Act 1, Chapter 11: Shadows Of The Past

Hiroki, Aoi, and Junichi stood outside Sakuragawa High, ready to part ways after Procorat's thrilling closing performance of Nothing to Waste.

The post-show enthusiasm lingered, but before Hiroki could leave, Takane Yuzuriha's voice boomed out. "Hiroki-kun!" She dashed toward him, her eyes sparkling. "You forgot our promise!"

Hiroki paused, chuckling at Takane's eagerness. "Sorry, Yuzuriha-san. Procorat's performance is at fault."

Takane gripped his hands, her excitement contagious. "Never mind that! A promise is a promise! Let's hit the best ramen shop in town!"

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

"B-but…" Aoi's gaze glinting with a slight protest.

Sara slung her arm around Aoi, her tomboyishness teasing. "It'll be fine, Priestess-chan! Let the man have his fun, right?" The other Toriteba girls, Mei, Yuna, and Hasumi, chuckled as they circled Aoi.

Junichi pouted, crossing his arms in disappointment. "Not fair! You girls get to hog Hiroki!" The group burst into laughter, easing the earlier tension. They parted ways, leaving Hiroki and Takane to set off eagerly for their ramen shop date.

Junichi pouted and crossed his arms in despair. "Not fair! You gals get to hog Hiroki!"

The group burst out laughing, easing the tension. They parted ways, leaving Hiroki and Takane to eagerly set off for their ramen shop date.

***

The Nagase ramen shop was bustling, the savory aroma of broth filling the air. 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 idea for a nostalgic pop-rock song influenced by The Pillows or even older anime songs. Hiroki described Suede's darker, more passionate Death Homesick, which blended elements of Deftones, Evanescence, and Muse. Their conversation flowed effortlessly, full of laughter and shared hobbies, like a regular high school hangout with no theatrical pretensions.

Both shared their families. Takane was the youngest of her three girl siblings. Her oldest sister works as a marketing agent for a watch firm; she is already married with two children. Her middle sister was still in college and pursuing an international scholarship. Her mother was a professional makeup artist, and her father worked as a construction engineer.

Hiroki awed with a slight insecurity; Takane's family is middle-upper class and rather elite. Unlike Hiroki, who remained in the slightly lower middle class. He lives in an apartment with his mother and works at a low-wage occupation. While his father was still stuck in Yokohama dealing with export and import issues.

Hiroki delved into the tragic detail about his older brother, Kaito Yamada, who died in a fiery motorcycle accident. Takane's gaze softened, showing sympathy.

But then Takane’s expression shifted. "Hiroki-kun, I have a weird question."

He tilted his head. "What’s up?"

Her eyes squinted with a subtle mischievousness. "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 dismissed it with a shrug.

Takane grinned mischievously, pulling a notebook from her bag. Its gothic cover, complete with 2000-style anime art, shouted chuunibyou. It took Hiroki aback. "W-What the hell?"

"You and I are the same, y'know." Takane's cheeks flushed with a slight embarrassment, but she was still holding it. "That's why I wanna share it with you."

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

Takane laughed. "Nah, we're all like this in middle school." She opened the notebook to reveal a photo album.

The pages featured her, Mei, Yuna, and Sara as middle school students, posing with dramatic makeup, devil horns, tongues out, and fake piercings. Their outfits—landmine girl style, with frilly skirts and black eyeliner—had a provocative edge.

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

"Jiraitei," Takane said proudly with a slight embarrassment. "Our... middle school band..."

She took out her phone and played a video of Jiraitei performing Anna Tsuchiya's Rose at their middle school festival two years ago. The audience was ecstatic, and the stage pulsated with energy.

Takane, the vocalist, struck a dramatic chuunibyou poses in a crystal-clear voice. Mei's left-handed purple Telecaster was razor-sharp on the song's rhythm, Yuna's basslines grooved dynamically, Sara's drumming thundered, and the lead guitarist was a mysterious tall girl who rocked the arpeggio with ecstatic confidence.

I NEED YOUR LOVE; I AM A BROKEN ROSE! During the chorus, Takane climbed onto an amp cabinet and belted high notes while the audience shouted along to their cover song with fists up. Takane's falsetto soars at the end of the song, following Mei's outro solo.

Hiroki was floored. "That was insane! You hit that high note like a pro!"

Takane chuckled and blushed. "It's rough. But I see my potential." She swiped to another video. "This is our last cover song—Ging Nang Boyz' I Don't Wanna Die."

The video was pure anarchy, echoing Ging Nang Boyz's frenetic live performance. Sara's drums hammered, Mei pressed her purple Telecaster against the amp, it screeched with feedback, and Takane screamed into the mic while banging her head.

I DON'T WANNA DIE! She pumped up the crowd, who sang along and raised their fists like at a rock concert. She's constantly jumping around the stage, going feral. JESUS! YES! YES! YES!

During Sara's outro drum solo, Takane screamed at the top of her lungs before leaping at her and toppling the drum kit. Mei joined in, letting her purple Telecaster feedback against the amp and adding to the chaos, laughing with the latter on stage.

Hiroki was taken aback. Compared to Jiraitei's stage anarchy, his middle school Deftones' Elite cover felt tame. "What the hell?! You gals were freaking barbaric at the time!"

Takane giggled and covered her face. "We're just having fun, you know." Hiroki knew, underneath Takane's facade was a 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 reminded him of the fearless energy he and Kaito once poured into music.

***

Dusk fell over the sky at 6 p.m. Hiroki and Takane sat at an empty playground outside the Nagase ramen shop. Takane gently swayed on a rope swing, her usual bubbliness softened as she glanced at Hiroki.

"It’s fun talking with you," she smiled. "We’re on the same frequency, y'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 freak out, okay?"

Hiroki tilted his head, curious. "What is it?"

She sighed, gripping the swing’s ropes. "I’m... not a virgin..."

The words struck Hiroki like a thunderbolt. Takane, the cheery, innocent girl, confessing this? His mind raced. "Excuse me?!"

Takane took out her phone and handed him an earphone. "Just... listen." She played a voice recording, and Hiroki's face reddened as gentle moans filled his ears, accompanied by kisses and heavy breathing.

A boy's tender voice murmured in the heat. "Takane-chan... I want to feel your warmth like never before..."

A girl, bound to be Takane, replied. "Kazuki-senpai... I'm scared... scared... you'll be gone..." Her voice was a gentle moan. "Please... stay with me... forever..."

"I will... I will..." the boy whispered back. The recording continued, a raw, intimation that mortified Hiroki. He snatched the earphone out, his cheeks burning. What the hell is she thinking?! She recorded this in the middle school?!

Before he could snap, Takane sombered. "Kazuki Maeda-senpai. He was my idol—an amazing guitarist, beautiful voice, handsome, and kind. He trusted me, helped me, and believed in me more than anyone."

Hiroki's mind was still reeling. "Yeah, but… what were you thinking? Why would you… do that?"

Takane glanced at Hiroki; her eyes flashed with determination. "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 adultery at that age is wrong. But I was so curious. It felt like... I'm in another world."

Hiroki exhaled, trying to process. "Did he... dump you after that?" She shook her head. "No," her gaze blackened. "Worse. He died… in a plane crash." Her voice was barely a whisper.

Hiroki’s heart stopped. Takane’s pain mirrored his loss of Kaito, but hers felt heavier, rawer. "H-how does it happen?" he asked, crouching beside her.

Takane was on the edge of tears; her voice trembled. "He was on a study exchange to Taiwan. Unfortunately, the plane crashed on Taipei’s runway, leaving no survivors. The news hit me at home. I felt empty, broken. The whole school mourned. And so does my family."

Hiroki nodded, guilt creeping in for underestimating her. "Did you tell your parents? About... your adultery with him?"

She nodded. "Yeah. It didn’t go well. My dad slapped me and called me a whore because of my 'phase.'" Her tone was heavy. "I explained everything: it has nothing to do with hookup culture; it’s all because we trusted each other. But he took everything—my phone, my clothes, my freedom. Out of fury, I ran away to my uncle’s place."

Hiroki’s eyes widened. "Your uncle?"

"He’s a psychiatrist, more understanding than my own family," she responded. "But I'm pretty thankful—Mei, Yuna, and Sara—they stuck by me too, shared their worries with me." She looked up to him. "Besides, it also pushed me to be independent, to stand on my own."

Hiroki's chest clenched. Takane's cheerful facade concealed a darkness that outweighed his pain. Losing Kaito was devastating, but Takane's loss of Kazuki, rejection by her family, and loss of her virginity were another layer of hell.

He patted her shoulder gently. "Did you go back to your parents after that?"

"Nah," she shook her head. "They’d kill me with their baseless accusations. No chance."

She looked at him, her eyes softening. "Y'know, you remind me of Kazuki-senpai. Playing and singing at the audition? It's like seeing him again. I thought, 'Kazuki, you're still alive after all.'"

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

Takane let out a bitter chuckle, stood up, stretching, her grievance shifting back to a faint smile. "Alright, that’s enough mourning for today. I’m grateful you'd understand. We’ve got something in common, right?" She added, "If you need me, DM me, okay?"

"Will do," Hiroki gently smiled. "See you tomorrow."

They parted ways under the dim streetlights, heading to their respective homes. But Hiroki’s mind swirled. Why would Takane do that? What's in it for me?!

Holding his Les Paul’s gig bag, the weight of Death Homesick gained new meaning, symbolizing not only his sorrow but also the struggles of those haunted by the shadows of their pasts.

The Sakuragawa Halloween Festival would represent a communal chance to unleash their inner conflicts through cathartic expression.