QU: Part 2/4
Chapter 10 – Boys Dead Monsters!
Yuzuru Otonashi
We all had lunch at a random cafe, my sister still the topic of conversation. After that, Yuri and Kanade left, while Yui, Hinata, Noda and I were stuck with the performance we had prepared only a little over one day for. I was suddenly feeling kind of nervous.
I guessed it shouldn't bother me that much. This really didn't mean that much to me. But I still flinched whenever I pictured the stares all the pedestrians were going to throw at us because of the almost guaranteed bad performance.
It would be worth it if we could find a teammate or two, but Yuri had been very unpersuasive. I'd mentioned it before, but I seriously doubted out of the 127 million people in Japan, someone like Ōyama or Matsushita, who couldn't care less about music, was going to notice us in the middle of some street.
Still… there is someone. I suddenly reminded myself. What if… someone from the real GirlDeMo rock band notices us playing?
If we got Hinata and Yui back because of a baseball match, then there shouldn't be any problem with having Iwasawa, Hisako, Irie or Sekine back because of a performance, should there?
Still, that would be too convenient. Of course it wouldn't play out like that. I knew my little wish would be nothing but a wish.
I was wrong.
We picked a spot just outside the train station and started setting the 'stage'. I was responsible for bringing the banner and the black sunglasses, which I had put in my backpack. After distributing the glasses out and laughing at the silly look of Noda wearing one, we started setting up the banner in confused haste.
I was worried though. Because the large, white word on the huge blue banner was:
BOYDEMO
'Are you sure about this, Noda?' I asked. 'Yuri explicitly told us not to change the name.'
'Of course,' he said as he flashed a thumbs-up at me. 'This fits us much better, don't you think?'
I sighed. 'As long as you promise to take the blame if Yuri sees this, I'm fine with it.'
To my surprise, Yui was all for the idea. I'd have thought she would consider changing the name an insult to the original band that she loved so much, but apparently she took it very differently. Actually, she seemed pleased that we weren't going to tarnish the name GirlDeMo with our crappy performance.
Yui held her fist in the air. 'Let's rock and roll, you guys!'
We wrapped the leather straps around our bodies and carefully positioned our guitars, while Yui stepped behind the microphone now connected to a loudspeaker.
Pretty strange setting… For one thing, we didn't even have a drummer. That also didn't seem to bother Yui, and considering she was the expert here, I also shrugged it off. I would do whatever Yui told me to do, and that was it. No point in giving myself a headache over a mission that was destined to fail…
Naturally, Yui was the rhythm guitarist and also the lead vocalist, which made our work lighter since we didn't need to memorize any of the lyrics. Still, I knew things would be really difficult for us even though we had been strumming our guitars for most of yesterday.
I had been ordered to be the lead guitarist, while Hinata and Noda would take turns being the bassist. Neither of them could remember all three songs we had practiced yesterday.
I wasn't going to be tense. I would try to enjoy myself. And with that thought, Yui gave the order and we began playing the first song – Crow Song.
Masami Iwasawa
I'm late! I thought frantically as I hopped out of my bed. Stupid!
The alarm clock beside me read 3:50 p.m., only 10 minutes before I was officially late for my new part-time job.
I couldn't believe myself. This was the perfect job for me. It would give me enough money and the time I would need to practice and play my songs. I was counting on it if I wanted to move away and live by myself. I couldn't believe I had decided to take an afternoon nap – and slept in! – on such an important day, and all because I had spent all last night composing my new song…
I hastily took care of my long hair now tangled in a mess. I hated it. I made a mental note to cut it short one day…
I washed up in less than three minutes. Then I changed into a fairly decent set of clothes before rushing downstairs.
My father and mother were arguing in the kitchen, as usual… I ignored them and rushed out of the room, not even bothering to say goodbye.
I'll need at least ten minutes to get from here to the cafe. I calculated. I checked my watch. 3:57 p.m.
I took a deep breath and ran. The streets weren't too busy so I didn't have to keep dodging as I ran. The spring breeze that brushed across my face felt good, but it did little to ease my worries.
I reached the next block and took a sharp turn to the right. I was almost out of breath, but I knew I had to keep running. My job depended on it.
I was just about to pass the train station and round another corner.
That was when I heard it.
A familiar song from a familiar source…
'… kimi koso kodoku na kimi koso
Tadashii yo ningenrashii …
Curious, my run slowed into a jog, which in turn slowed into a walk. Temporarily forgetting I needed to hurry, I turned my head towards the band.
Yuzuru Otonashi
I saw her.
A girl that seemed to be in a hurry… a girl wearing a tiny, white hat that covered her long, flowing, deep-red hair… it was her.
I was surprised and overwhelmed with emotions for a moment, so I was slightly distracted. But when reason kicked in again, I concentrated on playing the role of the lead guitarist.
She needed this… If we had a chance to make her remember, this performance would be it…
I doubled my efforts. It was hard because I also wanted to read her expressions. A question lingered in my mind. Will she remember us?
But just when things were starting to look up, the bassist for My Song, our fellow blue-haired member, suddenly dropped his guitar on the floor and shouted, 'Iwasawa!'
Hinata Hideki
I saw everything go down. I could almost picture the emotional roller-coaster Iwasawa was going through.
She was obviously in a hurry, but our song had captured her attention. She had a confused expression on her face as she turned toward us. She put a finger on her lips and frowned in deep thought.
I could see her gaze flicker between us and the huge banner we had set up. I suddenly wished Noda hadn't changed the name to BoyDeMo. It had inconvenienced things, to say the least.
But as we continued playing, her frown became more and more prominent, but what was on her face wasn't confusion anymore; it was impatience.
I knew exactly where that was coming from. It was because we were performing My Song, a song that meant to Iwasawa so much, that we were able to capture her attention. But it was also because we were performing a song that was precious to her, that she couldn't stand so many off-key notes. After all, we were still beginners. I was actually feeling proud we could play like this already…
I sneaked a glance at Otonashi. He was playing even harder than before, and I knew he did that out of good intention. He wanted to let Iwasawa remember, so he was trying extra hard. But I knew the effort would backfire somehow.
She was starting to lose interest in us. Just as she was about to turn and leave, I thought up a plan. It would be our last resort.
I stopped playing my guitar. Then I pulled myself out of the leather strap and dropped the guitar on the floor with a loud smash. I yanked off the black sunglasses and shouted, 'Iwasawa!'
Yuzuru Otonashi
That idiot… That was never going to work, and he knew it.
He himself hadn't recognized Noda and me in the baseball match; was he dumb enough to expect Iwasawa to remember just by looking at our faces?
This performance was our only chance. I decided to continue playing without Hinata. I would play until I made her remember.
Masami Iwasawa
That boy… he called out my name. Does he know me? Do I know him? No, it can't be. I haven't seen him before in my life.
But then there's also the word on the banner. BOYDEMO? It sounds strangely familiar…
I pondered. Were they a band I had come across some time ago and happened to remember the name? That would explain the familiar sensation I was feeling. But that raised one question. If it was a band I was willing to remember, it couldn't be as bad as this…
My growing impatience evaporated and confusion set in again.
I found myself slowly approaching the group.
A purple-haired boy was sleeping on the ground, oblivious to my presence. The pink-haired lead vocalist, who was the only decent member in the band, had her eyes closed and couldn't see me. The other boy that had pale-red hair was absorbed in the song too, though he played pretty badly. The only one waiting for me was the blue-haired boy. He was looking at me with such intensity…
Hinata Hideki
She was slowly walking this way. Her face showed confusion again as she studied my face.
This is it. I told myself. It's now or never.
Once I was sure she was within range where she couldn't escape without hearing part of what I was going to say, I started shouting, 'Iwasawa, join Shinda Sekai Sensen!'
She stopped abruptly in her tracks, confusion even more prominent. Fortunately, I could see a hint of recognition on her face. She wasn't running away, which was good. But it was not enough. I had to press harder.
'Do you remember the Afterlife? Do you remember Operation Tornado?' My tone was unintentionally enthusiastic. 'It was thanks to you that we could get all those meal tickets. It was all thanks to you that we didn't need to starve our way through. It was all because of your music, Iwasawa!'
I wanted to press on, but I felt a force grip my hand before I could go on. I turned to see Noda locking his grip on me. He was still resting on the floor, his eyes still closed. He said calmly, 'Don't go too far. Give her time to think.'
Iwasawa was pressing a curled finger hard on her lips, struggling and wrestling with the memories that lay dormant, memories I was trying so hard to call out.
Somehow I knew I couldn't wait. I ignored Noda and shouted, 'Iwasawa, it's fine if you don't remember any of that. But please at least remember the song we're playing! You must recognize this song!'
All the confusion evaporated in an instant, and for a moment I thought I had succeeded, so I was taken aback when her face showed anger instead of recognition and warmth.
She shouted, 'Of course I remember this song!'
I didn't know where her sudden anger was coming from, but I said cautiously, 'You see? You do remember! Back when we were in the After–'
'Are you trying to make fun of me?' I was cut off by Iwasawa. I had no idea what I had said that made her so mad. I suddenly lost my tongue.
'I wrote it almost a month ago! I've also performed this song a lot of times since then!' Iwasawa shouted. 'What gives you the right to play this song without my permission, and play it so badly?'
'Please, Iwasawa!' Otonashi's loud voice entered my ears. I turned to see Otonashi and Yui looking at us, the former shooting a quick glare in my direction, which made me flinch. I realized they had finished playing the song.
Otonashi went on, 'You need to remember! You were the leader of our diversion unit.' He gestured at our huge banner. 'Girls Dead Monster! GirlDeMo! You, Hisako, Irie and Sekine were all members of this group. All of you were our teammates. How can you forget that?'
Yui chimed in with watery eyes. 'Iwasawa-san! Please remember.'
Iwasawa's expression was hard to read, but she wasn't angry anymore.
She staggered a few steps backwards, and then said in a slightly trembling voice, 'I… can't. I can't remember.'
Otonashi shouted, '"Having dreams you want to come true and dreams you can't reach. That itself becomes the dream, becomes the hope for people to go on living." That's what this song is about, isn't it? Once, before another Operation Tornado, when I still had amnesia, you told me about your dream! You told a stupid guy called Otonashi who still didn't remember anything to hang on to his dream. You cheered him on and helped him a lot. Please, Iwasawa, you have to remember!'
She placed a hand on her forehead. 'Girls Dead Monster… Diversion unit… Why do they all sound so familiar?'
She shook her head. 'I really can't remember. But there is a feeling left. It's hard to explain it…' She grunted. 'It's so irritating!'
Without another look at us, she ran off in the other direction. She didn't remember…
'Iwasawa…'
Was it good? I really don't know much abot concerts or bands or street performances, so I made a conscious attempt to avoid the pitfalls. My sister's the one who's crazy about these things XS. Still, I'd like to know if I'd made any mistakes. (To be honest, I'm not feeling too good about this chap :S)
Anyway, cy next chap!
