“Erm…”
As a student of Tsukinomori Girls Academy, a prestigious all-girls school for true young ladies, Nagasaki Soyo hadn’t dealt with boys her own age for a long time.
Especially when she heard that Ayanokoji didn’t even use honorifics when referring to Sakiko and Tomori, this social attitude, so completely different from that of a young ladies’ school, suddenly made her feel a sense of novelty.
It wasn’t until she met Ayanokoji’s gaze that Soyo belatedly realized it was somewhat rude of her to keep staring at him.
She quickly averted her eyes, subconsciously wanting to display perfect social etiquette.
Yet she unexpectedly stuttered when she tried to speak.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka just watched her quietly, with no intention of speaking first.
Seeing the two of them staring at each other wide-eyed, Sakiko, the band’s initiator standing nearby, couldn’t help letting out a chuckle.
Then she extended her palm, pointed at Ayanokoji, and took on the role of introduction:
“Soyo-san, and Mutsumi, this is the Ayanokoji-kun I mentioned to you yesterday. Not only is he exceptionally good at playing the piano, but he is also well versed in music theory.”
“Starting from today, he will be the manager responsible for assisting with all our band’s affairs.”
Then, Sakiko turned to Ayanokoji and introduced:
“Soyo-san is in charge of the bass, and she plays the double bass in the orchestra club. Because of her outstanding performance during the Tsukinomori Girls Academy music festival a while ago, I invited her to join our band.”
With Togawa Sakiko acting as a lubricant, Nagasaki Soyo quickly adjusted her state.
A perfect, gentle expression reappeared on her face, and with softly curved eyes, she extended her hand toward Ayanokoji.
“Hello, Ayanokoji-kun. I’m Nagasaki Soyo. Hearing Sakiko-san say yesterday that she invited a boy to be the band manager really gave me a start.”
“But this also means our band is becoming more and more formal, right? Anyway, please treat me well from now on.”
“Hello. Just call me Ayanokoji.”
Ayanokoji stared at the other’s pretty azure eyes and sweet smile for two seconds, then reached out and grasped her fingertips.
The petite, fair palm felt soft, yet unexpectedly cool, giving Ayanokoji a rare and subtle tactile sensation.
At the same time, Nagasaki Soyo was surprised by the warmth and bone structure emanating from the other’s palm.
An inexplicable slight itch came from the small area of contact in her palm, making her widen her eyes slightly.
However, before she could experience this feeling too much, Ayanokoji actively let go of her hand.
Ending this ceremonial handshake.
Seeing the two greet each other, team leader Sakiko looked to the other side.
“She is my childhood playmate—commonly known as a childhood friend. Mutsumi has been playing the guitar since she was little, so she’s very reliable.”
Hearing Sakiko’s praise, Wakaba Mutsumi showed no expression change, only shaking her head slightly.
Then she nodded slightly toward Ayanokoji as a greeting.
After Ayanokoji nodded back in return, the doll-like girl withdrew her gaze and, like a machine, looked straight ahead at the tram tracks without a word.
“Are Soyo-san and Mutsumi-chan both Sakiko-chan’s friends?”
Takamatsu Tomori asked quietly from the side.
Seeing her fingers intertwined, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka knew that this timid girl was feeling uneasy inside, worried that as the band’s numbers grew, she wouldn’t be able to integrate into this small group.
The sensitive Sakiko also keenly perceived Tomori’s unease and flashed her a comforting smile.
“As for Mutsumi, we’ve been playing together since we were little. Although Soyo-san is in the same grade as me at school…”
“We hardly talked before, though, and neither did Mutsumi-chan and I,” Nagasaki Soyo took over the conversation.
Hearing her name mentioned, Wakaba Mutsumi, who had been staring blankly ahead, finally reacted and nodded without looking away.
“Then is the last member, the drummer…”
Togawa Sakiko took out her phone and checked the message confirming the meeting place with the other party just now.
“Even she and I are meeting for the first time. Since everyone has time today, I thought I’d just call everyone over for a full-member meet-and-greet.”
Finishing her words, Sakiko looked at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, seeing that he had maintained bystander status ever since greeting them at the beginning.
Thus, Sakiko gave a cute light cough, and like an interviewing host, she loosely cupped her hand into the shape of a microphone and held it in front of Ayanokoji.
“So, what about Ayanokoji-kun? As our manager, what expectations do you have for our drummer?”
Hearing this, except for Wakaba Mutsumi, the gazes of several girls looked over simultaneously.
Sakiko and Soyo wore friendly smiles on their faces, and although Takamatsu Tomori had a bland expression, she looked at him with expectation like a small animal.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka felt the surrounding atmosphere.
Although he was similarly focused on by several gazes, this felt completely different from the evaluating gazes of instructors in the White Room, or the feeling of being watched by hostile peers.
There was no tension-inducing pressure, nor was any malice perceived.
The leisure of after-school life, the vibrant aura emanating from peers of the opposite sex, aimless chatting…
This was a part of so-called youthfulness and a free life.
Seeming to be influenced by the atmosphere, Ayanokoji rarely developed a bit of playful thought.
“Hmm… If possible, it would be best if they are a gentle person.”
Although he knew very well that the drummer they were about to meet was far from the word “gentle,” and could even be said to have nothing to do with it at all.
“I see. If you want to create wonderful memories with everyone, you would indeed hope that the other person is a gentle and easy-to-get-along-with person.”
Togawa Sakiko nodded knowingly.
Meanwhile, Soyo on the side had a look of hesitation, as if she wanted to say something.
It wasn’t that she had any objection to Ayanokoji’s expectations for the drummer, but rather…
“Um, Ayanokoji-kun.”
To prevent the other party from thinking she was meddling or teaching him how to do things, Soyo corrected him in a tone as gentle as possible, as if coaxing a child:
“When referring to girls, it’s best not to use words like ‘guy.'”
“Although everyone will be on the same team in the future, if the wording is too rude, it might make the other person feel disrespected.”
*Didn’t translate well from Japanese.
This was driven by her naturally caring personality trait.
Because he was someone she would be spending a long time with in the future, out of an inner sense of responsibility, plus the hope of getting as acquainted with this boy as Sakiko soon, she chose to proactively speak up and remind him.
“Ah, is that so. Point taken, I’ll keep it in mind.”
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka’s readily accepting and bland reaction made Nagasaki Soyo quietly breathe a sigh of relief.
The other party wasn’t the kind of boy with an excessive ego who couldn’t listen to others’ suggestions.
Convinced that the other party was an easy-going person, the smile on Soyo’s face became a bit more sincere.
This series of subtle micro-expression changes was taken in by Ayanokoji, who silently labeled her in his heart.
Just like Togawa Sakiko, Nagasaki Soyo seemed to very much like acting as a caretaker and mediator in the team.
Furthermore, her emotions were more delicate and possessed a sense of dependency.
If left unchecked, this desire to take care of everyone might develop into an overwhelming heaviness that was hard to handle.
Was it due to the influence of her family environment or some childhood experience?
Watching the chestnut-haired girl opposite him reveal a satisfied and reassuring smile after he nodded to accept the suggestion, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka deduced so.