☆ Spaces In-Between ☆ | Project Sekai

[Prologue] - Mar 7, 2016

Six years ago, everything was okay.

It was March 7th, and sakura blossoms were just beginning to form on the trees. I had a perfect view of them from Weekend Garage.
An and I had made it a ritual to go there and grab milkshakes every Friday after school. Ken, An's dad, worked there, so we'd always get free discounts. We'd talk for about an hour before Shinonome and Aoyagi would show up, and we'd head to the nearby park at Vivid Street to practice.

Today was unlike the others, though. To mark the beginning of spring I decided that it would be a good idea to enter the four of us into a competition at a live house. Not just any competition, though-- it was STREETSTARS, an annual event requiring only the best of the best. Whoever won would get a generous amount of money to support their group, and in the audience were talent scouts, who would be a one-way ticket to going pro.

With this competition, we'd be one step closer to holding an event that would surpass RAD WEEKEND. And when I proposed the idea to the group, the three of them seemed just as keen as I was.

"Kohane, are you ready for tonight? I'm pumped!" An exclaimed. "VIVID BAD SQUAD is gonna win for sure. We've got nothing to worry about!" She sipped on her chocolate shake.

"Ehehe...An-chan, you always know how to lighten the mood!" I smiled. "To be honest, I'm actually a little nervous..."

"Why the heck would you be? You've got an amazing voice, and you're super cute!" An giggled. "The audience will adore you, and the talent scouts will too."

"Are- are you sure..? Eheh...I wouldn't give myself all that much credit, An-chan..." I awkwardly took a sip of my strawberry milkshake.

"Well, I sure would! I think you're a great singing partner, Kohane~ Without you, VIVID BAD SQUAD wouldn't even be a thing, after all!"

Shiraishi An was always so carefree and kind. She was like a ray of sunshine--no, a star illuminating a dark sky. Every time she entered the room, the mood was automatically lifted as if she were a walking dreamcatcher.

Suddenly our conversation was interrupted by the chimes at the entrance of Weekend Garage.
"We're here, Shiraishi-san, Azusawa-san." Shinonome Akito's voice rung throughout the almost empty café, followed by Aoyagi Toya.
"Hey, you two."

"Nice to see you boys again. Do you want just the usual?" An's father called from the counter. The 'usual' was a mocha and a small slice of cheesecake for Shinonome, and a simple cappuccino for Aoyagi.

"Yes, if that's okay, Ken-san." Aoyagi replied, taking a seat beside Shinonome at the bar.

With a "Coming right up," from Ken, we began to discuss plans for STREETSTARS that night.

"Our performance of Beat Eater is gonna blow the audience away for sure!" An declared, an excited expression painting her face.

"Azusawa-san, you're the lead, are you sure you'll be able to handle it tonight?" Shinonome seemed a little concerned, but I wanted to make sure he trusted me.

"Y-yes, of course! I can do it!" I had a little light of determination inside of me, and I had hoped that light would be enough for us to win that event.

"Alright, if you say so. Akiyama-san tailored the outfits for us to wear, so they'll be dropping them off before the event." replied Shinonome.

Shinonome's sister was also part of a group, and one of the members of said group was excellently skilled with a sewing machine. Designing was a hobby of Shinonome's, so he and Ena's friend often worked together when it came to outfits for events.

"Alright, here you guys go." Ken called, placing the two boys' coffees and Shinonome's cheesecake on the counter in front of them.
"Thank you." said Aoyagi and Shinonome in unison.