Kazama Haru was acutely aware of the blue-haired girl beside him—the faint sweetness of her shampoo drifting toward him each time she shifted, the warmth radiating from her shoulder mere centimeters from his own.
Focus, he reminded himself, forcing his gaze toward the screen.
Today, their main task was to finalize the remaining members of the Band.
After his previous conversation with Sakiko, Kazama Haru understood that, apart from Wakaba Mutsumi, she had not yet decided on the specific candidates for the other members.
"First is the guitarist and lead vocalist."
Kazama Haru pinched his chin and turned his head to look at Togawa Sakiko beside him. The movement brought him closer than intended, and he caught the subtle flutter of her lashes as she met his gaze.
"Such an important position requires carefully finding an excellent talent with both skill and looks."
He subtly guided Sakiko's thoughts, "It would be even better if we could directly poach a seasoned musician from a band with rich stage experience, or perhaps from an idol group. As the founder of the band, Togawa-san, do you have any suitable candidates?"
Following Kazama Haru's line of thought, Togawa Sakiko closed her eyes and began to ponder deeply.
Taking advantage of this, Kazama Haru found his attention drifting—unconsciously tracing the elegant curve of her profile.
At this moment, she slightly furrowed her delicate brows, her light pink lower lip pressed gently between her teeth. Occasionally, soft "nn" sounds escaped her, each one sending an unexpected warmth through his chest. She was genuinely thinking, her expression so earnest it made something in him tighten.
No matter how many times he looked, she still seemed impossibly lovely. Even with such close observation—close enough to count her lashes if he were so inclined—he still couldn't find a single flaw in her features. The gentle slope of her nose. The porcelain smoothness of her skin. The way her hair fell in silken waves against her cheek.
Purely in terms of appearance, he mused, she might truly be a goddess.
At the same time, Togawa Sakiko—blissfully unaware that she had quietly been crowned a divine being in his thoughts—gradually emerged from her reverie.
Following Kazama Haru's intentional guidance, Misumi Uika's magnificent face naturally surfaced in her mind.
Shortly after arriving in Tokyo, while strolling through Shibuya, she had been scouted on the spot. Later, she formed the idol duo Sumimi alongside Sumita Mana, the legendary "five-time consecutive champion" of the National Amateur Singing Contest.
Before their official debut, they had performed at the grand opening ceremony of a commercial complex in central Tokyo. After that, their popularity had skyrocketed—their faces adorning billboards throughout the city, their songs playing on loop across train station screens.
Both her appearance and performance skills met Sakiko's exacting requirements.
"Sou da! Kazama-kun, I've got it! I have you to thank for the hint!" Togawa Sakiko's eyes flew open, her voice bright with sudden clarity.
"Speaking of which... she is also my childhood friend."
She tilted her head slightly, and a nostalgic softness entered her expression that made Kazama Haru's breath catch. "Kazama-kun, have you seen the performances of the two-member idol group Sumimi?"
Kazama Haru nodded knowingly, secretly cheering inside. Under his guidance and Sakiko's "cooperation," Ave Mujica was finally acquiring the lead vocalist it deserved.
However, to give Sakiko some emotional validation, he arranged his features into an expression of exaggerated surprise, widening his eyes dramatically.
"Of course I've seen them! Just last time when I went to karaoke with a classmate, their promotional poster was still hanging in the room!"
"Are you... planning to poach one of them?!"
"Indeed!" Togawa Sakiko seemed thoroughly pleased with Kazama Haru's flabbergasted reaction. Her voice softened, carrying an unmistakable hint of amusement.
Seeing Kazama Haru so flustered was a first for her, and she found it not only novel but... cute. An unfamiliar warmth bloomed in her chest at the thought.
Mou, she regretted not having her phone ready to capture the moment. Such a rare expression deserved to be preserved.
"The one I want to invite is Misumi Uika. Even in our childhood, Chiharu and I were very close. We once lay on a hillside watching the summer night sky together, caught rhinoceros beetles in the forest behind her house..."
As she spoke of her precious childhood memories, Togawa Sakiko lifted her gaze slightly toward the ceiling, her voice growing distant with gentle longing.
"Ah, Chiharu-san is indeed an exceptional musician," Kazama Haru analyzed from his perspective as Band Manager. "Skilled, experienced, and a complete beauty. If we can truly bring her aboard, even if Ave Mujica's worldview prevents us from revealing her true identity, I would have considerably more confidence when negotiating with potential business partners."
"Bijin, hm..."
Bijin/beauty
Togawa Sakiko's eyes narrowed, a mischievous glint surfacing. With a teasing lilt to her voice, she remarked: "Kazama-kun, as the Band Manager, your focus seems a bit suspicious, doesn't it? If I bring Chiharu into the band, you wouldn't use your position to have any impure thoughts about her, would you?"
"H-Huh?"
Kazama Haru hadn't expected her to suddenly veer in this direction. His expression shifted to one of wounded innocence, brows drawing together.
"Togawa-san, how could you think that of me? First of all, I also mentioned Chiharu-san's musical talent. Second, as a Band Manager, it's perfectly reasonable to objectively evaluate a member's visual appeal, isn't it?"
He paused, and something reckless flickered behind his eyes.
"Just like Togawa-san yourself—in my eyes, you are also an exceptional beauty. Does that prove I have impure thoughts about you?"
"E-Eh?"
Sakiko's teasing smile froze mid-curve. Her heart lurched against her ribs, heat rushing unbidden to her face. She hadn't anticipated him turning the tables so effortlessly—or with such disarming sincerity.
The space between them seemed to shrink. She became acutely aware of how close he was sitting, could feel the weight of his gaze like something physical against her skin. The light caught the flecks of amber in his eyes, and for a breathless moment, neither of them moved.
After a beat of loaded silence, she let out a soft "hmph," averting her face as a delicate flush painted her cheeks rose-pink. Her voice dropped to barely a whisper, the words tumbling out before she could stop them:
"D-Dare ni... wakaranai wa yo..."
Who knows what you're really thinking...
"Togawa-san? What did you say?" Kazama Haru leaned slightly closer, genuinely unable to make out her mumbled words. The movement brought his face near enough that she could feel the warmth of his breath.
"Nothing at all!" Sakiko turned her head sharply away, her heart hammering traitorously. Her fingers curled against her thigh, nails pressing crescents into her palm as she struggled to compose herself.
Why is he so...
To redirect the conversation—and her own spiraling thoughts—she cleared her throat and continued with forced steadiness: "Then the lead vocalist will tentatively be Misumi Uika from Sumimi. I have her contact information, so I'll handle the communication personally."
"Now then, the drummer."
Kazama Haru—either mercifully oblivious or graciously allowing her the escape—pulled out his phone, scrolled briefly, and opened a video channel titled @Nyamuchi_channel.
"After our chat last night, I spent some time searching for skilled drummers online."
He selected a video. On screen, Myukyu—a popular beauty blogger with a significant following—was enthusiastically showcasing a newly purchased drum kit, her eyes sparkling with childlike excitement.
Then came the performance demonstration. Her drumming was powerful—each strike landing with precision sharp enough to cut glass, every beat of the complex score reproduced with meticulous accuracy.
She played like a seasoned veteran.
"Hmm, she certainly appears to be a highly skilled drummer." Togawa Sakiko nodded thoughtfully, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
She had previously encountered this beauty blogger—whom devoted fans affectionately called "Myukyu"—during her late-night browsing sessions. Since Kazama Haru also vouched for her abilities, she quickly decided to tentatively select her as the drummer for future contact.
"Finally, the bassist."
Before Kazama Haru could inquire, Togawa Sakiko explained that she had already reached out to a master who had worked as a support bassist for over thirty different bands across her career.
Kazama Haru nodded with quiet satisfaction. Clearly, she was referring to the legendary "Band Mercenary"—Yahata Umiri.
"However," he began, his tone shifting to something more businesslike, "although some of these candidates are acquaintances and others are strangers, our band's performance concept involves masked identities to conceal our true faces. To protect our worldview and safeguard the privacy of each member, certain strictly prohibited behaviors should be clearly stated in the contract."
Kazama Haru opened a fresh document and, referencing the legal precedents he had researched, began typing out the binding obligations members would undertake upon signing. He refined each clause with meticulous care.
The first stipulation was an absolute prohibition against members deviating from the established script with excessive improvisation, or privately removing their masks and revealing their true identities in unauthorized situations or locations.
Within the bounds of the law, he set the breach penalty at the maximum possible amount.
Thus, when a certain impulsive Kumamoto girl—her judgment clouded by the intoxicating rush of viral attention—inevitably lost control and attempted to forcefully unmask another musician on stage, she would have to seriously consider whether she could afford the devastating financial consequences.
"Is it truly necessary to set the penalty so high?"
Sakiko shifted in her seat, her shoulder brushing against his as she leaned closer to the screen. Her fingertip tapped the bolded percentage, the gesture bringing her hand near his on the table.
"Once a cooperative relationship is established, each member's fate becomes intertwined. Therefore, mutual trust is also essential. Won't such an obviously defensive stance regarding the breach penalty create resentment among the others?"
Kazama Haru gave a small shrug, his expression patient as he explained:
"Of course, I would also like to believe that everyone is a good partner—musicians who live only for the stage, with the Budokan as their sole ambition, walking hand in hand toward that dream."
"But, Togawa-san, what we are building now is a genuinely commercialized band."
"The logic of commercialization prioritizes profit above all else. Those who are willing to don masks and join the band anonymously—to put it bluntly—are all tanuki from the same hill. Everyone harbors their own motivations: some worn openly on their sleeves, others buried deep within their hearts."
"Hito wo miru me wo yashinau." He met her gaze steadily. "One must cultivate the eye to see through others. As Band Manager, my duty is to anticipate the worst possible outcomes—to assume the most calculating intentions. Only then can I be truly responsible for the fledgling Ave Mujica."