Act 1, Chapter 11: Shadows Of The Past

Hiroki Yamada, Aoi Mizuno, and Junichi Enoshima stood outside Sakuragawa High, ready to part ways after Procorat’s electrifying performance of Nothing to Waste. The energy of the clubroom still lingered, but before Hiroki could step away, Takane Yuzuriha’s voice rang out. “Hiroki!” She rushed toward him, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. “You forgot our promise!”

Hiroki stopped, chuckling at Takane's enthusiasm. “Procorat’s performance is to blame.”

Takane clasped his hands, emphasizing her infectious enthusiasm. “Never mind that! A promise must be kept! Let’s hit the best ramen shop in town!”

Hiroki glanced at Aoi, his expression firm yet gentle. “Aoi, I’m hanging out with Takane this time. You go with the girls.”

“B-but…” Aoi started, her eyepatch glinting with a hint of protest.

Sara slung an arm around Aoi, her tone teasing. “It’ll be fine, little Priestess! Let the man have his fun, right?” The other Toriteba girls—Mei, Yuna, and Hasumi—giggled, circling Aoi.

Junichi pouted, crossing his arms in disappointment. “Not fair! You girls get to hog Hiroki!”

The group burst into laughter, which eased the tension from earlier. With that, they parted ways, leaving Hiroki and Takane to set off eagerly for their ramen shop date.

***

The ramen shop was bustling, the air thick with the savory aroma of broth. Hiroki and Takane slurped the last of their bowls, the rich flavor living up to its reputation as the best in town. They chatted about their practice sessions—Takane shared Toriteba’s plan for a nostalgic pop-rock song inspired by The Pillows or even older anime songs.

While Hiroki described Suede’s darker, emotive Death Homesick, which blended elements from bands like Deftones, Evanescence, and Muse. Their conversation flowed effortlessly, brimming with laughter and shared passions, reminiscent of a typical high school hangout, devoid of any pretense.

Both are sharing their families. Takane was the youngest child among her three siblings, all of whom were girls. Her oldest sister works as a marketing agent in a watch company—she is already married and has two children. Her middle sister was still in college and aiming for an international scholarship. She even shared that her mother was a professional makeup artist, and her father was a construction engineer.

Hiroki awed with a subtle insecurity, as Takane’s family is middle-upper class, somewhat elite. In contrast to Hiroki, who was still in the slightly lower middle class. Living in an apartment with his mother working in a low-wage occupation. Whilst his father was still stuck in Yokohama, dealing with export-import issues.

Hiroki even delved into the tragic details of the fiery motorcycle accident that took the life of his older brother, Kaito Yamada. Garnering sympathy from Takane.

But then Takane’s expression shifted, her eyes serious. “Hiroki, I’ve got a weird question.”

He tilted his head. “What’s up?”

“The way you act with Aoi Mizuno… Are you a chuunibyou?”

Hiroki froze, his heart skipping. Exposing his “Dark Lord of Tartarus” past would be social suicide. “Chuunibyou? Hell nah! I'm done with that cringy stuff!” he responded, dismissing it with a shrug.

Takane smirked mischievously, pulling a notebook from her bag. Its gothic cover, adorned with 2000s anime-style art, screamed chuunibyou. Hiroki was taken aback. “W-What… the… hell?”

“You and I are the same, you know,” Takane said, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment, but still holding it. “That’s why I wanted to share this with you.”

Hiroki blinked, confused. “Wait, how’d your friends react to this? Did they ridicule you?”

Takane laughed, opening the notebook to reveal a photo album. “Nah, we were all like this in middle school.”

The pages showed her, Mei, Yuna, and Sara as middle schoolers, posing in gothic outfits with dramatic makeup, throwing up devil horns, sticking their tongues out, and wearing fake piercings. Their clothes—landmine girl style, with frilly skirts and dark eyeliner—hinted at a provocative edge.

Hiroki’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You guys were…”

“Jiraitei,” Takane said proudly with a tinge of embarrassment. “Our... middle school band.”

She pulled out her phone and played a video of Jiraitei covering Anna Tsuchiya’s Rose (Nana’s first opening) at their middle school festival 2 years ago. The crowd was electric, and the stage pulsed with energy.

Takane, the vocalist, struck dramatic chuunibyou poses with a crystal-clear voice. Mei’s guitar work was razor-sharp, Yuna’s basslines grooved dynamically, Sara’s drumming thundered, and a mysterious keyboardist with a confident stance rounded out the synthesized arpeggio.

“I NEED YOUR LOVE; I’M A BROKEN ROSE!” During the chorus, Takane climbed onto an amp cabinet, belting high notes, as the audiences sang along with their cover song with fists up. After Mei's solo, Takane's falsetto soared to close the song.

Hiroki was floored. “That was… insane! You hit high notes like a pro!”

Takane laughed, blushing. “It was rough, but I see potential in me." She swiped to another video. “This was our last song—Ging Nang Boyz’ I Don’t Wanna Die.”

The video was chaos incarnate, mirroring Ging Nang Boyz’ chaotic live performance. Sara’s drums pounded, Mei’s left-handed Telecaster screeched with feedback as she leaned it against the amp, and Takane was a whirlwind, screaming into the mic and banging her head. “I DON’T WANNA DIE!” Even she hyped the crowd, who sang along, raising their hands like at a rock concert, constantly jumping around the stage, her energy feral. "JESUS! YES! YES! YES!"

And during Sara’s outro drum solo, Takane screamed at the top of her lungs and then leapt onto Sara, toppling her and the drum kit. Mei joined in, letting her guitar feedback as she piled onto the chaos, laughing with Yuna and Sara.

Hiroki was taken aback. Compared to Jiraitei’s stage anarchy, his middle school Deftones’ Elite cover felt tame. “What the hell?! You girls were barbaric at that time!”

Takane giggled, hiding her face. “We were just having fun, you know.” Hiroki understood that behind Takane's facade was sheer embarrassment.

Hiroki wheezed, struck by the realization that Takane's middle school chuunibyou past was wilder than his own, yet she shared it without shame. It sparked something in him—a reminder of the fearless energy he and Kaito once poured into music.

***

The sky was tinged with dusk at 6 PM as Hiroki Yamada and Takane Yuzuriha sat in an empty playground near the ramen shop. Takane swayed gently on a rope swing, her usual bubbly energy softened as she glanced at Hiroki. “It’s fun talking with you,” she said. “We’re on the same frequency, you know.”

Hiroki chuckled, leaning against a slide. “Yeah, didn’t realize your middle school days were that hardcore.”

Takane’s gaze dropped, her voice quieter. “To be honest, there’s something I need to confess. But… don’t panic, okay?”

Hiroki tilted his head, curious. “What is it?”

She sighed, gripping the swing’s ropes. “I’m… no longer a virgin.”

The words hit like a thunderbolt, freezing Hiroki in place. Takane, the cheery, innocent-looking girl, confessing this? His mind raced. “Excuse me?”

Takane pulled out her phone, handing him an earphone. “Just listen.” She played a voice recording, and Hiroki’s face flushed as soft moans filled his ears, punctuated by kisses and heavy breathing. A boy’s voice, tender in the heat of the moment, murmured, "Takane-chan… I want to feel your warmth like never before…”

A girl—Takane—replied, her voice a soft moan. “Kazuki-senpai… I’m scared… scared you’ll be gone… Please, stay with me… forever…”

“I will… I will…” the boy whispered back. The recording continued, a raw, intimate exchange that left Hiroki mortified. He yanked out the earphone, his cheeks burning. She recorded this? In middle school?

Before he could snap, Takane’s voice turned somber. “Kazuki Maeda-senpai. He was my idol—an amazing guitarist, beautiful voice, good-looking, and kind. He trusted me, helped me, and believed in me more than anyone.”

Hiroki nodded, still reeling. “Yeah, but… what were you thinking? Why would you… do that?”

Takane’s eyes flashed with determination, and she glanced at Hiroki. “Don’t get the wrong idea! We did it because we loved and trusted each other.” She clenched her fists, staring at the ground. “I know it’s messed up—adultery at that age is wrong. But I was so curious… it felt like another world.”

Hiroki exhaled, trying to process. “Did he… dump you after that?”

Her expression darkened, her voice barely above a whisper. “No. Worse. He died… in a plane crash.”

Hiroki’s heart stopped. Takane’s pain mirrored his own loss of Kaito, but hers felt heavier, rawer. “W-What happened?” he asked, crouching beside her.

Takane’s voice trembled, on the edge of tears. “He was on a study exchange to Taiwan. The plane crashed on Taipei’s runway. No survivors. The news hit like a bomb. I felt empty, broken. The whole school mourned—me, my friends, and my parents. Our families were close."

Hiroki nodded, guilt creeping in for underestimating her. “Did you tell your parents… about you and him?”

She nodded, her tone heavy. “Yeah. It didn’t go well. My dad slapped me and called me a whore because of my chuunibyou landmine girl style. I explained that I wasn’t into hookup culture; it’s all because we trusted each other. But he took everything—my phone, my clothes, my freedom. So, I ran away to my uncle’s place.”

Hiroki’s eyes widened. “Your uncle?”

“He’s a psychiatrist, way more understanding than my parents,” she said. “Mei, Yuna, and Sara—they stuck by me too and all shared their worries with me." She then looked up. “But on a side note, it also pushed me to be independent, to stand on my own.”

Hiroki’s chest tightened. Takane’s bubbly facade hid a darkness that dwarfed his own grief. Losing Kaito was brutal, but Takane’s loss of Kazuki—compounded by her family’s rejection and the loss of her virginity—was a different kind of hell. He patted her shoulder gently. “Did you go back to your parents after?”

“Nah,” she said, shaking her head. “They’d kill me with their accusations. No chance.”

She looked at him, her eyes softening. “You remind me of Kazuki-senpai, you know. Your audition—playing and singing like that—it was like seeing him again. I thought, 'Kazuki, are you still alive?’”

Hiroki’s breath caught. First Sora saw Kaito in him, and now Takane saw Kazuki. The weight of their expectations settled on his shoulders. “But I’m not Kazuki…”

Takane let out a bitter chuckle, stood up, stretching, her somber mood shifting back to a faint smile. “That’s enough mourning for today. I’m grateful you listened. We’ve got something in common, right?”

Takane glanced back, then added, “If you need me, DM me, okay?”

“Will do,” Hiroki said. “See you tomorrow.”

They parted ways under the dim streetlights, heading to their respective homes. Hiroki’s mind swirled. What motivated Takane to disclose such a raw and painful secret? What did it mean for him? As he held his Les Paul’s gig bag, the weight of Death Homesick gained new meaning, symbolizing not only his sorrow but also the struggles of others like Takane—a melody not only for his sorrow but for all those haunted by the shadows of the past, like Takane.

The Sakuragawa Halloween Festival represented a communal chance for Hiroki and Takane to unleash their inner conflicts through cathartic artistic expression.