About the show.

Normally there’s a bit more competition for a spot on my lap during our breaks, but that day the girls were letting Alice have it whenever she wanted, which was during all our breaks. It was like they’d recognized it was important to her and agreed to let this be Alice’s day with me. I appreciated it because I also wanted to stay close to her.

During our lunch break, Alice was sitting on my lap and we were taking turns feeding each other. Alice opened her mouth and I fed her the salted stem of a lettuce with my hand. When she did the same for me, feeding me a small piece of meat, I took the opportunity to lick her fingers. Alice shivered and kept them there.

“Stop that, you’re making me horny,” Grace chided us from across the table.

“I don’t mind if you come join us, Grace,” Alice told her, now taking her fingers out of my mouth and sucking them herself.

“Don’t tempt me, woman.”

“Enjoy this while you can. We’re going back to normal tomorrow,” Mila said, giggling.

“Leave them be. We’ve had our turns like that, Grace,” Sarah said. “But moving on another topic, how’s practice going, Oliver? I haven’t been able to go watch you.”

I swallowed the piece of meat and nodded. “Good. The bass part is slowly coming along and Isabelle and I already have a good idea of how we’re going to edit the video and sound.”

“Speaking of… Oliver, how are you going to perform?” Noelle asked me.

I tilted my head in confusion. “What do you mean? I’ll play the guitar.”

“No, not that. I mean, do you have an actual performance prepared? As in, will you make a show of it or are you just going to stand there and play? Also, what are you going to wear?”

I blinked and my eyes slowly began to widen as realization kicked in.

“I… d-don’t know…”

“Damn, that’s a good point,” Sarah said, nodding. “This is a show, after all. Even if you’re doing this for yourself, the objective is to entertain the audience.”

“Yeah. If you just stand there looking down at your guitar, people will be bored even if you’re playing like a god,” Mila said.

“Apparently the sewing club is getting some commissions for outfits, even,” Alice said, smiling brightly. “People are really excited about this and are taking it seriously.”

“Ugh…” I groaned. My plan really was to just stand there and play, but they had a good point. I wanted to perform in the talent show to prove to myself that it was something I could do. I wasn’t aiming to win the whole thing, but standing there all stiff while I played would not count as accomplishing the goal, either.

“Well, when it comes to an outfit, I don’t think you have to worry,” Noelle continued. “You don’t need anything fancy. We can look in your closet and find something nice. You look good in almost anything.”

“But then we’ll miss out on an opportunity to go shopping again…” Mila said, pouting. “Oliver should look the part when he takes first place!”

I sighed. “I’ll run it by Isabelle.” She was my partner in this, after all. She had the right to give her opinion.

“But what about the performance itself?” Grace asked. “He’ll be holding a guitar, so it’s not like he can start dancing on stage.”

Sarah’s eyes widened. She smirked and snapped her fingers. “I’ve got it! Smash the guitar against the floor! That’ll make it memorable.”

“...Sarah, my girl, I love you very, very much, but fuck no.” I told her bluntly.

That got a laugh out of all of them, but I was being pretty serious. I wasn’t breaking any of my guitars, okay!? I’d fucking die!

“Okay, I agree that Oliver should do more than just stand there and play, but…” Grace grimaced. “I’m sorry, but I just don’t see Oliver jumping energetically or doing fancy moves on stage. I don’t think it goes with his vibe.”

I had to agree. Windmilling, duck walking, power stancing, power sliding… Just being on stage would take a lot out of me. Any more and there was a chance I’d pass out from embarrassment.

“I’m not saying he has to,” Noelle said. “But there are small things that could help. Looking at the audience, for one. Moving to the rhythm of the music, too. Maybe add a bit of flair for the important parts so the audience knows it’s something to be excited about.”

I nodded along. That sounded way more up my alley on top of being something I could actually do. Hey, all those moves I mentioned just now are a lot harder to do than they seem, okay?

“Hey, Oliver?” Alice called. “You… You’re really doing this because you want to, right? We joke, but we won’t think less of you if you don’t do it.”

“What she said,” Mila agreed.

I chuckled. “You girls gave me the push I needed. If not for you, I would’ve let this chance go without a second thought. But yes, I’m doing this because I want to. In the end, there’s a point where you start wondering if other people may enjoy what you do. If at least one person hears me play and thinks it’s cool, then… I’ll be happy.”

“Well, you’ve got five in this room already,” Grace said.

I laughed. “Sorry, but you don’t count. Much like how my mom and my sister don’t count.”

“Yeah, I get that,” Noelle said, giggling. “I know that what I do is different, but it’s nice to see that strangers can enjoy your work and be entertained by it. I’m sure it’ll be the same for you, Oliver.”

“Here’s hoping.”

Every day that passed was another day closer to the talent show. Excitement and anxiety grew in equal measure.

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