Volume 1, Chapter 4: The Chosen Twelve

The minutes dragged like hours in Room B-12, the air thick with anticipation. The twenty-seven first-years sat on the floor, their voices a low buzz of chatter about auditions, song choices, and nervous hopes. Hiroki leaned against the wall, his mind replaying his Street Spirit performance, feeling the calluses on his fingers from the Yamaha's strings. Beside him, Aoi twirled her pencil, her eyepatch glinting under the fluorescent lights.

“So, Dark Lord of Tartarus,” Aoi's voice was low, “remember when you declared yourself ruler of the abyss? And I had to topple your reign years ago?”

Hiroki groaned, his face heating up from the cringy middle school monologue in the cafeteria. “Don’t remind me! I thought I was so cool, screaming about ‘eternal darkness’ while everyone stared at me like a delusional idiot!”

Aoi smirked. “You were fearless. I admired that.” Her tone softened, and she glanced at Hiroki with curiosity. “Why do you have to hide it?”

He hesitated, Kaito’s face flashing in his mind—his brother’s laugh, his guitar lessons, the fiery motorcycle accident that stole him away. “After… you know, my brother… I just wanted to be normal. No more theatrical bullshit. Just music.”

Aoi’s visible eye softened, but before she could reply, the door swung open. Sora, Mika, and Ren strode in, their faces bright with confidence. The room fell silent, every student leaning forward, hearts pounding.

“Good news, everyone!” Mika announced, her voice brimming with enthusiasm. “Our club had officially reinstated, thanks to your auditions and our advisor’s approval!”

Cheers erupted, but Mika raised a hand, her tone turning serious. “But the bad news is, we’re only accepting twelve members this semester. Space is tight, and we had to be picky.”

Sora held up a sheet of paper, the results. “We’re announcing from number twelve up. Ready?”

The room tensed, the rustle of the paper deafening in the silence. Mika grinned, unfolding it. “Number twelve: Takane Yuzuriha, vocalist!”

A group of girls on the right squealed, hugging a bubbly, petite girl with glasses and a single braided light brown hair. Takane blushed, waving awkwardly as claps filled the room after her emotional cover of Olivia Lufkin’s Starless Night.

Aoi leaned in closer to Hiroki, her expression curious. “Her voice already permeated beauty, but she needs to forge it further.” Her tone is analytical.

Hiroki nodded, feeling a knot form in his stomach with a mix of anticipation and anxiety. Just call my name already. He thought, eager to know the outcome.

“Number eleven: Riku Tanaka, guitarist!” A preppy punkish boy pumped his double devil horn salute, his friends slapping his back. His Metallica's Master of Puppets cover had been rough but spirited. Garnering guttural chants from the surroundings of his metalhead bravado.

The announcements continued, each name sparking cheers or groans. Number ten was a bassist, Kenta Mori, who shook the old LMC room with his aggressive downstroke of Disturbed's Stricken. His head banging garnered guttural cheers from the 1st-year auditioners.

Number nine, a cheeky twin-tailed keyboardist, Yuna Aoki, had impressed the room with her playing of Neptunia's Anime Opening. She stood up with an L pose on her finger to the surroundings, leaving the latter with annoyance at her cheekiness.

Number eight, a spiky-haired guitarist, Daichi Sato, had brought back the raw energy with his energetic cover of Avenged Sevenfold’s Unholy Confessions. Strumming the battered LMC’s Yamaha acoustic as he harshly banged his head, following the song’s fury, but never losing his precision.

Number seven, a left-handed guitarist, Mei Hashimoto, had a slight stumble on the harmony of Bocchi the Rock's Ano Bando prior to using a right-handed guitar. However, she got a free pass right after she showed the senpais her own recording of guitar playing with unmatched precision from her left-handed purple Telecaster.

It sounded like cheating, and the latter groaned, but that’s her last-ditch effort to be accepted into the club.

Number six, another vocalist with a gyaru flair, Sara Fujimoto, had a clear yet aggressive alto voice on her cover of Ging Nang Boyz's Shounen Shoujo. Even she spoke on the mic that she’s a drummer that loves to sing.

Mika took a deep breath, her eyes scanning the room. “Now for the top five—these are our carefully handpicked rising stars.”

Hiroki’s pulse quickened. Aoi gripped her pencil tighter. The room then fell silent, like the suspenseful third day.

“Number five: Hasumi Sakakibara, keyboardist!”

Cheers exploded as Hasumi, the girl who’d played Chopin’s Nocturne, stood, her braids bouncing. Her friends hugged her, some with jealous glances. Sora smirked. “Her Chopin lulled me, not gonna lie. But I hope she can rock out, too.”

Hiroki blinked. Sora liking classical music? That was new and welcomed.

“Number four: Gojou Komaki, drummer!”

The boys in the back roared, their cheers resonating like a tribal chant, echoing through the room. Gojou, the blonde preppy kid with the red bandana who’d nearly broken Mika’s Tama kit with his cover of Avenged Sevenfold’s Almost Easy, grinned wildly. Mika laughed with a plea. “Such energy! But please, don’t break my drums, okay? It cost my entire bank account.”

“Number three: Hiroki Yamada, guitarist and vocalist!”

Hiroki’s chest ignited, a fire of pride and relief. He stood, legs shaky, as scattered claps echoed. Sora nodded at him. “Playing guitar and singing at once? Talk about frontman material!”

The applause for him was lighter compared to others, making Hiroki subtly frown, wondering about the reason behind it. Before he could dwell, Aoi poked his left waist, making him jump. “Ow!”

“You finally did it, Dark Lord!” she said, her voice low but firm, a smirk playing on her lips. “But don’t get too cocky yet.”

“And now,” Mika said, her voice rising, “for the number one, who topped our scores with unexpected showmanship… Junichi Enoshima, saxophone!”

The room erupted, louder than ever. Junichi, the shy saxophone kid, stood, his face glowing as he waved. His bluesy, rock-infused performance had stolen the show, especially his playful duel with Ren. Sora grinned. "And he's probably flirting with Ren," he teased.

Ren turned away, her hood hiding a blush, and furiously typed on her phone. Laughter filled the room as Junichi scratched his head sheepishly, his face glowing with embarrassment.

Hiroki raised his hand. “Wait, who’s number two?”

Mika’s eyes twinkled. “Obviously, Aoi Mizuno, guitarist and vocalist.”

Aoi froze, her smirk vanishing into disappointment. “God damn it!” she hissed, slamming her fist into her palm. “I let my guard down!”

Hiroki chuckled, patting her shoulder and reassuring her. “It’s alright; you killed it out there.”

She shot him a glare, but her lips twitched into a reluctant smile, a sigh of relief escaping her.

Mika raised her hands, quieting the room’s chatter. “Congrats to everyone who made it! If you didn’t, don’t give up! There’s still a chance you could shine outside of this mere club. You’ve all got potential!”

Sora stepped forward. “If your name was called, stand in front of the whiteboard.”

Hiroki, Aoi, and the other selected students stood, facing the whiteboard as the others remained seated, some groaning in disappointment. Hiroki glanced at the lineup, feeling a surge of nerves battling with a growing sense of excitement.

Light Music Club’s Top 12 New Members:

1. Junichi Enoshima – Saxophone (Blues Lick)

2. Aoi Mizuno – Guitar, Vocals (Puddle of Mudd - Blurry)

3. Hiroki Yamada – Guitar, Vocals (Radiohead - Street Spirit)

4. Gojou Komaki – Drums (Avenged Sevenfold - Almost Easy)

5. Hasumi Sakakibara – Keyboard (Chopin - Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2)

6. Sara Fujimoto – Vocals (Ging Nang Boyz - Shounen Shoujo)

7. Mei Hashimoto – Guitar (Bocchi the Rock - Ano Bando)

8. Daichi Sato – Guitar (Avenged Sevenfold - Unholy Confessions)

9. Yuna Aoki – Keyboard (Hyperdimension Neptunia Anime OP - Dimension Tripper!!!!)

10. Kenta Mori – Bass (Disturbed - Stricken)

11. Riku Tanaka – Guitar (Metallica - Master of Puppets)

12. Takane Yuzuriha – Vocals (Olivia Lufkin - Starless Night)

Mika clapped her hands. “Welcome to the Light Music Club! You’re part of something special now. We’ve got big plans—starting with the Sakuragawa Halloween Festival tomorrow in the autumn of October. So, get ready to jam, and don't forget to study hard!”

As the unselected students shuffled out, some casting envious glances, Hiroki caught Aoi’s eye. With a nod, he silently conveyed his relief to her. She adjusted her eyepatch, her smirk returning. “Dark Lord of Tartarus, keep thy expectation in check, as the lights of the father shall—”

Hiroki suddenly karate chopped her head to stop her chuunibyou priestess persona from surging further. The LMC had transformed from a mere dream into his reality. With Aoi and the others beside him, Hiroki was determined to make Kaito proud and set the stage ablaze in this sacred realm of music.