HEY GUYS! Pupla here once again, to finish what I had initially promised you!
But before of that, WARNING TO EVERYONE! I'VE GOT AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO DELIVER TO YOU ALL!
In my rush of finishing things quickly for this month (because I'll be quite busy this November), I have forgotten to write a part in the previous chapter. That part included Kirumi, Ryouma, some of their friends, as well as one of the Monzaemon characters.
If you want to see the section, go back to the previous chapter and tell me what you thought of it.
My apologies to that mistake of my part… another one I can add to the list…
Well, at least I can use it to tell to all newcomers: last time, I taught you not to make two things at the same time, and now I teach you not to rush things. Pretty cool, uh?
Like this, you won't end up like the dumbass who's writing this.
…yup. I just did that.
AHEM! Anyway, after such a boring talk about how stupid and careless I am, here it is, the second part of chapter 8! Pretty cool, uh?
I believe the usual shootout is still in order. But I think you all know who I am talking about by now. Thanks, guys.
So, I think you all remember about how I said this little chapter was going to be about this time. That's right, you know you love her, and she definitely loves you! Here she comes on stage, Ibuki Mioda! WOOOO!
My hat down to those who get the reference. Wink, wink. ;)
Cameo aside, you may wonder how this chapter will be different from Hiro's. True, there will still be a character analysis (which is again, only my opinion and does not involve anyone else's) and a flashback with her and Makoto, along with some extra characters…
Well, how about we jump in to find out?
So, let's not wait any further, shall we? Enjoy!
CONQUERING HOPE CHAPTER 8.5:
FROM HER TO HIM TOO
Today was once again very eventful. Perhaps not as eventful as yesterday or last week, but it was something worth remembering for sure. At least, in Makoto's opinion.
Then again, when you were among a bunch of special people like the Ultimates from Hope's Peak Academy, you would expect anything to happen in your life, considering their various talents, colorful personalities, and very… specific quirks.
"YAAAYYY! Today was so much fun, Makoto-chan!"
And the person answering by the name of Ibuki Mioda was definitely someone who knew how to pass time and to have fun.
Her music style implied this much, as she was the kind of people who would let loose and go wild just to have the time of her life.
On top of that, her constant agitation made her someone who would be always gaming and moving (especially running) and who would never stand still, unless it involved napping.
The fact that Ibuki was hugging him again was just another proof to that.
And considering that the contact was a little sudden, even though he grew accustomed to it, that didn't mean that it didn't make him blush. "I-I'm glad you had a good, day, Mioda-senpai… I had fun with you too."
"Right?! Ibuki is sooooo glad to hear it!" Ibuki chirped happily, not realizing him. "But you know, why would we end the fun here?"
"Uh?"
"If we were in a concert, Ibuki would be screaming 'ENCORE'! Time passes to fast when we're together, and Ibuki still hasn't registered everything she's done with Makoto-chan!" She then before whining. "That's so unfair! It was too enjoyable! Ibuki wanted it to last just a little longeeeeer!"
That earned a sweatdrop and an awkward laugh coming from the Luckster. "I-I'm… glad that you think this way."
But that didn't please the other who were with them too much.
"P-please… no more… i-it hurts…"
"I-I think my legs are turning to jelly…"
"I… I can't believe we survived this…"
"Yeah… even I've got to admit, that was a little intense."
"Monaca is glad that she didn't have to do this…"
And judging by their voices, they seemed to be tired like they never were before. He believed that one of them was even wheezing. A good thing for them that they were sitting on a bench nearby then, otherwise they would be fainting right about now.
Then again, he guessed that it was normal. The Warriors of Hope were just kids. They had limits, even if they were recognized as Lil' Ultimates.
If even Masaru admitted his tiredness now, then it meant that it was really time to go home.
Unfortunately, someone didn't catch on that.
"Oh? What's wrong, everyone?"Ibuki turned to see the kids really tired. "You mean to tell Ibuki that your fuel of energy is completely empty? No problem, Ibuki can totally fix that!"
Which didn't please the kids too much. "N-no…"
Thankfully, Makoto was quick to save them. "Mioda-senpai, I think that they're too tired to do what you wanted. It's time for them to go home."
"Really? So soon?" Ibuki whined. "I mean, Ibuki understands that they need to rest, but… Ibuki still wanted to have fun with everyone…"
Makoto sighed at this. Yes, it was a difficult choice.
The kids needed to go back home because they were exhausted, yes… but he didn't want to let his friend dissatisfied. She was nice enough to be with them the whole day, so… he felt like he should return the favor.
And he knew exactly what to do.
Picking up his phone, he then eyed the kids. "Monaca, do you mind if I make a quick call?"
The little girl eyed him curiously, but then realized something… and smiled. "Okay, Naegi-onii. We'll be waiting. Go call Komaru-nee."
Everyone else turned towards her and Jataro asked, "Uh? W-what do you mean by that?"
And surprisingly enough, almost as soon as he began the call, he heard his sister's voice. "Hey there, Onii-san? What's up?"
"Hey Komaru. I'm not disturbing you, am I?"
"Not at all! I was going to call you right when you did!" She said with a happy tone. "I wanted to tell you that I was going to your school to pick you guys up. Why? Is there a problem?"
"Not really, Komaru. I'm glad that you thought of us like that."
"Of course I do! I've got to make sure that you don't screw up like you did tomorrow!"
"A-again with that?" The Luckster laughed nervously at this.
The other slowly realized what was going on, as Nagisa widened his eyes slightly. "So… he's really doing it, uh?"
"Seems like it." Kotoko answered, before smiling lightly. "Well, he was here for us today, so I guess it's fair he has some moment with Mioda-san."
"Uh?" Ibuki turned towards them a little surprised. "You mean Makoto-chan wants to be with me?"
"Alright, so I wanted to ask you, Komaru…" Makoto asked her. "Would you like to pick up the kids today? They're being tired, and… a friend of mine wanted to pass some time with me."
"Some friend?" The girl asked suspiciously. "Wait… you didn't ditch them again, did you?!"
"No, of course not! They're right next to me. But they had a very… busy day, and they can't go anywhere else now. I wouldn't be responsible if I were to bring them somewhere they don't know while they're tired, would I?"
"…I suppose not." He heard his sister sigh. "Fine. You guys wait for me, I won't take long."
"Thank you, Komaru. I owe you one."
"You bet you do! And I'll ask the kids what happened today, so you better not have lied to me!"
"Y-you know I wouldn't have-" The Luckster tried to say, but the conversation was cut short on the other side of the line, which made him sigh. "Well… At least she didn't seem too mad this time."
"T-that's good to hear…" Jataro said nervously. "O-onee-san can be z little scary when she's mad…"
"And she would totally kick your butt too." Masaru added with a sheepish smile. "No offense, Nii-san."
"None taken, Masaru." Makoto chuckled lightly, before looking at the kids. "I'm sorry, I didn't ask you this sooner, but… are you fine with what I planned?"
"Don't worry about us, Naegi-onii!" Monaca said with a smiling, yet tired face. "You've been fine with all of us… so have fun… with her…"
Those were the last words the Lil' Homeroom spoke before closing her eyes and drifting to sleep along with her other siblings, under the older person's watch…
And you would be surprised to hear how quiet one of them decided to speak, considering how loud she actually was.
"They look so cute when they take a nap…" Ibuki muttered to him. "Just look how peaceful they are. That just makes you want to join them."
"I know, right?" He whispered back. "That's why I called for my sister to pick them up home. We just have wait for her to come. She won't take too long."
"Okie-dokie! Ibuki can do that." She said raising her voice very lightly, deciding to sit on the bench which was opposite to those the kids were sleeping on. "You know, we could also nap a little nap too. We deserved that."
"No argument there." The Luckster said as he sat right next to Ibuki, watching the kids sleep with a smile. "And by the looks of things, they enjoyed our day. Look at how they are smiling."
"That's because they love to hang with you, Makoto-chan. You're their big bro, after all." She then allowed her head to rest on his shoulder. "You know, just like Ibuki likes to hang with you."
The gesture made him slightly blush again. "M-Mioda-senpai?"
"You know you're Ibuki's best friend, don't you, Makoto-chan? Ibuki told you the other day, and she still thinks so today." The Musician told him. "Ibuki is glad that she befriended you."
That made him stare at her closed eyes, but it also made his heart melt at what she said, because he knew that she was honest about it. "I'm… I'm glad too, Mioda-senpai. I'm really glad."
She didn't say anything else, and preferred to let her head rest on him for a nap.
Which didn't bother him too much, to be honest. Not just because he was too tired to do anything, but simply because he enjoyed her company, probably as much as she liked his.
After all, he was the one who passed time with her the most… which was a little odd, considering he was not even her classmate to begin with, just one of her under classmates.
Still, he was glad to be of good company to the Musician. And he would be lying if he were to say that he didn't like it.
She was the first one to go and try to befriend him, after all.
He still remembered one of their first encounters.
"Peeking, peeking…"
"Uh… Mioda-senpai?"
"Oh haiiiii! So good to see you again, Makoto-chan!"
Apparently, yes, Ibuki was indeed happy to see Makoto again.
The introduction of the other day seemingly pleased her a lot, and she had taken a liking to this particular junior.
So much that she now could greet him by running onto him by surprise.
Guess it was a habit, the Luckster figured.
Fortunately, that's not what happened today. The boy was just wandering around during his free time, and he came across the cafeteria in order to get something to it, and then he noticed Ibuki hanging around, looking for something as well.
"I-I's good to see you too, Mioda-senpai…" Makoto said a little startled by her behavior. "I-I assume that you're here to take something to eat too!"
"Hell to the yes! Today's been really full for Ibuki, you know! So she's got to do what it takes to regain her strength if she wants to keep going!"
"I get what you're trying to say. I was also here to look for something good to eat right now." Makoto said, looking at the cafeteria's food. "This place has a lot of choices, to be honest. I didn't expect that, to be honest."
"Right?! There's so many things here!" Ibuki exclaimed happily. "They got hamburgers, ramen noodles, chili beans, bratwurst, pasta… Oooooh, melons! Everyone would love to take a snack here! Americans, Chinese, Mexicans, Germans, Italians… and even people from Yubari!"
"I-if you say so…" Makoto laughed a little at this statement.
"Man, I'm getting hellaaaaa stoked! I'm thirty-one flavors of stoked for all of this deliciousness! And when I'm excited, I get hungry-mungry!" She mused happily… before looking in pain the second after that. "I-I don't understand it myself… Why do I get hungry when I'm excited? Why do I get excited when I'm hungry?"
That made him a little baffled, but I still amused him. "W-well… I guess it goes with the flows."
"Kyahaha, the human body sure is a mystery!"
Well, she sure had a colorful personality. That's what Makoto though. It was expected, he figured, considering her appearance and the genre she is in. Still, seeing it so close was actually something else entirely.
But that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy it. So far, he thought that she was funny with her quirks. And perhaps he could even get to know her like this.
So he decided to ask her, "So… if I remember correctly, you're the Ultimate Musician, right?"
"Yup yup! Ibui told you so, right?" Ibuki said happily. "Like Schubert, Bach, Edison, Van Gogh, Perez, and Ayrton Senna… I, too, am an awesome musician!"
"I-I don't think any of those people are musicians…"
"Don't sweat the details!"
And she also seemed… a little awkward when it came to stuff like this…
Well, he could work with that. "A-anyway, I've done some research about you, Mioda-senpai."
Which got her attention immediately. "Ooooh?! So you're interested in Ibuki?"
"I could see your profile on the school's website, so it wasn't too difficult." He explained. "You used to play guitar in an all-girl band that was super popular with other high school girls. Apparently your hit single, 'After School Poyoyon Hour', sold over a million copies. I haven't heard any of it yet, but I've been told that it's pretty good… especially the guitar part."
"That's soooo cool! So you know about what Ibuki did!" The Musician chirped happily. "You know, just for make Ibuki's day, she could play you one of her songs today when she's got the chance! How about 'From Me to You Too'? Seems good?"
"I'll be glad to, Mioda-senpai." Makoto smiled a little at this. He managed to make her smile, so that was a plus.
"Oh! Oh yes! Ibuki got it!"
The sudden exclamation made the Luckster look at her a little surprised. "Uh? What do you mean?"
"Um, um," the girl looked at him with a wondering look, "were you ever in any school club?"
"Well, I'm afraid not." Makoto answered. "I was too busy with the classes and with my personal life to think of it. Plus, none of them really interested me. But I've heard some classmates talk about it, though, so…"
"Hyaaaaha! That's a bingo!" She exclaimed happily.
The reaction startled him a little. "W-what is?"
"Well, isn't it obvious!? You should be part of Ibuki's music club from now on!" She exclaimed, looking serious all of sudden. "For a while, everyone thought music clubs were outdated because the rock-and-roll boom was dying off… But now, music clubs are super popular with boys for some reason! We should jump on the bandwagon, too!"
The way she described it at first… It looked like she was giving him a history lesson, before it disappeared quickly as she smiled at him.
It was to be expected, he thought.
"Well, I'm not against your idea, Mioda-senpai," he started, "but I've almost never really played any instrument before…"
"Noooo problem!" She said with a wink. "You can just pretend you're playing an instrument while a music track plays in the background."
'T-that's not something that the Ultimate Musician should say…' he thought, before replying, "Well, I can try, but I'm not lying when I say that I've almost never held an instrument…"
"Everyone starts at that point." She tried to reassure him. "As long as you feel the love, there's no problem."
Makoto thought about it for some seconds, before eyeing at her with a smile. "Well, I guess it's worth the shot. It could be fun."
"Theeeere you go!" She said with glee in her voice. "Jamming out is sooooo much fun! You'll be so popular with the ladies! Chicks go out with guys who pretend to be musicians all the time!" She continued to look happy when she said the next sentence. "By the way, Ibuki thinks guys who don't like bands are narcissists, so she doesn't like them!"
'Well, a good thing I'm a fan of Maizono-san's group, then…' he thought to himself again, laughing awkwardly at this.
And he didn't like to think this, but he thought of Leon at the last part of her sentence.
He couldn't help but cringe at the thought of their first encounter which would come, if they haven't already met.
Something was telling him that it wouldn't go too well for the Baseball Star.
"Alrighty then! Now choose the musical instrument you wanna use!" She said, before looking at him seriously. "Ah, Ibuki has dibs on the guitar, so you can't use that!"
'I can I can pick whatever I want, then… well, aside from the guitar, which seems logical, I guess.' The Luckster thought… before having an idea.
"Actually, Mioda-senpai… I think I've chosen my instrument."
She looked at him with a little smile. "Oh? Already?"
"Remember what I said about 'almost never touched an instrument'?" He asked her as he looked at her. "Well… there was one time I did."
That of course picked up Ibuki's interest. "Oh! So you do know something, Makoto-chan!"
"I wouldn't say that, to be honest." Makoto laughed lightly before explaining. "Back at my former highschool, I had some friend of mine who planned to be in a band. I think he was playing the drums, and he often invited me to go listen to him and the others." He smiled at the memory. "He was pretty good, to be honest. He did try to teach me one or two things with it, so…"
"That's awesome!" Ibuki chirped happily. "And you still remember everything?"
"Well, I wouldn't go that far as to say I'm good, but I think I remember the basics, yes. Even if I think you're going to teach it to me again…"
"All right, it's decided then! You'll be at the drums!" She declared happily. "Drums are great 'cause you can just hit 'em to the beat, and you don't even need to know how to read music! As long as you can move your arms and legs independently of each other, even a novice can play them real easy!"
'T-that's not how he taught me how to play…' He kept to himself with an amused smile.
"Alright, so let's get to the music room already!" Ibuki told him. "Once we get there, we'll begin with learning how to use a loudspeaker!"
That choice startled Makoto a bit. "W-what?! H-hold on a second, why would we need a loudspeaker?!"
But his question seemed to also surprise Ibuki. "What are you saying? It's a must-have item for live performances. It doesn't mean you just hold it and scream into it! If you don't put your soul into it, the loudspeaker won't respond to you!" Some spit then escaped from her mouth as she yelled, "Gyahaha! You've got to put your soul into it! Shout! Shout!"
That… was very bizarre, he had to admit. He did not expect this kind of event to happen. Especially not so quickly.
He thought they would practice for drums, yes, but a loudspeaker?!
Was she always like this?
Well, he was going to find out soon, as she took his hand and said, "Come on, Makoto-chan! We've got to hurry! You'll see what Ibuki talking about! And Ibuki still want to sing for you as she promised!"
And with that, she began to drag him of the cafeteria, running along the way. The poor Luckster was forced to follow her… which wasn't easy, considering her fast pace.
"W-wait, Mioda-senpai!"
'And that was the first session we had together… one of the many which would come.'
Indeed, it was. And he enjoyed every session he had with her so far.
He managed to remember the basics very well. He may not have practiced often at the time of his former school, but he had no problem with learning overall, which surprised him a little.
And the fact that he managed to slowly follow Ibuki's rhythm was very encouraging.
Guess he was some music material after all.
Of course, it wasn't the only thing that he gained.
Speaking of Ibuki, the girl was really fun to hang out with. He got used to the majority of her quirks (even if some were still a little odd for him), and she was someone that would look for fun each time they play, in order to 'feel the love', as she put it.
The chemistry was very good between the two.
And that extended itself to outside the band's activities. The girl also wanted to have a good time with him whenever she had the chance…
Well, stealing Akane's lunch and kicking Nekomaru in the butt wasn't his idea of fun. He wouldn't dare to risk his life like that, even he had his limits.
But when she asked him to pass time with her, by running laps around the school, rolling their eyes backward or swinging their head, he was fine with it, even if it was a little extreme.
But he didn't mind.
All he wanted was to have a good time with Ibuki. Just like her.
And that was all that mattered to each of them.
"Am I interrupting something?"
Ibuki then lifted her head and looked at the voice's owner with Makoto to see a familiar face.
But unlike him who looked nervous all of the sudden, she was happy to see her again. "Oh! Hi there, Komaru-chan!"
Any relative to his friend was a friend in her eyes.
Komaru then smiled at her in return. "Hey there, Mioda-san! So, I see that you're having fun with my Onii-san, don't you?"
"Yeah! That was totally fun today! But days are always fun when Makoto-chan is with Ibuki, you know!" Ibuki said happily. "He's Ibuki's best friend, after all!"
"I remember you saying that." She said, looking still happy. "Are the kids okay? I'm here to pick them up home?"
"Yup yup! They're right there!" Ibuki pointed to the other bench in front of them, showing the kids who were still sleeping. "They were really fun to hang out with too! Ibuki really enjoyed our time together!"
"I'm glad, Mioda-san." Komaru said with a calm tone. "Could you please wake them up? I would like to speak with my brother for a moment."
"Okay! Count on Ibuki!"
And with that, the Musician went towards the kids, leaving Komaru who looked at her brother… with a slight frown on her face.
And Makoto knew what was going to happen.
"Onii-san… can we talk? I won't yell, but… I want to hear what happened."
Knowing that he had no way of escaping his sister's scolding, he simply sighed in defeat. "…please don't be too loud. The kids are still sleeping."
"Your sister is really cool when she wants too, Makoto-chan! She's like a second mother to them!"
"Yeah… she's a real natural at taking care of others…"
"Even you can't escape her power!"
"S-so I've been told…"
Yeah, he's heard of her sister's caring side… even if it meant that she had to act like a mother sometimes.
He knew that oh too well, considering that he was the one on who she used that recent side of hers.
She had to grow that kind of personality, he believed. With five additions to her family, and even if her brother was the one who was in charge most of the times, she had to make sure that everything was fine.
So it was common in the family that she had to sometimes step up her game. Even if it meant against her brother.
Then again, Makoto was glad. At least, it showed that she was no pushover.
"You're so lucky to have a sister like her by your side, Makoto-chan!" Ibuki told him, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Ibuki would have liked to have a sister like Komaru-chan!"
"I'm sure, Mioda-senpai…" The Luckster chuckled, before asking her, "So, where do you wanted us to go? You didn't say anything yet."
It was true, she didn't tell him anything yet. They were inside a bus right now, which was now
That seemed to catch her a little by surprise, as she began to look at him nervously. "I-Ibuki told you, it's a surprise! It's a place that Ibuki found while wandering around and thought she wanted to share it with you! Telling you now would kill the surprise!"
"A-alright, alright, it's a surprise. I won't ask further." Makoto reassured her, not without giving her a look. "But I'm honestly surprised. That place must be special for you."
Again, she began to be flustered. "Well, Ibuki thought that the ambiance was nice…" She looked down a little. "B-but to be fair, Ibuki is kind of nervous. Y-you're the first one I decide to go with on this place…"
That surprised the Luckster a little. "Uh? You mean… that's the first time you'll go there with someone?"
"Y-yeah… Ibuki wanted this to be special, you know. For both herself and Makoto-chan…" Ibuki began to play with her fingers nervously with a slight blush on her face. "B-but now Ibuki is all nervous… s-she doesn't know if it's a good thing anymore…"
Well, that was very odd. It wasn't like Ibuki to act so… unsure. Something was obviously bothering her, but what exactly, the Luckster had no idea.
Well, all he could do was the best thing he knows to do, or at least the thing he thought was his best thing: comfort her.
By this, he took both of her hand in his and looked at her right in the eyes, which surprised her a lot and made her look at him in return. "M-Makoto-chan?!"
"You don't need to worry about anything. I'm sure the place you've found is really cool. It must be considering you're the one who found it." Makoto gave her his usual smile. "So don't bother with something like that. There's no reason that anything should go wrong… right, Mioda-senpai?"
That last part made the Musician blush even more, as she tried to find the words to answer to this situation. "I… I…"
Makoto always had a way with words, she thought. The way he managed to reassure everyone and calm doubts and worries… he was truly a natural at this.
But no matter what he would be able to say to try to comfort her…
That wouldn't stop the quick beat of her heart, or the blush on her face.
Everything was too quick for her. She wasn't ready for this! She was supposed to take action once they arrived to their destination, not now!
She had to get out of here!
"I… Oh! Look! It's our stop!"
And indeed, it was. Fortunately for her.
As the doors opened up, she simply left quickly, snatching herself out of Makoto's grasp which surprised him. "Uh? Mioda-senpai?"
"D-don't stand here! I-I still have to show you!"
'Now that's odd. She's not talking in the third person like she usually does.' He noticed quickly as he wondered. 'Did I… did I do something?'
With that, he also got out of the bust, joining Ibuki soon after. "So… this is the address?"
"T-the place is just nearby. W-we've just got to walk around the corner and we're here." She said, still all flustered before running to her place. "L-let's go leady!"
"W-wait for me!" The Luckster ran after her, a little worried about her odd behavior.
Something was definitely wrong, and he may have been the cause of it. He didn't know what he did for her to react like this, but didn't want her to make her feel that way.
Guess another apology was in order.
He was quick to catch up with her and asked. "H-hey, Mioda-senpai, a-are you okay? Look, about earlier-"
"Y-yeah, Ibuki is fine, Makoto-chan! Don't worry about her, okay?!" She tried to reassure him, but the nervousness was still present in her voice and on her face, even if to a less extent.
Well, at least she did call herself by her first name again, so it was a plus…
"Anyway, we're here, Makoto-chan! Take a look!"
"Uh?" He then turned towards the direction Ibuki gave him… and was a little surprised.
Not because of the place itself. After all, he did expect her to bring him to something related to music, considering her title. A live music house was one of them.
What he didn't expect was the name of said house.
Seriously, 'Titty Typhon'? What kind of name was that?!
Even the avenue it was in, which was called 'Music Venue', was simple yet effective!
Makoto stared at the live music house a little shocked. "So… this is the place?"
"Yup yup!" Ibuki said proudly as her nose expended itself, for some reason. "Ibuki found it when she was wandering around, and she decided to give it a shot!"
"I-I think you already said that…"
"Did Ibuki?" She said curiously. "Okay, so let's try this again. Ibuki did some research, and apparently, it was relocated from very far away! Ibuki doesn't remember all of the details, but she thinks it's pretty cool! Now we have a fun place to go to!"
"G-good for us, then…" Makoto said, a little distraught at his friend's lack of memory…
Still, he thought it was a little odd. So the place already existed somewhere else, far away from Japan? What was the reason behind this?
It was not important for Ibuki, as she decided to take his hand in hers this time. "Don't worry, Makoto-chan! Ibuki already asked if she could bring you to the place, and they said no problem!"
"I-is that so…"
"Ah, so you're the chick from the other day. Right on time."
The two turned towards a person who seemed to be the bouncer of said house, smiling at Ibuki who greeted him happily. "Oh hiiiia, big guy! So you did recognize Ibuki!"
"No way in hell am I gonna forget a face like yours, chick." He chuckled before eyeing the Luckster. "And I take that it's the guy you wanted to bring along today?"
"Yup yup! This is Ibuki's best friend from school, Makoto-chan!" She declared happily. "He's really nice, you'll see!"
"T-that's right. My name is Naegi Makoto, sir." Makoto presented himself, a little nervous at the tall man's figure. "Pleased to meet you."
"No offense, but I think it's a bit too soon to say that." The man replied with a nice tone. "You look harmless, though. I doubt you'll give us any trouble."
"Of course not! Ibuki knows Makoto-chan very well!" Ibuki defended him. "He's not any troublemaker, she promises!"
"Alright, alright, I'll take your word for." The man said. "But I still have to make sure you don't have anything dangerous on you, alright?"
"Okie-dokie!"
And so, the two students let themselves being checked, which didn't disturb them too much, considering that they have a Bodyguard and a Bouncer in the school they enroll into. After one minute, the man stepped aside. "Alright, you're both good. Have a good time."
"Hell to the yes! Let's go, Makoto-chan!"
And with that, the Musician quickly ran inside, and the Luckster was about to follow her when he felt a big hand on his shoulder. And he was surprised to see that it was the bouncer who was holding him. "Uh? Is something wrong, sir?"
"Not really, I just wanted to ask you something." He answered. "As you're probably the calm one here…"
"Uh?"
"Can you please look after the girl for me? Just to make sure she doesn't cause too much trouble either." He explained. "Don't get me wrong, I've met her before and I really like her, but… I think it's pretty obvious that she's a wild one. And I wouldn't want her to… you know, go overboard."
The Luckster understood quickly his fears. To be fair, there were justified in a sense, even if he didn't like to admit it. Ibuki's classmate could testify that some of her… activities were a little wild and dangerous.
Note to self: never bother Akane or Nekomaru. Or anyone that was physically strong or had a bad temper.
So he quickly answered with a little smile; "Okay. I'll make sure everything will be fine."
"Good. Now go inside." The man smiled a little. "She's waiting for you."
Ibuki's yell confirmed that. "Makoto-chan! Are you coming?"
"Yeah, yeah I'm coming!" Makoto said before entering the live music house, leaving the man behind doing his job…
And with no one around, he could smirk at the thought that crossed his mind.
"Well, this chick sure is a keeper. Didn't expect her to bring her date of all people… oh well. Not that I'm anyone to judge."
"Phew! That was really fun, Makoto-chan!"
"It was, Mioda-senpai… you really do know how to dance for sure. I'm surprised I didn't see that often…"
"You're not bad either, you know! Ibuki is surprised that you've got some good legs! Is that your secret talent?"
"I-I don't think so. I mean, I'm not bad, I guess, but I'm pretty sure I'm just average when it comes to dancing…"
That was what the two were talking about, discussing their evening, which happened to be really good. The two teenagers passed their time together either at discussing at a table near the bar, or dancing at the proper place.
Well, perhaps the most accurate thing to say would be rather that Makoto passed his time by listening to everything that Ibuki said, and letting her lead the way.
He knew that she liked to talk all the time. So much that when she started, it was difficult, for not saying impossible, to stop her. And the subjects could be related to anything…
Except studying or anything too serious.
What he knew less was that, she seemed to really dance. And good, on top of that. Sure, she was maybe a little frantic about it, but she sure knew how to give in the music.
It needed to be said that it really matched with her tastes, so it wasn't this surprising.
Even if some songs weren't too much of Makoto's own tastes, to be honest. He preferred Ibuki's songs.
Still, he had a good time overall. Even if it tired him to move constantly, forcing him to sit now.
Another rest was needed. Well, for his body, at least.
He didn't mind listening to Ibuki's stories. That's something he learned to enjoy as well.
"Wel, you should definitely consider, Makoto-chan! This is maybe a chance to gain another talent!" She told him happily. "Oh! Perhaps we could ask Hiyoko-chan to help! That way, she could practice with us at the band!"
"I-I appreciate the thought, but I don't think that would fit…" Makoto said, laughing nervously. "Plus, we don't really do that anymore. Or at least, not as often as last year. I mean, don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed being with you, but… you know, with the new students that arrived…"
"Yeah, Ibuki knows that." The girl sighed, a little sad at the thought. "And she had fun with you too, Makoto-chan. Ibuki wished she could have more free time with you, but with the exams that are approaching…"
Makoto looked at her sadly. He knew that Ibuki wasn't one who would talk about studies in general… unless she was not in the best of moods.
It was a normal reaction to him. Who would talk about exams happily?
…well, asides form Kiyotaka and Soushun, that is?
Yeah, exams were not a happy subject for most of the students, he thought. Usually, the theme was associated with stress and work, and it was not good from everyone's moral.
He knew that very well, considering what happened last year. It was hard to maintain everyone's spirit in his class. And he had to also take care of his upper classmates too, so in the end, you can imagine how exhausted he was.
But it was worth it. Everyone managed to pass, so that's what mattered most.
But for the case of his seniors, he knew that this year would be different for them. And he knew that I would affect everyone in a bad way.
Especially people like Ibuki.
Of course, it was understandable. This year was the last she had to attend Hope's Peak Academy.
And once she graduates… she would not see him again. Nor will he see his upper classmates again, unless for random events that would reunite them for a short period of time.
And the thought saddened him a little.
But that's why he wanted to pass time with everyone as much as possible.
So he and them would never forget the memories they made together.
Just like a second family.
Right then, something occurred in his mind. And it sounded perfect to him.
"You know, now that you mention dancing… I think I may have an idea."
That was enough to brighten up her mood a little as she lifted up her head at him with a wondering look. "Oh? You want to do this, Makoto-chan?"
"If we are going to do this, I might know the right person who can maybe help us." He said with a little smile on his face. "She's an old friend of mine, and she was a very good dancer. I think she still is. So maybe she can come here and give us one or two lessons?"
"That's such a cool idea, Makoto-chan! Oh! Maybe she can be a new member too!" She said happily, seeming to like the idea, which made him smile.
"Perhaps. We can always ask her."
And then she looked at him a little surprised. "Wait… she? It's a girl?"
"Well, yeah… you didn't hear it the first time?"
Her good tone was reduced slightly at hearing this. "Oh… and uh… you seem to like her."
"Well, she is one of my childhood friends, so yes." He said normally, not understand where she was getting at."
"W-well-"
"Hey, is that you, Mioda-san?"
"And it looks like she's with someone."
"Should we go talk to her?"
"Well, since the occasion is here, I say why not?"
The two stopped their conversation as they heard a bunch of girls approaching their tables.
And it instantly made Ibuki jolt up from her chair, for she recognized the voices immediately. "Y-you girls?!"
"Well, look at you, Mioda-san. Having some fun?"
"It was to be expected. I mean, we are talking about Mioda here."
"No argument there. And it looks like she hasn't changed."
"We still have to try."
The Musician looked really surprised at the four girls who were in front of her, before smiling at them excitedly. "Rin-chan! Hikari-chan! Mebuki-chan! Chinatsu-san! You're all here! Ibuki is so glad to see you all again!"
"We're glad to see you too, Ibuki." The tall girl with black hair and green eyes greeted her politely.
"And it looks like you're having the time of your life, too." The girl with pale skin, red hair and hazel eyes, who was as tall as Ibuki followed suit.
"Good to see that you're so full of energy." The girl with dark skin, bleach blonde hair and blue eyes due to her colored contact, who was as tall as Makoto concurred with that.
"You brought a friend of yours, too." The shorter girl with strawberry blonde hair and brown eyes said lastly while pointing at Makoto.
"That's right. I'm Mioda-senpai's junior." Makoto began to introduce himself. "My name is Naegi Makoto. And I take that you're the Black Cherry band?"
That seemed to surprise them a little, as Ibuki asked him, "Uh? So you know them too, Makoto-chan?"
"I've made some research, yes." The Luckster answered while addressing the newcomers by order of height. "I'm talking to Yamamoto Rin the keyboardist, Takamine Hikari the drummer, Kazama Mebuki the bassist, and Kanzuchi Chinastsu the lead guitarist. Did I get it right?"
The girl named Rin was the one who spoke for them. "Uh. So you do know about us, uh?"
"I do. Mioda-senpai talked about you too when we were at classes." He explained. "We hang out times to times."
"Really? You do hang out with her?" The girl named Hikari asked before smirking lightly. "You must like her a lot then to hang out with her so much…"
Which sentence made the two teenagers blush a little, as Ibuki was the first one to react… as nervously as she was. "W-well, Makoto-chan is Ibuki's best friend, so it is to be expected…"
"T-that's right. I-I think it's pretty normal…" Makoto followed suit, before saying in a calmer tone, "I liked your music, by the way. I thought it was good."
"Oh, that's too kind." The girl named Mebuki giggled, almost mockingly. "At least now we know that we're popular enough."
"I-I suppose, yes…" Makoto said nervously, but not just from the voice of the girl. "You did begin to gain some popularity after all…"
"Well, we did our best, you know." The girl named Chinatsu answered. "It was hard to work with one of our member gone."
"I-I can imagine…" The Luckster said with the same tone, before trying to smile a bit. "But I'm just glad that you managed to reunite with Mioda-senpai. I think she wanted to look after you too."
"Makoto-chan is right! Ibuki has been thinking about you for some time now! And she's glad to see that everyone is doing just fine" Ibuki confirmed happily, before being a little nervous. "To be honest with everyone, Ibuki did feel a little guilty after leaving you girls at first-"
"Well, about that, Mioda-san… can we talk?"
The two teenagers looked at the group who were staring at Ibuki with a very… odd manner and tone.
That, Makoto noticed immediately.
But Ibuki didn't catch on that and ask away. "Oh? You girls wanted to ask Ibuki something?"
"Well, yeah…" Rin said began to explain to her. "You know, we've been thinking a lot about what about after you left. I'm sure you remember it, right?"
That seemed to sadden her a little. "Y-yeah… Ibuki still remembers it pretty well…"
Makoto noticed immediately her change of demeanor. She did tell him that she left her band because of creative differences, which he could perfectly understand. After all, not every band could be united all the time, unfortunately.
However, Ibuki also told him that she felt a little bad at leaving them at first, even if she didn't want to play anything else.
And he could see that the lonely face she had when she explained was genuine.
With those girls, however… he couldn't feel that.
"Well, we wanted to say we were sorry about our attitude when you left." Hikari answered with the same tone. "You stood by your principles, and by the look of it, it gave you success. And for that, we're sorry. For forcing you to do something you didn't want to."
And that sentence only increased the doubt he was having.
What kind of apology was that, he thought?
Yeah, the words may seem kind, but…
He didn't know why, but he could feel that something was wrong with it.
But Ibuki didn't see anything wrong with the sentence and simply answered, "No harm done, girls. Ibuki has no problem with you girls, she just wanted to go her own way."
"And we understand now, Mioda-san." Mebuki assured her. "I mean, just look at you. You followed your own rules, and that opened you the gates of Hope's Peak Academy!"
"Ibuki knows! She didn't expect to happen either!" The Musician said happily. "Ibuki has made a ton of friends since then!"
"Well, we're glad for you." Chinatsu said with a little smile. "And… you see… that's why we wanted to talk to you."
"Uh?"
There. Makoto knew it.
He knew that there was a reason for the girls to come this way. Granted, he could be wrong, but…
He was beginning to have a bad feeling about all of this.
"Well, we saw that you were pretty popular now." Rin began. "And you're the Ultimate Musician… so we thought that maybe you could help us?"
"Uh? Help you girls?" Ibuki said a little curious. "You mean you are in trouble?"
"More like… you know, block writing problem." Hikari proceeded. "We tried to see how would be things if we had followed your example, but we're having some trouble with writing, yeah, and… well, we could use some help."
That startled Ibuki a little, as she did not expect them to ask for help during their reunion, but Makoto could see that she was now trying not to look tense.
Which meant that she was getting nervous. And it wasn't a good sign at all.
But it didn't stop Ibuki from talking anyway. "W… well, Ibuki guess she can lend a hand, so-"
"Well, we thought so too." Mebuki interrupted her. "I mean, you've been scouted as the Ultimate Musician, after all."
No Ibuki was starting to have her smile a little deformed. "W-well, yeah, it's true…"
"So? Are you going to help us, Mioda?" Chinatsu said, not seeming to notice it as she continued. "Come on, we've been friends for some time now. You wouldn't want to let your friends down, right?"
That shocked Ibuki, and what shocked her even more was that she saw the three girls nod in approval. She tried to smile, but which was becoming harder at every moment now. "W-well… I-Ibuki is-"
"Hold on a second."
Everyone turned to see the boy looking seriously at the girls, and the look on his face was enough to tell them that he didn't like where this was going.
Ibuki too was shocked to say the est. She rarely saw her friend this serious before. "M-Makoto-chan?"
And if the Luckster could hear her thoughts, then he would think she was right. He was not the kind of person that would look for trouble or be angry in the slightest.
However, even he had limits and knew how to behave in this kind of situation. For he lived a familiar situation with another one of his friends.
He was glad that she saw the errors of her way and tried now to change for the best, which he was glad for… but he was getting off topic here.
Plus, the year he passed at Hope's Peak Academy made him gain more confidence as well. He was slightly more confident of his abilities and actions now, even if he would dismiss it most of the times.
Perhaps it was another effect of hanging out with the Ultimates and their various personalities. Such individuals could provoke many situations which needed him to adapt himself so he could find the best reaction.
Just like the current situation, where he was feeling to get angry. Something that didn't happen too often, considering his nature, but which could still happen if the situation didn't please him. Which was now the case.
If there was one thing that he didn't like, it was seeing his friends being forced into something that they may not like.
For he knew that was what the girls were doing: they were forcing their feelings into her to do what they asked – no, rather, what they ordered her to do. And that's exactly what has been bothering him.
And those girls didn't seem to like him including himself into their conversation, as Rin asked in an annoyed tone, "Uh, what are you doing? We're trying to talk here."
"Yeah, I don't think you should butt in." Hikari agreed, trying to be more polite, but still with some annoyance in her tone. "This is a serious conversation we're trying to have."
"So I've heard, yes." Makoto said with a serious tone. "But I think you should calm down a bit. Can't you see that Mioda-senpai is getting nervous here?"
That shocked Ibuki… in a good way. "M-Makoto-chan…"
But the same couldn't be said for the girls, with Mebuki spoking next. "Uh? What are you talking about? There's no way she's nervous. She literally has no reason to be nervous with us."
"That's right," Chinatsu agreed more silently, but with the same tone as the three others. "We're just asking her for help, that's all."
"I'm sorry, but it is really 'asking?'"
That shocked everyone, and now in a good way. "What?"
"You didn't even bother to say 'please'. If I wanted to ask help to someone, I would have at least said that," Makoto said with the same serious tone. "But you didn't even bother to do so. So excuse me to sound rude, but to me, it was less 'asking' and rather 'ordering' to me."
That got Rin to raise an eyebrow at him. "Oh, come on, just because we forgot to say 'please'? Don't you think that's a little ridiculous?"
"Not at all. This is the least you could have done."
There, Makoto thought that they would apologize for at least that. After all, perhaps they were just tired because of their situation.
Or maybe not.
The second choice seemed to be the correct one as Hikari scoffing a little. "Hey, are you done giving us lectures? We were in the middle of a conversation before you rudely interrupted us."
"Yeah! Like, what's your problem?" Mebuki joined in, getting the most annoyed of the bunch. "This didn't even concern you in the first place, so why don't you just zip it, kid?!"
"You sure have a big mouth…" Chinatsu glared at him before turning towards Ibuki. "You sure have a bad taste about friends if you pick up boys like him."
That seemed to intimidate Ibuki further. "B-but it's not-"
"First off, don't talk to her like she is your punching bag or something like that." Makoto answered, not backing down. "Secondly, it does concern me. I'm a member of her club band at school."
Now that got fully the attention of the whole group, who looked at him in shock. Chinatsu asked, "W… what did you just say?"
"Mioda-senpai asked me if I wanted to join her new band, and I accepted. Even though we don't play often, and that when we do, it's more for fun." He explained. "I'm the drummer of the band, even if I'm not that good."
That seemed to do it for one of the girls, as Mekubi stared at him with disbelief. "I-I don't believe you! Y-you're just messing with me right now!"
"So that's why you hang out with her, then? You're a musician?!" Hikari asked him just as shocked.
"Wait." Rin said firmly. "You said you were not as good as her. What do you mean by that? Aren't you the Ultimate Drummer?"
"No, I'm not." Makoto replied. "I'm the Ultimate Lucky Student of last year. But I learned how to play thanks to Mioda-senpai here." He then turned towards her with a smile. "And she's a very good teacher if you ask me."
The sentence made the Musician blush a little, as she stared at him with little sparks in her eyes.
He just complimented her in front of her friends. Even though she was clearly not at her advantage here, he was glorifying her. Now that was something very nice-
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me."
"So he's just a normal kid then? Figures…"
"She probably couldn't find anyone else because she's too wild…"
"I thought so. He's just a charity case then."
Compared to what she just heard right now. She couldn't believe the mean things that just reached her ears.
And the fact that it was coming from her friends was making it even worse.
She slowly turned herself towards them with horrified eyes. "W… what are you saying?"
"What? We're just saying the truth, Mioda." Chinatsu said loud enough so the two students could understand her, before turning a disdainful look at Makoto. "So you're telling me that you're just a random, talentless guy who's been picked up randomly at the best school? Wow, talk about weak. I would really feel sorry for you, if it didn't sound so pathetic."
"I don't see what's so pathetic about learning how to play. Everyone's got to start somewhere." The Luckster said, not impressed by their attitude. "And what do you mean, 'charity case'? She simply wanted me to join her band because she wanted me to."
"More like because you pitied her and wanted to toy with ya, kiddo." Mebuki smirked evilly. "So what if you learned how to play drums? You haven't achieved anything that recognized your 'talent', did ya, punk? You didn't become famous, so I say it's pretty worthless."
"I don't think so. Anything that I live can be useful for me in the future." He replied calmly, but seriously. "And I'm having fun on top of that."
"Yeah, with someone like Mioda, of course you would. You really think this is all game, don't you?" Hikari narrowed her eyes at her, sounding really angry at him. "You don't what it feels to be in a real band with real talented people, so I say you should just stick out with people like her. She was never serious back there, so of course you would be like her. Talk about being a loser…"
Ibuki could not believe what she was hearing, as she was now holding her breath all the way. Her friends, her former bandmates, were insulting her best friend in front of her face and were also talking trash about her, as if she – no, as if both her and him were complete trash.
And she could feel her blood beginning to boil, for the first time in a very long while, as she felt her hands transforms into fists.
And so was Makoto, who was now narrowing his eyes very angrily.
At first, he was happy for his friend. She finally was reunited with her old friends from her former band, and it looked like that she would have another good moment with them.
But then, he noticed that some of the girls – no, that all of the girls… where forcing their smiles. That they were dishonest.
And that's when he started to understand they were not really happy to see her per say. They were looking for something else that Ibuki could give them instead of her instead.
In short, they were going to just use her. He realized that when he heard her mention her title.
And he had a very strong feeling that they would just throw her when she wouldn't be needed. And apparently, they were not going to leave until she said yes.
At least, that is, until Makoto decided to step on. For he was not going to let them hurt his dear friend.
He knew that once the deed would be done, it would be very hard to get her back on her feet.
He saw her insecurities manifest themselves with his own eyes, and he was not going to let them use her as if she was just a tool.
That's why he stepped in. For once, he had a bad feeling, and unfortunately, he had been right.
"Do not insult Mioda-senpai in front of her or me like that. It's rude to talk about someone when they're here." He said firmly, seriously, and almost madly, for he was taking upon himself for not getting angrier as he was already. "She is a far better musician than you let others think, and she's a very close friend of mine. I won't let you speak dirty of her name when I'm right in front of you."
"Oh, so you're getting mad? Can't handle the truth, can you now?" Rin said mockingly, but coldly. "People like you should now to learn their place and not trying to bark when they know they can't even bite. So I say beat it, kid. This talk is only for those worth the shot, and you're not one of them. All you are is just a complete loser."
"Sorry, but it's the truth."
"You betcha."
"Without a doubt."
The Luckster didn't back away from this. "Hey, listen to me-"
"No. YOU listen to me now. You've been wasting that useless tongue of yours to babble your stupid bullshit, so now it's my turn to speak." Rin said darkly as she gave him a death glare. "First of all, you've got the balls to interrupt our discussion with Mioda when she was going to help us. Second of all, you talk to us as if you were superior to us or some bullshit like that when you're just a talentless loser, and finally, you don't know when to stop. It's just as if you were a puppet with a mark 'KICK ME!' on it. I'm really starting to think that you like that." She said with despise, before threatening him. "Now, I'm giving you one and only one chance to scram, kid. Get out of our sights and go bother someone who will listen to your shitty-"
"STOP INSULTING MAKOTO-CHAN!"
Everyone turned to see the owner of the voice who just shouted, with everyone being surprised.
They expected Ibuki to be loud, but not to this extent. Makoto was pretty sure the shout drew everyone's attention to them.
And they never thought she could seem so… mad.
Rin's anger turned into stupor when she saw that. "M-Mioda-san?"
"Makoto-chan has been a great help to Ibuki since he arrived at Hope's Peak Academy!" Ibuki yelled at them, not caring if she was too loud. "He's been playing and having fun with her, yeah, but he's been a good apprentice! How can you say that he's talentless?! You're not the one who taught him!"
Now it was Makoto's turn to stare at Ibuki with a very surprised glance. "M-Mioda-san…"
"And you're not the one who comforted Ibuki when she was feeling alone! It was all Makoto-chan who did it for Ibuki! The memories, the good times, everything!" She continued to yell at the girls who began to flinch at the tone she used against them. "So you've got no right to talk to him as if he was just a big meanie, because he's not like that!" She then narrowed her eyes. "And he's definitely not like you."
The girls looked a little shocked at his, before Hikari asked, "W-what are you saying? What did we do wrong? All we did was-"
"Trying to force Ibuki to help you guys. Just like Makoto-chan said." The Musician interrupted her. "And Ibuki would have been fine with it, but then you insulted Ibuki's best friend in front of her. And that's not something Ibuki can forgive like that."
"Are you kidding me?!" Mebuki was starting to get really annoyed by that. "He's the one who got himself involved with his big mouth in the first place! And we're supposed to be friends!"
"Ibuki regrets, but… she doesn't think so." She answered sharply. "Anyone who insults Ibuki's best friend the way you did is no friend of Ibuki."
Now that seemed to do it for the girls as Chinatsu raised her voice a little. "You… you can't be serious. So you're leaving us just like that? Just for him? You would choose someone like him over us?"
"It's just like Ibuki said: she's fine with Makoto-chan by her side." She then went to the Luckster side and took one of his arms in her own as she glared at the girls. "She prefers Makoto-chan's company anyway."
Which reaction made him blush a little. "M-Mioda-senpai?"
"Now leave. Please. It was… good to see you again."
Makoto's heart began to shatter as he heard the words leaving her mouth. Because he noticed how broken and sad it sounded. And when he looked at her face, he noticed that she was trying her hardest not to cry.
But the girls didn't seem to do the same, as they continued to glare at the two as if they were lowlives.
Rin finally said with a sharp tone, "Fine. Be like that. I should have known that it was a bad idea to talk to you in the first place." She turned her back on them, beginning to go away. "Come on girls. This place began to stink with her around."
"You're right. We shouldn't have come here."
"I swear, if it wasn't for the fact that we're in public, I would have slapped the little moron."
"Leave him be. He must be brain-dead or something like that."
Both students could perfectly hear the harsh comments the other girls did on them as they soon joined their leader, which left them quite uneasy.
Anyone who saw the scene (which meant probably everyone in the live music house) began to slowly look away for the scene, not wanting to get involved. But they did feel a little pity for the two.
But that was nothing compared to what Makoto felt now.
The anger he had within him quickly faded away as it was replaced with sadness from his dear friend, as he kept staring at Ibuki with a frown on his face.
He didn't like to see his friend like that. He could feel her begin to shake. The encounter and revelation of her former band's true nature must have hit her really hard.
He couldn't even begin to imagine how painful it had to be.
And he knew he couldn't let her feel like that any longer. "M-Mioda-senpai-"
"Hey, what's going on here?"
The Luckster turned to see the bouncer from earlier coming towards them, with a raised eyebrow towards the boy. "Hey kiddo, did something happen?"
"Y-yeah, you can say that…" Makoto answered nervously. "So you've heard what happened, uh?"
"I think anyone outside heard everything, kiddo." He answered. "And just before I came in, I saw four girls leaving the place. They seemed pretty pissed. And my guts are telling me they were talking trash about you."
"W-well-"
"I'm so sorry, Makoto-chan."
The two men turned a little surprised at the sad figure of Ibuki, whose voice reflected her current, heartbroken face. "M-Mioda-senpai?"
"I'm so sorry, Makoto-chan." She repeated the same thing with the same tone. "I never expected them to say such mean words to you. I never wanted any of this to happen."
She wasn't talking in the first person again, which was more than enough for Makoto to raise red flags. "I-I know you didn't-"
"And I couldn't do anything about it. I couldn't do anything about, and you had to endure all of those mean things they told you." The Musician continued. "What kind of friend does that?"
"Mioda-san. Stop."
She lifted up her head a little surprised, to see him… smiling at her. Again.
"None of this is your fault. You couldn't have predicted that it would have happened, and neither could you have known that they were like this. I was a little surprised when they began to be a bunch of jerks, to be honest."
It made her widen her eyes lightly. "B-but still-
"Don't let their words get to you. You're fine the way you are." He continued to smile at her. "They really don't know what they are missing. I can tell you that."
It was enough to make her blush a little, and a small smile appeared on her face, and some little tears began to appear. She used her hands to clean it up. "T-thank you, Makoto-chan. B-but… you really mean it?"
Makoto chuckled a little. "Of course I do. But you know what?"
"Uh?"
"How about we go to your house and play some of your songs together? I'm sure it's going to prove my point more than just talking."
She seemed a little surprised, before her blush intensified a little as she began to once again play with her fingers. "W-well… Ibuki was going to invite you after the party together, so…"
"Perfect then!" Makoto went towards her, happy that her mood was getting back to normal. "Let's get going then!"
"Y-yes! Let's go!" Ibuki said before getting out of the place first, leaving the Luckster to join her-
"Hey, kiddo!"
Only to be stopped by the bouncer's voice once again. "Y-yes?"
When he turned towards the man, he saw him grinning at him with a thumb up. "Nice job. You sure know how to handle that kind of thing!
The Luckster only stared at him oddly, but said with a little smile, "Uh, thanks, sir? Anyway, I've got to go no. It was nice meeting you!"
And with that, the Luckster soon joined his friend outside, leaving the bouncer to sigh a little.
"Man, the little dude is really lucky… but something tells me that he's also pretty dense. Poor girl… this is going to be harder than expected, I bet."
"Here we are, Makoto-chan!"
"I saw that, yes. And I see that it hasn't changed one bit since last time I came here."
"Of course it didn't! Ibuki's gotta stay true to herself!"
"Yeah, I get you. And it's good to see it, though. I feel a little nostalgic now."
"So you feel it too, Makoto-chan? Awesome!"
Yeah, he could feel the nostalgia alright.
He's been here, after all. It was an important place to him.
Too bad he couldn't return to it too much, though.
Not because it was a secret place, considering that it was in Ibuki's home.
It was rather the fact that he didn't have too much time to visit any of his friends' home anymore, because he had a tight schedule his year.
Because yes, he did come to some of his friend's home once or twice last year. And Ibuki's home was one of them.
Unfortunately, even so, he didn't have time to be with them at home.
So when he did, he would make sure to remember those very special moments.
And Ibuki's self-garage had a special place in his heart.
She was of course glad to see him smile. "You look happy, Makoto-chan! You must love Ibuki's garage much!"
"Of course I do. I really enjoy this place. I mean, it's one of the other places we hang out when we can't use the music room." Makoto answered before looking at Ibuki. "Speaking of which, I miss those time when we played together. We still do, but not as much as before."
"Ibuki miss it, too. It was fun too!" Ibuki said with a sad face. "And Ibuki would have liked to invite Kaede-chan to the band, but she's not into it."
"Yeah. She's more into the classic genre." He said, shrugging off his shoulders with a smile. "And hey, she doesn't mind play with us when we're together. She's good at the keyboard."
"Yeah, Ibuki agrees. As expected from her title." Ibuki continued. "Sayaka-chan would be a good singer, but she's too busy with her own idol group."
"Well, that is to be expected…"
"Sousuke-chan is cool too, but he wanted to do his own thing…" The Musician eyed Makoto suspiciously. "Hey, by the way, did he invite you to join his band? Because Ibuki remembers that he's still looking for members."
"Well, he is, yes." Makoto answered. "Although Ichino-kun didn't ask me at first, when I mentioned I was practicing the drummers, he sounded interested."
That got Ibuki even more suspicious. "Is that so?"
"At least until I told him I was on your club band."
Which relieved her a lot. "Ah! Ibuki is glad then! She wouldn't want to have her drummer out of the band!"
"And I wouldn't quit like that, Mioda-senpai." Makoto laughed with her.
Though he was pretty sure that now that knew how to play drums, Sousuke seemed to send some… envious glances at Ibuki when they were playing.
He must be jealous, he thought.
Then, Makoto asked her, "Say, is anyone in class 79-A interest in your band idea? I think that at least one of them is related to music…"
"Yeah, there's someone called a DJ, Ibuki thinks. But he's not interested because he said it wasn't his real thing, Makoto-chan. There's also a dancer in their class, but no one is a real musician, and they didn't seem to interest them much when I talked to them…" Ibuki sighed before turning towards her firmed. "Hey, you said you had a childhood friend who was a dancer before. Is it her who joined the class?"
"No, it isn't her. I don't know too much because I managed to contact her only recently, but I think she mentioned stopping dancing because of her legs. She said it was too bad because she liked it, though." Makoto answered as they approached their instruments. "And speaking of class 79-A, I don't know too much about them. I've met them at least… yeah, three times, but I couldn't hang out with them as much as with you guys."
"Well, it's a shame! Ibuki say you should definitely meet them more! Some of them look like they could be really fun to hang out with!" Ibuki told him. "Ibuki thinks that Chisa-sensei told us about the class!"
"Really?"
"She said she had some arguments there and then with the teacher. Apparently, she seems to be too nice with the students! Though Ibuki thinks Chisa-sensei is being a little too harsh. I mean, she's also a new teacher who just arrived here."
"That's right. I don't think she should put too much pressure on her. And from what I've seen when I talked to her, everything was normal." Makoto said, remembering his previous encounters with the class. "Well, they are way calmer than I anticipated at first… well, even if just a little."
"Yup! But they sure know how to have fun!" Ibuki chirped happily as she plugged her guitar in, before toning it down a bit. "Still sucks that none of them are interested, though. Could have been great additions!"
"Ichino-kun must also be disappointed, I suppose." Makoto agreed as he sat just in front of the drums, the drumsticks near his hand, before turning to Ibuki once again. "And… how things are with Kuwata-kun?"
The Musician tensed at the mention of Leon's name. "W-well… how should Ibuki say this…"
"He's quite persistent?"
"Y-yeah! That's the word, Makoto-chan!" Ibuki replied hastily as she took her guitar. "Leon-chan has not given up for sure… but Ibuki is pretty sure that he hasn't made much progress. And Ibuki heard the same thing from Sousuke-chan…"
"That's unfortunate…" The Luckster sighed in defeat. "I just hope he manages to find what he wants."
"Yeah…" The Musician sighed too, but sounded more… sad. "Too bad that there are no new members for our band…"
Makoto noticed immediately what was up. "Are you still thinking about what happened with Black Cherry?"
She frowned a little at the band's mention. "How can Ibuki not? She never thought it would have turned out this badly with her former friends. And she didn't do anything to stop them."
"I told you, you couldn't have predicted that they would lash out like this." Makoto tried to console her. "They didn't have any right to insult you like that."
"B-but still…"
"If anything, I should be the one to apologize."
Now that was Ibuki's turn to be surprised. "M-Makoto-chan?"
"I did butt in the conversation when I had doubts." Makoto confessed, sounding a little ashamed. "I know that I shouldn't have, but I had a bad feeling about this… I didn't want them to hurt you or use you… but I guess I overdid it. And for that, I'm sorry."
"What are you talking about?" Ibuki put her guitar down to approach him. "Makoto-chan, you wanted to protect Ibuki from those who wanted to use her. What would have happened if you didn't do anything? Ibuki would say that it would have ended up badly for her… but you prevented that from happening. For that, Ibuki has to thank you."
"Yeah… I guess…" Makoto said, still a little worried. "Still, you had to end your friendship with them-"
"They insulted you, Makoto-chan." She stared at him seriously. "They called you bad names. And there was no way Ibuki would let them do so in front of her like that. You didn't deserve this."
Makoto looked at her a little stunned, then chuckled lightly. "As would I never let them insult you in front of me. So… I guess we're evens now?"
"You bet we are!" The Musician hugged him in an affectionate manner. "Ibuki is just so glad that we managed to make up for what happened!"
"I-I wasn't even mad at you to begin with…" The Luckster said all the while laughing with his friend, before feeling her depart from him. "So, what do you want to play? The usual, perhaps?"
"Hell to the yes!" Ibuki said happily, as she quickly took her guitar in her hands, ready for some action. "Let's go with some good 'From Me to You Too', Makoto-chan! You're ready?"
He took his drumsticks and lifted them up. "All in position, Mioda-senpai!"
"Then let's hit the show already!"
{From Me to You Too begins}
And with that, the two began to play the tune that they learned to enjoy together, not caring about anything in the world but themselves.
A good thing that her garage was soundproofed, or else they might have been in a lot of trouble.
But that aside, Makoto learned to enjoy to play with Ibuki quite quickly. As opposed to what appearance would have suggested, he really enjoyed this kind of music.
And practicing with Ibuki was a ton of fun, too. Not just because about learning (because music was the one thing that Ibuki didn't dislike studying about), but also because of the aura that Ibuki created around her when she played.
It was as if… as if it freed him from the worries he had in general. Something that told him to enjoy the moment… and being yourself.
Of course, it wasn't the first time he played. This was the result of an activity that he learned to enjoy with her. After all, he had to retry many times before getting it right.
But thanks to those tries… he had managed to reach out for her.
There was no way he would forget about the moment when he did get it right.
For it was the moment when she truly opened up to him.
'Oooow… my head…'
"Da boom na da mmm dum na ema…"
'And it seems like Mioda-senpai isn't better on this, too… didn't expect to do this at first, but I guess it fits her.'
Those were the dizzy thoughts that were crossing Makoto's head right now.
Yes, dizzy. Because if you were to practice head swing 1000 (or trying to anyway), the odds would likely be the same for anyone.
Why did the Luckster do it anyway?
Because his friend Ibuki told him to do so as a training before beginning to play. As she said, it helped her when she had a lot in mind.
…even if her current state could attest that it had a very strong drawback. Her tearing eyes were rolled back and foam came out of her mouth.
Still… he wasn't lying when she said that it helped a lot about relieving someone's mind.
What happened a few days ago was a little nerve-wracking, after all.
And even though things get a lot better since then, sometimes Makoto still thought about it.
"Phew… you do look refreshed, Makoto-chan!" Ibuki said, quickly going back to her old self again, as if nothing happened. "Ibuki feels like we were playing pretty well together just now."
"Yeah… I feel even better now! I mean, I felt good before, but now… I don't know, I just feel great!" Makoto exclaimed.
"No problem! Ibuki is more than happy to help!" Ibuki said, before opting for a thinking face. "Ibuki just realized it. When she's with you, Makoto-chan… Ibuki plays really well."
"I'm glad to hear that." The Luckster chuckled. "And honestly, I'm relieved."
That peeked Ibuki's interest. "Oh? Relieved, you said?"
"Yeah. I've been… thinking about a lot of things." Makoto said, before explaining himself. "Do you still remember what happened to Maizono-san?"
At the mention of the girl's name, she couldn't help herself, but feel her joy tuned down a little. But she kept smiling anyway. "O-oh, yeah, Ibuki still does. Why? Did something bad happened to Sayaka-chan? Does she need support again?"
"No, she doesn't, thankfully. I think that she's going to be good for now." Makoto sighed in a happy manner. "And I'm glad she's not bothered anymore."
That began to make her a little nervous. "W-well, she does look refreshed too…"
"Yes. She seems to be. But… I guess I wasn't."
"Uh?"
"I think I was overthinking for a little while." Makoto began to explain. "Don't get me wrong, I'm really happy that she's back to her old self, but… I couldn't help but think about that discussion we had some time ago."
"A discussion?" Ibuki asked. "What kind of discussion?"
"Well, let's say that she confessed to me that…" Makoto breathed a little. "That she had to make some… regretful choices. And I'm glad that she decided to change her ways, even if she thanked me for it." He laughed nervously. "All I did was simply talk to her and give my opinion… and yeah, I did help out for her first concert, I guess…"
"Oh, so you ended up helping her? That's not noting, you know!" Ibuki told him, looking really happy at him. "Sayaka-chan sure is lucky to have a friend like you, Makoto-chan!"
"I-I guess, yes." He said nervously. "She told how much it meant to her, and… I guess I did something good."
"Then why were you so worried? You should be happy for her!"
"I know, and I truly am… but it's just that…" He began. "I thought about what we discussed about the other day, and I… I couldn't help but think about what would have happened if I didn't manage to help her out. That face when she explained everything… I guess that's when I started to realize how difficult her life had to be, and I couldn't help but think about… you know, alternate endings."
"Alternate… endings?"
"But I guess I was so worried that I ended up overthinking things." He then smiled at her. "That's why I'm thanking you. Because you made me relax."
For some reason, the comment and the smile made the Musician blush lightly, and her heart was beginning to pound in a very odd manner… and she didn't know why.
But she decided to dismiss it and spoke of him again, though this time, she was a little nervous. "N-no problem, Makoto-chan! Like Ibuki said, she's glad to help a friend!"
"And I still thank you for that." Makoto said before noticing her face. "Though… are you okay? You look a little off today."
"Y-yes! Ibuki is just fine!" She answered with the same tone. "Just let her swing head again, and she'll be good!"
"B-but you began to be like that after-"
"GWAAAAAAAAAAR!" She did not listen as she quickly began swinging her head back and forth with an amazing speed.
Makoto had to wonder, her neck must be really solid and flexible to keep up with her.
"Da boom na da mmm dum na ema…"
But then again, when he saw the state it put her next a few moments later, it was expected to have some intense drawback.
He experimented it too, so he knew that all too well.
But the girl didn't seem to share his opinion as she smiled at him after her exercise. "See? Ibuki is just fine now!"
"I-if you say so…" Makoto laughed nervously. "I guess you were worried about Maizono-san too.
"Of course Ibuki was! Sayaka-chan is really fun to talk to!" Ibuki said to him before putting her indexes on her front head. "…even if Ibuki doesn't recall her talking about her job."
"Well, she did talk to me about it." He said. "Her face and voices… I don't think you would have like it. She told me she was afraid that one day, she might be forgotten or her band might go their separate ways. And she wouldn't want that to happen, because of how hard she worked to get to that point.
"Is that so?" Ibuki said curiously. "Well, Ibuki may be an idol, but she figures that the destiny of an idol must be very similar as that of a band."
Now that picked Makoto's interest as he looked at her. "Uh? What do you mean?"
"Sit down, Makoto-chan, and Ibuki will tell you a tale."
The way she said it was supposed to be dramatic, as comically dramatic. Knowing Ibuki, it was normal coming from her.
Yet Makoto could feel a hint of seriousness in her voice. Heck, her usually comedic aura had an entire touch of seriousness around her when she spoke.
Then she must have lived something very similar to Sayaka. Or have the same doubts as her in her life.
About time, he thought. He rarely heard anything about Ibuki's past, so now was the occasion.
So he just did that, next to Ibuki, on a chair near the instruments, letting the girl to explain.
"Before being scouted to Hope's Peak Academy, Ibuki went to an all-girls school named Shiba Academy." She began. "There, she joined a light club music named 'Black Cherry'. We had a boy band who were rivals to us back then, they were named 'Summer Tree'. Ibuki wrote the songs we performed and our single hit was called 'After School Poyoyon Hour'. But Ibuki thinks you already knew about that?"
"Yeah, I still do." Makoto answered. "I liked 'I Squeezed the Baby But I Don't Know Who the Father Is' and 'From Me Too You Too'. I got the chance to listen to some songs of yours when I had free time." Makoto explained. "But if I'm not mistaken, we were practicing on those songs, and especially the latter. I checked those songs and compared it to the clips used during our sessions. Am I right?"
"Oh, ding ding ding! We've got a winner!" The Musician declared in an exaggerated way. "Ibuki is quite surprised that you managed to recognize it." She then looked a little sad. "But it's even more surprising that you got interested…"
Noticing the change of humor of his friend, the Luckster asked, "Anyway, back on topic… you said that you were in a band. What happened?"
"When a talent scout was going to be watching one of our performances, Ibuki refused to play more traditionally appealing pop music, as she was much more into the heavy metal genre." Ibuki explained with a sad sigh. "I miss them a little thought… there were good times with her."
"Oh… I'm sorry to hear that…" Makoto tried to reassure her. "So… you split because of creative differences?"
"Hmmm, how should Ibuki puts it?" She asked to herself. "Creative differences? Personality differences? Well, it's not that big of a deal. That's the destiny of a band member after all!"
Makoto could clearly see that the subject was a tough one to the Musician. The fact that she didn't know how to explain the problem was something that told him that there was more to the story.
But he was glad that she trusted the Luckster enough to talk to him about it.
"Like Ibuki told you once, what's most important is a sense of unity. Technique is something you gain just by practice." She continued, before looking serious again. "But you won't know if the group really meshes well together until you try it once… And if it's no good, that's something you can't really help. That's why Ibuki doesn't really regret leaving the band… well, at least not now."
That last part made Makoto look at her curiously. "So… you did regret leaving them at first?"
"Well, splitting meant that Ibuki would not cross paths with her friends for a long while…" Ibuki stated, sounding a little sad. "Even though I wanted to play what I wanted… I miss them. They were Ibuki's friends, so…"
"Mioda-senpai…"
"A-and, Ibuki told you that her classmates had to do their own things most of the times." She continued with the same tone. "Of course, Ibuki understands completely, because they are worried about their future, but… being alone… is a teensy bit lonely."
"Mioda-senpai."
This time, the voice didn't look sympathetic, but gentle and understanding. And when the Musician turned around to see the Luckster who was smiling at her.
But not a happy or comforting smile like another.
No, that one was… special. It was really… honest. Genuine. The kind of smile that told you that everything was going to be alright.
And she began to like to see that smile.
But she didn't know why, but… especially when it was the Luckster himself who did that.
"I think I understand what's going on here." Makoto told her with kindness. "And I think I should apologize for not noticing sooner."
That sentence surprised Ibuki a lot. "B-but you haven't done anything wrong, Makoto-chan! B-besides, Ibuki don't feel lonely when she's playing with you!"
"But you do feel lonely sometimes, don't you?" Makoto said seriously. "That's why you said you were playing one-person tag and one-person hide and seek most of the times, right?"
That stopped the Musician in her tracks, lowering down her head as a frown appearing on her face. "W-well… yes?"
"But I think it also implies with music. Am I wrong?"
Now she lifted her up her head in shock, not expecting to ear this. "W… what?"
"The other reason why you feel so lonely I mean. You must be… afraid that people don't want to play with you again, right?" Makoto asked her, with worry in his voice. "I noticed it when you mentioned your old band. You seemed very sad. Did something bad happen before you left?"
Ibuki stared at him incredulously, before she started to sound sad. "Well… you're not wrong. The girls wanted to be more popular, but I thought this was wrong. B-because it wasn't… well-"
"Because it wasn't your style?"
Again, she looked at him really surprised. He kept astonishing her today. "Y… yes! It's because Ibuki wanted to be unique! By doing what the girls wanted, we would have betrayed ourselves!" She looked sorrowful again. "But… the girls looked pretty mad at me when I've been chosen. They didn't seem to understand why I was chosen and not them. And… I think I believed them at first."
"You don't need to, Mioda-senpai. Because you're not alone."
This time, she didn't seem too surprised, but it was still present on her face. She looked at him, seeming to be interested in whatever sentence he was going to pronounce.
The words that would soon make her estimate her friend and bandmate… as more than that.
"I kind of suspected something like that when I saw you proposed to play with me more often than with your own classmates. The fact that you're not talking in the third person just proofed that further. But I didn't want to pry too much because it wasn't really my business to begin with." He then asked her, "Still, you consider them as your friends, right?"
"Of course Ibuki does!" Ibuki said with a quick smile. "They really are fun to hang out with! Especially Chiaki-chan, Mikan-chan, Hiyoko-chan and Mahiru-chan! I may forget some people, but they are the people Ibuki likes the most in her class!"
"And you do have a good time with them, right?"
"You've got that right! Playing with them is really good for Ibuki!"
"Then I believe it's the most important thing." Makoto said with confidence. "If you make memories with them, memories when you have good times with them, then I believe you won't feel as lonely anymore." Makoto then took her hands and smiled at her. "And besides, know this: as long as I'm around… I'll make sure that you won't feel lonely either."
That made the girl blush lightly. "M-Makoto-chan…"
And besides, this style is who you are." He continued. "That style you play, that personality of yours… even that outfit you made yourself…" The Luckster chuckled at the last part before continuing. "You are you, and that's what most important. Because if you manage to make memories with them while being true to yourself, then that means the friendship between you and them is real."
She thought she was going to melt at those words. Such warmth… such sweetness… if she was going to have diabetes from that, she would be the first to enter this kind category because of a boy. That she was sure.
But that was nothing compared to what he said next.
"And I don't know about you, but I'm loving every moment I have with you. I know this sounds a bit cliché, but… I wish I could feel like this all the time."
Those words… that was it.
The words that would soon make her estimate her friend and bandmate… as more than that.
The deepening blush appearing on her face was proof of this.
Thank God she was quick to react. "Theeeeen Ibuki shall start playing with Makoto-chan today!"
"I agree. Like this, I'm going to prove my point to you."
Ibuki stared at him oddly. "Uh? Prove… your point?"
"I wondered, do you wish to play with them again?" Makoto asked. "The band 'Black Cherry', I mean. I know you said you didn't regret leaving now, but I'm curious, to be honest."
Ibuki adopted a thinking pose at this. "Well… Ibuki thought about it. She knew she was stubborn, and she wouldn't mind, but it's not a necessity. Ibuki never wanted to be popular in the first place."
"I understand. You wanted to 'feel the love', as you told me, right?"
"Exactly! So like Ibuki said, she wouldn't mind, but it's not a necessity." She said. "Besides… she wonders if she made the right decision."
"And I think you did." The Luckster told her. "I mean, you've been scouted as the Ultimate Musician, not them. So by respecting your principles, you've been noticed."
Now that made the girl laugh. "Wow, now Ibuki stats to feel pity from the other girls. Careful, Makoto-chan, you started to hit below the belt and Ibuki will have to penalize you next time!"
"Right. Sorry about that." Makoto laughed at the joke, before looking at her with a smile. "But seriously though, I really want to play with you right now. To prove you that I mean every word that I say."
That touched Ibuki a lot. "You… want to go that far?"
"I did practice the drums when I had the chance, you know. And I wanted to see how much I've progressed thanks to you." He explained as he sat near the drums, taking the drumsticks in his hands, ready for some action. "So, do you want to play?"
Ibuki looked at him with glee as she took her guitar. "You've got this, Makoto-chan! Let's play something that Ibuki was thinking about right now!"
"'From Me to You Too'?"
"Exactly! How do you know it was Ibuki's favorite song?!"
"I like this one too. It's my favorite of the two songs I told you." The Luckster told him with a smile. "So, are you ready?"
"Hell to the yes!" She exclaimed. "1, 2, 3, here we go!"
And so, the music began to rise in the garage… and surprise, surprise, it was very good. From Ibuki's perspective, at least. He wasn't lying when he said he had been practicing. While he was no professional, he was doing pretty well.
In fact… when she compared it to her former band… she noticed something.
That the connection between the two… was way stronger and slicker.
She didn't feel any bad emotions when she played with him. No grimaces, no stares, no nothing.
Instead… she saw her having fun. Real fun.
And she didn't know why, but… it fueled her own happiness…
Alone with the feeling she had in her heart.
'What is it that you did to Ibuki, Makoto-chan?'
'Well, Ibuki has the answer to her question… and she loves every second of it.'
Those were the thoughts that were crossing Ibuki's mind as the play went on.
The way they played together… it was still as good as back then.
Heck, maybe even better, considering that he improved again. He was no expert, but he was good nonetheless, despite the fact that they didn't have more time for club activities this year.
That, and the fact that Sousuke also started to hang out with him.
Did she like to feel jealous? No, but it couldn't be helped.
That aside, Ibuki was glad to have met Makoto. He brought this new side of her that she didn't think existed. It was still random, but calmer.
She enjoyed their times together. It was probably the best moment in the day for her.
She simply wished that she could have more moments with him… without being interrupted by some extra party.
And let's not get started on Ibuki's many rivals…
Why did she had a feeling that the number was going to expand?!
{From Me to You Too ends}
As the song ended, Makoto lifted his drumsticks in victory. "Woo! We've still got it, Mioda-senpai! I was afraid that I'd lost the hand of this."
"Are you kidding? That was really great, Makoto-chan!" Ibuki praised him. "Ibuki would even say that you improved again!"
"Really? Thanks!" Makoto thanked her. "Looks like Ichino-kun was right. I was afraid for nothing."
"Of course you were! Besides, the most important thing is that we had fun! And Ibuki definitely did have fun with you, Makoto-chan! As always!"
"You're right. As I did, Mioda-senpai." The Luckster chuckled before turning to see her. "So… you're okay now? You don't think about what happened earlier?"
That made her stop laugh for a moment, before she smiled at him. "Of course not! Well, Ibuki is still a little sad, but what's more important is that, we had a great time together!"
"If you say so…" Makoto said, noticing that she was still a little saddened by what happened. "I'm asking because I wouldn't want you to blame yourself for something that wasn't your fault. So don't think about it anymore, alright?"
That made her chuckle… before she dropped her head slightly. Makoto quickly opted for a worried look. "What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"
"N-no, you didn't do anything, Makoto-chan!" Ibuki quickly looked at him with a nervous look. "I-Ibuki is just thinking about something!"
"What is it? You can tell me, you know that, right?"
His look told her that he was not going to let go until she gave him an answer. Apparently, he had the ability to sense when something was wrong…
She was going to believe Sonia when she was saying that his ahoge could sense danger.
So she looked down again. "…you don't think that Ibuki is using you or making pity of you, right?"
That shocked Makoto. "W-what? Of course not! Why would I-"
"Ibuki wouldn't forgive herself if she was to let you think that." Ibuki explained. "All she wanted was to make another friend, and you seemed very nice back then."
"And so do I, Mioda-san."
Ibuki was not used to this new habit he had. It made her blush slightly.
It was something he gained along with experience. When they were at school, he addressed her politely…
But when they were alone, and when she was not feeling well… he addressed her not as his senior, but as a close friend.
She was getting there. Slowly, and hopefully, she was getting there.
Too bad it was a habit he had with everyone else, too.
"If it's because of what those girls said, then don't worry about it. I told you, I really enjoy having fun with you. And I know you're not this kind of people, unlike them." He then gave her his trademark smile. "In fact, I'll even go as far as to say that you're one of the people I like hanging out the most. You're funny and full of energy. Really, I got accustomed to our little routines. So, it's like I told you. Don't beat yourself up for something like that, alright?"
The girl opened her mouth in research of something to say, but turned away instead. "A…alright. T-thank you, Makoto-chan." She then, playing with her fingers again. "So… you really enjoy passing time with Ibuki?"
"Of course! I wouldn't lie to you like that, would I now?"
That made Ibuki's heart melt. He really was a ray of sunshine, was he not? "M… Makoto-chan…"
DRRRR!
The sound of a phone ringing made the Luckster pick up his to look at the screen. "Oh! I see… guess I've got to go."
"W-what?" Ibuki said a little startled. "B-but why? Did something happen?"
"Apparently, there's a little problem at home, and they need my help." Makoto answered before looking at her a little sad. "That's too bad. I had some fun with you, Mioda-senpai."
"I-Ibuki did, too…" The Musician said a little disappointed. "B-but she understands. It's going to be night time soon, so…"
"Yeah… gotta say, when you have fun, time flies so fast." The Luckster chuckled, before going to the main hall, in direction of the exit. "Well… today was fun, Mioda-senpai."
"Y-yes…" Ibuki joined him quickly, a little frown on her face as she anticipated her friend to leave. She wished he could have stayed longer… but alas, she knew he had to go eventually.
Though she wouldn't have minded him staying here for the night. Considering she was by herself…
Aaaand that came out wrong.
Thankfully, considering the fact that he wasn't facing her yet, he didn't see her blush at the thought.
She just had enough time to dismiss it as he looked at her with a smile on his face the moment he opened the door. "I hope we see each other again tomorrow, Mioda-senpai."
"I-Ibuki too…" She said almost quietly, but loud enough so he could hear.
"…?" Makoto stared at her for a few seconds, wondering why she was acting so… reserved out of sudden. That didn't happen too much often, so it still surprised him when it did.
But he decided to dismiss it. Perhaps he was just imagining things? They were having fun some time ago… perhaps she didn't want him to leave, nothing more?
Alas, he had to go. His family needed him now, and they couldn't wait.
Perhaps he could comfort her tomorrow to see what was bothering her?
"M-Makoto-chan?"
Just when he took his first steps outside, he heard his friend's voice which sounded… shy. So he turned towards her. "Yes?"
CHU!
Clearly, the girl was full of surprise.
Because even though Makoto knew that Ibuki was random, there was still some things that he didn't expect her to do.
Kissing him on the cheek, for instance. If he recorded what happened right.
"I had a ton of fun with you, today. I hope we can have this again soon."
And the poor Luckster didn't have enough time to react, for the girl spoke and then closed the door on him.
Makoto only stared at the door with disbelief in his eyes. That was… clearly unexpected.
Where was that coming from?
It was the only thing he could think of as he began to fondle the kissed cheek.
It was a very nice feeling, but… he couldn't understand why his friend did it.
Did he do something to deserve this?
DRRRR!
And then, his thoughts went interrupted by his phone. Another message, it seemed.
But he didn't recognize the owner. Perhaps someone who's lost his number, who knows?
"Well, only one way to figure this out." He said before opening the message.
Only for him to widen his eyes in shock… and to smile.
"Well… I guess he had spread the word to everyone… and that's a good thing too. I really look forward to seeing them again."
Here we go. Another interlude chapter, done. This is where the chapter officially ends.
So, in this chapter, I decided to go for two of Ibuki's free-time events. The first one and the fourth one. Oh, and some parts of her introduction. And I don't think I need to explain the title of this chapter now, do I?
And before anyone comments, YES. I KNOW. This is greatly inspired by wesst1's story with Ibuki! There are even his characters in the chapter. But I thought it was so good that I needed to put it in it. It is an homage of some sort.
Also… yeah, the band 'Black Cherry' are a bunch of jerks in this fic. Opportunists at bests. But that was how wesst1 wanted them to be when he first wrote them, so… I think I nailed them.
Now then, I shall give you my thoughts about the character. But as I've said before… things are going to be a bit different for Ibuki.
For because she has a crush on our dear Luckster, I think I should explain to people the reason, if it wasn't obvious enough already. Every character (or at least the two first's gamecharacters) will have at least one flashback to them.
I repeat myself, I don't own the whole truth. I don't have any analysis diploma, or anything of the sort. This is my opinion, and mine alone. If you don't agree, that's fine. I respect that. If you agree, that's cool. I also respect that.
Oh, and spoilers alert from the franchise… again.
So, without any further wait, here it goes.
IBUKI MIODA
Super Danganronpa 2 Goodbye Despair had a good staff of characters overall. In fact, it has a better than in the first game. Then again, I consider that when it comes to game cast, the original one is the less strong, even if it is good. And back into SDR2, Ibuki easily stands out as well, even if her role is restricted.
DESIGN:
Right of the bat, you can tell what kind of girl she is, or rather, what kind of talent she has. Just with her hairstyle and different schemes of color, you can tell that this girl is colorful, in a good way. That, and the rest of her clothes (the scar on her legs her leggings, ect.) can tell you immediately that she seems hyperactive and wild, so it's a big plus.
And God, her Despair outfit is so freaking cool! Just look at the scars on her arms! The kimono (or whatever she wears, I suck at clothing), the look on her face! But then again, the majority manages to have a freaking scary but badass look as Ultimate Despair… the majority. But that's a story for another time.
Even among her group of character, she is easily recognizable to me. Even from the former game, she still manages to be… well, herself. But I'll talk about that later.
Honestly, I'm quite glad they took this design. Because the others have… mixed results. The first one has some similarities, but has this tired face'. The second has a funny face that may have inspired the killer from SDR2… Sparkling Justice, Esper Ito, I think? It was a little too much to me. The third one is actually what I think is the closest of what Ibuki became, but with a different haircut (which is a little bizarre to me), the fourth one is a bimbo with a freaking gas mask (not that I dislike it, but the makeup is a little too much to me), and the latter two look like Hiroko and Touko but as the Ultimate Musician instead… so yeah.
PERSONALITY:
Does it match up with who she is? You bet it does! Someone as hyperactive as her manages to be very likable! Seriously, if you were to spend a day with her, chances are you would feel every muscle of your body give up. And does she likes to talk! About everything and nothing at the same time… how does she do that?!
That being said, she is… bizarre. Not that it is a problem, but sometimes she could break the limits. Seriously, who break doors just to get into someone? You're lucky you're not in a normal city, otherwise you would have some problems!
And man, those expressions… long nose like Pinocchio, and an endless supply of saliva and foam. I don't know about you, but it makes me smile when I see this. Even though I shouldn't when the time isn't appropriate.
Also, some of her past events are quite… shocking. Almost dying from coconuts on the head and ending up on an illegal fish boat which made her end up in another country? …wow. Talk about crazy shit. Poor girl…
That doesn't stop her from being really nice. She seems to be really concerned about the people around her. The proof is when she wanted to hold a concert when Fuyuhiko managed to get back on his feet after what happened in Chapter 2.
…though I think her talent is a little odd. Not because it doesn't fit her, it does, but… why the Ultimate Musician? I thought the Ultimate Guitarist or Ultimate Metal Player would have been better… oh well.
When I've heard her song the first time, I was shocked, because I expected something loud, but that… that took me to surprise! And I don't think I'm the only one who felt on his butt at this moment.
And her free-time event made her someone who wants to stay true to herself. Which is quite admirable when you know about how she struggled with her past bandmates. And the seriousness she had when she spoke… well, it was also surprising to see her like that, to be honest.
Her Gullible Disease got rid of that, which still made her funny, but not the same way. It was funny, but not in the same way…
DEVELOPMENT:
Well, her development… stay still most of the time. You see, she keeps being the same, which isn't as problematic as Hiro because… well, it's done the right way. She isn't cowardly, she cares about others (like Mahiru in Chapter 2), and as established earlier, she is ready to cheer them up when it is necessary. Heck, in the game, she looked pretty fine. She was simply a comical character (a better one than Hiro), who fulfilled her role until the end.
Even in DR3, which I consider to be bad, they managed to make her the same, but with a few tricks. Using her guitar to cook skewers? Coming from her, works for me! Also, her few interactions with Fuyuhiko and Peko were really funny. Especially when she notices what's going on between the two… dat face. XD
…and I who wanted to speak dirt about DR3, I had to fall on one of the few things it did right. Oh welp. Guess I'll wait for another occasion. But I have my reasons to dislike (or even hate) that anime, trust me.
…a shame that she ended up being 'murdered'. Granted, her role was maybe minimal at best (even though she had some importance in Chapter 2, again, the chapter before she 'died'), but she was someone who you could totally see as a survivor… unlike a certain Clairvoyant.
OVERALL:
Well, this girl sure knows to show her love and friendship. Too bad she ended up with the end of the stick. Oh well. At least I had a blast with her.
…even if I think I wouldn't be able to keep her with her. That, and I'm more of a silent type, if you know what I mean.
Another comic relief girl, yes. Except that this time, she, you know, DO SOMETHING? She may not be adapted to the situation or to everyone, but she still does her best to reach out to people. Her free-time events with Hajime proofed that despite the odd-looking of her 'training'. Training which didn't involve any music, by the way… just saying.
…though I found something odd. Remember when I said that she wanted Hajime to learn to accept who you were. Which is a little contradictory when you think of it. I mean, I could be wrong of course, but to me, changing is the exact opposing of staying true to yourself. Well, I think that she wants to say that, while you change, that doesn't affect who you are, and I respect that. But unfortunately, I do not agree with all of this. Changes can be beneficial sometimes. It can help you be a better person. So I think she wanted to say that, if you were to change, it would be for the better, to become the person you want to be, and all the while not losing from sight what is really important. Perhaps she said something similar, but I can't remember, so… here.
Overall, I think Ibuki Mioda is a good funny character, one of the best in the franchise, but who ended up being just that. And it would have been fine if she survived, but… we can't always have what we want.
So, what is there left… oh yeah. I did say that.
THE REASON OF HER CRUSH:
Life is full of tough choices, and some of those choices can lead you to doubt. We saw how Ibuki suffered from the loneliness of parting ways with her former band, and I could easily see her doubt her choices because of this loneliness, even if she wanted to stay true to herself. And from what we've seen in DR3 (again, something that they did right… I think), Class 77-B was a class who would rather do their own thing in solo. That's why Ibuki must have felt lonely, because nobody would have played with her… at least, until Chiaki became their class representative. But I think it would still be here somehow. You know, with no one being interested into music and all…
And that's where Makoto kicks in. Being a normal student, he can take interest in everything, and so when he hears he can make some music, I thought 'why not?' Yes, it is once again greatly inspired by wesst1's chapter, but where he decided to make him comfort Ibuki after being manipulated, I decided to make him avoid her end up like this… even though the revelation of her now former friends' true color did shake her up good.
But the real reason, I think, would be the fact that HE accepts her when she doubts herself. HE accepts who she is, and HE accepts the fact that she wants to be like this. And when she doubts herself, he would be here. Something that a bandmate would and should definitely do in my opinion… and yes, managing to keep with her also helps a lot.
Yes, it's quite simple. But not all crushes have to be complex. There are also simple crushes in real life… even in Danganronpa! I think you all know who I am talking about.
So yeah, if Ibuki were to have a crush on Makoto (or Hajime, or even anyone that crosses your mind, you decide because it's out of my fic), it would be because of those reasons.
Alright, so, what do you guys think? Please tell me in the reviews.
Next chapter will be, as many of you guessed, the third day of the Week of Adaptation. Which means a new set of characters, a new set of events… and new characters that will appear for the first time. I don't need to explain myself, I think you all understood who I was talking about.
It may take time for me to write this, though. I think you won't hear anything from me until December. Cool! I'll make sure to give you guys your present!
And hey, at least I respected my delays! Barely, but I did. Sweet, is it not?
Also, you noticed two things, I'm sure. The title of the chapters when you select which chapter you want to read. I thought it would be better to present you the title of the chapter instead of the number.
Secondly, I erased my French version. Yeah… I thought about it for a while, and I saw that, not a lot of people wanted to share their opinions, despite the fact that I tried to talk about it. So… yeah. It's gone now.
Hey, don't be sad. It kind of save me some trouble. Like this, I can focus on the story more. And to be completely frank… I'm more into writing than translating. So… yeah. I don't think I'll regret my decision.
…also, I like to write better in English, despite the fact that I'm French. Wtf, right? XD
So, who will be chosen next chapter? Who will I forget before trying to correct my errors again? Well… you'll find out next time.
Alright, so I think I shall leave there. See ya later!
Oh, and before I forget… HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Pupla out!
