Today is the afternoon after the day Shido made the competition promise with Miku, and it is now the after-school period of September 13th.
This is inside a recording studio called "PUMKIN" in Tengu City's entertainnt district.
Within one of the rented private rooms, a moving lody can faintly be heard through the tightly shut tal door.
Right now, Yutsuki is recording the accompanint needed for the Tenou Festival contest.
"Alright, that's it for here. Thanks!"
Plucking the guitar in her hands one last ti, Yutsuki slowly let out a breath of relief and pressed the button to end the recording.
"Kuku—there's nothing particularly remarkable about it. For my fellow compatriot who signed a bloodthirsty covenant with , expressions of gratitude are unnecessary."
"Explanation. Mutual assistance is only natural."
Right behind her, having relaxed as well, Yamai Kaguya and Yamai Yuzuru, who had just lowered the drumsticks and bass in their hands, said that.
"So? What about the actual audio quality?"
Kotori, who had just finished playing the keyboard, let out a long breath and asked.
"Mm, good point..."
With a small laugh, Yutsuki clicked to play back the recorded file.
"Well… not bad."
After several rounds of practice and adjustnt, the backing track produced by the equipnt did not have any noticeable mistakes. Yutsuki nodded with a satisfied smile.
"Kuku—this result is only natural, given my skills that are enough to make even gods tremble."
"Pride. For Kaguya and Yuzuru, who respectively won the 72nd contest 'Howling Storm Drum Battle' and the 84th contest 'Best Bassist Award Battle,' this level is effortless."
"As usual, your competition history is as rich and varied as ever…"
Hearing the two's always peaceful yet extraordinarily colorful combat record, Yutsuki sighed in admiration and shifted her gaze toward Kotori.
"But I really didn't expect Kotori-chan to be this skilled at keyboard too."
Kaguya's spirited, rhythmically charged performance and Yuzuru's flowing, fluid fingerwork—Kotori's keyboard mastery was also exceptionally good. If any entertainnt agency staff had been present, they would absolutely have tried to hand her a business card and recruit her without hesitation.
Of course, she could also have played each instrunt one by one and then rged them using audio software, but that would probably have caused many stiff and unnatural little inconsistencies in the details.
"It's nothing. Just a lady's hobby."
Kotori, wearing her black headband, waved her hand as if to say it was no big deal.
"Honestly… such beautiful music…"
"Waaah~! Yutsuki-chan can even arrange music? You're really talented~"
At the side, Yoshino and the rabbit puppet Yoshinon, who had beco the audience, both voiced their admiration.
"Ahh… it's nothing like that, really."
Although the guitar was indeed her own real skill, the score and lyrics were copied from songs in her mories from her previous life, so while she felt a bit proud, she also slightly averted her gaze in guilt.
"So… is that already finished…?"
At that mont, Murasa Reine, who had collapsed into a chair from lack of sleep, groggily stood up and asked in a swaying voice.
"Yes, it's no problem now."
Putting away the second-hand guitar she had taken from a sealed box belonging to a certain boy, Yutsuki stretched lazily.
"Then, everyone, let's go eat sothing at a family restaurant."
———————————————————————————————————
"Hoh~ So Tohka and Origami are practicing band performance together with Shiori-chan."
The Spirits—the special lifeforms known by humans as moving disasters—were chatting in a family restaurant just like a group of ordinary high school girls having gossip talk. After taking a bite of the omurice placed before her, Yutsuki asked Kotori.
"Well, the agreent has basically been settled. They're currently practicing at Ratatoskr with a song written by professionals. It's a little clumsy, but at least it's on track."
With a Chupa Chups lollipop between her teeth, Kotori nodded while Yutsuki inwardly marveled that the family restaurants in this world really were prepared for everything.
"So… Yutsuki-san and Shido-san… are you two going to have a competition with that idol called Izayoi Miku…?"
"Ooh! Going head on against the currently popular idol in a direct showdown—what a fiery developnt, Yutsuki-chan~"
"Yes… this kind of hot-blooded developnt is so intense that this morning I even wondered if I had opened the world the wrong way."
Rubbing the fabric of Yoshinon with her finger, Yutsuki said irritably.
"I an… do you all not have any objections at all to this competition you were all casually put on the line for?"
After all, the wager made with Miku included six Spirits, Yutsuki included, so she felt it was necessary for the others to know the details. Shido agreed too, and after thinking about it, Kotori also did not refuse.
If the others felt dissatisfied with it, Yutsuki, who was present at the ti, also had the obligation to bear that responsibility.
"Hmph, as long as we win, there's no problem with that." Kaguya, with a spoonful of sundae in her mouth, wore an unhappy expression. "The only thing that truly bothers is that Yutsuki, you actually sneaked off to participate in that insane banquet without telling . Were you afraid my brilliance would be too dazzling?"
"Agreent. It's very unfair that such an interesting thing was only going to be done by yourself!"
Yuzuru's normally expresionless face also showed a trace of dissatisfaction.
"Kuku~ Yutsuki-chan has to do her best! Yoshinon will be in the audience and watch your wonderful performance properly~"
"Yutsuki-san and Shido-san must have their reasons for doing this… good luck."
Yoshino clenched her tiny fist as if to cheer Yutsuki on, and Yutsuki felt as if her soul had been healed.
"That's right. Winning is what matters. I asked a stupid question…"
Letting out a sigh, Yutsuki smiled.
"That said, Yutsuki-nee, are you sure you're okay by yourself? Although the song's completion is already very high, I won't interfere any further, but there really isn't any need for you to sing solo either. You could just form a band like Shido and have all of us go on stage together if you want."
At Kotori's kind suggestion, Yutsuki shook her head and refused with gratitude.
"Kotori-chan, you still have command work to do on Fraxinus, right? After all, you can never be sure sothing unexpected won't happen."
"Mm…"
Indeed, as Yutsuki had said, Kotori could only sigh and give up.
"As for Yuzuru and Kaguya…"
Looking at the two Hurricane sisters, who were both eager to try, Yutsuki let out a helpless sigh.
"I have no intention of doing a band performance. If our school's act collides with the other side's, it'll lower the audience's attention toward Raizen. In that case, it would be better to just face Izayoi Miku under the sa conditions in a direct duel."
—For Shiori-chan's chastity.
"Eeeeh— how could you~ A banquet of dancing in hell, and the Dark Night Devil doesn't even get a seat."
"Dissatisfied. Yuzuru rarely gets a chance to show off."
"Relax, relax~~"
Taking a sip of her cold drink, Yutsuki narrowed her eyes and gently comforted the Yamai sisters.
To be honest, Yutsuki did not believe that Izayoi Miku intended to fight fair and square. While it was true that Miku had absolute confidence in her own singing voice, as far as Yutsuki knew, the other girl still had a sowhat playful mindset, and because of her childish personality beneath her appearance, it would not be strange at all for her to suddenly decide she had already won without fighting and just carry it out.
If Yutsuki's side was doing a solo performance, that was fine. But on Shido's side, there were many possible loopholes.
—For example, a missing mber or sothing like that.
Maybe by then, they would truly need the Yamai sisters to rescue the situation.
Through the window, Yutsuki watched the crowd gradually increase because of Tenou Festival, and silently thought to herself.
Then, in Yutsuki's line of sight, a strange figure suddenly flashed by, and her eyes sharpened. Yutsuki instinctively stood up from her chair.
"What's wrong? You're making a face like you saw a ghost."
"Question. Do you need to go to the bathroom?"
Everyone was puzzled by Yutsuki's sudden action, and Yutsuki also realized that her reaction was a little too weird. After coughing twice, she said:
"…Sorry, I just suddenly rembered sothing urgent. I may need to go ho first."
"Eh?"
Before everyone could react, Yutsuki quickly walked out of the family restaurant and ran toward a certain direction.
As ti passed, the crowd around Yutsuki also gradually thinned out. In the end, Yutsuki arrived at a very secluded alley where almost nobody passed through.
No… judging by the blood splattered across the ground, this place should only just have had "soone" here monts ago.
"Ara ara~ Isn't this Yutsuki-san? It's been a while, and you really seem to have changed quite a bit!"
A low laugh filled with a strange charm rang out. From the darkness, a stunning girl slowly erged—wearing a black and red tight gothic dress, with black twin tails of uneven length and eyes of different colors.
"Tokisaki Kurumi."
Yutsuki softly called the other girl's na.
"Ara ara~ I'm actually very happy that Yutsuki-san still rembers my na!"
Kurumi lightly touched her cheek, her face showing a smile full of forbidden allure.
"I'm not happy at all. Right after eating, you make see this kind of thing—what?Do you want to run to the bathroom and blurt our all my al?"
Looking at the gradually darkening liquid on the ground, Yutsuki absolutely refused to believe it was anything as pleasant as tomato ketchup.
"Well, this was not sothing I wished for either. Those big scary n suddenly surrounded this little girl and said they wanted to play sothing fun. In the end, they brought here. I was rely acting in legitimate self-defense."
Kurumi lightly stuck out her tongue and licked her cherry lips, but although she was speaking that way, there was no sign of fear on her face at all.
"Ah… so, as expected, those scum really were unlucky."
When Yutsuki saw Kurumi going out together with a group of n who looked like delinquents, she had already guessed the outco and rushed over in a panic. But it seed she had arrived too late. She let out a helpless sigh.
"…So? What did you co to this city to do?"
"Ara~?How rare. Yutsuki-san, you're not planning to fight right away today?"
Kurumi raised her brow in surprise.
"Even if I had co, I would have beaten those scum to the point where they couldn't live normally for months. I may not like your thods, but letting already rotten social parasites disappear is still a good thing." After taking a deep breath and keeping her emotions under control, Yutsuki stared at Kurumi and slowly said, "And besides, this is only one of your clone, right? Even if I beat you, it wouldn't an anything."
"Hmph-hmph~ What a wise judgnt! As expected of Yutsuki-san."
"Stop flattering . You deliberately led here, so what do you want to tell ?"
"As expected of Yutsuki-san, you really make it easier to speak."
After giving a soft laugh, Kurumi's expression turned a little more serious. Holding the hem of her skirt, she gave a small lady style bow.
"I would like to ask you to infiltrate DEM's headquarters together with ."
Hearing that request, Yutsuki raised an eyebrow. After thinking for a mont, she seed to understand Kurumi's plan and answered with a smile:
"I refuse!"
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