A New World

The Usual Place

For the last few months, Lisa felt like she was watching the world pass by in slow motion. Each day felt longer than the last. Studying for entrance exams and applying to universities had absorbed her time, pulling her away from dance and Roselia. Rinko, Sayo, and Yukina had been just as busy, all working towards their own goals.

For the third-year members of the band, Roselia had to be put on hold. They cancelled practices, a solution they all disliked. It was only temporarily, as they prepared for the next phase of their lives, but that didn't make it any more pleasant.

Lisa still practiced on her own to stay sharp, as the others would too. Roselia was still far from the top, and she would need to be the best bassist she could to get them there.

Unfortunately, there hadn't been much time to practice. There were always more practice questions to do, more reading to cram inside her brain, and more paperwork to be done.

Finally, that ended today.

A few hours earlier, when the sun was still high in the sky, Lisa had graduated from Haneoka. Along with Yukina and the rest of her classmates, she'd been granted her diploma. It had felt unreal, even as the ceremony ended. High school was over, and soon the next phase of her life would begin.

After the ceremony, Lisa left the school for the last time and celebrated with her family. It was nice, spending time with them. She'd been too busy over the last few months, missing out on time with her family in addition to the band.

Later, Lisa left the house. She had promised to be somewhere. It was close enough to walk.

As Lisa checked the time on her phone, 7:55 pm, the flow of time finally returned to normal. She scrolled back up the group text, verifying that the others all agreed to the time.

A cool breeze swept by, the brief chill reminding Lisa that it was still early spring. The family restaurant was ahead of her, the same one Roselia often met at. She peered through the windows, but didn't spot any of her bandmates. The restaurant had only a few patrons, which was typical for this time of day.

She must've been first, Lisa thought as she entered the building. She greeted the staff politely before claiming a booth off to the side. It was close enough to the door that she'd be easy to spot.

With her phone face up on the table, Lisa waited for the others. She cast her eyes towards the window, but they were unfocused. She wasn't looking out.

No, instead Lisa was lost in her own thoughts.

As of today, she was no longer a high school student. Now she was a university student, at the University of Tokyo. Her hard work studying had paid off when she was admitted to their general studies program.

This degree would open a lot of doors for her if she succeeded. It had a wide variety of topics to prepare her for the working world. The program was going to be a lot of work, but Lisa was up to the task. If she could handle keeping up with Roselia, she could handle attending university.

The university was close enough to commute by train, though it would take a while to get there each day. That was fine, as long as Lisa could stay near the band. She couldn't imagine living far away from Yukina, not seeing her often.

"Imai-san." Sayo appeared at the side of the table, with her usual curt greeting. She sat down across from Lisa. Now it was 7:57.

"Hey Sayo." Lisa smiled warmly back at her. "How was graduation?" Hanasakigawa had their ceremony on the same day.

The corner of Sayo's lip lifted. "Quite pleasant, Hina gave a wonderful speech."

"I'm glad to hear it." Sayo had plans for after high school as well. Soon she would be starting at Tokyo College of Music, studying electric guitar composition. When Lisa had asked her why composition, Sayo said she wanted to develop her own music. "Did you take a video?"