Chapter Seventeen: The Young Man with a Sister

After the collapse of RB’s economic bubble, music became the simplest form of entertainment for people, and the most direct way to access it was naturally by buying records. Thus, despite the pervasive gloom of economic downturn, record stores enjoyed even greater prosperity. In RB, new albums typically went on sale every Tuesday, so on that day, record shops were always packed with people browsing for new music.

Moving slowly with the dense crowd exiting the station, Takeshi Ninomiya, dressed in a business suit, wiped the endless sweat from his brow with a handkerchief as he stepped into the Novastar Record Shop beside the station.

Inside, the sound system was looping TRF’s new single, “BOY MEETS GIRL.” The rhythmic dance track inspired a desire to let loose on the dance floor, but for Takeshi Ninomiya, who had just finished a long day at work, it was simply loud and overwhelming. Still, he had no choice—his wife was a devoted TRF fan and had reminded him before he left home not to forget their new single. His daughter was a huge supporter of the BEING family, so he had to pick up DEEN’s new release as well.

Lingering in front of the shelves, Takeshi’s gaze was suddenly drawn to a single tucked away in the corner. Its cover featured the Shonan coast, his hometown.

Just as people in China associate beaches with Silver Beach and Yalong Bay, the Shonan coast is RB’s quintessential holiday destination. Moreover, Shonan was home to the legendary Southern Stars, a band revered for their summer anthems, making everyone in Kanagawa Prefecture feel a special fondness for Shonan.

Born in Chigasaki City, Kanagawa, Takeshi was a fellow townsman of Kazuyoshi Kuwata, the lead singer of Southern Stars. Since graduating from university, this was his eighth year working in Tokyo. Though Shonan was only an hour’s train ride away, the demands of his job meant that even on holidays, he only wanted to sleep.

If he were still living back home, he would probably be out cruising along Shonan’s coast. With that thought, Takeshi picked up the CD and brought it to the counter.

At home, his wife was delighted with the TRF single, and his daughter adored the DEEN release. Watching his joyful family, Takeshi realized he hadn’t bought anything for himself, only considering their happiness. Feeling a bit dejected, he lowered his head, and there, on the coffee table, lay the single he’d bought on a whim—“Summer Colors.”

Suddenly, his wife noticed the CD and exclaimed, “Isn’t that Shonan coast?” She picked it up, turning it over in her hands. “Hmm, it’s an indie release? When did you start liking underground artists?”

“No, I just bought it because the cover is the Shonan coast,” Takeshi replied.

His wife scolded, “Is that all? Honestly, this artist is called Ye Zhao… never heard of him. It might be a really strange song.” With that, she lost interest and set it back on the table.

It was their seven-year-old daughter, in her most mischievous years, who never let anything new escape her attention. Seeing her parents uninterested, she picked up the CD and tore off the plastic wrap. She slipped the disc from its case, loaded it into the player, and pressed PLAY. A crisp guitar blended with rhythmic tambourines filled the room; after a brief prelude, a young man’s clear voice sang the first line, “The cat in the parking lot yawns…”

Takeshi and his wife, previously indifferent, suddenly perked up.

In the quiet room, only the music flowed. “Summer Colors” was folk-inspired, with a simple arrangement—just guitar and tambourine. This simplicity highlighted the song’s quality, and its honest, uplifting lyrics resonated deeply. When the CD repeated the line, “This long downhill road, you sitting on my bike’s rear seat, I grip the brakes tightly, slowly, slowly coasting down…,” Takeshi and his wife unconsciously reached for each other’s hands.

After listening, Takeshi took a deep breath and said to his wife, “This weekend, let’s go back to Shonan for a drive.”

Their daughter, only seven, understood every word of the song but couldn’t quite grasp the sense of stolen leisure it conveyed. For her, it was simply a beautiful song, and her excitement came from her father’s sudden announcement that the whole family would go on a holiday to Shonan.

The second track began, contrasting sharply with the main song—a distinctly rhythmic rock number. Being a big fan of the BEING family, the daughter became even more animated.

Compared to the arrangement of “Summer Colors,” “Secret Base” was much more complex. The version on the CD was a revised collaboration between Ye Zhao, Watanabe Riku, and three musicians, subtly adjusted for rhythm and instrumentation to better suit a male vocalist. Though perhaps still rough compared to ZONE’s original, none of them were professional musicians, so it was difficult to reach that level.

Clearly, the daughter preferred “Secret Base.” As the song unfolded, she quickly found the rhythm, her little head bobbing in time, thoroughly enjoying herself.

After both tracks had finished, she rolled her eyes mischievously and ran to her father, asking, “Daddy, I really like this CD. Can you give it to me?”

“No way,” Takeshi patted her head. “Daddy likes it too.”

“Aw,” she whined, dragging out the syllable, “Daddy’s so stingy!”

“But,” Takeshi changed his tone, “since we both like it so much, let’s listen together.”

“Then I want to hear it again!” she declared, pressing PLAY once more.

Like most people around the world, RB’s citizens have their own regional attachments. Not only do they feel a special bond with fellow locals when away from home, but anything related to their hometown draws extra attention. Thus, Ye Zhao’s accidental choice of Shonan coast for his single’s cover unconsciously stirred the Shonan sentiment in some.

Of course, it was only a small minority. If regional sentiment were so effective, artists might as well use Mt. Fuji or Lake Biwa for all their covers.

In general, those who bought the single could be summed up with one word: impulse. They might listen to it once in their CD player or just toss it aside. Yet among them, there was still a hidden “outlier.”

On Saturday morning, Ye Qing and her friend Shizuka Shimazaki walked into a record shop in Yokohama together.

The one buying the CD was Shizuka Shimazaki. Upon entering, she quickly headed to the new releases section, but her target was neither TRF nor DEEN, but a Johnny’s idol single.

Indeed, twenty years later, she’d be the type to chase idols and call them “husband.”

Compared to Shizuka Shimazaki’s sparkling eyes, Ye Qing’s reaction was much calmer. Though she’d grown up in RB and could catch every pun on TV variety shows, she had little interest in RB’s music. If not for accompanying her friend, she wouldn’t have set foot in a record shop even once a year.

Record shops were always crowded on weekends, with those unable to buy CDs on release day due to work or study converging over these two days. When another wave of customers poured in, Ye Qing was separated from Shizuka, pushed by the crowd into a corner of the store.

“All this fuss just for a CD…,” Ye Qing grumbled inwardly. Seeing that Shizuka wasn’t done choosing yet, she didn’t hurry back, opting instead to wait in the corner.

Waiting was tedious, so to pass the time, Ye Qing began to scan the records on the shelf. There, among the eighth-rate artists and unknown newcomers, she spotted a familiar cover.

The single, called “Summer Colors,” featured a photo she’d taken on a whim during a family vacation to Shonan coast the summer before last. And after the title, the name Ye Zhao stood out—her brother.

When Shizuka Shimazaki found Ye Qing after picking her CD, the first thing she noticed was the record in Ye Qing’s hand. Knowing Ye Qing disliked music, Shizuka was surprised and curious: “Ye Qing, what CD did you pick?” She didn’t wait for a reply and peeked at it.

“‘Summer Colors’… Ye Zhao?!” Shizuka’s eyes widened. “Ye Qing, isn’t your brother in Tokyo playing in a band called Ye Zhao? Oh my god, is this his CD?”

Ye Qing shook her head. “I don’t know.”

She bought the single. At home, her mother You Xiangrong was preparing lunch in the kitchen, her father Ye Chong reading the newspaper on the sofa. After greeting them, Ye Qing went upstairs. Before returning to her own room, she quietly slipped into her brother Ye Zhao’s room to borrow his CD player—Ye Qing, not being a fan, hadn’t bought her own.

Back in her room, she opened the CD case, slipped the disc into the player, put on the headphones, and pressed PLAY. When the familiar voice sounded in her ears, Ye Qing covered her mouth in astonishment.

It really was her brother!