Slack dash performance
To think they would keep it in the cafeteria... after lunch.
I returned from our concert to replenish my fuel when I saw the group standing there and staring at passerbiers like abandoned puppies.
Shirai-san's eyes lit up the second he saw me.
"Fukuda-saaan!"
I ate and watched them.
"Why don't you try playing something?"
"We did but no one paid much mind." (Akai)
"Other bands are really disinterested in this huh?" (Hiro)
As I sat there bored watching their failed attempts an idea suddenly came up to mind.
I got up and walked to the stage once I was done eating.
Thankfully I was too lazy to head back to my dorm and still had my guitar case with me.
Tanjiro-san stepped away from the mike for me.
"Hello, Empty audience and Cafeteria ladies," I greeted. "Today we'll be playing a game called...guess that beat!"
"He totally just made that up just now didn't he?" I heard the others whispering.
"The game is simple, if you know the song join in and play along once its your turn but you can't say the name of the song until it's over."
Naturally, my announcement had piqued Shirai's interest. He watched me with a tilted head and clasped hands.
"For now our only participants will be the band members of Mange. Hope you all look forward to it!"
The bandmates watched as I zipped out my guitar and stood there in silence trying to think of a new beat.
I finally came up with one.
To think it would be because of my mom's favorite band.
Pop Sic.
I played the guitar solo for Pop Sic's Sugar-like Addiction.
The bandmates of Mange were tilting their heads in confusion when all of a sudden a plump cafeteria lady left her station to come out and sing the lyrics.
"Where's my sugar, sugar, sugar baby?!
Sugar, sugar, sugar,
give it all to me!
Don't care if you have anotha
Kiss me like your real lova!
Sugar, sugar, sugar
I wanna bathe in your love
Deceive me
Make me think I'm the only one!
Suuugar!
Lie to me!
Lie to me!
Make me feel loved
Otherwise. if. I. find. out
Your Lova find you missing!"
The lunch lady's seductive dancing drew in a small crowd of laughers.
"That was Pop Sic's Sugar-Like Addiction. It's an old group that didn't last long, so that was unfair of me. Sorry. But thank you Lunch lady-san for your performance."
The lunch lady bowed. The crowd laughed.
It was time to rack my brains for the next song so I tried going with a song everyone should know.
It was an old song but for some reason it had never been popular.
BlackLists!' 5 pound round of hearts.
"Ah!"
Tanjiro surprisingly joined in right away. So I paused to give him time to shine and we took turns playing.
We both played during the climax.
Before I knew it I was only focused on playing along with him and had lost track of the new comers straying in to the cafeteria.
This was...fun. How did I end up here when I wasn't even interested last night?
The song ended.
I turned to the crowd. "Well? Did anyone else know that one?"
I was only met with blank stares.
"Oh come on! Blacklist!'s 5 pound hearts?!" Tanjiro yelled out in disappointment at the crowd.
"They had a song like that?" People looked to each other.
"Oh come on! Are ya real rockers?!"
"Hey- we didn't know that one either." Hiro objected.
"I don't listen to Blacklist like that!" Shirai was cleaning out his ear. "It sounded cool tho, guess I should give them more of a listen."
"Since Hayate-san was the only one who knew it why don't you go ahead and pick the next song?"
He froze for a second like a deer at headlights.
"M-m-me?!"
He...was unexpectedly shy in front of people... That's kind of cute.
I nodded.
He paused to think for a moment, but when he began to play I felt like I had just been tazed. It took me a while to react as he played a very old song of Azure Phoenix's Night time Lover.
It was a song based off Utaka's and Izanagi's bad womanizing behavior. How nice. The song brought so many memories more so of the writing process, listening to their stories while judging them hard. Izanagi wanted it to sound like a lullaby that would wake up and I quote "All the stupid white lotus bitches out there."
My hand began to move on its own, this was something Shirai-san, Hiro and Akai-san also knew. They joined in.
With twin bassists, the song sounded even more dreamy than normal as one of them had to improvise with the accompaniment play outlying the chords, the feeling felt even more nostalgic as we played, both Tanjiro and I were guitarists so I resorted to singing further into the song.
"Wanna be my night time Lover?~
When the night is cold
and I am blue~
Cos I got dumped because of you
Let's call it quits with one last fuxxk
But if you're willing babe
there could be more to us
I don't love you
but I love your body
In that baby blue lingerie
you stole from your mommy
You're just a substitute
But maybe...
this could be real.
What do you want?
Why do you think
I will come to love you?
When in my life I've never loved
Only passed down my hurt
To my naiive, selfish kind
Don't trust me~
it makes me want to
taint you
Get back at you
for ruining my fun~
make you bitter
and pessimistic
just. like. me
an atheist of love
no sym.pa.thy
Instead of sharing my bed
you should be running from me
I'm a bad guy~
listen to your Dad
don't be my night time Lover"
Tanjiro's head flicked to me, his eyes bulging but he didn't say anything.
The crowd listened intently.
When the song ended Tanjiro looked to me and I to him.
What?
"What is it?"
What's your deal?
"I... was actually going to make it difficult and play a song I only saw the performance of... but this band never told anyone the lyrics to this song...."
"Ah..." The meaning of what he was saying dawned on me then. Had I...just exposed myself?!
"Ah! That was Azure Phoenix's "Nightime lover" back before they got scouted...I was a fan. They used to perform a lot at my school and in my area..."
His eyes widened and a grin tore across his face. "For real?! Yer damn lucky!"
Tanjiro slapped me on the back. A big grin in his face eyes glittering. It hurt a lot. I'll take it as my instant punishment for lying just then.
But I think it's the first time I've ever seen him smile.