Tokyo's Calling

Chapter 9: The Day that Changed Them Part 2

"I'm sorry but I'm having second thoughts about this. I mean come on, just look at this." Katsumi pointed at a group of girls gushing to Katsuro about the concert he'd be performing in later that day.
"Oh Katsuro, don't you get nervous with the whole school watching like that?"
"I'm so excited to see you play tonight, your voice is so good!"
"Yeah it's been forever since you've put on a show for us."
Katsumi rolled her eyes. "You've gotta be kidding me. I mean how stupid could you-"
"Right, yeah hold on just a second." Asami cut her off and walked towards something else. That something else just happened to be Tashiro talking to another group himself.
Katsumi rolled her eyes. "Why do I even try." She sighed and tried to catch up with her.
Asami was about to approach him when she overheard a familiar line.
        "What're you doing singing my song?"
        Katsumi recognized it too. She got a bad feeling with it too.
        "Oh it was just what I remember from your last concert. I-I really liked it that's all." Said a girl with stiff-straight hair.
        "Well there's no reason to stop." He smiled. "It was nice. Our concerts tonight, I hope to see you there." He finished with that same gentle look of something almost kind.
         From afar Asami watched, and her spirit gradually dropped. However, she kept childishly trying to convince herself that she was still special, and somehow what Tashiro did wasn't wrong. 
        "Come on Asami, lets go. Just forget about this stupid concert." Katsumi tried to reason with her. She grabbed her arm to try to motivate her.
          But she was reluctant to move at first. She just kept watching Tashiro as he walked further and further away.
           "No it's fine, really. I said I was gonna go so I'll go. Who knows he-they may still be expecting me or something. Besides, the whole schools gonna be there, we might as well be too." She said with a smile, but it was meek.
            "We can go to the cafe, shopping even. And I promise you can look as long as you want. Really you don't have to go if-"
             "I wanna go Katsumi-I do." She stopped thinking and regained her usual pep. "Now, lets go home and change into anything other than these uniforms. You never know, tonight may be the night you meet someone you're gonna fall in love with." She laughed as Katsumi rolled her eyes.
          "Yeah right, 'love'. Sure." She scoffed.
          "Don't be so negative Katsumi!" The two laughed together as they began their usual track home.
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"Hiro what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I think they're broken Katsuro."

He let out a large sigh and tried to stay calm.
"That's definitely not the news I wanted to hear Hiro. How many of them?"

"Three I think. Two on my left and one of my right." Hiro was getting a bit nervous now too.

The reason? Three of his fingers were being held straight by little wooden holsters. He'd certainly injured them during gym that day. But how was he supposed to play like that?
The band still had about five hours to prepare, but already things weren't looking too good. Just then Hinata walked into the room Katsuro and Hiro we're preparing in, eating something as he stepped. He took a look at Hiro's bruised knuckles and shook his head slightly.
"Well that's not so good." He said nonchalantly. "What'do ya think chief? We still on for tonight? His part's pretty hard to do with finger splints." Hinata looked at Katsuro, but nothing about his expression really changed. Always relaxed.
Katsuro ran his fingers through his hair anxiously (a nervous habit of his) and thought about what to do next.
"No way we cancel it now, too many people are looking forward to it. We'll have to find another way." He thought hard as the pressure continued to build.
Now Tashiro entered as well, carrying his guitar and amp. "Thanks everyone for all your help" He said sarcastically, setting his armful down with a huff. His eyes grazed over Hiro's fingers and worry formed in the pit of his stomach. "What's going on?"
     "Hiro cracked his fingers during gym and now he can't play." Hinata spoke easily. "Probably not for a while." He continued as he examined the disfigured joints.
      "So what're we gonna do?" Tashiro's breathing sped up. 
      "Well what do you think we can do? We'll just have to call it off until next time. It's disappointing but it's alright." Hinata proposed.

         "It's absolutely not 'alright' Hinata, do you even hear yourself? We're just gonna have to find another way. No big deal we'll just have to think." Katsuro rushed.
      He hadn't stopped rambling to himself the entire time and he was pacing back in fourth in the room. For the next few minutes he would start to say something but immediately interrupt with 'no, no' or 'nah that won't work either'. And with each word his pacing, breathing, and hair combing gained speed.
    Suddenly he stopped. "What if we-" they looked at him hopefully. "No that wouldn't work either." They sighed a mutual sigh.
"Damn, there has to be something we can do!" He raised his voice in frustration. His voice broke into a raspy tone half way through the phrase. He cleared his throat in a recovery effort.
"Aren't you a little old for voice cracks?" Hinata laughed.
"It's a cold, smart-ass." He shot back, but his voice still remained uneven. He claered his throat some more.
"Why didn't you tell us you had a cold Katsuro? Maybe we could've rescheduled." Hiro pressed.
"Because it's nothing. You can't even hear it" he defended, but his voice just kept deteriorating.
"Doesn't sound like it" Tashiro retorted (visibly unbothered).
"Trust me I'm fine! There's nothing to get panicked over." He coughed again, and this time when he tried to speak, not even raspy words came out. All you could here was Katsuro fighting to make any words at all.
"Think we should panic now?" Tashiro rolled out his eyes.
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"Come on, you have to think of something!" Katsuro mouthed aggressively.
"Is it possible to tell someone to shut up even when they can't talk?" Hinata glared at his hyperactive friend. "Listen we've thought of everything Katsuro I'm sorry but we have to cancel."
Tashiro stopped mid sigh and remembered something. "Wait, maybe not." They all looked at him.
"Okay I've got a plan but if it's gonna work it'll take a lot of convincing so I'll need help," he said, already dreading what he was going to have to do.
________________________________
"What the hell are you doing?"

"It's a long story, I need your help. May we come
in?"
Katsumi rolled her eyes. "You've got ten minutes starting now, that's it."
So the 4 of them piled into her living room.

"So what, you're telling me that Hiro cracks his knuckles and this guy loses his voice on the same day? How pitiful" she shook her head. "And I'm supposed to fix that?"
"It won't be all you of course, but we need another player Katsumi and it has to be you." Tashiro pushed her.
"It doesn't have to be anyone. No way I'm doing it." She said sternly.
"Why?" They shot back at her.
"I don't even know the music that well (lies), public performance is so not my thing (more lies), and all those screaming girls actually seems like hell (truth)."
"Please Katsumi, just here me out-"
"No way. It's not gonna happen so if that's all you wanted you can go ahead and find someone else." She cut him off directly.
"There is no one else. " Hinata spoke up. "Katsumi you're perfect for this, I promise. You're mad talented, and you're beautiful. Absolutely perfect for the stage." He kept straight eye contact with her. "And I find it really hard to believe that you have a hard time performing in front of people. Let's be honest, you're the best at the things you do and you wanna make sure people know it. So why's this any different?"
She was dumbfounded by his accuracy, but she hid it with another sigh.
"Come on, help us this once? Then I promise we'll finally leave you alone."
She looked at him with daggers and debated with herself. He kept the same gentle composure.
"You promise? Just this once?"
"Just this once, I promise." He smiled at her and stuck out his hand.
She rolled her eyes. "Fine." She shook his hand with a huff.
"Great! I knew we could count on you." He said genuinely.
There was something seeming to begin between the two of them, something that Katsuro feared. She held something about her that neither Katsuro or Hinata could ignore.
"Hey, but what about the songbird over here? You don't expect me to sing too do you?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Don't worry we've got that under control too, I hope. Is Asami at her home?"
"Actually since my parents are away on business she's over-" Katsumi started, but didn't get very far.
Coming down the hallway, a voice asked for advice quite loudly. "Katsumi, if you were Tashiro would you like the pink or the grey?" She held up shirts as she entered the living room, unaware of the unexpected company. She froze as the embarrassment was quick to hit her face; her eyes glued to Tashiro himself.
He looked at her too, but remained completely un-phased.
"Definitely the grey."