[Konrad H] Change of plans.
[Konrad H] Bring your school uniforms. Plus an extra pair, if you can.
The one time he finally got something else to wear, Konrad regretted it. But these impossible odds kicked his brain into a higher gear. Always loved himself a good challenge.
"Okay, sent that to the group chat," he said. "What else?"
"Ugh, I don't know. Think Ryu-chan's uniform will fit me?" the girl pondered while taking her piercings out. "Don't know where I left mine, but it's too late to go back for them anyway."
Yeah. She was tiny enough that even Kaede's clothes might have swallowed her whole.
"If all else fails, I'll use an illusion," Konrad claimed, covering for her in the corner of the green room. "But let's give it a shot. The goal is to recharge my mana, not to waste it."
"This'll be so weird, though," she mumbled. "We always played all dolled up."
She washed off most of her makeup by now, starting to look human.
And a cute one at that.
Why did girls make themselves uglier on purpose? He never understood.
"And that's exactly why," he explained. "Can't copy your old band's thing. Don't want to look like them—or like aliens, for that matter. We need all the sympathy we can get."
Which is why the uniform was his first idea.
Was the audience made up of high school girls?
Great. Then, they'll be a group of kids from the same schools. Be relatable.
"Come on, give me more to work with," Konrad urged. "How long to translate those songs?"
"Ugh, too long," Yuki-san moaned, rolling her eyes.
Yes. Both.
She pinned her hair to the side to wash her face, and the first time Konrad saw—
He was in for a surprise.
Next to the familiar dark brown, she had a bright green eye, too.
It was a difference so striking, he forgot what he wanted to say.
"What?!" the girl scoffed, hands on her hips. "Never seen heterochromia?!"
"Uh, no?" In fact, he didn't even know the term. But Konrad had to collect his jaw. "Is that, um—"
"No. Had it before the hospital, too. According to Oto-san."
"Beautiful," he let it slip.
And now that she didn't wear makeup, a deep blush crept on that pretty face.
"S-shut up. Help me translate the songs instead, Baka."
That was one hell of a task. For one, Konrad still didn't learn proper Japanese. He could speak, but only knew a few Hiragana. Or Katagana? He didn't even know which. Not Kanji, for sure.
And speaking the language was one thing.
To translate a song and make it fit and rhyme with the same lines?
"Ugh, why pick these with so many lyrics? And with hidden meanings, too," she moaned again.
Konrad couldn't agree more.
He scoured the internet in case someone else had already translated them.
"Found this, but you're the singer, check for accuracy," he said, a little relieved.
Of course, not every pick had a good translation—or any at all.
But while he was at it, he also searched for popular trends. What did teenage girls like these days? It was too late to learn brand-new songs, but they could tailor what they had a little.
"High-energy, huh? Hyper-fast bass scales, anime openings," Konrad mumbled, earning a glare.
"Stop playing, and help," Yuki-san cried out, almost snapping her pencil. "This one's crap. And this translation sucks, too. Fast bass scales you want? I'll switch back, but save me first."
"Wasn't playing," he protested. "But yeah, that's what this article says, here."
Too much to do, too little time.
At least Kaede and Midori-kun finally arrived a few minutes later.
"So, we're going full dark emo style, or dress in our school uniforms?!" the dragoness started with a complaint right away. "Make up your mind, bossman."
"Kaede," Konrad yelled, grabbing her shoulders to announce, "You'll sing with Yuki-senpai."
"I will what?!"
He didn't care to explain, only throwing the lyrics greenlit by the bassist at her.
"Midori-kun, I want you to double up the tempo in this song and that one," he said instead. He yanked on the Demon Lord's spare uniform, too, which was a tight fit. "Can you solo here?"
"You want me to improvise on the spot?" the mage asked, crossing his arms. "Sure, why not?"
As expected, Kaede's set was too big for Yuki-san.
But with the blouse untucked and the skirt rolled down, it gave her that typical rebel look.
Not the over-the-top emo-rocker type, but one the girls her age could relate to.
"Kawaii," the dragoness yelled, throwing her arms around the bassist. "Your eyes are crazy, too, Yuki-chan. Why'd you ever want to hide something like this? My hazel looks basic next to you."
The de-emoified victim got even more flustered now.
Had they got time to spare, Konrad would've stopped to enjoy the moment, but—
"Kaede, lyrics," he snapped instead. "Go practice with Yuki-san, and sing a third above her."
"While drumming? You crazy?!" she argued, still coiled tight around the little one in the oversized uniform. "We've, like, one hour before the show."
"Yeah, so get to it," Konrad demanded, his confidence stemming from desperation.
He couldn't waver, no matter what.
If they didn't throw in everything, they'd lose. And if they did but failed, at least they tried.
"On one condition," the dragoness raised a finger, staring him down. "You'll sing, too."
So, about wavering—
"I have a terrible voice," he said, going pale. "And no way I could pull it off in Japanese."
"Oh, I've an idea," Yuki-san's muffled voice broke through Kaede's hug. "American Idiot. You and I will sing it as a duet. We'd switch after each line, you in English, me in Japanese."
He'd protest, but—that sounded great.
And American Idiot had a lot of lines yelled into silence.
Singing with the guitar was too difficult for him, but during pauses?
That, he could do. He had to. And he knew the lyrics, too.
"Fine," he sighed, clutching his hands to calm their trembling. "But I still have to write a speech."
That caused all the eyebrows to climb high around him.
"I mean, I had no idea people hated immigrants. Got to put a spin on the band's name," he explained. "Even before we start playing, it has to make us relatable. Oh, and the new order—"
They were to play one song at a time, taking turns with the other band, who'd go first.
"We'll go with American Idiot after their opening and make it as sarcastic as possible, then—"
"They're here," Kaede whispered, giving him the chills as she touched his shoulder. "You said it was a pink-haired guy, and four emo twinks, right? They're entering the building as we speak."
That scared the living daylight out of Konrad.
Then it hit him.
"Wait, how d'you know?!"
"Birds," Kaede explained with a shrug, but without explaining anything.
Rolling her eyes, she added.
"I'm a dragon, remember? Can control all kinds of beasts." So she did, in fact, have recovered way too much mana already. "I've set up eyes around the entire block in case, y'know—"
Right. He was so hyper-focused on winning the event that he forgot.
Lucifer's lackeys could attack them at any moment.