The next day, a nervous energy thrummed in Yuji as he approached the abandoned gym locker room. Rusting hinges groaned a mournful protest as he pushed open the battered door, revealing a dimly lit space smelling faintly of mildew and forgotten sweat. It wasn't ideal, but it was private—a sanctuary from prying ears. To his surprise, the others were already there, huddled amidst a chaotic arrangement of instruments. Ren, the drummer, tapped a restless beat on his thigh; Kaito, the bassist, idly plucked at the strings; Haruto, the keyboardist, stared intently at his instrument; and Aoi, the violinist, nervously adjusted his bow.
Yuji, carrying his worn electric guitar case, placed it gently on the dusty floor. He grinned, a mixture of excitement and apprehension in his eyes. "Alright, listen up," he announced, his voice echoing slightly in the cramped space. "Let's get some details first. How many members do we have?"
"Four," Ren replied, "but five if you're counting you."
Yuji nodded. "Okay. And what instruments does each of you play?"
"I'm on drums," Ren declared with a confident grin.
"Bass is my gig," Kaito added, a hint of shyness in his voice.
"Keyboard's my domain," Haruto mumbled, his gaze fixed on his instrument.
"And I'm on violin," Aoi said quietly.
"Okay," Yuji said, surveying the group. "Now that we know the instruments, let's hear what you guys can do. Just play a bit. Let me hear your sound."
A wave of nervous energy washed over the group as they started to play. The resulting cacophony was… less than harmonious. Notes clashed, rhythms were off, and the overall volume was jarring. The music rose and fell erratically, a chaotic jumble of sound that lacked any discernible structure. The timing was atrocious; each instrument seemed to exist in its own separate musical universe.
After what felt like an eternity of discordant notes, Yuji held up his hands, signaling for them to stop. "Okay, okay," he said, a chuckle escaping his lips. "I've heard enough. That was… enthusiastic. But how did you even end up playing these instruments?"
Aoi spoke up, his voice slightly hesitant. "Well, we found them hidden away. We asked the principal, and he said they belonged to a former band from years ago. Since no one was using them, we thought we'd give it a shot."
Yuji nodded, understanding dawning on his face. "I see. So, you're all self-taught, and you don't really know the basics?"
They all nodded sheepishly.
Yuji smiled. "That's alright. Learning the basics would take years. Instead of that, we're going to take a shortcut. We're going to focus on finding the rhythm. That's where we'll start."Even if it'll take us days,weeks,or months were not gonna stop I don't wanna see you all leave until 7pm!