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A girl running in the hallway with a guitar case on her back was not a frequent sight at the campus. Lisa was very close to being late for the home economics class in the morning. She wasn't sure if she could make it. Nonetheless, she continued to dash, having the classroom door in sight.
When she barged in, still gasping after a tiring run, she saw everyone was already there, but thankfully the teacher was fine with her being just a few seconds off the mark. Girls from her group chuckled, seeing her panting, and then putting her instrument case and a bag in the corner, for any of those not to be in the way.
Lisa was on good terms with the subject's teacher, which was very helpful in that case.
"Hey, Lisa, were you running all the way here? You look pretty worn out," Naru was quick to point out.
"Do you have your apron and a hat?" Mikuni asked with concern.
"Oh yeah, I have them in the bag. I'll put them on quickly, sorry." She began preparing herself, slightly embarrassed and still a bit fatigued.
"You brought a guitar again, are you practicing these new songs in the morning too?" Naru inquired.
"Well, I didn't really need to try so hard during the break," bassist paused for a moment, "but I figured it'd be nice to go over the second song now, that we're two weeks into the semester."
"I kinda lost track of time, though." Lisa giggled, as to brush it off.
"I get you, but the teacher won't be turning a blind eye all the time. Just saying." Naru warned her. Her expression wasn't scornful.
"I know, I know, I took too long today, but I'll be sure to be on time now. Thanks for worrying, Naru." Lisa was almost ready for the class as she said it.
"Well, Mikuni, looks like I'll be relying on your skills from now." Naru turned to the shortest of the three, teasing Lisa.
"I think my cooking ability is just normal," she responded bashfully.
"Hey, don't count me out. I can surely get some dishes right!" Lisa smiled to both of them.
They stopped talking at the last moment before the teacher would get angry with them. The Friday class started with explanations about safety precautions and then outlining the courses they will be preparing. After confirming the groups, the teacher went to see if each of them was ready to start and confirmed the stations.
Lisa felt confident as even though they were a member short this time, both she and Naru were working part-time at a restaurant before taking up the job in a café. Adding to this, Mikuni proved to be an experienced and careful cook, contributing to the atmosphere of trust among them.
Lisa's trio was preparing a lasagna and a simple salad as a side dish. They quickly coordinated the roles, and the bassist started with the tomato sauce and beef, while Naru was browning onions and garlic, also getting ready to cook the pasta. At the same time, Mikuni was busy with the salad, cutting the remaining tomatoes, then combining them with cucumbers and onions.
Their meal needed some work, but they had a nice start. Lisa hoped to create something delicious and pondered on whether Yukina would like to taste a serving like this. She hasn't been eating meals like that often herself, but others could easily turn out to like it.
The class was proceeding smoothly and unfortunate events, like a girl from a different group dropping a plate, only to see it shatter into a thousand pieces, were not frequent. Lisa finished the aromatic sauce soon enough, and was experimenting with spiciness, although she was careful not to go overboard.
Naru moved over to simmering the pasta and was simultaneously pre-heating the oven. Over at the salad station, Mikuni added a bit of tofu and vinegar, with seasoning to further intensify the taste. They were moving swiftly, and the other groups started traditionally mocking their progress, commenting on how unfair it is for them to have so much confidence at cooking.
It might've looked effortless, but Lisa was concentrated on the task at hand, which was a trait strengthened thanks to her instrument practice. Even though normally throughout the duration of the class both Naru and she would have the time to help another group, this time they wanted to ace the dish.
One troublesome moment came when it was time to take the beef with onions and garlic out of the oven. Lisa was the one to do that, and a delicate wobble had the other two gasping with anxiety. Nothing was dropped on the floor, however, and their success was almost certain.
While the class was shifting more towards finishing the meals, last touches with seasoning, and some cleaning, Lisa started thinking about her shift at the café. It was a busy day for her, as she had to go directly to "Harada's coffee" from her university after the classes.
She was positive about it, though, and began to hurry with cleanup and dish presentation, up to the point when Naru had to slow her down.
"Lisa, calm it a tad, we still have lots of time to do this. Better help me with the sauce pouring out of here." Naru, tallest of the three, pointed to a place where some excessive sauce was making their lasagna look not-so-ideal.
"She is so overjoyed that she probably can't help it." Mikuni turned towards Lisa with a smile on her face.
"You really have a good sense of what people are thinking, huh?" Having the smile returned to her with a compliment caused Mikuni to shake her head lightly.
"Well, I can't argue with that." Naru also joined in.
All three chuckled, making the mood more relaxed, although there was still some work to do. After getting the excessive sauce off the crust, Lisa tasted it again and she was pleased with the result. It turned out a bit on the spicy side, but it shouldn't be too much for an average person.
She stopped for a second and looked around the class to see how others were doing near the finish line. It looked like there was no major disaster, which wasn't so obvious. Girls with very differing skill sets were applying to the women's university that Lisa attended, but the year when she was admitted seemed particularly strong.
When Mikuni took off her hat and was able to untie her hair, bassist knew that practically only cleaning remained. Lisa appreciated the cooking classes as a change of pace from her part-time job and band practice. She could also meet with her friends who weren't musicians, like the timid Mikuni and more straightforward Naru.
The time for presentation then came, and after slightly rearranging the tables, they could at last taste the fruit of their labor. Unsurprisingly, lots of girls gathered around lasagna and salad by the skilled trio, owing both to their reputation, and the recipe they pulled off.
First reactions were very positive, so Lisa, Naru and Mikuni were smiling to each other and thanking for praise. The teacher did point out the perceptible spiciness of the sauce, but that was the risk guitarist has taken. All in all, most of the people tasting the dish liked it.
Lisa felt relieved and went to try some bits of what the other groups prepared. She was glad to see chikuzenni made by one of them, and a blissful expression she made was a sign of approval. After a photo in front of most of the meals, proposed by one the girls, it was mostly time to pack in the leftovers and get going.
Lisa took off her hat and the apron, then went to help with arranging the dishes after the class. Initially giddy, her expression gradually faded just then.
"Lisa, do you have something on your mind?" Mikuni asked, with her large brown eyes showing concern.
"Ah, you could tell? I got lost in thought, about nothing in particular, to be honest." She tried to laugh it off, but her friend's expression turned into a pouting one.
"Ok, alright, it's about Yukina. It's normally hard to guess what she's thinking about and recently I get the feeling she's angry with me about something." Bassist was quick to admit it, but she respected Mikuni's perceptiveness.
"The problem is, I don't quite know what happened!" Lisa's heated tone indicated the fact she definitely struggled with reading emotions hidden behind her childhood friend's face.
"I might not be the right person to give advice when it comes to such situations," brown-eyed girl started slightly timidly.
"You probably will be better off with asking someone like Naru, although… I think you should just talk to her." It looked like Mikuni tried her best to help.
"The thing is, it's hard to bring it up in a normal conversation. Ah, I guess I should try not to beat around the bush, and simply say it." Lisa let out a sigh.
"Easier said than done, isn't it?" Naru seemed to have heard at least the last part.
She nailed it. It was the exact sentence Lisa wanted to say. However, her expression reflected the change in attitude towards the coming shift at the café. As for the dishes, because of the popularity of their lasagna, there was nothing left to take home, but they happily grabbed some of the others' meals.
Lisa went for the chikuzenni, not paying much attention to Naru smirking. She made arrangements to at least be able to finish a little early on days she also had to attend to her work, and it has proven useful on that Friday, too. A couple minutes later she thanked Mikuni and Naru and was off.
Lisa chose to go to her apartment first, to leave her favorite meal in the fridge. It was convenient in a way that she wouldn't have to keep her clothes like an apron in a locker at the café.
When she was making her way back from the university, she realized how even the person normally helping others sometimes needs some advice themselves. Since it was about Yukina, she couldn't ask her.
Yukina might be mad about teasing at work, but then again, she wouldn't act cold towards me because of that, I think. She wanted to join me there herself, so is that the reason? Or maybe it's about getting late to the practice? But I did scrap most of my planned streams on my channel. There's no point, I have to ask her what's up!
Lisa steeled her resolve and was ready to clarify matters. She got to her apartment, left belongings she didn't need to take to the café, and refreshed herself. Bassist tied her hair in a ponytail, as the manager insisted she had to do that. It was, at least, one of the reasons.
Naru messaged her, wishing best of luck, and complaining she has the morning shifts in the middle of the week. She had to make arrangements similar to Lisa's, and only work on certain days, but it was still tough to attend the proper classes and get enough hours at Harada's. The two understood each other's time issues and Lisa appreciated the support.
She locked the door and headed for the station, knowing which route to pick. The pressure was not only on her, though. Other members of Roselia also struggled. Rinko had to cut her time for piano practice, which she did mention during their chats.
Yukina had a hard time fitting her work at a music shop into the schedule. In spite of this, all of them made their choices to keep at it. What stuck with Lisa was what Ako had recently said during a session. She believed that nothing seems to fall apart yet, even when all five of them had such a hard time managing all the responsibilities.
Ironically, the drummer had laughed right after, acknowledging she has it the easiest. Lisa's mood changed from pensive to more cheery and energetic when she spotted the entrance to "Harada's coffee".
Sayo was recently half-joking about the rivalry with Hazawa's place she oftentimes visited, nonetheless, both cafes were far enough from each other for it to have little relevance, Lisa's thought. She got in, but was baffled right from the get go.
"Satou, hi there. Are you serving now? Where's Yukina?" She saw the boy normally working as a barista, actually serving orders.
"Lisa, good that you're here," he responded while walking towards one of the tables.
"She came around the same time I did, went to change, but hasn't come out, so I kinda ended up here," Satou explained as he gently put a flavored latte on one of the tables.
"She wouldn't leave you like that without a reason. Did she say anything?" Lisa was afraid that something must've happened.
"Nope, nothing. Just went in there and I haven't seen her since. I ended up taking care of both the register and serving, or should I say… I'm trying to hang on." He smiled at the end, poking fun at his efforts.
"I think you're doing great. I'm going in there and see what's happened. Um, the girl from the morning already left?" She reassured Satou and regretted it wasn't Naru working that day.
"Ah, yeah. She saw Yukina come in, then basically changed back and left. We were sure she's just taking her time, but it's getting a bit strange now," the boy admitted.
Lisa was behind her typical time, but whenever anything like this happened, the one from the morning would stay a bit late, or the other girl from second shift, if there was one, would be serving. That Friday things seemed to have gotten awry.
She didn't know what to expect at all, but went in the changing room anyway.
"Yukina, you still there? I'm coming in, okay?" She called out to her, knocking on the door, and then calmly opening them.
"Lisa… I have to hurry, Satou is probably already serving, and that's my job." She was leaving the room at the exact same time the door opened and seemed totally unfazed.
"Wa-Wait a moment, Yukina! Something's happened, right? You wouldn't take so long normally." Lisa wanted to talk to her and understand the situation.
"It's nothing. I just spent way too much time changing and like I said…" Lisa caught her arm, stopping her from going to Satou, but released it, seeing Yukina's eyes.
"Hey, maybe it's nothing, but surely you can manage a minute or two." Gyaru recalled Mikuni's advice.
"Now, I guess, is not the best time, but would you unveil the mystery during the break? C'mon, I'm not asking much." Lisa used the approach of being pushy, without being pushy.
"Alright, I don't want for it to seem like I'm avoiding you, so during the break is fine." Yukina's expression softened up.
When Lisa changed into waitress' clothes and went to check the situation, Satou looked a tad relieved, and Yukina did acknowledge that it could've been tough for him. Singer, however, gradually regained composure and shown confidence, at least compared to when she was working with Lisa in the morning weeks ago.
All three relatively smoothly progressed into the usual shift at Harada's. It was the afternoon Lisa wouldn't have thought was possible some time ago. Naturally, instead of working together, simply enjoying their time talking would've been even better, but she didn't want to get too greedy for now.
Somehow, Lisa didn't await the break time so eagerly, enjoying the serene mood. One tricky moment came, however, when four men she hasn't seen before turned up, and one of them was seemingly hitting on her. Judging by their clothes, they were probably university students.
Yukina noticed the scene and despite the fact it wasn't an overly crude attempt, her reaction was rather harsh with Lisa having to mediate, before it would get to the vocalist insulting the man. It was unfortunately a situation that would, even if not very often, repeat and a polite request, while typically enough, was not always solving it.
Satou would intervene in worst cases, but that day there was somebody else to take action. Lisa, smiling to herself, felt like singer was shooting a mosquito with a gun. Nonetheless, she was glad that Yukina reacted and came to her side.
As the normal time for the break approached, they couldn't simply leave the tables unattended, so they waited a couple minutes for it to get calmer at the café and then Satou took over serving the few orders in the meantime. Lisa thanked him for the day and went outside with Yukina.
"I'm quitting the work here. The next week is going to be the last one. I'm sorry I haven't told you before." She faced Lisa and stroke with the frank line immediately.
"What? Why are you quitting? I think you were doing just fine. The manager even let you work in the afternoons, plus it's only been about a month." Lisa was surprised with the attitude change, and the decision itself.
"I know it's on a short notice. That's why I have been wondering if it's the right choice to make after I came here and caused trouble for Satou," vocalist replied, looking at Lisa.
"In the end, however, I still think I have to do it, to focus on Roselia and the other job I have." Yukina had a stern look on her face, but wasn't speaking in an intimidating way.
"I can't blame you, honestly. Working on new songs, coming to the music shop and here when you have time, you're surely the busiest of us." Lisa thought it was impressive for her to have kept up with so many responsibilities.
"It started to overwhelm me, I have to admit. It was supposed to be a simple decision, but then I realized why I'd wanted to work here in the first place." Yukina's tone was calm, almost relaxed.
"The place has nothing to do with music, but I wanted to work with you for a while, Lisa." Sudden acknowledgment surprised the bassist.
"It probably was not about help either, since you're doing so well here. Rather, I guess, I wanted to somehow… repay you." Yukina's voice seemed serious and a bit downhearted. Lisa almost interrupted her, but waited to hear it in full.
"For all the moments when I would go astray without you." Emotions crept up into her voice.
"I know I need to find a better way to thank you, but for now this, and the past month, should bring it closer to balance." Lisa, hearing this, felt like pinching herself to confirm she's not dreaming.
"Yukina, I… of course you were a great help!" This was something she felt the urge to say earlier.
"More importantly, you knew how badly I wanted to spent some time with you outside of the band, and it's been great."
"You don't have to worry about owing me something." Bassist remained calm, but not without struggling.
"It's nice enough I'll get to see you fired up on the stage soon with this new project!" Lisa had to stress this out.
"Of course you would say that. I only wonder about whether it, in fact, is enough. Now, why don't we get over the…?" Yukina was probably pointing at the bench on the other side of the street, but she got interrupted by someone giving her a hug.
"It is, at least for now." Lisa let her go nearly as quickly as she wrapped her arms around her, seeing as they were practically on the walkway.
Yukina looked puzzled and didn't say a word for a moment. She then suggested they went inside, after all. Lisa undoubtedly got emotional in the end, and suspected that the vocalist noticed it, giving her a chance to cool off in the café.
Still, there was something about the situation that bugged Lisa. Yukina made the decision to leave this part-time job, because she had no other possibility time-wise. This should've been easy, as she said herself.
Instead, she arrived on time, but then scratched her head over the problem in the staff room. Lisa, on the other hand, almost got teary, hearing how Yukina felt about working together. Was it just the result of them not having a proper talk about this for some time? She couldn't tell.
Lisa was, however, convinced that her admiration and will to stay close to Yukina played a role. Those feelings had been there for a very long time, back when they had started Roselia and now, as they wanted to cement their position on the scene.
The question remained, were those thoughts also shared by her childhood friend? She heard Yukina compliment her play on the bass and, more recently, on the acoustic guitar, but it was hard for Lisa to believe it was admiration. It rather felt like stating she simply coped with the pace.
Putting the answer to that question aside, it was unthinkable for her to stop following Yukina's track by that point, especially after seeing the singer change over the years. Recalling what she once read, Lisa thought of it as of an expression of trust, that the person closest to her, even if they continue to change, remains faithful to their core principles.
A few minutes have passed, and Yukina was closely observing something through the window in the staff room, which wasn't the usual thing she would do. Trying to get the ideas flowing through her mind, she would oftentimes indulge herself in the music, both her own and from different artists.
Intrigued by what piqued her interest, Lisa slowly walked towards the window, but Yukina turned around and walked up to her locker, taking a small notebook out. There was nothing out of the ordinary outside, at least nothing that Lisa could see, so she was left guessing. Then, Yukina unexpectedly approached her.
"The lyrics for the second song, Lazuli Rose". Bassist thought the text was still a work in progress.
"I wrote these last sentences just now, and since we still have a few minutes, I… want you to let me know what you think." Most of the page was full of corrections of the draft, save for the last part. Lisa, taken aback, started reading.
"It feels as if… they are yours". Yukina raised her eyebrows just enough for Lisa to notice.
"Ah, what I mean is they feel, they flow like truly yours. I'm not sure how to better put this." She recognized the style, but couldn't pinpoint why.
"You came up with the finish now? I've said it countless times before, but it's pretty impressive." Lisa felt that she could soon get emotional again, being the first one to look at the completed text.
"Thank you. Hopefully, a song so closely related to our band and all of us will be able to move our fans, and leave a strong impression." Yukina looked determined and also still somewhat pensive.
"I think it will. Especially if we ramp up the guitars!" Lisa tried to loosen the mood and apparently succeeded, seeing the vocalist brighten up a tad.
Yukina reminded her about the recent rehearsal and a stronger role of the bass in their first metal track. Lisa had found herself struggling, but eventually got used to quicker pace and more prominent role in the rhythm section. Her responsibilities were on par with Sayo's, at least when it came to setting the tempo and foundation of the sound.
The technical ability of older Hikawa sister was still unquestionable for Lisa, and seemed like a faraway mirage, although she's gained more confidence now and was ready for Lazuli Rose. Yukina, hinting to Satou they were coming back from break, also brought up one vital detail.
She wished to try a more powerful sound, to see if it gets the passion of Roselia members through better, but the singer didn't want to lose musical integrity along the way. That meant simply going for the wall of sound was not cutting it for her. At that point, Lisa started to understand why Yukina chose to first work on the songs in their unplugged state.
The two continued to attend to customers together for the rest of the shift, with Lisa's thoughts slipping towards the lyrics she just read. After completing the last order without a hitch and getting changed, this time without sneaking a peek, Lisa left with Yukina following her a step or two behind.
The latter had to suddenly answer a call from the studio, so she waved her hand for Lisa to wait. The talk apparently dragged on a bit, so they started walking back to station anyhow. She recalled Yukina telling her how grateful she was for Lisa's help during crucial moments, and how she responded herself.
Was that what it means to be by someone's side? As they strolled through the street getting calmer, with the evening soon to turn into nightfall, Roselia's bassist started to realize that, despite her desire to stay close to Yukina, she might one day have to concede that unique place.