Act 1, Chapter 4: The Chosen Twelve

The minutes felt like hours in Room B-12. All twenty-seven first-years sat cross-legged on the floor, voicing faint hums of anxious hopes. Hiroki's thoughts replayed his previous audition; the Yamaha strings callused his fingers. Aoi twirled her pencil next to him, her eyepatch glinting.

"So, Dark Lord of Tartarus." Aoi's voice was low. "Remember when you declared yourself ruler of the abyss? And I had to dethrone you years ago?"

Hiroki's face flushed from the cringe-worthy middle school speech in the cafe. "Don't remind me! I thought I was so cool, but everyone looked at me like a delusional idiot!"

Aoi smirked. "You were fearless. I admired that." Her glance softened at Hiroki. "Why do you have to hide it?"

He hesitated, remembering Kaito’s face—his brother’s laugh, his guitar lessons, and the fiery motorcycle accident that stole him away. "After... you know, my brother... I just wanted to be normal. No more theatrical bullshit. Just... purely music."

Aoi's eyes softened, but before she could respond, the door flung open. Sora, Mika, and Ren walked in, beaming with confidence. The room fell silent, twenty-seven first-year students straining forward, their pulses beating in anticipation.

"Good news, everyone!" Mika announced, her voice full of joy. "Our club had officially reinstated, thanks to your auditions and our advisor's approval!"

Cheers erupted, but Mika raised her hand, her tone becoming serious. "But the bad news is that we can only accept twelve members this semester. Space is tight, so we had to be selective."

Sora held up a sheet of paper with the results. "We're announcing from number twelve on up. Ready?"

The room stiffened, the paper rustle drowning out the quiet. Mika grinned as she unfolded it. "Number twelve: Takane Yuzuriha, vocalist!"

A group of girls on the right shrieked and hugged a bubbly, petite girl with glasses and a single braided light brown hair. The same girl who prevented Aoi's chuunibyou from bursting yesterday.

Takane blushed, waving awkwardly as claps filled the room following her emotional cover of Olivia Lufkin's Starless Night.

Aoi leaned in closer to Hiroki. "Such ethereal divinity, but she hath to forge it further." Her tone is analytical.

Hiroki felt a knot in his gut from anticipation and anxiety. Just call my name already! His fist was shaking, eager to know the outcome.

"Number eleven: Riku Tanaka, guitarist!" Mika called.

A preppy punkish boy blasted his double devil horn salute, and his friends slapped his back. His cover of Metallica's Master of Puppets was rough yet energetic. His metalhead bravado draws guttural cries from the surroundings.

The announcements proceeded with each name sparking cheers or sighs. Number ten was a bassist, Kenta Mori. Shaking the old LMC room with his aggressive downstroke of Disturbed's Stricken. His head banging garnered guttural cheers from the first-year auditioners.

Number nine was Yuna Aoki. A cheeky twin-tailed keyboardist who had charmed the audience with her keyboard audition of Neptunia's anime opening. She fired up an L finger at the surroundings, irritating them.

Number eight, Daichi Sato. A spiky red-haired guitarist returned the raw energy with his explosive performance of Avenged Sevenfold's Unholy Confessions. Strumming the battered LMC's Yamaha acoustic while forcefully banging his head, he matched the song's fury without losing his precision.

Number seven, Mei Hashimoto. A left-handed guitarist who stumbled on the lead part of Bocchi the Rock's Ano Bando since she was playing a right-handed guitar. But they gave her a free pass after showing them a video of herself playing her left-handed purple Telecaster with unrivaled perfection. It seemed like bribing, but it was her last-ditch attempt to get accepted into the club.

Number six, Sara Fujimoto. Another vocalist with a gyaru flair sang Ging Nang Boyz's Shounen Shoujo with a clear yet powerful alto voice. She even stated on the mic that she's a drummer who loves singing.

Mika took a deep breath and scanned the room. "Now for the top five—these are our carefully handpicked rising stars."

Hiroki's pulse accelerated. Aoi tightly grabbed her pencil. The room grew hushed, just like the suspenseful third day.

"Number five: Hasumi Sakakibara, keyboardist!" Mika yelled.

Cheers erupted as the girl who performed Chopin's Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 stood with her twin braids bouncing. Her friends hugged her, some casting envious glances.

Sora smirked and chuckled. "Her Chopin lulled me, not gonna lie. But I hope she can rock out too."

Hiroki blinked. Sora liking classical music? That's new but a welcome one.

"Number four: Gojou Komaki, drummer!" Mika called.

The boys in the back yelled, their cheers ringing like a tribal chant across the room. Gojou grinned wildly, the blonde preppy kid with the red bandana who had nearly toppled Mika's Tama kit with his furious cover of Avenged Sevenfold's Almost Easy.

Mika laughed with a plea. "Such energy! But please, don’t break my drums, okay? It cost my entire bank account." Mika then glanced at the paper. "Number three: Hiroki Yamada, guitarist and vocalist!"

YES!!! FINALLY!!! Hiroki's chest erupted in a fire of pride and relief. His legs trembled while scattered claps resonated. Sora nodded at him. "Playing guitar and singing at the same time? Talk about frontman material!"

But Hiroki subtly frowned, wondering why the applause for him was lighter than the others. Before he could dwell, Aoi nudged his left waist, which jumped him. "You finally did it, Dark Lord!" Her voice was low. "But don't get too cocky yet." A sneer curled her lips.

"And now," Mika's voice rose. "For the number one, who topped our scores with surprising showmanship... Junichi Enoshima: saxophone!" The room exploded, louder than before.

Junichi, the shy saxophonist, stood up, his face shining as he waved. His bluesy, rock-infused performance grabbed the show, especially his playful duel with Ren.

Sora grinned. "And he's probably flirting with Ren."

Ren glanced away, her hood hiding a blush as she frantically typed on her phone. Junichi rubbed his cheek with embarrassment, and laughter filled the room.

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

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

Aoi's smirk vanished to disappointment. "Goddamn it!" She hissed, pounding her fist on her palm. "I let my guard down!"

Hiroki grinned and patted her shoulder, soothing her. "It's alright; you killed it out there." Her gaze was furious, but her lips twisted into a subtle grin, and a sigh of relief escaped her as she passed.

Mika lifted her hands, calming the room's chatter. "Congratulations to everybody who made it! If you didn't, don't give up! There's still a chance you'll shine outside of this mere club. You have potential!"

Sora stepped forward. "If your name was called, stand before the whiteboard."

Hiroki, Aoi, and the other chosen students stood up to face the whiteboard, while the rest remained seated, some groaning in despair. His nervousness blended with a growing adrenaline.

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 and flashed a bubbly grin. "Welcome to Light Music Club! You're now a part of something special. We have big plans, beginning with the Sakuragawa Halloween Festival in late October. So, prepare to jam, but don't forget to study hard!"

As the unselected first-years walked out, some throwing envious eyes, Hiroki caught Aoi's eyes. He nodded, quietly conveying his relief to her. She adjusted her eyepatch, and her smirk returned. "Dark Lord of Tartarus, keep thy expectation in check, as the lights of the father shall—"

Hiroki abruptly karate sliced her head to stop her chuunibyou priestess persona from surging. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, shut up." The LMC had evolved their dream into a reality.

Hiroki, along with Aoi and the others, was resolved to make Kaito proud and set the stage on fire.