Chapter III. Welcome aboard
"Eh... Hey there, Yukimura-san! It's Toudou Heisuke of Shinsengumi. If you are still willing to participate…"
"Idiot." She heard a background whisper. "Giving her the wrong impression."
"Then do it yourself, dude!"
"Good morning, Yukimura-san, Saitou Hajime speaking. We are glad to welcome you as an official member of our band. We will expect you at the rehearsal base at 7 p.m. Welcome aboard." He hung up.
Chizuru chortled. The bastards didn't even ask if she was willing to participate. Okita-san must be especially sure she'd be on cloud nine to join. Several days had passed, but she still felt a bit affected by their glances and dancing proposals. And their manager didn't even bother to call himself!
…
Chizuru spent the entire day digging up the information about the band. Their most renowned songs combined rock'n'roll drive with emotional melody and profound lyrics. Some tracks were densely stuffed with grim synth and created a high-tension atmosphere. That reminded her of the complicated guys near the window, undoubtedly responsible for that sound. Their first studio album was full of young aggressive energy. It had rapid mood swings between desperation and lightness. The record was rather raw in her opinion, but underground youngsters were in seventh heaven. The album was released two years ago. Last year the guys came up with a successful single. That was probably the moment when the band caught their infamous producer's attention. She had no clue what circumstances drew them into that strange covenant. Her own favorite musicians were mostly indie. They organized crowdfunding campaigns, released lots of merchandize, had a dense concert schedule… And left the stage tired of constant lack of money. The Shinsengumi were now free from such hardships. But they had recently taken some strange steps like hiring a female violinist out of blue.
Their live shows were pure madness. The band rocked those small underground clubs and abandoned basements to the core. Saitou-san looked like he was possessed by a demon - a strong contrast to his casual stealthy demeanor. Okita appeared to be a wizard, mesmerizing the crowd. Harada-san was no different. Once he had cut his belly in the heat of the night. The concert had been stopped and Harada-san departed to the hospital covered in blood and smiling. The video had spread, like a virus, in the local web.
...
"Do you think she'll come?" Heisuke asked worriedly. "Souji was rather hostile towards her after all."
"If you two had asked her properly, we wouldn't be in the dark about it," noted Shinpachi. Hajime still looked slightly flushed after the phone call.
"Then you'll be the one to call next time!" Heisuke barked.
"Oh man, I bet she'll come. And since I am the Big Bad Wolf of the pack, you can all play princes to win over her heart," Souji giggled. He had a sudden impulse to stir things up. "Shinpachi-san will make a perfect prince, not mentioning Heisuke. Flawless gentlemen and shit." Shinpachi showed him the middle finger and returned to his tea, too exhausted to talk back.
"Do you think Hijikata-san will sleep it off before she comes?" Sano tried to return to the most urgent matter.
"Nope. Poor thing never knows where to stop with alcohol. Even Shinpachi-san hasn't recovered after that raid yet," said Souji.
"We gonna dance until we drop," Shinpachi murmured.
At that moment they heard a timid but very distinct knock over a wooden door frame. A black-haired girl was standing in the doorway obviously confused. She carried her violin case like a shield in front of her.
…
The small kitchen was stuffed with people. Chizuru seemed to be interrupting a late lunch even though it was already 7 p.m. A bunch of punks, she thought, studying their faces. Nagakura was sitting in the corner, cradling his face in his hands. A mug of tea was steaming in front of him. Saitou-san, Toudou and Harada-san were eating. They looked like they had recently woken up. Okita was standing near the window. Puffy eyes and dark circles revealed that he'd had a busy night. His cheekbone was slightly bruised. Chizuru was far from overestimating people who had gained a bit of publicity. But seeing these popular underground guys sitting so casually in the kitchen was unusual.
...
Okita winked to Harada-san and said. "Start over, Prince-sama!" He finished the sentence in a loud whisper.
"Greetings, Yukimura-san. Please, take a seat and pay no attention to Souji." Harada-san's words brought a wry smile over Okita's face. "Tea?" She answered positively. "You see, Hijikata-san is absent today. He... eh..." Harada-san paused with the kettle in his hand unsure how to explain the case.
"Yesterday our precious poet left exploring the bars in the Lower Slums. Totally painted the town red." Okita helped out.
"He must have scared the hell out of local rednecks!" Toudou giggled.
"He apparently got stuck with a bunch of workmen. They had a huge disagreement some whatever shit. Hijikata-san's a stubborn dude," Nagakura added.
They sure don't bother to filter their language in front of me, thought Chizuru.
"Souji and Shinpat-san had to get him back and to settle things with a bunch of enraged workmen," Toudou continued enthusiastically. Saitou-san was keeping silent, but he pursed his lips a bit.
They poured all this chaotic information out on her. Chizuru was surprised by how they turned into a bunch of kids in no time.
"I didn't expect Okita-san to be such a warrior," she noted.
"Souji is a tremendous fighter! He always gets into brawls due to his kind and all-forgiving personality." The explanation followed immediately.
"I assume she's had enough of your bullshit for now." Okita grinned, cutting into their banter. "So you've already got a glimpse of what we are like. Pretty ridiculous, I guess. Not many bands these days tend to embrace a cliché rock'n'roll lifestyle like we do. Some people can't handle it, especially on tour, where you really test your limits. You can break down. But touring, exposing yourself and playing music is the most natural way to feel alive for us. It's up to you if you want to stay or not, but we really are hard workers…"
"And hard revelers," added Toudou.
"And, undoubtedly, hard revelers," Okita continued with a smirk, rubbing a fresh bruise on his cheek. "Let's give you several hours to make up your mind." He fixed her with his eyes waiting for reaction and feeling himself like a damn preacher. What am I trying to persuade a girl into? A sudden hesitation came up. To claim this everyday unstoppable freak show to be a dreamland... That's too much. She still can refuse and play her sweet violin in some sweet gothic lolita band. Would be the wisest decision.
Her thoughts were a mess as well. I've tried having a normal job and always ended up hating myself for wasting time. A wealthy family and a conventional background - I was a good-for-nothing, unable to do anything on my own behalf. Isn't this a way to expand my boundaries? A door of opportunity? They say they feel alive, that's the most tempting promise.
"No need to postpone, it's decided. I'm in." Chizuru said quickly, preventing further reflection.
"Yay! We need to celebrate tonight!" Toudou raised his hands.
"We have a rehearsal tonight, blockhead." Nagakura cut him off.
"You are a strange girl, you know?" Okita said quietly. She smiled in response. She felt too embarrassed to come up with a witty answer.
"Congratulations," uttered Saitou-san. "I hope you won't regret it."
"You must be kidding, Hajime-kun! Don't give the game away," Okita chortled.
"What the fuck is this noise about?" Hijikata-san entered the room, looking rather rumpled and sick. He noticed the hero of the party. "Oh, pardon me, Yukimura-san, seems that I've skipped my duties." He reached out for the kettle.
"Hijikata-san has missed everything! We have a new member here."
"Okay, time to go to the basement! Hijikata-san, you're late for supper."
…
There was a rehearsal room in the basement. Not very spacious though, it was large enough to accommodate six musicians with their equipment. A creepy woolen rug hung on the long wall.
"Helps to deaden the reverberation," Nagakura explained.
"Nah, you just like pattern," noted Toudou.
Harada-san took control of the rehearsal, starting with brief explanation.
"It's damn obvious, but we have several working modes. The first is about building a setlist, when we bring up the new material. The second is refining the setlist and correcting mistakes. The third one is songwriting. We often do it separately, then try to nurse it together. Hajime-kun is in charge of the log. He takes notes on where we are with each song. Helps a lot, you know. Hijikata-san often participates in the rehearsals…"
"Cause he has nothing else to do," muttered Okita.
"...Especially when we polish the songs based on his lyrics, not mine," Harada-san gave a sour smile to Okita. "He also records a video. Did I forget anything?" He turned to the pack. Saitou-san shook his head.
"I will provide you with chords, tabs, lyrics and clips. And our typical contract as well; you haven't signed it yet," Hijikata-san cut into. "You'll also have to meet with Hajime-kun and Souji on the issue of involving the violin."
"Can't wait," Okita sneered.
"For this first time you can just watch the mess with me." Hijikata-san led her to the chairs in the corner of the room.
"All right! To the warm up!"
...
Author's note: First of all, I'm super grateful to ImpracticalDemon for beta reading!
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Thank you for reading (special thanks to nakigaoyuu). If you like the story (or maybe not), please, don't hesitate to drop me a line. Fanfiction is very convenient for the opportunity to get quick feedback. And since we are all amateur writers here, I'm eager to improve. And I'm willing to discuss anything related to Shinsengumi, Bakumatsu and Hakuouki with you.
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You may know that famous story about historical Harada-san stabbing his own abdomen. According to the memoirs, he was a reckless person. Not that gentle Sano-san we see in the game.
Once Harada-san had a private conversation with one of the senior Aizu samurais, who scolded him for non-samurai behavior and improper manners =) Harada-san said that those things are easy to verify and asked if the gentleman would dare to repeat after him. He took a wakizashi and thrusted it into his abdomen. His opponent retreated immediately. Kondou-san heard the cries, made a scandal and fetched resisting Harada to the doctor. Harada-san was lucky to recover quickly. Later he was very proud of that 'seppuku' scar.
...
So, the band has the following set: Harada on vocals and lyrics, Okita on synth, Saitou on guitar, Toudou on bass, Shinpachi on drums and Hijikata on management and lyrics. I understand that there can be different interpretations of this case, but it makes sense for me this way.