Synopsis: Right before Afterglow is meant to go on stage, Ran finds that she's gone mute and can't talk
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It was almost time for the concert to begin. However, a problem arose. A very serious problem. One that could change the outcome of the concert entirely.
Ran had gone mute. Something that happened to her every now and again. Something she couldn't help. But this was the absolute worse timing for it. She didn't know what to do. They were meant to go on in a little bit. What was she supposed to do? She couldn't really sing right now.
Ran frowned. She was currently fiddling with her gear. What use was any of it if she couldn't sing? She could try and force herself to, but that would really be draining. Talking when she went mute was tough to do. It took so much willpower to make the words come out. And it was not something she ever enjoyed doing. Forcing herself to talk made her feel like she was faking being mute in the first place.
"Ran? Is something wrong?" Tomoe noticed her uneasiness first and came over to her.
Ran faced her and shook her head. She opened her mouth and then closed it with nothing coming out. Tomoe understood what was happening from that. They had all dealt with Ran being like this for so long it was easy to understand when that was happening to her.
"Come here. You need a hug." Tomoe held out her hands.
Ran hugged her as she started crying. She was scared. She was about to ruin everything. She felt horrible. Everything was going wrong for her right now.
"Shh... it's alright..." Tomoe tried to soothe her.
The other three noticed them before long and came over. Tomoe explained the situation.
"Oh, Ran... it's gonna be okay. We'll figure it out." Moca hugged her from behind.
"I'll see if we can swap places with the band after us." Himari left the room.
Ran still felt terrible about causing so much chaos. But she was thankful to have them all be so supportive when stuff like this happened to her. It made her feel a little bit better, but not by much.
"If Himari can't swap our spots, what do we do?" Tsugumi questioned.
"We drop out. There's nothing else we can do about it." Moca stated, "We can't play if she can't sing. And I don't think playing the vocal track would get us good reviews if people found out she was lipsyncing on stage."
"Yeah. We'll just have to go." Tomoe nodded, "Unless you'd rather we just did that now, Ran?"
There was no guarantee at all that Ran would get her voice back by the time they had to go on again. They were still in a bad position because of her. She hated this so much. Why couldn't she just talk? Why did her body say no?
"They agreed to switch us around." Himari returned to the room, "But they do seem to want us to just drop out instead."
"Up to you, Ran. What do you want to do? Wait it out or just leave?"
Ran debated her answer for a while. She really wanted to do this. They had worked so hard to get here and now she was ruining their chance. But she also wanted to leave. Get out of here now and go somewhere more familiar to relax at. She was torn.
"Just let us know within half-an-hour, okay?"
Ran nodded. Tomoe didn't let go of her. She didn't let go either. She felt safer like this. Calmer. It helped a bit.
"Want to sit?" Tomoe asked.
Ran shrugged. Tomoe led her to a seat. They sat down. Ran stayed close to her side. Tomoe rubbed her back.
Ran was frowning still. She wiped away the tears in her ears and took some deep breaths. She had to try and keep it together. She needed to stay strong. She didn't want to break down here. Not when there were so many strangers around.
Ran tugged on Tomoe's sleeve. She had made up her mind. When Tomoe looked at her, she pointed to the door. She wanted to leave. She didn't want to be here anymore. It was too much.
"You want to leave?"
Ran nodded. Tomoe smiled softly and patted her on the head.
"Himari, she wants to leave. Can you tell them we're quiting."
"Sure. Be right back." Himari nodded and exited the room again.
"Let's get changed while we wait." Tomoe said.
Ran nodded. Tomoe took her to the dressing room and they started switching out of the stage outfits. Moca and Tsugumi joined them and did the same.
"Ran? You don't need to feel bad about this. Things happen. We don't care. We want you to be happy more than anything." Moca stated.
Ran looked at her, her eyes filling with tears again. Tears of relief. She had been worried the others might be a bit mad about having to drop out of this event. Thankfully those thoughts were completely wrong. That was good.
Himari soon returned and joined them.
"They were a bit mad about us leaving. But, nothing they can do about it." Himari stated.
"But didn't they want us to do that?"
"They probably didn't think we would actually do it."
"Sucks to be them."
It wasn't long before everyone was changed and ready to go. Himari lead the way. Ran stuck close to Tomoe's side. Moca was on her other side, holding her hand reassuringly. Tsugumi brought up the rear.
They left the building and went back home. To Ran's home. They all hung out in her room.
"Do you want us to stay or leave?"
Ran grabbed Tomoe tightly. That was enough of an answer for them all. She didn't want them to leave yet. She wanted them to stay with her.
"We'll stay for as long as you need us to. Don't worry, Ran."
Ran was glad she had friends like them. Friends willing to give up big opportunities because her comfort came first. She would have to try and do something to thank them for all they've done for her.
