I pushed open the heavy door of the venue. People had gathered near the stage, which was dimly lit, with a couple of mike stands, huge amps and speakers, and a drum kit at the back. There were two electric keyboards as well, but no piano.

‘The show will begin soon,’ a man announced and the crowd in the bar area flooded excitedly on to the floor near the stage. Shoved from behind, I was carried along with the current. There was still no sign of Mr Yanagi.

The low background music from the PA system suddenly stopped and there were cheers. Shrill voices and deep voices. At this rate I’d never be able to find Mr Yanagi. People pushed from all directions. The stage lights came on, getting an even louder cheer. The band members came on from backstage. One guy had a guitar under his arm, another held his drumsticks over his head. Another … my eyes skipped back to where I’d just been looking. I’d seen that bloke with the drumsticks somewhere before. Why did he seem so familiar?

My little yelp of surprise was drowned out by the sound of the guitar, and above all by the regular thump of the drums as Mr Yanagi began to beat the hell out of them.

The steady rhythm surged right up my spine, goaded on by the throbbing bass, the guitar work growing faster and faster and the vocals shrieking alongside. Enough to numb all your senses. The crowd was leaping, bouncing around, cheering, singing along, yelling, everyone doing their own thing. Every twitch of the vocalist’s body worked the audience into a greater frenzy. Probably able to feel the crowd’s reaction, Mr Yanagi, sweat flying, seemed to be having the time of his life.

The thing is, though, the sound was too loud, so it was impossible to judge if it was any good or not. Maybe it didn’t matter. Up on stage Mr Yanagi looked positively radiant.

The band played four numbers and finished their set to a wave of cheers and applause. The house lights came on and the tension in the room eased. I used the opportunity to wend my way through the crowd into a clear area.

Mr Yanagi in a band? And playing the drums? That was a shocker. I mean – drums? My first thought was that it had to be bad on the ears. Even after they stopped playing my ears were still ringing.

Tomura-kun?

It sounded as if someone was calling my name. Probably just imagining things. It seemed as if lots of people were speaking to me, some close, some far away, but it was an illusion. I’d have to be careful about the noise level at live performances.

Tomura-kun?

I was hearing things again. It had all been too much for my ears. Would Mr Yanagi meet me here? Or would he be out at an after-party with the other band members?