First time in a professional studio, and I felt dangerously alive. We were laying down MTB's first track as a band—well, most of us. Sora and Rei were sprawled across the couch, looking half-listening, half-bored, waiting for their turns.
Kurogane handled the hook.
"Kuchi kara deta uso, ima tsukamaeta zo
Pinokio no hana, nobichijinde mou uso dame zo
Machi ga kagu yo, hito no kage de ikiteru no
Sore nano ni omae ga ichiban dekai koto iu no"
Perfect hook, calling out all those clout chasers pretending to be someone they're not.
The first verse was mine. I decided to amp up the lyricism, just in case.
"Forsaken the wizard, I go abra-cadabra
Gangsta rapper turn out fake, hit em with the ta-da
When you rap all we hear is basically blah blah
My reaction? Haha
You're full of crap, yeah
Like a baby you go goo goo gaga
Want some candies? M&Ms
You and MTV still thinks the best MC is Eminem
Yeah, just like Japan's currency is euro
And the best anime in the world is made by Telemundo
Ore mo ame no soto de sangurasu cause you know
Nothing makes sense in this hip hop, hip hop"
Kurogane laughed as he leaned back in the chair.
"Eyoooo, that's some bars. You went off, man."
Sora sat up a little on the couch, eyebrows raised.
"Whoa… okay, okay. That's fire. You're not holding back at all."
Rei tilted his head, smirking lazily.
"Not bad… not bad at all. But seriously, you just murdered some imaginary rappers in there."
I passed the mic to Sora first. He leaned into it, energy practically crackling around him. Fast, sharp, relentless—like a storm chasing down every fake rapper in the city.
Sora spat:
"Hashiri nukero, ore no beat de,
Uso no yatsu wa subete defeat,
Koko ja ore ga ruler, check the heat,
Neon no machi de, flashin' elite!
Miteiro? Kimi no mask wa pure bluff,
Ore no flow ni wa tsubusu rough,
Shinka shinai yatsu wa fade away,
MTB no team saikou, get out the way!"
The words hit like bullets. The room seemed to vibrate with it.
Then Rei took the mic, a darker presence, low and steady, almost like his voice carried the shadows of every lie, every fake persona he'd ever seen. Emo, bitter, cutting:
"Kawaranai yatsu, uso no shinkou,
Ore wa miteiru, omae no konjou,
Kowareta heart, make it echo loud,
Ore no yoru, omae wa in the crowd,
Kawaranai kage, omae wa faker,
Ore no verse de, miseru real taker,
Shinjitsu dake ga nokoru kono track,
Fureru na yatsu wa, just step back."
And… we were set.
After some final tweaks and mix mastery from Maestro, the track was ready. We uploaded it to YouTube—temporarily on Kurogane's channel until we launched our own.
MTB – Uwasa.
The numbers didn't lie. 250k views in the first three days. Mostly from Nagano Prefecture, apparently—but it didn't matter. People were listening.
I leaned back, headphones off, letting the bass settle in my chest. Kurogane was grinning ear to ear. Sora stretched dramatically across the couch, looking way too pleased with himself. Rei just smirked, hair falling over one eye, muttering something about fake rappers in the comments.
I yawned, the exhaustion catching up to me. Yet the adrenaline kept me alive.
This was just the beginning.
The reception? Pretty mixed, if you ask me.
Some people loved it. Comments like:
"Forsaken's verse hit different 🔥🔥🔥"
"Sora and Rei killed their parts too. MTB is next level!"
"Uwasa gonna be stuck in my head all week. Sick track!"
Some people… not so much.
"Why is Forsaken even on this? His part is good on mute."
"This isn't real hip hop, just cringe flexing. This happens when no one tells 4 hood rats they suck."
"Rei's emo vibes are wasted here. Sora's too try-hard."
Anyway.
Summer vacation was looming ahead, and I had big plans for my first mixtape. I'd bring the gang in for features. Kurogane could handle the cloud rap ones, Sora could tear up the faster tracks, and Rei? Definitely on the emotional ones.
All in all, things were going good when it was more about music and less about real life.
And so it happened that one afternoon, while I was taking a stroll through Nakamachi, I spotted Inazuki.
Except… she wasn't alone.
She was clinging to some guy with spiky red hair who looked just as delinquent as I did. Maybe more. The kind of guy who probably spent more time getting into fights than going to class.
So Inazuki's into delinquents, huh?
That actually explained a lot. Why she'd been nice to me from the start. Why she never seemed bothered by the rumors around me.
Still… that wasn't my business.
The moment I realized who it was, instinct kicked in. I turned slightly, ready to disappear before she noticed me.
I slipped into the music shop. The vinyl section wasn't really catching my eye—it was mostly a way to distract myself.
Somehow, I found myself humming… or maybe muttering… something, completely at random.
"Fuck that bozo that you like so bad
I know I'd be better for you in the end
I say fuck that bozo that you think you found
I'd come up on you when he's not around"
…Wait, what the hell?
Yeah… no. I was just paying homage to a good song, that's all.
Still, something inside me felt restless. Like I needed to take the edge off. Coke. Weed.
Anything, really.
I pulled out my phone and opened LINE.
Kurumi was online.
I stared at the screen for a moment, thumb hovering over the keyboard… then scrolled past.
Nah.
If she doesn't text first, I'm not chasing.
Tetsu, then. He might be busy, but that was fine. As long as it came eventually. My stash was running low anyway.
I typed a quick message.
Wanna go out play some soccer? ⚽
He'll get it.
One thing the streets teach you early—never ask for drugs out in the open.
You use code.
Always.
My phone buzzed a couple minutes later.
Tetsu: Drop by my place at 7 PM.
That's… three hours from now.
Great.
I exhaled slowly, shoving the phone back into my pocket.
You know what? Screw it. I'll just head home for now. Grab an Uber or something.
I wasn't in the mood to waste any more time wandering around the city.
With that in mind, I headed for the station exit.
The moment the doors slid open, the summer air of Nakamachi hit me like a punch.
Twenty-six degrees.
Hot. Sticky. The kind of heat that clings to your skin and refuses to let go.
I barely noticed.
My mind was already somewhere else as I walked toward the pickup point.
Then I saw her.
Standing on a bench near the sidewalk.
Inazuki.
For a second I almost didn't recognize her.
Her mascara had completely run down her cheeks, black streaks cutting through her makeup.
Her shoulders were shaking.
She was crying.
Badly.
…Damn.
Against my better judgment, I headed toward her.
When Inazuki noticed me, she quickly wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand, smearing the mascara even worse. A second later, she forced a small smile and waved me over like nothing was wrong.
Yeah. Nice try.
I lifted a hand when I reached the bench.
"Yo."
Inazuki sniffed, rubbing her nose before letting out a weak laugh.
"Wow… you really know how to greet a girl who's having a breakdown, Shiba-kun."
She wiped her cheek again, shoulders still trembling slightly.
"…Sorry you had to see me like this."
I sat down beside her.
"Hey… if I hadn't seen you like this, I probably wouldn't have come over," I admitted with a small shrug.
"I'm kinda in a rush. But I couldn't just walk past you either, so… I guess that makes me a decent friend. Or something."
I rubbed the back of my neck.
Alright. No point dancing around it.
"So, what happened?" I asked. "You have a fight with your boyfriend or something?"
Inazuki stared down at her hands for a moment, fingers twisting together.
"…Something like that," she murmured.
She sniffed and tried to laugh it off, but it came out shaky.
"He just… bailed on me," she said, kicking the edge of the bench with her sandal. "His boys called and suddenly it was 'sorry Mika, gotta go.'"
She puffed her cheeks, annoyed, wiping under one eye again.
"Like, excuse me? I'm literally standing right there."
A small sigh escaped her.
"…Guess hanging with the guys was more important."
I thought about it for a second.
I wouldn't bail on Kurumi like that. Then again… when we hooked up, it was usually at my place.
We didn't exactly walk around Matsumoto holding hands or going on dates.
After our trip to Itoigawa, she got busier anyway.
…Eh. There's a time and place for everything.
I looked Inazuki straight in the eye.
"Wow," I said flatly. "That sucks."
I tilted my head slightly.
"And you're just gonna take that?"
Yeah, I might sound blunt, but still.
If he does that regularly, the guy's kind of an asshole.
Inazuki blinked at me, clearly caught off guard by the bluntness.
Then she let out a small, tired laugh.
"W-Well… it's not like he always does it," she said, rubbing the back of her neck. "His friends just kinda… drag him along sometimes."
She puffed her cheeks a little, glancing away.
"…Still sucks, though."
"Ah, yeah," I muttered. "The classic excuse."
I love him too much.
I leaned back slightly on the bench.
"Well… at least your boyfriend actually spends time with you," I said with a dry chuckle. "My girlfriend doesn't even reply for hours sometimes. And I can literally see she's online."
I let out a slow sigh, rubbing the back of my neck.
"People turn into complete idiots the moment they start caring about someone, huh?"
For a second, Inazuki just stared at me.
Then she giggled softly through the last traces of her tears.
"You're seriously the worst person to vent to right now," she said, nudging my shoulder lightly with hers.
But the smile she gave me this time was a little more genuine.
"…Still," she added quietly, wiping her cheek again, "kinda nice knowing I'm not the only idiot."
I rubbed the back of my neck, looking at her with my usual flat expression.
"…Sorry if I sound weird," I said. "I'm kinda socially awkward. Not really used to talking to girls."
I paused.
"…Or people in general."
That made her chuckle softly.
Acting on pure instinct, I opened my arms and leaned a little closer.
Inazuki blinked, clearly surprised. Like she hadn't expected that from me at all.
But after a second, she leaned in too.
Her arms wrapped around me shyly, careful at first.
"Hey," I murmured. "You're a strong girl."
I gave her shoulder a small pat.
"Just tell him it bothers you. Talk it out. Us guys are pretty stupid. Half the time we don't even realize something's wrong unless a girl spells it out."
For a moment she didn't say anything.
Then I felt her arms tighten around me.
Like she didn't want to let go just yet.
Inazuki pressed her cheek against my shoulder, voice quiet but steady.
"Yeah… maybe you're right. I guess I just… didn't want to start a fight. But… thanks, Shiba-kun. It… really helps, having someone actually listen."
Her grip softened slightly, but she didn't pull away.
"You're a good friend," she murmured.
I let the words hang. Yeah… I guess friends was all we could be.
We're both seeing someone.
"Always," I said quietly. "I'm not used to having friends, but… if I can help, I will."
Finally, she let go, but not before playfully catching my nose between her fingers.
"Don't overthink it, silly," she said with a soft smile. "You helped me a lot today."
I smirked faintly, rubbing the bridge of my nose where her fingers had been.
"Yeah… yeah, I guess that's what friends are for."
She tilted her head, giving me that teasing little grin that somehow made the tension lift a bit.
"Exactly. Just… don't go turning into some emo recluse now, okay?"
I chuckled, shaking my head.
"Too late for that, Inazuki."
She laughed softly, and for a moment, the heat of the summer and all the chaos of Nakamachi felt miles away.
We chatted for a couple of minutes, the summer heat still lingering on the pavement.
I finally stood from the bench, stretching my shoulders, and she mirrored me. Together, we walked down toward the pickup point.
I tapped a few buttons on my phone and summoned an Uber.
"Hey… you going home too?" I asked, glancing at her as we waited, the warm evening breeze ruffling her hair.
"Umm… yeah," she said, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, glancing sideways like she was both embarrassed and annoyed at herself for having to admit it.
"Where do you live? I could add a stop if you don't mind coming with me."
She wrinkled her nose, one brow quirking up, the faint hint of a pout on her lips.
"Won't that be… more expensive?" she said, dragging out the last word like she was teasing.
I shrugged, letting the scent of hot asphalt and her faint perfume mix in the air. "Eh… I'll cover it. Consider it… a friend discount."
She snorted, a small laugh escaping despite herself, and rolled her eyes. "Fine. But only because you're weirdly stubborn, Shiba-kun."
Her stop was past Nakamachi—near Shimonii Station. About 20 minutes from where I lived.
We waited for another 5 minutes.
A Tesla rolled up.
Inazuki blinked, smirked, and tossed her hair.
"You're such a show off," she said, teasing.
We slid into the back. Short ride. She leaned against the window, fiddling with her phone, laughing at nothing, tossing comments over her shoulder. I stayed quiet. Didn't need to talk.
When we reached her stop, she hopped out, bag slung over her shoulder. Hair bouncing, she turned, smirked, and waved.
"Thanks… for today, Shiba‑kun," she said quietly, voice lilting, a little teasing, a little honest. "See you around."
I nodded, watching her walk into the shadows of the street, the neon signs flickering behind her.
As the Tesla drove off, I exhaled slowly, chest heavy.
Some things didn't need words. Some things would stick, no matter what.
And yeah… this was one of those things.