To Join A Band
Everything is not fine.
“How long have you been playing the guitar?” Nijika asks, the same excited tone from when she first saw Kita coloring her words as she beams at her. Ryo is hunched forward beside her, head pillowed by her arms. She is eyeing the bowl of fries sitting beside Nijika. Kita sees her glance at the drummer, then promptly reaches out—
Nijika pushes the bowl as far as she can without even batting an eye.
A half-hearted noise of protest leaves Ryo’s lips as she faceplants on the table. “Meanie.”
“That’s your punishment for almost scaring our new guitarist away,” Nijika makes a batting motion. “Go get your fries in Saudi Arabia.”
Another groan. “Too far.”
“I’m glad we both agree that you’ll be too lazy to even think of actually going there.”
“I’m a woman of many talents and incredible will.”
“Well, your will of staying in one spot and sleeping is greater than your will of traveling to a whole other country.”
Kita would be enjoying the stand-up act if she is not too busy having a crisis.
Logically— something she has been lacking a supply of today, if Kita was being honest— she should be honest. So what if she has zero experience with playing the guitar— or any other instrument for that matter? What if she just bought her first guitar today? That is fine, because she could learn. She is a fast learner. She is pretty sure it would not even take a month to learn the basics of playing, that is how confident she is.
And if they are doubtful of that, or maybe doubtful of her effort, well, there is her phone. She could pull up her recent search history in Googlo, recently watched videos in O-Tube, and if that is still not enough, there is the solid, physical, definitely tangible Learning Guitar For Dummies book stashed in her bag. Right now.
Besides, the recruitment poster mentioned that newbies are welcome to join, and is she not one? And yes, maybe they are looking for a newbie with actual experience, but in the chance that they were, they would have put a disclaimer there, right? Yes.
So it is fine.
But what if it’s not?
Nijika is still engaged in her back-and-forth with Ryo, her animated energy clashing with the languid pace that Ryo sets for herself. It gives Kita time to think, and she does not like that. Because now she is thinking of Nijika’s bright smile, excited and expectant, as she asked if Kita could play the guitar. Then Ryo’s nonchalant attitude but sharp eyes, boring into her from the moment she approached, calculating and measuring.
And she imagines saying it— that she has no experience and she has never touched a guitar before. She imagines Nijika’s reaction, the animated energy fading, her bright smile dimming, a glimmer of disappointment in red eyes. She would never voice it out, Kita thinks, because she looks too kind for that. But she would still answer, a dejected oh, and it would kill Kita with guilt— for getting her hopes up.
Then there is Ryo, Yamada Ryo— the girl who played in the streets of Shinjuku, the one who caught her attention, the reason why she is here, in a place she has never been in before, looking like a lost kid. Kita could already picture the way her sharp eyes would dull with the information. Then her gaze would drift away from her— maybe even past her. Because the only thing truly interesting about her right now is the guitar. And without it, she would be—
Ordinary. A fun but dull life. Another faceless person in a crowd. Alone alone alone—
“Two years.”
Nijika pauses mid-sentence. Blinks. Then all at once her gaze is back on Kita, an amazed and excited grin stretching across her face. Kita swallows down the bitter aftertaste of the lie in her mouth.
“Really? That’s awesome!”
“It’s an on and off thing though.” Kita smiles back, fingers curling on her lap. Her throat burns. “I’m not that good yet.”
“That’s fine!” Nijika is quick to reassure, clapping her hands. Kita does not need to know her well to see that she is fired up. “We can work on the skill part later. I mean, we’re not that good either, so we’re all going to work for it. Together.”
“I’m good.”
“Seriously, where do you get that confidence from?”
“Right!” And Kita nods, ignoring the way her voice cracks a tad bit in the middle. “ Together .”
She sees the way Ryo lifts her head a smidge, gaze sharp with something. Accusation? Disapproval?
Kita does not look long enough to find out.
Bonus (aka the context why the dorito is angy):
“E-excuse me—” Kita pauses. Tries to clear her throat in the most discreet way possible. There is no way she would let herself sound like a nervous lost kid in front of Yamada Ryo. The Yamada Ryo. “Excuse me senpai, ” She did not mean to emphasize that word, but it is fine. This is fine. “Is this—”
“If you want to talk to the manager, she’s currently out shopping.”
Kita blinks. Ryo stares at her dead in the eye. “N-no, that’s not what I—”
“Bands go live at five.”
“That’s also not what—”
“If you don’t have a ticket yet, we start selling at four—”
“That's not what I’m here for!” Let me speak dang it!
“Oh?” Ryo shifts and Kita thinks that her deadpan tone changes, just a bit.
She chalks it up to imagination.
“I’m looking for the members of Kessoku band?” She flips her phone so it is facing Ryo and waves it back and forth. There, an Issta post of Kessoku Band’s recruitment ad in all it’s bright colors. “They said to contact the Starry staff but I’m already in the area so…”
“Oh, they broke up.”
Kita stares. Ryo’s face changes into something grave as she shrugs and leans back on her chair in all big movements.
She thinks her heart just broke in two.
“They… did?”
“Yeah,” Ryo turns to look at the empty bar counter, a heavy sigh leaving her lips. “One of them went away to a remote island somewhere in Saudi Arabia, hasn't heard from her since. Other one stayed here, though I don’t think you should talk to her, she’s still pretty sad from the whole thing y’kno—”
“I am pretty happy right now, thank you very much!”
Kita jumps at the sudden loud inclusion of another voice. Another girl appears from behind Ryo— was Kita too heartbroken to notice someone approaching them— and grips her shoulder. And all at once, the melancholic aura disappears and Ryo straightens up, like a cat caught breaking something live.
“Ow ow ow—”
“Hello! I’m Ijichi Nijika, 2nd year at Shimo-Kitazawa High.” The girl introduces herself with a beaming smile, ignoring the deadpanned complaints coming from the bassist beside her.
“U-um,” Kita is caught off-guard, her brain scrambling to formulate a response. “I’m Kita, 1st year at Shuka High, nice to meet you Ijichi-senpai…?”
“Nice to meet you too!”
“So, are you here to apply to be the guitarist-slash-vocalist for Kessoku Band? Which is still very much alive? ”