As for who stood behind RiNG as its owner, Asai Yu knew perfectly well.
It was Tsuzuki Shifune—Kaname Raana's grandmother.
She was no ordinary figure. In the music world, she was someone with real weight to her name, and her standards for music were famously strict, almost unforgiving.
This meeting was probably going to be rough.
Ironically, Togawa Sakiko, who knew nothing about that background, was in high spirits instead. In her mind, this was practically a done deal.
Early that morning, Asai Yu arrived at RiNG.
Guided by Matsugi Ririko, he was led into the control room overlooking the live stage. Through the glass, the situation onstage was clearly visible.
A band was rehearsing.
To be fair, they were putting in real effort.
Just then, an elderly woman with white, tightly curled hair slowly entered the room. Her face was lined with deep wrinkles, yet her expression was rigid, stern to the point of severity.
It was none other than Tsuzuki Shifune, the owner of this live house.
Their eyes met.
Even when faced with the blue-haired girl before her, Tsuzuki Shifune's expression did not soften in the slightest.
Hmph. Trying to use RiNG as a stepping stone? That depends on whether you're actually worth it.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Togawa Sakiko. Sorry for taking up your time, and I look forward to working with you," Asai Yu said politely.
"Hmph." Tsuzuki Shifune offered no warmth, her face still stiff.
"I'll skip the pleasantries. As for your proposal—I have no intention of accepting it."
…What?
Asai Yu was sure he hadn't misheard.
She called him all the way here just to reject him? That didn't add up.
Sure enough, in the next breath, Tsuzuki Shifune changed course.
"Unless you can meet my conditions."
"And what would those be?" Asai Yu asked.
"That song Haruhikage—you composed it, didn't you? I've heard it. It's… acceptable."
"My requirement is this: within the next two weeks, compose three songs. Two of them must be at least on par with Haruhikage. The third must surpass it."
Tsuzuki Shifune crossed her arms.
"Well? Can you do it?"
Inside him, Togawa Sakiko nearly exploded.
Haruhikage had taken her an enormous amount of time and inspiration. Even she couldn't guarantee she'd ever surpass it.
And now this woman wanted three songs of that level in two weeks—with one that exceeded it?!
Unless her inspiration exploded nonstop for fourteen straight days, this was basically impossible.
"What do you think?" Asai Yu asked inside his head.
"This is just unreasonable!" Sakiko snapped.
"I can't do it. Yu, let's go!"
At that exact moment, the system's voice rang out.
[Special Mission Triggered]
[Mission: Fulfill Tsuzuki Shifune's requirements]
[Mission Reward: Special Buff Duration ×2 Card ×1]
[Effect: Doubles the duration of a selected special buff. Example: if used on Togawa Sakiko's Piano Buff, daily effective time increases from 1 hour to 2 hours]
A special mission?
Just meet Tsuzuki Shifune's demands?
And that reward—honestly, it looked very good.
He had to get his hands on it.
After a few seconds of silence, Asai Yu spoke.
"A hero doesn't run away before the battle starts. Let's accept first—whether we can actually pull it off is another matter."
Sakiko was stunned.
What was with this sudden shōnen-protagonist energy?
"…Fine," she said reluctantly.
"But I'm saying this now—if we fail, don't you dare pin it on me."
Asai Yu didn't answer her. He looked back at Tsuzuki Shifune and replied calmly:
"No problem. That won't be difficult."
Not difficult?
Tsuzuki Shifune felt a flicker of disdain.
Even the top-tier composers she knew would struggle with a demand like this. And yet a fifteen-year-old middle schooler claimed it was easy?
Still—when she saw the ease and confidence in the blue-haired girl's eyes, she felt an unexpected doubt creep in.
…Interesting.
A faint smile tugged at Tsuzuki Shifune's lips.
"Very well. I look forward to your performance."
With that, she left the room.
"The owner can be like that sometimes, um—" Ririko began, trying to smooth things over.
"It's fine, Ririko-san. I understand," Asai Yu interrupted.
Seeing the confidence on his face, Ririko swallowed the rest of her comforting words.
"Understand? What exactly do you understand?"
Meanwhile, Togawa Sakiko had already started complaining in his head before they even left RiNG.
"Do you even know how to compose?"
"Just matching Haruhikage alone would take me two weeks—or more!"
"And three songs?!"
The nonstop chatter made Asai Yu's head buzz.
"That's enough. Be quiet."
"I don't know composition," he said flatly, "but I do have a way to help you finish those three songs. If you trust me, do as I say. If you don't trust me, you'll still do as I say. Simple enough. Got it?"
His tone left no room for argument.
Sakiko froze for a moment—then obediently shut up.
The space in his mind finally quieted down.
Honestly, Togawa Sakiko needs to be kept firmly under control—give her an inch and she'll start blowing things up sooner or later.
Suddenly, a pale green figure entered his field of view.
Wakaba Mutsumi.
She noticed him immediately, her eyes lighting up as she walked over quickly.
"Saki… good morning," Mutsumi greeted softly.
"Morning," Asai Yu replied.
Then something occurred to him.
"Mutsumi—do you have a piano at home?"
A piano?
Mutsumi blinked, puzzled. Was Saki in the mood to play?
She nodded lightly.
"Yes. If you need it, you can come over anytime and play."
"Today okay?" Asai Yu asked.
Mutsumi's heart skipped. She nodded eagerly.
"Of course. Even right now."
See? This was what a perfect best friend looked like.
How did Togawa Sakiko ever bring herself to scold her later on?
Asai Yu knew he couldn't.
He followed Mutsumi to her home.
She was unquestionably rich—just looking at her 1,300 m² private villa made that obvious.
Under her guidance, he was led to the music room on the second floor. A piano stood there, though a thin layer of dust suggested it hadn't been used in a long time.
Once everything was ready, Asai Yu began his one-hour piano practice for the day.
He wasn't worried about Mutsumi noticing anything strange.
His current piano skill was already about the same as Sakiko's usual, no-show-off, half-hearted playing.