The summer break slipped by between weekend tours and bar shifts. Now, it was the morning of September 1st, and I wasn't exactly in the mood for school.
I put on some music, grabbed a sandwich, brushed my teeth, and got dressed.
Somehow, the whole routine took less than twenty minutes.
I moved down the hallway on autopilot, barely noticing my steps.
Halfway down the stairs, a voice cut through the quiet.
"Hey, Shiba-kun! Wait!"
Suzuki slid up beside me, quick and bright as ever, like she'd been waiting just for this moment.
"Morning, princess," I said casually.
She flinched slightly at the nickname, then brightened into a grin.
"Hey! I have so much to talk to you about! I listened to your mixtape—it's… really good."
She paused, chewing over her words.
"And… thanks for coming to my show. It was nice seeing Kaede-chan again. She dragged you along, didn't she?"
I shrugged.
"Yeah, she did. Well, she went to my show, so I had to let her take me to her favorite band. And… I guess I wanted to see you perform too," I muttered the last part, voice quieter than intended.
Suzuki's smile lit up instantly.
"Thanks, Shiba-kun. That means a lot. I'll try to come to one of your shows too, okay?"
I raised an eyebrow.
"You really mean that?"
"Pinky promise," she said, holding out her finger.
I wrapped mine around hers, and for a moment, my cheeks betrayed me with a slight heat.
We walked together toward the station, Suzuki chattering about her solo tours, the way she always did.
I listened halfheartedly, half of my mind still spinning on the mixtape's numbers. 500k streams on Spotify. Closing in on a million.
My solo track, Colder, already at 1.5 million views on YouTube—the only one with a music video.
The rest of the tape? At least 200k views each.
This summer… yeah.
It was a success.
"So… what did Ku-chan even say to you guys?" Suzuki asked, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet as we stepped onto the bus.
I shrugged.
"She said she saw Kaede at their shows… but that she only came for you. And yeah… she knows I'm Forsaken," I said, voice flat.
Suzuki blinked, a little awed but trying to keep it casual.
"No way… she actually knows you're Forsaken? That's… kinda crazy."
"Yeah… well, she even commented with a laugh emoji on that TikTok where I teased my diss track for you," I said flatly.
Suzuki blinked, tilting her head. "Oh… right. Yeah, I guess me and Ku‑chan don't really… click."
She let out a soft sigh, trying to sound casual but her frustration slipped through.
"It's not that I hate her," she added quickly, "but it's like… she can do whatever she wants and just… slide by. It drives me nuts."
You probably could too, if your uncle was Maestro.
I didn't say it. The less she knows, the better.
We climbed out of the bus.
"Well, that's how it goes in idol units, right? Some girls are more… rebellious than others," I shrugged.
Suzuki didn't answer right away. She just hummed, tilting her head like she was weighing my words, her bright energy dimmed slightly by thought.
"Good morning, Shiba-kun, Suzuki-san," Yamashita said softly, stepping up to us.
Perfect timing, President-chan. The conversation about Kurumi was starting to get heavier than I wanted.
"Good morning, Inchou," Suzuki shrugged.
"Good morning, Prez. How was your summer break? Buried yourself in books or something?" I asked, letting a dry laugh slip out.
Yamashita blinked, a soft smile crossing her lips.
"Uh… not exactly. I spent most of it organizing the club archives and reading a few novels. Nothing too exciting," she said quietly.
"How about you, Shiba-kun? Oh—I listened to your mixtape. It's… intense. Very you. I really liked the emotional tracks," she added, her voice gentle but earnest, like she was carefully picking her words.
"Thanks for the feedback," I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck like I cared.
"That's… boring," Suzuki snapped, cheeks puffing slightly, arms crossing over her chest. "Yamashita-san, seriously, you need a life. Don't tell me you spent the whole break reading textbooks!"
Yamashita blinked, serene as ever, her polite mask firmly in place.
"Oh? And how, then, did you spend your summer break, Suzuki-san?" she asked, voice soft, precise.
Suzuki huffed, chest puffed, eyes narrowing as if daring Yamashita to push further. "Uh… concerts. Tons of concerts!" she said, smirking like she'd just dropped a bomb.
Yeah, you can't exactly tell her you were on stage, not in the crowd. Cover blown.
"Sounds like you had fun," Yamashita said, voice even, glasses catching a glint in the sunlight like she didn't even need to try.
"Uh… yeah. Something like that," Suzuki muttered, cornered, cheeks tinged pink, arms still crossed but less aggressively.
I let my eyes wander, a quiet smirk crossing at my lips. Gotta admit it—Yamashita has style.
She just pushed back a full-on idol like Suzuki without even blinking, no shouting or begging for attention. Just… efficiency.
It's kinda impressive.
We walked into class together. Most of the students didn't even bother to glance up.
Kenta leaned toward Mori, whispering like it was top-secret gossip.
"Dude… those three have been tight since the school trip, huh?"
Mori rolled his eyes, smirking.
"Try before the school trip, genius," he said flatly, voice dripping with smugness.
Suzuki and Yamashita slid into their seats like nothing was happening, completely ignoring the murmurs.
I followed suit, dropping into my chair with all the enthusiasm of a cat being dragged to the vet.
Classic. High school in full swing.
Before the teacher even showed up, my phone buzzed.
A DM from Inazuki popped up, full of emojis and all caps.
"YO, SLEEPYHEAD!! 😎☀️ How was ur SUMMER VACAY? 🏖️💖 Spill the tea!!"
I sighed, half amused, half exhausted, scrolling through her messages like I had no choice.
"Well… I was busy touring and stuff. Yours?" I typed, keeping it short.
She shot back instantly.
"Oh, duh, figures. Heard ur mixtape. 🎧🔥 It's sooo good, Shiba-kun!! Touch Down and Broken with Rei? Absolute fire. 😎💖"
Then another ping hit.
"Me? Just chilling in Hokkaido with my bf. 🌊☀️ Summer vibes, ya know?"
Must've been fun.
"Nice, nice. I didn't get a chance to travel this summer, lol. Maybe winter. So… you guys doing alright?"
I mean… last I heard, he ditched her to hang with the boys. So a trip? Baby steps, I guess.
Not that I'm one to talk.
I took Kurumi to fucking Itoigawa. Best boyfriend material, right here.
My eyes went to her seat, and I saw her blink at the screen for a second before typing back.
"Haha 😆 Yeah, we're fineee~ Don't worry 'bout us, silly! But ngl, bf's acting like a total dork so… fun times 😏💖"
Ah, so it worked out.
Good for you.
The rest of the school day dragged on in its usual rhythm.
I was there… but not really. Just going through the motions, feeling stuck.
Couldn't wait for schol to end.
Then I could get back to what actually mattered.
If music works out, I won't have to deal with a normal job later.
Balancing school and a part-time job was already a pain as it is.
But right now… I've got momentum.
That's what matters.
I glanced out the window, past the glass, at the clear sky.
Yeah.
I knew what I had to do.