Heavy Metal Festival

The next day, I went to school with a plan. Everything was the same as they had been since the beginning of the week, but I’ve pretty much grown accustomed to it now. I didn’t mind being ignored anymore. Especially since I now know the entire story. But I was also confident in my plan. Soon, I’ll be able to reestablish contact with Haruto Saiki.

Lunchtime came and the first part of my plan activates now. I quickly walked up to Fumi and Taka just before they left the room and called out to them. They stopped in place and slowly turned to me.

“What do you want?” asked Fumi.

“This may be impertinent of me,” I began, “but can I please ask you two to come to rooftop to have lunch with me?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Joanie, but my heart belongs to someone else,” apologized Taka.

“What?” I came confusedly.

“Why should we go eat with you?” asked Fumi.

“I want to discuss something with you both,” I told her. “It’s about Haruto.”

“Stop right there,” said Fumi, holding out her hand in front of my face. “I told you to stay away from Haru,” she told me. “If I hear another word out of you about her, I’ll knock your lights out right here.”

“This is for her sake,” I pleaded.

“I’m serious,” threatened Fumi.

“I’m serious too,” I told her without any intention of backing down.

Fumi and Taka exchanged glances. “I can’t believe I’m saying this,” said Fumi with a groan.

“We’ll give you our most precious pictures of Haru,” said Taka in a dissapointed voice. “I understand that boys have their needs.”

“Wait, what?” Fumi and I said in unison.

“But will you take a picture of me instead? I think I can satisfy your fantasies,” pleaded Taka.

“You idiot!” scolded Fumi, smacking Taka on the head. She then heaved out a sigh and said, “We’ll be there to hear what you have to say.”

“Ooh! Is he giving a speech?” asked Taka. Fumi flicked her on the forehead. She then began to leave and called for Taka to follow.

‘Okay, phase one is complete,’ I thought happily to myself. To be honest, I hadn’t expected Fumi to accept my proposition this easily without a fight. But this is good. The next phase will take place on the rooftop. I quickly got my lunch and made my way up.

I was now on the rooftop with Ikki and Ai, waiting for Fumi and Taka to arrive. It wasn’t until lunchtime was halfway done that they appeared. I was getting really antsy waiting for them. They were important for my plan to work. But seeing them now coming to meet us gave me hope that this plan could work the way I intend it to.

“Alright, what do you want to say to us?” asked Fumi.

“This weekend, there is a festival happening in Shibuya,” I told her. “It’s the ‘Masters of Rock’ festival.”

“My dad was going on and on about that festival this entire week,” complained Fumi. “He was talking about his glory days and how his band had played that festival every time. But do I care? Not a chance.”

“Listen to what Yoshi-kun has to say! This isn’t about you, you know?” snapped Ai.

“Huh? You want to fight, Ms. Roasted Chicken?” threatened Fumi.

“Who you calling roasted chicken, you poor excuse of a yuki-onna!” shot back Ai.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, ladies,” said Ikki, stepping in between them. “Let’s try to play nice.”

“Shut up, stupid dog!” yelled Fumi and Ai in unison.

“Stupid dog?” whined Ikki.

I was starting to get really annoyed by this catfight. “I did not call you up here for a fight!” I said out loud. My words apparently got through to them because Fumi and Ai both settled down after I had said that.

“So what did you want to discuss?” asked Fumi.

“Like I said, this weekend, there will be a festival in Shibuya,” I began once again. “It’s a global festival and there will be bands from around the world playing that festival. It’s any rocker’s dream to attend that festival at least once in their lifetime.”

“Enough about the festival,” came Fumi with a frown. “Just tell me already why you called me here.”

“I’ve heard that Haruto’s mother had forbid her daughter from associating with anything rock related ever again,” I told them.

“Where did you hear this?” asked Fumi. I could tell by her expression that she already knew this. I mean, it makes sense, right? She’s one of Saiki’s best friends after all.

“I know that I should be minding my own business, but I also know that Haruto would love to go to this festival,” I confidently declared. Fumi and Taka exchanged glances but said nothing. “I would like to give her the chance to experience it. And so, can I ask you both to help me sneak her out to the festival without her mother knowing?”

“What?!” yelled out Fumi furiously. “I was wondering where this was going, but you want us to sneak her out?! And from under her mother’s nose, too?! Are you out of your mind?!”

I said nothing in reply. I mean, she was right. I told you all before that this was a crazy idea. My plan was risky and I expected opposition from the other party. But they were extremely crucial to my plan. Its success depended on them. When it was clear that they weren’t going to support me and my plan, I bowed my head and said, “Thank you for listening to what I have to say. I apologize for all of this.”

“If we do this, would Haru smile again?” suddenly asked Taka.

“What are you talking about, Taka?” asked Fumi.

“Haru doesn’t really smile anymore, does she?” said Taka with a tilt of her head. “These past few days, I’ve been getting a really sad aura from her. She’s like a puppy who had been abandoned because it couldn’t do any other trick than sleep and wake-up.”

“I don’t think those are tricks,” commented Ikki.

“I want to see Haru smile again,” declared Taka with a nod of her head. “I want to see her be happy for Christmas again and not sad during Valentines Day!”

“Um, how are those connected?” came Ikki confusedly.

“Jiminy Cricket, I’ll help you break Haru out of jail!” said Taka, grabbing my hands with a serious look in her eyes.

“Okay,” I said slowly with wide-eyes.

“This is idiotic,” said Fumi, shaking her head with a frown.

“The idiotic one is the person who refuses to participate,” insulted Ai smugly.

“Who you calling idiotic, floozy gyaru!” retorted Fumi.

“You act more like a gyaru than me!” countered Ai.

Fumi shook her head and let out a sigh. “Alright. I guess I’ll help too.”

“Really?!” I asked with a smile.

“Don’t get me wrong, this is for Haru, not you,” she told me.

“Thank you!” I announced with a bow of my head. Now that I knew they were in, I proceeded to tell them my plan. “Now, the festival begins in the late evening and will last for two days. I was thinking that we should bust her out for both days.”

“I know that on the weekends, Haru’s mother has private tutoring sessions,” said Fumi. “I remember once Haru telling me that the sessions are typically out of town and her mother would stay away for the weekend and return back Monday morning to get ready for classes.”

“So it should be easy to break her out then,” I said.

“Not really,” said Fumi with a shake of her head. “Even though her mother will be gone, her house will still be heavily guarded with security. And with her mother out of town, the security will be tighter than usual.”

“Then how will we break her out?” asked Ikki.

“I have a plan,” said Fumi with a nod of her head after some deliberation.

The weekend came and I prepared myself for what will be taking place today. Uncle Shu had just left for the festival and I waved goodbye to him, promising to go see him later tonight. He was gone and I called Ikki. Thirty minutes passed and I heard a knock at my door. I opened the door and found Ikki and Ai waiting for me. The three of us promptly left the house and we made our way to Shinjuku Station. Taka and Fumi had arrived there before us and was waiting for us. Once we all got together, we began the next phase of our plan.

Fumi and Taka led us to Saiki’s residence, which wasn’t that far from the station, and I was surprised when we got there. The estate covered a good three acres and had black fences surrounding the perimeter. In the front was a magnificent gate guarded by men dressed in black suits. From what I saw outside the gate, the house appeared to be similar in size to a large library and was built in a very impressive blend of traditional and modern styles. If I was to describe it, I would say that it had a very traditional feel with its general set up, but was very modern in construction. This was exactly what I would imagine an elite family to live in.

Ikki, Ai, and I hid from behind the corner while Fumi and Taka walked up nonchalantly to the guards in front. After exchanging a few words, the guards opened the gate and the two girls got in. When I saw the gate open, I noticed just how beautiful and big the front yard was. And inside, more guards dressed in black suits protected the residence.

“This is my first time seeing a rich person’s house,” said Ikki.

“What’s so impressive about that?” disparaged Ai.

“Oh, it’s very impressive,” replied Ikki with a stupid grin. “I can’t wait to get one just like this once I make it big in the punk scene.”

“Keep dreaming,” Ai told him with a roll of her eyes.

“Speaking of punk, I heard that Capitalist Pig is playing tonight!” said Ikki excitingly. “Pinkerton, Virgin Tears, and Krazy Karl are also on the bill! Oh, I can’t wait to go to the festival!”

“You have no taste in music,” Ai told him with a raised eyebrow.

“What bands are you guys excited for?” he asked us eagerly.

“Sophisticated bands, unlike yours,” said Ai with a smug smile. “Bands like Remember the Fall, RadChicks, Kabukicho, and Vlad and the Impalers.”

I listened to their conversation and couldn’t help but smile. Hearing them getting excited for the festival really got me excited too. “I can’t wait to hear my uncle play with GrEy,” I told them. “I’ve never seen my uncle play live with them before. He had already left the band by the time I was born.”

“Man, you’re uncle is so cool for getting us these all-access tickets!” said Ikki with a huge smile.

That’s right—Uncle Shu had pulled some strings to get us all-access tickets yesterday. I would’ve been fine with just a normal ticket, but my uncle wouldn’t settle for giving me the “typical, boring” experience. My uncle is really one cool guy.

Twenty minutes had passed by now and we saw Fumi and Taka exit out of the gate. They said farewell to the guards and walked in our direction. And coming up behind them was none other than Haruto Saiki. Our plan was a success!

“Alright, she’s here,” said Fumi once we were out of the guards’ range of vision and hearing.

The entire time, Saiki had her eyes diverted from our gaze. I was honestly feeling a little awkward too after everything that had happened between us. I swallowed a gulp and presented to her a ticket to the festival. “Er, my uncle got us these all-access tickets,” I told her.

Saiki looked up at the ticket and I saw her eyes change. It was clear that she really wanted it. I gently thrusted my hand forward so that she could take the ticket. With shaky hands, she accepted it. “T-Thank you,” she softly said with a bow of her head. My heart broke a little when I saw that—she still hadn’t returned back to her regular self.

“Alrighty then!” said Ikki cheerfully, “Let’s go!”

As we were walking to the festival, I asked Fumi what she had told the guards. She said that she had told the guards that Saiki had previously made plans to study to with them and had already gotten her mother’s permission. Of course, the guards were a little iffy on the explanation. Saiki herself was confused as to what was going on. But luckily, she helped Fumi and Taka lie their way through and the guards allowed her to go out. Once they were out of the gate, that’s when Fumi told Saiki the truth. I listened to the explanation and glanced back at Saiki. ‘This is for her own happiness,’ I told myself.

We got to the festival and presented our tickets. Once we got in, I took a deep breath and absorbed the musical energy around me. I could feel my adrenaline getting ready to burst and I knew it in my heart that this festival was going to be a beast! I observed my surroundings and saw many tents set up with games and merchandise. The people were having fun talking, drinking, singing, dancing, and just getting plain wild. From my position, I could also see the massive parking lot behind the main stage filled with tour buses. The main stage itself stood in the center of the festival like the peak of a mountain. It was larger than any other stage I had ever seen in my entire life!

I glanced at my friends and saw them wear some of the most excited expressions: Ikki looked like he was in heaven; Ai couldn’t stop shaking like a little child at an amusement park; even Fumi couldn’t hold in her excitement and she wore a very enthusiastic smile. Taka wore a very big smile, too; although in her case, she didn’t really know what was going on. But the most impressive of them all was the expression Saiki wore: she looked like she had finally found where she belonged. I agreed wholeheartedly with her expression and felt exactly the same.

“Ah, you’re here!” came a familiar voice on our left. Juri walked up to us with a big grin and a wave. We were a little taken aback the big change she displayed: she had a blue streak running down her hair. She noticed our expression and tilted her head in confusion. “What?”

“Your hair,” I pointed out.

“Oh, this?” she asked, touching the streak. “I’m wearing it like this today for tonight’s performance.”

“Tonight’s performance?” I asked.

“You guys will see in a bit,” she teased. “Anyway, I knew that you kids would be here for the festival. But I got to admit, I was surprised seeing you here too, Saiki. How did you convince your mother?” We all exchanged expressions and said nothing. “What?” asked Juri.

“Um, we actually broke her out,” I told her.

“Wait, what?!” exclaimed Juri with wide eyes.

“It was my idea,” I admitted. I was prepared to get chewed out by an adult for my actions.

“That’s so metal!” said Juri excitedly.

Right, I forgot that she was more like a kid than an adult. I looked up at her with a confused gaze. But I was nevertheless glad that I didn’t get Saiki in trouble. I didn’t care about getting in trouble myself. I mean, this was all for Saiki’s happiness after all.

Juri reached into her back pocket and produced a piece of paper. “If you want, here’s a list of the bands performing tonight. This list is usually only given to performers, but I know how much you guys would love this. Besides, I can always look at my friends’.”

Ikki gratefully took the list. “Thanks!” he said.

“Alright then, I’ll see you kids later,” she said as she went away.

Ikki looked at the list and he was in shock. “Listen to this, guys! A bunch of older defunct bands are coming back to perform on the stage for the weekend! Kaos, TheChemicals Inside, Witch Nation, Dinosaurs, Chthonic Gods, The Ramens, Vixxens, Three Kingdoms, Normandy, Mictlan. These are all names that you don’t hear much anymore! But they’re all legendary bands! Man, if only I knew. They didn’t have a list like this on the festival’s website. They only mentioned some legendary bands, but man, this festival is loaded!”

I saw Saiki’s eyes twinkle when Ikki recited the bands on the list. It was apparent that she knew who they were and she was very eager to hear them play. “Are you excited?” I asked her.

She turned to me with a surprised look in her eyes and quickly turned her attention to the ground. After a few seconds of silence, she slowly nodded her head in answer. I really didn’t like that she was refusing to talk to me, but what can I do about it? Besides, I’m not going to do anything else to alienate her from me. I need to know the limits to my own selfishness.

“Who’s playing first?” I asked Ikki.

“The first show is about an hour from now,” he told us. “T.C.I will be playing first.”

“I don’t know anything about rock, but this seems exciting,” said Taka. “When I heard that we were going to a rock festival, I thought we were going to be looking at dinosaur bones or something. But now I know that we’re listening to music. Are we going to listen to The Sliding Pebbles? My dad loves listening to them.”

“The Sliding Pebbles aren’t playing today,” Ikki told her with an awkward smile.

“Oh, are they back in America?” she asked.

“They’re British,” Ikki told her.

“Why aren’t they playing today?”

“Because they don’t play the styles of rock that this festival celebrates,” he explained to her. “They’re a bit too…old-school.”

“Is there a new school of rock?” asked Taka.

“Yes, there is,” Ikki told her.

“Is this like how metamorphism works? Does rock music get transformed after putting a lot of heat and pressure on it too?” asked Taka.

“Um, what?” said Ikki, confused. “Wh—How am I supposed to answer that?”

Fumi put a hand on his shoulder and said depressingly, “You can’t. Trust me.”

The festival began to get more lively as more people poured in. We decided to start moving to avoid being crushed by the growing crowd. Since we had about a good forty-minutes before the first show, we chose to pass the time by playing some of the games set up. One game that we played in particular, a game called ‘Rock Family Quiz’, was probably the most challenging and fun game I have ever played in these kind of events. Basically, the stand owner would play a clip of a song and the players had to guess what rock genre it was. Bonus points was given for guessing what band played the song. I participated in this game—rather I was pushed into it by Ikki and Ai—and I managed to guess correctly twelve times. The game ended when the player gets one wrong. For guessing twelve correctly, including seven bands, I scored a total of nineteen points. And the prize? It was a giant stuffed Iron Rabbit doll.

I happily accepted it and brought it back to show the others. They congratulated me on my win and I saw Saiki smiling like herself for the first time tonight. I looked at the doll in my hands and smiled. “Here,” I told her, giving her the doll.

Saiki looked at me with wide eyes. It was as if she was asking me with her eyes whether I was being honest with giving her the doll. I simply nodded and held it out for her to take it. Saiki took it into her arms with a big smile. “Thank you,” she told me.

I looked up at the others and I saw them quickly avert their eyes from mines. They wore these forced nonchalant faces that got on my nerves. What were they trying to hide? And that’s when I realized what they meant. ‘Do they know?’ I asked myself. I mean, I did just give Saiki a giant stuffed animal. Was this all they needed to discover my secret? I glanced over at Saiki and saw that she was hugging the doll like a little child. I guess she didn’t think much of it and just thought that I gave it to her because I knew she wanted it. At least my secret was safe from the one I needed to protect from the most.