Domino

Momo had checked Sadako’s dorm room, but found it empty, with her roommate Asuka having also gone out for the night. After this, she went to the roof of the dorms, a semi-popular place for students to blow off steam by themselves, and a place Momo figured Sadako had gone to. When she reached the roof and flung open the roof access door, she indeed found Sadako staring out into the city from the fence surrounding the edge of the roof. The wind was light, the air was warm, and the lights of the city seemed relatively distant as Momo called out to her. “Sadako!”

Sadako turned to her, asking, “I assume you checked my dorm first?”

“Yeah.” Momo then walked over. “Why are you acting like this? Ai-chan told me you were crying when you found me and Ryosuke together in my dorm.”

“I wanted something like that…”

“Huh?”

“I wanted something like what you and he had…” Sadako gripped the fence in front of her as hard as she could. “I wasn’t telling you the whole truth when I told you I was gay, Momo-senpai.”

At that moment, it all began to click for Momo. The reason Sadako was so upset had been staring at her the whole time. “Are you saying…?”

“I’m not just gay,” Sadako said as she turned to face her friend, bandmate, and idol groupmate with tears running down her face. “I love you, Momo-senpai. I know you can’t say yes, but I can’t hide it any longer. I want to be happy for you and Ryosuke-senpai, and while I am, I still feel… I still feel so sad… My heart finally broke when I walked in and saw you two, because it was then that I realized I had truly lost…”

As Sadako sobbed, Momo felt absolutely terrible for her. Perhaps, if things had been different, Momo might have been in a relationship with Sadako at this point, but alas, their incompatible orientations prevented such a thing from ever happening. Even so, Momo still wanted Sadako to know that even after everything, she still wanted to be her friend. She approached her and gave her a hug, causing her to stop crying for a moment. “I know it must hurt… I’m sorry, Sadako-chan. I really am.”

Sadako clung to Momo as hard as she could. “Please, even if we can’t be together, I don’t want to lose you…”

“You’re not going to,” Momo assured her as she herself began to cry slightly. “No matter what, I want to be your friend.” She then separated from her slightly and spoke directly to her face. “Sadako-chan, from the very start, I wanted you to be in Sweet Juliet. I saw what those assholes at Time Clock Records did to you and heard what they said about your guitar-playing, and I couldn’t stand it! Of all the people in A TO Z SIX, you’re the one I cherish the most, and that’s a fact! Even if we’re just friends, I want to keep performing music with you, whether it’s with Sweet Juliet or A TO Z SIX!”

Sadako’s frown turned into a smile as tears still fell from her eyes. “You… You really mean all that?”

“I swear on the grave of my mother,” Momo told her. “I mean every last word of it.”

Those words sealed the deal for Sadako. Knowing that Momo loved her deceased mother and still missed her dearly, such a vow that invoked her meant that Momo truly believed every word she said. Sadako sniffled and said to her, “Thank you, Momo-senpai… I just… I wanted to get that off my chest.”

“It’s okay… I should have been more honest with you. Perhaps me and Ryosuke got into this a little too suddenly.”

“No, no, no,” Sadako told her. “Don’t derail your relationship with him for my sake, please. I can tell you two care a lot for each other, and although it hurts to see, the most important thing is that he makes you happy. Does he?”

“Of course he does.”

“Then that’s all that matters. Please, Momo-senpai, be with him. I know it may feel sudden, but maybe this happened for a reason.”

Momo nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.” She then smiled and rubbed Sadako’s hair, telling the girl, “And listen, my next big goal is to find you a girlfriend. Got that?”

Sadako, even though she was still somewhat crying, began to laugh. “Hopefully, it won’t be too hard.”

“You seem like you’d be a good girlfriend, though,” Momo replied. “I mean, as someone who’s not at all gay, I don’t know what lesbians or bi girls look for in other girls, but I always thought you’d be a good fit for a boy… Well, at least before I found out you weren’t into them.”

This comment caused Sadako to burst out into loud laughter, something she desperately needed after what had transpired. “Fuck me, my sides hurt so much!”

Then, Ryosuke and Ai opened the roof access door, having gone up to check on Momo and Sadako as Ai held a phone so she could involve Masato in the conversation as well. Ryosuke asked the duo, “Hey, are you guys alright?!”

“Yeah,” Sadako assured them as she wiped away her tears of both sadness and laughter. “We’re doing better. A lot better…”

Ai told the duo, “I have Masato on speaker on the phone. I figured we should keep him in the loop.”

“Everyone,” Momo then said to the rest of the group. “Sadako has something she would like to say to the band.”

Sadako nodded and took a deep breath. “I’ve been meaning to tell you this since we started, but I didn’t have it in me to say it until now. Everyone, I’m gay.”

Masato, who was on the phone, replied, “Wait a sec, you’re gay?!”

Sadako then looked at Ai and Ryosuke, neither of whom were fazed by her coming out of the proverbial closet, and asked them, “…What?”

“No offense,” Ai then explained. “But I’m not surprised.”

“Me neither,” Ryosuke added. “Honestly, I was gonna ask you at some point soon.” He then asked Masato, “Dude, how did you not see it? It seemed so obvious to everyone else!”

“Look, man, I’m not paying attention to that shit, I just wanna play bass! Besides, Sadako is Sadako, whether she’s a lesbian or not.”

“I think we all can agree on that,” Ai replied. “Sadako, if you want to keep this a secret, it’s safe with us. No matter what, we’re still your friends and your bandmates.”

“You’re God damn right,” Ryosuke added. “If anyone gives you shit for being gay, I’ll put an end to it.”

Sadako really appreciated these words. Any fears she had of her band rejecting her for being gay were extinguished by how they had responded to her. “Thank you all so much…” The band then hugged each other, minus of course Masato, although he did his best to join in by hugging his phone from his bedroom. For now, at least, the band had cleared a major personal hurdle.

…

Ryosuke and Momo were walking back to the former’s house, now holding hands. Instead of Ryosuke spending the night in Momo’s dorm and potentially getting himself in trouble, she decided to just bring him home instead. She hoped that her disguise would be enough to keep people from noticing an idol such as herself now had a boyfriend. As they got closer to Ryosuke’s house, the two talked about what had happened. “I didn’t realize this would all happen because of what we did,” Ryosuke said to her. “Maybe we got into this too fast, Momo.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Momo replied to him. “I mean, not a lot of couples go from confession to kissing to sex in an hour and a half.”

“Do you…” Ryosuke took a deep breath to prepare himself for the next question he was about to ask. “Sid you want to just… I don’t know, take a break? Maybe we pulled the trigger too early, and the last thing I want is to hurt Sadako.”

Momo then stopped walking, causing Ryosuke to also stop as she tugged on his hand. “I said the same thing to Sadako-chan on the roof…”

“So you want to?”

“Sadako-chan told us we shouldn’t,” she explained. “I know what I did hurt her, but being with you does make me happy. Did doing this make you happy, Ryosuke?”

“I mean, it did, but-“

“Then that’s all that matters,” Momo told him as she pulled him close. “Sadako-chan told me that she doesn’t want what happened to destroy our own relationship. As long as I’m happy, she’s happy. Besides, my next mission is finding her a girlfriend, so she won’t be alone forever.” After some further silence, Momo drove the point home with, “Look, we’ve done too much with each other in the span of a single night to go back now. We’ve already told each other how we really feel, and I don’t really want to go back. Sure, we’re gonna have to hide it, but I’ll hide it as long as I have to if it means I can finally be your girlfriend.” She then leaned in and kissed him. “I love you, Ryosuke.”

“I love you, Momo.”

“See? That’s what I mean.”

Ryosuke nodded. “You’re right. Let’s make this work.”

“You got it.” The two then kept walking down the road, determined to make their relationship work for as long as they could while still working at making Sweet Juliet the best band it could be. This night had changed everyone, but it had also reinforced the bonds they all shared with each other. If the band could survive this test, it seemed, they could survive anything.

…

June 16, 2024

Despite what had transpired the night before, the band was feeling refreshed and as focused as ever. Today, before playing their third concert, they were going to shoot two quick music videos for each of their two singles they planned to release soon while inside the closed nightclub. In both cases, the videos were merely the band performing Metal Machine and You Always Smile on stage. However, for both songs, the band would wear outfits that matched the themes of the song.

For the first song, the whole band were dressed in white lab coats, while Ai also wore silver face paint to reflect her role as the artificial intelligence that took over Momo’s character’s body. As Ai adjusted her face paint, Momo told her, “I know, I know, it’s probably annoying as someone who doesn’t wear it all that often, but trust me, you’ll get used to it.”

“I’m just glad it won’t be for long,” Ai replied. “They said they wanted two takes of us performing the song, and then do some extra footage to tie it all together, right?”

“Yeah,” Momo nodded. “This is way less in-depth than many of the music videos for A TO Z SIX. I’d say shooting will take about twenty minutes each for both songs, maybe twenty-five.”

“Thank God.” Ai then stretched her arms and yawned. “I didn’t get much sleep after what happened last night, but to be honest, I feel like what happened really made us all appreciate each other a lot more.”

“Agreed,” Momo nodded. “Listen, I don’t want you or anyone else losing sleep over what happens with me.” She then whispered, “Also, we have to be careful about what we talk about when we’re out in the open like this. The walls have ears.”

“Shit, you’re right,” Ai remarked. “Sorry.”

“No, no. It’s fine.”

Then, Ryosuke asked Momo, “Hey, can you come here for a minute?”

Momo told Ai with a bow, “I’ll be back.” She then walked over to Ryosuke and asked him, “What’s up?”

“Wanna go in the back? I gotta go look for something.”

Momo could tell that Ryosuke was not being entirely truthful, but went along with it anyway. “Sure. What do you need?”

“You’ll see…”

Within a few minutes of that request, Ryosuke and Momo were making out while hiding inside a closet backstage, far away from prying eyes. The two had tried to hold it in prior, but found that they were not able to. As the two continued to passionately kiss each other, Momo told him, “Come on, Ryosuke, we really should stop.”

Ryosuke separated from her and asked, “What’s wrong? Do you not like it?”

“It’s not that,” Momo assured her. “I love doing this with you. It’s just that we got maybe five minutes to go before we have to go shoot the first music video, and who knows who’s gonna walk in on us.”

“Like that’ll happen.”

“Dude,” Momo chuckled. “You walked in on me changing, and that’s partially what led to this. Someone else walking in on us making out is entirely possible.” She then gave him a quick peck on the lips. “I like your enthusiasm, but let’s save the kissing for later. Why don’t we meet up after school on Monday?” She then whispered into his ear, “Maybe we can go a bit beyond kissing that day.”

This excited Ryosuke. “I’d love to. How far do you wanna go?”

“We’ll see how things play out,” Momo said as she gave him a seductive smile. “Now come on. We got a music video to shoot.”

The two then left the closet, with thankfully no one else seeing them exit together. Within a few minutes, they got to work shooting the first of the two music videos, nobody else the wiser about what the two had been doing with each other right beforehand. Well, nobody else except the other band members, of course.

…

June 23, 2024

Sweet Juliet had reached the final song of their final show at the Fox Lounge. The crowd for this sixth and final show was energetic, and some of them were in fact repeats from previous shows. As they all waited for what was next, Momo cleared her throat and announced while the rest of the band adjusted their instruments, “Thank you all for coming to see us for these six dates here at the wonderful Fox Lounge. Tonight is unfortunately our last night for this six-show run of our’s.” After some in the audience expressed sadness, Momo chuckled and assured them, “Don’t worry. Do not fret. We will be on the road again in the future. If you are a fan of A TO Z SIX, of which me and Sadako are members, you will see us on our Summer 2024 Tour. In fact, Sweet Juliet will be opening for A TO Z SIX, so please support both groups by purchasing tickets for those concerts. Additionally, we want to thank you all for supporting the release of Metal Machine as our first single, and we are proud to announce that our first EP, The Theatre Tapes, will be released on July 20th. Speaking of The Theatre Tapes, our last two songs of the night come from it. This is a two-part composition, in which the first song directly leads into the second. After the trials and tribulations of the first three songs from our story, our heroes finally premiere their play in songs rather aptly titled The Premiere and Exit Stage Left.”

The song began with Sadako playing a gentle and slow-moving 4/4 introduction on the acoustic guitar while Ai occasionally set the beat by hitting a triangle. This song featured vocals and lines from all five members of the band, and was a culmination of the story of The Theatre Tapes.

(Momo): Here we are, we’re ready to go

(Momo): The playhouse has been filled

(Momo): Tonight’s the night, tonight we go

(Momo): The actors’ dreams fulfilled

(Momo/Ryosuke): May our play go well, and may we not

(Momo/Ryosuke): Forget our lines at the premiere…

(Momo/Ryosuke): At the premiere…

After all five members of the band sang a brief vocal interlude with no lyrics in a five-part harmony, the song increased in tempo on the drums as Sadako switched to an electric guitar and Ryosuke began to play the synthesizer.

(Masato): The curtains are raised and the actors go out

(Masato): May they all do well

(Ai): So far no problems, so far no issues

(Ai): May that stay the same

(Sadako): Soon I’ll be up and I’ll have to sing

(Sadako): I’m nervous, can’t you tell?

(Momo): Don’t be so nervous, you’ll rock their socks off

(Momo): You, will, wow, the crowd!

For eight measures, Momo played a short flute solo between the first proper verse and the second verse.

(Ryosuke): That new girl sounds great, her voice is like heaven

(Ryosuke): I can’t believe I had doubts

(Ryosuke): Now that she’s done, let’s see how I do

(Ryosuke): Now it’s my time to shine

(Ai): A rocky start, a slip up in words

(Ai): But he catches it fast

(Ai): So far so good, so far so good

(Ai): This night, will, be, a blast!

After the second verse, a guitar solo by Sadako followed for about twelve measures. In the background of the solo, Ai and Momo chanted vocals in tune with the solo. The crowd clapped in time with the song as Momo moved out of the way to let Sadako take center stage, clearly enjoying all of the lights shining down on her from above and all the eyes looking up at her from the crowd.

Then, at the very end of the solo, the song changed both tempo and time signature, shifting to alternating between 4/4 and 7/4. Ryosuke hammered away at the keys while Momo sat down at her piano and played alongside him. This piano and synthesizer duet lasted for a whole minute as the band fired on all cylinders. Ai in particular was going wild on the drums, albeit in a controlled manner that easily showed off her skills. Right as the synthesizer and piano duet ended, another set of lyrics was sung by Momo.

(Momo): We dance and we sing all night

(Momo): We dance and we sing all night

(Momo): Let us entertain you here and now

(Momo): Let us entertain you here and now

(Momo): We dance and we sing all night

(Momo): We dance and we sing all night

(Momo): Let us entertain you here and now

(Momo): Let us entertain you here and now

(Momo): Let us entertain you here and now

(Momo): Let us entertain you here and now

The synthesizer then took over as Momo’s voice faded away and the song ended, leading right into the much slower paced Exit Stage Left, which Ai easily adapted to by slowing down on the drums. The key also changed, making the song effectively a reprise of the very first song on The Theatre Tapes, I’ll See You At The Play, since the two shared the same key. This time, all the lyrics were sung exclusively by Momo, with occasional backing vocals by the rest of the band.

And now we all bow, and say goodbye for now

May you come again, when we have more for you

As we leave the stage, we hear all your cheers

As we exit stage left

As we exit stage left

We hope you enjoyed, our little show here

We hope you enjoyed, our little theatre

We promise you all, that we will return

As we exit stage left

As we exit stage left

Stay safe getting home, have a nice ride

We’d love to have you stay, but alas we must go

As we leave the stage, we hear all your cheers

As we exit stage left

As we exit stage left

As we exit stage left

As we exit stage left…

A fake choir sang thanks to an input on Ryosuke’s keyboard as Ai played a steady 4/4 beat and Momo bowed to the cheering audience, their last concert of the six they had at the Fox Lounge coming to an end. Momo told the audience, “Thank you all for coming to see us. We're Sweet Juliet. Like I said, we have a single out now, and we have an EP coming out soon, so please, support our endeavors. Thank you all. Have a wonderful night!”

The song ended as the crowd continued to applaud, ending with the bass fading out first, followed by the drums, then the keyboard choir, and finally, with the acoustic guitar, which strummed on for another few measures by itself before Sadako stopped and took a bow of her own. The concert was now over, and the band would return to the studio to both work on more songs as well as rehearse for the A TO Z SIX Summer 2024 Tour that would kick off on July 28, a little over a week after The Theatre Tapes would be released.