Chapter 44: Social Terrorist

Part One

August 3, 2025, Sunday.

The cicadas’ chirping is headache-inducing, and the blazing sun shows no mercy, seemingly determined to push Japan’s temperatures above 40°C.
Passersby, most with parasols, murmur about how Maebashi’s summer is unusually scorching this year.
For Cola, who lived in Tokyo for a year, this heatwave feels less like Japan and more like home in %%.
She remembers her childhood top-floor apartment, where the old AC, even set to 18°C, needed a fan to keep sweat at bay.
Today’s Maebashi heat is just as relentless.

They say a calm mind cools you, but Cola’s anything but calm.
Sitting on a warm swing, she sways gently, but the hot breeze only makes her sweat faster.

“Ugh… we totally bombed. And Prez was so blunt, she made Liuli hug her keyboard and shut down…”
Cola puffs her cheeks, pouting.
“I thought saying I’m karaoke-level was humble, but Prez called me ‘average.’ Am I really that average? Or is it this body’s voice…”
She clutches her head, ruffling her sweat-soaked silver hair.
“Ugh—she also said the keyboard’s bass effect sucks, we need a real bassist. And Liuli agreed… Do I actually have to learn bass? I can barely read basic notation, let alone sheet music!”
In the small roadside park, the silver-haired, red-eyed girl sighs repeatedly.
“What now, Quantum Band… Done before we even started?”

Part Two

Two hours earlier.

Cola and Liuli, up early for once, meet Yuki Matsuhisa at the agreed spot.
At the door, Liuli marvels, “We’re actually starting a band so fast!”
Cola laughs, “Take the first step, and you’ll see most things aren’t that hard.”

Then… practice begins, and it’s a mess.
Liuli’s keyboard keeps rushing, sounding chaotic even to Cola’s untrained ears.
As the vocalist, Cola starts too high, running out of range and going off-key.
The first few tries are chalked up to first-time jitters, but by the fourth, it’s still bad.
Liuli loses confidence.
Her once-light, if rushed, keyboard playing turns hesitant and frantic. Cola’s singing gets worse, unable to find the groove.
Yuki’s drumming stays steady but feels lifeless, like a looping audio track, lacking passion due to their lack of sync.

After two hours, Yuki delivers her blunt verdict—scathing criticism.
“I’m just… no good at anything… I’m sorry, sorry, sorry… I was arrogant, thinking I could join a band…”
Liuli’s voice trembles with tears, inconsolable despite attempts to comfort her.
Yuki silently stares at her drum set, maybe regretting her harshness or considering ending this barely-started band journey.
Quantum Band, freshly formed, faces a massive crisis!

Unable to stand the stifling vibe, Cola bolts.
Realizing too late she should’ve stayed to mediate, going back now feels too awkward after storming out.
So she lingers in a nearby park to kill time.

“Starting a band isn’t easy…”
She sighs deeply.
“But isn’t Prez a bit too harsh? Liuli’s not bad, but pressure kills her performance…”
Looking up, the sky’s a vivid blue, clouds soft and fluffy. Summer’s only half over for students; she doesn’t want Liuli retreating after her first step.
If she does, taking risks later will be even harder.

“If we weren’t serious about a real band, fine, but we started it… As a %@-er, you don’t just quit! Like, you’re here, you do it. Once you begin, no stopping halfway!”
She slaps her chest.
“Worst case, I’ll learn bass. No running away. If you flee after one failure, you’ll never succeed. No way, not happening! I got second place in my junior high singing contest, okay…”

But the band’s issues aren’t just about a bassist.
Liuli, as keyboardist, falters under stress, and making her lead would crush her.
They need a lead guitarist to drive and unify everyone…

“But where the hell do I find a confident, skilled lead guitarist?!”
Cola’s ruby eyes scan every passerby.
“Can’t just grab someone on the street like, ‘Hey, bro, play guitar?’ and they go, ‘How’d you know I’m Maebashi’s guitar king?’ That’s not gonna happen!”
Her mind spirals, imagining meeting a compatriot from %%, guitar case on their back… but playing a suona instead.
A suona in a band? With drums and someone singing like they’re crying? That’s a funeral band!

“Maybe beg Mom for a million or two, hire Maebashi’s best guitarist—a high school girl, obviously… Or get the Silver Girls to kidnap one… Nah, that’s too much…”
Cola mutters, eyes fixed on the street corner. Suddenly, they light up—a blonde girl with a guitar case trudges by.
Head down, steps heavy like lead, she seems lost in worry.

“She… looks like a guitarist, and a high schooler…”
Cola whispers.
“Just say hi? Can I? I’m not shy, but… what if she’s socially awkward? What if my enthusiasm scares her off, or she calls the cops, saying I’m suspicious? No way, I’m too cute to be suspicious!”

The blonde girl, slow as she is, won’t stop forever. As Cola debates, she nears the park’s edge.
Panicking, Cola leaps off the swing, darting to the roadside.
Forget embarrassment—she has to try.
What if this girl joins Quantum Band?
Low odds, sure, but not zero, like some quantum physics theories…

“Hey, bro—wait, I mean, please hold on!!”
Cola blurts out instinctively.

“Eh?”
The girl looks up, meeting Cola’s gaze.
“Me?”

“Yeah, yeah!”

“I’m not a guy.”

“Cough, my brain short-circuited. Should’ve said ‘sister.’”

“I don’t… look older than you, do I?”

“Sorry! What should I call you?”

“Byakuya.”
She smiles, pointing to herself.
“Mahong Byakuya.”

Her natural reply eases Cola’s nerves—she’s no introvert.
Just as Cola’s about to ask about the band, her cheeks get pinched.

“Soft cheeks, so cute! Can I touch your hair? Your eyes are gorgeous! Let’s take a selfie! Wanna come to my place?”

“S-Stop, wait!!”
Cola flails, stepping back.

This girl’s not shy—she’s a social terrorist!
Cola started this, but now she’s the one overwhelmed…

“Oh! What’s your name?”

“Cola… Quantum Cola.”

“Eh~ real name? So cute! Can I kiss you?”

“No, no—my face is sweaty!”

“Come to my place and shower, no sweat then!”

Cola’s sweating buckets now.
She’s losing control, stammering, “Uh, Bya… Byakuya…”

“Byakuya! Mahong Byakuya!”

“Mahong! Sorry for stopping you, I got carried away. I-I just wanted to ask… do you like cola?”

“Love it!”
Byakuya spreads her arms for a hug, clearly misunderstanding Cola’s intent.

Cola, planning to buy a cola and chat slowly, is now tongue-tied.
Desperate, she blurts, “I-I’ve got a band! We need a lead guitarist. Can you join?”

“No.”
Byakuya’s reply is instant, no hesitation.

Cola freezes for two seconds.
“Uh… s-sorry, my bad, didn’t mean to bother you!”

“Lead… pipa, okay?”
The blonde, blue-eyed girl blinks.

“Huh? Pipa?”

“Not a regular pipa—electric pipa! With a pickup, no tuning issues! Sounds like an electric guitar, but more versatile!”

“E-Electric pipa?!”
Cola’s eyes widen, her mind racing with electrified %@-style instruments—electric erhu, electric suona, electric guzheng… even electric bianzhong.

“It’s a folk instrument from %%. Not common in Japan, but you’ve heard of it, right?”

“Never heard of an electric pipa…”

“But it’s perfect for Quantum Band! I knew this was my band! Let me join!”

“W-Wait, you can?”

“Don’t worry, I’m awesome!”
The blonde, blue-eyed girl puffs out her chest proudly.

“That’s not what I’m worried about…”