"Hmm… even if it's just three thousand yen, it's still not bad!"
Tainaka Ritsu folded her arms as she looked at the envelope on the table, sighing with some satisfaction.
"Yeah, not bad at all," Akiyama Mio agreed with a nod. After all, she'd saved up the money for her bass all by herself back then.
"Adding it up, that makes eight thousand yen in total… Still quite a bit short," someone remarked.
"Hey, now—"
Sato suddenly spoke, drawing everyone's attention.
He looked at them, a little exasperated. "We'll only know the actual price after we visit the music store. Every instrument's priced differently, after all."
"That's true… Alright then! It's settled!"
Whish!
Everyone turned toward the suddenly fired-up Tainaka Ritsu.
With a burning spirit, Ritsu raised her fist and climbed onto the table. Gazing into the distance, she waved her arm grandly and declared in a booming voice, "Everyone! Our very first club activity is officially decided!"
"Date: This weekend!"
"Destination: The music store!"
Her voice echoed through the clubroom. But once it faded… an unnerving silence took over.
A few seconds passed, no one responded. Even Yui, who usually chimed in with the most enthusiasm, was silent.
Wait, huh?!
This wasn't right. Where was the reaction?!
Ritsu turned around in confusion and was met with four stunned faces.
Especially Sato, he looked like he'd just snapped out of a daze, quickly turning toward the window with exaggerated nonchalance.
And Ritsu could tell it was exaggerated, because his expression was far too unnatural. Was he… blushing?! Since when did Sato get all shy like that? Something was off—
Wait a minute!
A breeze swept through the room.
Suddenly, Ritsu felt a chill around her thighs.
She looked down and then toward her best friend, Akiyama Mio , whose face had turned bright red like a tomato. Reflected in her widened pupils was the fluttering of a skirt and a flash of white.
"AAAAAAHHHH!!!"
A scream sharp enough to pierce eardrums shattered the peace of the club building. It would later become the source of the school's urban legend: The Howling Banshee.
…
"I'm doomed… Completely doomed…"
Ritsu lay slumped on the desk, eyes lifeless, shooting daggers at Sato, who sipped his tea with impeccable calm.
At that moment, Sato truly looked innocent.
After all, it wasn't his fault. If anything, it was Ritsu who should be blamed. In fact, in some countries with stricter moral laws, he could have sued her for public indecency.
Because if a man did something like that in public, it'd be called harassment. But when a woman does it, it's somehow considered "fan service"…?
Ahem. Not that this wasn't exactly that, a bit of accidental fan service from the club president.
"I've told you before, Ritsu," Mio began, face still bright red, "As a girl, you really should—"
Her tone turned from scolding to full-on lecture, as she launched into a tirade about femininity and modesty.
Midway through, Ritsu suddenly sprang up, clapping her hands over her ears and shaking her head furiously.
"Ahhh! Mio, stop chanting like a monk! What's done is done! It's not like people haven't seen me in a swimsuit before!"
And then her eyes lit up with realization.
"That's it! That's the key!"
Ritsu had found a way to soothe her own embarrassment. Sure, she was tomboyish but deep down, she was still a girl, and what happened had definitely made her blush. But this? This was her excuse.
What's the difference, anyway?!
Mio, thrown off by Ritsu's bold declaration, began to actually consider the question.
What was the difference between someone seeing your underwear during normal life… and seeing it when you're in a swimsuit?
She fell silent.
Then she blushed harder.
Then she screamed.
"AAAAAAHHHH!!"
This scream was even louder than the last and would go down as another key moment in the legend of The Howling Banshee.
"W-what happened?!"
Still dizzy from that blast of sound, Ritsu panicked and looked around. She noticed movement under the desk, crouched down, and peeked beneath it.
"Mio! What's wrong?!"
There, curled up in a defensive crouch under the table, was Mio, face pale with panic.
Eyes glassy, she muttered, "T-that means… people have seen me in my swimsuit?!"
"Uhh…"
Ritsu didn't know how to answer.
If she said yes, Mio might never go swimming again.
But if she said no, she'd feel like she was lying to herself!
Sato watched the scene with a shrug. Honestly, who could he blame? Not himself, surely.
But just in case the president decided to take her embarrassment out on him, he figured it was best to make a tactical retreat.
"Well… if there's nothing else, I'll be heading off."
Grabbing his commuter bag, he made for the door, then paused and turned back to Ritsu.
"Oh, and… thanks for the meal."
Huh?
Ritsu blinked, then blushed fiercely and dashed to the door.
"Sato, you're dead meat tomorrow!!!"
"I'll just skip school then!"
His voice echoed down the stairwell.
"You try it and I'll march into your class and accuse you of seducing me and ditching me!"
"You win!"
…
Miwacho District
It was still drizzling lightly when Sato left the school. Along the way, cherry blossoms drifted down, struck by falling raindrops.
The narrow roads barely had enough space for a small car. Puddles filled every dip in the asphalt, petals floating on the surface. You couldn't tell how deep they were until you stepped in.
Sato walked quietly beneath his umbrella.
Though the rain was already tapering off and the apartment was just a few steps away, he didn't bother folding it—no reason to get drizzled on now.
Despite the little… "bonus" the club president had provided, there really wasn't any sense of lingering temptation.
Was her charm just too weak?
Sato wondered. It wasn't like Ritsu wasn't cute—objectively, she was a proper beauty.
"Hehe!"
Lost in thought, Sato suddenly heard a girlish giggle.
Looking up, he saw three girls walking toward him. At first, he didn't pay them much attention but as they got closer, he realized he recognized two of them.
Their eyes met. One girl looked momentarily flustered. Sato didn't think much of it…
Until he spotted the car barreling down the road behind them.
On a dry day, it might've been fine. But in the rain, with water everywhere?
As the tires hit the puddles, they sent a wave of water up into the air.
Sato instinctively shouted, "Watch out!"
The girls heard the car and quickly stepped aside.
The vehicle roared past, sending water splashing. The girls were only a few paces away from him, so Sato lunged forward and swung his umbrella to the side.
With a loud splash, water smacked into the umbrella and dripped down its sides…