Chapter 4: Kohinata Rin
With a mixture of unease and a sense of relief, Rin returned to her station, feeling slightly complicated emotions.
It seemed like they were buying time for her. The leader, taking on the role of vocalist, and the other musicians were doing their best to keep playing.
They must have managed to improvise well.
Feeling her heart full of guilt, Rin made her way toward the stage.
She first returned to the backstage entrance, expecting to be scolded right away, but───.
“…I’m so glad you’re back, Kohinata-san.”
“You little… You really had us worried. We’ve been waiting, you know.”
The other members of the organizing committee, who had been working behind the scenes, welcomed her back.
Not a single student complained or expressed dissatisfaction.
Deeply moved by their warmth, Rin bowed her head deeply.
“───I’m so sorry for running away like that. But I promise I’ll do my best from now on.”
As she spoke in a sincere tone, everyone quietly watched and nodded.
[~♪]
Eventually, the leader’s voice trailed off as the song ended, and applause echoed from the other side.
Rin felt overwhelmed with gratitude for how well they had managed to hold things together, even at the last minute.
Perhaps someone from the backstage crew had announced Rin’s return, as Sayuki smiled broadly and looked out over the crowd.
Though the stage was already filled with energy, Sayuki seemed to want to say, “This is where the real show begins,” and raised her enthusiasm.
“Alright, here we go! The real show starts now, everyone. Let’s switch from this lackluster male vocalist to the main act───”
Before the final note, “Daka daka daka daka, dan!” the leader cut Sayuki off.
“Hey, isn’t that a bit harsh after all my help?”
Some of the audience burst out laughing at his comment.
“Oh, it’s fine, it’s fine. The real show starts now.”
After saying that to the leader, Sayuki spoke into the microphone once more.
“Daka daka daka daka, dan!”
Right on cue, Rin stepped onto the stage.
All at once, the spotlights turned to her.
“Everyone, sorry for the delay.”
Rin stepped forward, holding the microphone shyly.
The audience looking up at the stage gasped.
Some in the crowd erupted in excitement, and everyone had their eyes fixed on Rin.
She was wearing an idol outfit, her lips glossy with vibrant lipstick.
Her eyes, no longer teary, shone brightly, and she stood with an air of confidence.
“I want to repay you all with my song.”
The audience quieted down in response to her serious demeanor.
Even Sayuki and the other band members fell silent, watching her intently.
Sayuki shook her head slightly before making a light-hearted remark.
“Hey, aren’t you being a bit too serious, Rin-chan?”
Her comment lightened the mood, and cheers from the audience returned.
Rin looked around and stood up straight.
Anyone watching could tell how nervous she was.
Still, many felt a sense of closeness to her because of it, and numerous guests smiled warmly at her.
After a brief greeting, the final act of the festival—its grand finale—was set to begin.
The live performance, hosted by the first-year members of the committee, was finally underway.
The spotlight swayed before focusing on Rin,
This is the signal for the start of the performance.
As she looked out at the entire crowd, Rin felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of people.
Just standing on stage made her chest pound with tension.
She tried her best to keep her voice steady and her throat clear.
She began to produce the notes.
“It’s okay,” she thought, “I’ve practiced a lot.”
The start went well.
She had a dancing part coming up later, which made her a little anxious, but the singing was going alright.
The audience’s reactions were positive, with many waving their hands like glow sticks.
As the song reached the middle, Sayuki, who was controlling the music with her guitar, moved to the center of the stage.
During the instrumental break, Sayuki played her guitar and shouted,
“Are you all having fun?!”
[Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhh!]
The crowd responded with cheers.
Caught off guard by the intense enthusiasm, Rin suddenly found a microphone thrust toward her.
It was from Sayuki.
It was probably her way of telling Rin to hype up the audience as well.
Though it wasn’t something they had rehearsed, Rin quickly took a breath and followed suit.
“Everyone, are you having a good time?!”
What if the crowd went silent? She would die of embarrassment.
For a moment, she felt a pang of self-consciousness, but she needn’t have worried; just like with Sayuki, the audience cheered back.
As she continued to sing, Rin found herself unexpectedly enjoying the performance.
When she looked at the audience, she could see some students nodding their heads vigorously.
Was that what they called headbanging?
Perhaps the other band members noticed too, because they started nodding their heads, and the music sped up.
The atmosphere was electric, and it pushed Rin to raise her energy level even higher.
…There was a dance part coming up in the next section.
It wasn’t too difficult, as they’d only had a short time to practice, but she still felt a bit nervous.
“Will I be okay?” she thought, when suddenly───
(……!)
Rin gasped internally.
She had known from the beginning
that they would appear.
The two bullies showed up, thumbs pointed down, sneering.
[People never change.]
[For a bullied kid, you’re acting pretty bold.]
Their words echoed in her heart,
and she felt her body heat drain away.
The color faded from her voice, and she felt herself losing heart.
She squeezed her eyes shut, and when she opened them again, the two were smiling, baring their teeth.
(No… I have to avoid looking at them.)
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Seeing them reminded her of the worst times in her past.
It made her recall the hellish days, whether she wanted to or not.
The wounds carved not into her body but into her heart began to ache.
Yet, the more she tried not to think about them, the more she found herself fixated, and it gradually gnawed away at her spirit.
(No… My voice, my legs are shaking. I might lose the beat…)
Suddenly, it felt as though everything had come to a halt.
In that moment, a vision of the worst-case scenario flashed in her mind.
She imagined herself collapsing, exposing her vulnerable self, and ruining everything.
It briefly played out in her thoughts.
(…I can’t do this anymore.)
Just then, she remembered his words.
She recalled what Haruya had said…
[If you think you can’t do it, just focus on the second-floor walkway visible from the stage during the live. Okay?”.]
Rin, as if clinging to hope, looked up, away from the audience below.
And there, she saw some spectators watching over her.
Among them were Sara, Yuna, and Haruya───.
Seeing Rin’s gaze rise, Sara and Yuna waved energetically.
Haruya, in his own way, gave a gentle wave.
There were also some other spectators up there. Though they were few, they too were watching their live performance from above.
Let’s go back in time for a moment.
“Ah, hello── actually…”
Not long after Rin returned to the stage for the live show.
Haruya had called someone on the phone.
[Oh, what’s up, Akasaki-kun?]
The person who picked up on the second ring was Takamori Yuna.
She sounded a bit stiff, likely because she hadn’t expected a call from him.
Yes, the person Haruya called was Yuna Takamori.
“Sorry to bother you out of the blue, but where are you right now?”
[Where else… I’m near the stage to watch Rin’s performance.]
“I see. If you don’t mind, could you come to the second-floor corridor?”
Yuna immediately responded to his suggestion.
[Sure, but is this an invitation to watch together? You’re being quite forward, Akasaki-kun.]
“No, it’s not that.”
[Then why? Isn’t the view from the second-floor corridor bad?]
Rin would probably soon be on stage for her performance.
“Ah, whatever, let’s just say it is. It’d be helpful if you could bring Himekawa-san along too. Please.”
[Ah, wa-wait!]
Although Yuna’s flustered voice could be heard, Haruya had already conveyed his message and hung up the phone.
As he made his way to the library via the walkway, he thought that cheering for the live performance might be a good idea.
Normally, he should be back doing his backstage work, but since he had brought Rin back, he figured he could be forgiven this time.
That’s what he was thinking.
As he scanned the spectators on the second-floor walkway, he couldn’t spot the two people he was looking for.
(…Alright, everything’s in place now.)
The only thing left was to call over Sara and Yuna and cheer together.
He had also told Rin to look towards the second-floor walkway if she felt things were getting tough.
Everyone here was supporting Rin.
Of course, that alone might not dramatically change Rin’s mindset.
Even though those two were watching her from somewhere, Rin was probably feeling pressured.
He had considered threatening those two to make them leave, but that wouldn’t solve the root of the problem.
If he did that, they might come back later with more people to harass Rin.
Right now, they were probably convinced that Rin would fail the live performance.
They likely thought that by triggering her past trauma, it was obvious she would fail even if she went on stage.
Haruya wanted Rin to crush their rotten expectations by showing them her best performance.
What he couldn’t forget was that, ultimately, only those two had any ill intent towards Rin.
Sure, there might be some students who weren’t too fond of her, but without a doubt, there were far more who supported her.
If she succeeded in her performance, Rin would regain her confidence. More than anything, it would be clear that she had defeated those two with her own strength.
That’s what he was hoping for.
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