Ritsuka meets Mafuyu sleeping with a guitar whose strings are broken. Repairing it leads to requests for lessons and an awkward new connection. Mafuyu’s interest in learning reaches Ritsuka at a time when his own enthusiasm for playing has faded.
Ritsuka already plays with Haruki and Akihiko, so teaching Mafuyu also means bringing someone new into an existing group. The older bandmates offer advice, including the need to earn money. Instruments, practice and the cost of making music become part of the relationship.
The guitar travels with Mafuyu before he can comfortably play it. On a crowded train, its long black case rises above his shoulder while other passengers face ahead around him. Carrying an instrument is already part of his day; finding what he wants to do with it requires the lessons and invitations that follow his meeting with Ritsuka.
