Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330662545387095/episodes/16817330667758312635
Ari chan asked me to join her band.
To be honest……I was nervous.
I don’t usually listen to music, so I didn’t know what was popular.
I wasn’t even interested in rock bands.
I don’t know why, but when Ari chan asked me to join her band, my heart was so excited that I wanted to nod my head right away.
But…..I was too scared to nod my head.
*
That evening I was standing in the kitchen preparing dinner.
My parents both worked and would be home shortly. Since I live at home, housework is also my job.
And today is Friday. That means the tiger is coming home…….
“I’m home〜”
Look, she’s back.
“Shino, I’m home. Do you want a drink?”
“Not a bath or a meal, but a drink first, Nee san?”
She went straight from the front door to the kitchen. It was my older sister, Fumino, who suddenly popped out.
Although she is nearly a year older than me, my sister looks so much like me that people would mistake me for someone they are close to. You could say she is a heavy drinker. She is a teacher at Atago All Girls’ Academy, a prestigious girls’ school.
She is loved by her students, so she must be a good teacher on the outside.
“Today’s dinner is meat and potatoes. There’s plenty of it, so please enjoy it with sake.”
I’m sure drinking only alcohol makes your stomach upset.
“Ufufu, thank you, Shino. I’m looking forward to having dinner on the weekends with a meal prepared by Shino〜”
She took off her jacket and blouse, put on a camisole, took out a long can of beer from the refrigerator, and began to drink it gulping it down briskly.
“Puhaa, so refreshing ! I love the fresh air of a new school year, but there’s so much to do, it’s exhausting.”
You must be very tired, Nee san. But using alcohol as a stress reliever is not a good idea. And even if it is in the house, it’s still disgusting for a grown woman of a certain age to expose the cleavage of her breasts (J-cups).
“Don’t you drink, Shino?”
“Nee san, could you please stop emptying my beer while asking questions? Can you at least wait for me to answer?”
Alcohol is really all she can think about at home. Well, I’ll humor her.
And so our usual weekend began. My sister always drinks while tucking into the side dishes I cook, and she always vents about what made her happy or what made her bitter at work. It is what we call complaining. It is my role to accompany her complaints.
However, I have never heard my sister speak ill of any of her students. She may be blessed with good students, but she has the discipline not to speak ill of them.
If she finds something wrong with a student, she does not talk about it behind their back, but rather gives guidance. I felt her pride in her teaching job.
My sister’s complaints are like that, but for some reason I don’t hear them today.
“Hey, Shino, are you listening to me?”
So my sister’s cheeks puffed out in frustration.
“I-I’m sorry. I was just thinking about something…….”
“Are you worried about something? I’ll listen to it if it’s okay with you.”
My sister’s eyes suddenly relaxed. Her smile was filled with compassion as an older sister and as a teacher to many girls.
I’m in my third year of college this year. But I’ve been away for a year, so I’ll soon be twenty-two years old. I’m already a grown-up. And yet, when my sister is kind to me, I find myself wanting to be spoil.
I like…..my sister.
But I don’t really like myself…..who likes my sister.
But I can’t change who I am after all.
“Actually, Ari chan asked me to join a band today.”
“By Ari chan you mean Azekura san?”
My sister’s expression becomes even more confused. No wonder. Ari chan was a student of my sister who had been taking care of her since she was a junior high school student. She is much more closely related to Ari chan than I am to her. She must have a lot on her mind.
“By ‘band,’ do you mean a rock band?”
“Yes. But I’m in my third year, so I don’t think I can do it……”
“Why is it impossible for a third year student?”
The question caught me off guard. I didn’t expect to be asked such an obvious question, so I couldn’t help but stop talking.
“Why…third year students are so busy. It’s the year when the job hunt actually begins, and I have to participate in an internship during the summer vacation. I don’t have time to practice for the band.”
“If you practice in between job hunting and studying, you might be able to do it.”
That’s easy for her to say. She has always been an honor student who can do anything. I can’t stand having such an honor student push me so easily.
“I’ve never done anything like that before, so I don’t know…….”
“If you give up before you even try, you won’t be able to do anything. Does Azekura san know about Shino’s situation? Have you discussed whether you can still participate?”
I feel weak if you ask me that.
Will my sister be able to understand Ari chan’s thoughts?
In fact, Ari chan had no idea about my job-hunting schedule at first, but even after learning about it, she was still eager to have me as a member.
I don’t know why…..she seemed to make it such a big deal.
She was a reassuring presence who took my hand when I was hesitant…..
“And besides, being in a band is something you can only do while you’re still a student.”
“It’s something I can only do now…….”
“That’s right. Once you start working, you’ll be even busier than you are now, so you won’t be able to do anything with music. If you have the slightest desire to do it, why don’t you take the first step? You don’t want to regret it in five or ten years.”
So that I won’t regret it. Would I regret it if I said no?
I had to waste one year to enroll in Hokusei University.
However, my days at Hokusei University were really tasteless.
I didn’t join any club activities, and just spent my days going back and forth between my home and the campus.
I was not good at socializing and had no friends.
I am happy to read as many books as I want, but I wonder if I can graduate like this.
I heard the sound of drums played by someone other than myself on the stage at the school festival.
I watched Ari chan and Kobayakawa kun happily playing along with them.
Would I regret that it might have been me who was there?
Just imagining it made my heart ache.
“I….want to try it. I might cause a lot of trouble to Ari chan and Kobayakawa kun, but I’d like to give it a try.”
“Fufu, that’s the spirit. Shino’s dream might come true if she joins the band, right?”
“Dream……?”
“You wrote it in that purple notebook.”
“How did you know !?”
I forgot myself and hit the table.
Why does my sister know about the existence of that thing…..? It’s a secret, even from our mother.
“I saw it in the living room a few days ago, so…..”
“—!?”
I was so careless….. I’m so embarrassed that my face is on fire.
*
After finishing cleaning up dinner and retreating to my room, I called Ari chan on my phone. It was late, around 9 o’clock, but Ari chan answered immediately.
“Ari chan, about earlier, I’d love to take you up on your offer.”
[Really !? Thank you ! Kingo, Shino san said she’ll accept it !]
A very excited voice echoes from the other end of the phone. Along with that, I also heard Kobayakawa kun’s voice of appeasement.
“Are you with Kobayakawa kun?”
[Yes ! We were having a strategy meeting in Kingo’s room. I was thinking about what to do if Shino san didn’t take on the project, but I don’t need this plan anymore ! Thank you so much, Shino san ! I look forward to working with you from now on !]
“It’s my pleasure, too.”
We then talked about a couple of points going forward and hung up the phone.
The call was exciting from start to finish, but even after it ended, my heart palpitations showed no sign of subsiding.
No wonder. I was somewhat hopeful.
My youth is about to begin.
I took out a notebook from my school tote bag. A wisteria-colored notebook that I carry with me without taking it off my body.
Gently stroking its cover, I felt my anticipation for the days that awaited me.
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