Part 3
Then, a "new member" joined Team Kitayama△.
This was announced at a regular meeting held at Share House Kitayama, and once again Tsurayuki greeted everyone.
"My name is Rokuonji Tsurayuki. It's been a long time..."
Somehow, we felt awkward about this odd situation.
"It really doesn't suit Tsurayuki to make a face like that~"
Nanako is grinning and enjoying the appearance of Tsurayuki that she has never seen before.
"Shut up, to me, it's even more unfitting that you look like a musician."
"You! You're just returning back, so you should be more modest!"
"Returning back, isn't that awful? Instead, you're the one who needs to be nicer!"
The comedy with Nanako is the same as before. Even such a casual exchange makes me feel like crying a little.
"Oh, after all, it's nice to have Tsurayuki around making things lively!"
"So this is the person who did the Haru Sora scenario...!"
Hikawa is smiling happily at the sight of him. On the other hand, Saikawa is looking at Tsurayuki, whom she is meeting for the first time, with a look of respect..
I wonder if this scene is not a dream by any chance.
And as I was indulging in such fantasies,
"Yes, yes, that's enough, everyone should listen to what Hashiba has to say."
The extremely realistic Kawasegawa-sensei easily pulled me back to this world.
Everyone's eyes turn to me at once.
By now, everyone knows the results of the first work, and that we are far behind in terms of wins and losses. They look half-excited and half-anxious.
That's probably so. If I were on the receiving end of instructions in this situation, I would probably have that look on my face.
"I think everyone saw the results of the first work. Well, in terms of numbers, we were way outnumbered. I accept that as a fact, of course."
It is not impossible to put up false data to boost morale, and it may even be possible to fool them. But that won't win this battle.
While challenging head-on with a strong style, the score was to be taken advantage of the rules. This was the concept of the second work.
"We made a MV using Meku. The first work is what we call the prologue."
This time, it was decided in advance that we would make a series of works.
That's why I decided to take advantage of that characteristic in everything.
The first songs Nanako wrote were so complete that they were "conclusion".
Then, I had it cut down significantly in the second half of the song, and the lyrics were worded in a way that made no sense in places.
I foreshadowed it. Then, in the second work, they are collected all at once. In addition, the points of recovery already made in the first work should be placed as foreshadowing in the second work.
"So, people who have seen the second video will want to see the first video again, and they will go back and forth. A video that loops, that is one of the concepts of this project."
We knew that the impact of the first work would lose out to Kuroda and his team. So, when we released the second work, we planted a mountain of time bombs so that we could raise the number of views of the first work as well.
"I see. That way, the first work will not be forgotten even after the second work is completed."
"It's like an RPG connected by a time line."
Hikawa and Saikawa nodded in agreement with the trick.
"But that just doesn't have enough impact."
Tsurayuki interjected.
"If the video itself does not have something noteworthy, it will become a maniacal thing that only viewers who are interested in the mystery will enjoy."
"If you don't know that there is such a mystery, it's hard to convey the fun..."
Nanako sighs as well.
I think if it was done in the normal way, it would be just as they both feared. Just because foreshadowing and recall are interesting, it would be difficult to get people talking about it in the first place, and even if it did catch fire, it would take a long time.
"I understand the worries of the two of you. So I won't make this foreshadowing and recall my main selling point."
Everyone is a little buzzed.
"It's just a system, a conveyor belt between the first and second works, to guide the viewer along the path of each other. However, if we don't have a separate power source, the system we've created will remain inoperative. So..."
I took out the proposal I had prepared.
"Together with Tsurayuki, we came up with the mechanism."
"It was hard work, you know? Kyouya's ideas were off the charts again, so I had to figure out how to incorporate them into the story."
"I could never have done it myself, but Tsurayuki did it all for me. He really helped me out."
There was no lie in those words.
There was a mechanism. But there was no material to apply there. Even if I narrowed down my lack of wisdom, what I could come up with was limited.
Therefore, the first work was dedicated to creating material to expand the second work. I laid a lot of foreshadowing. I thought that if I did this, Tsurayuki would do something about it.
And that's right, Tsurayuki "managed to do something".
That was the proposal for this second work.
If the aim is not misplaced, we should be able to firmly challenge the work of Kuroda and his team with this system.
"I'm going to use this as a weapon to build a second work for our team."
Handing out materials to everyone. One after another, the sound of papers being turned over echoes through the room.
I could see the stunned looks on everyone's faces as they went through the materials all at once.
"Eh, this is"
"No, well, you're right, but..."
"I feel like ... I was hit from a totally different place than what I was thinking."
The words I used to say that I wanted a story. It was not simply that I wanted someone to think of a story. The production of the video, the trends and the feelings of all the people involved. A big swell that would bring all of this together in a work of art. I wanted that.
In the midst of the buzz, I uttered the words I had been fretting about all this time.
"With this second work, I'm going to drag everyone onto the stage."
Part 4
It was the day after Tsurayuki returned.
After the heart-pounding exchange with Nanako, I was alone in the evening, calming myself down, and I was making a phone call to a certain place.
"Thank you very much."
When I thanked him,
"Well"
"There is no reason for you to thank me. I have just made my own considered decision."
Indeed, it was certainly careless. It is strange to express my gratitude.
Still, I wanted to thank this person.
"I think I could have ignored Tsurayuki’s words."
"But Mochiyuki-san didn't do that. I was grateful for that."
As a result of further conversations with Tsurayuki, his disagreement was lifted and his tuition was paid.
Everything was resolved amicably, but I didn't think Mochiyuki-san was convinced of everything.
"I didn't expect you to barge in on me out of the blue that day."
"I am truly sorry about that."
The morning of the day I met with Tsurayuki and left Kawagoe for Osaka.
I was in front of Rokuonji Hospital, where Mochiyuki-san is the director.
"You are..."
"Sorry for the suddenness, Sensei."
Naturally, Mochiyuki-san did not put an okay face.
"There is something I would like to talk to you about. Could you give me just 30 minutes?"
I was sent to the director's office with a firm promise that I would only be there for 30 minutes.
One tends to imagine the director's office of a large hospital as a place with extravagant furnishings, but it was a very simple room with only what was necessary for practical use, just like Mochiyuki-san's personality.
"So, what would you like to talk about?"
At Mochiyuki's words, I took out a record from my bag.
It was a red jacket with a picture of all the band members. It was an ordinary record jacket of an ordinary rock band, with no particular standout parts.
But.
"Why... you have this."
Mochiyuki-san asked me in a hoarse voice.
"Kenta-san... I got it from Master." (Note: coffee shop owner)
Mochiyuki-san was at a loss for words.
"Did he ... Kenta tell you this?"
"No, I just noticed something... So I checked it."
That night after my talk with Nukiyuki, I had visited that coffee shop without telling Nanako.
Inevitably, there was something that bothered me.
"When I saw the two of you talking, I was wondering."
The incongruity was the first thing that came to mind.
It was a rather delinquent-like Master and Mochiyuki-san, who seemed to be an honor student by all accounts. Even though they were the same age, I wondered what was the reason for them to get along with each other. Mochiyuki-san, who spoke politely to everyone, was the only one who spoke to Master in a friendly or casual tone of voice.
I heard that Mochiyuki-san used to be a musician, and when I noticed that his cell phone ringtone was a guitar sound for some reason and that Master seemed to be hiding something, I came up with a hypothesis and asked Master, "Did you use to do something together with Mochiyuki-san?" and, "Didn't you and Mochiyuki-san do something together in the past?"
Master hesitated for a moment and then handed me the record.
With a message to tell that person 'I'm sorry'.
"...Is that so?"
I could see that a deep wrinkle had been carved into the base of Mochiyuki-san's eyebrow.
I took my notes and began to talk.
"At the time, the label was holding a band contest. A band debuted there, along with their outstanding abilities."
The fact that a high school student from a regional city had won the championship was a bit of a controversial topic at the time. The band received rave reviews in professional magazines, and was truly a band to be reckoned with.
"Among them, the vocalist, a boy who was the leader, was especially popular. But the boy had a certain problem."
Due to family circumstances, he was walking a tightrope, just barely able to even continue with the band. His father's opposition was particularly strong, and he was in a very difficult situation regarding his major label debut.
"The boy. If his debut single was a big hit, he was going to show it to his father as a result, to get him to approve of his activities."
In fact, the band was so remarkable and the stakes so high that it was hard to call it reckless, apparently. A campaign was organized, TV commercials were aired, and the band members naturally assumed that they would be able to continue to work together.
"...But"
As I continued, Mochiyuki-san stopped me with his hand.
"But the sales were disastrous. It was out of the charts, completely off the mark."
"Yes...That's right."
There is no end to the reasons that can be given after the fact. At that time, serious rock bands were in a difficult period, and bands that did not receive promotion were at a disadvantage, or a tie-up drama did not contribute to sales because it did not cry, or the label wanted to reduce media exposure and tried to sell the band as a talented group, but it backfired ... etc.
But putting them all together, it should probably come down to this.
It was bad luck, bad times.
"The band was faced with a choice. Continue or break up. The boy vocalist was motivated to release a second single somehow. The label also gave the GO signal to have a revenge match. However"
The other band members had been broken by the disastrous debut single. No one wanted to respond to the leader's enthusiasm. With the future uncertain, the time limit came and the vocalist boy chose to break up the band in tears.
"The boy gave up all his instruments and followed his father's advice to become a doctor. Each of the others gave up their musical careers and chose other paths."
One of them was the Master of that coffee shop.
"And the name of the band's leader is—"
Mochiyuki-san stopped my words with his hand.
"Enough, I understand."
Then he lets out a deep, deep sigh.
"Back then, I thought I could do anything if I worked hard. So all the members honed their skills, and it showed in the results. Hard work pays off. That is what I believed."
He stared into the air, then blinked his eyes a few times.
"But everything worked out the opposite of what I had envisioned. We were told that our skill level was a high hurdle, that we had to screw around more, that we had to stand out. We were ... denied everything we had ever believed in at that moment."
Mochiyuki-san looked at his desk.
There was a photo of the family on the table. Of course, among them was Tsurayuki in his school uniform.
"...I also knew that Tsurayuki was really trying his best. That is why I did not want him to feel sad like that. Is it wrong for me as a parent to feel that way?"
I shook my head.
"But this is what happens as a result, isn't it? I'm not sure where the right answer lies anymore."
Quiet time passed.
We looked down at each other and remained silent.
"You also know ... that I have not told my family about this?"
I nodded silently.
His family, in other words, Tsurayuki, doesn't know about this.
That his father, who denies and hates creative work, was once a creator.
"So what do you want by playing this card?" (Note: to attempt to create a favorable situation for oneself by using tools or information in one's possession)
Mochiyuki-san said quietly.
"Nothing. I just... just wanted to confirm."
"Confirm?"
"That Mochiyuki-san was a creator."
I had no intention of using this as a bargaining chip.
I just wanted to know. Whether the person making the future decision for his son would make it without knowing anything about the creative or would he decide based on what he knows about it.
"If you know and decide, then I have nothing more to say. I respect everything"
It was my honest feeling.
But there were some things I believed.
If you have ever made something, Tsurayuki's words after a setback should shake your heart.
Then all I can do is make that final push.
Once again, silence reigned over the place.
Eventually, Mochiyuki-san let out a sigh.
"You're much more than just playing cards, you're being cruel, you know"
Just as I was saying that, the alarm on my cell phone rang.
"... 30 minutes have passed."
I thanked him and left the place.
And Mochiyuki-san forgave Tsurayuki.
I honestly don't know if my actions had any influence on that decision.
However, Mochiyuki-san on the other side of the phone said,
"When negotiating, it's best not to play cards. The best use is to show them and use them as a deterrent. You know that, don't you?"
Yes, I replied.
"Good grief, you are a horrible person. I am almost doubting that you are really a college student."
For a moment, I felt a jolt.
"But you are too calculative. Such people will go off the rails somewhere."
It was as if my heart had been directly gouged out.
In fact, in the past, I nearly lost Tsurayuki because of that.
I wasn't sure if Mochiyuki-san understood that or not.
"If you are willing to heed the advice of your predecessor, remember this. Any attempt to probe into a person's past or what is inside will eventually destroy trust. Even if it is out of consideration for the other person."
"--I will keep that in mind."
Mochiyuki-san sighed quietly.
"Take care of Tsurayuki. He believes in you."
"Yes."
"Please don't betray that trust. That is all I can say."
Even after hanging up the phone, I kept staring at the screen of my cell phone.
I had done something threatening to such a respectable person. He saw right through it, and asked me to do him a favor. If I were to break the trust with Tsurayuki on top of this, it would be ... irreversible.
Drag them out onto the stage.
It can hurt people greatly.
What I am doing is scummy and could lose people I care about.
Don't take their thoughts for granted, even if it's wrong.
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