Proposal (2)
“I know how hard you and the others have been practicing—balancing it with our class’s festival preparations. You borrowed empty classrooms, practiced in the courtyard or on the rooftop when you couldn’t get a room, and even gathered on your days off. I don’t want all that effort to go to waste like this. So please—let me help. I’m begging you.”
“――――”
After saying everything I needed to, I bowed my head deeply.
Hasumin fell silent, lost in thought, carefully weighing my words.
A delicate silence settled over the infirmary.
In the distance, the lively sounds of the school festival drifted in.
Closer by, the rhythmic ticking of the wall clock—tick, tock, tick, tock—echoed unnaturally loud in the quiet room.
The one who finally broke the heavy silence was Nitta-san, the girl with the injury.
“Can I ask a favor too?”
“Mei?”
“If there’s even a chance for everyone to perform the live show, I want them to take it.”
"Of course, I want to perform too… but throwing in a new member at the last second without any rehearsals? That’s impossible. A band isn’t just a collection of instruments—it’s about playing together as one."
“Yeah, normally, that would be impossible… unless you’re a pro. But you know, Oda-kun has changed a lot since the second semester started. He’s brighter now, more confident when he speaks. In class, he answers questions like it’s nothing, and in P.E., he always stands out. As class rep, he pulled the whole school festival together. Honestly, it’s incredible.”
“I think so too, but… what does that have to do with this?”
“If someone like Oda-kun says he can do it… don’t you think maybe he really can?”
“That’s… but still…”
“Hey, Oda-kun. You’re saying you can really play the guitar in my place, right?”
“Yeah, I can.”
“Then I want to believe in you. I want to take that chance—so everyone can perform.”
“Mei…”
“Come on, let’s do it. Let’s make the live show happen.”
Hasumin and Nitta-san’s gazes locked.
Staring into Nitta-san’s determined eyes, Hasumin hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.
“…Alright. If Mei believes in you, then I do too. Asuka, Honoka—what about you two?”
She gave a firm nod before turning to the remaining two members.
“If we can pull it off, I’d love to. We practiced all summer without taking a break—might as well make it worth something.”
“Same here. My parents came to see the show, so if we can do it, I want to.”
“Then it’s settled! Shuhei-kun, will you handle the guitar?”
“Yeah, leave it to me.”
“You can use mine. It’s an unmodified Fender, so there shouldn’t be any weird quirks.”
“Got it.”
To be honest, I had no idea what Fender meant.
Probably some kind of brand or manufacturer.
No way my skill wouldn’t activate just because of that, right?
“Oh, right! I should introduce myself. I’m Kusunoki Asuka, the keyboardist. Class 1-1. Currently looking for a boyfriend. Nice to meet you!”
“I’m Akamatsu Honoka, the drummer. Class 1-3. You can call me Honoka… actually, no, just Akamatsu. Someone scary is glaring at me.”
“I am not glaring!”
“Huh? I never said I was talking about you, Hasumin.”
“Pfft—”
“Hawa!?”
Hasumin stiffened, letting out a squeaky, panicked sound.
She was clearly flustered.
“I saw the whole thing, Hasumin. You weren’t glaring at all.”
“Shuhei-kun, read the room and zip it for a second.”
“…Oh, uh, okay.”
Why, though?
I was trying to back her up, yet somehow, she got mad at me.
Feeling a little baffled but brushing it off with my usual steel mentality, I introduced myself in return.
“Uh, Kusunoki-san, Akamatsu-san. I’m Oda Shuhei from Class 1-5. Nice to meet you.”
“We already know who you are.”
“Hasumin talks about you all the time.”
“Wait, she does?”
“Oh yeah. Hasumin’s always going on about her little love sto—mghff!?”
“M-Mou! This isn’t the time for that! Mei, go get the sheet music and guitar! Everyone, we need to get ready for the live show!”
“Right.”
“Yes, yes, of course.”
“Mmmph… mghh…”
The last part got a little chaotic, but—
With that, I officially joined the band at the last minute. After scrambling to get everything ready, I stepped onto the gymnasium stage with the four of them.