XII
It was already time to leave, but she could not find the ID she went to get in advance two days ago. She had the costume ready, her bag with water, snacks, tissues and other necessities, but the one item that was missing was, arguably, the most important one.
Yukina would, in all likelihood, not be allowed to enter the stage, had she forgotten the ID proving she is a performer. She took a deep breath in an effort to calm down. She first realized it was almost impossible that she left the card somewhere on her way to the apartment, or in some other place.
She had a rather clear memory of arriving with it on Thursday evening, so the next step was to try to recall what happened with it later. She already searched obvious places like the desk, the drawers, her bed and some not so obvious ones, like the bathroom. Stage pass was nowhere to be found.
It was no use to panic, so the vocalist sat at the desk and tried to concentrate. She checked if it hasn't fallen and is not laying under the desk, but it proved fruitless. Then, she stopped ignoring the missing bottommost drawer.
It wasn't there simply because it broke off yesterday, and Yukina, mildly irritated, put the CDs and magazines stashed there elsewhere for the time being, then went to put the drawer near the trash can. Unsure if it can be fixed, since whole back side came off, she just left it there.
She took a few steps and looked. There was an old notebook of hers lying on the side of the damaged drawer, nothing else. Yukina grabbed it and quickly skimmed through the pages, then put it together with discs on the floor, making a disappointed face.
A glance at the watch revealed she had to leave in the next ten minutes, otherwise she risked being late to the whole show. Yukina sat at the bed and stared at the wardrobe. Sliding door was not completely closed, and she could see a blazer jacket she wore on Thursday.
It was the same white jacket she wore to work. She searched the pockets and found the stage pass. Yukina was angry at herself, but there was no time to dwell over it, so she put the ID in her bag, and left at once. Thanks to leaving a margin for unexpected situations, the time she lost was still acceptable. There was someone with a differing opinion, however.
"Hey, Yukina. You weren't at the platform, and the train we were supposed to take already left. I tried calling you a few times, but you only picked up now. Where are you?" Singer answered the call and heard Lisa getting nervous.
"I'm already on my way to you." Yukina spoke loudly while rushing through the crowd.
"I'm sorry, I had to… make sure I have all I need with me, before going to the venue. I would not want to worry about going back, and whether I will make it in time." Vocalist chose not to get into details.
"You got that right. You could text me though, I was already getting worried here." Lisa let out a sigh.
"I think I got too absorbed in searching. On the other hand, you're getting stressed out even before the actual performance. It will be fine, you can relax." Yukina tried to calm her down.
"I guess I got a bit panicky, but you still have to hurry." Lisa remained unsettled.
"I will get there in about ten minutes and we will board the next train. I should probably also call Sayo, to let others know that there is nothing to worry about." Yukina was wondering if the other three are already at the venue.
"Ok. I'm waiting, then. Bye-bye!" Finally there was some relief in her tone.
Right after hanging up, she did just that and called the guitarist. Sayo was, in fact, already at the hall, as she took an even earlier train than Lisa had planned to, and waited together with Ako and Rinko, who also had arrived with almost an hour to spare.
Yukina told them about the delay, and said they could already go about the gear checks if they wanted to, and not wait for her and Lisa to get there. The event was scheduled to start at about 16, but it was likely that it will lag, because the first band had some problems with setting up the equipment on the stage.
Roselia was slated to be the penultimate performers, owing to the fact they sent their application shortly before the deadline. All the bands were, however, required to arrive before the start to avoid any confusion, and they were no exception. Yukina soon saw Lisa waiting for her at the platform and hastened up her pace.
"Yukina, there you are." Lisa's eyes lit up.
"Hi, Lisa. I know you were concerned, sorry for the wait." Yukina felt slightly embarrassed, but it most likely didn't show through.
"Don't worry. What's nice is that we still have time, Rinko texted me they will be kicking off like fifteen minutes late," bassist explained.
"Apparently there are some technical difficulties that the first guys ran into." Lisa looked like she is now perfectly calm.
"I see. Nonetheless, I certainly am not used to being the person everyone is waiting for. The train is coming, though, seems we are safe." Yukina did feel some relief, seeing it.
"Yup. Let's go." Her excited expression also soothed any nervousness vocalist was experiencing.
While the two were taking a short trip by train, Lisa started to openly wonder about opportunities that may arise after that day. It was crucial for their performance not to go unnoticed, and to prevent that, Yukina and Sayo talked to people at the live houses they knew.
Lisa used her streaming channel and online accounts to reach her subscribers. Rinko was mostly acquainted with classical music aficionados at her university, although one or two of them, with valuable connections, were interested in attending.
Both agreed it seemed plausible to get at least some attention. They left the train and arrived at Lisa's university after a short walk. She was glad to guide Yukina to their destination from there, and had a stream of little details and stories to tell as they walked.
Slowly, but surely, groups of people attending the show were becoming larger and more visible. Finally, they went in the actual concert hall and saw people fervently claiming their seats, the stage mildly lit up, and technicians squirming to fix the problems with the equipment.
Lisa directed them backstage, so they can show their passes and start getting ready. The other three members of Roselia were waiting for them.
"Minato-san, did you somehow predict they will be starting late?" Sayo welcomed her with a tease.
"You undoubtedly didn't, aren't you here since yesterday?" Yukina was now relaxed as well.
"Lisa-nee, Yukina-san, hi there! I almost thought you had some trouble getting here, but it's the hall next to Lisa-nee's school, so there was no way!" Ako was enthusiastic, and she quickly jumped towards the bassist.
"Well, I was sorta worried about Yukina before, but we've gotten here comfortably… so yup, we're good now." Lisa said flippantly.
"Rinko, were you able to comfortably pack the stage piano? You rarely use it outside of lives, right?" Yukina was curious if everything went okay on that end.
"Ah, yes. Ako-chan was helping me to fit it into the case today and, after some struggling, we were able to do it." As Rinko spoke, the vocalist noticed the instrument leaning against the wall nearby, in a large black case, with straps for holding.
"I'm used to taking the guitar with me, and so is Imai-san, but that case is rather sizeable, I have to admit," Sayo pointed out.
"It-It would've been difficult if I was on my own, so Ako-chan carried it with me. Thanks to her help, the trip from Taito didn't wear us out." Rinko looked really grateful.
"Oh, Rin-rin, I owe you at least that!" Drummer reacted energetically.
"Shouldn't we get changed now? I think they will be starting soon, so it's probably better to do it already." Yukina wanted to minimize the number of surprises.
"We will have some time before our entry, if anyone needs any adjustments to their outfit." Yukina heard the riff, then noticed the bassist and guitarist from the first band giving an OK sign to the technician.
"I second that, despite the fact there is still an hour and a half up until we get on the stage, we should take care not to slip even before it's our turn." Sayo matched vocalist's remark.
Yukina had a perfectly emotionless face when showing the ID to be able to enter backstage and the area for performers. Right now minor inconvenience of almost losing the pass was not important. She was at the venue of another concert, with the band she formed over four years ago.
Even though Roselia stood before a larger audience in the past, it was a brilliant opportunity. If it wasn't for promotion, it was for shaking off the rust. They got a chance to remind themselves about ins and outs of performing for a reasonably sized crowd.
A sight of Rinko carrying her stage piano with Ako made her more confident. The two of them looked determined, and so was Yukina. Everyone searched for a place to put the outfits on, and since there was an improvised additional changing room, she made use of it.
It wasn't exactly the most comfortable, but it had to suffice for the time being. Soon it was clear the outfit crafted by Rinko was a perfect fit. It was tighter than the previous one, lacked the fluffiness, although at the same time, it matched the new songs they finished just a week and a half ago.
It was navy blue in color, mixed with prominent black accents from the waist up. Practically a one piece, it featured small metal buttons and a dark blue flower sewed in. She also put on the heavy, black, thick soled leather boots on and made sure she can move normally, wearing those.
They already had the chance to try the complete outfits, nonetheless there was always some danger associated with taking them to the venue. Yukina left the changing room, if one could call it that, and went to meet up with the rest.
Members of the other bands also struggled to get ready. Singer spotted guitarists of Roselia among them, together with the drummer who looked very dejected. All three were already wearing clothes prepared for the show, but the look on Ako's face was worrisome at best.
"Ako, something happened to your outfit? You look quite upset." The vocalist saw her trying to reposition the flower that was supposed to be neatly sewed in on the left side on the waist.
"Yukina-san, I messed up… I thought having it there for my dress would be cool, and besides that, I move a lot when I'm playing, so I didn't want it to be in the way…" Ako couldn't finish the sentence.
"Seemingly, it got torn off when she carried her clothes here. It ripped some fabric around the spot where it was attached." Sayo clarified the situation instead.
"I wonder if there is a way to repair that now." Ignoring Lisa's look, guitarist simply voiced her doubts.
"Can I see it? It doesn't seem to be a problem that would make it impossible to get on the stage, so maybe you can put up with it?" Yukina got a closer look and confirmed the decoration looked like simply ripped off of the dress.
"I can, but I can't!" Ako raised her voice.
"It's an important symbol of Roselia, isn't it? I thought our band is the coolest and I still think that, now that I have my own style." Drummer declared earnestly.
"I want to show it off! I'm also sad, because I guess it's only my fault it got botched." Ako was getting overwhelmed by emotions.
"Ako—Ako-chan, what happened?" Just as Yukina started to talk, Rinko joined them after changing, and probably noticed everyone standing near her closest friend.
"Rin-rin, the outfit we worked so hard on…" Ako's eyes were glistening by then, and tears were about to flow.
"Wait, wait for a moment! I actually took the absolute basic materials with me, so I think I will be able to sew it here." Kneeling by Ako's side, she quickly looked at the damaged spot.
"I have a needle, and a few little spools with matching threads. I will take them from the bag." Rinko stood up and hurried to get what she needed.
"Whoa, she even came prepared for this? Just how much did she take? Also, we're kind of saved now, Ako really took it seriously and she appeared super uncomfortable." Lisa praised Rinko's help.
"You're right. I'd say this is what makes us a band. We grew to know each other well and look for one another like that." Yukina admitted what she'd thought.
"I don't think I would want Roselia with five people, all focusing only on their own craft. Not anymore, at least." Looking at Lisa, who was ready to hug her, vocalist felt she said something embarrassing.
"Stop, concentrate on the performance. We have to give a worthy one." Causing the bassist to sulk, Yukina didn't allow Lisa to wrap her arms around her.
Rinko took sulking Ako with her and had to leave the backstage to try to find a better spot to fix drummer's dress. She left her instrument unattended, so the remaining three were keeping it safe. Yukina imagined the day differently. Still, nothing terribly impacting their ability to play has happened so far.
The first band was about to start playing, marking the beginning of the event. Vocalist looked around the venue. Scanning the seats, she spotted a face she knew from an online article. An independent label representative was sitting among the audience, rather unimpressed.
Yukina briefly wondered if a person like that writes the articles about them and the scene in general. It wasn't the main reason she got here and, admittedly, it didn't matter for her anymore. Singer had a vague memory of the author of the text, which had irritated her at the time, but was unable to tell if that recollection matched the person sitting in the hall.
Introductions of members of the starting band soon thrilled the audience. There were hardly any empty seats to be found, so Yukina wondered if there are, in fact, almost two thousand people attending the show. It was a crowd somewhat larger than the vocalist anticipated.
While her gaze continued to skim through the rows, she happened to notice another person she was able to recognize. Ran's father was attending the concert. Yukina immediately thought about how her rival was embarrassed at times like this. The first song finally started, but she wasn't that much in awe.
Yukina noticed Lisa was focused on listening, while Sayo went to talk to a staff member for some reason, which Yukina imagined is likely explaining the leave of their two members. Pace was getting quicker and the sound louder, so the guitarist looked like she had to scream. It wasn't until the band's entries had ended that Yukina saw Rinko and Ako coming back.
She hoped they would be able to get into the backstage without hassle. Sayo got to know that as long as they had the passes, short breaks were mostly not a problem. It also didn't escape Yukina's attention that Ako had a flower back on her dress, sewed in on the waist. Rinko was smiling, so the whole problem was, apparently, gone.
"Rinko, you are already back? How did you do that so quickly?" Lisa was impressed.
"Ah, I… thought I had to hurry up and finish it soon, or else it might get troublesome." Rinko looked at the bassist bashfully.
"Rin-rin was amazing, I was making a fuss over this and she kept her cool and simply sewed that back. It's so neat, now it surely won't fall off!" Ako's excitement was back in full force.
"I'm glad I was able to attach it back…" The keyboardist was blushing a little.
"I have to say, though, not only you had the materials needed, but you also dealt with the problem quickly. Well played." Guitarist apparently recognized her line was uncharacteristic.
"Sayo, I think all these online chats we had influenced you, since you borrowed the way these two normally speak in games. Also, please don't say it before we perform." Yukina poked fun at older of Hikawa twins.
All five of them laughed a little and the mood lightened. Lisa then mentioned how the first band's songs were pretty good, and she thought that level of competition might be higher than they initially anticipated. Yukina wasn't overly worried, she always had confidence in their technical ability.
There was also a lot more positivity, now that Ako was back in high spirits. They still had a lot of time before their entry, so they thought about searching for Afterglow members, but Yukina generally didn't want a skirmish with Ran before the show.
They weren't enemies and respected each other's work. However, if they talked face to face here, at the venue, they could try to undermine rival's confidence. She rather preferred to concentrate on what she needed to do. Yukina was only slightly worried about Lisa's resolve, so she wanted to reassure her.
Roselia was supposed to only present two songs, like other bands, so Lisa decided to swap all the strings for ones with deeper sound, to better match the new tracks. Yukina imagined it should boost Lisa's confidence, but she seemed surprised and averted her eyes, giving a meek response to vocalist's praise.
Unsure of what to think about it, vocalist started listening to the competition, waiting especially for Afterglow. Rinko was in a heated conversation with Ako, possibly planning some online campaigns the vocalist would not understand in the slightest. Sayo was checking her guitar again with Lisa spotting it and telling her that she plays perfectly and her instrument is fine.
It took more than an hour, but Ran, Moca and the others got up on the stage. Roselia was to play directly afterwards. Yukina's eyes met the tense gaze of Afterglow's leader. Both appeared like saying "Let the best one win." without words.
It didn't feel like trying to distract the opponent this time around. Members of Roselia got up and walked closer to the stage as it was their turn next. Two songs later, it was time.
"It was… so intense! Mitake-san's voice's gotten better, right? Standing here, so close, makes you feel the power of the music!" Ako acknowledged the abilities of fellow musicians.
"It was truly intense. They set the bar high, however, I expected exactly that as it gives me even more motivation." Yukina spoke with a piercing look.
"Was that too good for you, Minato-san?" Ran walked up to them, but probably couldn't hear the previous remark.
"It was decent enough. What I liked was the cooperation between all of you." Yukina was reluctant to admit she was impressed.
"Ooh, Ran-chan… Minato-san confessed our sound was coming together, so maybe you can hold back the sword a bit, mm?" Moca also joined in flippantly.
"Wha— Moca…" Ran seemed unaware the bread lover was listening.
"I was about to say how it wouldn't be interesting without them." Vocalist was speaking mostly to Yukina, as others have gone to help detach Afterglow's instruments and plug their own in.
"I also have to admit I was able to send the application in because you told me about the event." She appreciated Ran's help back in August.
Leader of Afterglow was a worthy rival, and a person Yukina always respected. The two wanted to clash their styles to challenge themselves. In the meantime, announcer already started talking about Roselia while Sayo, Rinko, Tsugumi and Ako, among others, were going about the gear change as fast as they could.
Ran also mentioned the last band is not going to play, after all. Their leader had a bad cold and, apparently, he still felt like unable to sing normally and called it quits. Afterglow members were getting off the stage with the instrument switch practically complete. The current live show was now about to end with two Roselia songs left.
Rinko soon finished connecting her stage piano, and they were welcomed with cheers, as the announcer finished introducing them. Yukina walked up to the microphone and greeted the audience. Among the enthusiastic crowd, she spotted one more person she knew.
It was Felicia, a friend from Kunitachi, who didn't seem to her like the type who would enjoy rock and metal music that was played at the event. Yukina was now more inclined to believe that people normally not interested in this could listen to them, and possibly even like what they do. She shifted her gaze and noted another record label representative was still there.
Roselia's leader realized, however, that she cannot concentrate on the prospects and has to clear her mind now. The audience got a bit quieter and she felt the anticipation. She turned her head right, towards Rinko, and saw her nod, then looked at Lisa, who had her spot on the same side, and she also nodded to her. Everyone else was ready, so Yukina gave the sign to start "Erased Past".
Unrushed sound of piano marked the beginning of the intro, and was soon joined by equally calm notes of Sayo's guitar. She was playing a bit farther from the center for now. Yukina went with the slower pace on purpose, and it was partially thanks to the method they chose to flesh the piece out, that the first part ended up that way.
She once again stood in front of people on the stage, and wanted to immerse them in the music, wished for her voice to reach them. Yukina went in the exact same time Sayo started playing more energetically and upped the tempo slightly. She didn't even visualize the sound, the lyrics were coming out as she wanted them without it.
Lisa's calm bass provided the low end a few phrases before the major pace change, and Ako also joined in with shimmering light brushes as planned. Yukina saw people looking around and imagined people didn't really expect a ballad-like start. The current setting, however, was about to be flipped upside-down.
To bury one's older self and forget who you once were. Those emotions were the ones she poured into the first song. Then, in the middle of the track, Rinko and Lisa stopped playing with Yukina going silent as well. One could only hear Sayo's picking and Ako repeating a simple phrase on the drums.
Instead of looking at the farther rows, Yukina lowered her sight, waiting for a few seconds. Then, the youngest of them executed a speedup, and combined it with a bass drum coming in. Lisa also timed her entry neatly and contributed to the impact. At the point, Yukina raised her head again and went for the lowest note she could reach, while not pushing herself to do it loudly.
The burst visibly thrilled the audience. Ako followed up with switching to ride pattern set for the second part, and Lisa ramped up the volume on her end. Yukina continued to sing in a somewhat quieted down fashion, keeping the pitch low for a while. She wanted to create a certain mood before revealing the end.
When she felt the timing was down to the dot, Yukina shifted to singing in a much higher key, with a lot of energy for the finale. She wanted to emboss the change she went through and its irreversibility into the notes.
As their first track was coming to an end, Rinko's piano came through, and became easier to hear when the lead vocal was not present anymore and Ako was slowing down.
It took a second or two for the cheers and calls to spread through the audience, as people seemed taken aback by how the track unfolded. Yukina had to settle down herself after the final part. She searched for the seat where her friend was, and noticed Felicia whistling. It was another unexpected sight that day, but also a welcome one.
Up next was "Lazuli Rose", the last song of the whole show and the one they all practiced less. Given the reaction she witnessed and her own musical sense, Yukina was okay with their performance so far, and wanted to keep it up. She turned away from the crowd, went to drink some water and checked if others were ready for the next track.
Nods from Sayo and Ako, with particularly the latter looking heated, were what the vocalist expected to see. Yukina proceeded to introduce the second song, and started it with her own entry only moments later. Waiting through the first two sentences, Rinko then matched quiet, but firm singing of the band's leader to create an ominous atmosphere.
The audience looked prepared for what was coming this time. The intro quickly came to an end with Sayo walking more to the front of the stage, joining with a sustained note on the lead guitar, to then execute a speedy buildup just before the explosion.
The entire band appeared to have suddenly come alive at one moment, with the sole exception of its leader, who stopped singing for all the instruments to shine through. Quick picking by Sayo and intense, dynamic low end by Lisa served as main drivers, and were indeed making Yukina proud of being on the same stage as these two.
She spread her arms and stood at the front of the stage like that for a short while, then straightened them in the audience's direction, willing to gather their rising energy. The venue was now filled with people wanting to get closer to the sound they created. Yukina yearned for a moment as such, but that was not enough.
After about half a minute of thrilling play, the guitarists could catch a breath, creating some room for Ako's drumming. Her controlled rhythm and cooperation with Rinko were relaxing for Yukina to hear, who started the first verse, still not going for higher notes, but rather calmly preparing the finale.
With the chorus drawing nearer, Sayo speeded up and Lisa started playing louder and slightly higher, to create a more audible attack. Thanks to her efforts, they moved into the highlight of the track impressively. All five seemed to know exactly how they are supposed to play. That was what the vocalist heard and felt.
Yukina didn't want to spoil that moment by playing it safe or overvaluing coherency. That was not the time. Ako's drumming was finally perfect. Lisa's bass line sounded convincingly strong and commanding, joined in by Rinko's eerie piano.
Yukina took a deep breath and began to almost shriek out the words, not paying much mind to whether she went out of tune or not. There was a part she was especially fond of:
Wailing towards a shapeless figure on the horizon,
I never wished any forgiveness nor any pity.
Thorns of a lazuli rose pierce my palm when I crush it,
witch with the blood burning, I throw it into the distance.
Her portrayal of emotions was frank and vivid when singing these, both times they entered the chorus. The vocalist felt her pulse raise significantly after the second chorus as she was not holding back. It was challenging to keep the volume and the key so high throughout these verses without completely losing control over the voice, and the last part still awaited.
Looking at how the audience got into the performance, Yukina decided to not back off and sing it the same way. Was it the desire to have crowds acknowledge her ability, the search for a perfect song or an altogether different new sentiment? Regardless of the answer, it possessed her completely.
The finale had Ako switching to a faster beat, keeping it up, and only slowing down at the very end. Sayo's overdriven guitar started fading with a pleasing riff, and Lisa's bass line followed suit. Yukina took a while to realize how loud the cheers and whistles were after they stopped playing.
She was catching her breath and felt her cheeks getting hot, but Yukina's expression remained unmoved. Vocalist almost forgot to thank the audience, then turned around. Her eyes met Lisa's, who looked close to letting the tears flow. Yukina wanted to say something, but there was someone quicker.
"Hey, don't you all think it was awesome!? You could tell we were like a pure embodiment of an unholy aura being waken up from centuries-long slumber!" Ako seemed pumped and her tendencies were back in full force.
"Ako-chan, you managed to say the whole line smoothly just now, that's nice." Rinko was likely the only one who understood what the drummer said.
"See, I've improved!" Ako clung to her friend.
"I don't know what your impression of the event was, Minato-san, but in my view, we were able to deliver a worthy performance." Sayo admitted, also reminding Rinko with a subtle gesture that she left her stage piano hooked.
"I think so. We made no obvious mistakes to speak of, and people listening to us looked like they were enjoying the show." Yukina felt the joy of a musician after a successful gig, but there was something off.
"C'mon, Yukina, it sure wouldn't hurt you to smile! If you ask me, we did great. You can still hear them, after all!" Lisa was fired-up and spoke quickly.
"I can, which doesn't mean we should consider our playing perfect by now, and stop improving it." Yukina wasn't agitated, not in the slightest. Others, however, might've sensed she wasn't fully satisfied.
"I get you, I know..." Lisa didn't finish her sentence.
Ako ran off to help Rinko come back with her instrument, and seconds later Roselia left the stage, with Lisa and Ako waving towards the crowd. Yukina didn't expect to feel like that after the concert.
While others were putting their instruments into cases, she waited with Ako, ready to go get changed and hurry to her apartment. The drummer noticed someone walk up to them and apparently thought they were a fan of the band.
"Yukina, I want to congratulate you. That was a splendid performance." The girl speaking had an attire of an Italian and a strong accent, therefore stood out from the crowd.
"Felicia…" Vocalist certainly didn't expect that meeting.
"Thank you. I think that you're exaggerating a bit, though. While I don't suppose the overall level was low, my singing, personally, felt to me like there's room for improvement." Yukina was honest and spoke slowly to make it easy to understand.
"If there's any room for improvement, then it's sooo super tiny you wouldn't squeeze a needle." Ako was so hyper that she didn't let Felicia respond first.
"Aha, you must be Udagawa-san, right? Nice to meet you!" She said flippantly.
"Ah, yeah. Sorry I haven't introduced myself. Udagawa Ako, I'm Roselia's drummer, nice to meet you!" Ako chuckled at the start and came off as laughing through embarrassment.
"The girl is a volcano of positive energy, like you said." Felicia's Japanese sounded somewhat funny, but it was enough for a conversation like that.
"About the concert again, your voice was astounding technically and super emotional, like I've never seen such expressiveness from you." She put on her serious face.
"I don't know how one would improve on that. You could always change the loudness or key, but improve? That one's difficult." As Felicia was a vocal coach, she was stating her opinion loudly and firmly.
"I cannot easily pinpoint what I disliked myself, but I can tell you with certainty that there was some element missing." Yukina was hard-pressed to deny the remark.
"Well, fair enough. I see ladies are back, so I won't be bothering you. We'll see each other at the campus. Till Monday!" Yukina showed a meek gesture in return.
"Bye, Udagawa-san!" Ako waved her hand, a bit surprised.
Rinko, Lisa and Sayo came back and were curious about the abruptly ended conversation. Yukina simply said it was a friend from the university, keeping some details to herself. She still had Felicia's words in her mind, and knew that given the expertise of an instructor, she is rarely wrong about someone's voice.
Felicia was older than most of the students Yukina knew, and even stood out among those who transferred, as she only came to Japan after graduating from a university in Italy. Felicia was learning, as well as teaching, in the homeland of her mother, as her tales made the girl eager to experience the radically different life and a style of music.
Yukina has been seeing her from time to time at the campus and made a note to herself to come back to the instructor about today's live. Meanwhile, Ako was busy explaining to Rinko and others how cool Felicia was, so the vocalist needn't outline matters any further.
Yukina ultimately complemented their play, which, despite the silent omission of her vocal, was enough to make the atmosphere good. As the whole event was wrapping up, they went to change back into casual clothes.
After an awkward situation of Sayo being asked for an autograph instead of Yukina — as guitarist was waiting for her turn in front of the room — they could at last head for the exit. Just as they left the venue, the vocalist noticed the industry official who was in the audience at the concert.
"Good morning, Minato-san. My name is Sugimoto. You probably noticed I was there at the event, searching for new ideas." The record label representative approached her, waiting for them and some other bands, in all likelihood.
"Good morning. I'm sorry, but we're in a hurry, so—"
"I know this isn't a first for you, so I'll keep this short. If you want to discuss collaboration on a single, you can always contact me, here's my business card." The man stretched out his hand towards her.
"How do you expect me to agree when all you people do is change the music we make into garbage?" She realized this might've been too harsh, but could also strengthen her case later on.
"You sure are as straightforward as they say. Minato-san, know that we are more of an independent label, and hence give artists more freedom they would normally have." He withdrew his hand for now.
"Also, we are simply discussing possibilities now, I won't force you… No, I won't force Roselia into joining anything." Yukina had a quick look around at others' faces, and they appeared to at least want to give this a chance, so she changed her attitude, too.
"Hopefully you are prepared to live up to your words. I might want to check that at some point." Yukina turned to Sugimoto and asked for the card he wanted to give her a moment ago.
"Absolutely. Five of you create such a well-tuned combo that it's worth it to make some concessions. Alright, it was nice to listen to you here, and hopefully we will talk again. Goodbye." The representative said in a firm tone.
"Goodbye." Yukina had mixed feelings about what just happened.
"Wow. He walked up to us right after the show. He was serious about working with us and Yukina-san was… Yukina-san!" Ako's tone suggested she was proud of the band's leader.
"Yup, Yukina, you were so assertive there. We have a chance to get a good deal with a label this way." Lisa looked at her with eyes full of admiration, and for some reason it made Yukina shift her gaze elsewhere.
"I don't know about that. We will have to be alert if we will, after all, start working with a record label, independent one or not." Vocalist had a clear opinion on working under a producer.
"Industry professionals have their own ways of sneaking some nasty details into contracts." Yukina remained very cautious.
"That's true, however, I also am hopeful after today. We marked our presence on the scene, in a way that got the band noticed." Sayo made Yukina finally break into a smile, even if for a second.
Inevitably, five of them continued talking about the performance they gave. Unfortunately, very soon the group had to split on their way back to their homes. Ako and Rinko went to catch the train to Ueno, while the rest of the girls had much shorter trips ahead.
As they walked, the vocalist noticed Lisa looked uneasy, and she suspected it was because of how reluctant Yukina was to praise the band after the performance. She reassured her again that the bass play was both dynamic and precise.
Yukina's doubts about her singing had nothing to do with the current overall level of the band. Lisa responded by downplaying her contribution and rather praising Yukina's voice. Awkward silence ensued only for a short while, because the bassist also had to divert from them.
That way, only Sayo was left together with the vocalist. Guitarist expressed her acceptance regarding the offer from Sugimoto and said she trusted Yukina will not let their music be changed significantly. Sayo added they could always seek advice from bands that have chosen similar route before and signed a contract with more of a spun-off label.
Yukina agreed and thanked the older of Hikawa twins for placing so much faith in her. They parted ways and Roselia's leader went towards her empty apartment, willing to grab something for dinner after leaving the stage outfit inside.