Chapter 26: The Secret Songwriter’s Panic

Yuna's POV

As we sat in the practice room, surrounded by crumpled papers and the faint smell of desperation, Leo decided it was the perfect time to blast music from his phone.

And not just any music. Oh no.

It was my song.

But, of course, nobody knew that.

"Man, Ryo Ishikawa is insane," Leo sighed, drumming on the table along to the beat.

"This guy never misses."

"He's got some solid lyrics," Milo added, nodding in approval.

"Simple but deep."

"Yeah, yeah, but the real mystery is the ghostwriter behind his songs." Ethan leaned forward, intrigued.

"You guys saw the interview, right? He just announced that a new song is coming out soon, and he straight-up said he's honored to work with this songwriter. Who is this person? They're basically a legend at this point."

I tried to keep my face neutral. Just another casual day listening to my own song while my friends unknowingly praised my work. Totally normal.

"Oh yeah, I saw that interview!" Lena's eyes sparkled as she scrolled through her phone.

"Ryo was like, 'Working with them is always an incredible experience. Their music speaks in ways that go beyond words.'" She turned her screen toward us, showing the clip where Ryo actually said those exact words with a heartfelt, dramatic expression.

I stared at the floor, pretending to be fascinated by a tiny speck of dust.

"Hah, imagine if the ghostwriter was actually someone here in our school," Leo joked.

I laughed. A little too loudly. Everyone turned to look at me.

"What?" I shrugged.

"It's just funny. Like, who in this school could possibly be writing for someone like Ryo Ishikawa?"

"Right?" Erika snorted.

"They'd be rich. Why would they still be suffering here with us?"

Great. Amazing. Fantastic. Just keep digging my grave, guys.

Milo sighed, stretching his arms. "Man, I'd kill to work with someone like that. If we could just get a song half as good as theirs, maybe we wouldn't be the joke of the school anymore."

I suddenly felt a strong urge to lie flat on the floor and ascend to another plane of existence.

"Welp." I clapped my hands together.

"Good luck with that."

Meanwhile, Leo was still lost in admiration.

"Seriously, though, I hope the new song drops soon. The moment it's out, I'm gonna loop it for weeks."

I, on the other hand, was just hoping I wouldn't pass out from secondhand embarrassment before this conversation ended.

I reached for my water bottle, desperately needing something to distract myself from the conversation. Bad idea.

"Man, Ryo Ishikawa is seriously hyping up this ghostwriter," Ethan said, scrolling through his phone.

"I swear, this ghostwriter must be rolling in cash," Leo added.

"They're out here working with the biggest names while we're struggling to keep a vocalist."

"Must be nice," Milo muttered.

"Bet they don't have to worry about last-minute band events."

I took a sip of water.

Then Ethan continued, "If I were them, I'd just retire and chill forever. Like, why would you even go to school if you're already that successful?"

I inhaled at the worst possible time.

Cough. Splutter. CHOKE.

Water shot up my nose as I wheezed violently, practically dying on the spot. Erika sighed, looking like she was reconsidering her life choices for being friends with me.

Leo blinked. "Uh, you good?"

"Y-yeah," I choked out, trying to clear my throat. "Just—wrong pipe."

Milo raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? You looked guilty for a second."

I forced a laugh. "Guilty? Of what? Almost dying? Yeah, my bad, I'll try breathing properly next time."

Lena hummed. "I mean, I'd feel guilty too if I was a super successful songwriter hiding among us lowly students."

I nearly choked again.

I had to change the topic. Fast.

I clapped my hands together. "ANYWAY, let's focus on something actually important. Like, you know, finding a vocalist before we become the biggest joke of the competition."

That successfully redirected them, but in the back of my mind, I knew I had to be more careful.

For now, I needed to lay low. No songwriting, no secret projects, nothing.

The last thing I needed was for my entire band to find out that their script-holding, floor-lounging, band-directing 'manager' was actually the ghostwriter they were raving about.

Leo sighed, dramatically flopping onto the couch. "So, let's review. We have no vocalist, no real strategy, and we're up against people who have actual talent."

"Depressing," Ethan muttered, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Milo exhaled slowly, shaking his head.

"Should we just… drop out?"

There was a brief, heavy silence.

Kai, who had been quiet the whole time, finally spoke up.

"I mean… do we actually stand a chance?"

His voice was steady, but there was something in the way he said it—like he was thinking about it too hard.

Leo sat up, frowning. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Kai ran a hand through his hair, looking frustrated. "I'm just being realistic. The way we are now, we can't even get through a full song without falling apart. Every other band out there probably has years of experience. We're practically beginners compared to them."

"We're not that bad," Erika pointed out, though even she sounded doubtful.

Kai gave her a look. "Erika, last week, you had to physically restrain Leo from throwing his drumsticks."

"It was ONE TIME," Leo argued. "And I wouldn't have actually thrown them—"

"You literally did," Milo deadpanned.

Leo crossed his arms. "Okay, fine, but I missed on purpose."

Kai ignored them, looking straight at me instead. "What do you think, Yuna?"

I blinked, caught off guard.

"What do I think?" I repeated.

"I think quitting is a coward's way out." I sat up properly, stretching out my legs.

"Yeah, we're in a terrible spot. Yeah, the other bands are scary. But it's not like we've lost yet. We still have time."

"Time to what, magically become good?" Kai shot back.

"Yes. That's exactly it." I smirked, leaning forward.

"We adapt, we overcome, we survive."

Ethan groaned. "Stop watching survival documentaries."

Kai wasn't convinced. He let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just don't want us to embarrass ourselves."

I grinned. "Oh, that's easy. We're definitely going to embarrass ourselves."

Kai just stared at me like I was insane. "How is that supposed to help?"

"It means we have nothing to lose," I said.

"If everyone already thinks we're a disaster, then we might as well prove them right—but on our terms."

Milo hummed. "Or crash and burn in a spectacular fashion."

"Or actually improve," Erika muttered.

Leo sighed dramatically. "Or deepen our reputation as the worst band ever."

Lena, who had been lying across two chairs doing absolutely nothing, finally spoke up.

"I'm fine with whatever. I just don't want to do any actual work."

"Of course you don't," Ethan muttered.

Kai looked around at everyone, then back at me. He still seemed unsure, but at least he wasn't completely shutting down the idea.

After a moment, he exhaled through his nose, shaking his head.

"Fine. But only because I don't want to hear Leo complain for the rest of my life."

"YES," Leo fist-pumped. "Victory."

Ethan clapped his hands. "Alright, then it's settled. We're not dropping out. We're just going to suffer through it."

Everyone groaned in unison, but somehow, it felt lighter than before. Like even though the odds were terrible, and the situation was completely hopeless, none of us were actually giving up.

We were still in this.

I leaned forward, slamming his hands on the table. "Alright. First order of business—our band name. Because, let's be real, 'The Failed Notes' makes us sound like a tragic accident."

"It is a tragic accident," Ethan pointed out, lazily spinning a drumstick between his fingers.

"Exactly my point!" Leo gestured wildly.

"We're already starting at rock bottom! We need a name that demands respect."

I leaned my chin on my palm, unimpressed.

"Oh? And what's your brilliant idea?"

Leo grinned, clearly ready for this moment. He took a deep breath, then declared, "Lightning Inferno!"

Silence.

Milo blinked. "That sounds like a middle schooler's Roblox username."

Leo gasped, clutching his chest like he'd been personally attacked. "Excuse me, how dare you."

"Next," Erika said, completely unbothered.

Kai, who had been quietly tuning his guitar, finally looked up.

"What if we go with something simple? Like a single word."

"Like what?" I asked.

"I don't know. Something cool. Like 'Reverie.'"

Ethan nodded in approval. "That actually sounds decent."

Leo groaned. "No, no, no. We need edge. We need power. We need—"

"If you say 'Lightning Inferno' again, I will throw something at you," Lena cut in without looking up from her phone.

Leo crossed his arms and huffed. "You people have no taste."

I spun a pen between my fingers, thinking.

"We could always go with something ironic."

Kai gave me a skeptical look. "Like what?"

I smirked. "How about… Perfect Harmony?"

Milo snorted. "That's a bold-faced lie."

"That's why it's funny."

Leo shook his head. "No. Absolutely not. We might as well name ourselves 'Musical Disaster.'"

"I vote 'Musical Disaster,'" Erika said immediately.

"NO."

The argument spiraled from there. Ideas ranged from semi-decent (Nocturne), to overly dramatic (Crimson Eclipse), to downright ridiculous (Funky Monkeys—thanks, Ethan).

At some point, Milo sighed and muttered, "Maybe we should just stick with The Failed Notes."

"ABSOLUTELY NOT," everyone else shouted at once.

I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Ugh. Where's Noah? Shouldn't our songwriter be here helping with this?"

Kai shrugged. "He's sick. Said he wasn't coming today."

I frowned. "Huh. Convenient."

"He probably faked it to avoid this mess,"

Ethan muttered, slouching against the wall.

We argued for way too long, and by the end, we were no closer to an actual name.

Eventually, we decided to sleep on it and finalize it before signing up next week.

To be continued.