Chapter 6: Night on the Galactic Railroad
Describing the roles that Aoi and Haruka held as leadership was generous. Most of their time was spent on two tedious tasks: paperwork and nagging. It made her grateful she had rejected the vice-presidency outright in Kitauji. Even with half the members and no teachers to constantly report to, it cleaved into her studying hours.
The pair tried working in the music room, only to discover that everyone was eager to use it as a clubhouse. Knuckles frequently hammered away at his drums to the Radwimps or Dynamite Beans as if he were in a light music club. Although there was only Saki in the audience, it did little to dampen his mood. On other days, Tsune hosted a small tea party with some of the other woodwinds, Momo eagerly joining them. There was always some new tea blend for them to try from the Watanabe family's tea shop.
Their friends would have gone elsewhere or kept their voices down if they had said something, but neither president had the heart to ask. Each snorting laugh and witty remark Aoi overheard as they worked sent a wave of warmth through her. Watching the small groups come and go was a window into the world that should have been.
Aoi became a frequent visitor to Haruka's house. Not that her parents would know. They were always out, either coming home late or away on short trips. The duo spent most of their time on LINE, haggling with their members to establish a schedule, followed by a barrage of reminders once it was confirmed. At least Asuka was still handling all the music for now. If anything, she was still doing most of the actual leading despite her self-imposed 'demotion'.
May was almost over by the time their first practice rolled around. Most arrived early, but a few of them still dragged their feet, only won over by the promise of supper afterwards. As everyone completed their warmups, Asuka passed out the sheet music she rearranged to better match their band's composition. Aoi could not help but frown as she looked through the small pile each person received.
Her selection was thematic for the star festival but also merciless in expectations. The Main Title from Star Wars was already challenging to execute with the grandeur people expected, made even harder with their ensemble's small size. The next piece, Cassiopeia by Carlos Marques, thankfully did not appear too difficult. It was named after the constellation, or more probably whatever myth the constellation drew its name from. Although Aoi was clueless about its deeper meaning, it seemed to fit their theme well enough.
The final piece was Seventh Night of July by Sakai Itaru. It was an ideal choice of music since it told the tale of Tanabata: The story of the lovers, Orihime and Hikoboshi, separated by a river of stars, the Milky Way. Only once a year, on the night of the festival, were they allowed to reunite. The problem was the piece's difficulty, being comparable if not more challenging than Crescent Moon Dance. There were many brief soloes, the most prominent being a duet between the saxophone and euphonium meant to represent the two lovers. That last element was the most suspect part of Asuka's choice, leading to a major problem.
"Who's going to conduct all this?" Aoi asked.
"Who else? The presidents." Asuka chimed.
Aoi bit her lower lip to keep her expression under control. This was one of the moments where she came close to genuinely hating Asuka. They wanted to play as well.
Laying her baritone sax on a chair, Haruka walked to the front of the ensemble without complaint. The two began discussing how Asuka thought each piece should go. The rest of the band started experimenting with passages that caught their eye, creating a cacophony of uncoordinated noise.
As Aoi watched Asuka essentially order Haruka around, her irritation inevitably boiled over. "How exactly are we supposed to manage all three pieces of music to your standards?"
The euphonist gave her a quizzical look as she flipped through her own copies of the sheet music. "It's all pretty simple. I even chose Cassiopeia because it was easy."
Was she really that detached from reality? "Cassiopeia adds a sax and a xylophone solo on top of everything else."
"It'll be fine," Asuka said, not bothering to look at Aoi any longer as she waved her away.
The chattering died down, and the band got in tune together with Haruka at the helm. After some time playing segments of Main Title from Star Wars, they went through the entire piece. It was obvious Asuka chose this for its prominent euphonium section in the second interlude. It was hard to tell if she prepared for it or was just that good, already playing the passage at performance standard.
"Umm…" Haruka curled her fingers around her music stand.
"Come on, spit it out," Asuka called out from the back.
"I don't think we have enough instruments." She sighed. "We can try smoothing it out a bit to see if it improves."
They continued for another hour, Haruka's frown growing deeper with each run through. Their only improvements were in the quieter interludes and in ironing out mistakes. Even within the ensemble, Aoi could hear that their attempts at the opening fanfare were sorely lacking. What was supposed to be a grand entrance never had the volume or weight to match. They struggled to build towards the crescendos, running into a wall each time.
"Flutes, Clarinets," Haruka was almost gasping. "You need to be louder. Your trills are getting drowned out entirely by the trumpets."
"They should play softer then!" Mihara snapped, turning in her chair to face the trumpet section.
"We can't!" The other Kyouko replied. "This is supposed to be a crescendo."
"Your playing like this whole thing is one long crescendo," Mihara growled.
"It is! Have you ever seen Star Wars?"
Haruka attempted to quell the fighting, but her words were drowned out by the sheer volume of Kyouko's voice. The constant worry of Kyouko's potential reaction kept Aoi silent on the sidelines. She might end up inflaming the situation if the blond turned her anger on towards her.
Asuka rose to her feet. "Enough! Everyone take a break. Be back in ten."
The clattering of chairs and instruments robbed the fight of any momentum, the two backing down and glaring into their respective sheet music. Soft chattering filled the room as small groups began to start their own conversation.
Aoi immediately made her way to the podium as the band gradually dispersed. "Maybe we can add to the volume with the saxophones?" She said, hoping to offer Haruka a solution.
"Don't bother," Asuka said as she approached them. "You guys sound too brassy to blend in with the clarinets for this."
"Thanks for breaking them up." Haruka sighed.
"Aoi should have done that. She's the vice-president."
Aoi looked away to hide her scowl. Across the room, Kaori was already at work, bringing both Kyoukos together for a resolution. It was a relief to have her help. Though it was not enough to outweigh Asuka's digs.
"Are you sure we can perform all three pieces?" Haruka said as she continued to flip back and forth through her sheet music. "This is already frustrating, everyone."
"They just tunnel-visioned on this piece. It'll be fine after the break."
"I'm not cut out to conduct something like this." Haruka shook her head.
"Be bolder with your cues." Asuka made a wide upward sweep with her left arm, her entire body moving as her hand stopped high above her head in an underhanded fist. "Don't hold your arms in so close to yourself. Move with the rest of your body instead of keeping your feet locked together."
"Why don't you do it?" Aoi said. "You know what you want and how to get it done."
"Haruka needs to learn." She replied without hesitation. "You too. Should have got more practice after our seniors graduated, right?"
Aoi pinched the bridge of her nose. "We can't be you."
"Of course," Asuka shrugged. "But you've seen the rest of the sheet music. All of them need a euphonium."
"Then write yourself out of some of the pieces." Aoi shot back. "One of the trombones can manage the euphonium section."
There was a short tisk from Asuka, but it was instantly smothered in a sickly-sweet tone. "It wouldn't sound the same, Aoi-chan. Anyway, you should be the one intervening instead of me."
Their president remained silent, giving Aoi an apologetic look as Asuka walked away. All it accomplished was forcing Aoi's nails deeper into her palm.
As the band reconvened, of all people, Hitoshi approached the podium before Aoi returned to her seat. "President, I—we've been thinking of something. Since we're playing at the star festival and Star Wars doesn't seem to be working out… I was thinking… Maybe we could…"
Aoi reigned in the residue irritation, relaxing her expression to avoid accidentally taking it out on the boy. "Don't worry Hitoshi, tell us."
He shot a quick glance to the back of the band, receiving nods from Mamoru and Knuckles. "Could we try playing a song the guys chose?"
"What do you have planned?" Haruka asked.
"Space Battleship Yamato." He mumbled.
That explained his hesitance. While it was iconic enough that even Aoi knew it, Star Wars had a much broader appeal, having seeped further into the public consciousness. They lost track of Hitoshi's explanation almost immediately, but his enthusiasm somewhat made up for their lack of comprehension.
"The four of us practised it a bit. We can play it for everyone so they can decide if they like it." Hitoshi struggled to maintain eye contact with them, constantly adjusting his glasses. His earnest expression made it difficult to refuse his request.
Aoi's watch showed it was nearing 9pm. They could use a brief change of pace before they rounded out their session in an hour. Asuka was almost certainly going to shoot down any alterations to her music choice, but there was no harm in trying.
The band reversed their chairs, facing away from the windows towards the instrument shelves at the back of the room. Aoi stood to the right side with Haruka, her attention split between the four boys and Asuka's expression. The euphonist had a crooked smile on her face. To her, this performance was probably nothing more than an entertaining sideshow—a necessary distraction to quell any dissent before they reconfirmed her arbitrary choice.
The bespectacled boy had a stranglehold around his instrument as Knuckles counted them off with his drumsticks. Hideri's trombone and Hitoshi's bass clarinet alternated playing the main melody and the harmony. Poor Mamoru was again relegated to pumping the same two notes of the bassline. With just four of them, the performance was hardly impressive, but it got the idea across. Aoi decided to keep her comments to herself since it was still an admirable attempt.
There was a short burst of applause as Hitoshi crept forward. "I hope you all can see how it would work for the whole ensemble." He bowed before slinking back in line with the other boys.
Haruka clapped her hands, drawing their attention. "What does everyone think?"
Before any of them finished deliberating, Asuka stood up to give her comments. "It was pretty good." She said with her brightest smile. "Don't you guys think it's a little too easy? We can do something longer and more complex."
There was little dissent from the rest. Hitoshi was left disappointed, offering her no resistance of his own. With only a smattering of discussions afterwards, the band appeared poised to follow Asuka's lead.
"Hey! Usui-kun!" Kyouko said, abruptly rising to her feet. "Have you seen Galaxy Express 999?"
"Yeah, of course. The series or movie?" He was still clutching his bass clarinet tightly.
"There's more than one?" Kyouko replied. "Never mind that, I'm talking about the movie. You guys want to play the ending theme?" She stood up, turning to face the rest of the band. "Shudai never played it, but I heard it all the time when we saw Toushou High perform in Osaka."
Hitoshi clasped his chin. "I like that idea. It matches Tanabata pretty well."
"There's a projector and AV system in the room, right?" Kyouko asked.
Haruka nodded. "I made sure it was working the other day. What are you planning?"
The blond took out her laptop, quickly connecting it to the worn-out projector as it warmed up. As she began to type and click away, Asuka made another attempt to sway the band.
"Practice time is being wasted. We've spent more than two hours on Star Wars already. Do you guys really want to throw it all away?"
There was some murmuring before Juri spoke up. "It isn't really working? The piece is obviously meant for a band at least twice our size. There's no way Hiro and I can be as loud as six horns."
"Haruka's conducting doesn't really help much," Hiro muttered a little too loudly. There was only a sigh from their president, resigning to the comment.
Turning over to Asuka, she caught a brief flash of irritation. "If we change to a shorter song, we'll have to add in something else."
Now Mei added on. "If they're both easier, then why not? We haven't even started on the other two pieces, and you said that the last one is supposed to be the hardest."
Before Asuka could respond, music started blaring out of the room's speakers. Kyouko hauled the projector screen down as the wall next to Aoi burst to life. A rough estimate of the band in the video put them at almost two hundred people strong; most of them girls, wearing pinafore uniforms.
"That's Toushou," Kyouko yelled before she paused the music. "They have a whole fancy routine since it's a part of their repertoire, but it's not a very difficult song."
She resumed the video, letting them see it for themselves. Each section stood up when the melody passed to them, flourishing their instruments and doing some dance moves in place. They even sang the chorus of The Galaxy Express 999 in English after a few refrains. It seemed more like something Rikka would put together if they were forced to play a sit-down concert.
Asuka was about to speak when Kyouko cut her off again. "Looks impressive, right? We don't need to do the whole song and dance. I don't think you guys want to hop around and play bells up."
Raising her voice to cut through the excited chatter, Asuka finally got her chance to reply. "We can't play the same tune on repeat for three minutes."
Kyouko paused for a moment. "We can do a dressed-up version. We already did it for Hare Hare Yukai."
"President," Asuka said, narrowing her eyes. "What do you think?"
Haruka swayed gently from side to side, her lips pursed and eyes wide as she tried to come up with a response. The rest started to discuss amongst themselves, the video having made an enticing proposition. Even though it was a simple melody, originally being a rock song, Toushou's performance was far grander than their attempts at the Star Wars Theme. Even if they had only a fifth of their members, they stood a better chance of pulling off Galaxy Express 999.
"Aoi," Haruka whispered, huddling close to her. "Should we put it to a vote?"
"I don't think so?" Aoi said as she surveyed the rest of the band.
"Asuka likes to settle things that way. She'll accept the change if we do it."
Aoi shook her head. "She only does that because she knows there will be a clear majority on her side. Now… it's probably not going to be that neat."
In every band, the players ranged from lax to fanatical. None of the Kitauji members were necessarily slackers, but what Asuka asked of them bordered on fantasy. Aoi went over to the bass section, intent on confronting her.
"Asuka." She said in a hushed voice. Most of the band was still caught up in their miniature debates, and only Yuki paid them any attention. "Can you just let Kyouko have this one?"
The euphonist raised her left eyebrow. "You shouldn't lead people on Aoi-chan." She had a coy smile plastered over her face. "Neither of them will be happy."
Aoi ground her teeth together. "What's that supposed to mean." She started before quickly dismissing the thought. Asuka was not going to derail her. "Never mind, I don't care. You'll still have the other two pieces. Galaxy Express 999 is much easier on everyone."
Her expression stiffened, eyes narrowing and lips returning to a flat line. "You really think that lowly of our friends? They're so hopeless they can only perform easy pieces?"
"You're treating them as tools instead of people. We're already practising at night." Aoi said, folding her arms.
"Please, you weren't around for most of the competition training." She with a flick of her wrist. "They can make the time. They've done it before."
"Everyone has other things to do. Shouko is in the photography circle too. We even made Hitoshi quit his astronomy club because it clashed with our rehearsals." Aoi sucked in a deep breath. "Think about Kaori. Nursing school has more work than average."
"How would you know anything about her?" Asuka's tone deadened. "It's you who has a lot of work to deal with, Aoi-chan. The excuses you come up with have gotten worse since last year. They were never convincing, but at least they used to sound plausible enough for everyone to look the other way and pay it lip service."
Aoi felt her nostrils flare, but her jaw remained locked, unable to come up with an immediate reply.
"We have three practices a week: four hours on Saturday and three-hour practices on Tuesday and Thursday. That's eighty hours of practice until the competition, in case your math got even worse after you entered the letters faculty. Let's assume we wind down for exams and lose two weeks at the end of July. We make up for that once summer break starts in August and rehearse for a week straight. We'll easily have a hundred hours. Not quite what we used to do, and we're a little more inefficient without Taki-sensei, but it's more than enough."
She planned the whole thing out, which gave Aoi only one response. "Why didn't you just take the vice-president role?"
"Because I'm not interested in dealing with crap like this." She said, gesturing to the projector screen. "It's a waste of my time."
"But you still want control."
Asuka shrugged. "Unlike you, I don't need to be in some famous band like Ryukoku's to believe that we're good. If we don't push ourselves, we'll end up like Kyodai."
"Is that what you want? An award to prove something? It's a little late to join the All-Japan competition."
"Still thinking like a high schooler," She shook her head. "There are other competitions and band festivals out there."
"You think things will hold together that long if you keep doing this?" Aoi rose to her full height. She knew it was hardly intimidating. But with the appeals to Asuka's magnanimity exhausted, every bit of leverage left helped. "Haruka and I aren't going to choose. If we're forced to, we'll call a vote on it. Even if the majority decide to stick with Star Wars, it'll be a slim one. There's going to be a line drawn through the band again."
Asuka turned away, brushing her hair back. "That difference already exists whether people see it or not. If we're going to vote, I'm going to speak. And there won't be any nonsense or my usual teasing."
Aoi decided to call her bluff. They needed Asuka since she was the only one who had any semblance of formal musical education. There was no one else to rearrange pieces. At least with her efficiency and ability. But she also needed them.
"There are still all the solos to allocate. The trumpets don't have a long one, but you can be sure Kyouko will fight for it. You basically forced her out of the Kyodai band, so I might feel like we owe her something."
There was a brief pause as Asuka took off her glasses. "Haruka told you the details of last year, huh? I never imagined you would resort to this. You hated all the fighting during second year, after all."
"I hated how our juniors were being treated. I don't care if the band is top in Japan or if we sound unbearable."
"Of course, of course." Asuka's gaze became distant as she looked at her reflection in her euphonium's bell. "Maybe I didn't give you enough credit Aoi. Even though you still never go very far for anyone but yourself." She took in a deep breath. "Everything comes at a price. Or call it demand and supply, as my boring professors might see it. I'll let Kyouko have this one. She can also have that solo in the Seventh Night of July. If you can even count it as one. It's less than ten seconds long."
"What do you want in return?" It bordered on disgusting to have to negotiate so aggressively with someone who was supposed to be supporting them.
"We'll need another four minutes of music. Kaori's been working on something."
Aoi huffed. "You want the whole band to play accompaniment to an extended solo."
"Objectively, she'll put on the best performance. You'll see. I'll also conduct Cassiopeia then. To make it fair."
Aoi wanted to squash her attempt to cut such a sly deal. But she also knew Haruka was unable to conduct all three pieces. Looking towards their president, she was busy entertaining everyone else while Aoi attempted to broker a deal. At least it was productive, familiarising them with the other pieces by showing them performances by professionals.
What struck Aoi about the offer was that Asuka stood to gain nothing from it. She would play in one less piece and have to perform something she probably thought was inferior music. Was she doing it all for Kaori? It was not quite selfless, but at least it was not selfish.
"So?" Asuka said, putting on a smirk. She knew she had already won.
"Alright… but one last condition." Aoi refused to let her win so easily. "We practice these three pieces first. We'll move on to the solo if everything is up to standard."
Her eyes narrowed again, but the corners of her mouth remained raised. "Of course. It'll be easy. It shouldn't take them long to learn an accompaniment either."
Asuka announced her decision to change their music choice as a wrap up to their night's session. There were mainly approving nods from the band, fed up with playing a deflated rendition of the Star Wars theme. Interspersed were a few sighs of relief, confirming others were also anticipating the fault line between ambition and recreation.
Unexpectedly, it was Shouko who asked if Aoi wanted to join them for supper. "We're going to an udon shop at Demachi Matsugata. It's a usual for Doshisha students."
"Another time, I promise." Aoi smiled. It was nice to see they invited the others not from Kitauji, but she wanted to be alone for a while.
As Aoi packed up the last of her papers, there was a light tap on her shoulder. "You ready to go?" Haruka said.
"You're not joining them?"
She shook her head. "Let's go home. It's a long ride."
Aoi wished she stayed closer to both their schools. At least the train ride gave her enough time to explain the deal she had cut with the devil. Haruka was just thankful to have averted a head-on confrontation. Though it felt wrong to accept her gratitude.
"I was just doing my job for once," Aoi mumbled as their train rattled towards Kyoto Station.
"What do you mean? We've already been working for weeks." Haruka said, inching closer, crossing the line between their seats on the train.
"I was thinking more about what Asuka told me. I—"
Haruka shushed her.
"Don't let it get to you." She said, looking directly into her eyes. "You know what she's like."
That did not necessarily make Asuka wrong. Only that her motives were always in question. "I'm sorry. I was going to let you conduct everything on your own. It didn't even cross my mind."
"It's alright," Haruka pulled away slightly. "You didn't get a chance to play last year. I thought I would make it up to you."
A sob abruptly welled up; Aoi barely managed to stifle it before it could leave her mouth. She fiddled with her barrettes, remembering she chose pastel blue ones today to match Haruka's hair ties. It was disappointing that these superficial gestures were the extent of things she did for her. Haruka was willing to give up playing her sax entirely if it meant making her happy. If the roles were reversed, Aoi was not sure she would be friends with herself. Especially if she included everything that happened over the years. Was turning up to her house that day done more out of guilt than concern?
"Asuka is conducting Cassiopeia. I'll take the Seventh Night of July."
"Aoi… that's the longest piece."
Aoi shook her head. "I need to make things up to you." Before Haruka could protest, she leaned in with a warm smile. "Read up on the lyrics this time. It's going to be an interesting performance, changing conductors for every piece. But I think it'll be great."
Between coursework and practice, Aoi found little time to do anything else. In addition to her many books, she was now inseparable from her tablet. Her eyes were fixed on its screen, going over sheet music whenever she was travelling alone. Hopefully, relentlessly studying the score could make up for her inexperience at conducting.
Within a week, the band discovered it was impossible to do sectionals at Doshisha. There were no other indoor venues, forcing the clarinets to play only meters away from the full blast of Noriko and Knuckles. Outside the building, their late-night noise received a harsh greeting from the faculty members still working in their offices. In the end, it was something of a blessing in disguise. Tori got so irritated that she planned with the clarinets to meet outside rehearsals to iron things out within their section.
Their move sparked a cascade of similar actions throughout the band, letting them concentrate on playing as an ensemble during their sessions. The hundred hours of practice time Asuka boasted seemed less like one of her insane exaggerations. They might even surpass that number. Though it was not distributed evenly.
"Can't do it; that's too early," Hiro said, still spinning her horn around, attempting to get a droplet of spit out.
"Early? It's two in the afternoon," Mirai replied as she towered over them. "And stop being lazy. Just take out the valves already."
Juri picked up the conversation as Hiro sauntered out towards the pantry. "That's breakfast time. But some days, we sleep in." She said with a cheeky smile.
Mirai clasped her forehead. "How were you a section leader in Kitauji."
Juri shrugged. "Needed to keep up appearances with our juniors. Also, meddlesome teachers."
"Then what about Friday evening?"
"We can't practice that night," Mei called out from behind.
Mirai sighed. "What now?"
"We go to dinner every Friday," Hideri said, giving her an apologetic smile.
Watching their back and forth made Aoi slightly worried about their lack of practice. Overall, the band's accuracy was excellent, playing the entire set by their third rehearsal. Taki-sensei's focus on drilling the band in fundamentals was still paying off. Even with their precision, something was lacking in their music. Improvements could always be made, and more advanced techniques applied on an individual level, but that did not seem to be the issue. It was as if they lost the spark that made Crescent Moon Dance so captivating when they played it at Nagoya.
The band decided to take an extended snack break tonight. Some members skipped dinner and could not hold out until their ritual supper afterwards. Using the time for a short meeting, the two sections leaders, Asuka, and Kaori sat at what had unofficially become the president's table. They were out of earshot from most of the band, the tiny 'office' space tucked into the corner of the room next to the window bays.
"Is it our conducting?" Haruka asked miserably.
Asuka and Mirai looked at each other, trying to come up with a response. The silence was telling, prompting Kaori to speak up.
"I think it's dainty and energetic." She gave a warm smile, but her words avoided any actual appraisal of her effectiveness. The compliment had little effect on Haruka's mood.
"Your style is good for Galaxy Express." Mirai offered. "Though both your hands are always in sync. We're not getting a lot of cues."
"I could try something else?" Haruka said, fiddling with her pen and highlighter, prepared to write down notes on her score.
"They can probably play this song without a conductor," Asuka said. Both her elbows were resting on the table, her hands pressed against her cheeks in thorough ambivalence. "It's hard to make independent motions with each hand anyway."
"I can try to learn. Aoi picked it up quickly."
"She's not very good at it," Asuka replied nonchalantly, forcing Aoi to resist the urge to furl her brows. "But I don't think that's the issue. No matter how many ques or explanations I give, it still sounds hollow."
"You keep telling everyone what sound to make instead of giving us any larger idea," Himegami replied, her head leaning on her left arm. "Is there some kind of story behind the piece?"
Asuka perked up at the question, drumming her fingers on the table. "Can't be sure. It's all in Portuguese. Probably just another song about stars."
"That's it?" Himegami said, folding her arms. "You managed to talk for more than a minute straight about Crescent Moon Dance."
All she received was a shrug in return. "My interpretation would be disrespecting the vision of the composer."
"You don't seem to have any problems with rearranging things to suit our needs," Aoi said.
"It's a necessity." She replied. "Having some fancy story behind the music isn't. It's not like I can show them the stars for inspiration."
"Umm…" The executive committee turned to see Shouko had stepped forward from her seat at the front of the ensemble. "We can, actually."
"You took some photos?" Himegami asked as Shouko tentatively approached them.
"Not exactly… or not yet, at least." She replied, briefly scanning the rest of the room before continuing. "Hitoshi is planning to go stargazing. If we—"
"He asked you out?" Asuka's eyes lit up. "Just the two of you?"
Kaori shushed her, taking over the conversation. "Are you sure we won't be intruding?"
Shouko's eyes were wide behind her glasses, reflections in their lenses glinting as she microscopically shuffled about. "I turned him down."
"What?" Asuka said, ignoring another frown from Kaori. "Don't you think it would be romantic?" She clasped her hands together, dramatically leaning in Shouko's direction. "Lying down on a grassy knoll, looking up at the skies. The two of you holding hands, watching stars twinkle throughout the night."
"I thought it would be too awkward." She avoided making eye contact, though the barest trace of a smile gave away her thoughts.
"But you want to." Asuka continued, insufferably fluttering her eyelids.
"You be quiet." Haruka sighed, blocking Asuka with an outstretched palm. "Shouko, are you sure everyone can come? Is Hitoshi okay with that?"
"I think so," Shouko said, adjusting her glasses. "He told me he was planning to go by himself if I wasn't interested."
"Oh please," Asuka interjected again. "He'll definitely agree. It's better than bumming around on a hill by himself, getting eaten alive by insects."
"I don't really feel like going for this now," Himegami said with a pout.
"Think of it as a replacement for our training camp," Asuka said before pointing to Shouko. "Go get your boyfriend so we can figure this out."
Shouko's expression crinkled behind her circular glasses, but she did not deny Asuka's assertion before leaving. Like most other people, she probably gave up attempting to correct her.
The date was set for the fourth of July, the night of a new moon. The weather forecast showed clear skies, perfect for hunting all the stars and constellations they were looking for.
Despite Aoi's best efforts, The Seventh Night of July remained in a state of mediocrity. She only had a general idea of how the piece should flow, taking more cues from the two soloists than the other way around. Hiroe attempted to explain her interpretation, the opening having a bouncy quality with its multiple tuttis, like a honeymoon phase's highs. It's slow middle section an unbearable, gnawing lament at being separated. Melodramatic as she was being, it was all simple enough to understand on a conceptual level. But Aoi had no idea how any of it felt first-hand. Some specks in the sky would not change that, but it was better than nothing.
Asuka convinced everyone to come along for their late-night excursion, hoping the experience would compensate for the limited conducting ability. If they could not convey their vision for the piece with their words or the baton effectively, collective inspiration was the next best thing. Of course, she refused to let their hike be just another band outing. The truly insane part of the plan was to bring their instruments with them.
It was only an inconvenience until they discovered the stargazing spot was on Mount Daimonji. Located 220 metres above the city, the clearing in the hillside forest was used for the fire festival at Obon's end. Giant bonfires would be lit on the mountainsides, writing great kanji characters that could be seen throughout the city. In July, the site would still be deserted. The hike to the location was nothing dangerous, being on a well-established trail. It would only take them half an hour to ascend, though the climb was not the easiest with some steep sections.
"Haruka, is anyone else bringing food?" Aoi asked.
The two of them arrived the earliest at their meeting point near Ginkaku-ji Temple, a kilometre east from Kyodai. They stood under the only streetlamp, its florescent blue light stretching their shadows out across the gravel parking lot.
"I brought some snacks for everyone on the way," She said, looking down at the plastic bag in her hands. "But some of them should have thought of it as well."
They spent the week before planning everything out in detail together, but they had overlooked midnight snacks. Everyone was supposed to bring their own water and insect repellent, though Aoi brought along extra for those that inevitably forgot.
Headlights appeared down the narrow road, revealing a small truck approaching them. The sound of crunching gravel made them wince as the vehicle pulled into the parking lot. On the side, the cargo compartment read "Tanabe Construction". Knuckles emerged from the cab with Mamoru, walking round to the rear door and clambering inside to retrieve their cargo. It was enough of a hassle carrying their instruments up the mountain. At least they could pack them on a truck for half of the journey.
"The rest should be here soon," Knuckles said as he handed them their saxophone cases. "I saw some of them while driving in."
"Is your dad really okay with this?" Haruka asked.
"Yeah, sure," Knuckles replied as he pushed the rest of the cases closer to the backdoor. "I help out all the time with the family business. He trusts me with the truck."
"I'm still surprised that you got a heavy vehicle licence," Aoi said.
"I was actually planning on working right out of high school." Knuckles replied as he sat down on the rear ledge of the truck. "But my parents wanted me to keep studying. In case I changed my mind about doing construction. I guess it was a good idea since we got swamped with practice, and I couldn't help out much last year."
"Did your parents go to university?" Aoi asked.
"Nope. No one in my family has. The Tanabe in the company name is my grandfather."
"You know, we used to think you were trying to get into the same school as Saki. I didn't know it was your parents pushing you."
"I'm not as smart as her. I had to study like crazy just to get into Kosen." He said with a shrug. A few others began to arrive, prompting him to roll up his sleeves before he got to work.
After making sure everyone was present, they set out on their trek through the pitch-black forest. Hitoshi took the lead, the only one who had done the hike before. Everyone else shuffled along in groups, encumbered by their bags, instruments, and the phones or flashlights used to light the way.
"This is the last time I'm listening to Asuka." Hiroe wheezed as they climbed a steep flight of stairs on the path. "I'm getting all sweaty."
"You're only carrying your alto," Kiriko said flatly as she held on to one end of Haruka's baritone case to help with the load. "The guys are carrying the telescope, and Shouko brought her camera tripod."
"What about the drums?" Hiroe whined.
"You really think Asuka is that insane?" Kiriko replied.
"So what if they only brought one snare and a tambourine?" Aoi added, hoping to put a stopper on her complaining.
It was impossible to see Hiroe's face clearly, but it was almost certainly locked in a perpetual frown. "Is Asuka really expecting us to play on the mountainside? It's almost midnight. I can barely hear you over the cicadas sometimes."
"Might as well since we'll be here until dawn," Aoi replied.
She was not looking forward to being sleep deprived the next day, but part of the fun was supposed to be staying out the whole night.
"This is the craziest thing I've done," Haruka whispered. "I've never been out this late before."
"Why are you whispering?" Hiroe yelled from behind.
Haruka raised her voice just enough for it to reach her. "Quiet… I don't know what's in the forest."
"We are close to Mount Hiei." Kiriko mused. "It's supposed to crawling with Yokai. Particularly Tengu."
There was a squeak from Haruka, almost dropping her instrument case before they reached the top of the stairs. She stood rooted on the last two steps, unable to move on her own.
"It's just folk legends. There's been a big temple there for centuries." Kirko said, but Haruka refused to budge.
Aoi sighed, passing the flashlight to Kiriko and gesturing her to lead the way. She grabbed Haruka by the wrist, pulling her forward.
They finally emerged from the treeline, coming to a concrete terrace carved into the hillside. The actual summit would offer them a better view, but it was another two hundred meters up. They were already exhausted getting this far. Aoi was still, soaking in the panorama as the others shuffled past and began settling down.
Stretched out below them was the entire Yamashiro valley, the lights from Kyoto city blurring together to form a dull amber mass. The sky above was clear, only a faint cloudy streak bisecting the heavens. Aoi was taught the prominent constellations as a child, but tonight she could not make out any of them. Facing due north to search for the most obvious ones, not even the Little Dipper was recognisable. The longer she stared into the sky, the more stars appeared, confounding her further. Everything was lost in the enthralling sea of glittering lights.
"No wonder Miyazawa wrote so much about the stars and skies," Aoi muttered to herself.
"He would have been able to see even more up north in Iwate."
Aoi stiffened, "Kyou…ko?"
"Quit being jumpy." She moved next to Aoi. "Too busy to talk now that your vice-president?"
"It's not that…" Aoi started. "I should assemble my sax."
Kyouko's hand latched on to her shoulder as she turned away. "I'm not angry or anything."
It was difficult to make out her face with the only ambient light coming from torches some distance away. The only clear thing was her milky white teeth, forming a faint smile.
"I just needed some time to cool off." Kyouko continued, sitting down on the terrace's ledge, her feet barely touching the grass on the steep slope below.
"Did Asuka apologise to you?"
"Kind of," Kyouko shrugged. "I know her type. It was only an implied apology, but for her to admit she was a little wrong at all was probably a big step."
"You're satisfied with that?"
"Ordinarily, I wouldn't be." She said, gently kicking her feet in the air in front of her. "But she was doing it for everyone else."
Aoi instantly snorted at that claim. She quickly raised her hand to her mouth, stunned that she did that on reflex.
Kyouko continued without turning around. "She doesn't care if people hate her or not. I'm sure you already knew that. But Tanaka wanted to make sure I wasn't blaming anyone else."
"I'm pretty sure it's for only Kaori's benefit."
The blond shook her head. "I guess that's the obvious way she shows her true colours. I can only infer so much about everything else she does, but it's enough to know she's not just another selfish bitch."
Aoi giggled. Even though Kyouko had not forgiven or even worked through everything, at least nothing was primed to explode. "Need another month to cool off?"
"Exams are going to be more than enough distraction. Three weeks left. You prepared for them?"
"Not really." Aoi sighed, "Things got busy."
"You're a smart girl. I'm sure you'll figure it out." The blond threw her head back, looking up to the skies. "Look at me, getting all soft and mellow because it's late at night." She held back a yawn before continuing. "You should go organise the rest of them, miss vice-president. I'll join the rest of the brass section soon."
Leaving Kyouko to her contemplation, Aoi walked further along the terrace towards the large semi-circle platform at its centre. Kiriko was entirely in shadow, underneath a worn out shelter. It was tiny, barely able to fit six people if they really packed themselves in. Looking closer, there was a small shrine at the back, built into the hillside. Only the part-time Miko had stopped to give a brief prayer of respect. In front of the structure was most of the band, helping Hitoshi and Shouko set up their equipment.
"The light pollution is still pretty bad," Hitoshi said as he wiped his brow. "The view at the ski lodge was much better."
"What's that blurry streak in the middle of the sky?" Aoi asked.
"The Milky Way," he replied. "It's not very impressive with all the ambient light from the city. But it's a good sign that we can see it at all."
"I think I'll be able to get a good photo with the right exposure," Shouko said as she started to adjust her camera and tripod.
"Will we be able to see Cassiopeia?" Haruka asked, her voice still more hushed than usual.
"Oh, that won't be a problem," Hitoshi replied. "It's just the deep sky objects that need a telescope. We're facing northwest towards Mount Atago now, so Cassiopeia should be on our right, over in Lake Biwa's direction."
They were on the west slope of Mount Daimonji, unable to see over the range eastward into Shiga Prefecture, but Cassiopeia was supposed to be visible high in the night sky. Looking above the tree line behind them, they constantly badgered Hitoshi for help until they finally located it.
"I found it!" Hiroe squealed, tracing the outline of the constellation with an outstretched finger. "It's just a zig-zag. How is that supposed to be a woman?"
"People used to have better imaginations," Kiriko replied from behind them, leaning against a thin pillar of the shrine shelter.
"It's so tiny," Momo said as she reached out, attempting to pinch the five stars. "Doesn't seem like something you compose music about."
Mirai cleared her throat. "Hitoshi, you're into this stuff. Can you tell us the myth behind it? It may help everyone's playing."
His head jolted up from the telescope eyepiece, almost tipping over the whole thing. "Umm… I do know it. I'm just not sure if we really need to get into that."
"Why not? We have time." Mirai said.
Hitoshi's gaze rapidly darted around the group, looking for any signs of support. "I think Asuka would have said something if she thought it was important."
Their eyes turned to the euphonist, sitting off to the side with Kaori on the ledge of the terrace.
"You guys won't like it," Asuka said, continuing to look out across the valley below. "If you all insist, Hitoshi can tell you. He's made the connection without me saying anything."
"Go on," Aoi prompted.
"Well… Cassiopeia is a queen from Greek myth. She was extremely arrogant, boasting about the beauty of herself and her daughter, Andromeda. This angered the god Poseidon, who sent a sea monster to destroy the kingdom. After consulting with an oracle, Cassiopeia decided that her daughter needed to be sacrificed to appease the gods. Andromeda was chained to a rock and left for dead. Luckily, a hero, Perseus, arrived and slew the monster, saving her."
"You're leaving out the most important part," Asuka raised her voice so it carried from afar.
Hitoshi took a large gulp of air. "Poseidon didn't want Cassiopeia to escape punishment, so he chained her in the sky like she did to Andromeda. The constellation is actually depicting her punishment."
"Geeze…" Hiroe said. "That ending sounds nothing like the piece we're playing."
"I guess its ends when Perseus saves her," Aoi replied.
There was little response from the others, all of them looking in different directions. Only Momo continued to curiously examine everyone, unsure of why they had become reticent. The cicadas droned on into the night, but there was silence.
Although Aoi only heard snippets of what happened last year from Haruka and Kumiko, she had pieced together a rough picture. The rumours of a parent slapping their daughter in the staff room travelled like wildfire. No one in the band ever confirmed that it was Asuka, although it did happen at the height of her disappearances. There must be a reason Haruka never told her about the incident in any detail. Cassiopeia appearing on their set was not a mere coincidence. Most of them might not be bothered enough to read up on the pieces they played, but Asuka did everything with intent.
At least they knew how to play the piece, even if it was an uncomfortable revelation.
"Why don't we record our practice?" Momo said, taking out a small tripod from her bag.
Both her section mates were the first stir from their collective daze. "For what?" Mikino and Raina said in unison.
"Memories? Publicity?" Momo replied, looking around for support.
"Do we really need a video?" Mirai asked. "There's no Rikka Band social media accounts anymore."
"We can always make one." She chirped.
"We don't even have a name."
"Think of one soon then. We can't get more performance request if no one knows who we are."
"If we're even good enough," Mikino mumbled.
Haruka clap was louder than usual, finally comfortable with the dark environment. "Alright, if anyone needs water or insect repellent, it's in the bags under the shelter. We'll start playing in a bit. Can you all come down to the platform and stand in your sections."
"Must we?" Mei asked from a distance. She was sitting above them on a concrete ledge further up the slope. "There isn't even enough space for all of us down there."
"How are you going to see the conductor then?" Haruka replied, her hands moving to her hips.
"I thought we were just going to play without one. I can't see anyone clearly without pointing a flashlight straight at them."
There was some mumbling among the group as Haruka struggled to find a reply. Seeing her discomfort, Aoi leaned towards her. "I don't think Asuka thought this through either."
Haruka's worry melted away, forcefully subduing her urge to laugh. They glanced towards Asuka and Kaori. The other pair was lost in their conversation, completely unaware that the band was preparing to do anything. It was strangely comforting to see her entirely occupied by something other than music. Though that left them without much of a driving force.
"Should we just let them relax?" Haruka replied, seeing that everyone had settled down into smaller groups. "Seems like a waste since we carried our stuff all the way here."
Some of them had an easier time with their relatively light and compact instruments. Others like Yuki were not so fortunate, reluctantly turning to Mamoru for help with her massive tuba.
"They'll play eventually." Aoi mused.
"I think I've got it!" Shouko bounced with excitement, locking her hands with Tori-chan in celebration. "Guys! Come down! I got a picture of the Milky Way!"
Mei and Hideri remained perched on their ledge, but it drew the interest of a few others that had broken off. Aoi was the nearest, getting the first look at the small screen of Shouko's Olympus camera.
There was no need for one of Hitoshi's explanations to figure out which stars were Orihime and Hikoboshi. The two orbs of light shone with an intensity that outstripped any nearby stars. The Milky Way's faint whisp was enhanced by the long exposure of Shouko's photo; now, a clear band of innumerable stars cutting across the sky between the two prominent stars. The billion points of light were infinitesimal, blending into a long cloud of stars. A hazy dark streak cut through the centre of the star cloud, like water running over pearl white sand. Aoi's eyes went back and forth between the image and the sky. It was amazing to see the majesty of its true appearance.
Aoi stood up, making way for the others to get a look. "Hitoshi, how come there is a dark patch running through the middle of the Milky Way?"
"Interstellar dust. It blocks a lot of behind it from reaching the earth." He replied, stealing a glance a Shouko.
Her eyes looked at him attentively. It was the first time Shouko paid him that much attention, at least in front of everyone else.
"Woah," Hiroe said as her turn came up. "It really does look like a river from the Tanabata story."
"Or maybe a railroad," Kyouko added with a smile.
The commotion surrounding Shouko's picture captured everyone's attention, taking turns looking at her camera or through the telescope. It was well past midnight, but their chatter was the loudest it had been since they gathered. Hitoshi showed them more celestial objects, locating Mars and Saturn low on the horizon towards the southwest. In the middle of their tour through the night sky, a trumpet cut through the summer air.
Haruka yelped. "Kousaka-san?"
The notes were crisp, soaring high above Mount Daimonji before gently rolling down its slope into the valley. The melody was soothing, as if it were trying to call out to the stars far away. Yet that same quality gave it a sense of longing—a lonely lament for something impossibly gone.
They searched around for the source of the music as the melody approached a crescendo.
"Kaori?" Haruka muttered.
There was a slight glint of light as she flourished her trumpet, hitting a high note impeccably. Then it cut off into silence. The buzzing of cicadas returned to their ears as they saw two figures descend from the steps leading higher up the mountain.
"It's called the Song of the Night Sky," Asuka announced as they reached the platform. "In case you all were worried that the solo wouldn't be good."
Sana began walking towards them. "Kaori, I thought you were Kousaka-san for a moment."
The rest were more hesitant to say anything, knowing the implication of the comments already made.
"I assume that's a talented senior?" Mirai asked.
"None of our seniors could play that well," Aoi replied drily. "Kousaka-san is our kouhai."
"I bet there was band drama because of that," Kyouko said, receiving only a subtle nod from Aoi and Haruka.
"I know we're beautiful, but you all can stop staring now," Asuka said, drawing a brief bout of laughter from everyone. "So are we going to play or what?"
Haruka clapped her hands again. This time everyone responded before she said a word, splitting up to unpack their instruments. They remained in a loose formation, sitting or standing in their sections on the platform or the ledges nearby. Momo planted her tripod at the edge of the platform, giving them a thumbs up to indicate they were all in the shot. While her camera was not as capable as Shouko, she was better equipped to record a performance, bringing along an external mic.
"This is your chance to play," Aoi whispered to Haruka.
"Eh? But we wrote out the baritone sax for the song."
"Play the tenor parts with me." Aoi smiled.
Instead of attempting to play any pieces perfectly, their mountainside practice was more of a bonding exercise. Anyone else would have simply admitted it was all for the fun of it—an interesting story to tell and look back on one day. But Asuka insisted on describing it as an exercise in inspiration. Not even she could call it practice with only a snare drum and tambourine as part of the percussion section.
"Knuckles, what's taking so long?" Asuka shouted from another ledge above the central platform.
"Almost there," He replied. A loud thump shattered their anticipation, prompting flashlights to snap to their location next to the shrine.
"It's fine, it's fine," Noriko yelled. "Just getting another drum."
The converging beams of light revealed Noriko behind an upturn trash can, making up for their section's lack of a third instrument. Knuckles did a roll on the snare drum, and Saki rattled her tambourine, signalling they were ready.
"Galaxy Express! One Two Three Four!" Noriko shouted as she counted them off with her mallets.
There was a wave of laughter before everyone composed themselves in time for her final beat. The flutes led the flowing introduction of the song before the saxophones kicked off its lively central melody. Their playing was much rougher than usual, their sound scattered with them loosely spread along the hillside. There were a few mistakes as they alternated between the brass and woodwinds leading the song, forcing some of them to improvise.
Anyone listening in on them would have probably called it sloppy, but it didn't matter to any of them. Aoi's smile made maintaining a proper embouchure impossible as she watched Haruka's first clumsy attempt at playing Galaxy Express 999 for herself. Maybe it was their collective exhaustion, all of them running on fumes at one in the morning. But strangely enough, their haphazard outdoor attempt was the liveliest they ever sounded.
"Do you guys mind if we play Crescent Moon Dance?" Himegami said, still elated after finishing the song.
"Yeah! It's been so long." Juri responded.
The idea immediately gained traction. Aoi only vaguely overheard the chattering of the other sections. Thankfully, none of it sounded like protests from the non-Kitauji students.
"Don't worry," Haruka whispered to her. "Just play what you remember."
Kyouko's distinctive cackling was audible during clearly botched and ad-libbed parts, most of them having lost familiarity with the piece. They made it as far as the solo, with Kaori stunning everyone into silence with her first notes. It was not as great as what Aoi remembered at Nagoya, but it leaps and bounds ahead of what she heard around Kitauji. While the others left out of Crescent Moon Dance seemed entertained watching them, Aoi felt the twinge of melancholy within her return.
The tenor sax passages were all but forgotten. Not that anyone expected her to remember much. She was like a stranger caught between worlds. Neither divorced from the piece nor a part of it. All she could do was remain silent, unable to express this to anyone else without ruining their moods.
An attempt at Cassiopeia or the Seventh Night of July was pointless, too complex for their current state and organisation to handle. Various groups broke off and started separately playing an assortment of melodies as they began to wind down. Only Hitoshi, Shouko and the saxophone section were left at the centre of the platform.
"Hey, Hitoshi," Asuka said, approaching them. "There's a Sunflower Nebula, right?"
"It's actually a galaxy," He said. There was a slight frown on his face, likely hoping that the rest would leave him and Shouko alone for a bit.
"Can Kaori and I see it?" Asuka continued.
"I can try." He said, clasping the nape of his neck. "My telescope isn't that high end, so it's not going to be very clear."
Kaori nodded, giving him a bright smile before the two sat down nearby. Shouko and Hitoshi got to work retraining the telescope towards the peak of Mount Atago. The wait was longer than expected, Hitoshi's explanation of the delay going over their heads again.
Aoi was steadily drifting off, her fatigue catching up with her when she heard a chuckle. Hiroe broke away from the section, saxophone in hand. Creeping up behind the two clarinettists, she stood on her tiptoes, sucking in an exaggerated gulp of air. Careless Whispers belched out of her instrument, the anthem of every insufferable saxophonist.
She got a few bars in before Shouko stormed over and pulled her sax mouthpiece away. "Can't you be tired like everyone else?"
Aoi expected more laughter, but most of the groups nearby were half asleep or engrossed in their intimate conversations. Finally giving them some respite, Hiroe went off with Kiriko. They joined some of the flutes and other clarinets sitting in a circle nearby.
After a short wait, Hitoshi called them over. "I couldn't find the Sunflower Galaxy in time." He said apologetically. "It went down over the horizon a while ago. But I got a good view of the Whirlpool Galaxy."
Too tired to complain, Asuka remained silent while Kaori thanked him for trying. The two of them were only interested in seeing it specifically. Out of curiosity, Aoi and Haruka came up to look through the telescope, not wanting to waste his effort. The galaxy's spiral arms were a bluish-green haze, one of them being pulled towards a smaller yellow orb.
"Are there two galaxies?" Haruka asked as she peered into the eyepiece.
"The Whirlpool Galaxy has a companion." Hitoshi's usual enthusiasm at explaining his hobby was starting to wane as the night wore on. "The interaction of their gravity is what is causing the spiral shape."
"It's being torn apart?"
"Not exactly. It's more like they're orbiting each other." He said, rubbing his chin. "My professor's theory is that the companion passed right through the Whirlpool Galaxy millions of years ago, creating the spiral structure. Its small companion is actually a few million light-years behind the Whirlpool Galaxy now. They're still connected by a bridge of dust and stars, so it's pretty close by galactic standards."
"So close, yet so far," Shouko murmured.
With everyone settling down for what remained of the night, Aoi and Haruka found their own spot a little way down the slope beneath the platform. They flattened out the grass underneath a picnic mat as they peered into the heart of Kyoto below. It was impossible to distinguish the tiny buildings so late at night, but it was clear enough to make out specific landmarks.
"I think I can see Kyodai," Haruka whispered, pointing to a large dark patch in the sea of lights near them. "That's probably Yoshidayama Park, right in front of your school."
"How do you know it's not the larger black patch behind it?" Aoi replied.
"I think that's the Imperial Palace. Doshisha must be right above it."
"You can't even see the Kamo river among the buildings."
"It isn't very wide anyway." Haruka yawned.
From on high, the distance between their schools collapsed, appearing as though they were next to each other. Even knowing they were only two kilometres apart, the journey between them on the ground felt much further. The two of them fell silent, letting the cicadas' summer night song fill the air completely. Laying down, they gazed at the remaining stars steadily trailing across the sky. Occasionally, she turned to look at Haruka, getting a smile in return. Neither of them wanted to break the perfect silence.
Slowly fading into sleep, a serenity resurfaced. Not felt since the last days of junior high. The knot in her stomach went utterly slack, and the weight pressing down on her chest lifted. Aoi took a deep breath, drawing in the cool mountain air entirely unlaboured. Surrounded by friends and with Haruka next to her, she wanted to stretch this moment out for an eternity. All the arguments and irritating habits of each person became meaningless. A trivial matter compared to their bond, old or new. There was still unease about where she stood in all of it. But if it all went on long enough, it felt as if it would cease to be a problem. She would finally be somewhere she wanted to be.
Good times always passed in a blink of an eye. If only it would stand still just this once.