The late afternoon sun cast its warm glow over the grounds of Sakuragaoka High School, painting the world in soft hues of orange. Inside the third-floor music room, five girls prepared for what might be their last band practice before the graduation festival. They weren’t just bandmates, but best friends who had shared countless memories, laughter, and tears over the past three years.
Yui, the ever-energetic and slightly scatterbrained guitarist, tuned her guitar with a wide grin on her face. “We’ve got to give it our all today!” she said enthusiastically. Her friends smiled, sharing the same excitement. But behind their smiles, there was an unspoken melancholy—today could be the last time they played together as a band.
Azusa, the other guitarist who was more reserved and serious, watched Yui closely. She knew how much this band meant to all of them, but there was something deeper in her heart, something she found hard to express. “Yui… You know this isn’t really the end, right?” Azusa asked gently, her voice soft but full of meaning.
Yui stopped for a moment, her fingers hovering over the guitar strings as she looked at Azusa with a tender expression. “Of course, it’s not. Even if we’re no longer in school, we’ll always have music. Music brought us together,” she replied with certainty.
On the other side of the room, the vocalist, Mio, clutched her bass with slightly trembling hands. She was overwhelmed by the emotional weight of the moment, but also filled with deep gratitude for having met friends like these. “I don’t even know what to say. I just want us to stay like this forever,” Mio said, her voice cracking slightly.
“I feel the same way,” Yui added with a warm smile. “But we all have our own paths to take after this. And that’s okay. As long as we keep these memories in our hearts.”
They began to play their final song together. "Tenshi ni Fureta yo!" The melody felt like a love letter, brimming with hope and a touch of farewell. Each note they played seemed to reflect their emotions—the laughter they shared, the long nights spent practicing, and the precious moments of togetherness.
As Yui started her guitar solo, Azusa watched her intently from the side, feeling something deeper than just the music. With each strum, Azusa found herself wishing she could keep this moment forever, wishing that Yui would never leave her side.
When the song ended, silence filled the room. They all knew that despite the smiles and small laughs they exchanged, there was the unshakable feeling that this was the close of a chapter in their lives. But they also understood that it wasn’t truly the end.
Azusa approached Yui, her voice soft yet sincere. “I hope someday, in the future, we can play this song again, somewhere new.”
Yui smiled warmly at her and nodded. “We will. Our music will never stop. Like you said, it’s not really over.”
Outside the window, the sun was beginning to set, casting its final rays of golden light over the five friends. They hugged each other, feeling the warmth of the friendship they had built over the years. Though time would pass and they would go their separate ways, they knew these memories would stay with them forever.
And on that day, in the now-quiet music room, the presence of a small angel lingered in the air—representing every heartfelt touch they had shared through the music that would never truly fade away.
