Proposal (1)
“Ehh? Shuhei-kun, you can play the guitar?”
Hasumin looked genuinely shocked when she heard my proposal.
“Yeah, actually, I can.”
To be honest, me—a complete outsider and a guy—joining a four-girl band just to fill in seemed questionable at best.
But my close classmates were in trouble.
And ignoring them when I could help was simply not an option for me now.
Besides, I was only offering an option.
Whether it was a good idea or not was for Hasumin and the others to decide.
(My way of thinking now is completely different from my introverted past self.)
Back then, even if I could play the guitar, I would never have suggested something like this.
I would have only imagined the worst, like them saying, “Huh? Do you even understand what a girls’ band is?” and worrying about being laughed at, so I would have kept my mouth shut.
The old me was terrified of having my opinions rejected.
But now, it’s different.
Even if they did say something like that, I’d just laugh it off with my unshakable steel mentality.
Compared to the harsh and brutal journey of defeating the Demon King, being laughed at by classmates was like a gentle spring breeze brushing my cheek.
Even if they laughed, it wouldn’t kill me.
Besides, Hasumin is a really nice girl. There’s no way she’d say something like that, not in a million years.
So, suggesting this was my only option.
“Uh, um… I’ve never heard you mention this before, so hearing it all of a sudden really surprised me…”
“I’ve been hearing that a lot lately.”
Ever since returning from the other world, people had been constantly surprised by me.
At this point, I was used to it.
“Shuhei-kun, you really can play the guitar? Really, really? How good are you?”
“It might sound arrogant, but I’d say I’m pretty skilled.”
Of course, I could play the guitar, but it wasn’t originally my own talent.
It was thanks to my Hero skill [Blade Master], a blessing from the goddess Athena, which let me handle any blade or melee weapon at an S-rank level.
This [Blade Master] skill had a side effect—it allowed me to handle not just swords and melee weapons, but almost any handheld tool at an A-rank level (meaning, very skillfully).
It wouldn’t make sense if the strongest hero, who was invincible with a sword, suddenly became completely useless the moment he held a wooden stick or a bow and arrow instead.
However, the skill’s range was quite arbitrary, and I often had to test if something was included.
Boomerangs were covered, but ring toss and frisbees weren’t.
Shields, for some reason, were completely excluded.
Riena once said,
“Well, with a name like Blade Master, shields are obviously out. Otherwise, it’d be Shield Master.”
But if boomerangs were included, shouldn’t shields be fair game too?
And among the objects covered by the skill, musical instruments—including guitars—were included.
In fact, back in the other world Orphermaus, I often played instruments and sang.
The reason was simple—there was almost no entertainment other than music over there.
In Orphermaus, which had been in a constant state of war for ages, nearly all labor outside the military was devoted to producing food, weapons, and clothing, or transporting supplies. There was barely any form of entertainment.
So, using my skill, I had no choice but to pick up guitars, organs, ocarinas, or any instruments I found along the way and play popular songs from this world.
Riena and the townspeople I traveled with really enjoyed it, and sometimes they even danced to my performances.
(I wonder if Riena is doing well.)
It’s only been a little over a month since we parted, yet I already feel nostalgic.
Back in that world, I struggled from beginning to end, and there were times I secretly cried from the hardship.
And yet, now that I’ve returned to this peaceful world, I look back on it as a good memory.
I guess I really did get used to that world.
—Ah, I got sidetracked.
I let myself reminisce too much.
“But Shuhei-kun, you’d be playing without any practice, no rehearsals, not even a run-through the day before. You’ve never even seen the sheet music, right? Live shows aren’t that easy.”
“I’ve listened to you guys play a few times. It’s a famous song I already know, so as long as I check the sheet music for the finer details, I can play it. There shouldn’t be any technical issues. Can you trust me on that?”
“But…”
Back when I was a Hero, if I spoke with this much confidence, everyone would nod and believe in me without question.
My words carried that much weight and trust.
But now, things were different.
Right now, I was just a high school student—no, a former introvert who’d be forgotten as soon as summer vacation ended.
Even though my reputation had improved lately, it wasn’t enough for people to instantly believe me when I said, “Can you trust me on this?”
If I could just play the guitar right now, that would settle it.
But this was the nurse’s office, and I didn’t have a guitar with me.
The instruments were under the student council’s strict supervision and stored securely in the gym’s storage room.
If they were stolen, the live show would be banned as a precaution.
Plus, playing instruments was only allowed in designated practice areas. So, to make Hasumin believe me, I needed to choose my words carefully.