Walk-ON! Day and Night
Chapter 10:
Anyway You Want It
And so, the morning came over the United Kingdom, and the business went on and on regarding the more important things that were set to change society in the land that Hokago Tea Time was visiting. The next morning in London, Azusa Nakano had a yawn over toast and tea. At the Hotel Ibis, there was a cafe that was serving breakfast. Trays of fruit and muesli sat in between two oatmeal stations. Azusa didn't have much sleep to begin with, and sometimes she felt like she was babysitting her seniors, a sort of chauffeur to them. It felt so out of place, but that was what she had to put up with. Perhaps this whole trip to England was a proving ground for her to test her leadership and reliability. After all, she was slated to receive the keys to the light music club by the end of March. If that was the case, then seeing all these places in London was her reward.
Ui Hirasawa, her self-proclaimed significant other, was with her. The others would come down in a bit. "You always keep talking about these Premier League players and Manny Pacquiao, but what about rugby?" Azusa asked Ui.
"What about it?"
"Are there any teams in England that you like that play rugby?"
"Well, there is this thing called the English Premiership, currently known as Aviva Premiership Rugby or more commonly the Aviva Premiership because of the league's sponsorship by Aviva. This is a professional league competition for rugby union football clubs in the top division of the English rugby union system. There are twelve clubs in the Premiership. The competition has been played since 1987, and has evolved into the current Premiership system employing relegation to and promotion from the RFU Championship, known as National Division One before the 2009–10 season. Clubs competing in the Premiership qualify for Europe's two club competitions, the Heineken Cup and the European Challenge Cup.
"If you were to ask me what my favorite team in that league is, I would say Harlequins. I like the name, I like the logo, and actually I would like to cosplay as the logo one day. And they've got a good stadium name: Twickenham Stoop. It shouldn't be confused with the bigger Twickenham Stadium, which is the home of the England Rugby Football Union and their national team."
"Oh, I see." A pause. "But you need to stop staring at me like that, because we're only having breakfast!" Azusa exclaimed. "Jeez!"
However, Ui was lost in her thoughts once again, still wondering about the type of song she wanted to write for Azusa while nibbling over her toast with strawberry jam. "Why is she getting mad at me?" Ui thought. "Is it because I'm being too much of a problem for her? Or is it because I am thinking too much over what song I want to write for her that she is starting to have all these unusual feelings she has for me? I wonder what it is that's made her so...tsundere..."
Back into the cold Ui Hirasawa and the others went. She elected to play another song from her iPad, just to get a clearer idea of what she wanted with her life.
"Any way you want it
You can call me any day - ay, hey, hey
Any way you want it
You can always hear me say - ay, hey, hey
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright
Any way you want it
It's the way it will be
You don't want money
You don't want a diamond ring - ay, hey, hey
You say you want my lovin' more than any other thing - ay, hey, hey
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright
Any way you want it
It's the way it will be
Any way - any way you want it
That's alright by me
Any way - any way you want it
That's the way it will be
Any way you want it
You can call me any day - ay, hey, hey
Any way you want it
You can always hear me say - ay, hey, hey
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright
Any way you want it
It's the way it will be
Any way - any way you want it
That's alright by me
Any way - any way you want it
That's the way it will be
Any way you want it
You can call me any day - ay, hey, hey
Any way you want it
You can always hear me say - ay, hey, hey
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright
Any way you want it
It's the way it will be
That's the way it will be
That's the way it will be
That's the way it will be..."
"It's another beautiful morning in beautiful London town," said Ui to an invisible camera. "Ain't that right? And then I ask myself, how can I conceptualize the song if I am so infatuated with the daily comings and goings of modern British society? All I can think about is me tribbing with Azunyan one more time, with the gutter being my prison of lust." Ui passed by Brompton Cemetery and looked at a few locals doing the Madness strut. "I need to get my mind out of the gutter. She is a woman, not a toy or a pet cat, Azunyan is!"
Ui looked at the headstones and came to terms with her own death, which would come several decades from now. She had too much to look forward to. "If my life was worth living, would I want to be buried like this?" she thought. "Or would I want my ashes to be scattered over the ocean? No, Ui, it is too early to think about such things! Think about the song! The song!" She continued her walk down. "A few recycling only bins. Must be full of bottles and cans," she said. "A moving billboard here, a moving billboard there. And a goal from 40 meters! And the crowd goes wild while the cars zoom by in the distance."
Azusa ran over to her. "Ui-sempai! Where are you going?"
"Azunyan! No, I was thinking about where I am at this point in time."
"We're going to leave you behind! Let's go!"
"All right..."
The five girls went to another music store in Camden to check out some instruments on sale. Antique guitars were juxtaposed to newer models, which in turn were juxtaposed to old records of Dick Dale. "Now this is my definition of London," Ritsu Tainaka said to Mio Akiyama.
"It is, is it?"
"Yep!"
"Now there's the same model as Ui-sempai's guitar," said Azusa to Tsumugi Kotobuki, pointing to a Gibson Les Paul Cherry Sunburst.
"Nicely identified."
Still, Ui was thinking about the song. "I need to think of a grand-scale song for Azunyan, but..." She couldn't think of anything else. Sometimes she wished she stayed away from the others so that she could actually find something that made her realize what she was thinking about, and the solution that followed. Being with the others, given her state of mind, was nothing short of annoying.
"The prices of these guitars is comparable to the prices in Sakuragaoka, so there isn't much of a dropoff, if any," Azusa said to Mugi.
"Duly noted."
An hour later, after taking the Underground to Tower Hill Station, Mio Akiyama was on the run. "Waaaaaaah!" As were the others. The girls passed by another pack of dogs that were barking at them.
Somehow, Ui was not thinking about the exercise she was getting, but rather the song. "Going on the run from a pack of dogs is not the solution." Indeed, it was becoming bothersome for Ui to be with the others.
Minutes afterward, Ui was standing on a platform, viewing the Tower of London, as if to find some sort of inspiration. The Tower of London has played a prominent role in English history. It was besieged several times and controlling it has been important to controlling the country. The Tower has served variously as an armory, a treasury, a menagerie, the home of the Royal Mint, a public records office, and the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. From the early 14th century until the reign of Charles II, a procession would be led from the Tower to Westminster Abbey on the coronation of a monarch. In the absence of the monarch, the Constable of the Tower is in charge of the castle. This was a powerful and trusted position in the medieval period. In the late 15th century the castle was the prison of the Princes in the Tower. Under the Tudors, the Tower became used less as a royal residence, and despite attempts to refortify and repair the castle its defenses lagged behind developments to deal with artillery.
Ui continued to stand on the platform, scanning the Traitor's Gate surrounding the Tower of London, also known as Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress. She noticed the skyscrapers under construction—the new that were soon to pierce the skyline in grand fashion like the offices of the Pinnacle, whose helter-skelter construction would be stalled months later due to lack of funding.
Ritsu received a text message on her mobile and opened it. The others took a look as well. "This is from Ms. Kawakami," she said. "Hello?"
"Thanks for the other day," said Ms. Kawakami, the live house manager that used to host HTT. It was nighttime down in Tokyo.
"No problem."
"Hey, I want to talk to them, too," said Norimi Kawaguchi, a close friend of Sawako Yamanaka, from the band Death Devil. "You mind?"
"Hold on a bit," Kawakami said. "I heard from Maki-chan that you were in London, too."
"That's right, we are," Ritsu replied.
"I have a little request for you guys..." Kawakami gave the details to the band. London Bridge, with its flags of the United Kingdom and England, shone down on the visitors and locals that walked underneath. "There's an event in the city that's here to spread Japanese pop culture. Love Crises and Black Frill are going to perform. Would you guys like to as well?"
"Hmmmm..."
"It's tomorrow afternoon. Are you still gonna be there?" Kawakami asked.
"Yes."
"All right, I'll email you the details so you can make up your minds. Thanks." A few seagulls weaved their way around the helter-skelter monument to soon-to-be-delayed construction in the town.
Nearby, at the Gloucester Arcade, was another Tesco, and the girls were looking for some more snacks to keep themselves full for at least one more day. Not surprisingly, they were looking for a lead in the biscuits section. "Well, we'd be representing the high school bands in Japan," Ritsu said to the others. "I think it would be a good idea for us to make ourselves known."
"Hey, you guys," Ui said. "You know, if someone from Japan send you an email here in the United Kingdom, it hasn't traveled back in time, has it?"
"Why do you ask that?"
"Because that's something Yui wanted to ask me to ask you guys. I just wanted your thoughts."
"I can tell you that it hasn't," Azusa replied.
"Yeah, cause in Japan, it's already tomorrow down over there."
"Pretty much..." They continued to do their shopping and bumped into an unusual-looking blue-haired girl with an eyepatch and her boyfriend, an unassuming boy with brown hair and green eyes. "Ooooh, sorry about that."
"Excuse me, are you Hokago Tea Time?" asked Rikka Takanashi, who apparently was on holiday as well with Yuuta Togashi.
"Yes, we are," Azusa said.
"Wow. I am a fan of your band, and I am so glad to have met you here! I'm Rikka Takanashi, by the way."
"I'm Yuuta Togashi. Rikka, Shinka and I love your music," Yuuta said. "Hey Shinka, Kumin and Sanae, get over here, it's HTT!"
"Hi!" said a girl with long, brown hair, walking over to them. "I'm Shinka Nibutani."
"It's you guys!" said another girl with light long beige pigtails. "Sanae Dekomori, by the way."
"We're getting well-known out here," Ui said.
"We love your music, and we are honored to have met you wonderful people," said a girl with short grey hair. "I'm Kumin Tsuyuri." Handshakes and hugs were exchanged.
"Thanks for supporting our music and our band," Mio said.
"We're honored to have performed for fans like you," added Mugi.
"Thanks for saying hi to us," said Ui. "Should we all take a group photo?"
"Let's do it!" said Rikka. A local took a group photo of everyone. "Thanks a lot. Take care of yourselves," she said, striking a pose.
"You too, you guys, see you next time!" Ui said as Rikka, Yuuta, Sanae, Shinka and Kumin left the store.
That left the Hokago Tea Time girls to themselves once again. "So what should we do?" Mugi asked them as they went to check out.
"I have to say that the invitation for us to perform was quite sudden," Mio added.
"I think we should send an email to the future and tell them that we accept the invitation," said Ui.
"Ui-sempai, you may be all in for accepting the invitation, but we all have to agree to it, so settle down," Azusa said to her.
"Suit yourselves, guys."
"So should we refuse?" Ritsu asked them as they checked out and left the store.
"No, I think it's our duty to perform and let the people know who we are," Ui said to them. "You guys don't want to? But you will all be missing out! I mean come on, let's be honest, aren't you guys lucky to be in a place like this and perform in a place like this? We're at a crossroads in terms of getting our name out there! Why sell yourselves short? I mean, it won't end up like what happened at that sushi place, either, so there's that."
Azusa, Mio and Mugi were not impressed by Ui's opinion. "That's not the problem here," said Azusa.
"I want to do it too!" Mugi said to the others.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt," Mio said.
"Then that's settled!" Ritsu said to them. "I'll send the reply to Kawakami that we accept the invitation." She pressed a button and asked everyone to come forward. Mio did, Mugi did, and Ui did. That left Azusa.
"Come on, Azunyan, join us!" said Ui.
"Oh?" Well, it was her duty. Azusa was, of course, the last to accept. All five of them had their hands on the phone.
Ritsu counted down. "3...2...1...and Send! Done!" And it was sent.
"There it is," Ui said. "An email sent to the future."
Azusa was carry the bag of goods for the others. "Um...there's a problem with this."
"What is it," Ui said to her.
"We're flying home tomorrow..."
"We know. So we can perform, then we take a cab to the airport."
"You think we're gonna be able to make it?"
"Absolutely. Why not? We're on a schedule, anyway."
"When was our flight again?" Mio asked as Ritsu pulled out her mobile.
"We need to get to the airport by 5 p.m. BST," Azusa said.
"According to what we have here, the performance starts at 4 p.m. BST," Ritsu said.
"No, we don't have to worry about it. We just have to get there before the plane takes off. And we should consider performing first, to save time," Ui added, flashing a peace sign.
"Is that a peace sign?" Ritsu deadpanned.
"Yes, it is. But if I were to turn my hand around, then it's essentially the British version of the middle finger," she explained.
"You know, I worry when you tell us not to worry," Azusa said. "Must be because of my feelings for you or something, but it always happens."
"Heh."
Back at the Hotel Ibis, Ui was in her orange pajamas, looking at some stuff she wrote. "I wanted to write an English a rendition of 'Melissa'."
"Porno Graffiti?" Azusa asked.
"Yeah, a little parody."
"How does it go?" Mugi asked.
"Here's how it goes."
"Take my breath away.
Bring the light of day.
Always on my mind, don't let me go.
Let me kiss your face.
Just the two of us,
We're in that special place.
Love. I never thought that
You would be the only one for me!
There were times I wondered,
Did I have to feel this way?
Many fights, many lost days, many nights
I would kneel down and pray.
I suppose I only live to worry over you.
Destiny is on our side, can't you see?
Oh, if you only knew!
This heart, it's beating like a drum.
Beats for you and me when we become one.
Pure and white, the morning sun it shines so brightly.
I'm not afraid anymore,
I'm waiting here at your door,
Cause we're together!
Take my breath away.
Bring the light of day.
Always on my mind, don't let me go.
Let me kiss your face.
Just the two of us,
We're in that special place.
Love. I never thought that
You would be the only one for me!
Going home, I look at you and then you say my name
With a sigh. I know this isn't goodbye,
Cause it won't be the same.
Then I say "And you will always be my guiding star.
Lead the way. You are my hope, yes you are,
Whether near, whether far."
This town. Take a look around
Drowning in the sounds of people like us.
And you're here.
And everything becomes so clear, now.
I'm not afraid anymore.
What are you waiting for?
We are together!
Take my breath away.
That's what I want to say.
I don't have to hide this love inside.
Fall into my arms.
See as I surrender to your heavenly charms.
Love. I always thought that
You would be the only one for me!
Love, it cannot wait.
Never is too late.
Always on my mind, these thoughts of you.
They were meant for you,
Everything about you makes me feel brand new.
Now I knew all along that
You would be the only one for me!"
"Sappy," Mio said to her. "Do you like to write love songs for a habit?"
"Maybe. It just comes. This is an international gig we're doing."
"All of us singing English with a Japanese accent doesn't make a lot of sense, and it's so mushy," Ritsu said. "Too mushy. Let's just sing our music in our language."
"You think we can do it?" Mio asked.
"How did you translate the words?" Azusa added.
"We can, and I actually used the melody and added some new words," Ui replied. "I mean, I know more about the English language than you guys and I decided to take some stuff out of English textbooks and slapped it on to the melody."
"That's a completely different transliteration," Mio said.
"Can we change 'don't let me go' to 'I won't let go'?" asked Ritsu.
"Or maybe 'I can't let go'?" Ui suggested.
"I guess 'I can't let go' sounds decent," Mio said. "Cheesy, but decent."
"What about 'Going home, I look at you and then you say my name'?" Ritsu asked.
"Let's try, 'Every time when I'm with you, I hear you say my name'," Mugi said.
"Yeah, that is a little bit more muscular in delivery," Azusa said.
"Or maybe 'Every time when I'm with you, I hear my Azunyan,'" Ui suggested, causing Mugi to laugh.
"That's too personal. We're a band, not a comedy troupe."
"Maybe 'fall into my arms' should be 'fall into your arms,'" said Mio.
"Now the singer in this song is falling into her lover's arms and motorboating into her funbags! Yeeeeaaah!" Mugi squealed with a squee and a snicker.
"Mugi-sempai, you perv," Azusa snarked.
"That's not the idea here," Ui said, confused. "We don't want our listeners to have their minds in the gutter. This is sweet easy listening-style power pop we're known for. And this song is actually a cover of a pre-existing song."
Mio changed the topic. "Whatever! Let's take a look at the other stuff in the song, and as well as the other songs we have."
After a few hours, the girls decided to go to bed. But two hours later, Ui got up, inspired somehow. "Oh my gosh. I think I have an idea here for Azunyan's song," Ui thought to herself as she watched Azusa sleep. "I thought I had it. There was some great realization of what this song is."
Azusa was still masturbating, releasing with reckless abandon. "Then, what should I call you, Ui-sempai?" she moaned. Ui closed her eyes and elected to continue her pursuit of finding something to write as she fell asleep once again.
END CHAPTER 10