New Guy

~~~🎧~~~

"No, those applause were pathetic."

...

"EH?!"

Both Lucio and I stood absolutely stunned by the sudden presence of the stranger who had interrupted without warning. Not just because he had appeared out of nowhere, but because of the confidence in his voice, as if his opinion was an undeniable truth. Who was he to say something like that?

Lucio frowned at him while I blinked in confusion. In front of us stood a young man with black hair that had slight blue highlights, now visible—though they could have easily been hidden under the hood of his gray hoodie.

"Do you have a problem, idiot?" Lucio scoffed.

"No, no, no," the guy said, trying to sound cool. "I mean, you have potential. The sound is good. But if you really want to shine, you need someone like me."

The guy adjusted his jacket with an exaggerated motion, casting a smug look our way.

It was clear we weren’t amused, and our irritated expressions made that obvious.

"Let’s go home, Lucio," I said flatly.

"Yeah."

"WOWOWOWOW, HOLD ON A SECOND, WAIT!" The stranger waved his hands frantically, palms facing us, before taking a deep breath to compose himself. "I think we got off on the wrong foot."

"You were the only one who got off on the wrong foot," Lucio shot back, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, okay, I get it!" he blurted out, caught between embarrassment and desperation. "My name is Akira. Munen, Akira. I’m a music producer—well, an amateur one."

I exchanged a quick glance with Lucio, who looked far less impressed than I did.

"Oh. Producer, you say?" I asked, folding my arms.

"Yeah, yeah. I heard you from my building—" we followed his pointing finger to a window in one of the many nearby skyscrapers "—and your sound really captivated me, honestly. But it's obvious you’re amateurs, and I don’t mean that in a bad way, just as a fact. You need to refine your sound, make it digital. Perfect the equalization, balance the volume levels better, and work on smoother chord transitions. Also, the vocal projection could improve a lot with some training."

What is this guy even talking about? My head spun.

"Ha!" Lucio let out a dry laugh. "And this is where you come in, huh?"

Akira grinned confidently.

"Exactly. Microphones, high-quality amplifiers—whatever you need, it’s yours. And I can record your sound, edit everything, and publish it all over the internet. MiuMew, SynthHeaven—the sky’s the limit. Everything you’ve ever dreamed of."

"And how do you know that’s what we actually dream of?" Lucio challenged.

"Who wouldn’t?"

"Hmph, fair point." Lucio pursed his lips before narrowing his eyes. "So, I assume you'd do all this for a not-so-reasonable amount of money?"

"Huh?" Akira looked genuinely confused, his expression a mix of disbelief and shock. "Money? In this economy? Post-Amane? No way, man. Bills are gonna burn along with the rest of us."

A chill ran down my spine. Mostly because I knew he wasn’t wrong.

"Then what’s the catch? You don’t seem like the charity-giving type."

Akira shifted uncomfortably, scratching the back of his head.

"... Let me join your band?"

"Pass. We don’t need a DJ."

"EH?!" Akira practically exploded, throwing his arms up in exaggerated frustration. "I'M NOT A DJ! I’M A PRODUCER! I DO WAY MORE THAN THAT! I TAKE MY WORK SERIOUSLY! I CAN ENHANCE YOUR SOUND, I CAN MAKE YOU SHINE, I CAN—"

"Uh-huh. Yeah, yeah." Lucio waved him off like he was shooing away a mosquito. "Sure, whatever. Well, thanks for everything, Mr. Enhancer, but we’ve got a train to catch. Take care. Aurora."

Akira stood frozen, defeat painted across his face at Lucio’s flat-out rejection. I noticed because, intrigued by his supposed skills and what he could do, I hadn’t looked away from him for a few seconds. Then, I turned to Lucio, who had stopped mid-step.

He understood instantly.

"Seriously?" he muttered in resignation.

"Think about it, Lucio. Didn’t you want to leave a legacy? This could help."

"Are you saying my sound is bad?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Of course not! Just... maybe it needs some tweaking?" I quickly tried to rephrase.

Lucio crossed his arms, evaluating the situation.

"Come on, Lucio," I pressed. "Before, you played alone. Then I joined, and we came here to perform, taking the first step toward your dream."

"I was gonna do it anyway."

"What do you have to lose by trying? Everything's ending anyway. Let’s give him a chance—maybe he’s what we need."

Lucio sighed, running a hand through his hair. He glanced at Akira again, who had been listening with renewed hope. The guy gave him a small, almost puppy-like smile, as if pleading to play.

…

After a few seconds of silence and staring at the ground, Lucio clicked his tongue.

"Tch. Damn that stream where you found me." He turned to Akira. "Sanyou High School, Suminoe District, classroom 3-2M. Tomorrow at 11. If you’re late, I’ll smack you with my guitar myself."

Without another word, Lucio spun on his heel and started walking toward the train station. I blinked in surprise, processing what had just happened, before quickly looking at Akira.

"Oh! I’ll send you the details on Cain! What’s your username?"

Akira grinned wide, full of excitement.

"YES! DJ_AK1R4_S0UNDMASTER."

I stood there in silence for a second, digesting the extravagant name, before nodding slowly.

"Alright! See you tomorrow! Lucio!" I ran after Lucio, leaving Akira behind with a victorious look on his face.

With every step, though, I felt proud of Lucio—and of myself. This past week had been fun… and unlike any other.

I had never done something like this before. I had never felt this push to improve at something I was only just discovering. We had played in the streets, failed miserably, tried again—and despite everything, I didn’t feel like we had lost. We had gained something unexpected: someone else believed in us.

I glanced sideways at Lucio, who walked with his hands in his pockets, not looking back. I had only known him for a few days, yet I felt like I had taken a step further into his world. Was this what music meant to him? This feeling of never wanting to stop?

My heart pounded.

"Hey, Lucio..." I called out without thinking too much.

He turned his head, raising an eyebrow.

"Tomorrow... let’s give it our all, okay?"

Lucio clicked his tongue, smirking.

"If that idiot doesn’t screw it up, sure."

I laughed and quickened my pace to catch up to him. Tomorrow would be a new day, and for the first time in a long while, I couldn’t wait for it to come.

~~~🗺️~~~

"Attention, passengers. Due to technical issues, the train bound for Miyakojima has been canceled. We apologize for the inconvenience."

The announcement echoed throughout the station, and though the murmur of the crowd seemed to swallow it up, every word burned itself into my skin.

My whole body tensed. My fingers tightened around the strap of my bag as I felt the color drain from my face. I stared at the schedule screen, as if doing so might somehow change reality.

No. No, no, no, this can’t be happening to me.

“Well, today really had it all, huh?” Lucio commented, his tone trying to sound light but barely managing to make me react. “I’m really sorry, Aurora.”

My thoughts crashed into each other. There were no more trains. At this hour, the buses had already stopped running. Walking was my only option. And though the idea didn’t exactly scare me, after everything that had happened today, it felt like the final drop in a cup already overflowing.

“Damn it. Guess I’ll have to walk home,” I sighed, trying to make it seem like it wasn’t a big deal. I adjusted my bag on my shoulder and forced a smile. “Well, tomorrow at eleven then. See you.”

With that, I turned on my heel and started walking, not waiting for a response. One step, two steps, three…

“What if you stay over at my place?”

My feet came to a dead stop.

The world seemed to spin slower.

I blinked, dazed. Then, as if someone had taken control of my body with invisible strings, I turned my head toward him.

Lucio looked at me with a calm expression, as if he had just suggested the most normal thing in the world.

But all I could feel was chaos exploding inside me.

“…Excuse me?”