NOVEL NEXT Chapter 11
“…Hey, Kaho. You’re off-beat again.”
“Ah, sorry!”
Kaho Hinata. She’s the bassist of our girls’ band, Avant-Garde. She also composes our music on the side.
Her personality is serious, but not in a stiff way. She has a gentle, honor-student vibe. Apparently, she even served as the class representative back in high school.
Maybe it’s because of her personality that Kaho’s playing is always so meticulous. It might not be flashy, but it’s precise, and she faithfully follows the sheet music, supporting the song.
But lately, that Kaho has been nowhere to be seen. Especially today, she’s been making careless mistakes that the usual Kaho would never make.
“Kaho, what’s up? You don’t seem like yourself today.”
“Are you feeling unwell or something?”
The rest of the band, Chiaki Ran on guitar and vocals, and Fuyuka Nakata on drums, share my concern. They move closer to Kaho, their faces full of worry.
We’re all concerned because we’ve known each other for so long. Kaho and Ran have been classmates since high school. Fuyuka and I are older than the two, but we met them two years ago at our local hangout, Horoscope, and we’ve been close ever since.
My name is Meg Harusaki, and coincidentally, each of our names has a season in it. That was one of the things that brought us together, and since we all loved music enough to frequently go to live houses, we eventually decided to form a band. …By the way, I play the guitar.
So, we’re pretty close. We didn’t come together to form a band; we started a band because we were always together.
That’s why, when one of us starts acting strange, we can’t help but worry. It’s an important time for us, but we still decided to stop practicing and listen to Kaho.
“I’m fine, really.”
“Kaho, if something’s bothering you, just tell us. We’re here to help.”
“Yeah, we’re friends, right?”
“If there’s anything we can do, let us know.”
We don’t believe her when she says she’s fine. We wouldn’t be pressing her like this if we thought she really was.
“…Alright. I’ll talk. Actually, it concerns all of us.”
After a brief silence, Kaho muttered those words as if she had given up, her expression somber and resolute.
Seeing Kaho like this, we instinctively brace ourselves. For Kaho, who’s usually so reliable, to show this level of seriousness—especially when it involves all of us—means it must be something really heavy.
“…Is it really that bad?”
“Yeah, it’s pretty bad. It might even involve the police…”
“Wait, what!? How could it get to that point?”
“Hold on, Meg-chan. I’ll explain everything. I also want to hear your thoughts.”
“Thoughts on what…”
I couldn’t continue. The word “police” coming from Kaho’s mouth was something I never wanted to hear. I can’t even imagine why they’d be involved.
Could it be something to do with our band’s contract? But, no, the company we’re with might not be a major label, but they’re reputable…
“Okay, so I’ll start. …Actually, it’s about Ran-chan.”
“Huh? Me!?”
“…Ran again?”
“Ran, what did you do this time!?”
This unexpected turn throws us all off. Just by mentioning Ran’s name, the focus instantly shifts from Kaho. …What’s crazy is that neither Fuyuka nor I doubted it for a second.
Ran is that much of a troublemaker. It’s not that she has a bad personality or anything, she’s just, well, not the brightest.
She can manage a decent front, but as soon as she’s with friends or lets her guard down, she becomes the kind of airhead that’s almost shocking.
On top of that, she has terrible luck, often finding herself in ridiculously big messes over the smallest things.
So, naturally, we assumed it was another one of those situations. That’s why Fuyuka and I were both exasperated and resigned at the same time. If Ran’s the cause, what can we do?
That said, the possibility of it involving the police is a first, so we can’t just laugh it off like usual.
“Wait, wait, wait! Kaho, wait! Why me!? I seriously have no idea—”
“A ziplock bag with underwear.”
“──Suuu…”
Hold up. This is not what I was expecting at all.
And, wait a second, what? A ziplock bag with underwear? That’s not something you normally hear in everyday conversation.
“…How do you know about that?”
“Remember when I stayed over at your place a while ago? You forgot to bring your clothes to the bathroom, so I brought them to you. That’s when I saw it.”
“…”
“At first, I thought it was some kind of lifehack, like how people hang men’s underwear with their laundry to avoid trouble. But then, I couldn’t think of any reason to carefully store them in ziplock bags. So I checked around and found a bunch of them, and the underwear inside seemed pretty well-used…”
“Well, that’s because…”
“I’ve had a bad feeling ever since, so I’ve been keeping an eye on you. I felt bad, but the other day I peeked at your phone. …It was full of pictures of a man. Not selfies, but clear hidden shots.”
“T-That’s not what it looks like…”
“The guy in those pictures, he’s the same Marine Snow employee you awkwardly talked to before, right? It was strange how you, usually so shy, suddenly approached a stranger like that. So, this is what it was about, right?”
“Ah…”
Kaho’s calm delivery of each fact made even Fuyuka and me, who were mostly bystanders, feel uneasy. Kaho’s rarely angry, but when she is, she’s terrifying. A perfect example of how the quiet ones are the scariest when they snap.
Naturally, Ran, the one being confronted, was in a dire state. Sweat poured down her face comically, and her eyes darted around frantically. She was probably trying to come up with an excuse, but no words formed; she just kept opening and closing her mouth.
“Hey, Ran-chan. You’re not seriously stalking someone, are you?”
“…”
Well, in any case, this is no joke. If our guitarist and vocalist, the ‘face’ of our band, is involved in some serious crime, it’s not something we can just shrug off.
It’s time to stop being mere spectators. After exchanging a glance with Fuyuka, we moved to surround the suspected offender.
“──Ran, sit properly.”
“Tell us everything. This time, if you keep anything from us, it won’t just be a scolding.”