NOVEL NEXT Chapter 11: Disband
'The stage of the Stars', or 'Shimori Studio'. Akane had been currently living here with her sister since the Shimori sisters had transferred to Tokyo City. An interesting setting was that they were originally from Yokohama City. They lived at the home of Shimori Mitsumi in Tokyo City. Not only did it be near the Stardust Academy, but also Waseda University, where Akari was studying in this city. Shimori Mitsumi, a female beta, was a manager and owner of this building. She lent the stage for many young promising bands to shine dazzlingly and the studio for them to release their album.
The first floor of the building was the main soul and also the most income of Mitsumi. The Live Stage for many bands transmitted their love, passion, words, and communication through music no matter its genre. The transaction between the band and the owner of the live house was kind of simple. You booked the stage with a certain price, and your band would take responsibility for paying. Whether the tickets needed to be sold, or you would have to pay your private money to pay for the rent stage. It could be said that the lesser the audience the band had, the lesser the fee the band could earn to develop or maintain. Akari's band met this problem.
The second floor would be the mid-end studio. There was a recording room with good sound-resistance quality. That room had half the space of the stage on the first floor. Although it was not as good as some well-known or luxurious studios that Suiri had experienced in the past, at least, the equipment and necessary stuff were well-maintained, neat, and clean. Moreover, the instruments, the computer, the microphone, and speakers, all had high-end brand labels stuck on them.
While the two floors focused on work, the third floor was where the Shimori family was living and doing their daily activities. The guest room was also the main living hall. There were 5 rooms. Mitsumi and the Shimori sisters occupied 3 rooms as the rest would be used for guests, relatives, or storing some stuff.
To be surprise, the final floor was for the garden on the rooftop. Mitsumi had a hobby in which she planted eatable plants, fruits, and flowers to decorate her garden. This place was surprisingly relaxing, which brought peace of mind for others as if isolated from the outside world. Suiri also wanted to own a place like this when she got older.
The next moment.
"Meow~ meow~"
A white-furred cat suddenly approached Suiri and called out to her. This white round ball was doing a coquettish operation under Suiri's feet. He rubbed his head on the long white skirt and showed his comfortable expression. Suiri's face was frozen, but soon she regained her senses. Her expression softened when she found he was so cute.
She held her skirt to squat down and fondle this little guy.
"Ara~, Shiho-chan seemed to quite like you"
Mitsumi chuckled at the scene where the white-haired girl innocently played with her cat.
Akane exclaimed.
"This little guy doesn't like strangers, yet you've conquered him. How did do that?"
"I don't know"
Suiri didn't know the answer. This fluffy ball just wanted her attention to rub him as she saw how satisfied his expression was. In her previous life, she didn't even have a pet to accompany her because she was busy with many side part-time jobs. It could be described that her last life didn't have a single rest. How could she have time to take care of them? Her schedules were always occupied and the vacant hole didn't exist in it. She sold her health to the Minazuki family, but she didn't even feel them being grateful or trusting of her. Therefore, she decided to live a slow but ensured way in this life.
As if Shiho felt the sadness, sorrow, and depression in those icy blue with slightly blood-red eyes. He stopped her hand stroking him and jumped his body to throw himself into her embrace. Suiri was shocked by the operation of this little fluffy ball in her arms. Not only her but also the Shimori people, they hadn't witnessed how Shiho was trying to get closer to other people.
Suiri felt comforted by this little guy.
"Shiho-chan, nyan nyan~"
Sasaki and the Shimori people had to wash their ears again as if they heard something that they shouldn't have. The voice was so sweet like pouring a pack of sugar into their mouth, which made their body have some symptoms of diabetes.
*cough, cough*
Especially, Alpha like Sasaki raised several points of determination to protect this Omega as her instinct kicked in.
Mitsumi covered her mouth.
"So cute~"
However, Akane...
"Who are you?!!!"
"???"
Suiri hadn't realized what she had done yet. She was perplexed as to why her teacher suddenly threw her this confusing question.
"Where is my student? When did you replace her?"
"..."
"Sensei, your new game?"
Suiri stood up and held the white ball in her chest. She looked at her teacher to process the situation.
"..."
Akane on the other hand was speechless. This girl didn't even realize what she had done. Was she a natural seductress?
No, she was too young to know the operation of the adult world.
"Aka-chan, this is rude"
Mitsumi reprimanded her.
Akane coughed awkwardly to skip this almost sensitive topic. She indeed heard those students at school badmouthing Suiri when her body exuded the violent sexy atmosphere outside. Ignorant children would find it out of jealousy to find fault and try to ruin her image. All were for finding a place of superiority and a sense of comfort in their hearts. This time, she doubted the rumor because this girl was doing it subconsciously.
*cough, cough, cough*
"I'm sorry"
"Hah~, student Suiri, Nothing, nothing, let's go downstairs to talk"
"Ah, um yes"
Suiri replied and her hand rubbed the belly of the little white ball. His face showed an extremely relaxed expression and felt satisfied with the current situation. Nonetheless, the inner turmoil of Sasaki got worse when she looked at the smug-like face of this little thief cat.
Sasaki saw the little guy leaning on between the huge twin hills of her master as if he used it for a cushion. Soon, his eyes met her. He realized what this girl was thinking. He used his hand boldly to molest Suiri's chest and his back to lean as comfortably as possible on this newfound cushion. His face showed a look 'Look, human, your people is mine now', which made Sasaki have a surge of anger inside her heart.
No one at the scene noticed the frustrated feeling of Sasaki because she didn't let it out. This sour vinegar, who could explain what happened to her? Looking at the smug face of that little cat, she felt humiliated and insulted.
In the original plot, Sasaki had to suffer many unreasonable orders from 'Suiri'. She gritted her teeth to complete each and tried her best to serve with no question. Yet, this was Haruto. Everything was chilling and she didn't have much thing to do like the original one except for protecting her from those stinky beta men and alphas in general. In this life, she had much more time to think and process human emotions.
It was just that Suiri didn't have any idea about her 'wings' blowing away the plot without her knowing.
Suiri wondered if her embrace was so comfortable that the little white ball wanted her to spoil him more and more. 'This greedy cat~' Suiri thought. She didn't mind him because his fur was so fluffy that she wanted to fondle and enjoy it.
"You three go down first, I will harvest some ripened fruits to treat you"
"And take good care of Shiho-chan"
"Yes, Auntie"
"Thanks, Shimori-obaa-san, I will"
Suiri politely bowed.
Sasaki just nodded her head to signal to leave but her eyes were stuck on Shiho.
Third floor, The Shimori Building.
Suiri was holding the little guy and molesting him mercilessly. Who told him to be so comfortable in her hand?
"Hum, this bastard, I have to spend much effort to fondle him. Yet, he jumped in your arms affectionately"
"Shiho, are you really my cat?!!"
Akane inquired like she was investigating a criminal.
Akane looked at the little white ball in Suiri's arms with unfriendly eyes as if she wanted to swallow him to death.
'I worked hard in society and wasted my sweat and blood to feed pâté for him. Yet, in his eyes, the outsider was better than me. How could I accept it?'. Akane angrily scolded this ungrateful bastard.
But the subject in the question closed his eyes and slept peacefully due to the gently caressing hands of Suiri.
'I can't hear you'. Shiho innocently showed his cute sleeping face.
"Gununununu..." Akane was unwilling.
She had adopted him since he was a little kitten. At that time, she just moved from Yokohama to Tokyo. When she was studying at Waseda University, she caught that little guy, who was just born and abandoned, having malnutrition. She couldn't wait to take him home and raise him until now.
'Maybe I spoiled him too much'. Akane thought. However, she was also surprised by his action today. In the past, he was unfriendly toward anyone except for her family members. Suiri must have some kind of charm so that this guy was willing to let her fondle.
Suiri was watching her teacher's resentful expression toward Shiho. She chuckled.
"Sensei, Shiho is always obedient like this?"
Akane exhaled a long sigh.
"Hah~, Yes, but rebellious toward outsiders except for you"
"He and you have a lot of common points"
When Akane finished her sentence, Suiri's eyelids reacted.
"Maybe that's why he lowers his defense for you"
"Like the same kind"
Actually, Akane felt that her intuition was quite accurate. Suiri was like a cat. She hated socializing with others, troubles, and clubs. Moreover, she always hid herself in her comfort zone and never stepped out of it. Her lifestyle could be said to be like a cat, which was not wrong.
"Hmm...."
Suiri humped as she doubted. In fact, she didn't want to admit that her sensei clearly saw through her, which made her a little scared when facing those people. If they had no ill intention, she would sigh a relief.
"But sensei, what will I do in this non-official club?"
Suiri tried to sneak away from the attack of her teacher, which made Akane helpless. She realized this girl was trying to run away again when she intended to dig a little bit deeper by using relation with her cat.
"You girl...~"
"Of course, we will compose new songs to perform there and at the school festival"
"Maybe, when you sing, you can communicate with the world"
Suiri tilted her head dumbfoundedly. 'Akane-sensei, did you watch anime and read the manga too much? You believed I would come back to my old self by singing'. Suiri retorted in her mind.
On the surface, Akane didn't find something wrong with this girl. Suiri just nodded her head.
"It will be official soon if we have enough members"
"Hmm..."
It meant there would be more problem children in the future. Suiri understood the hidden meaning behind her teacher's sentence. She didn't know what to do. She just felt herself empty when thinking about the future. Just like the lyrics she had finished writing.
The next moment, Suiri took out a piece of paper with her mobile phone and gave it to Akane. The little guy was put on her lap and frowned a little because he lost his special cushion.
"Sensei, it's my idea of this song. Can you give me an opinion and check out if there is any plagiarism...?"
"SO FAST!!!"
Akane yelled in disbelief.
You must know that creating a new piece is not easy at all. This girl must be a pervert in the music industry.
Akane, herself, also had some experiences when she was active in her band. It was the pain in the *ss because your preference did not exactly satisfy the audience.
"You told me to write based on what my thought was"
"Then, it's here"
Akane nodded and received the first-hand product of her student. After a while, she was stunned. She had a feeling this girl emphasized the word 'plagiarism', but she just thought that it was just a symptom of occupational disease.
She continuously repeated the same process. She looked at the lyrics, then Suiri's face.
"Sensei, focus on my work, not my face"
Akane laughed awkwardly.
"Ahahaha~, sorry"
What was she thinking? It was so deep and confusing. Let alone the lyrics, what a realistic point of view!!! Akane was so shocked by this girl's brain. Was she really a 12-year-old wealthy daughter? Akane's brain was buzzing as she found it hard to accept. It was not that she was jealous or something, because the lyrics didn't match with the information that she investigated about Suiri in the past.
If you looked at the lyrics, you would think that the composer was more than 20 years old. How could she have this point of view? The ordinary spoiled wealthy young lady wouldn't have such a view. However, with this Suiri, Akane had to reconsider this girl's situation.
Akane realized that she had a fixed thinking or prejudice about the common wealthy daughters due to socializing with them in school. They were proud, arrogant, and had high self-esteem. Not to mention, today, this girl also added garlic to her ramen bowl, which was enough for Akane to throw away this view. No girls could stand the smell of garlic in the ramen shop as they were afraid of its lingering smell.
Today alone with Suiri, Akane had learnt many sides about her.
'Oblivious summer'
The title of the song brought a sad feeling immediately.
"..."
The more her eyes scrolled down the page, the more astonished she was.
"Is it your thought?"
Suiri emotionlessly replied.
"Yes"
"Is it really your thought?"
"Yes"
"Is it really really really your thought?"
"Yes, sensei, I have the right to suspect that you are trying to screw me"
Akane regained her composure after reading the first-hand lyrics. Her brain was working full of capacity to process how to deal with this problem kid. Then, She turned the melody in Suiri's phone to play at the same time as she matched the lyrics with the song.
"Hah~, the lyrics..."
"Yeah, my strong and aggressive arrangement will fill it in general as they harmonize with each other"
"That's not the case"
Akane retorted.
"What do you mean, sensei?"
Akane doubted her life. When she was in the band, the approximate time to create a new song would be more than 3 days depending on talent. Yet, this girl had finished it in 2 days, both the melody and the lyrics. What was more outrageous was that she thought Suiri was a pianist!!!
"Your song doesn't have any problems"
"The problem is your brain!!!"
"My brain??"
Suiri was puzzled.
"I remember that you're a pianist"
"How could you associate with Rock so soon!!!?"
Akane lost her composure as she met this situation. She thought about her plan yesterday. She would introduce the Rock genre in general, then guide Suiri step by step and intrude into her heart by the way. She had underestimated this girl!!
"Isn't there a piano play in this song?"
Suiri innocently asked.
"No!!! It was not the case!"
"You can play electric and acoustic guitar, drum, piano, violin, bass, and melodica in there!!!!"
Suiri pondered for a while, then nodded honestly.
"..."
Akane felt that she was jealous of this girl because she could play multiple instruments. Her violin playing in this song was exquisite. If it was applied in Violin Contestant, she would win for sure although it lasted 4 seconds only. She found that she was addicted to those notes.
Akane sighed and gave her opinions.
"Humu~ your song should be Pop-rock because it was not too harsh unlike metal Rock"
Akane understood because Suiri originally had a chilling but aggressive style, which attracted many listeners when they were in contact with Suiri's music for the first time. Hard metal rock was not suitable for her.
"Your style also represents in there. Despite shortening the linking notes, you also realized that in composing a song having lyrics, those notes should be more in the shadow to support the vocalist"
"It is seamless and ends at the right time. Your piano becomes the backing of the song and it doesn't steal the spotlight of other instruments"
"Your basics are solid"
"..."
Akane finished her professional comments and didn't know what to do next. Everything had already been good. She just needed to check plagiarism on the copyright side. If it passed, there would be no problem to finish and release it. Was she right in this direction? Today, this girl brought to her many surprises.
Currently, Akane had a headache when she finished the overview.
On the other hand, Sasaki widened her eyes because this melody was the humming melody on the school rooftop. She remembered it clearly because she deeply ingrained it into her brain at that moment. Although she didn't know any deep things in the music field, she could distinguish the notes. She admired her little master more and more.
At the stairs, Mitsumi came down with a dish of purple grapes on it.
"Here we are"
"What are you guys doing?"
Before Akane realized it, it was too late.
Mitsumi's eyes lit up when she heard the sound. She rushed toward the living table.
"Woa woa woa~, what's this? what's this?"
"Can I hear it again?"
Mitsumi got excited when it came to music. Akane knew it and stopped her aunt.
"Calm down!!!! Auntie!!!"
"Don't be a freak in front of my student"
Mitsumi was stunned and finally calmed herself.
"Ah sorry, I thought I had to wait for a long time before listening to her new song"
"Yet, it has been here already"
Akane sighed. "Hah~, really?"
"Hoshiyuki-san, please taste this grape that I single-handedly planted"
Mitsumi handed over the fruit dish to save her face and herself in front of Akane.
She smiled awkwardly.
"Eat it, eat it"
Suiri was not polite and took the grape from the dish. She couldn't help but remind Mitsumi beforehand because she didn't want her unfinished song to be a spoil. Especially, this song hadn't passed the plagiarism test yet. She put this important matter above everything else due to her past life. She hoped her teacher's aunt would understand for her.
"I'm sorry, Mitsumi obaa-san, let me finish it first before you can listen"
"Ah, I understand, what a pity!"
"But I'm looking forward to it"
"Meow~"
The little guy on Suiri's lap opened his eyes and yawned. Then, he jumped down for a walk as Suiri could only reluctantly separate from him.
Mitsumi smiled gently.
"Ara~, If you like him, you can visit here regularly, you know"
Suiri was hesitating for a moment but nodded.
"Yes, thank you, Auntie"
"You welcome"
The next moment, Mitsumi looked at the clock hanging on the wall. It showed 2:52 PM.
"Ah, it's time for the band performance of Riri-chan"
"You can watch it under the stage if you want"
Suiri shook her head.
"No, Mitsumi obaa-san, if I want, I will purchase my ticket to attend"
Suiri knew why Mitsumi invited her like that. The performance of Akari's band would have less the audience, which Mitsumi had predicted. She invited her to watch free from the stage, but Suiri hated it. It disrespected the musicians on the stage.
"Hahaha, I like you more now, Hoshiyuki-san"
Mitsumi laughed out loud. Honestly, she didn't expect this answer. She observed Suiri today and gained many things. She was a fan of Suiri. There was no doubt. She thought this girl might have the arrogant, and superior attitude of a genius at first. After a short interaction today, this girl was so adorable, and innocent but serious and respectful to others at the same time.
Akane was stunned as she had understood more of Suiri's personality.
"Well said, student Suiri"
Akane nodded proudly because she felt that she spent her effort on the right person.
After that, Suiri purchased two tickets for herself and her attendant. She approached Shiho and fondled him one last time before leaving.
Suiri chose a table to sit with her teacher, Sasaki, and Mitsumi as she watched the live performance of Akari's band.
" 🎶Under the rain, I watch you hand in hand with other
Who can tell me why my heart is wrenching ... 🎶"
A rock song about love, huh? Akari's band consisted of 4 members. One bassist, Two guitarists, and one drummer. The vocalist was a tall man with a style of Rock, and also the sub-guitarist. But...
Their song. How could she say? It was a disaster! Akari also made a mistake with her left hand, which made the song inconsistent. The drummer chose the wrong timing as they caused a messy battlefield. The bassist couldn't catch up with Akari.
I do my job, you do your job. With this performance, Suiri understood why they didn't have fans. There were other 2 people here but they were their acquaintances. The rest was another band waiting for their performance.
The live house of the Shimori family was not too large; otherwise, Akari's band couldn't afford the larger stage. The live house dealt with Akari's band for 10 tickets. One ticket cost 1500 yen. She, Sasaki, Akane-sensei, Mitsumi-obaa-san, and other 2 acquaintances here. It meant the Akari's band had to spit out 6000 yen for the live house. As long as her band didn't get famous, they had to cut their flesh continuously. The drinks here cost 500 yen for each kind, whether Coke or fruit juice.
"🎶...Please, don't forget me!🎶"
The performance ended here. Suiri wondered if they could continue because she saw their face gradually turning into a dead fish state. Mitsumi said Akari's band was already on the verge of disbanding. It couldn't be disbanded right away, right?
They arranged their stuff and said something with Akari, which made her face blackened.
"Sorry, Akari, we can't continue like this"
"What!? You guys had already discussed giving up?"
"We're sorry, Akari, you must find better teammates than us"
"Wait! Hoshiyuki Suiri-san here, maybe she can help us"
Akari tried her last card.
They shook their head.
"Here, 1500 yen for the loss"
"Me too"
"Me too, 1500 yen here"
"It's not the problem. We're just tired through 2 consecutive years"
Akari was stunned. She wanted to say something but her mouth couldn't open. Because it was all of her illusions, she thought that with the existence of Suiri. Maybe they could come back once again...However, the reason they gave out was reasonable and she couldn't refute it. Her mind had already come to a conclusion. It was over, everything was over. She lowered her head in disappointment.
The boy smiled and patted her shoulder.
"It hasn't ended yet, Akari"
Akari raised her head and looked at them.
"It's just you will shine without us"
They said that as they brought their stuff and left the stage for the next band.
Akari didn't know what to say to Suiri because she knew how their performance was going.
On the other side, Suiri was surprised by this situation.
'Wait a minute, you disbanded right away in front of me!!! I just thought you wouldn't but you went against my thoughts with those touching dialogues!!!'. Suiri was speechless. Was it a coincidence? Suiri thought hard to believe but she couldn't. As if the will of the world played with her in their palm to urge her to engage in the main story plotline.