94 The Past Where It All Started (2)

Coughing and feeling under the weather, I lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"Urgk... Damn it... I caught a cold," I muttered to myself.

I had planned to go to school earlier, but I ended up passing out while trying to take a bath. Thankfully, my sister was still around the house.

Sighing, I shifted position on the bed, wincing as my throat throbbed with pain. "Argh... My throat hurts."

Turning my head to the right, I glanced at the familiar sight of my room - my monitor, posters, novels, and my guitar, displayed prominently.

It had been two years since I last touched that guitar.

And I'm sure as hell ain't touching it.

Rest was the only remedy I could think of as I succumbed to sleep, hoping it would ease the pain, both physical and emotional.

In my dream, a haunting memory from my middle school days resurfaced.

We were in the middle of our second song at the festival when suddenly, my guitar string snapped, producing an awkward twang that echoed through the festival grounds. I winced, realizing the mishap.

"Ack! What happened, Kyo-kun?" Koishi asked, concern evident in her voice.

Determined not to let the show falter, Koishi grabbed the microphone. "Hey, everyone! Sorry for the technical difficulty. Give us a moment to fix it, and we'll be right back!"

As the band attempted to regroup backstage, Kenji gave me a stern look. "Hey! Nakasone! What was that all about?!"

Tension filled the room as Kenji's frustration reached its peak. I clenched my fists, feeling the weight of his words.

"B-But... I didn't know," I stammered, trying to defend myself.

Kenji gritted his teeth, his frustration evident in his tone. "Hey! Because of you, everything is now a mess!" He shot a disgruntled look at the guitar in my hands. "This old piece of junk... that's why..." 

I couldn't let that slide. My hands tightened around the guitar.

"Hey... What did you say again?"

Are you... making fun of my guitar...!? My... grandfather's guitar!?

Right... Just because this guitar is old doesn't mean it's not functional!

The door suddenly burst open, and the club advisor, who had been enjoying the festival, entered the room with a stern expression. "What's going on here? This is not the way a band should behave, especially during a performance."

Kenji and I shot each other one last glare before reluctantly falling silent. The advisor sighed, "Settle your differences and focus on improving. Bands face challenges, and how you overcome them defines your success. Now, pull yourselves together."

"No, Sensei... I don't think I will be joining this club anymore," I declared, my voice firm.

Kenji's eyes widened, shock and disbelief written all over his face. "What did you just say...?!"

"You heard me, Kenji-senpai. From now on, I'm leaving this club."

"H-Hey! You can't do that!"

"Yes, I can!" I paused, frustration building up. "I realized something was off. Suddenly inviting me into a club because of what? My talent? Don't give me that crap. If you want to be famous that much... WHY DON'T YOU USE YOUR OWN TALENT!?" I gestured emphatically, letting my pent-up feelings flow. "Ahh! That's right! You're talentless! You just learned how to play bass, right?"

You're only using me for your benefit...

Out of nowhere, Kuro slapped me, silencing the room. My eyes widened as I glared at him, the sting of the slap lingering.

"That's enough."

I stayed silent, the weight of the situation sinking in. With a heavy sigh, I packed my guitar back into its case and left through the backdoor.

Feeling defeated and humiliated, I went home and locked myself in my room.

The memory of that day haunted me, and I couldn't bring myself to pick up my guitar again. Every time I looked at it, all I could see was failure.

For weeks, I avoided music altogether. The guitar collected dust in the corner of my room, a constant reminder of my shortcomings.

Maybe... it's time to face my fears... and pick up the guitar again.

...

As I slowly opened my eyes, I felt a warm sensation on my forehead. Blinking away the grogginess, I saw a figure standing beside me, her face still blurry.

"Oh? You're finally awake."

That voice...

I rubbed my eyes and tried to focus, and then I recognized her.

"That woman from CiRCLE."

"Hello~"

"What are you doing here? How did you find me?"

"Ah! That's right! You kinda left this." She pointed to my bag that was sitting on the table.

"My bag?"

Now that I think about it... I did walk out of the livehouse leaving my bag behind.

I gradually sat up in bed, my head feeling heavy as I tried to clear the fog of sleep. The woman from CiRCLE was still beside me, her presence a mix of concern and warmth.

"How are you feeling?" she asked softly.

"I'm slowly recovering," I replied, my voice still hoarse. "What time is it?"

"It's 1 in the afternoon. Your sister left you some rice porridge."

"My sister let you in?"

"That's right. I explained everything to her."

I sighed, a mix of embarrassment and gratitude washing over me. "Sorry... for suddenly walking out."

"Ah! No no! I should be the one apologizing! I... also heard about what happened from your sister."

"My middle school?!"

A silence hung in the air as we sat in my room, the ticking of the wall clock the only sound breaking through the stillness.

"I want to hear you play," she suddenly said.

I turned to her, surprised by the request. "What?"

"I want to hear you play," she repeated, her voice soft but determined.

"Why?"

"Because I want to! I wanna hear it!"

...

...

My eyes drifted to the corner of the room where my guitar sat, collecting dust. After a moment of silence, I sighed, "Alright..."

She sat patiently, waiting for something.

"What are you waiting for? You can't expect a sick person to get up."

"Ah! Right!" She got up and went over to the dust-covered guitar, picking it up carefully.

She handed it to me gently, and I took it, cradling it in my arms like a long-lost treasure. It felt strangely comforting, familiar, even though it had been so long since I last held it.

"Thank you."

She smiled warmly. "Whenever you're ready."

I nodded, taking a deep breath to steady my nerves. With trembling fingers, I strummed the first chord, the sound filling the room with a soft, melodic hum.

"Ehh~ I see, You can play without the E String!" she exclaimed, noticing the missing string.

"Yeah, I can manage, but I'll need to fix this soon. The problem is, I don't have the money..." I trailed off, glancing at my computer with a sigh.

I can't just take my money from my bank account since I'll need it for my college.

Suddenly, she stood up, a spark of excitement in her eyes. "Ahh!"

Her sudden movement startled me. "W-Woah... Stop getting up suddenly!"

"I have an idea!"

"Yeah!" she nodded eagerly. "Nakasone Kyo! I want to hire you as a part-timer!"

"Part-timer? That's... unexpected...? Why?"

"Because... Of course! I want you to give music a chance, and it's actually good pay!" she exclaimed with enthusiasm.

"Oh...? Really? With the dead atmosphere inside the livehouse, surely it has good pay."

"Eh! T-Trust me, it's actually lively!"

I looked down, scratching my head. "I didn't catch your name, by the way," I said, looking back up at her.

Just then, my face suddenly flushed as I met her gaze, and my eyes widened.

"It's Marina~ Marina Tsukishima~" she said with a smile. Then, noticing my red cheeks, she added, "Hm? Ah! Your face is red! Is it hot!?"

"...Ah! No no! It's nothing!" I quickly looked away, feeling my cheeks flush even more. "Haha~ Yeah! I guess the room was just really hot...!?"

"R-Really? I see..." Marina scratched her head, looking a bit uncertain. "Are you going to consider the offer?"

"O-of course! I will," I replied, trying to regain my composure.

"I see. I'm glad," Marina said with a warm smile.

"Tsukishima-san."

"You can call me Marina!"

"Ah! Then... Marina-san."

"Yes?"

"I... think I..." 

Before I could finish my sentence, my sister barged into the room, interrupting us. "Kyo-kun~ Are you alright!? I left the woman here! Your dear sister is here now!~" She quickly noticed us talking and retreated, closing the door behind her.

I sighed, feeling a mix of embarrassment and frustration. "Sorry for my sister..."

"Haha~ She was quite lively," Marina remarked, her smile still present.

With that, Marina and I had a conversation about music for a few minutes before she left.

From that day on, I prepared myself for a new chapter in my life, working at a music livehouse. I was giving myself a chance.

"Eh?! Nakasone-kun!? You're here...!? Does this mean...?" 

I nodded.

"I see~ So you'll become a part-timer here, huh~"

Marina-san was really surprised to see me. I was excited to see her too.

Initially, the actual owner was quite strict about not wanting a male employee at CiRCLE. I was puzzled until I mentioned Marina-san to her. After some consideration, she finally agreed to hire me.

I filled out the necessary paperwork, signed a few contracts... for some reason, and voila.

Thus Back to reality... where my unfinished business still awaited.

I steeled myself as I prepared to step onto the stage.

Taking a deep breath, I glanced at my guitar. "Thank you, Marina-san, for lending me this guitar," I murmured to myself, feeling a surge of gratitude before stepping out onto the stage.

Let's do this...