“Wouldn’t it be cute if we wore the same outfit Miyako?”

I sighed and picked at the dirt that had slipped under one of my nails, “Aren’t we a little old for that kind of thing?”

“…Technically we’ve never done it.”

“As far as everyone else is concerned though, that happened many times.”

It was shrine cleaning day. Reina had dragged me out into the daylight to help her maintain the shrine that had caused me so much trouble over the past months. It was a small one, nestled in the trees off a beaten path. For something that used to hold so much importance to so many people, it’s abandonment was almost casual in a way.

Even the serenity of the surrounding area couldn’t take my mind off what Miyako said to me though. A problem that wasn’t my place to fix. Shinsuke was my friend, but she was right. It was a situation that was far too complicated for me to solve on my own. I’d gotten used to thinking that everything was like a game, like I was the protagonist of my own story and not just another piece of a much larger puzzle.

I picked up a discarded can and pushed through the tree branches. Reina had brought a black bin bag to keep all of the trash in, “What brought this on? You’re really going all out this time.”

Reina took the can from me and threw it inside, tying it up and leaving it on the ground. “Since god did so much for us, I thought that it would be only right for us to express our gratitude. Even I have been neglecting my duty of care with the shrine.”

The shrine was battered, both by the elements and the occasional drunkard who blew through. The formerly vibrant red paint had chipped away revealing an old wooden façade, “Maybe Dad could give you some paint, fix it up even more?”

“Father’s paint is no good for painting a wall. I have asked him before.”

“Well we should go buy some, and a brush.”

“…You are in a giving mood for once, sister.”

“I still don’t get why you’re so open to this whole sister thing. I was just your classmate.”

“Do you not feel like we’ve gotten closer? You even protected me from that man when we visited downtown.”

“Anybody would do that much, I think. I hope.”

I knew they wouldn’t. The number of people standing aside and watching the harassment had sickened me to my stomach. If I were still Hideki, would I be one of them? Stood there and gawping, phone held in shaking palms. What was the extent of my own change since then? It was a question that I couldn’t answer myself.

“We share a lot of memories with each other.”

“That he made up for us.”

“It does bring into question the reality of our experiences. Although there are clearly consequences from the changes he made. Those memories did happen. Like when you attended the summer festival in that kimono…”

“Shut up, please. Never mention that again.”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Intrusive but embarrassing memories are cut short with the arrival of someone you weren’t expecting to see, Johnny. “It’s the dynamic duo themselves! What are you doing out here?”

“I could ask you the same thing – this isn’t exactly the main road into town Johnny.”

Johnny shrugged, “My mom told me that this was an awesome little spot to relax in, I didn’t know she was talking about a shrine though.”

“This is Reina’s favourite spot. She’s dragged me into cleaning it up with her.”

Reina squeezed her hands together, “This shrine is special.”

“I didn’t know you were religious.”

“You’d be surprised,” I smirked. Johnny nodded; his face lit up as he remembered something.

“Oh, I need to show you this!” Johnny pulled out his phone and held out a profile page, “Check it, the new home for our band.”

“Seifuku? Who the hell came up with that?”

“We were just kicking names around and Matoi came up with that.”

“Uniform?”

“Listen, I’m not gonna’ pretend that it means anything. It just sounds… modern, catchy, you know? Avant-garde. You can write it in romaji too, confuse people a little bit.”

“You wouldn’t know avant-garde if it hit you over the head.” I knew that Matoi had probably thrown the term out at some point, and Johnny had incorporated it into his ever-expanding dictionary of terms and phrases that nobody but us would ever understand.

“We got another few gigs lined up. It’s kinda’ crazy, I think they saw you in that video and got in touch with us. Our page already has thousands of followers!”

“We’re a cover band, a bad one.”

“We’re not that bad. And it’s only a matter of us writing some of our own material.”

The category-five shitstorm that I’d caused by standing up to that man was only good for a few thousand followers? It had been daytime news for a week straight, everyone in Japan knew about it. Although like with everything in life, people lose interest quickly and move on to the next thing. And what was to say that people knew I was in a band too.

“Johnny.”

“What?”

Did I really want to tell him about Shinsuke?

“Nothing.”

Johnny sighed, “It’s clearly something, don’t give me that crap.”

Reina had occupied herself by finishing off the job we’d come to do. I wish Shinsuke would be decisive on things, “It’s… I can’t really say it. It’s someone else’s business you know. I don’t know if they’d want you to know.”

“It’s someone we both know?”

“I’m not going to tell you. But if they tell us, well, you’ll know what it is then.”

“Why’d you even bring it up?”

“Because it’s really terrible. I want to do something about it.”

“If that’s the case, your first step should be to convince them to come out with it. What do they say? Acknowledging the problem is the first step to fixing it?”

“Never heard that one before.”

I sat down on a stone slab and crossed my arms, “Don’t say anything. I don’t want them to get mad.”

“Alright, I’m not that stupid.”

“I don’t know about that…”

“Hey!”

“I am finished,” Reina declared, two black bags held between her fingers, “Let us go.” Johnny tagged along with us as we walked through the neighbourhood.

“What kind of gigs did Matoi find?”

“They came to us. A few local festivals and events looking for live music for the crowds mainly.”

“Full music events?”

“No, nothing that big yet. More like what you’d go to in summer. Few hundred people maybe.”

“Sounds good.”

“You ever try writing your own song?”

“Don’t ask.”

“A secret between friends kind of don’t ask, or a no I’ve never tried don’t ask?”

“You know how hard it is to write lyrics?”

“Yeah, but you don’t have to make it anything personal.”

“Isn’t music at it’s best when it’s personal?”

“True, but are you going to pour your heart out for the geriatrics that go to the town festival?”

“You never know.”

Reina stopped and dropped the bags into a bin, “A job well done!” Johnny checked his phone again.

“Is it that late already? I better get going before my mom asks where I am. Matoi will tell you more about it when we meet up again, I’ll see you there.”

“Sure Johnny. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Reina stared at him as he left, “He’s deceptively nice. I always thought that he was a delinquent.”

“He just likes the aesthetic. He’s not getting into street fights.”

“Yes. I suppose that is your realm of expertise, is it not?”

“Cracking jokes are we? You need to work on your delivery.”

“I think my delivery is perfect – you are the one who provides the emotional reaction.”

“You are just impossible to read.”