Rain poured from the sky in an endless torrent, drumming against the railway tracks before splashing in every direction.
Fortunately, the spot where the two of them were sitting was sheltered from the rain.
Waiting for the train was unbearably boring.
Everyone around them was passing the time by staring at their phones.
Now that she had calmed down a little, Nagasaki Soyo began to notice just how uncomfortable she felt.
Everything about her was damp—her hair, skirt, shoes, socks...
She couldn't help frowning.
Well, she had been caught in the rain for quite a while.
There was no telling when the rain would stop, when the train would arrive, or even when she'd finally make it home.
Beside her, Bai Qiu picked up his bass guitar, intending to play something just to pass the time.
Seeing him holding the bass, Soyo's expression shifted ever so slightly, but she quickly forced herself to look away.
I'd just finished criticizing CRYCHIC. I'm not about to start a conversation with him now.
Still...
Wasn't he supposed to be a keyboard player?
Why is he playing bass now?
Did he realize keyboard was too difficult and switch to bass halfway through?
Well... I guess that's understandable.
After all, not everyone can be as talented as Saki.
But that doesn't mean bass is easy.
If he sincerely asks me for advice later... and says a few nice things about CRYCHIC...
I suppose I wouldn't mind giving him a few pointers.
While Soyo's imagination wandered...
Bai Qiu began to play.
Since he couldn't think of anything in particular, he simply recreated the song he'd played during today's street performance.
Having already performed it once earlier, he played it with practiced ease.
Amid the relentless sound of rainfall came the deep, mellow notes of the bass.
Surprisingly...
The combination had its own unique charm.
After a while, Bai Qiu stopped.
Noticing Soyo looking at him—and remembering that she was also a bassist—he tilted his head and asked,
"Well? What do you think?"
"The rain's too loud. I couldn't hear it."
Soyo answered flatly.
In truth, she thought it had been pretty good.
The bass itself looked brand new.
Could it be that he hasn't been learning for very long?
If that's the case... then he's actually quite impressive.
"Really?"
"Really."
She lied without the slightest guilt.
Bai Qiu looked a little disappointed.
Even sitting this close, she couldn't hear it?
Then again, the rain really was loud.
Not the bass's fault.
Suddenly, something came to mind.
His eyes lit up, and a smile appeared on his face.
He had thought of the perfect song.
Closing his eyes briefly, Bai Qiu searched his memory.
Soon...
His fingers and pick danced across the strings once more.
This time, he deliberately played harder so Soyo could hear clearly.
The melody of the bass rang out once again.
A familiar tune drifted into Soyo's ears.
Her eyelids twitched.
In an emotionless voice, she asked,
"...What are you playing?"
Though it sounded like a question, there wasn't the slightest hint of curiosity.
As if I wouldn't recognize it.
It was CRYCHIC's own song—
"Haruhikage."
Composed by Toyokawa Sakiko.
And what Bai Qiu was playing...
Was the bass line.
The very bass part that Soyo herself had performed countless times.
Among every part of the song, it was the one she knew second best.
The first, naturally, was Sakiko's keyboard.
Ever since everyone stopped coming to the practice room...
She had been left alone in that enormous empty house, listening over and over to recordings of the band's rehearsals on her phone.
Only by doing that...
Could she occasionally ease the ache in her heart.
"It's Haruhikage. Can you hear it this time?"
Bai Qiu blinked, sounding pleasantly surprised.
"...Who said you could play that?"
Soyo glared at him, clearly annoyed.
Bai Qiu looked puzzled.
"Isn't the whole point of writing a song so people can play it?"
"I wanted to play it. Is that not allowed?"
"No!"
"Now you're just being unreasonable. Didn't your band upload the song to your official account?"
Soyo froze.
She immediately pulled out her phone.
She was actually planning to hide the song from the account right then and there.
Seeing what she was doing, Bai Qiu asked,
"Wait... you're not actually going to hide or delete it, are you?"
"Sō da yo."
"Seriously?"
Bai Qiu sighed before smiling.
"If it were Tomori or Toyokawa-san, they definitely wouldn't be as stingy as you."
"They'd have no problem with me playing it."
"You..."
Calling her stingy made Soyo both angry and speechless.
Because...
She realized he was probably right.
Tomori would agree.
Sakiko would too.
Bai Qiu clearly got along well with Tomori.
And judging from today...
He seemed to be close with Sakiko as well.
Sakiko had smiled so happily in front of him...
Yet she still refused to contact her.
"So don't do something like that."
"I've already downloaded it anyway."
Bai Qiu waved his phone.
Soyo silently gave up the idea.
She turned her head away, sulking.
"So?"
"How was my playing?"
Bai Qiu asked again.
He genuinely wanted to learn.
Since she was the original bassist who had performed that part, he was curious about her opinion.
"It was... average."
"Huh?"
Bai Qiu looked dissatisfied.
"You're not saying that on purpose, are you?"
"The bass part in this song isn't even that difficult."
"How does it only deserve an 'average'?"
"It's average."
Seeing his reaction, Soyo couldn't help smiling.
"Tch."
Bai Qiu clicked his tongue.
"Then you play it."
"Hmph. Fine."
Seeing the look on his face, Soyo accepted immediately.
I'll show you what the real Haruhikage sounds like.
She reached over to take the bass.
Bai Qiu willingly handed it over.
He even thoughtfully passed her a pick.
Soyo's expression softened a little.
"I won't need this."
She was much more accustomed to playing with her fingers.
"But your fingernails look kind of long."
Bai Qiu pointed at her right hand.
"Long nails make it hard to pluck the strings."
Soyo paused.
She lowered her head and looked at her hand.
Just as he'd said...
Her nails had grown rather long.
Come to think of it...
She hadn't trimmed them in quite a while.
Since she hadn't been practicing bass anymore, she'd stopped paying attention to things like that.
Bai Qiu suddenly asked,
"Don't tell me..."
"You actually haven't practiced for a really long time?"
Having her secret exposed, Soyo's face immediately reddened.
"That's not true!"
She quickly reached out her hand.
"G-Give it to me."
Bai Qiu sighed dramatically, but handed her the pick anyway.
Holding the bass, Soyo gripped the neck and prepared to play.
Yet...
Something felt off.
"This bass..."
"It doesn't feel right."
"What doesn't?"
"It's different from mine."
"Well, different basses feel different. That's normal."
"...I suppose."
"Then hurry up and play."
"Okay."
...
She still didn't start.
After another moment, she frowned again.
"No..."
"Something's definitely wrong."
"I think it's more that you haven't practiced in too long."
Bai Qiu teased.
"...Maybe."
Soyo suddenly looked dejected.
Have I really become so rusty that I can't even play the bass anymore?
It's been far too long since I practiced.
But...
Who would feel like practicing alone in an empty rehearsal room?
Thinking of that, the light in her eyes dimmed.
Seeing her expression, Bai Qiu stopped teasing her and finally said,
"It's a left-handed bass."
"I can't believe you didn't notice."
As he spoke, he gently turned the instrument around in her arms, showing her the proper orientation.
"Huh?"
Soyo looked down at it.
"A... left-handed bass?"
"Yep."
Bai Qiu smiled.
"...I'm not playing anymore."
"Here."
She shoved the bass back into his hands, her voice muffled with embarrassment.
She wasn't left-handed.
How was she supposed to know how to play a left-handed bass?
That jerk...
He'd been messing with her on purpose the whole time.