Chapter 141 - 141: Transformation!
"Oh right — I wonder if Shizuku and the others have already thought about band uniforms?" Kosaka Akane mused.
Sayuri quickly chimed in.
"Why don't we go ask them?"
"And if they haven't settled on anything yet, maybe Kagami could design theirs at the same time?"
All three of them looked over at Tsushima Kagami, who stood up and gathered his things.
"Sure, let's go ask."
The group made their way to the Light Music Club. Before they'd even reached the door, they could hear the members inside playing — their coordination on the new song already sounding surprisingly polished.
Peering through the small glass window in the door, even Shizuku's rhythm guitar had taken on a respectable shape.
With Shizuku's level in mind — and his own Manga Research Club members' abilities — Tsushima Kagami had taken care to simplify many of the trickier chord voicings and rhythmic patterns for Sayuri's and Kosaka Akane's parts.
When the song inside came to an end, the players happened to notice the group standing at the door.
Ijichi Seika walked over and pulled it open.
"What brings you all here?"
Once all four of them — Tsushima Kagami and company — had filed in and taken seats, Sayuri pulled out the uniform design Tsushima Kagami had sketched earlier and held it up for everyone to see.
"This is the band uniform Kagami drew for us."
"We wanted to ask whether you've figured out what you're wearing for the culture festival performance."
"If you haven't, we could have Kagami design yours too."
After hearing Sayuri out, Ijichi Seika glanced over at Hiroi Kikuri.
Hiroi Kikuri, for her part, looked completely and utterly lost.
"Hm? Do you have to wear band uniforms for a culture festival performance?"
Kosaka Akane and Machida Sonoko laughed.
"Kikuri-kouhai, don't you wear uniforms for your regular live house shows?"
"Oh, that's true, isn't it."
"And how come you never gave me one?!"
Hiratsuka Shizuka, feeling as though she'd been left out by Ijichi Seika's little trio, lodged an indignant protest.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so terribly sorry!"
Kikuri rushed to apologize, looking for all the world like she was about to cry.
"We... we don't actually have band uniforms."
"When we play live houses, everyone just wears whatever they want."
"Ahaha, Kikuri-kouhai, honestly — I knew there was no way you'd leave me out on purpose~"
Hiratsuka Shizuka backpedaled smoothly.
Just then, Yukinoshita Shizuku finished pouring tea and passed cups around to Tsushima Kagami and the others.
"So Kagami's going to design a band uniform for me too?"
"If no one objects, I do have a few ideas."
At that, Ijichi Seika and the other two nodded.
"We'll leave it in your hands, then."
Seeing that Ijichi Seika's group had given the go-ahead, Sayuri quickly handed Tsushima Kagami the drawing paper and pencils she'd brought along. He accepted them, set everything on the table, and got to work.
Everyone in the room crowded around to watch.
Without a moment's hesitation, Tsushima Kagami's mind was made up: the band was called K-ON, so naturally the design had to draw from K-On! itself.
He cast his memory back over the outfits Hirasawa Yui, Akiyama Mio, and the others had worn during their various performances, and finally settled on the pale-blue dresses from the theatrical film's ending credits.
He'd gone to see the film in theatres when it came out, and the moment that ending played and those light-blue dresses appeared on screen, something inside him had been utterly pierced — which sent him tumbling back down the rabbit hole to binge K-On! from the very beginning.
Getting to see the girls here actually wear those outfits on stage — honestly, even if it killed him, it would be worth it.
Oh, right — and there was the school uniform version too, from when the band president performs in uniform. Double the joy this time!
Once he'd sketched the basic outlines of the dresses, Sayuri passed him the coloured pencils she normally used to help him with cover illustrations and colour pages.
Tsushima Kagami began filling in the blank dress shapes with colour.
When the colouring was finished, he idly started sketching a rough outline of a certain undergarment to go along with it.
The chatter and exclamations around him had suddenly gone very quiet — and only then did Tsushima Kagami realise he'd sunk so deep into his art that he'd completely lost track of the world around him.
He quickly grabbed an eraser and rubbed out the barely-started lines before they took any recognisable shape.
That was close. He'd almost absentmindedly drawn a pair of blue-and-white striped panties.
Well — to be fair, they would've matched the dress's blue-and-white colour scheme perfectly. It's only natural to unconsciously think of them as a matching set.
"That was underwear just now, wasn't it?" Yukinoshita Shizuku asked.
Tsushima Kagami looked up to find every single person in the room staring at him. He met their gazes without so much as a flicker of expression.
"Why yes — I suddenly got inspired for the content of my next manga while I was drawing."
Everyone present was aware that Tsushima Kagami also worked in adult comics. Hearing that, they all gave a quiet, expressionless nod and said nothing more.
Sayuri, meanwhile, said cheerfully:
"See? I told you — thinking about something light would help Kagami."
"So now you know which one you're going to draw first, right?"
"Thanks, Sayuri. I've got it figured out now."
With that, Tsushima Kagami held up the finished sketch for everyone to see.
"I was expecting something more like a school-uniform style, the way yours looked," Ijichi Seika said, glancing between the sketch and the outfit Sayuri had shown them earlier.
"I think this suits you all perfectly," Tsushima Kagami said with a smile.
"Won't it feel a little... mismatched, though?" Yukinoshita Shizuku said, though her eyes clearly said the opposite — they were glued to the design with unconcealed approval.
It didn't take much to guess why: the pale-blue colour scheme was exactly her favourite.
"I think it looks great."
Unexpectedly, Hiratsuka Shizuka — who normally carried herself with such a rough, delinquent air — was the first to voice a thoroughly girlish verdict.
"Besides, I say you should try every style at least once. What if it works amazingly?"
PA-san chimed in from the side.
"What do you say, Seika?"
"I... I don't have any objections, I suppose."
Ijichi Seika put on an air of total indifference — but her eyes never left the dress design, as if they were stuck to it.
She very clearly loved it.
What a tsundere.
Last to weigh in was a dazed Hiroi Kikuri.
"Kikuri-kouhai, you don't like it?"
"No no no..."
That's not it at all.
Hiroi Kikuri quickly turned to Tsushima Kagami.
"I... is someone like me really allowed to wear something this cute?"
"Didn't Kikuri-kouhai look absolutely lovely in that evening gown at the piano competition last time?"
"And kouhai is already plenty cute to begin with, isn't she?"
"Ah!"
"Th... thank you for the compliment, senpai."
"R... really?"
Being praised like that by Tsushima Kagami sent Hiroi Kikuri reverting straight back to her old socially-anxious self. She clapped both hands over her burning face and couldn't bring herself to look at anyone.
"Just imagine — if you wore this to a live house show in the future, here you are a rock band, but dressed this prim and adorable."
"Don't you think that contrast would blow everyone away?"
"Who knows — the next big fashion trend in Shibuya-kei style might just start with you, kouhai~"
"But... but I don't really have any confidence in myself."
Tsushima Kagami smiled and gently guided Hiroi Kikuri over to a wall mirror that was already there in the room, positioning her so she could see her full reflection.
"Take off your glasses first."
"Okay..."
Hiroi Kikuri normally wore glasses for studying, and had kept them on today during practice for sight-reading purposes. At Tsushima Kagami's words, she finally removed her black-framed glasses and handed them to him.
He took them, then stepped around behind her.
"Let your hair down too."
"Okay..."
Still following Tsushima Kagami's directions, Hiroi Kikuri reached up and loosened the ribbon tying off her braids, then slowly unwound both plaits.
She ran her fingers through her hair and let it fall over her shoulders.
Looking at the reflection in the mirror — Hiroi Kikuri with her hair loose, which turned out to be a natural princess-cut — Tsushima Kagami smiled and handed her the band uniform sketch.
"Here. Hold it up toward the mirror."
Hiroi Kikuri took it and held the illustrated uniform side toward the mirror, just like trying on clothes at a boutique.
"Doesn't the Kikuri-kouhai in the mirror look awfully cute?"
"Does... does she?"
"Are you questioning my taste?"
"N... no, I'm not."
"Then — is she cute or not?"
"C... cute..."
"More confidence!"
"Cute."
"Louder!"
"Cute!"
"Excellent! Now that's the spirit!"
"So — next, picture this: what would the already-cute Kikuri-kouhai look like after putting on this dress?"
Hiroi Kikuri closed her eyes and tried to imagine it, as instructed.
"Even... cuter?"
"NONONO~"
"D... double the cute?"
"Closer, but only just."
"I give up, I can't figure it out."
"Open your eyes."
Hiroi Kikuri opened her eyes again. Tsushima Kagami placed both hands gently on her shoulders and lifted a loose strand of her hair, and for a moment the two of them looked at their reflections together in the mirror.
"Look — the cutest girl in the whole world~"
The words had barely left his mouth before Hiroi Kikuri forgot all about the slightly intimate gesture from a moment ago. Stars were already spinning in her eyes.
"Senpai's right, isn't he?"
"He is... he is!"
"I'm... I'm the cutest!"
"Ehehehehe, ahahaha!"
Hiroi Kikuri seemed to have completed a magnificent transformation entirely within her own imagination!
____
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🔥 New history: Danmachi: Summoning Ruri Gokou, And other Chuunibyou Brats
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