"What should I do with her?" Mr. Kobayashi asked into the phone. "She has never behaved like this, not even when she was a teenager."
"Saeko won't open the door for me," Mitsuko said, tugging at her father's clothes, who was talking on the phone, concerned.
"Don't you know what happened, at least?" he asked.
"I'm sorry, I don't know any details," Yasushi muttered from the other end of the line. "I couldn't reach Sota either. I only have a suspicion…"
"Hold on, someone's ringing the bell," Mr. Kobayashi said, cutting off the call. Opening the door, he found a tired figure standing in the darkness of the night.
"Saeko, there's someone who wants to see you," her father's voice came from the other side of the door.
At those words, Saeko stormed out of her room, her heart pounding. She rushed toward the living room, her face flushed from crying, yet filled with anticipation and hope.
A strange wave of disappointment washed over her when she saw the one standing there was not Sota, but...
"Satoshi?" she stammered.
"You expected someone else?" he asked, smiling bitterly, sensing her disappointment.
She flushed, but still admitted, "Yeah. Why are you here?"
"I'm moving back to Japan," he said, as if it were the most casual thing in the world.
A flicker of surprise crossed her face.
"What? Why?" she frowned, confused.
"Because of you," he answered simply.
"But… I already told you. There's someone else I have feelings for," she replied. She felt a sharp pang in her chest as she spoke, the words tasting bitter. She hadn't even managed to tell him.
"Is it that guy from the video? That playboy?" Satoshi asked, his tone dismissive.
"You know nothing about him," she snapped, defensive.
"I know nothing about him? That might be true. But do you know what I know for sure? That I love you, Saeko. Has this frivolous guy ever said he loves you?"
She stared at him, like an offended child.
A part of her brain echoed bitterly:
No, all he said was, I'm not worth mentioning...
And yet, despite everything, she found herself saying,
"Yes," she even surprised herself with her confidence. "Not with his words, but with his actions."
The words she had heard that morning must have been lies, nothing more.
"Then answer me one final thing," Satoshi said, his voice suddenly more serious.
"Are you in a relationship with him?" he asked, his gaze fixed on her.
"No," she admitted, her voice quiet.
"Then I'm not backing off," he declared, his resolve firm.
She looked at him, stunned by the certainty in his tone.
"Where are you, man? Hope you haven't forgotten about we have a meeting with that major music manager, Mr. Yuko."
The text glowed on the screen.
Sota turned off his phone.
Soon, a loud bang echoed through the apartment door. It had to be Kaito. His apartment was on the same floor as Sota's, so he was the only one who could get thorough the front entrance without having to buzz in.
"Get yourself together, there's still time to make it," he urged.
"I'm not going," Sota replied flatly.
"What do you mean, you're not coming?" Kaito chuckled, as if it were a joke. "Stop messing around. You can't back out tonight. These guys we're meeting are important."
"What's the point of meeting a manager who's just gonna tell us to broaden our repertoire towards the West... if none of you are even willing to open up to it?" he said shaking his head.
"Look. I know you're going through some shit right now." Kaito cut him off, frustration creeping into his voice. " I know it's hard, but you can't just bail on everyone else because…"
"What the hell do you know?" Sota suddenly snapped, his voice raw, furious. "You only care about yourself. You're just a damn kid, refusing to grow up and take responsibility."
Kaito froze, blinking, completely caught off guard.
Sota sighed. He knew what he had to do.
By the time he reached the studio, the meeting was long over. The others were still there, lingering in the dim light, the air thick with unspoken tension.
"The hell, man?" Tatsuya shot him an incredulous look. "Why'd you even bother coming if you couldn't show up on time?"
"Did you come just to rub it in that you were right?" Kaito scoffed, rolling his eyes.
Sota paused for a moment. So they really were told to open up to the Western market.
"I'm here to get my stuff," Sota said coldly. "I'm out of band."
A beat of silence.
"Wait, hang on, you're kidding, right?" Tatsuya's voice wavered between disbelief and anger. "You can't just walk away. Not now, when we've come this far.""
"This far?" Sota let out a bitter laugh. "Don't make me laugh. You, of all people. Are you really satisfied with this?" He stepped closer. "You're the most talented musician I've ever met, Tatsuya. You went to the goddamn Academy. And what are you doing with all that talent? Just coasting along, playing it safe in some mediocre band with your buddies like this is the best you can do."
"Here we go," Kaito muttered under his breath.
"You really think this is gonna fix your problem?" Yasushi asked cautiously.
Sota didn't even let him finish.
"Says the guy who's so damn insightful about everyone else's problems but won't face his own." His voice dripped with venom. "You think you can lead this band to success when you let everyone walk all over you? You act like some self-sacrificing saint, working as a volunteer psychologist in a social home instead of getting a real job. How the hell are you supposed to push us forward when you can't even stand up for yourself?"
No one said a word.
Sota grabbed his gear and stormed toward the exit.
"Good luck," his voice was sharp, final.
Stepping outside, he faced a sleek car parked in front of the studio. A man leaned casually against the hood, clearly having overheard the argument. A smirk played on his lips. Sota recognized him immediately. Satoshi.
"When she rejected my offer because of another guy I expected I'd have to fight for Saeko," Satoshi said smoothly. "Guess there's no one to compete with after all."
Sota snorted, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "You'd better take good care of her."
"Don't worry," Satoshi replied with a slow, lazy grin as he pushed himself off the car. "I'll make sure she won't even remember you."
Good.
There was only one thing left to do.
A single post that would set off a fire storm:
Hey, guys. Sota here.
I want to officially announce that I'm leaving Jigsaw. It's been a long time coming, and honestly, I should've done this sooner.
This band has no future in its current state. I need to be somewhere that pushes me forward, not holds me back. This isn't the end, just the beginning of something better.