NOVEL NEXT Chapter 32
““We deeply apologize for the trouble our member has caused you!””
“We apologize for the inconvenience!”
Life is a strange thing. Never did I think I’d be bowed to by four women.
“Yes, I accept your apology.”
I had been invited by Fuyuka-san to join the after-party for the live show, and here we were, at a karaoke place. You might wonder why we’d sing again after just finishing a live show, but given the nature of their apology, it couldn’t be helped.
Since the conversation was going to get pretty involved, it was easier to handle things in a private room. That’s how I ended up going to karaoke with these women, who I’d hardly spoken to except for one.
“Well then, let’s consider this matter closed. You three, please raise your heads.”
“…Three? Hey, Haruto-kun, what about me?”
“I don’t recall addressing you specifically. But since you seem to think you have something to apologize for, why don’t you keep your head down for five more minutes, Chiaki-san?”
“You’re digging your own grave… Wait, five minutes is too long!”
“Don’t lift your head.”
“Shouldn’t you be saying ‘lift your head’ instead!? Haruto-kun, are you mad at me!?”
“Not really. If I had to say, it’s payback for your half-hearted apology.”
“How can the person who caused the problem be so careless with their apology, you idiot?”
“Ow!?”
A swift blow landed from the side. Harusaki-san’s fist struck Chiaki-san squarely on the head. Judging by the tears welling up in her eyes, it seemed to have hurt quite a bit.
“Meg-san!? That seriously hurt!”
“Oh, really? By the way, I’m seriously angry.”
“…Ugh…”
After being hit with a cold, serious tone, Chiaki’s attitude instantly deflated. Realizing she was in no position to argue, she quickly stood up and shuffled over to sit next to me. …Please don’t use me as your emergency shelter.
“Hey, don’t run away, and don’t drag Mizuki-san into this. Hurry up and explain yourself, you fool.”
“I mean, I’ve already apologized properly, haven’t I…?”
“Fuyuka, get your drumsticks. Kaho, bring your guitar case.”
“Got it.”
“Should we add the drums, too?”
“Of course.”
“Wait, are you planning to torture me like it’s the Edo period!? And not just any torture, the most brutal one yet!?”
Watching the three of them spring into action, Chiaki’s face twisted in fear. I was getting a bit scared too.
By the way, the karaoke box we were in was a fairly large private room, probably because there were no other customers, and Chiaki and her group had a lot of luggage. …In other words, there was plenty of space to force someone to sit in seiza (formal kneeling posture).
“I was kidding! I didn’t cut corners or anything like that!”
“Then what’s your excuse?”
“…I, I just naturally shortened my sentences without thinking!!”
“You’re just plain stupid.”
With an exasperated sigh, Harusaki-san glanced at me, so I nodded with a wry smile.
Apparently, that was enough to convey the message. After delivering another blow with her fist, the torture seiza was called off. …Ah, the other two are coming over too. They each gave her a light smack as well.
“I’m really sorry about our idiot. I’ll make sure to talk to her properly…”
“No, no, don’t worry about it. What just happened was more like playful teasing. I didn’t really think she was cutting corners, so please don’t be too harsh on her.”
“I appreciate your kindness.”
It was a sincere apology. Harusaki-san might really be Chiaki’s guardian at this point.
That said, it wouldn’t be right to keep this atmosphere going. Although I had been invited to officially receive their apology, I was still an outsider, and this was supposed to be the after-party for Avant-garde’s live show.
Honestly, I wanted them to enjoy the post-event atmosphere as soon as possible, rather than remain in this solemn mood.
But I couldn’t think of a good way to lighten things up, so I had no choice but to turn to Chiaki for help.
“Chiaki-san, Chiaki-san.”
“Huh, what is it, Haruto-kun?”
“Do something funny.”
“Wait, did you just give me an impossible task!?”
Chiaki froze, her face etched with terror. Was my request really that unreasonable?
“W-What!? Why are you suddenly asking me to do that, Haruto-kun!? Are you actually mad because I cut corners earlier!?”
“No, no. It’s just that the mood’s a bit heavy, and I thought maybe you could lighten things up with one of your funny one-liners or something.”
“Wait, did you just subtly raise the bar!? Now it’s a one-liner!? I won’t do it, even if it’s for you, Haruto-kun!”
“But hey, it’s an after-party, right? Don’t you want to make the atmosphere more fun?”
“It’ll turn into a nightmare! I don’t want to embarrass myself in front of you by completely bombing!!”
“…So you do have a one-liner ready, huh?”
“No, I don’t!!”
Really? You don’t? Even though your usual antics are pretty much like a comedian’s? You really don’t have one?
“Don’t look at me like that! …I mean, I get why you’d think that, but no! And besides, we don’t need me to do something like that for the after-party to happen! Let’s just start, okay? Right, everyone!?”
Seeking agreement, Chiaki shouted toward the three others.
“…Huh? What are you even talking about?”
──Unfortunately, what came back was Harusaki’s voice, cold enough to chill the room.
“Huh, um, Meg-san…?”
“How do you expect us to transition into an after-party like this? You’re making a racket, but take a look around.”
“Wait, what? Hold on…”
“The atmosphere’s like a funeral. How are we supposed to start a fun after-party in this?”
“Kaho is literally clutching her stomach from laughing right next to Meg!!”
Chiaki’s desperate retort. Meanwhile, Hinata-san’s condition worsened; she was no longer just holding her stomach, but now had her head down on the table.
“Indeed, at this rate, we can’t move on to the after-party. At the very least, we need to clear this funeral-like atmosphere.”
“Like I said!! The mood is already fine! Everyone seems to be having fun except me, and I’m the only one sweating bullets!”
“You’ll be fine, Ran. You can do it.”
“Stop giving me such irresponsible encouragement!! I’m gonna cry soon, seriously!!”
“This is serious. If Ran’s amazing joke doesn’t warm up the room, someone’s going to cry from the cold, frozen atmosphere.”
“I’m the one who’s going to cry!!”
Though Chiaki fiercely resisted, she was unfortunately outnumbered. None of her three friends showed any sign of coming to her aid, making it clear that this momentum wasn’t going to be stopped.
Hmm. I had turned to Chiaki, thinking it might lighten the mood (in a joking sense), but I didn’t expect things to escalate this much.
Actually, I had to admire their teamwork. Even though I had been the one to set it in motion, the members of Avant-garde responded without any prior planning, demonstrating just how entertaining they were. …Hinata-san looked like she was dying from laughing too hard, though.
Well, I guess that’s what happens when you spend time with naturally funny people—your sense of humor just sharpens over time.
“…Grr… Fine! Fine, I’ll do it! You want me to, right!? I’ll do it!!”
Oh, she gave in while I was lost in thought.
With her face flushed red from embarrassment, Chiaki stood up and shouted, “I’ll do a one-liner!”
“My… my thumb… is detaching!”
──What she performed was the classic “detaching thumb” trick.
“…”
“Say something…!”
“Mizuki-san, since we’re already at karaoke, how about singing something?”
“Oh, that’s a good idea.”
“Here, the machine’s all set.”
“Let’s order some fries or something. It’d be nice to have some snacks for the after-party.”
“…Waaaaah!! I hate everyone! Except for Haruto-kun, I hate all of you!!”
Chiaki, overwhelmed by the humiliation, burst into real tears. …And yet, the fact that she deliberately excluded me from her outburst was, in a way, kind of endearing.