The Light Music Club room throbbed with the sharp hum of amplifiers and the steady thud of drums echoing through the walls of Akademi High. Posters of famous rock bands hung crookedly across the room, and cables snaked across the floor like tangled vines.

At the center of it all stood Miyuji Shan.

She rested one boot on a chair while adjusting the knobs on her black electric guitar, the bass clef hairpin in her short dark hair catching the overhead light. Her rose-colored eyes were focused downward, brows slightly furrowed in concentration as she strummed a few test chords. Each note rang loud and confident through the room.

“Alright, alright!” she called, flashing a sharp grin toward the rest of the club. “Let’s wake this place up! Rock music waits for nobody!”

Her fingers moved easily along the fretboard before she launched into a quick, energetic riff. The sound filled the clubroom, drowning out nearly everything else. The other members scrambled to follow her lead, drums kicking in, bass humming along.

Miyuji only laughed, clearly enjoying the chaos.

Anyone watching might find it hard to imagine that she’d once been quiet and reserved. Now she was loud, confident, and practically buzzing with energy. If anyone asked what changed, Miyuji would usually just shrug and answer with something vague .. or a playful riddle.

The song ended with a sharp final chord.

The note hung in the air as Miyuji tilted her head slightly, thinking, before strumming another experimental sequence to herself; still completely absorbed in the music, unaware that someone had wandered into the doorway behind her.