Target Audience.
By Some1Else.
Chapter 1 : Constructive Criticism.
Azusa really wished Yui would stop swaying from side to side as the song played since now was not the time or place for such antics. She felt her fingers sink into her thighs after the last note was no longer audible. Their music was not something she should have been ashamed of, but right now she couldn't help herself. Without having to see, she knew her band mates were starting to feel a little nervous as well. There was no applause at the end of their performance. This was the second time they had stuck their necks out far enough to let someone other than their classmates listen to what they had come up with when they were actually busy being a club and it didn't look like it was going to go nearly as well. Azusa felt partially responsible. After all, this had been her idea.
They had been practicing regularly for the past few months, getting their sound together and pumping out five new songs. Tea time still happened once or twice a week, but that was down from five days, which was a clear improvement. They were finally serious about being a band. It was a shame that this would be their reward. Things would be different if this was for the school festival, but this wasn't for the students they had won over so easily.
Right now this was for a Saturday night gig at a fairly popular club which was looking for local talent. Money could possibly be involved, however slight the amount. Azusa realized all too late that college students might not be their ideal audience. The girls had been made to stand at the bar counter while their three main critics listened to their heart and soul playing through a really terrible boombox that had been cranked up loud enough that those nearby had no trouble hearing it either. They weren't even interested in the second song. The stop button had already been pressed.
The silence was almost too much to bear.
"We have nine other songs on that CD, too." Yui said helpfully.
"One is more than enough. You say Live Passion actually let you play in their joint?" their critic stated.
In front of them stood Asuka Shikinami, owner and proprietor of the ZanziBar.
"Yeah. It was really fun!" Yui replied.
Asuka grinned devilishly and scoffed in disgust. Her two other critics began snickering as well. This wasn't going to be pretty.
"Then perhaps you should go back there." Asuka said.
"You didn't like it?" Yui asked.
"I'd rather listen to a cat die while it was on fire."
"Why would you do that?" Yui demanded.
"Because it would sound better than what I just heard. That's the joke, get it?" Asuka asked.
"No, not at all." Yui said.
"Did we really sound that bad?" Mio asked.
"There's this website called MySpace. I think you should look into it. Honestly, that's as far as you're ever going to get." Asuka said.
Azusa could tell Asuka was restraining herself. She must have been in a good mood today. Mio was getting ready to cry. No shock there. Yui still hadn't completely grasped what was really going on. Ritsu was positively bewildered. Tsumugi pretended to look at her surroundings to hide her eyes from everyone. Azusa stood strong while their dreams were crushed, trying not to show how bad she was feeling.
"What's with your lyrics?" the second critic, a girl with glorious short brown hair and an orange ribbon tied in it demanded. "That song just now. Was it really about a calligraphy pen?"
"It is about many things, but a calligraphy pen is indeed one of them." Yui explained helpfully.
"I think there are members within your band who are clearly superior to others. Subconsciously, you are all trying to compensate for one another so you can stay together. It just doesn't work." their third critic, a girl with short hair dyed light purple who wore glasses pointed out.
"Go home!" someone from the crowd shouted.
"I thought you said you liked what you heard in our E-Mail." Ritsu ventured, trying to get everything back on track.
That was true. Azusa found the web site, talked with the other girls about it, and got into contact with Asuka. She sent an MP3 of one of their newer songs, which she immediately regretted. In her opinion, it wasn't their best one. It didn't seem to matter now, though. Asuka lowered her head and grinned, ready to deliver the killing blow.
"I didn't. I specifically had you come down here so I could tell you how much you fail in person. You see, kids like you need this type of thing. It helps keep your heads out of the clouds. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's people without talent who pretend that they do have talent. You don't know it yet, but this is actually a favor."
"So what you're saying is you had us come all the way out here just so you could embarrass us and we should be thankful for that?" Ritsu asked.
Asuka nodded. None of the people at the bar came to their rescue. In fact, it looked like they felt the same way. They were all glaring at them as if they no longer belonged where they were. It was true. None of them were twenty yet. Azusa popped the CD out of the boombox which had been meant for Asuka before she could throw it away in front of them or use it as a coaster and placed it back inside its protective case that Yui had so lovingly decorated with several different stickers. This wasn't quite as bad as she thought it was going to be. It would probably catch up with her later, but for now her confidence acted as a great buffer against Asuka and her cronies.
"Put more thought into your studies and get some boyfriends." Asuka suggested.
She gave a curt wave to dismiss them and the girls of After School Tea Time were sent packing in the midst of a flurry of snickers. What a dirty trick. It was all a horrible lie, one so awful that Azusa could hardly believe someone would be capable of such cruelty. Yet it had happened to them. In a sick, demented way, it actually made sense. They had sacrificed their evenings to meet with Asuka specifically because they thought they were going to get somewhere. She had sounded so polite and professional in the E-Mail. Asuka set up a time to do a more thorough interview and requested they bring a CD for her so she could pick which tracks she liked the best.
Azusa looked at it for a moment. So much was captured forever on the shiny disc. All their hard work. Their friendship. Immortalized. The studio they had rented last month hadn't been cheap. Those who had prepared the disc professionally for them had pretended to enjoy their work. They just loved listening to music. That's why they worked there, after all. Liars. They all had a copy of this CD already. It looked like this one would become an extra.
"What a shrew." Ritsu said.
Mio was taking it a lot harder than she should and sobbing openly. Yui had a hand to her mouth as she pondered something quietly to herself. Tsumugi offered Mio her handkerchief, which she gladly took. She then gave Mio a side hug for comfort.
"Don't take anything she said seriously, Mio-senpai." Azusa said encouragingly.
"She's right. Music sounds different for everyone." Tsumugi stated.
"It sucks that she made us come all the way out here, though. Geez! It's positively freezing out here!" Ritsu said.
Ritsu could say that again. This was the coldest winter on record in the area. Azusa had been sleeping with three blankets and a sweatshirt. Bundled up as they were, it wasn't enough. The shrill wind stabbed at them viciously, making it seem colder than it actually was. Tsumugi chanced a glance behind her shoulder, hoping in vain that at least one person would come looking for them just to say Asuka had been unfair. Just one was all she wanted. That was a wish that would not be granted. Ritsu turned around and took two steps back toward the cafe, ready to chew Asuka out. Knowing that it would just be a waste of her time, she tisked and rejoined the group of girls she was with.
Azusa heard her phone chirp as and she took it out of her pocket.
How did it go?
It was from Sawa-chan.
Poorly.
Ten seconds.
Den den den den densestu no. . . went Azusa's ring tone.
"Yes, sensei?" Azusa asked.
"What do you mean it went poorly?" Sawako demanded, clearly irritated.
"There's not too much verbal clutter there!" Ritsu said, overhearing what was being discussed.
Sawako took a minute to compose herself.
"Did they at least tell you why they didn't like you?"
"Not really. They pretty much made us feel awkward in front of everyone and shoved us out into the street." Azusa explained.
She could have sworn she heard Sawako instinctively hurl something across her apartment and break it against the wall, but perhaps that was the chilly wind biting at her ears.
"If someone can't tell you exactly why they didn't like you, they might as well not say anything at all. Tell everyone that right now!"
Azusa relayed the message obediently for those who weren't able to hear it.
"Did we just get flamed?" Yui asked.
"Torched! Scorched!" Ritsu replied.
"Just like that poor cat Asuka would rather listen to." Tsumugi muttered.
For some reason, Azusa found that a little funny and smiled.
"At least we didn't bring our instruments." Ritsu said.
"Don't let this stop you girls. If anything else, you've got a monopoly on the music club. Your classmates will remember you for years to come." Sawako said.
Azusa didn't say anything. She just kept looking at the CD with its catchy cover that Ritsu had designed. Mio's handwriting was the best and she had inscribed the name of their album on the disc to give it a more personal touch. How was her kanji always so neat? Tsumugi had taken pictures of the band that were included in the booklet containing their lyrics that Azusa had worked on. Much like their music, a piece of each of them had been put into the construction of the CD.
"Don't think I'm saying these things just to be nice to you, either. If I didn't like your music, do you really think I would have invested so much of my personal time in it?" Sawako continued.
"Not at all."
"I'm afraid there's more that I should say, but I can't think of anything right now. If any of you need anything, feel free to call me tonight. It won't matter what time, I promise."
"Thank you, Sawa-chan."
"Take care."
Sawako disconnected and Azusa passed along her offer. It was far too late in the evening to do anything and they were all rather tired. They eventually went their own separate ways. Ritsu had managed to put some spunk back in all of them by taking their mind off of the rejection, but that faint glow dissipated as Azusa approached her home all by herself. What the girl with the light purple hair had said who hadn't introduced herself was really starting to bother her.
She hadn't thought that there might be a weak member before, but now she couldn't stop mulling over it. Was it Tsumugi? It had to be. After all, whose idea was it to turn their club into a fancy lounge? Yui was no better. She still couldn't read music. Azusa caught herself before she could go any further and felt like a villain. She couldn't imagine playing the piano, let alone a keyboard. With that instrument, Tsumugi could pretty much be her own band with the right piece of software to help her with mixing. She didn't need any of them. Azusa truly believed that Yui had unlimited potential and if she applied herself more instead of staying in the comfortable niche she had carved out for herself she would be unstoppable.
Azusa's parents reacted the same way Sawako had and offered what encouragement they could. They had both been in a jazz band and they were positively thrilled when Azusa had picked up the guitar. Once they were sure she was good at it, they had provided her with the Mustang she now owned. It was a birthday gift and the best present she had ever received. Her mother was so excited she could barely keep it a secret from Azusa, who gradually figured out what she was going to get, much to her fathers displeasure. She didn't expect it to be such a nice guitar, though. What a memory that was.
In an effort to warn other people from befalling the same fate, Azusa stepped out of her comfort zone and posted a message on a popular image board. She didn't bother waiting around to see what other people would post as she was sure most of them would say that she deserved it. At one in the morning, Azusa was still having some problems sleeping. She couldn't shut her mind off. Thought after thought assaulted her. So many things demanded attention all at once. Weren't they supposed to play at Budokan? How were they going to get there now? That finally brought tears to her eyes and silent sniffles muffled by her bed sheets.
It would certainly not happen this way. It probably wouldn't even happen at all. Eventually her seniors would graduate, leaving her all alone. Unless they intended to go to the same college together, which seemed rather foolish, they could definitely count on disbanding once time finally caught up with them. Azusa couldn't stand thinking about this. It tore her apart. She had put too much into the friendships she had with the other girls without realizing it because they brought out the best in her. This was the price for her love.
She stole some extra strength melatonin out of the medicine cabinet and popped three pills even though the recommended dosage called for one. It was a Saturday. No big deal. This was quite a funny drug. If taken for an extended period of time, it actually woke her up. If taken from time to time, it knocked her right out. It was slightly addictive too, but she needed it. After all, she would feel slightly better about the whole thing in the morning once she slept off a great deal of the grief.
Thirty minutes later, her body was completely relaxed. Sleep overtook her slowly, one breath at a time before nothing in the world mattered any longer while her mind was finally at rest. At least in her dreams she could do the impossible. She dreamt of Budokan, which was par for the course lately. There they all were, standing on stage in front of thousands of adoring fans, suspended in time, united as one.
NEXT TIME : Ritsu here! The man known only as Some1Else asked me to do the preview for the next chapter because he thought it would add a unique twist to it, so here I go! Young! Beautiful! Bold! Restless! On a day like any other, the world is totally turned upside down! Five pure maidens and their daring sensei stand together against one threat! Will their friendships survive? Can the future of music be stopped? Rated R, starts this Friday, starring yours truly. Be sure to check it out!