Band Girls’ Mixology Mission [180]

Because Sakiko was borrowing the music club’s room, her piano practice was limited to about an hour each day—and today, due to various interruptions, she’d lost nearly twenty precious minutes.

Sakiko reluctantly closed the piano cover. With her practice over, it was now time to return from music to the everyday battle of working for a living.

“All right, let’s go, Kyo.”

She turned to Kyo, who’d been obediently sitting nearby, quietly listening to Sakiko play. Kyo seemed to be in quite a good mood, still clutching her oversized bottle. Enjoying some drinks while listening to elegant music was indeed a nice way to spend time.

“Sure.”

They each hoisted their bags onto their shoulders or carried them by hand. Even though Kyo had transferred several cans of drinks into a single large container, thus reducing some volume, the weight hadn't decreased at all. In the end, Sakiko still had to help carry some drinks for her.

“Want some, Sakiko?”

As Sakiko slipped the extra bottles into her bag and was about to zip it shut, Kyo hurriedly asked, gently shaking her oversized cup filled with mixed drinks.

“You can use your own bottle. The lid on this one’s not good for drinking directly.”

She didn’t even leave a small chance for an indirect kiss, huh?

Sakiko, who hadn't intended to refuse anyway, simply took out her own bottle, finished the bit of water still inside, and handed it over to Kyo.

The mixture—filled with bubbles and fizz from randomly mixed drinks—looked slightly murky as Kyo poured it very carefully into Sakiko’s bottle. Her caution wasn't due to any sentimental attachment to her "creation"—Kyo wasn’t pretentious like that—but simply because the container was so big and heavy that she had to handle it carefully to avoid spilling.

Only when Sakiko said “That’s enough” did Kyo stop pouring, returning the bottle—now filled with her mixture—to Sakiko.

Taking the bottle back, Sakiko observed Kyo, who was now happily swaying her head, walking lazily, looking completely carefree.

“You seem to be in a great mood today, Kyo.”

“Yep!”

If moods could physically manifest around someone, Kyo’s surroundings would probably now be filled with raindrops and glasses of liquor.

“It’s going to rain soon, Sakiko,” Kyo remarked casually.

Rain? Sakiko instinctively looked up. The sun was still high overhead, radiating heat and light, the sky perfectly clear and bright, showing no hint of incoming rain.

“It doesn’t feel like rain’s coming at all.”

“Sakiko, what do you think are the signs of approaching rain?”

“Huh?” That question caught Sakiko off guard, but after a moment’s reflection, recalling some scientific facts, she answered, “Aside from animals reacting differently, I suppose humidity rises and air pressure drops would be the clearest indicators.”

That’s why Sakiko felt today didn’t resemble impending rain at all. There were no thick clouds, the sunlight was bright, and the breeze blowing towards them was fresh, not heavy at all.

“For me,” Kyo smiled softly, “I always feel the rain coming before it actually arrives."

“This rain won’t be heavy, won’t last long, won’t start suddenly or end abruptly…"

“The clouds will gently cover the sun, but just like curious children covering their eyes, they always leave a little gap between their fingers. Sunlight and raindrops will fall together."

“A gentle rain, with a rainbow afterward.”

Well, that certainly added another possibility to the list of what kind of supernatural being Kyo could be.

“You’re basically a weather forecaster, Kyo,” Sakiko teased, though inwardly worrying slightly about getting soaked on her way home today.

“If I really were a forecaster, I’d confidently predict rain every single day without hesitation.”

If Kyo truly possessed some power or even a Stand that could control weather, she’d probably do just that—have it rain all day every day. Perhaps, not wanting to inconvenience others, she’d only gather rain around herself.

“If you’re worried about the rain, Sakiko, there are always extra umbrellas at the bookstore or VA-11,” Kyo continued, fully aware of these places due to her connections as the bookstore’s “second young miss” and the café’s favorite barista. “You can borrow one from either place.”

“What about you, Kyo? You didn’t bring an umbrella either, right? And you still have to meet Tomori and the others at RiNG today.”

“It’s only a small rain. Even if I get a bit soaked, my sister won’t scold me too harshly. Sometimes, heavy rains aren't even as enjoyable as gentle ones.”

Sakiko thought back to that rainy day—the day, in a sense, she had truly gotten to know Kikukawa Kyo.

At first, for Sakiko, rainy days weren’t associated with good memories; they’d always made her heart feel heavy, as if rain was falling inside her own chest. But that feeling had gradually shifted. Now, even if she hadn’t realized her own feelings for Kyo, whenever rain was mentioned, it was difficult for her not to recall Kyo’s image.

She was too vivid, overshadowing every other feeling. After witnessing Kyo standing quietly in the rain, it was impossible to forget.

“Even if you’re Kikukawa Kyo, you should still use an umbrella properly. If you end up catching a cold because you wanted to admire the rain, it wouldn’t be worth it.”

“…”

“You’re ignoring me now?” Sakiko laughed helplessly. Apparently, Kyo was determined to get soaked today.

Laughing and chatting lightly, they soon approached the school gate, overhearing a few students nearby whispering:

“Hey, hey, look—that girl at the gate—isn’t that a Tsukinomori uniform? From that ojou-sama school?”

“She also seems like the daughter of that famous celebrity—I’ve definitely seen her on TV.”

“Is she waiting for someone?”

Tsukinomori, daughter of a famous celebrity.

Those two keywords together appearing right here…

Sakiko slightly furrowed her brow and looked forward. Sure enough, standing boldly at the very front of the school gate was a cute girl with pale green hair, making no effort to conceal herself.

It was Wakaba Mutsumi.

“Kyo…” Sakiko glanced sideways at Kyo, wanting to ask her a favor, but before she even opened her mouth, Kyo had already caught her meaning perfectly.

“Sakiko, you can go on ahead. I’ll bring Mutsumi-san and catch up shortly.”

“Thanks.” Sakiko was genuinely grateful for Kyo’s ever-reliable perceptiveness at this moment.

They continued forward together, quickly approaching Mutsumi’s position.

“Sakiko, and... Kyo-san too…?”

Mutsumi clearly hadn’t expected to see Kyo here as well. The girl’s already gentle, quiet expression momentarily turned even more blank.

Without sparing even a glance toward Mutsumi, Sakiko quickly exited through the school gate and turned away, heading straight ahead.

As Mutsumi tried to turn her gaze to follow Sakiko, another person suddenly stepped closer, completely occupying her vision.

“Yo, Mutsumi-san!” Kyo’s bright, cheerful smile filled Mutsumi’s field of vision. “Did you miss me?”

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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!