"It's already Thursday…"
Raising her eyebrows, Taki stared at the date on her phone screen. Was she not worried about Sunday's live show? How could that even be possible?
Right now, Taki felt completely torn. On one hand, she found Soyo's proposal reckless, but on the other, she didn't want to let the band down.
And yet, she knew all too well—even if she were a genius—there was no way she could finish a second song in such a short time.
Let alone the fact that… she had never been anywhere near being a "genius" to begin with.
Besides, she didn't want to put too much pressure on Tomori. She didn't want their song—something they were creating together—to turn into something rushed and half-hearted because she kept pushing.
This was one of those problems with no easy solution.
"Sensei, I'm not feeling well. I'd like to take the rest of the day off."
"Oh… Alright, Shiina-san."
The teacher on the podium hesitated for a moment, seemingly about to say something, but ultimately decided against it. After all, they were just a regular teacher—why interfere too much in a student's affairs?
And so, Taki easily skipped her afternoon classes, slung her bag over her shoulder, and left school early, heading straight home.
Her plan was clear. During class, she had spent the entire time scribbling in her notebook, jotting down melodies for the new song.
Taki didn't know whether her approach to composing was considered "proper," but her personal habit was to start with the instrument she was most familiar with—the drums—then establish the chorus before working backward through the rest of the song.
To be honest, there was already a melody swirling in her head. Maybe Soyo's words had sparked something in her, pushing her from a state of frustration to actually sitting down at her computer and piecing together a simple demo.
Of course, it was nowhere near the level of a full song like Soyo's, let alone something comparable to Sakiko or her sister. But Taki knew that she had reached a crucial point.
There was no turning back now—only forward.
And who else could she rely on?
Aside from hoping Tomori could handle the lyrics, was she supposed to count on Anon or Raana?
As for asking Soyo… Taki felt like she just couldn't bring herself to do that.
Sure, she had mentioned before that they could learn from each other and exchange composing experiences, but at least for now, she didn't want to push the responsibility she had taken on back onto Soyo.
This live show—rather than being for their newly formed band—felt more like something Taki owed to Tomori and Soyo, who were still deeply influenced by Sakiko.
"…Whatever, this will have to do."
She sent the exported audio file to her phone and closed her laptop. "There are still a lot of problems, but there's no more time."
Without the chance to refine or polish it, Taki rushed straight to RiNG. And the moment she stepped inside, she spotted someone unexpected.
"…Stray cat?"
"Taki."
"You… Ugh, forget it. Get over here!"
Seeing this elusive creature actually show up today, Taki wasn't sure whether she should consider herself lucky or unlucky.
But… this was probably a good thing, right?
It meant their band was finally starting to feel like a real band. At the very least, all five of them had finally managed to gather in one place and practice properly.
Ignoring Raana's slightly bewildered expression, Taki grabbed this rare, newly captured Pokémon and dragged her straight toward the recording booth.
Since she had made a trip home first, by the time Taki arrived at their usual rented room with Raana in tow, the others were already there.
"Ahem… Time is short, so let me lay out today's plan."
"Raana, you'll handle the lead guitar. Anon, don't overthink it—just focus on rhythm guitar."
"…Huh?"
"You got a problem with that?"
"…No."
Anon pouted, silently grumbling in her head, but outwardly, she could only accept it.
"I put together a demo for the new song, but before that, I want to go through Soyo's song first to make sure there won't be any issues with the first track.
After all, we don't even know if we'll have time for a second song."
Taki wasn't so impatient that she'd forget reality. They were just a nameless little band. It wasn't like they could assume they'd get to stay on stage for that long.
So, their priority was making sure the first song was solid.
If they could pull off a smooth performance, she could at least accept it if the second song ended up a little rough.
But what Taki hadn't expected was that, only a short while after she sat behind the drum set and started playing, she found herself frowning and stopping mid-beat.
"…Anon, you weren't keeping up with the rhythm. Let's start over."
"Ah…"
Less than a minute later, she frowned again.
"Start over."
"Start over" seemed to be the only phrase coming out of her mouth today.
She had assumed they'd at least get through the first song without issues. But in practice, it felt like nobody was in the right state of mind.
And by "nobody," she meant everyone.
Anon was no surprise—her struggles were something Taki had already anticipated.
But even Tomori and Soyo were making mistakes. Even Raana, of all people, suddenly got carried away and started improvising a solo.
It was complete chaos.
Taki felt like everything was falling apart. This band—there was no way they were ready to go on stage. And a second song? Yeah, right.
"…Taki."
"That's enough."
"Maybe we should try again?" Anon suggested hesitantly, glancing at Taki, who looked on the verge of losing it. "I think I'm starting to get the hang of it—"
"I said, that's ENOUGH!"
With a loud thud, Taki slammed her drumsticks onto the floor. The impact sent them bouncing up, hitting the cymbals and creating a sharp, jarring sound.
The air in the room turned heavy.
And then, she started calling everyone out.
"Anon, have you actually been practicing? You keep missing the tempo or hitting the wrong notes. If you don't want to play, then just don't."
"I…"
"And Raana—who the hell taught you to just do your own thing instead of working with the rest of us?!"
"My sister."
"…Hah?"
Taki glanced at Soyo, only to see her looking completely innocent.
"…And you. Soyo."
Her tone faltered for a moment, but in the end, she spoke up.
"You messed up several notes on the bass. This is your song—how could you make mistakes like that?"
The one she was most disappointed in was Soyo. She just didn't understand—what was wrong with her today?
She couldn't even play her own song correctly.
Had Taki gotten her hopes up for nothing, only to be met with this?
She felt so drained, so powerless. And in that moment, she thought of Sakiko.
When Sakiko led them, nothing like this had ever happened.
She had tried so hard to change things, to move forward, but looking back now…
All of it had been meaningless.
She, Shiina Taki, could never become Sakiko.
She couldn't surpass her.
She couldn't save anyone.
She couldn't even handle this mess in front of her.
"…Taki."
Seeing Soyo looking at her with concern, Taki lowered her head and let out a bitter chuckle.
"Sorry, Soyo. I can't do this."
"I really can't. I let everyone down…"
Then she stood up and walked out.
Soyo panicked.
She had backed herself into a corner.
With no way forward, and no way back.
With a plop, Soyo collapsed onto the floor.