Arc 2, Chapter 2: The Goddess's Challenge

After school, there was a silence in the hallway that pressed against my ears. My soft, uneven footsteps echoed from an open classroom door until I froze.

A guitar.

I peered curiously inside. A girl with golden hair caught the sunset like flames as she sat by the window. Even though the melody was off-beat, messy, and her fingers were stumbling across the strings, she let out a clumsy little laugh, as if the mistakes were part of the song.

Before I knew it, I stepped in.

Mizuki: “…How can you still laugh even though you’ve gone off-beat? Doesn’t it bother you to mess up?”

The girl looked up, eyes sparkling with something I couldn’t name.

???: “If you’re too scared to play, the music dies before it’s even born. I’d rather sound terrible and feel alive than be perfect and feel nothing.”

My chest tightened. This messy, radiant joy made my flawless grades, trophies, and all the applause seem pale for the first time.

Carefree and humming, the girl with the golden hair strummed once more. Her face was bathed in sunlight, but before I could take in every detail, the memory blurred…

***

Thinking about it, that stupid goddess has similar golden hair… But right now isn’t the time!

Mizuki: “Hey! Stupid goddess! Erica!”

The girl with the golden hair and a guitar case slung over her back turned back, eyes meeting Mizuki, and she chuckled.

Mizuki stomped towards her and gripped her collar.

Mizuki: “I knew it… I thought I’d need the MLC’s wish-granting system to find and kill you… But guess not.”

Erica smirks, amused.

Erica: “Oh… You wish to see me? I’m honoured. But since you look so eager… Why don't we have a guitar duel? Right now?”

As the words “guitar duel” were announced, a few people started gathering around both of them. Watching the huge crowd, Mizuki smirks.

Mizuki: “Sure. And if I win, you've got to send me to heaven and let me have the best nap I deserve!”

Erica: “Alright then! If I win… Well, you've got to continue with the task you are given.”

Quickly, more people gathered, attracted by the tension that hung in the air like static and the sound of tuning strings. Whispers spread quickly as travelers, merchants, and musicians leaned in from the crowded street.

???: “Isn’t that… the goddess?”

???: “No way, that’s Erica, the former MLC champion!”

???: “And she’s challenging some random human girl!?”

With her heart pounding, Mizuki gripped her guitar tighter.

Mizuki: “Y… You won the MLC before?”

The cobblestones felt like a stage as Erica stood across from her, her golden hair shimmering in the midday sun.

Erica: “Yep. I won with my past band… After that, I wished to become the goddess of this world. And here I am.”

Erica ran a hand over her strings and grinned.

Erica: “Try to keep up, little prodigy.”

Her first chord was warm, confident, and smooth. It was more than just sound; it drew the atmosphere in her direction and changed the street's general mood. People were already naturally enchanted and swayed by it.

Mizuki growled and retaliated with a piercing riff that was quick, jagged, and vibrant. The audience flinched as sparks of energy flew from her strings.

Mizuki: “Don’t think you’re the only one who can shine!”

Like swords, they traded riffs. Erica's melodies weaved into seemingly flawless patterns as she moved fluidly between chords. Mizuki countered with raw improvisation, as she jumped into wild runs and bent notes so fiercely that they howled.

For a brief moment, it was a match between equals: elegant grace and reckless fire.

The audience let out a roar. Coins clattered into the nearby fountain. Rival bands froze in wonder.

However, Mizuki's breathing became shallow as the tempo increased. The rhythm faltered as her fingers slipped just once. Erica seized it, sweeping into a brilliant solo that danced like the sun. Sweat dripping, Mizuki struggled to keep up, her chords crashing faster and harder until—

Snap.

Mid-strum, her pick broke. A painful stab in the otherwise flawless harmony was the final note, which screeched off-key. When Erica's last note echoed loudly and clearly before disappearing into silence, Mizuki froze, wide-eyed.

Cheers broke out from the crowd for Erica.

Frustration boiling, Mizuki's chest heaved. She had never lost like this before. However, a smile appeared on her face.

Mizuki: “…Damn it. That was the first time someone ever made me feel small in a performance.”

With an unwavering grin, Erica slung her guitar over her shoulder.

Erica: “Get used to it. I’ll be entering the MLC again, and I’ll win it all again.”

Mizuki's fist tightened around her broken pick as the challenge hung heavy in the air. She lifts her head with a huge smirk on her face.

Mizuki: “Then I’ll stop you… In the Aria Finals!”

The crowd roared again, but this time, Mizuki didn’t hear them. The only sound she could hear was the blazing fire in her own chest, burning hotter than ever.

Erica: “Oh? The little prodigy wants to bark already? If you can do it, that is, Mizuki Yamada.”

Erica’s grin widens further in amusement. She turns, walking away like she already owns the city.

Mizuki’s smirk widens as her frustration slowly boils into motivation. She made a dramatic pose, pointing at Erica’s back, who was slowly disappearing from her sight.

Mizuki: “Of course. And don’t cry if I murder you on stage in front of everyone, Erica!”