Chapter 43: The Band Class Prez Likes

Part One

At 8 p.m., the underground stage comes alive with excitement.
Cola’s still in her long skirt, now carrying a faint fragrance—probably washed today.
Regulars, familiar with her, greet her as they enter, calling out “Maid-kun” or “Cola-Cola” nicknames.
Some grab drinks and head inside, while others linger outside, chatting and waiting.

The stage is already active, but the early acts are lesser-known bands, so before the popular ones perform, some prefer to stay out.

“Why not wait inside for the big bands? What’s the difference?”
During a lull with no customers, Cola muses, tossing two ice cubes into her bottled cola, sipping it like fine wine.
“Phew… cola’s only real with ice…”

“You have to engage with the performance inside, especially in the front row. Not paying attention is rude,” Liuli explains, smiling softly.

“There’s a rule like that?”

“Mm, an unspoken one.”
Liuli giggles.
“You go in, you cheer properly.”

“So people who aren’t into it just wait outside? Man, those unknown bands have it rough…”

“But if they’re good, more people will go in over time. Lots of big bands started that way.”

“The beginning’s the toughest, huh…”
Cola smacks her lips, spotting someone approaching the drink counter.
“Welcome! Need a drink?”

“Cola.”

“Oh, sure—wait, Class Prez?”

“You work here?”

“Yup!”

“Haha, you’ve got good taste, let me tell you…”
Saeko Inukai’s laugh cuts through Cola’s thoughts. Glancing over, she sees the tall beauty chugging drinks with a customer, arm around their shoulder. Even from afar, the booze’s scent seems to waft over.

Yuki Matsuhisa tilts her head slightly, eyeing Saeko.
Liuli hurries to explain, “T-Teacher’s just here to drink, n-not working!”

“Right, right!”
Cola jumps in.
“Just drinking!”

“…I didn’t ask.”
Yuki’s tone is flat.

Cola feels like she’s overexplained, making it worse.
Maybe saying nothing would’ve been better…

“Ha… haha… what brings you here, Class Prez?”
Cola coughs, changing the subject.

“A band I like is performing.”
Yuki takes the large iced cola Cola hands her, glancing at the door separating the outer and inner areas.
“Came to see them.”

“One of today’s big bands? Bet you like the drummer, right?”

Yuki sips her cola, shaking her head.
“Bassist.”

“You like the bassist?”

“Mm, a very charismatic bassist.”

“Charismatic doesn’t seem like a bassist word…”
Cola mutters.

“…I saw your message.”

“Oh, right, I haven’t checked LINE this afternoon. You replied?”

“Mm.”

“Cough, so… what do you think? Oh, by the way, Liuli’s our keyboardist!”

Cola dramatically gestures to Liuli, who blushes instantly.

“Mm, I’m in,” Yuki replies simply.

“M-Matsuhisa-san!”
Liuli bows, nervous but thrilled.
“T-Thank you! B-But my skills might disappoint you…”

“No way, have some confidence, Liuli.”
Cola pats her back.
“Look at me, just a karaoke-level singer, and I’m not worried.”

“…It’s fine.”
Yuki shakes her head.
“A band starting from scratch sounds fun.”

“So we’re officially formed?”
Cola nudges Liuli playfully.
“Hey, captain, don’t be shy.”

“W-Wasn’t you gonna be captain? I-I can’t!”

“Mm, Cola should do it,” Yuki says.

“See, Matsuhisa-san agrees…”

“Let the best musician lead. Or you, Class Prez? You’ve got leadership experience, perfect for captain.”

“…In a band, I just want to be a drummer.”

“Fine, fine, if you both think I’m the one, I’ll do it.”
Cola shrugs helplessly.
“A band needs a captain, right?”

“Mm…! T-Then, please take care of us, Matsuhisa-san!”

“We’re in a band now, so drop the formalities, yeah?”
Cola mumbles through ice cubes.
“How about just calling her Prez Yuki?”

“I-Isn’t that too casual…?”
Liuli asks nervously.

“Call me what feels right,” Yuki says.

“Then I’ll stick with Matsuhisa-san…”

“Alright, Prez, just call me Cola. ‘Quantum-san’ feels weird.”

“Okay, Cola-san.”

“For practice… evenings are out, I’m working. Daytime?”

“I work daytime.”

“Timing’s gonna be tricky…”

“We’re off tomorrow, right?”

“You off tomorrow, Prez?”

“Mm.”

“Cool, let’s practice tomorrow! I’ve never been in a band… Singing’s just like karaoke, right?”

“Pretty much.”

“N-No way!”
Liuli chimes in.
“No prompter, and it’s way more nerve-wracking than karaoke…”

“Memorize the lyrics, and it’s fine,” Yuki says.

“Cola, I’m so impressed you’re not worried…”

“Worrying’s pointless. We’re in a band, so we try. If we bomb on stage, we’ll deal then.”

“There’s an old saying in %@: ‘Failure is the mother of success,’” Yuki says in Chinese, with a heavy accent.

“…Pfft… cough…!”
Yuki’s Chinese, sounding like a dubbed anime villain, chokes Cola on her spit.

“You okay?”

“Fine, fine… just found it kinda funny. Felt like the next line’d be ‘The wise adapt to the times’…”

“Eh? What’s that? Chinese?”

“Chinese with a Japanese accent.”
Cola clears her throat.
“So, Prez, you waiting out here for the big band?”

“No…”
Yuki shakes her head.
“Going in now.”

“Unknown bands are fun too?”

“Watching others’ mistakes keeps you sharp.”

“Always learning, huh…”
Cola watches Yuki head inside, sighing.
“No wonder she’s Class Prez…”

“She’s always been like that. She was class president in junior high too…”

“Eh, you two were junior high classmates?”

“Yup… but we weren’t close.”

“Why? You don’t like her?”

“N-No! It’s just… I’m bad at making friends, and… she doesn’t talk much to others either.”

“Not big on chatting but still a class president? That’s some serious skill.”
Cola screws the cap on her cola, tossing it into the storage under the counter.
“Oh, more customers. Big band’s about to start?”

“About fifteen minutes, per the schedule.”

“Really wanna see what Prez’s favorite band’s like, but we’re stuck at the counter till closing—how about asking the manager? Sneak in for one song when it’s quiet?”

“Would she agree…?”

“Won’t know till we ask!”

Part Two

At 10 p.m., the inner stage is at its peak.
Saeko Inukai’s sold plenty of premium drinks tonight, bouncing wildly and headbanging to the rhythm like a diehard fan.
Cola’s half-worried she’ll shake her brains to mush…

They just came inside. With the outer area empty, the manager let the older guy take over the drink counter, allowing them to catch one song.
You can hear music outside, but through the heavy door, it’s muffled. Inside, it’s a whole different vibe.
Forget “epic”—the music hits. The booming, crashing soundwaves feel solid, slamming into Cola’s head.

“Whoa… so loud…”

“Cola—san—what—did you say?”

“I said—it’s—LOUD!!”

“Mm—this song’s—almost over!”

“Feels a bit too rock…”

“Pfft, it’s jarring at first~!”
Liuli leans close, smiling into her ear.

Cola tiptoes, eyeing the four band members on stage, muttering, “They look in their thirties.”

“A well-established band!”

“What? Oh, song’s over?”

“Mm! Let’s hear the next one.”

“No MC break? They just keep going?”

“Every band’s style’s different.”

Cola nods as Liuli’s voice fades, drowned by the crowd’s cheers and music that feels like it’s invading her soul.
The next song kicks off with a bassist’s solo, others joining in after.
The bass isn’t super prominent, but the bassist is. He prowls the stage, shouting at the crowd, and near the song’s end, he spreads his arms and leaps off.
The fans, in sync, catch him and toss him high, the already electric atmosphere now scorching, everyone screaming the band’s name.

“This is Prez’s favorite bassist…”
Cola’s lips twitch.
“Crazier than I imagined…”