prize in that thing. Though I suppose they might promote others if there are any other good ones.

Kodou said this while scratching his head, even though it wasn't particularly itchy.

Rivals, or rather, I'm planning to go and learn from you. Your performance was incredibly cool, Kodou-san. Honestly, I was pretty depressed that day. Because you were so amazing.

Huh? Really? Thanks. But I'm nothing special, my sound is just loud.

That's not true. I was truly blown away.

Thanks. But, I'm thinking of leaving the band around the end of the year, once this event is over.

Kotona replayed the words that had just hit her in her head several times. She couldn't find a single word to reply with.

Look, I'm a second-year in high school now, and next year I'll be a third-year, right? It's the time when I have to think about my future path. All my band members except for the guitarist are second-years too, but they've already decided to pursue a career in music.

“Kodou-san, aren’t you going to aim for it?”

Kotona felt as if she were pouring every ounce of her strength into her voice, yet it was barely audible.

“I don’t have the confidence or the guts for that. In Tyvas, people think we’re promising—well, I think it’s half parental affection, wanting to cheer on the local kids—so they flatter us. But that’s just a frog in a well. I think there are countless people out there in the world who are at this level, and we’re not actually anything special. I think the lifestyle of betting everything on it is fine, but I can’t do that. That’s why I’m thinking of going to college. I don’t think I’ll get into a great university with my grades, though.”

“How can you say that? Your drumming is amazing, Kodou-san.”

“Thank you, I really mean that. I’m incredibly happy to hear you say that. But honestly, if I were to leave, the band could just bring in another drummer and keep going. That’s the level I’m at. It’s not that I’m jealous or anything; I just think that’s the objective truth. If I were replaced by someone who could play just as well, the results of contests or auditions wouldn’t change. If we pass with me there, we’d pass with a different drummer, too. When I think about whether I can spend the rest of my long life doing nothing but drumming, being at that level, it’s impossible, right?”

“You won’t know until you try.”

“Yeah. I think that’s true. But when you try and fail, you’ll be older than you are now. When I think about the weight of the responsibilities I’d have to shoulder then, I just don’t have the guts to take that challenge.”

Kotona couldn’t find the words to respond.

“That’s why I’m thinking of going to college. If I get in, I might join a light music club and play in a band again. But it’ll just be a hobby. It’s a different type from aiming for a serious debut. If the members aren’t on the same page about that, it becomes painful. We’ve made up now, but after the summer festival, when I said I wanted to quit this year, the atmosphere became incredibly hostile. I want to stay friends even if I leave the band. For a while, I felt like we wouldn’t even be able to stay friends.”

Kotona looked down at the floor while listening to Kodou’s words.

“Choosing something means not choosing everything else.”

“When you can only choose one or the other, that’s true. It’s painful to choose a different path from the people you’ve been working with, though.”

“But there are times when you have to choose, aren’t there? I’m rooting for you, Kodou-san, for the path you’ve chosen.”

Kotona looked up and said this while looking at Kodou’s face.

“Thank you. I’m glad I could meet you today. See you at the performance.”

Kodou said this and walked into another studio. Kotona bowed deeply after Kodou was out of sight.

*

After finishing the rest of her practice and coming out, she happened to run into the members of Russian Roulette in the lobby, who had finished their practice at the same time.

“Good work.”

“Good work.”

The members called out to each other.

"I heard you guys are also entering the Tyvas event, Sora?"

Asked Kitaraku, the guitarist for Russian Roulette.

"Yeah. Let's both do our best."

"STUNNUTS is a tough opponent. We've taken the liberty of thinking of you as our rivals."

Said Mina, the vocalist.

"Really? That's an honor. We've also been saying how cool Russian Roulette is. But this time, we don't intend to lose easily."

Sora said in a firm voice.

"We didn't really feel like we beat STUNNUTS last time either. We intend to show off our power-up next time, so let's both fight without any regrets. It seems like there's some kind of prize this time, so there will be a winner and a loser on paper, and even if there wasn't, there's a winner and a loser in terms of feeling anyway. Since this is pretty much the only music studio around, and Tyvas is about the only live house in this town. Let's work hard together to liven things up and increase the number of people playing in bands. If we do that, I think the number of contests will increase, and our opportunities will expand too."

"That's true. Let's liven things up."

Sora and the others nodded.

"Okay, they're here."

Satoshi, the leader of Russian Roulette, said while fiddling with his mobile device, and the band members stood up.

"Well, our ride is here, so we're heading home. See you at the show. Good work today."

As Satoshi said that, the members also chimed in with "Good work" and "See you later." Kodo and Kotona exchanged nods, and Kitaraku and Sora waved at each other before leaving the studio. The members of Russian Roulette left, and only Sora and her group remained in the lobby.

"Just between us, though."

Kotona began.

"It seems Kodo-san is quitting the band by the end of the year."

"Eh? Why?"

Sora asked.

“Career path. They said they’re going on to higher education. I guess when it comes to taking university entrance exams, maybe it’s true that once you’re a third-year, you don’t have time to be in a band. They did say they might play in a band again once they get into university, though. Hearing that made me think. Hey, what about us? Is everyone thinking about their career path or anything?”

“I intend to debut with this band.”

Rumi said it flatly, and Sora looked up at Rumi.

“I’ve always thought I wanted to make a living playing bass. If we’re aiming to debut with this band, I’ll put my all into that, and if this band isn’t aiming for that, then I’ll aim to be a professional musician while playing in a band on my own. Either way, I intend to aim for a professional career.”

Kotona looked toward Sora, and Sora looked around at the members.

“As for me...”

Sora raised her gaze and paused for a moment while looking into the air.

“I... I haven’t really thought about it much. I just thought that once I got into high school, I’d be in a band. I hadn’t thought about whether I wanted to aim for a professional career with that band, or what I’d do after graduating high school if we weren’t aiming for that.”

“I think that’s fine, though. We’re still first-years in high school.”

Rumi said.

“Honestly, I hadn’t thought about it either, and I felt like it didn’t have to be decided that firmly in our first year. But after hearing Kodou-san’s story, I started thinking that once we become second-years, we have to make a choice about whether to continue the band or quit based on whether we’re taking entrance exams or not. It made me wonder if it’s okay for me to not be thinking about anything at all.”

Kotona continued.

“But I wonder what’s going to happen with Russian Roulette. There’s talk that this upcoming event could lead to a chance for a debut, right? It seemed like the other members were relatively aiming for a debut.”

“It sounds like Kodou-san ended up leaving because she couldn’t continue with that. They made up for now, but she said they had a falling out.”

“That kind of issue with a difference in temperature might really exist.”

Everyone dropped their gaze to the table.

“I... I talked about this a little before, but back at the summer festival, the manager of Tyvas told me something. He asked if it wouldn’t be easier to debut as a solo artist rather than in a band. At that time, I started thinking about whether I even wanted to debut in the first place.”

When Sora said this, the members looked at her and waited for her to continue.

“When the word ‘debut’ came up, it didn’t really click for me. I just vaguely thought I wanted to be in a band, and at first, I didn’t even think about singing myself. So when the topic of writing my own songs and debuting suddenly came up, honestly, I didn’t really understand it.”

Even after Sora stopped speaking, the members kept staring at her, waiting.

What is a dream, I wonder? My dream was to be in a band. That dream has already come true. Performing at the summer festival was a goal, wasn't it? That's probably a little different from a dream. I was able to perform at the summer festival. I think I achieved that goal. Because of that, I saw various issues, and now I'm working hard toward the next event. That's a goal, too, right? I'm working hard toward a goal. What is a dream, anyway? Is it something further ahead?

Sora looked up and glanced around at her bandmates.

Sorry. I still don't really know. I don't know what my own dream is.

I think that's fine. There's no need to rush. We've only just started this band, after all.

Rumi said.

But I have to think about it properly. Everyone's dreams are at stake, too, you know.

You don't have to carry all that on your shoulders. What do you want to do, Sora? That's what's important. So it's okay to take your time and think about it. I'll wait until you find your dream.

Sora looked at Rumi in surprise.

Kotona, you too. It's okay to be lost, and it's okay to worry. You can take your time.

Rumi said, looking toward Kotona as well.

But Rumi, you've already decided, haven't you?

Kotona asked.

Yeah. But I respect everyone's choices. Because a band is like a family.

Thank you.

Sora and Kotona said almost at the same time.

Yeah. You can reach a conclusion on that big problem later. For now, there's the Tyvas event. We need to put that aside for a moment and show them our new sound.

Rokugen said in his usual tone.

That's right. We have to deliver the best sound.

Rumi said with a smile.

You're right. First, our live house debut. We're going to make Tyvas ring out with everything we've got.

Sora thrust her fist forward and said.

“Oh!”

Kotona, Rumi, and Mutsuo also bumped their fists together.

*

The day after Sora received notification that they had passed the demo screening and earned the right to perform, and confirmed their intention to participate, the representatives of each band were to visit Tyvas to draw lots for the performance order and receive their tickets. Sora decided to take on this role as the leader. Stopping by Tyvas in her school uniform on her way home, Sora drew their performance slot and picked up the twenty tickets required for the band. As of that day, all they knew was that they would be performing third, and they had no idea what the rest of the order was. On the day of the event, they would be doing a reverse rehearsal, where rehearsals are held in the reverse order of the actual performance, similar to a summer festival. However, this time, arrival times were set according to each group's rehearsal time, so the arrangement was that they only needed to be at the venue for the time they actually required.

When Sora finished her business at Tyvas and went to the practice studio, the members who had gathered earlier were waiting for her.

“How did it go?”

As soon as she walked in, Rumi, who was at the break table, asked.

“We’re third.”

“That’s a pretty good spot.”

Mutsuo said.

“With a reverse rehearsal, being the headliner is tough, right? You have to arrive first and leave last, so you’re tied up for the longest time.”

“Conversely, being first means the shortest amount of time tied up.”

“But actually, being first isn't really that desirable.”

When Mutsuo said that, the members paid attention.

“In a battle-of-the-bands event with many different groups, the audience for each band comes to see the band they're interested in, right? You tell them roughly what time you'll be on. So they show up at the venue a little before that time. That means the first band ends up performing with almost no one there except their own fans. From the second band onwards, you can start with the audience that was watching the previous band still there. It’s hard to get the crowd going if there aren't many people, so some live houses only let bands with a certain amount of drawing power play first.”

“I see, so that’s the situation. That makes third place a pretty good spot then.”

“Exactly.”

“I also picked up our share of the tickets.”

Sora took the twenty tickets out of the envelope she had received and spread them out on the break table.

Twenty tickets. There are four members, so five each. Two thousand yen per ticket. Do you think they'll sell?

I think I can sell about ten, so if anyone finds five too many, I'll help out.

Our audience is on the older side, isn't it?

Kotona laughed.

Well, yeah. Since our friends are high school students, two thousand yen is a pretty big deal. On the other hand, the older guys buy them relatively easily. Also, we can do a will-call setup, so if people say they came to see STUNNUTS at the reception on the day of the show and buy them there, it counts as band sales. That counts toward our ticket quota, so it's okay to have people who you can't give tickets to before the day of the show buy them at the reception.

Rokugen said, holding up his index finger.

Since this is our first time selling tickets and performing live, I feel like we can probably reach our quota pretty easily this time. Our friends and such will probably come for the first one.

That's true. People will come out of obligation for the first one, but from the second time on, they probably won't come unless they actually like us.

I've been thinking about the friends who might come.

Sora looked serious.

I don't have any friends other than you guys, Shizuku, and Tomonari-kun. Since I started school, I've only interacted with those people.

I have friends in my class, at least. Sora, do you spend all your breaks talking to Shizuku?

Kotona said, clasping her hands behind her head.

Pretty much, yeah.

Unfortunately, Shizuku is being treated as band staff this time, so she can't sell tickets.

When Rumai said that teasingly, Sora looked up at the ceiling and groaned, 'My few friends...!'

Well then, let's take five tickets each for now, sell what we can, leave the rest for will-call on the day, and let's just invite as many people as we can.

Okay.

The members each took their allotted tickets.

Since there are no regional restrictions this time, people who are active outside of this town will be performing too, right?

Rumi said as she put away the ticket she had received.

"There's no age limit, and there might even be veterans participating."

"It's exciting. I'm sure it'll be a higher-level battle than the summer festival."

Kotona said, twisting her upper body.

"And this time, we won't let them just call us good."

"But really, we've started to see what this band is all about, haven't we?"

As Sora looked around at the members' faces, Kotona nodded with a serious expression.

"Of course, I want to win an award, but this time, I want to put on a performance that makes it clear at a glance what kind of band STUNNUTS is."

"Yeah. We've been aiming for that ever since the summer festival."

Rumi said, nodding as well.

"Back in the summer, I wanted people to say we were good, that we were amazing. But this time, it's not about that; I want to deliver this band's sound."

Sora said, looking at her right palm, then clenched her hand into a fist.

"That feeling of yours, Sora, is resonating with everyone, and I think we all feel the same way. I think we're all focused on playing our own sound rather than going for an award. If that resonates with some important person, we'll get an award, but that's just a byproduct. First, we have to make our sound resonate, or nothing will start."

When Rokugen said this, Sora nodded while looking into his eyes.

"It's sure to be a very important live performance. For us."

Kotona said.

"Alright, final spurt. Let's practice before it gets too late."

Sora stood up, placing both hands on the table.

<<To be continued>>

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