Heavy Metal Trouble

My life has now become even more hectic with Ai in the picture. Sure, I could’ve used the word “lively” to describe it in a nicer way, but that would be an understatement. Here’s why: Ever since Ai transferred to my school and entered a “rivalry” with Saiki, she’s been constantly challenging the latter to bothersome trials with me in the center of it all. For example, just two days ago, Ai issued a challenge to Saiki called “Yoshi-kun’s Music Preferences Quiz”. Basically, she asked Saiki a bunch of questions about my musical tastes and favorite bands. Honestly, I was completely afraid of how much Ai knew about me because a few of those questions were very personal and contained information that I have not yet shared with any other person. But what freaked me out even more was how Saiki was able to correctly answer them, no matter how obscure they were…. Even if she was just guessing and using deductive reasoning or whatever, it really freaked me out.

These type of contests continued to this day and I was getting really annoyed with them. Especially those contests that discussed my personal life—How did Ai know that I hadn’t learned how to swim without floats until the eighth grade; or that I went through a chuunibyo phase in fifth grade where I imagined that I was the leader of an imaginary metal band destined to “reclaim the crown of rock’n’roll”; or that I have an extreme fear of mimes because I once lost my way at a circus when I was only six years old and found myself being “helped” by a bunch of mime artists? Where did she get all of this information from? My mom?!

But despite my annoyance with these questions and extremely personal information being made public, seeing Saiki taking note of them and being really interested in them kind of made me happy. I really liked hearing her laugh and enjoying them with a smile on her face. But I was also embarrassed at having her learn all of these impertinent facts about my youth. Okay, I was extremely embarrassed; my face was literally red the entire time whenever these facts came up.

Today, Ai had after-school duty, so I walked home with Ikki and Saiki. As we made our way down the street, Ikki suddenly popped the following question out of nowhere: “Are you guys working on music together?” The question caught me and Saiki off guard and we were too surprised by his intuition to answer.

“I’m just wondering,” said Ikki harmlessly with a reassuring smile. “It just came to me because of two reasons: one, Iomi had been asking me to do drum lines for a while now, and two, that recent release of his new video featuring vocals was really different and a little unusual.” I exchanged worried glances with Saiki. “N-Not saying that it was bad,” Ikki quickly said with a sheepish smile.

“I…,” was all that came out of my mouth. I didn’t know what to say to that!

“It’s a secret,” said Saiki with a smile and she quickly grabbed my hand and we dashed forward together. We turned a corner and didn’t stop until we reached the convenience store near my house. She finally let go of my hand and said with the same smile, “I think we finally lost him.” She said it just like a giddy little girl running away from her guardian for the thrill of it.

“Who knew that Ikki would be the one to piece it together?” I said jokingly with a small chuckle.

“He's full of surprises,” agreed Saiki with a nod.

We both went inside the convenience store and bought some ice cream. We ate them together outside with childish smiles on our faces. As we did, we talked about school and music and our everyday lives…. Man, I never thought that I would ever say those words in my entire life! I mean, talking about our everyday lives?—that’s such a normie thing to do! But yet, here I am right now, talking to Haruto Saiki of all people about my everyday life: breakfast in the morning, guitar playing before lunch, lunch in the afternoon, video editing before dinner, dinner in the evening, listening to music before bed, and (almost always) sleeping two hours right before midnight.

While my everyday life felt very boring ad basic, at least to my own ears, I was very interested to learn more about Saiki. And to tell you the truth, I had never once been interested in learning about anyone else! But there was just something about the connection that we had that made her the exception for me. And what I had learned about her only made my interest in her grow even more.

Haruto Saiki came for a very well-off family. This was kind of already old information—remember when we went to the beach and stayed at her vacation house? But she comes from a family with a very refined pedigree dating back to the early-Edo period. Apparently, on her father’s side, she is descended from a famous court musician who was renowned throughout Japan and was a favorite of the aristocracy. The family kept this tradition and each and every men had become court musicians and received high honors, eventually helping the family to rise up the ranks and become part of the elite class. After the end of the Meiji Restoration, her great-grandfather, who was a renowned composer and musician, became the head of the Board of Ceremonies Music Department. Ever since then, this became the new tradition of the Haruto Family. Saiki’s father is in fact the current head of the Board of Ceremonies Music Department. But because of his duties, he rarely comes home and only ever visits on her birthday.

On her mother’s side, she is descended from a line of court dancers. In fact, her mother’s family are still performers to this day! Another interesting fact was that both her mother and father’s families have known each other for a long time. Her mother, who was a dancer in her youth, became a professional singer after falling in love with Saiki’s father. She is now a voice teacher and teaches at a university.

She then told me about how her mother expects her to follow in the family’s footsteps in being a professional musician, and hopefully the new head of the Board of Ceremonies Music Department. She is well aware of Saiki’s musical aptitude and excellent voice. But Saiki, in her own words, “don’t want to follow a path that has already been set out for her”. And although she deeply believes in following her own dreams, she hadn’t told her mom about this yet. This makes sense to me. I mean, standing up to your parents is a very daunting task.

We were finishing up our ice creams when a purple muscle car stopped in the parking lot right next to us. I had only seen clean cars like these in those old cop movies inspired by 90s American films. I bet that every guy in the world would give their life just to have a car like this. I, on the other hand, am not a big car enthusiast myself. But if we’re talking about guitars….

The doors opened up and a bunch of college students got out. I could tell that they weren’t from around here; judging by the university hoodie worn by one of them, they must’ve came from the western side of Tokyo. There were four guys in all and I can only describe them as "your typical college guys”. The driver was a tall and lean guy with curtained yellowish-brown hair and handsome honeyed eyes. His face was slender with chiseled features like a model’s, and he had a winning smile that even I would be jealous of. I could tell automatically that this guy was the leader of the group, or at least has considerable power and influence over the others.

I really think that the other three guys aren’t worth mentioning, but that would just make me biased, so I’ll do you guys a favor and describe them for you. The guy that came out of the passenger side had a very long face with a pointed chin and slick black hair that was greased down to his shoulders, giving him a look reminiscent of those 60s American greaser gangs. His eyes were very Yakuza-esque, although they weren’t as sharp as mines, and his nose, which I would say was his most defining feature, stuck out like a sore thumb. Let’s call him ‘Greaser Tengu’.

The guy in the hoodie, who came out of the left back door, was very big-boned; I would have honestly thought that he was a sumo wrestler-in-training and not a college student if I had met him under different circumstances. He appeared to be the tallest of the group, although this could very well be an illusion caused by his massiveness. His hair was a little green mohawk—I seriously thought that that style had already died out by the late-90s—and beady little eyes. I think ‘Sumo Punk’ fits him really well.

The last guy, the one that came out of the back of the diver’s side, was the tannest of the group and wore his hair in a crew cut with yellow streaks. He had little scant facial hair around his lips and wore very obnoxious sunglasses. Out of the entire group, he dressed the most flashy and eccentric: an unbuttoned neon purple shirt over a white undershirt, a belt with a hyena head for a buckle, and tight skinny jeans that faded around his manhood. I’ll just call him ‘Neon Glasses’.

The group were walking together to the convenience store while laughing like a pack of hyenas. Saiki and I kept our eyes focused on our treats and did everything we could to avoid their attention. But that backfired completely when Greaser Tengu noticed us and pointed us out to his friends.

“Saiki?” came the group’s leader. Hearing her name come out of the guy’s lips threw me for a loop. Does Saiki know this guy? And if she does, who is he?

Saiki turned to the guy and I saw her smile immediately disappear from her face and the return of those detestable eyes. She dropped the stick in her hand and said in a whisper-like gasp, “Ryu”.

The only way I can describe what I was feeling right now was agitation. My body was stuck in a subtle twitching state, itching to move but not knowing how to do it. The stick I held in my hand had also dropped to the ground, but the sound it made upon clattering on the concrete didn’t reach my ears.

The guy whom Saiki called Ryu approached us and I quickly hid myself behind Saiki with my head down. This was a natural reaction from me that I would always do whenever I meet someone who I feel intimidated by. I know—I’m a coward; I’m not exactly proud of it.

“Long time no see,” said Ryu with a dashing smile. “So, how have you been?”

Saiki swallowed a gulp and put on a brave face. She smiled back at him and happily said, “Oh, fine. You know, same old same old. How about you?”

“I’ve been doing pretty good,” replied Ryu with a charming nod. “I’ve formed a new band since starting college and we just released our second record last week.”

“Oh, I think I’ve heard of that,” said Saiki. “Your band is called MateDeath, right?”

“It’s MetaDeath,” corrected Ryu with a small chuckle. He then turned his attention to me and our eyes met for a brief moment. “Is that a new band member?” he asked Saiki.

I was about to answer and dissociate myself from the conversation, as was my usual response in these situations, when Saiki quickly said, “Yes, he is. He’s filling in right now for Shinichi.”

“I see,” said Ryu with an understanding nod. “Well, nice to meet you,” he said to me with a wave of his hand and a wide smile on his face. He then gestured for his friends to follow and they went inside the convenience store.

Once they were gone, I let out a sigh of relief and asked, “Who was that?”

“Jubara Ryuki,” answered Saiki in a melancholic and almost nostalgic voice. “He was the founding lead guitarist of Nijigami. He left us once he started college.”

“Jubara?” I said ponderously. Where have I heard that last name before? And that’s when it hit me. “Is he the son of Jubara Daichi, the retired lead guitarist of Kill/B’Killed, the pioneers of Japan’s burgeoning thrash scene back in the late 80s and modern-day stadium stars, and founder and CEO of NoizE Records?”

Saiki answered with a nod. I couldn’t believe it. We were in the presence of the son of one the most legendary lead guitarists in the history of Japan’s rock scene. Knowing that now, I can only guess just how skillful he (Ryu) must be.

“He’s actually the one that got me into rock and metal,” she revealed, referring to Ryu.

“Were you close friends or something?” I asked.

“Something like that,” she cryptically answered back. “Anyway,” she suddenly announced, stretching her arms out, “shall we go?”

The next day, as I was walking home from school by myself after finishing up after school duties, I was pounced on by Ai. She surprised me—or more like, I was surprised by her—and joined me in walking home together. As we walked, she chattered away without a care in the world and talked about things that I didn’t really care for. The words literally went in one ear and out the other for me.

As we turned the corner, I saw something that knocked the wind out of me. Ai had also stopped talking, no doubt surprised by the same thing that I was seeing. The guy from yesterday, Jubara Ryuki, was talking to Haruto Saiki in a rather familiar way. Now, he wasn’t doing anything inappropriate, but the close distance between them and the almost intimate atmosphere around them stirred something inside of me. The scene didn’t last too long before they said farewell and Ryuki left.

Once he did, Ai quickly ran up to Saiki and loudly said, “You harlot!”

Saiki turned to us and found herself at the end of an accusing finger. “What do you mean?” she asked Ai.

“Was he your secret lover?” Ai asked Saiki with a scowl.

“Who?”

“Don’t play dumb with me,” said Ai with a snarl.

I approached the duo while wearing a casual smile. “How’s it going? I didn’t see you there?” I nonchalantly said. I know—it was the stupidest thing I could’ve done. But that’s just the kind of guy I am.

Ai came up to me and whispered, “That’s definitely someone she’s seeing on the side. I mean, what else could a guy that handsome be if not a philanderer? And she’s his side-dish.”

“I am not!” yelled out Saiki frustratingly. I don’t know how she could’ve heard what Ai was saying, but it must’ve been a woman’s intuition or something. Saiki let out a huff and held up some tickets. “Ryu just gave me some tickets to a concert his band is having tonight at KABANG!” she told us. “He was inviting me to go see it and gave me some extra tickets for me to bring my friends.”

Ai took one glance at the tickets and her eyes widened in surprise. “MetaDeath?! You mean the up-and-coming college thrash band who are known for their high-energy live shows, mind-numbing technical riffs, insanely catchy choruses, and god-tier guitar solos?!”

“You’ve heard of them?” I asked Ai.

“They’re all the rave back in Okayama!” revealed Ai. “Is their show tonight?” she asked Saiki with stars in her eyes.

“It is,” confirmed Saiki. Ai giddily took a ticket and happily skipped back home. Once she was gone, Saiki and I exchanged awkward glances before implicitly agreeing to walk home together. Along the way, we didn’t talk or made eye-contact, but it wasn’t like we hated each other or on bad terms or anything. It was just…awkward.

We had come to a corner when, suddenly, three figures blocked our path. I looked up and recognized them to be the three college students that belonged to Ryu’s group: Greaser Tengu, Sumo Punk, and Neon Glasses. Greaser Tengu, who stood in the middle and acted like the leader of the trio, stepped forward and said, “Hello there. You’re the girl that Ryuki knows.” He focused his attention only on Saiki. “We’re Ryuki’s friends,” he added with a snicker.

“Why don’t we get to know each other a bit?” suggested Neon Glasses with a squeaky chuckle.

“We can have some good fun,” added Greaser Tengu smoothly. “How about you let your big brothers show you how we have fun in college?”

I was disgusted with their behavior to say the least. I seriously wished that lightning would strike them all. I knew it from the start that they were all nothing but a bunch of scumbags. I really wanted to do something about this—stand up to them, grab Saiki and run away, create a commotion to alert the authorities—but I was too powerless to do anything. And this powerlessness was due to my own cowardice. I told you all before that I don’t like physical confrontations at all. I’m not some tough guy—I’m just a coward who lives a lonely life and who can’t protect anyone else but himself by selfishly running away. If anyone’s the biggest scumbag in this situation, it would be me.

The trio then proceeded to surround Saiki. Sumo Punk pushed me out of the way and casually said, “Go home, squirt. It’s the big boys’ turn.”

I rubbed my shoulder in a pitiful fashion and, disgusted with myself but too cowardly to do anything about it, I slowly turned around. As I did, I caught a glimpse of Saiki’s eyes and she looked at me with those same eyes as before. It was full of misery like of an abused puppy, fear like a lamb surrounded by wolves, and sorrow like an abandoned child. I looked at them and I felt time slowly stop around me. That’s when I reached a moment of clarity: What am I doing? Am I really going to let myself free? Am I really going to let this happen to Haruto Saiki? Am I really okay with being the reason behind those eyes that I hate so much?

I suddenly stopped and time returned back to its original state. I turned around and said, “Don’t you dare touch her.”

Greaser Tengu looked up and said, “Huh? What did you just say?”

I swallowed a gulp and put some more confidence in my voice. “I said, don’t touch her.” I then walked back to Saiki and put myself in between her and Greaser Tengu.

Greaser Tengu and his fellow delinquents suddenly laughed out loud like a pack of hyenas at my display of bravery. “Is this guy for real?” he chortled. And then he suddenly brought his fist down on my face. I almost stumbled and fell down but Saiki quickly grabbed my arm and steadied me. “Shall I teach you a lesson?” he said before hawking out a lob of spit on my right shoe. Saiki protested heavily against his show of violence, but the delinquent ignored her words and proceeded to grab my hair. He then pulled my hair up while laughing and prepared himself to lay another punch on me. And then, he saw my eyes. I looked up at him, firmly prepared to receive the next blow, but he quickly crumbled and rushed backwards with extreme fear written all over his face. He looked like he had come face-to-face with a ghost. “Sorry, sorry, sorry!” he apologized profusely. He continued to shout out the words as he ran away with tears in his eyes.

The other two delinquents exchanged confused glances. I shook my head to clear away the daze and brushed my hair away from my face. As I did, I flashed each of them my ‘Yakuza-boss’ glare. The colors immediately drained from their faces and the two quickly dashed off while apologizing just like their leader.

Once they were gone, Saiki walked me back home. We came to the nearby park just a block away from my house and we sat at the bench. “I’m sorry,” she apologized to me.

“For what?” I said.

“For getting you into this mess,” she said.

“Stop!” I told her. “I would rather get myself beat up knowing that you would be okay rather than run away a coward while leaving you to suffer who knows what by their hands.” I then scowled and continued to disparage myself. “I’m a coward. I don’t like conflict and I always run away from my problems. I was seriously about to run away to save my own skin when those delinquents gave me the chance. I’m selfish and I’m a coward. It might be better for you to associate with someone who you can actually depend on instead of someone like me.”

Saiki didn’t say anything back. And I don’t blame her. She could hate me, insult me, hit me, I would take it all without any opposition. After all, what girl would stay with a guy like me? I was ready for her to just curse me and leave, but her actual reaction surprised me. “Thank you,” she said.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Did she actually say what I thought she said and it’s not just some wishful hallucination? I looked at her and sure enough, she was smiling. I was flabbergasted.

“I knew that you were ready to save yourself, but I don’t blame you,” she said. “You may be a coward and selfish and a gloomy loner—.”

“Gloomy loner?” I asked—though I knew that it was true.

“—but you still came back anyway,” she finished. “And for that, thank you.” She flashed me her signature smile and I couldn’t help but marvel at it.

“If you want to thank anything, thank my eyes,” I joked. “It’s because of these scary eyes that you were saved. I didn’t do anything worth mentioning.”

She leaned her face forward and used her hand to brush away my hair until my eyes were out in the clear. She gasped upon seeing them and smiled. “Your eyes are beautiful,” she said in an almost whispery voice. I blushed at her words like a schoolgirl. She then let my hair back down and jumped to the ground. “It gives you a really cool 80s hardcore metal look,” she said with a nod. She turned around and added, “I think they were scared off by how cool and rock’n’roll they looked. I mean, who wouldn’t be intimidated by the eyes every metal legend and rockstar would die for?”

“Okay, you don’t have to go that far,” I told her, still blushing.

“Thank you, Iomi.”