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 speaker systems dominating each corner. The twelve first-year LMC members filled the space.

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

Riku energetically sprang to his feet, his shoulder-length punkish hair bouncing, and enthusiastically raised his hands. “Suede! Y’all finally here!” The group waved, and Hiroki shook hands with each member. “Sorry we’re late to the party,” he said, grinning.

Daichi Sato, Yakomori’s 2nd guitarist, smirked. “No sweat, man. This'll be a blast!”

Yuna pouted at Daichi with increasing frustration. “A blast?! You mean making fun of our performance?!”

“TORITEBA SUCKS!!! YAKOMORI FUCKS!!!” Daichi unleashing a joking guttural scream. The room erupted in laughter, but Yuna fired back with her own mock scream and rolled her eyes in frustration.

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

“I know,” she mumbled, 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. “Yo, Tanaka, 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 Band-Maid fan, aren’t you?”

“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. “Band-Maid’s the real deal! Babymetal what?!”

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

Hiroki stepped in. “Alright, who’s going first? Anyone’s song ready?”

Riku, Daichi, Kenta, and Gojou threw up synchronized devil horns, their faces alight with anticipation and adrenaline. “Yakomori’s ready to rip and tear!” Riku roared, his guttural scream grating on Toriteba’s nerves. Yuna mock-screamed back.

While As Takane Yuzuriha strummed her acoustic guitar gently, she glanced at Hiroki. “Our song’s still a work in progress,” Takane said with a playful pout. “Need a bit more time, pretty please?”

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

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 high-end 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 faltered. “From my late uncle,” he said softly, a shadow crossing his face.

Daichi slapped his Schecter with a smug chuckle. “Traded my old Ibanez for this bad bitch!”

Kenta pointed at his ESP bass, with a proud grin. “This thing’s a beast!”

Riku clapped Hiroki’s shoulder, his energy returning. “Show us your rigs, Suede!”

Hiroki and Aoi unzipped their gig bags. Hiroki revealed Kaito’s custom black-gold Les Paul, its body gleaming under the studio lights, paired with his trusty Zoom G1X Four. Aoi held up her weathered black Ibanez GSRM20B bass, a gift from Sora, alongside her Zoom B1X Four. Yakomori nodded, impressed by the budget-friendly but battle-ready setups.

Riku inspected Hiroki’s Les Paul, running a hand over its Floyd Rose and locking tuners. “Gibson Les Paul, huh? Solid! That’s the Zoom G1X Four? Old-school but reliable as hell!”

Kenta eyed Aoi’s bass with a smirk, his eyes gleaming with a hint of envy. “Sora’s backup Ibanez, eh? Kinda jealous you got it for free, but that’s dope!”

“It’s not from Gibson,” Hiroki clarified with a brief chuckle. “It’s custom-made with lighter materials. A gift from my late brother.”

Riku paused, his eyes softening as a wave of empathy washed over him. “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?”

“Fine,” she muttered, stepping toward Toriteba.

***

Hiroki sat cross-legged around with 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, Mizuno-san! We were just messing around; no harm meant!”

Aoi’s hand slipped 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 firm. “Enough!”

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

“God damn your head, Aoi!” Hiroki snapped, delivering a light karate chop to her head. “Apologize to them. Now!” He warned Aoi to control her temper.

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

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

The room froze, panic rippling through the group. Even though the knife was harmless, the sudden aggression looked like a real attack.

“Hey! Stop!” Mei shoved Aoi back, her voice erupting in anger.

“Dude! What’s your problem?!” Sara yelled, rushing to restrain Aoi.

Hiroki and Yuna swiftly intervened, grabbing Aoi and restraining her as she flailed in frustration. Yakomori’s boys sat stunned at the sudden ruckus, their metalhead bravado replaced by wide-eyed shock. The studio felt like a bar fight about to explode.

“Aoi, enough!” Hiroki grasped her cheeks, forcing her to meet his eyes, his retort sharp. "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 staring wide-eyed in shock and disbelief at the escalating confrontation. Hiroki, usually soft-spoken, radiated 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. “The Divine Eyes sense wickedness in their souls.”

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

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

Aoi glanced at him, hesitant, but Hiroki poked her shoulder. “Do it!”

Taking a deep breath, Aoi faced the girls, her voice wavering but clinging to her priestess persona. “I, the Priestess, deeply apologize for my misunderstanding. I mistook you for Lilith’s followers. I must learn better, but you still—”

Hiroki poked her waist, cutting her off. “Properly!”

Aoi groaned, her bitterness barely contained. “Shut up!” She stepped closer to Sara, Mei, and Yuna, her voice softer. “I… I’m sorry. I got carried away. But keep your hands off the Dark Lord of Tartarus if you wish to stay safe…”

Her face flushed again, betraying a hidden feeling. “Oh, come on!” Hiroki facepalmed, exasperated—her half-baked apology risked fracturing the LMC over this silly drama.

But to his shock, Sara, Mei, and Yuna exchanged glances, then burst into laughter. Sara pulled Aoi into a hug. “It’s alright, girl! Come here!”

Mei and Yuna joined, wrapping Aoi in a group hug like she was a teddy bear, their giggles filling the room. “We were just joking, okay?” Yuna laughed, patting Aoi’s hair. “No way Takane’s stealing Hiroki’s heart!”

“B-but the Dark Lord isn’t—” Aoi stammered, blushing harder.

Takane, overhearing, joined in, whispering at Aoi with a teasing grin. “Fufufu~ Too late, I hath stolen the Dark Lord’s heart~” Takane then let out a joking empress-like chuckle.

“No!” Aoi yelped with frustration, but that only sparked more laughter.

The tension dissipated, giving way to a heartwarming resolution as Aoi's initial conflict with Toriteba transformed into a moment of shared laughter and acceptance.

Hiroki sighed in relief, realizing conflicts could forge stronger bonds when handled right, fostering a deeper sense of camaraderie and understanding among the group. Aoi’s chuunibyou ego had sparked the mess, but the girls’ acceptance showed her heart was in the right place.

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

Hiroki shrugged, chuckling once to keep the mood light. “It’s cool, no hard feelings. You got the groove?” He pointed at Junichi.

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

As Toriteba got more relaxed with Aoi, Yakomori’s boys took the small stage, plugging in their rigs. Riku grabbed the mic, his voice low but electric. “That's it, girls, enough fighting! Let’s stand up to rip and tear!”

Toriteba groaned, not ready to perform, but ready to witness their guttural screams that will further annoy them. Daichi, retuning his red Schecter, smirked into the mic. “If y’all doubt, flat out!”

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

“Fine,” Aoi nodded, her gaze softening.

“We’ll be alright!” Junichi grinned, patting both their shoulders, his laid-back vibe easing the tension.

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

The studio morphed from a battlefield of egos into a crucible for their music, where each note and chord would be a testament to their passion and unity.