Yuujin was finally ready, but as he tried to leave the house, he was stopped by his sister.
> "You… are going out? Like… you?" she asked, eyeing how well-dressed he was.
"It's nothing big, I'm just going out with the band," Yuujin said, running a hand through his hair while Misaki kept staring at him.
> "Try not to come back too late, or Aunt Emi's gonna bug me asking where the hell you went."
She sat down on the couch, already scrolling through her phone.
Yuujin took a deep breath and simply left the apartment, heading toward the place where he'd probably find Taylor and Yuri.
As he walked, his eyes stayed fixed on the ground, his thoughts spinning.
> "Should I have agreed to come? What if he acts like a jerk again, like always? He's got that snobbish vibe…" Yuujin muttered, right before being grabbed by someone and pulled between two people.
"Yo!" Taylor greeted, while Yuri smiled and walked alongside Yuujin.
> "Oh! You scared me!" Yuujin said, as Taylor patted his back and slung an arm around his neck, pulling him closer.
"Look, we've had our issues, but let's try to make up. You write the song, and I promise to let… that thing go. What do you say?" Taylor whispered into Yuujin's ear, making him sweat a little.
> "Deal," Yuujin replied, his voice trembling.
"What are you two whispering about?" Yuri asked, and Taylor quickly moved away from Yuujin, who focused on her instead.
> "Ah… nothing much, just talking about what we'll pick today," Yuujin said, still nervous.
"Well, if that's the case, I think I'll just get a basic ice cream. Maybe stay out later to look at the stars," she said patiently.
> "Look at the stars? But in a big city like this, isn't that kind of rare?" Yuujin asked.
"Yeah… sometimes. But you never know, luck might surprise us," she said, walking a bit faster while the two boys tried to keep up.
They reached the meeting spot, where only Max was waiting.
> "Guys! You showed up faster than I expected," Max said, while Yuujin looked around.
> "Where's Aoki?" Yuujin asked directly, searching for any sign of the blond boy.
"He's nearby—or so he says. He mentioned talking to his dad first, but he should be close," Max said, leaning against the wall.
Just then, a fancy car pulled up.
From it stepped a blonde figure, clear-eyed, wearing designer clothes, stylish sneakers, and that beautiful smile.
> "I thought the polar bear would chicken out," Aoki teased, smiling right at Yuujin.
"I…" Yuujin muttered, lowering his head as drops of sweat hit the pavement. He stared at his trembling hands, clenched them into fists, then lifted his head with determination.
> "I'm going to write that song, and I promise I won't fail, no matter how hard it gets!" he shouted at Aoki, loud enough to make people on the street look at him.
But most importantly—it made Aoki remove his sunglasses and look straight at him, widening his smile.
> "Perfect. You're my kind of guy, Yuujin. I know you'll pull it off. And even if you don't… well, you already know what happens," he said with a smirk, handing his glasses to his bodyguard, who had stepped out of the car.
> "Take them inside and use the money I left in the car to buy whatever you want. What time am I due back?" Aoki asked his bodyguard in a more serious, responsible tone.
Yuujin silently watched Aoki's every movement—his posture, his tone, how he treated the man working for him.
> "By 6:15 p.m., Mr. Shizuka," the bodyguard replied, and Aoki sighed deeply.
> "You heard that, right? It's exactly 5:22 p.m. I need to leave at 6:15. Let's get this going."
Once the bodyguard stepped back, Aoki's serious face turned back into a bright smile. He waved for them to follow him into the ice cream shop they'd been talking in front of.
They placed their orders and sat down. As they waited, Yuujin sat quietly, his fingers intertwined.
> "What kind of inspiration am I supposed to get from this place? There's nothing here but ice cream and people walking around," he thought, glancing briefly at the group chatting happily before looking down again.
> "They all seem to get along just fine without me, but they can't write a song on their own. If I could hire a professional, I totally would. I don't even know why they need some random guy like me to write for their band. But since I'm the lucky—or unlucky—one this time, I'll do my part… and show that arrogant blond just how good I am at turning feelings into music. Though honestly, I can't think of anything right now."
> "YUUJIN!" Aoki suddenly shouted, making Yuujin snap his head up.
> "We've been trying to talk to you for a while! Whether you're useful or useless, you're still part of this group, so just talk to us already," Aoki said casually, shrugging.
Their orders arrived, and Yuujin fell silent again after that comment.
> "Useful or useless… I don't know how many times I've heard that before. But even if I pretend I don't care… I will become useful," Yuujin thought fiercely, gripping his cup of ice cream as he watched them talk and laugh.
> "This isn't over, Aoki," he muttered to himself.