I guess my practice has come along well enough.
Inside RiNG, Kikukawa Kyo lightly tapped the keys, and the keyboard responded faithfully, producing the precise notes she wanted. Those notes, in turn, formed a melody—smooth, flowing, and deliberate.
She had been practicing for nearly three hours since noon. Compared to the version of herself who had been treating the keyboard like a piano at the start, she was almost unrecognizable now.
I wonder how my skill ranks at this point? Am I at least on par with the average student band member?
In this era of major band girl fever, school bands were growing stronger by the day. Gone were the times when most groups were just for show—little more than kids playing pretend.
I should be at least average, right? Though, after just a single afternoon of practice, there was no way she could match Sakiko's skill level from her CRYCHIC days.
I'll have her evaluate me next time. At the very least, I should be able to hold my own in a band…
That is, as long as Natsuki doesn't expect me to meet Sakiko's standards right from the start.
"Kyo, you're improving so fast!" Ririko exclaimed from the side, watching in admiration. She had been observing Kyo's practice all afternoon, and the progress was unreal—not step by step, but leaps and bounds.
Whenever she made a mistake, she would focus on correcting it, play it properly two or three times, and then never repeat the same error. Every new attempt showed visible improvement, like an iterative machine constantly upgrading itself.
"They're just fairly simple songs," Kyo replied.
She wasn't being overly modest, either. The book Ririko had given her was a relatively new one, filled with piano sheet music for popular songs, even marked with big, bold letters on the cover: 'Essential Pieces for Beginners'.
Most of the songs were simplified arrangements. A single glance was enough for Kyo to tell that they weren't particularly difficult.
"Even so, it's still impressive! If there were a few more of you, Kyo, you could just form an entire band by yourself!"
Ririko suddenly pictured it—multiple Kyos, identical in appearance but each with a slightly different hairstyle, playing different instruments.
Keyboardist Kyo, with long twin-tails draped over her shoulders, swaying fluidly as her fingers danced across the keys.
Drummer Kyo, hair left loose, striking the drums with passionate intensity.
Guitarist and bassist Kyos, each tying their hair into high and low ponytails, exuding both charm and an effortless coolness.
And finally, the lead vocalist Kyo—her hair in a small, round bun at the back of her head, just like the real Kikukawa Kyo. Her voice, crisp and cool, yet her expressions ever-changing: a mischievous wink and a sly smile one moment, an innocent, unguarded gaze the next, then suddenly shifting to a teasing smirk as she playfully taps a finger against her lips…
Wow, the more I think about it, the more amazing this idea sounds.
"You know," Ririko mused aloud, "with modern editing techniques, we might actually be able to make a video like that…"
Her mind raced with ideas, the vision growing clearer by the second. She glanced at Kyo, who was staring at her in utter confusion, and couldn't help but chuckle to herself.
"Ririko-san… that laugh is kind of unsettling."
Kyo instinctively leaned back, subtly taking a step away from Ririko, who now looked suspiciously close to entering full-on delusional mode.
"Ahem. Anyway, I think I'll wrap up my practice here for today. Thanks for letting me use the keyboard for free."
"Hehe… Hm?" Ririko blinked, snapping out of her daydream. "Oh, no problem at all! The instruments here are meant for young musicians to play with freely. Next time, you could try renting a more advanced one!"
"Got it—"
Waving goodbye to Ririko, Kyo stepped out of RiNG and paused at the entrance.
Her mind wandered back to what Raana had said to her at noon.
Kyo had always been aware of her shortcomings. She had accepted them, worked to overcome them.
But hearing Raana bluntly criticize her like that…
Somehow, it stung even more than when Mutsumi had seen right through her carefully maintained facade.
Was it painful? Did it break her down? Not really.
But no matter what she did, Kyo couldn't shake the thought from her mind. It was like a stone lodged in her chest, weighing her down.
At the root of it all was fear—the fear that, despite all her efforts over the years, she hadn't made any real progress. Had she actually changed from the person she used to be, that lifeless version of herself?
Or had she merely decorated the surface of a stagnant pond with a few pretty petals, convincing herself it had come alive?
Stop overthinking. Kyo warned herself. This is just pointless mental exhaustion. It does nothing to help me reach what I want.
She looked up at the sky—clear blue, with soft, drifting clouds. A perfect sunny day.
"It hasn't rained in a while," she murmured. The last time had been the night before the school term started. She was lucky to have woken up in the middle of the night—otherwise, she would have missed even that rainfall.
If only it rained now... Maybe then, I'd feel better.
"Alright! I'll just take a bath when I get home."
If nature wouldn't provide the rain, she'd create a watery world of her own. A cool drink in hand, the bathroom lit with soft yellow light, sinking into a bathtub full of warm water... As she lowered herself into the bath, she could imagine the buoyant force gently cradling her legs, her waist, her back—enveloping her completely until every inch of her skin felt the subtle pressure of the water.
Ahh...
Her smile at that thought was far more composed than Ririko's giddy, absentminded chuckles earlier.
Pushing aside her worries, Kyo headed home. But just as she was approaching her street, she spotted an unusual trio walking ahead of her—heading in the exact direction of her house.
Sakiko? And Anon and Tomori too?
The three of them walked in an oddly balanced formation—Anon in the center, with Sakiko and Tomori flanking her on either side.
At first glance, it seemed like Anon was the focal point, yet Sakiko was positioned slightly ahead of them, taking the lead.
Kyo blinked, immediately piecing together the situation.
They must have heard I was sick and decided to visit.
Sakiko, knowing Kyo's address, naturally walked in front, while Anon and Tomori, unaware of the way, followed along. Sakiko was probably maintaining her usual half-distant attitude toward Tomori, while Tomori—though she knew Sakiko no longer disliked her—was still unsure of how to interact with this version of Sakiko, who had changed so much from before.
And so, Anon had ended up in the middle, acting as the buffer between them.
Should I wait until they reach my front door… then suddenly jump out and scare them?
The idea made Kyo grin to herself.
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