Between the time spent buying drinks on their way here, plus some small disruptions after arriving at the clubroom, Sakiko’s already short piano practice today was cut even shorter.
Not wanting to waste any more time, Sakiko placed the remaining cans she’d been holding onto the floor in front of Kyo. She paused briefly, then added a gentle warning:
“Don’t drink too many at once. If there’s anything you can’t finish, I can help bring some over to the bookstore later.”
As she spoke, she mercilessly gave Kyo’s head a light knock, and on impulse, even pinched her cheek.
Hmm. Not much flesh there. If Sakiko was being honest, the texture wasn’t great—yet feeling her fingertips gently gliding over Kyo’s skin was still surprisingly pleasant, smooth and soft, as though it had been moisturized thoroughly.
After their overly intimate exchange earlier this morning, Sakiko found herself growing bolder with Kyo.
If she could already touch her lips…then surely pinching her cheek shouldn’t be an issue, right?
“Relax. I won’t drink them all. Even I couldn’t finish this much at once.”
“I’m not convinced,” Sakiko teased lightly with a small smile, turning back toward the piano. As her fingers pressed down on the keys, music instantly poured forth, filling the enclosed space.
Kyo listened attentively. Sakiko truly was skilled—at least from Kyo’s point of view, her technical ability alone was already sufficient to debut commercially with a band.
Of course, compared directly to those already-famous bands, Sakiko wasn’t mature enough yet. But if she took a shortcut through something like idol activities, similar to Uika…
Yet Kyo was sure Sakiko wouldn’t accept such an idea.
Given Sakiko’s pride, if she were ever to debut, she’d want recognition purely through real strength and solid ability.
Besides, Kyo couldn’t even imagine Sakiko dressed in soft, fluffy outfits, smiling sweetly on stage the way Mana did.
After respectfully listening until Sakiko had finished one song and before she started the next, Kyo suddenly opened several cans of drinks in quick succession. The rapid popping sounds instantly caused Sakiko’s eyebrows to twitch.
Didn’t she just tell her to drink less?!
Turning her head, Sakiko saw Kyo pulling out a large cup from her bag—so big it required both of Kyo’s hands to comfortably hold.
“Hm? Aren’t you going to keep playing, Sakiko?”
“It’s hard not to get distracted with all that noise you’re making, Kyo.”
“But I purposely chose to open them only after you finished the song,” Kyo defended herself. “Lately, I’ve been so busy I haven’t even had time to visit VA-11. So, I wanted to at least mix myself something to drink.”
Kyo poured the drinks one after another into the large cup, quickly filling it to the brim.
Naturally, there were a few unsuitable drinks left behind, which would spoil the taste if mixed together. As for why she hadn’t just planned out what to buy beforehand…
Kyo didn’t care about details like that—she just wanted something to drink, after all. And besides, she wouldn’t waste them anyway.
“Perfect timing! Why don’t you try some too, Sakiko?” Kyo warmly offered. “You can just pour a little into your cup.”
“Maybe in a bit.”
Seeing Kyo’s delighted expression, Sakiko couldn’t bring herself to outright refuse.
The piano music resumed again. This time, Kyo recognized the melody: it was Debussy’s La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin, elegant and lyrical, yet vibrant and full of life.
Sakiko seemed especially moved as she played, her eyes gently falling shut, her body swaying slightly with emotion.
A graceful, beautiful, gentle young girl with flaxen hair wrapped in a warm breeze, cradling a bouquet of white flowers, feather-light, singing a song of love…
Kyo recalled reading comments about this piece online, and she tried to listen to Sakiko’s playing with this imagery in mind, wondering if she could experience something similar.
But despite Sakiko’s skillful playing, Kyo still felt no real emotional resonance.
Well, that was to be expected.
Emotionally unmoved, Kyo raised the large cup to her lips. The cup’s opening was far too wide for her to drink from normally, so she could only delicately sip from its rim.
Yet, strangely enough, the version Sakiko played sounded slightly different from what Kyo had heard online.
There were small variations between notes, subtle shifts in dynamics. Of course, one might think it natural that different people wouldn’t play the same piece exactly the same way—but so many tiny differences piled up together changed the overall feeling entirely.
The most distinctive feature was the abundant use of legato notes that hadn’t been there originally. Maybe it was Kyo’s own bias toward water, but to her ears, the piece felt like a gently flowing stream.
Was this simply a different interpretation from the versions she’d heard before? Neither one seemed clearly better than the other; overall, they were quite similar. Perhaps Sakiko had woven her own interpretation into it.
But Kyo realized she preferred Sakiko’s version more.
Could her feelings reach her?
Amid the darkness behind Sakiko’s closed eyes, an image of Kyo’s expression quietly emerged.
Sakiko truly had added some of her own feelings into the piece. Perhaps the version she was playing now could be called The Girl with Pearl-Grey Hair.
Except this girl wasn’t holding a pure white bouquet or standing in a gentle breeze. Instead, she stood alone in a shallow, flowing stream, quietly bending down to scoop water into her mouth with her cupped hands.
Sakiko realized she genuinely liked Kikukawa Kyo.
Not because Kyo had helped her in troubled times, mistakenly transforming gratitude into romantic feelings—but a genuine, undeniable liking.
She couldn’t quite pinpoint when she’d become aware of it. One day, she’d simply realized the quiet fluttering in her chest—so natural, so comfortable.
But Sakiko didn’t intend to confess to Kyo immediately. At the very least, she had to first repay every favor she owed—reaching a point where she no longer required Kyo’s help for anything.
In the end, she simply couldn’t set aside her stubborn pride.
“So, Kyo, how was it?”
After several more songs, Sakiko finally asked.
“It sounded really good,” Kyo replied.
“That’s way too vague.”
Sakiko wasn’t about to let her off that easily. “Kyo, I’m sure you could give a more professional opinion than that.”
“To be honest, I really can’t.”
Kyo told the truth plainly. After all, her musical knowledge was mostly just a collection of hastily learned techniques—her actual professional knowledge was severely lacking.
“I mean, I genuinely loved your performance. But if Sakiko really wants to hear more detailed feedback—”
Whatever Kyo said afterward, Sakiko no longer heard clearly. She was perfectly satisfied knowing that Kyo liked her music.
—
This is a fan translation of 乐队少女调饮行动 by 林明卿. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!
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