Rewrite the Stars | KamiJirou

Chapter 5

The band's performance at the restaurant was a huge success. Many people came up to ask questions about the band and chat with the members. They ended up playing more songs throughout the night, and when they left, Sato said they were welcome to come and play for them another time. 

A few days passed after that, and things were like usual at the studio. The only difference was that their performance had opened so many opportunities for the band, along with recurrences such as playing at PowerHouse again. 

As Jirou stepped out of her taxi into the cool night air of the bustling city, she realized she'd forgotten her notebook back at the studio. The importance of it might as well have made it her diary, as Bakugou had called it. She was left with the decision of going back or fetching it tomorrow, her hand still on the open door of the cab. I could just leave it there, but what if someone reads it? Everyone could've possibly left already, but there's still a chance-

"Ma'am are you gonna close the door or not?" The driver asked from inside, an irritated look on his face. He tapped his hand impatiently on the steering wheel, awaiting her reply.

You know what? She decided as she hopped back inside, closing the door to the cab. "I left something back at the studio, drive me back please."

When the driver had reached the studio and parked on the side of the street in front of the building, Jirou handed him the money and got out. She said a quick "thank you" before closing the door behind her. She then hurried to the studio, unlocking the door with the key she was given when she joined the band. It was very quiet, so she automatically assumed everyone had already left. Good, I'll just pick up the notebook and then I can go back home, she thought calmly. But as soon as she walked down the narrow hallway and through the second door, she spotted Kaminari sitting on the couch, reading...her notebook?

Jirou immediately stomped over to him, snatched the notebook out of his hands, and smacked him on the head with it. "Idiot!"

"Ow," Kaminari muttered, rubbing his head where she'd him hit, "What was that for?!" He asked accusingly.

"I said I didn't want people to read that," Jirou replied, glaring at him. "I thought I had made that part clear."

Kaminari frowned, a bewildered expression on his face. "Well, it was just sitting here and I was curious, so I decided to-"

"That doesn't make it ok for you to read it!" She countered, her cheeks heating up from embarrassment. No one, not even her closest friends like Yaoyorozu, had ever seen inside the notebook. And now, it had somehow unintentionally gotten into the hands of this blonde doofus. 

"But I think it's really cool that you-" Kaminari tried to say, but was quickly cut off by Jirou.

"You know what? Just forget about it," She muttered quietly, staring at the ground as her hair fell around her face, concealing her expression of doubt. She turned to leave.

"Wait," Kaminari said quickly, grabbing her arm to stop her from going any further, "Why don't you want people knowing about the songs you write?"

"You wouldn't understand," Jirou mumbled, gently prying his hand off her arm and trying to avoid eye contact. He had a confused, almost pleading expression on his face, his eyes filled with curiosity. Something in her heart softened, as did her expression, yet she couldn't quite understand why. Well, if he knows about it already, she thought in defeat, I might as well tell him. 

She sat down on the couch next to him. "Growing up, I was raised by my parents to play music, but I never considered it as anything more than a hobby because I thought it would just get in the way. Another thing was that I had little confidence in myself. Then in college, I dated a guy," She winced at the words before continuing, "And I wrote a song for him and played it on his birthday. I thought he'd like it- but everyone, including him, ended up hating it. After that I lost all confidence in myself."

"Oh." Kaminari was at a loss for words. Normally he was a lively chatterbox, but at the moment he just couldn't figure out what to say.

"I doubt," Jirou continued, "That he even believed in me in the first place."

Kaminari watched as her face fell at the last few words, a sad look in her eyes. He didn't know what to do in a situation like this, so he just wrapped his arms around her and gave her a hug. Jirou didn't try to resist, but instead buried her face in the warmth of his chest. It felt so comforting. They stayed in that position for a moment longer before both became well aware of the intimacy of their embrace, pulling away in a flustered manner.  

"Hey Jirou?" Kaminari asked hesitantly.

"Yeah?" She replied, glancing up at him in curiosity.

"So uh," He began, "You're writing a song for the band, right?"

Jirou opened her mouth to speak, the words "how did you know" at the tip of tongue right when she remembered what had happened only minutes ago. Of course. He saw it in the notebook. So instead she answered, "I am. What about it?"

Kaminari gave her a nervous grin. "Is it ok if I help?"

Jirou raised an eyebrow at his question. She'd never had the intention of letting a person assist her in song writing, let alone allowing anyone to know she did. It was a secret she kept for years after things went badly. But, with him being involved now, she supposed it wouldn't hurt. "I guess," She answered, "But on one condition."

"And what is that?"

"Don't tell the others yet," Jirou replied as her voice filled with uncertainty. She was unknowingly twiddling her pointer fingers together, something she had a habit of doing when nervous. "You knowing about this doesn't change the fact that it's still something I'm not ready to tell people about."

"Deal. How about we go out for lunch tomorrow?" Kaminari suggested casually. "As friends," He added quickly. They both remembered the band's contract, of course. "We can talk about it then."

"Yeah, I guess so," She replied, turning to leave.

"Wait," Kaminari said, causing her to turn around. "One more thing," He said with a grin, "If people hate your music, they're too dumb to understand how amazing your talent is."

Jirou smiled in return. "Thanks idiot."

"Heh. No problem."