"Yep, that’s the face! You’re totally blanking out. You’re thinking, ‘What did the keyboardist look like again? Isn’t the leader the guitarist and vocalist, Masa?’ aren’t you!"
"Th-that’s not true…"
"Don’t deny it while looking away! This is the face, see? This one!"
He quickly operated his smartphone and pulled up the latest album cover of Blue Dreamers.
Zooming in on the leftmost man among the four shown on the cover, he enlarged the image.
“Oh… wait, what!? Are you serious!? You’re really the leader of Blue Dreamers!?”
“I’m telling you, it’s true.”
“Whaaaaat!?”
Adachi-san shot to her feet and exclaimed loudly, drawing the attention of the other classmates.
Hearing the conversation, whispers of excitement spread throughout the classroom:
“Wait, is he really the leader of Blue Dreamers?”
“No way! Look, it’s true!”
“OMG, I’m a fan of theirs!”
“Why is he at this school?”
…So nobody noticed, huh? I wasn’t even wearing a disguise or anything.
My real name, Shunsuke Kawai, is publicly known, and I even introduced myself with it during the transfer student introduction.
People often say things like, “I wouldn’t recognize you even if we passed on the street.” It’s a common issue.
Even now, when I go to TV recordings alone, I sometimes get stopped at the studio entrance. And when I’m with the band, people occasionally mistake me for the manager.
The invisibility of being the band’s keyboardist is something else. Drummers also sit at the back of the stage, yet somehow they don’t suffer the same lack of attention.
I’m used to it by now. My bandmates are all handsome guys, while I’m stuck with a plain face.
If I were outright unattractive, maybe I’d at least leave an impression. But no—I’m just average. My "face score" is a solid 52. I’m too unremarkable to even be teased, leaving me utterly forgettable.
“Oh, why am I the leader, you ask? Simple: I write all the songs and lyrics!
In fact, I’m the one who brought the other three members together. I scouted them for their voices and skills, and it just so happened that they were all ridiculously handsome. I never intended to create a band that appeals to girls like this!”
* * *
As I ranted internally, my frustration must have leaked out, because Adachi-san shrank back apologetically.
“Um… sorry. But I really do like Blue Dreamers’ songs…”
“…Oh, don’t worry about it. I’m used to not being recognized.”
“Oh… I see…”
* * *
Awkward.
Neither of us knew what to say next, and silence fell between us.
The classroom bustled with noise, but an inexplicable tension hung in the air between Adachi-san and me.
Before I could find the right words, the homeroom teacher walked in, and class began.
Sigh. Just when I thought I could get closer to Adachi-san…
Now, I was dreading the next break.
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