Koa and Adonis's apartment, early afternoon
The sharp sound of the phone ringing echoed through the entire apartment. Adonis, already bothered by the noise, left his room and went to the computer room to answer it.
"Hello! Hey Hikaru! Hm, Black Dragon show? I don't know them… Rock? Okay, sure. But how much is it? You got the ticket? Free is better." The two talked over the phone, Hikaru excited, Adonis not reacting much.
While they talked, Koa approached and leaned against the wall, looking straight into Adonis's eyes. The boy startled and shifted his attention to him.
"Is that your drunk friend? Ask for one for me, and no, I'm not going with you, I'm not babysitting." Koa said, his deep voice unchanged.
"Ah, did you hear that, Hikaru? Yeah, okay, leave his here at my place!"
Yukino's house
The loud phone rang in the hallway. Annoyed by the noise, Yukino answered and found out the call was for her.
"Hello? Hey Akiko! Hm? Ayu's brother's show? Yeah, the vocalist is! Hm? I don't know his name. What? Ayu's drummer gave you the tickets?" Yukino was surprised by Akiko's revelation, her tone becoming slightly shy as they kept talking. "Okay… I'll check with my mom… Either way I don't even know what I'm going to wear… What? You'll lend me something? Love you!"
Yukino left the phone on the hallway floor and ran to the living room to talk to her parents. They argued for a while, but managed to reach an agreement. She then ran back to tell her friend.
"Mom said I've been going out too much, but my dad let me go. I'll have to clean my room really fast before leaving… but that's fine."
The two planned how the night would go, and after hanging up, Yukino rushed to finish her chores so she could be free for the night.
Choppub, night
The night was slightly cloudy, but it was still possible to see the stars shining and the light from the Choppub, which was already open and full of customers.
In a pub, there is a place people usually go to unload their frustrations and talk about all their problems, and that place is the bar counter. Riley was annoyed, because that night he would leave early, but a customer who always came to vent was there, and today she was taking up his time.
"So then I lied and said I'd call him, just to get him to leave me alone. It was hard to get rid of that last one." The woman with a bob haircut and bangs spoke. She looked upset behind the heavy makeup on her face.
"Why do you do that, Tomiko? No one is good enough for you?" the bartender asked, while preparing another drink.
"Are you going to lecture me again? I already told you there's only one for me." Tomiko said, resting her face on her hand.
"He's married! Aren't you ashamed?" he questioned, annoyed, his eyebrows tightening, though he held back from showing too much irritation.
"Ugh… I know, I'm not going after him, I'm just saying I don't know anyone on his level." she said, pouting like a spoiled child. "Besides, only weird people have been showing up in this city lately…"
Shortly after those words, a tall, tattooed man wearing a semi-transparent shirt appeared at the bar. Tomiko looked at him, impressed by his height.
"Good evening, Riley! Can you make me the drink from the other day?" the man asked.
"Aiden, right!? Sure thing!" The bartender remembered his last order and began preparing it.
Meanwhile, Tomiko turned to Aiden with a suggestive smile and greeted him.
"Hi there! And that huge tattoo, how far does it go?"
"Hello! Want to find out?" Aiden replied, with a slight smile.
Riley looked at the scene with disgust. Again!? There's no helping it, he thought. But he also saw that moment as an opportunity to finally leave, since the two customers had started talking.
Quickly, he took off his apron and grabbed his backpack, which was already nearby. He walked out step by step, trying not to draw attention. But that was not enough.
"RILEY!" A voice called from behind. It was Iker, smiling. "Can I walk with you?"
Riley froze from head to toe, his body stiff, his eyes wide. Slowly, he turned his face, as if seeing a ghost.
"You again? You're starting to look like a stalker. I am NOT going out with you!" Riley said, trying to move away from the man who kept approaching him.
"Why so cold? You don't even know me properly." Iker teased, pretending not to understand. "Let's have dinner, if you don't like me, I won't bother you again."
"Dinner, no… I'm going to a show tonight." Riley kept trying to avoid him. Besides the commitment, dinner usually meant something more serious, and he didn't want that kind of interaction. "But we can go for coffee tomorrow. Then you won't bother me anymore."
"Coffee…" Iker muttered, not liking the option much, but he gave in, since the man was not easy. "Fine… that works…"
With the plan set, even reluctantly, Riley hurried home to get ready for the show. Iker, on the other hand, chose to go back home and spend the night alone.
Black Dragon show, 10 PM
That starry night, the line to enter the rock band's show was packed. Regular tickets went through the longer line, which was crowded, but VIP could enter through a separate, faster one.
Right near the front of the stage were Hikaru, Adonis, Yukino, Akiko, Naoko and Seki. The place filled quickly, soon taken over by people dressed in black, with wristbands, jackets with spikes and many with metal details.
Akiko and Naoko were also dressed in that style. Hikaru and Adonis wore darker clothes, but more casual and light. Seki wore his usual outfit, a white tank top and jeans. And completely standing out from everyone, Yukino wore a magenta dress and a red coat, only her tights and boots in black matching the show.
"You look so pretty in color!" Akiko said, admiring her friend.
"Thank you! And you look good in black, I didn't know you had clothes like that." Yukino said.
"Oh, I love rock! It's my favorite style!"
"Really? I would never have guessed."
"We're really close to the stage. I don't think there's any risk of a mosh pit here." Naoko said, looking around.
"Mosh pit? What's that?" Seki asked, startled, feeling like it was something dangerous.
"Wow, we'll get to see the show really well!" Hikaru said, excited about their spot.
"Won't we go deaf being this close?" Adonis commented, looking at the sound equipment.
The lights went out and only one spotlight remained, aimed at the guitarist, Setsuna. A tall, slender woman, with half her head shaved and the other half long in a green mohawk.
The guitar solo began, filling the entire space. Her skill was incredible, and the whole audience fell silent to listen. It felt like everyone was being taken somewhere else. Which made sense, since where they were now was the Black Dragon show, the band that had been gaining more and more fans thanks to Setsuna's skill and the vocalist's unique voice, capable of singing in different styles.
Right after the guitar part, the whole band joined in, and it was time for the vocalist to appear. Charismatic, with sky-blue eyes, wearing a leather jacket and pants. The first song was a high-energy hard rock, the band playing intensely. The loud sound echoed through the hall and the fans sang along with energy.
I CAN'T BELIEVE IT… Yukino's mind shouted, staring at the stage with wide eyes.
"Look, Yuki!!!" Akiko said, grabbing Yukino's arm. "It's Yuuki!!"
The band's vocalist was Yuuki, the drummer who had played at Ayu's show. A wave of heat rose to Yukino's face, she turned red with embarrassment for not having looked it up before. In her mind, she thought she would see the drummer again only as a hired musician, she didn't expect to find him as the band's leader.
Meanwhile, Yuuki kept singing songs from the album and new singles, some more energetic, others more aggressive. His stage presence was strong and, as usual, he took off his jacket during the songs, to the delight of the fans.
"So bold! I like it!" Naoko commented, hand on her face, cheeks slightly flushed and smiling.
"What!? You like that kind of guy?" Seki asked, surprised by his friend's reaction. He had never seen Naoko like that, especially looking at a guy.
The crowd was excited, most jumping and singing along. The group was enjoying themselves. Riley was also there, excited, completely different from the serious man at the bar.
But there was one man who, regardless of the situation, remained the same and did not change his mood. Leaning against the wall in the VIP area, on the opposite side from Akiko's group, was Koa, enjoying the music. That was when he noticed a familiar face further ahead.
With a disbelieving look, he recognized Naoko. And not just her, he recognized some of the people around her. His mind began to race with questions.
That woman… Adonis… the drunk friend and the brother… They must all be…
Did he… The main question repeated in his mind over and over in those seconds.
What was happening? Koa was losing more and more of his certainty each day. Since the time he had been summoned by Ayami, he had been prevented from taking any kind of action.
His eyes stared at the group with extreme coldness. But even though they were directed at Naoko, what he really saw were his own emotions, which, despite always being controlled, now seemed to overflow and mix with his thoughts.
…
Trying to silence his own thoughts, Koa closed his eyes for a moment, focusing and organizing himself.
I'm not on a mission right now… I won't… think about this now…
He remained there, in his corner, enjoying the music. His only concern now was not to be noticed by the Potentia in front of him.