Love, Eroge, Music & Other Craziness

by Geek Girl Naruru

Namikaze Naruto is a normal fifteen-year-old high school student. He has a distant relationship with his sister Naruko, who always treats him rudely. One Day in Spring, he encounters a foreign girl playing a piano on one of his travels to a junkyard and helps her in many ways as he discover that her name is Weiss Schnee.

30. The Violinist Prodigy

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"It seems like the 3A has already decided on their choice piece."

The news came to us the next day after school. It seemed like the class 3A was very enthusiastic about the contest as well. Not only were they putting up defenses against our spy Isshiki, they even rallied together to berate him when he went to the music room to gather intelligence. Regardless of all that… he still managed to bring us precious information.

"I could hear them clapping to the beats. They were clapping and singing at the same time, so it should not be the set piece, right?"

"What type of song was it?"

Nibutani strangled Isshiki's neck in an attempt to squeeze out all information from him.

"I-I have nothing else. All I heard was just that."

"If they have decided on their choice piece, then they should have submitted it to the students council already. We should know if we check there?"

Nibutani's eyes gave a spark right after she heard the suggestion of a certain guy.

"Alright! Go Isshiki-kun!"

Nibutani's really scary! Isshiki flew out of the classroom right after her instructions, and he was back within five minutes.

"It's crazy! The students council room has turned into a battlefield! The killing auras of the students are getting stronger as it gets closer to the contest."

"That is of no importance. Did you manage to get your hands on any intel?"

Nibutani's voice was incredibly harsh. It felt like she was pressing for his answers by stepping on his head with her shoes.

"Yes Boss! There were a stack of papers piled on their table, which looks like the registration forms. I did my best and snapped a picture of them with my handphone."

They were already working so hard (in the wrong manner) for the chorus contest, so what sort of crazy stunts will our class pull when it's time for our sports day? I shuddered at the thought of that, but I still took a look at the screen of my classmate's handphone.

The first thing I saw was the messy table with papers and stationery scattered on top of it. A familiar piece of paper was clipped beneath the cover of the contest brochures… it's the paper used to write down the selected choice pieces. I could make out the '3-A' characters written in the blank for the class, but…

"We can't see the name of the song as it is all covered up! You are really useless!"

Isshiki could only tremble from the cold and harsh words of Nibutani — the cover of the brochure had overlapped the area which was used to fill the names of the choice pieces.

"Wait. We can still see the edge." Said Weiss, who was looking at the screen together with me. Our foreheads almost came into contact.

"What's written on it? The image quality is bad."

"It's probably written in shorthand."

Weiss turned the screen horizontally and squinted at the screen. She then said in a soft voice.

"What's written on it is… Queen."

"Queen?"

A strange voice escaped from my throat. Sparks of fire bursted all over the place. The various thoughts in my mind linked themselves together into a line in an instant.

"Do you know what it is?"

I nodded my head in response to Weiss's question.

The band, Queen. They are a legendary rock band from England, famous for their beautiful and catchy melodies as well as their rich chorus — if we are choosing rock for our choice piece, songs from Queen will definitely be the best choice.

I recalled Hiratsuka Sensei's words once more… the principal will like gospels. As for the students' representative, they will usually award high marks to rock or pop songs. Kagurazaka Senpai should have obtained information similar to mine. She also got some information from her conversation with Terumi Sensei, and Senpai did say earlier they will be going down the path of rock this year. Combining all of the points above… and assuming they had chosen a song from Queen.

"I could hear them clapping to the beats."

"I got it."

"Eh?"

"I know the piece Senpai chose."

Chiaki stared at me as well.

"A song from Queen, clapping to the beats, and has a gospel feel to it… there is only one song which fulfills the above mentioned criteria and is usable for the chorus contest."

Even Chiaki realized what the song was as well. We said the name of the song together at the very same time.

"Somebody to Love."

"Is it okay to choose the same song as they did?"

Weiss popped the question as we sat on the bench on the platform while waiting for the train home.

Right after that, the class 2B immediately submitted the name of our choice piece to the student's council room, and it was none other than Somebody to Love. After much consideration, I decided that the only way we could win was to choose the same song as Senpai's class for our choice piece.

"They will compare us to Senpai's class if we are singing the same song as them."

Chiaki was obviously feeling uneasy about it as well. I deliberately ignored their expressions and replied.

"Senpai's class is indeed stronger than ours when it comes to singing. We will not be able to compete against them in that. However…"

I was not that confident as well, so I could not look straight at their face. I could only stare at my opened palms.

"If that's the case, it will be the same regardless of the song we choose. Therefore, we must use the weapons that only we possess."

"Weapons?"

In Somebody to Love, the main vocals are sung by a six-part chorus. Despite sounding like a gospel, it is still of the classical rock songs.

"We have a bassist, a guitarist and a drummer in our class."

Chiaki stared at me with her eyes opened wide.

"… Us?"

I nodded. Since Senpai said she has a one against three disadvantage, we shall make full use of our advantage without hesitation. Me, Chiaki and Weiss are all we need to form a rock band. That is the unique weapon of ours which Senpai's class do not have.

"But… putting the guitars aside, the organizers will definitely not allow us to place the drum set on the stage! What should we do about that?"

"I have two sets of mini electronic drums at my house, so let's use that. The volume should be just right as long as we have a set of speakers. It's the same as how you will normally drum, so it should be easy."

The train arrived before we knew it. The noise produced as it approached the station sounded as though it was attempting to crush the surging emotions within me. I shoved the oppressive feeling aside and stood up between the two girls. I stood by the safety line and turned my head backwards to look at the surprised Chiaki as well as Weiss, who was giving off a vexed expression through her eyes.

"Let's rock!"

(◕ω◕✿)

Just as expected from a school that used to have music as its major, the atmosphere on the day of the chorus contest was really heated. The school was broadcasting Haydn's oratorios in the morning, while the canopy of the music hall was changed into those specially made for the chorus contest, which has the event's name printed on it… if only they would direct some of the funds used in this event towards the various clubs instead.

It has been an hour since the contest began. Our classmates squeezed themselves in like a pack of sardines on at the right side of the stage, pried the curtains slightly apart and peeked at the audience through the gap. The teaching staff seated at the first row were already showing putting on irritated expressions on their faces. They must be tired from listening to Ave verum corpus for almost ten consecutive times already.

"Hiratsuka Sensei has already fallen asleep…"

Just as I was done saying that, Weiss whispered into my ears.

"Then wake her up with your baton."

I'll do that even without Weiss saying so. I wiped the sweat off my palms on my trousers.

The sequence of performance was decided by random, so Senpai's class will be performing three spots away from ours. That's great for us — we might actually lower their morale after listening to our performance.

"Hey Naruto, you saw the program guide?" Chiaki asked after returning back from the backstage.

"The one they distributed in the morning? Nope."

"I see… never mind, it's nothing much. It's too late to do anything."

"… What?"

"They are about to end soon."

I was quite concerned about what Chiaki meant, but the sparse applause and the sounds of the class before us walking off the steps shattered the uneasiness in me. One by one, the students of class 2B began making their way onto the stage under the rays of the spotlights. I will be the last to get on stage.

While holding the baton with my hands, I suddenly thought — Jacques must have tasted this solitary feeling a few thousand times already, right? Being a conductor is really tough. I never want to conduct ever again. But… it was an exception this time.

The MC began introducing our class, choice piece, and the names of the conductor and accompaniment. I turned my to take a look at one of the event committee members, and the thing that he was holding was… my bass.

"We are really sorry for making such requests."

We had went through great pains to obtain permission from the organizers to use the guitars and drums. Some of the nice people in the event committee knew about our contest with Kagurazaka Senpai and helped us in secret.

"I'll be depending on you when the set piece is over."

"Do your best!"

After nodding at each other, I began walking towards the stage that was doused in the lights.

Cheers and loud applause came from my side. Wait, the performance has not even started, so why are they already that excited? The other classes did not receive the same treatment as we do. I could even hear shouts of, "Defeat Kagurazaka!". Just how far has the news of the contest spread to? As I stood at the front of the stage, I opened my hands to quell the noise from the audience.

I took a look at the direction of the piano, and could see Weiss's pale face behind raised cover of the black piano. She had not taken her seat yet — all she was doing is to stare at the keyboard. This was not looking good. It was thanks to the gazes of the audience as well as the cheers that caused Weiss's fingers to be unable to move.

"Naruto." Just then, Chiaki's voice came from the highest step of the terraced stage amid the gradually receding noise from the audience. She shot a gaze of reproach and plea in the direction of the Weiss, as though she was saying to me, "Come up with something!"

She's right. Since I was the one who asked Weiss to play the accompaniment, I have to do something. I walked to the piano. Weiss's shoulders flinched. She then sat down.

"I'm… okay." Weiss mumbled. However, her hands were placed stiffly on the piano.

I blocked Weiss's view and stood next to the piano. There was no need for her to care about the audience. The only one she needs to look at is me.

"Weiss, It will be alright."

I considered my words carefully before converting them into speech. At the same time, I was careful not to let Weiss see me holding the baton tightly.

"This is just a practice. It's the same as how Mozart would warm up before his actual performances. It's not a big deal."

After a while, Weiss raised her head to stare at me. She then looked beyond the curtains to the lateral side of the stage. The Stratocaster on its stand was waiting for the crazy atmosphere that will come later.

Weiss looked at me once more and nodded her head. Her pair of eyes had regained their liveliness — and in them were the reflection of me alone. In the instant when I gently lifted my baton, it felt like the everyone in the music hall had their breaths sucked away.

It felt like there was someone descending from the sky, walking on the transparent stairs with her light steps — how did she manage to play that sort of sound with the piano? I had no idea. I began making my way to the stand by walking backwards, which resulted in Weiss being further and further away from me. The ensemble came into my view gradually. All I did was to pinch the baton and guide them gently — their voices began to flow and gush out of the overflowing fountain.

There should be some who noticed, right? Weiss's piano ended off with the weakest of tones, before gradually fading away — as though it was sending off the exalted voices. Who else noticed that aside from Weiss and I? That was the agreement we made back when Weiss and I were alone.

Ave verum corpus was originally composed for the ensemble, strings and the organ, so a piano will destroy the penetrative melody of the piece. Therefore, our decision was to make the piano fade away during the actual contest without anyone noticing it. All Weiss had to do was to play the opening for us — that was what I asked Weiss to do. There was no longer any sounds from the piano.

Other than the singing voices, all that was remaining were the sounds of the illusory strings instruments. Can everyone hear those sounds as well?

Right after my fingertips sucked away the the harmony that was dragged on till the very last moment, a loud roar of applause erupted from behind my back. The hallucinatory sounds of the strings had disappeared, and what replaced them was the heated sweat that was coming out from my back.

I turned around to look at the flushed faces of my classmates — everyone was putting on an expression of disbelief. I counted the steps of the event committee member who were running towards us, while enjoying the applause coming from behind me.

Senpai said this before — the pleasure of experiencing the applause that were coming from behind one's back is a privilege that is exclusive only to the conductors. I remember she was using the words of Jacques? I see, it may be just as he said.

Right now… I am experiencing the pleasure for myself, but… tossing away the baton, I took my bass from the hands of the committee member. I then turned myself to face the audience. In the direction where the spotlights were shining towards me, I could see that the applause was slowly turning into uproar. Seems like everyone was surprised.

I am indeed a rocker at heart.

I still prefered to stand in the direction of the audience. At the corner of my eyes was Weiss, who had unknowingly gotten off from her seat. She picked up her guitar and began strumming it with her pick. Next, was the cheap and blaring sounds of Chiaki's electronic drums rolling along to the melody — Somebody to Love.

Right after I strummed my bass, I felt a vibration throughout my body. The nostalgic bass assaulted my stomach, and my singing voice began to flow out of my throat naturally. The rich chorus of over thirty people came rushing from behind my back. It's an incredibly indulgent piece of rock music. The thoughts about winning the contest was already thrown way out of my head. But it was a shame… we are lacking the sounds of Senpai's guitar.

::::::

Can anybody find me somebody to love

Ooh, each morning I get up I die a little
Can barely stand on my feet
(Take a look at yourself) Take a look in the mirror and cry (and cry)
Lord what you're doing to me (yeah yeah)
I have spent all my years in believing you
But I just can't get no relief, Lord!
Somebody (somebody) ooh somebody (somebody)
Can anybody find me somebody to love?

I work hard (he works hard) every day of my life
I work till I ache in my bones
At the end (at the end of the day)
I take home my hard earned pay all on my own
I get down (down) on my knees (knees)
And I start to pray
Till the tears run down from my eyes
Lord somebody (somebody), ooh somebody
(Please) can anybody find me somebody to love?

Everyday (everyday) I try and I try and I try
But everybody wants to put me down
They say I'm going crazy
They say I got a lot of water in my brain
Ah, got no common sense
I got nobody left to believe in
Yeah yeah yeah yeah

Oh Lord
Ooh somebody, ooh somebody
Can anybody find me somebody to love?
(Can anybody find me someone to love)

Got no feel, I got no rhythm
I just keep losing my beat (you just keep losing and losing)
I'm OK, I'm alright (he's alright, he's alright)
I ain't gonna face no defeat (yeah yeah)
I just gotta get out of this prison cell
One day (someday) I'm gonna be free, Lord!

Find me somebody to love
Find me somebody to love
Find me somebody to love
Find me somebody to love
Find me somebody to love
Find me somebody to love
Find me somebody to love
Find me somebody to love love love
Find me somebody to love
Find me somebody to love
Somebody somebody somebody somebody
Somebody find me
Somebody find me somebody to love
Can anybody find me somebody to love?
(Find me somebody to love)
Ooh
(Find me somebody to love)
Find me somebody, somebody (find me somebody to love) somebody, somebody to love
Find me, find me, find me, find me, find me
Ooh, somebody to love (Find me somebody to love)
Ooh (find me somebody to love)
Find me, find me, find me somebody to love (find me somebody to love)
Anybody, anywhere, anybody find me somebody to love love love!
Somebody find me, find me love

::::::

(◕ω◕✿)

There was a brief moment of silence during the middle part of the song. The strange-sounding chants beneath the clapping tempos began to gush their way up by stacking themselves in layers one after another. In the end, it cascaded into the finale after a violent explosion. The only thing I could see was the glittering lights reflected by the drops of sweat flying about me. I had no idea where Senpai was. Did we manage to convey our performance into her heart?

Even after hiding myself in the restroom for fifteen minutes, I was unable to make my heated body return back to normal. When our song was over, aside from the vigorous applause, I could also hear what sounded like cursing or cheers all mixed up together. It felt like those sounds were still reverberating in my ears. The throbbing of my heart persisted for a long while.

The performance of the class was about to start, but my legs were void of any strength to stand up. I asked myself: am I scared of listening to their performance? How can I not be? I do think I have performed really well, and I can be optimistic about our chances of winning — but for some strange reason, I was unconvinced. It's Kagurazaka Senpai we are talking about here…

Even though they are performing the exact same piece as ours after us, and despite them not having the accompaniment of the bass and the drums, but do they really not possess any sort of secret weapons in their hands?

It's pointless for me to hide in here any longer! I hammered my knees with my fist, and finally stood up. What I wanted to hear was the chorus of Senpai's class. In which way will Senpai go about presenting it?

I walked down the corridor and pushed open the heavy double doors of the music hall. Their performance was at the final chorus of Ave verum corpus and was fading into the dark. I took a look at the stage and was surprised at what I saw. Long hair which was tied into two braids — I recognized the back of Kagurazaka Senpai in an instant. She was standing right in the middle of the stage. Facing her was the ensemble of her class, whose grey silhouettes were arranged neatly on the terraced stage.

Looking at the clothes that the girls were wearing — even without the veils, one could easily recognize their attires as the habits of nuns. So the school had actually allowed them to dress up as that. Well, I guess they were pretty lax about the restrictions.

When I got back to my seat, my classmates around me whispered.

"Where have you been, Maestro Naruto?"

"It would be bad if we got calls for an encore!"

"I really wish I could sing once more!"

"Yeah!"

After settling down on my seat, a hand reached out to me from behind me, and something appeared before my eyes. Oh, the program guide for the chorus contest. I turned my head around — it was Chiaki who passed me that.

"… What?"

"The song Senpai's class chose was not Somebody to Love."

For a brief moment, I could not understand what Chiaki was saying. Just as I took the guide from her in shock, the sounds of the piano began to rang on the stage. I turned my head back and listened to their singing.

It began with a almost silent singing that praises Virgin Mary — no accompaniment, just a simple harmony. I finally realized my mistake.

The elegant hymn was interrupted by the abrupt sounds of the piano. What came next was a passionate rhythm created by the clapping of hands and stomping of feet. The same melody from before coordinated itself to this tempo — there were times where they resonated with each other, and others where they screamed in contrast.

That's… one of the songs which appeared in the movie Sister Act—Hail Holy Queen. This song was created by increasing the tempo of the hymn, then rearranging it to form the final product. In the movie, it's a song that re-lit the burning passion in the sisters, and got the younger generation to step into the church once more.

And now back in reality, it had caused us to glue our sight to the stage. I could not breathe. Why didn't I notice it then? The 'Queen' which Weiss saw from the screen was not the name of the band, but the last word of the name of the didn't I realize it's a hymn and rock at the same time? Why? After all, it is possible to create rock with only the singing, the hands and the feet…

Senpai's hair swung wildly like the tail feathers of a bird as she turned her body around. When she started to bring her hands up to her head to lead the audience into a clap, the whole music hall was swallowed up by the atmosphere around her. Her class' chorus and claps were overshadowed by Senpai's powerful solo performance. The song ended in an amazing round of applause and cheers that was comparable to an avalanche. Despite my chagrin, I still gave them a round of applause as hard as I could.

There was no need for the official results to show who won, and I do pity those classes who were performing after Senpai's class (and in actual fact, there were quite a few people who went home straight after that). To add on, our class came in second. Chiaki went up the stage to receive the prize in the place of me, who was completely drained. I did not regain my strength even after Chiaki used the rolled up certificate to hit me hard on my body.

Two days after the contest had ended.

It was a Sunday night. We agreed to meet up near the ticketing gates of a busy train station in Tokyo. I was worried I could not spot her, but those worries were all for nothing. Kagurazaka Senpai appeared at the stairs while wearing a glamorous purple gown. She still stood out from the crowd despite being roughly two hundred meters away from me. Beneath the lace shawl, I could clearly see the back of her revealing gown cut deep down, and that made my heart skip a beat. Her hair was tied elegantly into a bun, which made her look just like a celebrity who is invited to some grand party. And that was not the end of the surprises.

"Sorry, I'm late. Let's go," just as Senpai was done saying that, she wrapped her arm around mine, and that caused me to nearly fall.

"You seemed nervous. This should not be your first time attending a classical music concert, right?"

"You're not wrong…" But this is the first time I am attending it together with a girl.

"Then again, I was way more surprised than you are!"

Senpai began talking about the contest as we made our way to the concert hall. But since the event ended in what I felt was an embarrassing note, I was hoping that no one would talk about it.

"Are you that dissatisfied with the results? Your choice of song and the performance were both pretty good. I never thought you guys can pull off Queen's song at the chorus contest."

"No, you see… there's a lot of things to it."

I never told Senpai why we chose to perform Somebody to Love, because it was a really embarrassing misunderstanding.

According to one of the committee members, there was a huge gap between the scores of the winners and the runners-up. It's not just because the principal had awarded really high marks for the hymn — it was obvious from the reactions and atmosphere of the audience that the victory belonged to Senpai's class. We lost to them thoroughly.

"Ah, you see." Senpai tightened her grip on my arm and said, "I think there's a much simpler reason for our win. It has nothing to do with how good or bad the performances was. The time signature of Somebody to Love was in the 6/8 beats, right? It is a pretty dynamic song, but the time signature makes it hard for the audiences to move their bodies left and right to the beats while sitting on the chairs! I had actually considered using that song for the contest as well."

I took a glance at Senpai's face and sighed.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

"No, nothing."

So my train of thought was not comprehensive enough… how long will it take before I can finally catch up to this person here? Just as we could barely see the roof of the concert hall from among the buildings, Senpai suddenly said.

"But you guys are really strong opponents! I am proud to be able to compete against you."

Senpai stopped in her tracks for a moment and stared at my face with a suspicious smile on her face.

"And also, my mood tonight is excellent due to my victory over you guys. You can do whatever you like, so have you booked a room at the hotel?"

"Nononono!"

When was she serious, and when was she not?

All the seats in the concert hall were occupied. Just as expected from the world renowned Jacques Schnee, the audience was generally made up of slightly older fans who are all well dressed up. I could not find any young people around. While breathing in the smell of the spring night and the scent of perfume, I then lead the search for the numbers of our VIP front-row seats by pulling Senpai along by her arms. I finally found the two empty seats, but I was surprised by what I saw next.

To the left of the two empty seats, was Weiss in a blue one-piece dress; to the right was Chiaki, who wore freakin FC Barcelona jersey here without even giving any consideration to the event which she was attending.

… W-Why? Why are both of them here?

"Oh my, what a coincidence!" Said Senpai. Coincidence my ass! This is way beyond coincidence!

"Hurry up and take a seat. The concert is about to begin." Weiss said softly with a hint of unhappiness in her voice.

After forcing me onto the seat next to Weiss, Senpai sat down elegantly beside Chiaki.

"Weiss was the one who demanded the tickets! She actually managed to get them!"

I could feel my head aching. I see… she must have means to do so since she is the daughter of Jacques. But to deliberately get the tickets to the seats located on both sides of ours… just how unreasonable was she!? Did you really have to do that?

"She probably doesn't want us to be by ourselves."

Senpai looked past me at Weiss's face with a huge smile on her face, and the silent Weiss nodded her head with a flushed face. Just what was going on here? I don't get it at all! Considering all the trouble we had went through during the contest and stuff, wouldn't it be much easier for her to just do this right from the beginning?

"Isn't this perfect, young man?" Senpai nudged me with her shoulders.

"Everyone ends up as winners. How nice it would be be if all the wars were to end up like this!"

Though I had the feeling that Senpai's the only real winner here, but… ahhh, whatever!

"Speaking of which, is it too late for us to call up the hotel and request for a change of rooms to a four-person suite?"

"Did Naruto really book a room at the hotel!?" Chiaki jumped up.

"W-Wait, don't lie, Senpai! Ah, oww oww oww, stop that Weiss! It hurts! You can't bend the human fingers like that!"

Just as we were stirring up a ruckus, the orchestra was already done with the tuning. Jacques finally appeared on the stage amid a thunderous applause.

(◕ω◕✿)

We resumed with the third piece of the night after a brief intermission — Manfred Symphony. It is the longest symphony ever composed by Tchaikovsky. And while there may be a slight difference in the length of the piece depending on the conductor, it is typical for it to last for about an hour. The first movement is incredibly gloomy and starts off really slowly. Now couple that with Jacques's calm and sturdy style in conducting, it's a piece that is really tiring to listen to. Two seats away from me, Chiaki was already sleeping on Kagurazaka Senpai's shoulders.

In the beginning, I was thinking to myself: why are they playing the piece so slowly? That may caused them to be harshly criticized by the audience, no? But at the third movement, the atmosphere actually became even more suffocating, where I was forcefully pulled into the meditative sounds. When we entered the last movement which had a rigorous military feel to it, I actually straightened my sitting posture.

Jacques waved his arms and lifted the orchestra to an incredibly high level. With a swing of the baton, he ended the most rousing part with a climax. After a moment of blankness which felt like I was looking downwards from the top of a dangerous cliff — A ray of light descended from the sky. it was an elegant chorale played by the organ. I could feel a jolt of electricity running up my spine. Goosebumps appeared all over my body.

I used to think that Manfred Symphony is a boring piece of music… but everything's different now. It's because I had never listened to an interpretation like this before one where the conductor brings the whole piece to its climax in such a saddening and theatrical fashion.

The piece ended as if it was sucked into the air. But for quite a long while, there were no clapping or even the sound of coughing to be heard. It was only after Jacques let go of his baton when the audiences finally jolt back to their senses. It started with a sparse applause scattered about here and there. Next, the whole music hall was engulfed by the whirlpool of applause which grew larger and larger. I was already up on my feet and clapping before I realized it.

I shot a glance at my side. Weiss was clapping with an unhappy expression while still sitting on her chair.

"That's really impressive."

I could faintly hear the voice of Kagurazaka Senpai.

"I have never heard a Manfred Symphony that goes along so well with organ. The tempo felt like it was barely containing something within it… so it was all for the final moment?"

The applause were still going on even after Jacques had stepped down the stage. The orchestra continued with their tuning as well. The special thing about Jacques's concerts are the encores — it will always turn out to be an interesting and unique performance. I wanted to sort out my thoughts, so I took out my notebook and my pen.

After returning back on stage, Jacques spread his arms as a signal, and the noise from the audience died down gradually.

"I am thankful to have the honor of meeting everyone here tonight." Jacques said that with a stern face. It's a line which he will always say prior to the encore.

"Narcissist," said Weiss beside me softly. I do agree with her slightly.

"We have invited a special guest here, a soloist. He should not be appearing here tonight, so for those who are from the music industry, please try not to publicize this as much as possible, or else I will be in for some trouble from the records company."

A few guffaws came from beneath the stage. A soloist who only shows up during the encore? I have never heard of something like that before.

"I believe everyone should know him as well, but I think it is only proper for me to introduce him. Please welcome Astolfo Icecolle."

That caused a huge commotion in the audience. I do remember hearing that name somewhere before, so I searched through my memories frantically. I ended up not noticing what Weiss was saying beside me.

Astolfo. Astolfo Icecolle…

The commotion in the hall turned into a warm round of applause once more. I quickly lifted my head in shock. At the side of the stage appeared a small silhouette of someone clipping onto a violin beneath his arm. He walked through the members of the orchestra and made his way to the conductor's stand in the middle of the stage.

In the beginning, I thought the person is a girl as I could only see the upper body — the person has pink colored hair which was glittering under the spotlights, huge eyes, and fiery red lips.

However, the petite violinist who was standing beside Jacques was wearing a tuxedo.

"Asto?" mumbled Weiss.

Asto? Ah, I finally remembered who he is. Astolfo Icecolle, the violinist prodigy from France. He is widely known by his nickname "Asto-chan" in Japan because his feminine appearance. He is always praised to possess 'the looks of an angel' or 'sublime techniques just as if he is Yehudi Menuhin reborn', and etc. He is a celebrity violinist with crazed fans all over the globe.

It is said that the sales of magazines will increase by many folds whenever they publish his pictures, and since he frequently appears on the covers of the classical music magazines, that is how I got to know him. He is always putting on a serious and stern expression on the pictures, but he actually holds an innocent air around him that is similar to that of a typical junior high school girl (though he is a guy), and he is roughly of Weiss's height as well. I think he is one year younger than me?

Astolfo stood at the conductor's stand and bowed elegantly. That movement of his silenced everyone in the hall. Nothing was said — Astolfo lifted his bow, but I could see almost no movements of Jacques as he conducted. The clarinets and oboes made a serious inquiry, and Astolfo's violin replied with it's solo performance. Then, the background accompaniment of the orchestra began to spread its wings slowly.

This song is… Alban Berg's Violin Concerto. The concerto dedicated To the Memory of an Angel was composed in remembrance of a deceased young girl, and it was Berg's final piece before dying to blood poisoning. The violin solo and the orchestra interwove together to create a sorrowful fricative. The melody sounded like it was sobbing softly.

I did not even notice the notebook had slipped off from my hands. It felt like there was really the wails of someone coming from a place high above. The intense allegro of the second movement tells the story of a girl and her pains as she struggled against her sickness. An intense chromatic phrase which felt like it was shaved off from Astolfo's slender body was finally surrounded by death which purifies everything. It then merged itself into the calm adagio.

The solo violin began playing its highest note, while at the same time absorbing all the sounds from the orchestra — when the piece was finally over and the music had faded away silently, there was barely a hint of liveliness left in the music hall. The mood was different from that of Manfred Symphony.

Even so, the young boy in the middle of the stage placed his bow and violin down. After showing the audience a gentle smile akin to that from an angel, the atmosphere in the hall melted immediately. The applause from the audience was like an endless avalanche. I was clapping in a daze. I then realized his smile was not offered to everyone in the audience, but only at a specific person.

Is it me? No wait… I realized the shocking truth, and looked at the seat beside me — Weiss sank herself deep into her seat with an absent-minded expression on her face.

Mom actually took a great deal of effort to prepare a bouquet for me to offer to Jacques. It's sad to be saying this though — not only had she chosen narcissus which is out of season, she also said this, "Listen to this properly Naruto. Narcissus means 'conceited' in the language of flowers! Be sure to tell Jacques that when you offer him the bouquet!" What an idiot.

After the concert was over, I told the girls to wait for me at the lobby. Just as I was about to visit the lounge which was located at the backstage, Weiss grabbed me by my suit's helm and gave me a tug.

"Yes?"

"… I'm coming along."

Why? I mean, Jacques will be at the lounge too, right? It's not possible for Weiss to specially go there to see him, right? I think thought of Astolfo right away. (It looked like) Astolfo was staring at Weiss back then… there should be a reason to that, right? Perhaps they knew each other?

The corridor leading to the lounge was filled with orchestra members as well as the large instruments. Since the performing band was Orchestre de Paris, I could hear conversations in French all around me. I was at a loss of what to do.

Just then, one of the orchestra members saw Weiss hiding behind my back, and walked towards us after exclaiming what sounds like "Oh!". We were then quickly surrounded by the orchestra. That's proof that Weiss is famous in the professional world as well.

"Umm, well…" Weiss pushed me aside when I tried to communicate with them in Japanese. She then began to converse with the middle-age French horn player with an incredibly authentic sounding French. She then turned around to look at me, pointed to the end of the corridor with an unhappy expression on her face, and said, "He said Papa finds the interviewers irritating, so he is hiding in that room."

The orchestra member took us into a smaller lounge located deep into the corridor. Just as I was about to grab the doorknob and open the door, it was suddenly opened quickly from the inside.

"Weiss!"

A small person along with a voice filled with excitement squeezed through the opening and hugged me all of the sudden.

"… Whoaaaa!?"

"Weiss, I miss you so much!"

My nose came into contact with soft pink hair. Right after I realized the person was Astolfo Icecolle, I was hugged tight by his slender arms, and his face was buried deep into my chest. There was a faint scent of roses coming from his hair — no wait! I became flustered all of the sudden, and hurriedly pushed his body away.

"W-What are you doing?"

"Ah, sorry. I was mistaken."

The French looked at my face and said that in a nonchalant manner, before tip-toeing slightly to kiss me lightly on my cheek. He then turned his attention to Weiss as I remained rooted on the spot.

"I miss you so much, ma cherie!"

What surprised me even more was how Weiss never hit him or yelled at him despite him hugging onto her tightly. She was only putting on a slightly unhappy expression as she silently allowed her cheeks to be kissed lightly by him. This guy are really impressive — that was all I could think with only the remaining half of my brain functioning properly.

Weiss noticed my gaze and her face turned red. She pushed Astolfo away.

"…W-When did you come to Japan?"

"Yesterday. I am planning to stay in Japan for a while, so we can see each other everyday. Before today's encore, I heard from Maestro Jacques that Weiss will be coming to listen to the concert as well, so I requested —"

There was a sudden cough. I finally saw Jacques sitting before the dressing table located deep within the room.

"You are here in Kushina's place, right? So that means you will be writing the critique? Mmm… I am looking forward to it." Jacques said that to me with a serious expression. You are scaring me with your expectations…

The four of us sat down face to face on the sofa in the lounge. I was sitting right in front of Jacques, while Weiss was sitting by my side. For some reason, Astolfo sat himself on the sofa — back behind Weiss and I. Please, can you sit yourself properly? You are making me feel really uncomfortable?

"Critique? He's writing it?"

Astolfo grabbed my hair suddenly and stuck his body over my head to look at my face, which caused me to nearly overturn. He still looked like a girl even at that close distance. His peach-red lips was right before my eyes, which reminded me of what happened earlier. I do hope he can keep a distance away from me.

"That is rude of you, Astolfo. Sit down properly! The person whose hair is messed up by you may look young, but he is a music critic. He is our competitor."

Astolfo disappeared from my sight all of the sudden. I see, he had stood up beside the sofa and stared at Jacques with his eyes opened wide, before turning around to continue staring at me. It's only at such a close distance that I realized he is really skinny and small. He may actually be of a smaller build than Weiss.

I thought he will be sitting beside Jacques, but he unexpectedly sat himself down next to me. Since the sofa was a two-seater, Weiss, Astolfo and I had no choice but to stick to each other. What's with this? Is he making fun of me?

"Is that so? Then I am really sorry! Nice to meet you for the first time, Just as you have already knew, I am a violinist."

I stretched out his hand while introducing himself. There was a strange expression coming from Astolfo's eyes which I didn't quite know what it was. Hostility? Enmity? A sense of wariness? Or perhaps curiosity? His expression looked like it was a mix of everything, but at the same time, did not seem like any one of above as well.

I hesitated for a while before shaking his hand stiffly. I could feel a sense of incongruity. What's the reason for that?

"My enemy, what is your name?"

Enemy?

"My name is Naruto. Naruto Namikaze."

Even though he is younger than me, he spoke to me in a tone as though he is conversing with someone of his own age. I unconsciously spoke to him in a very polite manner.

"Can I call you 'Ruto'?"

I was stunned. Weiss, who was beside me, looked like she wanted to say something as well. The only person to address me with that name is Weiss.

"Asto…" Weiss, who was sitting on the other side of the sofa, suddenly spoke. "You can't."

"What do you mean by that?" Asked Astolfo, as he propped over my shoulder to look at Weiss.

"You cannot call him by that."

"Why?"

"You just can't."

Why? I was at a lost of what was happening around me. Then again, why was Jacques looking that angry as well?

"Well… everyone calls me 'Naruto'. If you can, please address me as that."

"So what instrument does Ruto plays?"

"Listen to what I'm saying here, okay!?"

"Stupid Asto!"

Completely ignoring what we said, Astolfo continue.

"Ruto, the skin of your left fingers are very tough, so you should be playing some sort of instruments, right?"

I was shocked. Astolfo walked to my side and lifted my left hand.

"Well…"

"Ruto is the bassist of our band," Said Weiss.

Astolfo and I were both slightly surprised by that, so we both stared at Weiss's face. From the edges of my eyes, I could see an unhappy expression on Jacques's face.

"Mmm? So you are a companion of Weiss?"

Astolfo began to play around with my fingers as he said that. I found it a little strange. He's not the least bit surprised at how Weiss's in a band? Or does he know about it already? Just what is the relationship between the two of them? However, I don't think it's the right time for me to ask him that…

"Are you good with your bass?"

"He's horribly bad at it."

Weiss answered without hesitation, and that caused me to sink into the abyss of depression. I know I suck at playing the bass, sorry about that!

"I knew it. These fingers are not used to create music. Instead, they exist to distort the truth."

I quickly waved Astolfo's hands away. What's with that!? Why are all his words filled with animosity? It's the first time we met each other, and I don't think I've done anything to piss him off.

"… Do you hate music critics?" I tried asking him. There are a lot of musicians who are like that.

"Mmm. I do." Like the sun which reappears after a heavy downpour, a bright smile appeared on Astolfo's face as he answered me in a straightforward manner.

"I see. So you hate them huh?" I said those words with a smile in order to show my approval of his reply.

"Oh, you mean you have not heard about the things those people have done to my precious Weiss?"

"What…" I was at a lost of words.

"Asto, stop that." Weiss actually shielded me physically and said that in a very stern manner.

"But Weiss, you said before you hate those people as well?"

"But there is no need for you to say those things to Ruto."

"You used to talk about tying up all the critics and drying them under the sun so that you can use them as fertilizers for the grapes.

"I never said that!" Weiss stood up with her face red.

"Astolfo's the one who said those things." Jacques sighed.

"Ah, is that so? I remember Weiss talking about how that will make the grapes taste bad, so it's a bad idea after all."

"Asto's the one who said those things as well! Geez! You idiot!"

Weiss stood up, stretched past my shoulders and proceeded to slap hard on Astolfo's head. Jacques and I exchanged a look of helplessness between us. Do what you two like, but can you please don't sandwich me in the middle of your quarrels?

In order to prevent myself from falling victim to Weiss's slaps, I shielded my head with my arms and ran away from the sofa. At the same time, just as Weiss was about to hit him with her right hand, Astolfo grabbed it quickly and entwined his fingers with hers.

"… You should remember how those people have written all that nonsense ever since you could not play the piano, right? And recently, after the issue about your sickness was leaked, those people criticized you unfairly about your lack of professionalism, or how you are running away from the stage."

I stood up in shock and looked at them. I am in no position to be saying much, but… I never thought the critics will be that brazen in discussing the issue about Weiss's right hand.

"Are you still continuing with your rehabilitation? Though they do seem to be in a much better shape…"

However, Weiss was not angry, and neither did she fling Astolfo's hand away. All she did was to give a light nod and murmured.

"You don't have to worry. I will do something about it by myself."

I stared helplessly at Weiss's profile. I had indirectly asked her about her hand many times ever since I know her. The reason for the immobility of her fingers is mainly due to her psychological issues. As for whether she wants to continue playing the piano, I have never heard anything concrete coming from her.

I will do something about it by myself — that's what Weiss said, and it was my first time hearing her say that. Does that mean that she will try to do something 'in order to play the piano once more'? If that is really the case, then… why didn't she tell me?

Was it because it was Astolfo who asked? Because they are both living in the same world? Basking under the same brilliance, the same cheers and the same criticisms? Having tasted the same loneliness? So that's why she could say those words to him? If that's the case, then…

It seemed like Jacques said something to me, and Astolfo did the same while staring at my face. However, I could not remember what I said in reply. Why the hell am I here? I pondered on that question repeatedly with my half-blanked mind.

.

_ஜ114ஜ_

.

"Really? So he is really a guy… what a shame."

There were only a few people left in the lobby. Kagurazaka Senpai said that as she pressed her hands on her forehead and shook her head. Senpai kept hounding me about the gender of Astolfo the moment I talked about how I met him. What the hell is this woman normally thinking?

"What will you do if he is a girl?" Chiaki, who was all sleepy from waiting for me, prodded Senpai's waist gently as she asked that question.

"Hmm? I guess I'll start by learning how to speak French…"

"Asto can speak Japanese, and he is much more fluent at it than I am." Weiss said softly behind me. Indeed, he is incredibly fluent with his Japanese.

A brief silence engulfed the scene. Chiaki kept staring at me. "… Um, what's wrong?"

"You are not going to tsukkomi her?" Chiaki asked while pointing to Senpai.

"… It's not like I exist in this world solely to tsukkomi the retarded lines that were said around me."

"I don't live in this world purely for romance as well — I have never forgotten about my revolution, you know. France is a country of revolution as well, so it will definitely be beneficial for me to learn more about them."

"That's something you've only thought of a second ago, right?"

"Oh! Naruto's revived!" Chiaki said with approval. Don't be that happy. I only said it by accident!

I will forget the contents of the concert if I continue on with this stupid conversation. I began walking towards the exit of the concert hall. I better get home quickly to work on my draft.

"Hold on, wait! Naruto, you are really mean! Senpai and I have waited for you for so long, and you are planning to head home already?"

Chiaki caught up to me with her yells and her footsteps. Then, I heard two more pairs of footsteps as well — Weiss caught up to me as well with Kagurazaka Senpai by her side. In the end, the four of us walked out of the main entrance together.

After walking past a row of tall trees that encircles the huge concert hall, I could see the rows of streetlights that were installed on the soundproof walls of the Tokyo highways. It was already late. I did not realize it during the piece, but the encore was actually really long as they had played the whole concerto.

Despite it being a hard to understand piece due to its complex tones, I was deeply attracted to it. That caused me to lost track of time.

"Ruto…" Weiss called me. I turned my head around to look at her.

"Are you angry?"

"… Why are you asking me that?" Angry? Who me?

I asked Weiss that question in response. She immediately showed a troubled expression.

"By the way, I'm curious what the relationship between Astolfo Icecolle and Comrade Schnee! It's the same for young man as well, right?" Kagurazaka Senpai suddenly said that question.

"I'm also curious about." Said Chiaki too.

Weiss's face went red from the bombardment of questions coming from all around her. She remained rooted on the spot and looked a little overwhelmed. I turned my head around and found her looking at me with a cry for help.

"Is he your father's friend?" I am curious as well.

Weiss mumbled something before nodding her head lightly.

"I remember seeing him on the cover of some fashion magazines. He and Jacques had went on a tour in Europe too, right?"

So even Chiaki knew of the existence of Astolfo? I never expect the fashion magazines to write articles about him as well.

"… That was a long time ago, when Papa was not the main conductor of Orchestre de Paris."

And that means he used to go on a tour with Weiss as well? And I do remember him saying things like "I'll be depending on the Schnee family during my stay in Japan"…

Weiss kept staring at my face. She waved her hands hard when I noticed her gaze.

"H-He's not with me that often… and I was very busy."

"But you two had taken the same plane and stayed in the same hotel, right?" Chiaki said.

"Mmm, yes…"

"Does he enter the male's bath or the female's bath?"

"There's no such things at the hotels of Europe, right?"

"Oh right, have you and Astolfo performed together before? There are some pieces which are performed only with the piano and violin, right?"

"There were plans for that, but none of them materialize…"

"So that boy is here specially to see Comrade Schnee, right? You two share a really good relationship with each other."

"Eh? U-Uhh…"

Weiss was getting more and more restless as the other two girls pelted her with all sorts of questions.

"You know, there is really nothing special going on with Asto and I. We are just normal friends… there r-really is nothing between us."

I was stunned. Why is she telling me that? Weiss's face was so red, it looked like steam was about to come out of her skin. She turned her head away and walked quickly towards the direction of the train station. As for Kagurazaka Senpai, she gave a snicker before grabbing Chiaki and me by our arms and ran towards Weiss.

It was already past ten when Chiaki and I reached our train station. Tokyo's really far away. I remained sitting on my seat with a blank expression even after the door of the train had opened. It was only after a hard stomp on the foot from Chiaki that I realized we had already arrived. I got off the train in a hurry.

"What are you spacing out for? Still thinking about Weiss and that guy?"

Chiaki asked me with a sinister expression on her face as we walked past the ticket gates.

"… Yeah, kind of."

It was the first time I saw someone speaking with Weiss like that. Come to think of it, Weiss was the one who looked for him (and to add on, she did it despite knowing Jacques will be around as well). Even though my intentions were quite different from Senpai, I was still very curious about the relationship between the two of them.

"Didn't Weiss say they are just friends?"

"Mmm… that's true, but… somehow, it feels like Weiss was acting really strange back then. She's incredibly flustered. She kept emphasizing that Astolfo is just a friend of hers — did she do so out of embarrassment?"

"What do you mean by embarrassment?"

"You're not around, so you wouldn't know, but Weiss was okay with Astolfo hugging her or kissing her… they may actually be a couple." No wait, they were not old enough back then, right? And Astolfo hugged me as well.

Chiaki stopped in her track at the nearly empty bus rotary and stared at me with a dumbfounded expression on her face.

"… What?"

"Do you really mean… what you had just said?"

Wait, the expression of your eyes are really scary! Why are they shining brightly like that of a cat?

"Umm… yeah."

Back when Chiaki was still practicing Judo, I attended one of the competitions which she took part in, and everyone at then said she 'will definitely get into the National finals'. When she closed in towards me with lightning quick speed and seized me, I was reminded of those perfect steps of hers during the competition. Before I could fully comprehend what was happening, the night sky streaked past my sight in a flash. My back was slammed hard on the asphalt road. I could feel all the air in my lungs being squeezed out of my mouth, followed by a sharp numbing pain that ran through my spine.

"That… hurts… what are you doing!?" I frowned.

Chiaki's foot then grazed past my hair just as I was about to get myself up — it looked like she was trying to crush my head.

"Are you trying to kill me!?"

"You're unbelievable! Stupid Naruto! You might as well die!"

I hid myself into the bushes by the road side in fright. W-Why is she so angry?

"I can't take it anymore! I have to punch you! Or else it's too sad for Weiss!"

"Why? Sorry, I'll apologize first, but what's wrong with Weiss?"

"What do you mean by you'll apologize first!? Come out right now! That throw was for Weiss, and now this body sweep will be for me!"

There's no way I'll be that obedient and listen. I continued to hide in the bushes while hugging my head. I suddenly heard the steps of someone walking on the grass. Next, I was hoisted up from behind my neck. I raised my head and saw Chiaki's pair of eyes that were burning with anger.

"Listen up really carefully. Should you ever say what you said just now to Weiss directly, then you better be prepared for my Kimura lock!"

"Y-Yes ma'am…"

I had no choice but to sit in seiza on the soil and reply her politely. After venting her anger out on me without reservation, Chiaki stomped away with steps of a dinosaur. Dammit, tonight's a really crazy night. Why the hell is everyone acting strange tonight?

On Monday of the following week, I was forced to face the rather unpleasant daily life in school. Weiss would turn her gaze away whenever our eyes met, while Chiaki would stare at me all the time. As for Senpai, she was incredibly happy to see us acting the way we were.

(◕ω◕✿)

Two weeks later…

"Naruto-kun, I need your help."

"Again!? Hey Ayase, What exactly are you going to make me do this time?"

Right now, I was currently at the park near my house. Just like the last time this had happened, I had gotten an email from Ayase on my phone, saying to come here and meet her.

"Hm, you seem to be in quite a sour mood… Naruto-kun?" Ayase stood there in her uniform giving me a slight pout.

Well, it's not that I was in a sour mood… rather, it's just that I knew that just like with Naruko, dealing with your requests never ended well.

"To be quite honest, I don't really want to listen to you."

"… If you do this for me, I'll do anything you wish."

"Anything I wish, huh? Marry me."

"I'm reporting you!"

WEEEEEOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Goddammit, this girl set off a personal alarm on her cell phone! It was just a damn joke! Are you trying to make me look like a sex offender or something!?

I panicked and stuck out both my hands.

"Alright sorry please calm down Ayase-chan! I just got carried away a bit! So come on, just turn the alarm off! People are going to start staring! Also, there's a police box right behind you!"

"I know. That's why I always make sure to meet here when I have to be alone with Naruto-kun."

"That's so cruel! How little faith did you have in me!?"

Krkk. Ayase pulled on the cord that was hanging out of her pocket one more time, and the alarm stopped.

"Well, I meant that half as a joke, hehehe."

"Say you meant it all as a joke!"

This is why I didn't want to meet this girl! I knew nothing good could come out of it! No matter how cute she was, if each and every time I got treated like a sex offender then my mind wouldn't be able to take it anymore! Although, it's not like none of this was my fault…

People were staring at us because of that alarm, so we decided to move somewhere else. I calmed down, and then asked again.

"So… what's this 'help' you need?"

"Actually, it's about Kuuko…"

"Kuuko? Ah, that annoying brat. What's the issue with her?"

"That girl is at the same agency as I am now, doing modeling work."

"… Seriously?" So she was able to get hired.

"Yes. Well, before long, at the Akihabara UDX there will be a… Madoka, was it? There will be a Madoka event. And Kuuko is going to be on stage."

"Hm. So you mean… she'll be cosplaying Kyoko again?"

"Yes. She'll be cosplaying Kyoko."

"And that's… part of her modeling job?" Wasn't that a bit strange?

"Of course it's part of her modeling job." And she responded with a smile and without any hesitation. It felt like Kuuko was really getting led around by the nose by her agency… well, she was an idiot anyways.

Well, granted, Kuuko was pro at cosplaying, and she was really good at tricking otaku into liking her on stage, so I had to admit that she was qualified for the job. Her agency probably also knew that, and that's why they hired such a stupid brat.

" So, what do you want from me?" I urged Ayase to continue, and she gave me a smile.

"I want to ask you to chaperone her as a manager, just like you did that time before."

"Why are you asking me to do that? If you're worried about it, why can't you just stay with her yourself?"

"To be honest, I have other plans that day…"

"Even so, there are real managers at your office too, aren't there? There must be a reason you're coming to a newbie like me."

"There is."

Ayase let out a sigh, and then once again looked directly at me. She suddenly changed the topic.

"I got that girl to quit smoking."

"Ahh, yeah, I can see that."

She said that pretty lightly, but her attitude probably didn't quite line up with what had really happened. As someone who had been threatened with death every single time he's met this girl, I could imagine her murdering Kuuko, burying her in some mountain, and then coming here with a smile saying "I got that girl to quit smoking." It was honestly pretty scary. Was that girl still alive? I was worried…

"Naruto-kun, are you sure you're not thinking something pretty rude, right now?"

"It's just your imagination." Girls were pretty sharp these days.

"So, you got her to quit smoking? Do you want my help burying the body?"

"No! What stupidness are you spewing now? I came to Naruto-kun to ask him to check that Kuuko is definitely keeping her promise and not smoking."

"Huh?"

"Well, that girl is pretty manipulative sometimes, isn't she? I mean, she'll tell you 'I'm sorry. I was definitely wrong. I will never smoke again,' but even though she doesn't smoke in front of you, she might smoke when she doesn't think anybody is watching."

"Well, certainly I can see that happening…"

Also, Ayase‐san… did you really make your friend say something like "Sorry. I was definitely wrong. I will never smoke tobacco again"? I was afraid to pry any deeper into that though. Completely oblivious to my terror, Ayase continued.

"I know, right? So, I want to see if she really quit smoking or not. And she doesn't take you seriously, so I think she won't hide anything from you."

I don't think you take me seriously either.

"So you think she would be really careless in front of me and not think twice about smoking?"

"Yes, exactly."

"I get where you're coming from. But to actually get there, we have to actually come up with a way for me and Kuuko to meet… what'll we do about that? Are you going to set up a party or something?"

When she heard my doubts, Ayase narrowed her eyes and frowned.

"Hentai! There's no way that's going to happen. Didn't I already tell you that I would give you a chance to break into the event by posing as a manager?"

"Ah, I see, I see. That's why you said that before."

"Yes. When I questioned Kuuko about her smoking habits, it seemed that she wanted to smoke the most when she's annoyed or when she needs to concentrate. If she's going to smoke, the optimal situation to catch her doing that would be in the waiting room before the event, I think."

"Hmm, she doesn't take me seriously, and so you want me to keep an eye on her there. Well… I guess I understand… but I'm not too confident… you know, with being a manager."

"It'll be fine. I believe in Naruto-kun. You did great last time, after all. Just do the same thing this time."

"Is that really okay?"

"Yes. Absolutely. Please have more confidence in yourself. I do, so you have nothing to worry about."

"I see. If that's really okay, then I'll give it a try. I got the hang of it last time, so I'll manage somehow."

Why in the world was Ayase here encouraging me to pretend to be a manager, even though it wasn't my real job at all? If you were to look back at this later, wouldn't this all be pretty strange?

"Please do so." Ayase gave me a glimmering smile.

"Gotcha, By the way, what should I do if I catch her smoking?"

When I asked her that, Ayase kept her angelic smile on her face, but the brightness died in her eyes.

"Would you like to know?"

"N‐No, it's fine."

Scary… Ayase‐san was seriously scary. Hey, Kuuko, you're definitely keeping your promise to stop smoking, right? If you really were saying that just to make her happy, then you might be putting your life on the line here…

(◕ω◕✿)

It was the weekend. We were in the green room at the Akihabara UDX building. The event schedule was pasted to the wall. Looking at it, I saw that the "Kyoko and Sayaka Live Chat" event that Kuuko was participating in would happen in around half an hour.

I was standing in that room in the same suit and sunglasses getup that I had worn last time, along with Kuuko in her Kyoko cosplay. And Rem-chan in her Sayaka cosplay.

"Ugh dammiiiiiiiit! I'm so pisseddddddddd… I really need a smooooooke!"

Kuuko was squatting right before my eyes, bouncing an electric cigarette up and down in her mouth. She looked like some delinquent taken right out of a modern history the way, electronic cigarettes were machines that turned fluid in a cartridge into mist. The user would suck in that mist and use it as a replacement for smoking. There was no nicotine inside that fluid, so it was something people would use when they wanted to quit smoking.

"Blegh! This sucks, seriously! I can't take this fruit flavor or whatever it is, ugh! I thought it was pretty cute so I bought one, but god, it just tastes so sugary! Hey, Rem! Go get me some juice!"

"E‐Ehh~~… b‐but I'm reading the script…"

Still squatting down on the floor, Kuuko glared at Rem. Kuuko tap‐tapped herself on the shoulder with Kyoko spear as she spoke, "Huh? What the hell did you say? 'B‐But I'm reading the script~~~' my ass. Just get going, and hurry it up. Ah, and make it a strawberry Dororich." Kuuko laughed.

"… Kuu‐chan. I‐I don't think they sell those at the vending machines here…"

"Hmph, then just make a run to the convenience store."

"Eehhh… umm… but… I'm… I'm in my cosplay…"

"Just get going, you don't have to change. Come on, run!"

Whack!

"Cut it out, you damn brat!"

I couldn't take it anymore, and I smacked her on the head. And then Kuuko shot me a resentful look as she held the top of her head.

"You… You're just a damn newbie manager, and you actually dare to do that to an up and coming idol!?"

"Huh? Who the hell is an up and coming idol? Don't bully a little girl like that!" And don't look so happy when you do it either! You must be a huge sadist!

"Huuhh? But I'm shorter than she is!"

"Don't argue technicalities like that!"

My head's starting to ache! It was unbelievable, this girl was even worse than Naruko back in the day!

"Got it, I got it. I'll go buy you some juice. Just try to get along a bit better, alright?"

"You… why the hell are you acting so high and mighty even though you're just a new manager? You're talking to me like we're equals, and anyway, buying me juice is your job in the first place! I'm definitely going to report everything to the office after this!"

"Yeah, yeah, do what you want. Sorry I didn't realize you wanted juice."

I'm completely new to this, so there's no reason to expect me to be able to do what a real manager does. I'll go and buy juice for her, but when it comes to making retorts against a stupid brat's idiocy, I'm not pulling my punches.

There were still around ten minutes left before Kuuko took to the stage. After I brought back some juice for both of them, I helped Rem-chan with reading her script a bit. After the last tournament, she seemed to have practiced her Japanese quite a lot. She was definitely able to speak pretty fluidly, but she was still pretty bad at reading.

"… Umm… this Kanji, how do you read it?"

"This is the kanji for 'to massacre.' Geez, there is some pretty violent vocabulary in this script…"

Well, Madoka was also an action anime, so I guess that's not too surprising.

"Thank you, Mr. Manager."

"No problem. If there's anywhere else that you need help with, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thanks."

Rem-chan was sitting quietly next to me, and gave me a shy smile. This was a disciplined girl with good manners. It was quite clear she had a proper upbringing. She had been living in America until just a while back, but moved to Japan fulltime and was now starting her career in entertainment. It seemed that she was now employed by the same agency that Kuuko and Ayase worked for. I didn't know too much about it, but it really seemed that Ayase's employers were trying to expand into the otaku market…

I took a glance in Kuuko's direction. That brat looked quite at home lying down on the sofa. She was chewing on her electric cigarette in quite a bad‐mannered way, and her legs were spread wide open beneath her short miniskirt. Her panties were fully visible. Geez… this isn't your own damn room, you know?

"Ugh, I'm so bored… hey, you. The lolicon over there. Come over here and rub my shoulders."

You're seriously a brat, you know!? Who the hell is a lolicon!? Don't say stuff that people could easily misunderstand, dammit. But, I mean, I came here as a manager today, so I guess I could do that much.

"Yeah, yeah, fine." I reluctantly moved towards the sofa.

Kuuko was laying face‐down, and just as she had requested, I rubbed her shoulders. I didn't do it too hard though. Her shoulders didn't feel stiff at all. When I did that, Kuuko seemed to relax.

"Uaaaaaahhh~~~~ that feels niiiiiice~~~~."

"That's good to hear. Should I do over here next?"

"Ah, yes that's nice, that's nice~~. Just a little harder… hehe~~~~."

It seemed like she was pretty pleased. But to be fair, even though I had gotten a bit used to it from my own sister, having to listen to such an ill‐mannered brat like this was just a little humiliating. Being a manager was definitely somewhat harder than I thought.

"Oh, now my back's starting to itch. Scratch my back, scratch my back!"

"Around here?"

"That's completely off, you idiot. It's on the inside of the bra… or more like that ribbon thing I have on my back."

"I really don't want to do that."

This brat seriously didn't treat her managers as people, did she? When it came down to it, I'm a guy too, you know?

"Oh please do this for me, Mr. Manager ~~ "

"To think, a girl who had her pants completely showing a minute ago is now trying to flirt with me…"

I seriously felt exhausted. Seeing how this girl really was… you could say it was disenchanting. But I also came to feel a strong sense of pity for all the otaku who were going to go off and scream about how moe she was. Was it really going to be fine for her act like this?

The official name for this event at the Akihabara UDX Building was the "Puella Magi Madoka Magica second Season Prerelease Fan Appreciation Festival." Just like its horribly long title suggested, it was an event that was meant to promote the second season of Madoka, which would start airing in the coming month.

On the schedule was a talk show featuring the seiyuu on the main stage, a live performance of the theme song, an advance screening of the opening, and various other things. Rem and Kuuko had won quite a large following at the last cosplay tournament, so they were participating as special guests. They were going to participate in the live performance with the seiyuu, and they would also have their own talk show event.

Besides the main stage in the middle of the event hall, there were also other things, like sales booths. Quite a bit of time had already passed since the event started, but a long line still snaked out of the event hall. Just like Comiket, these otaku were lined up here to get goods that they wouldn't be able to get anywhere else.

"They sure are into this…" It was way worse than it had been at the cosplay tournament. I guess this event was one rank up from the last.

The main stage was divided into two sections: an area with designated seats and an area for people to stand and watch. One corner of the designated seats was reserved for event staff. I was currently sitting in that corner. A badge indicating that I was part of the staff was hanging from my neck. Quite expectedly, wearing a suit like this made me feel really hot.

The event had already begun, and a promotional video for the second season of Madoka was playing on the big screen on stage. And then the anime producer began to use her microphone to provide commentary.

"Exactly! It's exactly as you see in the video… this time, the main villain is Madoka's best friend Homura Akemi herself!"

"Ooohhh!"

The event hall was suddenly abuzz with excitement. This was also the first time I had heard of this. Homura becoming the villain would be… well… it would be like Zoro becoming the villain in One Piece, wouldn't it? That was pretty scary. And part of the commotion was probably because of the actual content of what this woman was saying, but the other part was probably because the producer was for some reason wearing an Homucifer cosplay. So the huge Madoka fans around me were most likely getting fired up due to that, too. It was pretty bewitching, even for someone like me with little interest in anime.

"If you remember, at the end of season one anime, Madoka wished to erase all witches in every dimension, in every timeline, with her own hands. This created a paradox because Madoka would eventually erase her own witch self, while she must continue to exist and destroy other witches. This paradox resulted in Madoka escaping the bounds of reality and ascending to godhood as Ultimate Madoka. Since Madoka never existed as a human in this new reality, she is no longer remembered by anyone, except for Homura… and in the Rebellion movie, not wanting Madoka suffer that cruel fate, Homura stole Madoka power, turning her soul gem into black and transform into a new form and became a demon. With her new power Homura rewrite the universe Madoka create, and create a new universe where she becomes goddess of this new universe, making herself as a Villain in her new universe she created! And so, in this new season an entirely new set of heroes will step up to save Madoka and challenge Homura! Behold!"

At that announcement, the big screen behind her changed and showed the new female protagonists. There was a kind‐looking, glass wearing-girl, a short black hair girl with a sharp look in her eyes, and a refined looking girl with blond hair. They appeared to be named Kazumi Subaru, Kaori Maki, and Umika Misaki.

"Aren't the three of them cute!?"

"Yes, very cuuuuute~~~!"

All these adults around me who were so into this children's anime shouted their enthusiasm in harmony.

"Thank you very much! We've invited the seiyuu voicing these new heroes to be here with us, so we'll leave the details about these characters until then! Now, compared to the magical battles so far, the battles in this new season are quite unconventional. Up until now, Homura Akemi has won her battles by an overwhelming firepowers, but this time around these new heroes are facing suuuuuuch a strong enemy! So in order to be able to fight against this super strong opponent, the new heroes have to use clever strategy and combine their strengths to win! Of course, the old characters like Kyoko Sakura and Sayaka Miki from the previous seasons will also show up! The battle scenes are sure to be dramatic and suspenseful~~! Please look forward to it!"

"Uhyaaaaaaah! Homu-chan is the beeeeeeeest~~~!"

These otaku were so damn noisy. To the point where I began to seriously question their sanity. The noise was so overpowering that I turned myself away, which was when I saw all the people back there getting so riled that the fence separating the stage from the audience was pretty near breaking. I might as well have been in a zombie movie right now.

But this time, I was here as a member of the event staff (even if I had gotten here through shady means), so I couldn't feel annoyed at these fans, as I was last time. Instead I felt gratitude and reliance towards these people making such a ruckus for us. I even felt a curious sense of solidarity with them. It was quite strange. And like that, the event proceeded smoothly… and then at last Kuuko and Rem's moment had come.

"Well then, our guests are going to come on stage now! Today, we have the pleasure of having the two champions of the 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica Official Cosplay Tournament' here with us! Kuuko‐chan and Rem‐chan, please come on out~~~~~!"

Introduced by the MC, Rem and Kuuko appeared on stage.

"Hello everyone~~~~~~~~~~ ! I'm Kyoko Sakura~~… Haha, just kidding! I'm Kuuko‐chan. Hello everyone~~~~ !"

"Uwaaah, it's the legendary real‐life Kyoko!"

"She's so cute! Kuuko‐chan is so cute!"

"Rem‐chan!"

"Gyaahh, I've seen Rem‐chan so many times on Nico Nico Douga already!"

"T‐Thank you everyone! I‐I hope you're enjoying yourselves today!" Rem faced the fans and waved gently.

To explain that comment just now… apparently Rem had uploaded a video of her cosplay onto a video‐sharing site on the Internet. (Though I had only heard about this a little while ago myself) Just a little over a year ago, her video became a popular topic on a Madoka fansite, and it even got into the top ranked videos list on Nico Nico Douga or whatever. And then Rem began wanting to participate in a cosplay tournament in Japan.

"I helped a loooot around the house, and I came to Japan like I'd always wanted," She had told me happily.

She had also said that back then, she never imagined that she would actually start working in Japan.

"A year ago, I really didn't think it would all end up like this."

I understood how she felt all too well. A year ago, I didn't think I would ever be able to talk to my sister like this again either. No matter how gentle of a path you choose, life didn't always go how you wanted it to, for better or worse. It was too filled with surprises.

When I looked away, I saw a group of what looked to be foreign tourists smiling from a short distance away as they watched all this fanaticism. The otaku culture had spread through the net and was now a bona fide worldwide phenomenon. I was sincerely impressed. But seriously… these two were pretty popular, weren't they? Judging from fan reaction here, the real Kyoko and Sayaka might as well have been on stage.

(◕ω◕✿)

Kuuko and Rem's performance ended without a major incident. The "Puella Magi Madoka Magica Second Season Prerelease Fan Appreciation Festival" came to a close amid great applause. In the end, Kuuko and Rem's live talk event was really popular even compared to all the rest of the program during the event. The agency that hired them would probably also consider this a great success. And for me, this meant that the task that Ayase entrusted to me had been completed without a hitch. When I poked my head into the waiting room, I saw Kuuko sitting on the sofa with her outfit half off.

"Ah, manager, come over here a bit. That brat seriously hit me hard in the stomach, dammit."

Now that she mentioned it, I noticed that she was squatting and holding her stomach with tears in her eyes.

"Are you alright? Rem hit you in the stomach… when?"

"It was on stage… you remember right? Before we sang with Chitose‐chan, we had that little famous scene reenactment thing. Around that time…"

"Ahh…"

They had reenacted famous Sayaka VS Kyoko scenes from season one of Madoka while they were in costume… now that I thought back on it, something like that had certainly happened on stage…

Kyoko(Kuuko): "Finally, I found ya. So how much longer are you gonna do the stubborn thing, huh?"

Sayaka(Rem): "I'm sorry if I caused you any trouble."

Kyoko(Kuuko): "Seriously? Doesn't sound like you at all."

Sayaka(Rem): "Haah… Yeah, you're right. I guess I just don't care anymore. I can't remember… what I thought was so important; what was worth protecting, you know? It's all a blank now. Doesn't make sense anymore."

Kyoko(Kuuko): "Hey, come on."

Sayaka(Rem): "Balance means good and bad happen to zero themselves out. Right? That's what you said… or something like it. I think I understand what you mean now. The good this is I did save a few people, but the bad thing is I got angrier and my heart filled up with envy and hate. It got so bad I even hurt my best friend."

Kyoko(Kuuko): "Sayaka, your soul gem!"

Sayaka(Rem): "For all the happiness you wish for someone, someone else gets cursed with equal misery. That's how it works for magical girls…and that's how it is for me… I was stupid… so stupid…"

Kyoko(Kuuko): "SAYAKA!"

And the two had acted out that "Kyoko VS Sayaka" scene on stage like that. It was the first time Kyoko had been defeated by Sayaka, and she vowed to save Sayaka who had turned into witch Oktavia. It was quite a famous scene (although Kuroneko had once called it incomprehensible rubbish).

"In other words, at that time, Rem used a bit too much strength and got you right in the stomach?"

"Yes! that brat's definitely gonna hear about this later!"

Hmm… so that's why Rem wasn't around. She seemed pretty nervous on stage, so she probably accidentally put too much strength into her attack. I'm sure she hadn't done it out of spite or anything, like by using the performance as an excuse to vent her frustration on Kuuko. I could see my sister doing that, but it was out of the question for that bluenete girl.

"Alright, here, let me take a look at your stomach…"

When she showed me the part in question, I saw that her stomach was red and swollen. It didn't seem too serious, but it did look quite painful.

"Not that it matters, but you… your stomach is pretty flabby, isn't it?"

"Wha‐!?"

Kuuko was pretty shocked at that. She really seemed quite bothered by what I said. Well, it's not like I would call her chubby… but although it might sound incredibly rude, if I were to use a proper analogy… her stomach was flabby like a baby's stomach.

"Y‐You… what the hell do you think you're doing calling a lady's stomach fl‐ow ow!"

"Hey, are you alright…?"

Evidently this was no time for her to get angry at me, considering her stomach was hurting. I had similar impressions about Naruko, but when I saw Kuuko in a weak state like this, she definitely seemed somewhat cute.

"But seriously, even with that injury you still performed all the way to the end, didn't you?"

"No crap. I kept chanting in my head about how I was going to kill that damn brat later, but she acted perfectly nice and sweet for all those gross otaku out there."

Her personality and mouth were terrible, but I should at least give her credit for her professional attitude. I wondered why this scene had seemed so familiar, but then I realized that my own sister did the same thing all the time. I see. Birds of a feather flock together.

Kuuko looked up at the clock on the wall with tears still in her eyes.

"And why the hell is that stupid brat so late? How much damn time does it take her to get to the infirmary? What a damn idiot."

"Well, let me go check on her then."

"It's fine. More importantly, I really need to take a piss. Hm… the bathrooms are right next to the infirmary, so… ugh… help me up and bring me there."

"… Aright. I'll try to get you there quick."

This might have been an emergency situation, but I really don't think girls should be saying that they have to "take a piss." She was really vulgar, wasn't she…?

So for that reason, I ended up lending Kuuko a hand and heading for the temporary infirmary (she was holding it in, so she was walking pigeon‐toed and bouncing up and down). But along the way, Kuuko suddenly spoke up. "Ah." She raised the spear that she was using to prop herself up and pointed in front.

And there I saw Rem, along with a foreign guy. A huge, tall foreign guy. He was dressed in jeans and a white T‐shirt. There was a drawing of Sayaka Miki printed on his shirt, and it obviously didn't fit, being stretched to the point of bursting.

The guy had a vulgar‐looking smile on his face, and insisted on keeping up a conversation with Rem. The two were chatting in rapid‐fire English, so I didn't really understand what they were saying. But my first impression was that a typical, tall, foreign otaku was saying inappropriate things to Rem. And what's more, I saw five or six other tall foreign otaku standing around them, all laughing and jeering in English. It was almost as if they were surrounding Rem so she couldn't get away. Also, this was supposed to be a staff‐only place… so how had outsiders gotten in here?

"Those people…!"

It was clear that Kuuko was furious. But then a shocking scene unfolded before our eyes. The tall guy who was talking with Rem clasped his arms around her. Rem seemed incredibly distressed about this and tried to push the guy off, but the guy forced her face close to his… and then began to rub his cheek onto hers.

"Wha‐!?" I panicked and tried to run towards them, but someone got there before I did.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, asshole!?"

It was Kuuko. She firmly brushed aside my hand helping her walk. She ground her teeth together, so hard I could almost hear them, and ran towards the group furiously.

"Kuu… Kuuko-chan?!" Rem suddenly turned and looked behind her.

Kuuko dragged her spear along the ground, ran up to them… and with a full swing, she slammed the spear into the side of the tall guy's face. It might have been a fake spear, but it was still hard enough to be a good weapon. She also seemed to have put quite a bit of force behind the swing, because the tall guy gave out a shriek and recoiled.

"Ugh!"

"Get away from Rem, you fucking gaijin! You asshole… what the hell do you think you're doing putting a hand on one of ours when I wasn't looking!?"

"You… watch where you swing that thing!" I raised my voice as I ran to her, but Kuuko gave me an icy glare.

"Shut up!"

Dammit, she's completely lost it…! Seeing how serious Kuuko was, the other foreigners around her tightened their circle. They slowly closed in on her, as if trying to subdue her, but Kuuko prevented that by swinging her spear around at them.

"Shit!"

Feeling the danger of the situation, the foreigners didn't try to approach any further. Kuuko tore the foreign guy off Rem and stood in front of her to protect her, staring down the people around.

"K‐Kuuko‐chan… w‐why are you…"

Rem seemed bewildered at the sudden appearance of an enraged Kuuko. Kuuko turned her gaze at Rem, and spat out her next words with lingering anger.

"Tch, are you a damn idiot? If you get into trouble with garbage like this, then scream out for help! If I didn't happen to pass by, what the hell did you plan to do!?"

This girl… she wasn't afraid when facing a larger opponent.

"Hey, pig. I will overlook this just this once, so get the hell out of here."

Kuuko looked up at the giant and readied her spear with a clink! She was the spitting image of a mahou shoujo facing down a huge enemy.

"If you don't, I will burn you to cinders with my rosso fantasma."

Even if the group of guys didn't understand her words, her obvious determination and air of intimidation were more than enough. It was pretty clear to see that this giant of a man was quite overpowered by this drastically smaller, petite girl. But right then and there…

"Kuuko‐chan! You're wrong! That man is —" Rem, flustered, raised her voice. " — That man is my Papa!"

"H‐Huh?" Kuuko quickly turned to look at Rem, and asked her next question with a stupid look on her face.

"Papa!?"

"Y‐Yes… he's my Papa."

"P‐Papa… Papa, you say… d‐don't tell me that… with your Papa you…"

Smack.

"Ow!"

"What the hell kind of question do you think you're about to ask this girl!?"

I was a little late, but I still came in with the proper retort. When I heard Rem say "Papa," I suddenly realized something. Certainly, while masquerading as a manager this time around, I had briefly heard something about that…

I really couldn't believe it, but… "This huge foreigner is Rem's father!"

"No way! They don't look anything like each other! How the hell do you expect me to believe that Rem could share half her genes with a gross otaku like this!?"

"I thought the same thing, but that's the truth!"

We used the fact that they couldn't understand Japanese to our advantage and talked all we want.

Indeed… even though it looked like that this man was a gross otaku who was sexually harassing Rem with a vulgar smile, he really was a caring, otaku father who was congratulating his beloved daughter after she finished her big performance. Later, I was told that the other foreigners around Rem were all her relatives, and although they were in Japan to sightsee, they had come to cheer her on.

I see… now that I thought about it, everyone did have pretty good‐natured smiles on their faces…

"W‐Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaattttttt~~~~~~~~~~~~~~?!"

And so. Kuuko had mustered her courage and protected Rem, had spat harsh words at Mr. Lugnica… all for completely the wrong reason. Having been knocked down by Kuuko, Mr. Lugnica held a hand to his cheek and stood up. He seemed to have gotten the gist of what had just happened, and didn't seem angry at all. In fact, if anything, he seemed apologetic.

"Haha… sorry, Kyoko."

Having been apologized to by the same person she punched, Kuuko seemed a bit at a loss. She opted for trying to cover up her embarrassment by spitting out excuses.

"Keh! Don't confuse me like that, dammit!"

She immediately turned heel and began to walk quickly by herself towards the bathroom. But Rem chased after her. And after rushing up to Kuuko… even though she was a bit taller than Kuuko, Rem flung her arms around Kuuko as if she was hugging an older sister.

"Thank you, Kuuko‐chan~~."

"Tch, don't wrap your arms around me, you damn brat! Let me just make clear that I wasn't shaking back there because I was afraid of your dad! I just really needed to take a piss, alright!?"

"Kuuko‐chan was cooler than the real Kyoko back there~~ !"

"S‐Shut up and listen to what I'm saying, dammit! Also, you're bigger than me is so get off!"

I snapped a photo of that scene with my cell phone. Because I knew this would be just a perfect gift for my sister.

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