Act 1, Chapter 14: Proving Ground

Saturday, 2:05 PM. Studio room B-6 was a spacious haven, its walls lined with soundproof foam and large speakers neatly placed on each corner. The twelve first-year LMC members had filled the space.

Toriteba girls and Yakomori boys sat cross-legged on the floor, their laughter echoing as they traded jabs despite their clashing music tastes. The room buzzed with camaraderie and playful rivalry, evident in the laughter and banter.

Riku sprang to his feet, his shoulder-length punkish hair bouncing, enthusiastically raised his palms. "Suede! Y'all finally here!" The group waved, and Hiroki shook hands with each one. "Sorry we're late to the party," he responded, smirking.

Daichi Sato, Yakomori’s lead guitarist, smirked. "Don't sweat it, man. This'll be a blast!"

Yuna pouted at Daichi with increasing frustration. "A blast?! More like, making fun of us!"

"TORITEBA SUCKS!!! YAKOMORI FUCKS!!!" Daichi unleashed a joking guttural scream. The room burst out laughing, but Yuna responded with her mock scream and rolled her eyes in frustration.

Hiroki nudged Aoi, who stood quietly, her turquoise eye warily scanning the group. "Shake hands, Aoi."

"I know," she nodded, extending her hand with awkward stiffness. Her chuunibyou persona made her socially guarded around anyone but Hiroki, her movements hesitant.

But suddenly, Riku grabbed Aoi’s hand, startling everyone. Gojou clutched Riku’s shoulder at his sudden audacity. "Riku, what’s your deal?!"

"What the hell, Riku?!" Sara snapped with a warning.

Riku ignored them, eyeing Aoi’s gothic lolita dress. "Your clothes. Massive Harmoniac fan, eh?"

"Don’t harass her!" Sara shouted.

Aoi raised an eyebrow, confused. Internally, she wondered, "Uh... yeah?"

Riku grinned, shaking her hand vigorously. "Sweet! 100% based!" He turned to Yakomori with a guttural scream. "Harmoniac's the real deal! Unlike you twinks!"

"Pipe it down, dumbasses!" Yuna yelled, but it sparked more laughter.

Hiroki stepped in. "Alright, who’s going first?"

Riku, Daichi, Kenta, and Gojou threw up synchronized devil horns, their faces ignited with adrenaline. "Yakomori's ready to rip and tear, motherfuckers!" Riku roared, his guttural scream grating on Toriteba's nerves.

Takane gazed at Hiroki as she gently strummed her 3/4 Yamaha acoustic. "Our song's still a work in progress," Takane spoke with a playful pout. "Need a bit more time, pretty please? With a cherry on top?"

Hiroki's gaze swept across the room, absorbing the details of everyone’s rigs.

Toriteba’s rigs were affordable but reliable: Takane with her Yamaha APXT2, Mei’s left-handed purple Squier Telecaster slightly worn with age, Yuna’s brown sunburst Ibanez GSR180 bass, and Hasumi testing chords on the studio’s keyboard, her fingers dancing lightly.

However, Yakomori’s rigs screamed metal: Riku’s black Jackson King V with Floyd Rose, Daichi’s red Schecter Zacky Vengeance signature model, and Kenta’s gray ESP Phoenix bass, all paired with multi-effects units.

"Dude, how much did those cost?" Hiroki gawked, eyeing Yakomori’s metal-esque gear. "Are your parents cool with that?"

Riku's grin wavered. "All from my late uncle. 73k yen for this Jackson and 71k for this Line 6 Pod Go," he spoke softly, a shadow crossing his face.

Daichi slapped his red Schecter with a smug chuckle. "I traded my old Ibanez for this bad bitch!"

Kenta brandished his ESP bass with a proud grin. "This shit's the beast of all basses!"

Riku clasped Hiroki's shoulder; his energy returned. "Show us your rigs, Suede!"

Hiroki and Aoi opened their gig bags. Hiroki unveiled his custom-made black-gold Les Paul, along with his trusty Zoom G1X Four. Aoi held up her weathered black Ibanez GSRM20B bass, a gift from Sora, with her Zoom B1X Four. The four Yakomori boys nodded, impressed by their budget-friendly but battle-ready rigs.

Riku inspected Hiroki’s Les Paul, running a hand over its Floyd Rose and the locking tuners. "Gibson Les Paul, huh? Nice! That Zoom G1X Four? Kinda old, but still slaps!"

Kenta eyed Aoi’s bass with a smirk. "Sora’s backup Ibanez, eh? Kinda jealous you got it for free, but that’s dope!"

"Nah, not from Gibson," Hiroki clarified with a chuckle. "It's custom-made with lighter materials. A gift from my late brother."

Riku paused, his eyes softening with a wave of empathy. "We’ve got something in common, don’t we?"

Before he could respond, Sara’s voice cut through. "Hey, Aoi! Come here a sec!"

Hiroki’s mind flashed to Aoi’s rant about Toriteba after Friday’s hangout. Was this about last Friday evening? Aoi froze, her turquoise eye wary, but Hiroki patted her shoulder. "It’s fine, Aoi. Just… be normal, yeah?"

"I know," she nodded, stepping toward Toriteba.

Hiroki sat cross-legged alongside Sara, Mei, and Yuna. "So, how was hanging out with Aoi last Friday evening?"

Sara laughed, pointing a drumstick at Aoi, who sat stiffly in her gothic lolita dress. "Dunno what her deal is, but she’s getting violent with us."

Mei’s brow furrowed, her tone worried. "Yeah, she even threatened Yuna with a pencil!"

Yuna, clutching her bass pick, pointed at Aoi. "Learn to take a joke, Aoi-chan! We're just messing around; no harm meant! Ok?"

Aoi secretly slipped her hand into her skirt pocket, clenching something, her turquoise eye flashing with bitterness. "It’s because you’re all—"

Hiroki grabbed her wrist before she could escalate, his voice low but firm. "Enough!"

"God damn it!" Aoi snarled, yanking her hand free.

"Goddamn your head, Aoi!" Hiroki gave a light karate chop to her head. "Apologize to them. Now!" He warned.

Mei smirked, leaning close to Aoi. "What’s wrong, Mizuno-san? Jealous that Takane-chan stole Hiroki’s heart?"

Aoi’s face flushed as red as a tomato, and the three Toriteba girls burst into laughter. Feeling humiliated, Aoi pulled her toy prank knife from her pocket, grabbed Mei’s shoulder, and repeatedly jabbed her chest, her chuunibyou-fueled rage erupting.

The room froze, panic rippling through the group. Even though it was just a harmless toy, the sudden aggression looked like a genuine assault.

"H-HEY! STOP!" Mei shoved Aoi back, her voice erupting in anger.

"GIRL! WHAT'S YER PROBLEM?!" Sara yelled, rushing to restrain Aoi.

Hiroki and Yuna rushed in, restraining Aoi as she flailed in fury. Yakomori's boys sat stunned by the sudden commotion, their metalhead swagger replaced by wide-eyed terror. Felt like witnessing a bar fight about to explode.

"AOI! ENOUGH!" Hiroki grasped her cheeks, forcing her to meet his eyes with a sharp retort. "I and Takane were just chilling last Friday. Am I wrong for hanging out with one of our friends? For trying to act normal in society?"

The room fell silent, the other first-years wide-eyed in shock at the escalating conflict. Hiroki, who's usually soft-spoken, exuded a fatherly authority that caught everyone off guard.

He pressed on, undeterred. "I get what you said this morning, Aoi. But please, pipe your ego down. It's just a joke! It's meant for fun! Is it that hard to understand how friendship works?"

Aoi’s eyes narrowed, her toy knife pointed at Hiroki’s neck, her voice icy. "Don't be foolish! The Divine Eyes sensed wickedness in their souls!"

Hiroki karate-chopped her head again and confiscated the toy knife with a final warning. "Quit it! Apologize now!" He harshly dragged her toward Sara, Mei, and Yuna, who glared with scorn, hoping that would put Aoi in her place.

He worried this quarrel could tarnish Suede’s reputation, all due to Aoi’s chuunibyou-fueled misunderstanding that fueled the conflict.

Aoi glanced at him with hesitation, but Hiroki poked her shoulder. "Do it!"

Aoi took a deep breath and faced the three girls, her voice faltering, but her priestess persona remained. "I, the Priestess, sincerely apologize for my misunderstanding. I mistook you for one of Lilith's followers. I need to learn better, but you still—"

Hiroki sharply jabbed her waist, cutting her off. "Properly!"

Aoi groaned; her bitterness increased. "Shut up!" She approached Sara, Mei, and Yuna, her voice softening. "I—I'm sorry. I got carried away. But keep your hands off the Dark Lord of Tartarus if you wish to remain safe..." Her cheeks flushed again, betraying a concealed emotion.

"Oh, fuck off!" Hiroki facepalmed—her half-baked apology risked dividing the LMC over a petty drama.

Sara, Mei, and Yuna shared glances. But to his surprise, they burst out laughing. Sara drew Aoi into a hug. "It's okay, girl! C'mere!"

Mei and Yuna joined, wrapping Aoi in a teddy bear hug, and their laughter filled the room. "We're just joking, ok?" Yuna giggled, caressing Aoi's hair. "There's no way Takane stole Hiroki's heart!"

"But the Dark Lord isn't—" Aoi began, blushing further.

Takane overheard and joined in with a mischievous grin. "Fufufu~ Too late, I have stolen the Dark Lord's heart," she let out a joking empress-like chuckle.

"No!" Aoi yelped, but that just fueled more laughter.

Hiroki exhaled with relief but also realized that conflicts could forge stronger bonds when handled right, fostering a greater feeling of camaraderie among the group. Aoi's chuunibyou ego had sparked the commotion, but the girls' acceptance showed her heart was in the right place.

Hiroki turned to Junichi, who was air-drumming to Death Homesick on Hiroki's BandLab. "Dude, what the hell was that?!" Junichi pulled an earbud out, facing Hiroki with worry.

Hiroki shrugged with a brief chuckle. "No hard feelings. You got the groove?"

"Y-yeah, I think so," Junichi said, glancing at Aoi with worry. "I hope she’s okay. She seemed upset."

As Toriteba rested with Aoi, four of Yakomori's boys took the small stage and plugged in their rigs. Riku took the mic, his voice electric. "Alright guys and gals, enough fighting! Let's rise up and tear!"

Toriteba moaned; they weren't ready to witness their guttural screams, which would irritate them worse. Daichi retuned his red Schecter and grinned into the mic. "If y'all are in doubt, flat out!"

Aoi rejoined Hiroki and Junichi, her eyes carrying guilt. Hiroki patted her shoulder, his tone soft. "Look, Aoi, I’m sorry for snapping. It’s just about making friends. Let’s just move on and focus, okay?"

"I know," Aoi nodded, her gaze softening.

"We’ll be alright!" Junichi grinned, patting both their shoulders, easing the tension.

With the conflict resolved, Toriteba and Suede turned their attention to the stage. Yakomori stood ready, their menacing poses promising a war cry.