Takaki sora aogi miru
(We lift our eyes to the vast sky above)
Tooki Fuji no itadaki ni
(To the distant peak of Mount Fuji)
...
Every school has its own anthem, and Shuchiin Academy was no exception.
At the morning assembly, all of the high school students gathered in the auditorium to sing it together.
As someone who had won a national gold medal for piano back in junior high, Fujiwara Chika—an undeniable musical genius—was appointed as the conductor.
While the students sang the anthem, Chika casually scanned the crowd as she waved her baton.
Then she noticed something strange.
Shirogane Miyuki, the president of the high school student council, was moving his mouth like a puppet—but not a single sound came out. He was clearly lip-syncing and faking it.
'The president is lip-syncing the school anthem!!?'
…
After the assembly, in the music room.
"President, you big dummy! Reflect on your actions!"
Chika puffed out her cheeks, scolding the slightly embarrassed Shirogane.
"As student council president, how could you fake it during the school anthem?"
"...I'm reflecting."
In other schools, students might slack off during the anthem, but not at Shuchiin. Every Monday morning, the entire school sang together.
And since Shuchiin was a unified school system from elementary to high school, 99% of the students could sing it by heart. Not knowing the anthem was genuinely embarrassing here.
"I can't believe you saw through my perfectly practiced lip-syncing, Chika. You really are something."
"Well, I am the conductor," Chika said, frowning. "Besides, if you keep faking it, someone's going to find out eventually. Even if it's annoying, you should at least memorize the lyrics."
"No, I've already memorized the lyrics. It's just…"
"Just?"
"I'm… tone-deaf."
"So basically, you can't sing at all?"
"Pretty much." Shirogane found it hard to admit.
If the students ever found out he sang off-key...
—In his imagination—
"Ugh, that was awful..."
"So the president sings out of tune, huh?"
Kaguya: "So that's why he always lip-syncs. How adorable~"
—End of imagination—
"The louder I sing, the more embarrassing it is!!!"
"Being tone-deaf is no big deal," Chika suddenly said with a smile. "I can help you~"
"Really!?"
Knock knock knock.
There was a knock on the music room door.
Chika went to open it and saw Sagara Kaya standing there—with Takamine Rinji in tow.
"Mr. Sagara? And Takamine-kun?"
"Ah, the room's already taken, huh?" Sagara scratched his head. "I was planning to teach Rinji the school anthem—he still doesn't know it since he just transferred in."
"I see~ Then leave it to me~"
"Oh? That would be a great help if you're willing, Fujiwara."
"Leave it to me!"
Maybe it was her pride in her musical ability, but upon hearing that Rinji also didn't know the school anthem, Fujiwara Chika eagerly volunteered to teach him.
"Thanks, Fujiwara. I'll leave the kid with you."
With that, Sagara left Rinji in the music room and closed the door, leaving Chika, Shirogane, and Rinji inside.
"President, you're here too?"
"Yeah. Chika caught me lip-syncing and dragged me here for a scolding."
"I thought it was no big deal."
"This is not a small matter, Takamine-kun," Fujiwara Chika said with mock severity. "Why are you here too? Did Mrs. Sagara catch you lip-syncing? Or are you tone-deaf?"
"My case is a bit long to explain."
Takamine Rinji stroked his chin and adopted a thoughtful pose.
"I've been at this school for three months now, but on Monday mornings during the school anthem, I usually find an excuse to slip away and go smoke in the school garden."
"As the student council treasurer, how could you be doing something like that!?"
Ignoring Chika's shocked expression, Rinji continued, "I was planning to sneak out again today, but Aunt Kaya caught me and dragged me back. I had to stay in the auditorium and sing the anthem with my classmates."
"Good thing she caught you."
"But as someone who transferred in from outside, I obviously didn't know the school anthem. So I sang something else I do know."
"You've got guts… What did you sing, Takamine-kun?"
"The Internationale."
"HUH!?"
This man… in a capitalist country, in a school assembly where students were singing the school anthem… sang The Internationale.
"I sang it properly. Didn't go off-key."
"That's not the issue here."
"And because I sang it loudly, Aunt Kaya apparently noticed again."
"You even sang it loudly!!?"
If Shirogane Miyuki's case was a matter of personal ability, then Rinji's was a matter of mental state.
"Well then… I'm not too sure about your musical ability, Takamine-kun. Should I start teaching you from the basics like pitch?"
"Don't underestimate me. I've said it before—I'm a genius."
Rinji glanced around. They were in the music room, where various instruments were stored, including a piano.
He walked over to a nearby rack, picked up a violin, and positioned the bow on the strings.
A melodious tune began to flow through the room—light and graceful, at times like birdsong, at times like a sweet serenade.
The sound of the strings filled the entire music room, and both Shirogane and Fujiwara were instantly captivated.
After a minute, the performance ended abruptly. The two snapped out of their daze.
"Takamine-kun… You can play violin?"
"A little."
Rinji casually returned the violin to the rack and stretched.
"I learned it from my old man. Where he learned it from, I have no idea."
"That was already a master-level performance," Fujiwara Chika praised.
As someone with exceptional musical talent, she had extremely high standards when it came to music—and Rinji's performance had truly impressed her.
"Can I ask you something?"
Chika suddenly leaned closer to Rinji with a smile.
"What do you want?" Seeing that smile, Rinji instinctively grew cautious.
"Can we perform a duet together on stage someday?"