“AAAHHH! use anaesthetic before stitching damn it!”
“Don’t be a wuss Toshi, as my disciple, this is also a training”
Kira holds my body with her incredible strength while Rei-sensei pierce the needle in me one by one to stitch the cut I got on the previous fight.
BAM! The main door hits the wall
“WE’RE GOING TO KYOTO BABY!!!”
“Wooohoo!!!”
Akane-san and breaks in and Harumi cheering at the back, she holds five shiny golden tickets in her hands
“CAN’T ANYONE USE THE DOOR NORMALLY!!”
Akane-san and Harumi were bouncing in excitement
“The owner gave me free tickets as a reward for skyrocketing the sales in our cafe! And I couldn’t have done it without you guys”
Kira grabs one of the tickets from her hands and looks at the things they offered on the trip. Her tail starts to swish left and right aggressively as she reads out loud.
“Premium seats on the train! Bathhouse with all-you-can-eat buffet! Free entrance for selected few tourist attractions”
“WOAAHHH BUFFET!!!!”
Harumi squeals and jumps happily hearing about food. I am more worried about the cooks who make the buffet.
Rei sensei was more interested in the Bathhouse, Kira was interested in the premium seat on the train. I could already tell she’s imagining drinking champagne with crossed legs on a big red chair. These tickets sound like a very expensive and rare type. How did the owner even get his hands on these tickets? Harumi looks at the half stitched cut on my arm.
“That guy did a number on you huh, senpai”
I forgot that I did not tell Akane-san about Ryuusuke.
“Oh my god Toshi-kun! What happened to you! What guy?!”
“It’s nothing… relax…Kira scratched me”
“No I didn't! Buncha Yakuza henchmen did this to him!”
Yes, right. My efforts have gone to waste thanks to these two.
“Hohoho you should’ve seen him, Akane! When i return, Men piled up, guts everywhere, Toshi was fully covered on their blood”
“The details are really unnecessary..”
Rei-sensei’s eyes sparkled with pride for her student standing up against many. I am kinda proud of myself but it was not a sweet memory to remember. She did not waste any time and jumped onto Akane.
“When! When are we going to Kyoto!!”
“N-next w-eek, s-stop shaking me..”
***
Bustling crowd here and there, people chitter chatters, a stampede of people getting in and out from the train. “The train to Kyoto will depart at 2.00PM” the announcer said.
“Look Toshi, The life of temporary luxury is within our reach!”
Kira and I are waiting at the train station, she’s wearing a thin yellow overshirt with white tank top inside, jean shorts and sandals. I just put on a sleeveless jersey and cargo pants since I'm not into fashion. Most men are drooling over Kira for her tall frame and beauty. This easily gets to her head till she acts like a royal bloodline.
“There are only two of us here, where are the others?”
A few minutes later, Akane-san and Rei-sensei arrived. Sensei is wearing a brown poncho with a sun hat on top. Akane-san wearing a palm tree patterned short sleeve shirt tucked in white shorts.
“Are we going to Kyoto or hit the beach? Am I the only one who didn’t follow the dresscode?”
“What are you Rei? a vampire?”
“It’s summer, this kind of outfit is optimal for my undying beauty”
“Harumi-chan isn’t here yet..~”
That braided vacuum cleaner, I wonder what she is even doing. The train leaves in ten minutes!! I called her using my phone
“Where are you Harumi!! We’re departing without you, goodbye!”
“Wait Toshiro-senpai!!!! I can see you guys! On your left!”
Harumi carrying a huge bag on her back wearing a blue sundress.
That bag probably contains 90 percent food and 10 percent clothes. A shining pearl white train, it was running on the rail so smooth, you could barely hear it coming. The private luxury train arrived, KSHHH the door opened, a gentle smoke coming out as the fragrance of lavender filled the air. “Welcome aboard dear passengers!” two beautiful attendants called out to us.
All five of our jaws were touching the ground, we stood frozen. It wasn’t just a train- it was the transportation of a higher being.
“Halt! Where do you think you’re going!”
The conductor stopped us from entering
“This is a Premium-Suite Class Train! Normies can’t get in!”
“Normies?! We’re a guest you nitwit!”
Kira smacked the golden ticket on his face, he was shocked by the sight of it. With an irritated look on his face, he made us way to enter the train. The very moment we entered, a private coach for us with red soft carpet covering below, leather seats with built-in massager, wall mounted air conditioner with attached fragrance, ice cubes and bottles of wine arranged and finally, food service. It was a whole new world inside it.
I jumped on the seat and immediately turned on the massager, two motorized balls on each seat rolling on my back. BRRRRR the seats start to vibrate mildly, shaking all my fatigue away.
“ThIs Is ThE bEsT…AhHhHhHh”
Rei-sensei searches through the shelf containing a fine premium wine. Her fingertip brushes every bottle, her face didn’t look satisfied as if she’s specifically searching for a brand.
“Yes, this is the one…”
She takes a bottle named ‘The King’s Banquet’
“Brewed in 1472, its origins are erased from history, made by nicely crushed cranberries and sealed air tight. Rumor says this drink was only served for the royal families in the Victorian era, Now, a single sip worth millions is within my hands…”
“Is it that rare? I don’t think it’s a good idea to drink it all ”
I tried to warn Rei-sensei. Without a single thought, She tipped the whole bottle above and started chugging on it.
“WOOOOOH! That’s what I'm talking about!”
Meanwhile, Akane-san and Harumi…sat on the prepared table, flipping through the dessert menu and ordering everything within their sight. The attendant seems troubled by their infinite orders. As the order arrived, They started to ravage the desserts like piranha
Kira clung on the seat and turned the seat’s massage level to max, it started to vibrate like crazy, the motorized ball spins till creating a portal to another dimension.
“HAHAHA! GiMmE a MiLk! IlL TuRn iT inTo BuTtEr!”
“KIRAAA~i~Need~You”
Rei-sensei is drunk to the utmost level, she arranged the glasses in a pyramid filled with wine. With a wiggly voice-
“Light~them~up!”
Kira shoots a fire on the glasses. BOOM the glasses lit on fire…maybe too much fire till the glasses are melting
“YEAAHHH! FLAMING LAMBORGHINI!!!”
Rei-sensei shouts out, The fire alarms started to scream over in the train coach, Harumi and Akane-san running around with utmost sugar rush streaming all over their body. I'm trapped inside a cage filled with wild animals,
“Somebody help me!!!!!”
A group of attendants rushed in our private coach “Oh my god!!!”. Two of them put out the Flaming Lamborghini with a fire extinguisher, they’re trying to pull Kira away from the massage seat as she’s clinging on it like a cat on a scratching post “get down miss, please! Our salary will be reduced!!”. Rei-sensei clinging on to them and blabbering about how to behead a criminal. Akane-san and Harumi were captured and tied tight by the attendants to avoid restraint.
Now i can tell why people say “Luxury blinds a man”
***
We got down the train after going through the hellish transit.
“ ( Ahhh, the smell of Kyoto!”
Kira stretches her arms, I looked around the place in awe. The Kyoto Train Station was so incredible with immense futuristic architecture, escalators crisscrossed the open space, sunlight glinting off glass walls. Everyone was so hyped to begin our great free tour.
“What’s on the agenda, Akane-san!”
Harumi asked while eating a fruit tape from her massive bag. Akane-san looks at the brochure given by the tour guide on the train. Her index finger searches through the available free entry tourist spots listed on it.
“We should go to Gion district~”
Kira interrupted-
“Nishiki Market!”
I wanted to go-
“Kyoto International Manga Museum!”
Harumi suggested
“Pontocho Alley!”
“No! We are going to take a hotel first!”
Rei-sensei forced herself in. it made sense, we can’t roam around carrying our bags. The ticket has a free room for three nights and four days at a hotel called “New Empire”. But saddeningly, it only gave us one single room. Yes, I have to spend time in a single room filled with asylum escapees.
The moment we stepped foot outside the station, there was a tall red tower beaming in front of us. Akane-san quickly took out a camera from her bag, capturing the Kyoto tower.
“So tall! gather around everyone~ let’s take a group photo!!”
We were all pressed together to fit in the frame, Kira placed her arm over me pulling me closer, Akane-san stood in the middle showing peace signs, Rei-sensei leaned on Kira from the left and Harumi posed on the right. SNAP the shutter of the camera closes and opens, we gathered around to see the picture.
I have to say… looking at the picture- I've come so far after moving to this apartment, going through hardships, facing near-death, getting embarrassed. But I have gained trustable friends, people who care for me. I am really thankful for them.
Suddenly, I felt a huge absence in the circle…WHOOSHHH HISSS an extremely shining light, even in the broad daylight rushing to the tower, and I felt another absence, PAT PAT PAT feet touching the ground one after another at incredible speed, a woman covered in brown clothes chasing the light. Why are my arms on Harumi and Akane-san's shoulders?
“Look at that!” The pedestrians exclaims, taking their smartphone to record it. IT’S KIRA AND REI RACING TO THE TOP OF THE TOWER!!!! Kira’s metal clad claws digging in the iron bars, swing herself upwards, fire bursting from her feet like a jet engine. Rei-sensei’s coordinated steps landing on the bars effortlessly.
“Hey! Aren’t you going overboard?”
“Whaddya mean?”
Kira’s body was leaking liquid metal, Her flames became hotter than her controlled state. The bars around her begin to melt, KREEEEK the tower starts to bend, losing its stability.
“OH SHIT!”
“REDUCE YOUR FLAMES!”
“I AM TRYING TO!!”
The people beneath the tower start to panic, everyone runs away like a stampede. The police are here! Better not show them that I'm acquainted with her. Her flames repeatedly shine bright and reduced, like a flickering light from afar.
“Let them go! I'm going to cut off the molten part!”
Rei-sensei tightly gripped the handle of her sword, she jumped off from the tower with a push. SHIING! A shockwave from her swing cuts deep through the tower
“FOCUS KIRAA! Use your stupidly insane strength and weld the tower together!”
Rei-sensei falling in the mid air, Kira grits her teeth, she holds a beam of the falling tower “RAAAHHH” with a primal scream, she uses her herculean strength to connect the sliced piece of the tower with the base. She clings on to the tower with one hand and starts to wall-run around it, her palm mixed with bubbling molten silver metal, it welds the both pieces back together.
Kira was falling to the ground as Rei-sensei clung to her neck. The sirens are screaming, “Cover the area!” commands travelling around the tower, the police has surrounded the area. A cat always lands on its feet right? But it doesn't seem like she’s doing that…
“AAHHH! HELP ME!!!!”
She screams while falling with her back facing the ground, Rei-sensei settled on Kira’s stomach and clinging to her thigh. She’s gonna be fine…as long as I'm out of this…
“TOSHII!!”
Shit! Why is she calling MY name!!! BOOM! With a thundering sound, the ground cracks with a crater as she crash lands on the ground. Dust blinds the police around her. The crowd became silent, one of the officer rises “There is a mastermind called Toshi! Find him!” The police ran around the crowd to search ME! CURSE YOU KIRA!!!
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
I grabbed Akane-san and Harumi’s hand and ran away, blending in the stampede. From the dust, a big silhouette approached me. Suddenly, one of the police officer blocked my path “Why are you running?! Tell me your name! Are these ladies your hostages?!” That’s too many questions!
“I uh…My name is…Ryuu..These are my…sisters..”
The only name that came to my mind was Rei-sensei’s father, Harumi understood the situation
“Brother! I'm scared, let's get out of here!”
Akane-san still oblivious of what’s going on
“What’s going on Tos-”
I cupped her mouth and ran panickingly into the crowd. The silhouette finally revealed, Kira and Rei waving their hands while coming towards us
“Oh, there you are Toshi!”
All the police’s scattering immediately stopped, heads turned towards our side “that’s him!” they begin lunging towards us. I just arrived Kyoto and I want to go home already, I pounced on Kira and grabbed her face
“Run! Run you Cursed Cat!”
I can’t believe we are already a wanted criminals who just destroyed a national treasure. Dangling on her back, Kira begins running away with her paws scorching the asphalt beneath us. PUFF PUFF her flames begin to stutter, her silver metal begins to melt away, making her metal claws disappear. We tumbled on the road, hitting the street lamp.
Groaning in pain, I rolled on my back
“What was that, what happened to you, Kira…”
“My abilities…they’re going nuts for no reason…ughh can’t wake up..”
I grabbed both her limp hands, struggling to pull her up. Telling a woman they’re heavy means digging my own grave, The Almighty Kira is unstable? She is indeed mentally unstable, but I will bet millions on her prowess. As I am a man of experiments, an idea came to my mind.
“Try dripping few drops of your metal from the fingers”
A sizzling molten liquid forms from her finger, it becomes bigger and bigger like a balls of molten death, covered in her white flames.
“Not that much! Stop dripping”
She starts to panic with the unusual amount of heat and silver. She grits her teeth to control her power with all her might. The molten balls start to sink in the asphalt, going deeper below
“Let’s try your pyroclasm, try your signature flamed imbued sprint. Go to that end of the road and come back here”
“As you say Doc!”
She leans down on the straight road ahead of her, ready in a runner stance, The air around me became heavy, dead silence surrounded my radius like I was stuck inside a barrier, the dust and pebbles rose up slightly. BANG! The air crackled with a loud sound, fire trails burning the road with splashed tar everywhere, the road became a massacre. She reached the point and came back within a second.
Even Kira could not believe what happened, mine and Kira’s jaws touched our feet at this new display of impossibility. The rare moment when Kira finally became silent with lost of words. I was really sure that the edge of the road was roughly three kilometers.
A sudden vibration on my left thigh, my phone rings inside the pocket, it was Rei-sensei.
“Oi, where did you two run off to?”
Rei-sensei and the others arrived at our location, She frowned and landed a palm on her head. Her eyes scanned the whole destroyed road, on the edge of her vision, two people sitting on the sidewalk and eating instant noodles. Akane-san and Harumi stood with their eyes wide.
“The audacity to eat like nothing happened!”
Rei-sensei threw her sheathed sword aimed directly at Kira’s head.
“Can we just enjoy the trip like we planned to normally?~” Akane-san said with a tired look
“Yeah! No more police please!” Harumi went on her knees.
***
We climbed a few stairs in a hill area, leading us to a Luxury bath house. The cloth on the frame of the entrance brushed our skin, Clean grassy scent flowed through my nose, underneath my feet, the floor was slightly springy yet soft, the tatami mat covered almost all the floor in the bath house. Bamboo trees rustle by the gentle wind, dropping few dried leaves on the ground, the cool atmosphere gently crawls on me.
Our eyes sparkling, catching on to the pleasant environment of the place. I got separated from my friends because I am the only “Man” among us. This is it! I can finally relax without any noise or disturbance. Laughs echoing throughout the changing room beside mine, it’s probably the "spriteful bunch” I knew.
The gentle steam fills the area, the warm water blankets my leg as I dipped in, it covers my whole body as I go lower. The blissful feeling…the ecstasy of my muscles relaxing…this is life…I started melting into the sensation.
On the other side, it sounded like a water theme park, splashing, squealing sounds coming. I'm not going to bother about it now, I will be admiring this beautiful view of mist filled greenery stretched across the horizon, but the one thing that ruins this is those helicopters searching for criminals who destroyed the tower.
“I will summon the guardian of water! Come forth!”
Rei-sensei’s announcement travelling through the wall between us.
“Mere water can’t bring this lord of flames to her knees!” Kira says with a deep voice
“Mochi!!!” Harumi’s voice
“Kyaa!~” Akane-san’s voice
What kind of roleplay are they even doing in there? Kinda sounds fun… “Despite their ruckus, I heard faint whispers on my side. I swear to god, there was no one except me in the male section, is this place haunted by any chance?! I'm all alone here!
The whispers continued, but now, the water gives slight waves behind the huge decorational rock. I moved slowly to that rock. Suddenly, there was no movement, no sound. Bunch of big built men showing their back surrounding something
“Move”
A soft yet commanding voice came slowly behind the men. The moment they moved, I regretted that my curiosity won over me. Sharp eyes, pale skin, Long black hair tied in a messy bun; Ryuusuke leaned on the rock, opened his eyes lazily to have a look at me.
“The brat who stole my daughter”
My legs reacted on their own, I quickly stood up as the water splashed on him.
“What are you doing here?!”
“Shut it, sit”
His men towering around me, his feathery voice rumbled inside me. I was settled in the water again before I knew it, the primal instinct inside me heard him in obedience as a predator bares its fangs at the prey. He leaned in front of me, clutching his fist till his knuckles turned white, as if he was controlling something.
“Don’t you dare ruin my cute little Rei’s holiday, i will slice you into pieces before you could draw a breath”
This is the first time i heard him talking many words, even if it’s a death threat
“Y-yes sir. Wait, are you following her?” my mind spoke without hesitation.
“Yes I am, I will be my baby’s protector from now on”
“Ryuusuke-sama! Rei-sama is going to launch an attack at the Lord of flames!”
He covered my face with his calloused palm to silence me. He is cheering for their stupid roleplay from here! “Kill the Lord of flames Rei-chan, if anything happens, papa will save you” Relax man! It’s not that deep!
He grabbed my nape tightly
“I can’t be seen by her, since you’re the puppy who’s wiggling its tail behind her, I don't want a single scratch to fall on her precious body. If i saw it…i will chop you finely, and stuff in a can like sardines”
Why is he very talkative today, and I don't like this! Talk about having a daughter complex!
He did not let me go; instead, he made me lean on the rock beside him, asking me how I met Rei-sensei.
“I moved to this apartment and she was my neighbour. Rei-sensei trained me to become stronger and she’s someone dear to me as well”
Ryuusuke’s nose flared open, his clenching fists to his collarbone with a satisfied smile.
“My little lotus has her own disciple! Make sure you reach her expectations”
I could see his other side shining brightly compared to his calm and cold demeanour. The wooden wall between both baths sounded
“Oi Toshi, we are going out first” Kira said to me, “FREE BUFFET!” Harumi roars like a viking.
He flicked his finger toward his men, they quickly rose and dashed to the dorms. Metal clattering, chopping sound coming from there.
“What are they-”
“Remember, not a word”
I exited the bath and entered the dormitory area, Kira and the gang were on their robes, each enjoying the massage chair. Just look at them, not a worry in mind. Kira drowsily lifted her arm.
“Yo, missed me?”
“y-yeah”
My voice is still shaken, for once in my life, I did missed her for not being a shield I can hide from the “Ryuusuke Encounter”.
We walked to the dining room together, the scent of freshly cooked food pulling me closer. Harumi slid the door open; various types of delicious looking meals were placed on the long wooden table. Beef, chicken, lamb, lobster, salmon YOU NAME IT! These meals are not given in the menu. We pounced on it, Akane-san grabbed a big chunk of tomahawk steak and pulled the meat with her teeth.
Kira took the bowl filled with freshly sliced salmon and started burying her face in it. Harumi on the other hand, vacuumed the noodles in her mouth. Multiple Tempura tiger prawn tails sticking out from Rei-sensei’s mouth. Roasted pork sliding down my throat continuously, the staff horrified looking at us bunch of savages inhaling their food. “These are not in our menu” they whispered to each other while another staff complained about a bunch of huge men intruding the kitchen.
“Wohoho! I'm stuffed!” Kira holds her stomach sprawled on the floor, the others could not take another bite, groaning on the floor. I gotta say, Ryuusuke’s men would make great wives.
“This Tempura Tiger Prawn tastes too familiar, but it’s hard to remember”
Rei-sensei said with a suspicious tone, a sudden thud came from the next room right after she finished her sentence. I instantly knew he was there listening to her daughter enjoying his recipe. We crawled our way to our room, unable to move the bloated belly.
Let’s be real, from now on, there won’t be any chaos or crazy stuff. It’s going to be a wholesome trip filled with sightseeing, pictures and memories.
***
All dressed up, the travel guide pamphlet spread on the floor. Akane-san and pointed our next place to go
“Fushimi Inari Taisha!~”
“But aren’t we supposed to go to-”
“Please! Let’s go here~”
Akane-san clung on to Kira’s shirt and pleaded. I never knew she favors shrines that much.
“I only came to this place when I was a kid with my family, i would like to see it again…”
How can we say no after looking at her puppy eyes. We bid farewell to the bathhouse and took a local train to Fushimi-Inari. We squeezed ourselves in the train while travelling to the next location, the station was resembling the Tori gate with red colored pillars. We walked our way to the Fushimi Inari Taisha, the more we got near it, there were few groups of people with musical instruments such as guitar, drum set, amplifiers and more; as if they were preparing for a concert.
The Great Tori stood tall in front of us with its captivating bright red color. Our chin pointing the sky
“Woaahh! It’s huge!” we blurted it out together.
“Don’t you dare climb this one Kira! And no powers must be used throughout this trip” I said it as a precaution because I know what kind of woman she is. The cat instinct of climbing on high things are written all over her face
“I won’t, I won't. Sheesh”
Suddenly, Kira’s ears perked up for no reason, she began to look around aimlessly.
A girl at the entrance, handing out flyers “show us your rock and roll talent! Here at our very own shrine! Compete with other potential and reign to the top!”. Rei-sensei’s head perked up, she went to the girl and snatched the flyer.
“We should totally join this!!”
“What about the instruments?” Harumi questioned the girl
“Everything will be given by us! All you have to do is shine like a rockstar!”
Sensei’s face brightened up with newfound motivation, a slight grin on the edge of her lips
We wandered further inside the shrine, the place was bustling with tourists. They were posing, taking pictures and some of the locals were praying to the gods. We want to give a fight as well, Harumi and Akane-san took their camera and started clicking like everything in their sight. The moment when Kira eats a takoyaki; Me and Rei-sensei checking out the wooden swords; Harumi creating an illusion pose of grabbing the shrine; Akane-san jumps in joy mid-air, all of them were captured in this treasured film.
The Thousand Torii Gates, placed accordingly. A contrast of red around the lush greenery, fresh filtered air blows my hair. There were lots of steps to climb, but I could not give any thought to it because of the people I was surrounded with, the tiredness was nothing but a feather-light sensation. Our fingers brushed every one of the pillars to feel the happiness we were experiencing at that moment, the girls were running, spinning, laughing. I couldn’t help but laugh together with them, keeping up with their level of absurdity.
Finally we reached the top, once again a huge Torii gate appeared in front of us framing the beautiful shrine behind it.
We stood in front of the shrine, lined up and clapped our hands together.
Rei : “I must win this contest no matter what!”
Akane: "I want to reach a higher position in my work soon!”
Harumi: “Please bless me with more food!”
Kira: ** she smirked mischievously.
I am not going to say what I prayed for as well. I slightly leaned forward to look at their faces if they did any funny expressions while praying. Kira's face was as if something’s disturbing her, fluffy silver tail stood tall, fully alert.
“Kira, is everything alright?”
“Yeah, it’s just…nah don’t mind it” she brushed off my concern.she thought to herself.
She quickly turned to the tree on the left, but nothing was there. Her eyebrows lowered, scanning the whole area without her friends knowing, which may ruin the fun trip.
Everyone filled with newborn energy, satisfied. Rei-sensei clenched her fist
“We need to get ready for the event tonight!”
I really am looking forward to our performance tonight.
“What song are we going to play though?”
She took her phone and typed fast.
“Something all of you heard before…This is the song we are going to play”
I looked at the screen with a knowing smile, that song pulls the soul out of you and starts to swing it like a cowboy. Kira volunteered to be the vocal of our performance, her strong voice would definitely make the song go hard. Harumi and Akane-san volunteered as the chorus, and surprisingly, the electric guitar training I did with Rei-sensei finally had its purpose.
***
The sun has descended beneath the horizon as night covers the sky. The spotlights flashed brightly in the darkness, fire shoots out from the stage, smoke dispenses around the venue, the crowd’s footsteps rumbling the ground “ARE YOU READY FOR SOME ROCK AND ROLL!” the once innocent advertising girl, wearing ragged clothes with heavy and spiky accessories. The crowd releases a war cry enough to rip your eardrums
The environment around me made my adrenaline pump like crazy! The first contending team, TCH-TCH-TCH-TSS started with a snare, the guitarist shrieking his guitar strings till the speaker’s endurance was on the edge of breaking. “he sings with a deep raspy voice. Their hair flying here and there as they headbanging.
We were pushed inside the mosh pit automatically, we could barely hear our own voices. It can’t be helped, my head starts to move front and back, I lift both arms, my fingers pointing upwards. “YEAAHHHHHH” I screamed, some kind of rush from the bottom of my stomach rose up to my mouth like a bubbling volcano
Within the headbanging, hair spinning crowd I caught a glimpse of my scattered girls. They were absolute chaos, teeth gritted, fists clenched, legs in a lunging stance, their silk hair swishing the air enough to create a tornado; Every beat of the drums vibrates my whole organs inside.
– a mysterious figure perched on the roof of the shrine, its crimson eyes glowing in the dark, its white sharp teeth with two fangs glistening when it smiles –
“NEXT UP IS THE BADASS QUINTET”
I never should’ve let Rei-sensei choose the name for our group. The curtains fell closing the stage all of a sudden “huh, what are-” the announcer’s voice disappeared behind the curtains. The crowd left confused, protesting for the competition to continue. We rushed backstage to get ready for our performanceAs we climbed the stage, the sound of many footsteps appeared and disappeared in a second.
The curtains opened again, the crowd continues to cheer again. “We are sorry, there was a sudden technical difficulty. Now we’re back on track!” Despite the enthusiasm in her voice, her face looks confused yet terrified. The instruments and equipment were changed into brand new and expensive ones, a single stroke of the string would make you sound like a professional.
We were confused with the sudden change. We took the instrument as the roles we agreed to, I saw a sticky note clinging on my electric guitar “if my little lotus loses, you shall lose your arms as well” I can clearly tell who did all of this.
DUN-DUN-DUN-DUN I began playing a single note continuously to set the beat. Rei-sensei spins the drumstick between her fingers, beating the drum three times from high to low notes; the moment she hits the drums, speakers and amplifiers make soundwaves blast throughout the stage. Akane-san and Harumi did a vocal drone in the background.
Kira’s leg spread, her hand pointing toward the audience, Her strong voice impaled through every single person. The tempo increases, Rei-sensei’s drums shaking us with each beat. My fingers gliding on the strings, picking them with fervour building is me. Kira clenches her fist till her knuckles turn white.
— the figure on the roof calmly walks out from the darkness, black pointy hair with red edges bristles in the cold night air, black furred pointy ears moving with reflex of the heavy sound below “Target confirmed…” he smiles enough to cover his whole face –
Harumi and Akane-san vocals in the background
The crowd cheers get loud, every one of us filled with adrenaline surging inside us like a coursing river.
Rei-sensei’s drums becomes fast, frantic; her hair cutting the air thin; an animalistic grin grows on her lips, so do ours. Kira’s movement is now becoming more confident and arrogant, she looks like she’s about to conquer the whole stage. Both of the girl's vocals in the back are like pouring diesel in a burning fire. The front, middle and behind, men tributing glowstick dance with military precision movement, Ryuusuke’s doing everything to support sensei; The song reaches its best part
“
the mysterious figure jumps from the roof-
CRACK deafening thunder blasts out of nowhere, BOOM he breaks through the roof the stage, rubbles and steel pipes scattering all over. Eyes wide; eyebrows frown; insatiable grin “KIRAAAA!” his voice tearing through the noise.
