IT'S_STILL_NOT ENOUGH
(Vol. 1 Track 5)

[sfx: door opening, closing]

Toki: I’m back.

Tsugumi: Oh, welcome home…　

Toki: In the same state you were in when I left earlier today, are you? 

Tsugumi: I haven’t moved except to go to the bathroom…

Toki: (exasperated sigh) Have you eaten?

Tsugumi: Ah… I totally forgot…

Toki: I told you before I left, there’s cup ramen on the top shelf. 

Tsugumi: Ugh, boiling the water is too much effort…

Toki: I can’t believe you…

[sfx: footsteps, kettle being filled]

Tsugumi: You wouldn’t happen… to be making cup ramen, would you?

Toki: Huh? I am, so what?

Tsugumi: Eh? But I wanna eat real food…

Toki: I just had work after school and I’m exhausted, I think I’ll pass on cooking.

Tsugumi: What are you doing for work right now?

Toki: Hm? I’m mainly at the cafe, but sometimes I do luggage sorting or merchandise inspections. Kind of stuff I don’t need to use my brain for.

Tsugumi: No way you’re working triple-time… The cafe seems nice but the other two sound real boring.

Toki: If I took more customer service jobs I’d be dead on my feet, so… It’s fine, I manage.

Tsugumi: Did you not say you had an allowance or something?

Toki: I’m saving up for a new guitar.

Tsugumi: Ah, that so? But, y’know–

Toki: I already told you before. I don’t hate working. If you work, you get paid, and people appreciate you. But they don’t care about whether or not you’re having fun.

Tsugumi: Mm.

Toki: Also, I don’t care how long you want to stay glued to that spot, you should at least head to work. You’re pretty close with your coworkers, if you take too much time off they’ll fire you.

[sfx: kettle clicking off]

Tsugumi: Toki, listen, I…!

Toki: And one more thing. Don’t apologise to me. 

[sfx: water pouring]

Toki: Whatever you wanna do with your life, I won’t complain. And probably…

[sfx: Toki grabbing chopsticks]

Toki: Mitsuru, Hibari, they won’t either

[sfx: drawer shutting]

Tsugumi: Hold on, just let me say what I wanna say! You won’t complain? What’s that supposed to mean?

Toki: It means just that. Wait three minutes n’ then eat up. Now then…

[sfx: duvet rustling]

Tsugumi: You’re not eating?

Toki: I had something while I was out, so I’m not hungry. I’m gonna have a quick nap. G’night.

Tsugumi: Wh- Hold on… You’re gonna sleep? Hey, Toki!

[sfx: Toki breathing softly, fast asleep] 

Tsugumi: He falls asleep way too fast. 

[sfx: Toki snoozing peacefully]

Tsugumi: Arrgh! Shit! 

[sfx: Tsugumi walking away]

Toki: (groaning sleepily) Time to get up, huh? (stretching, yawning) Tsugu…? 

[sfx: soft wind, footsteps]

Toki: Found you.

[sfx: swing creaking]

Toki: Doesn’t matter how high you look up, you’re not gonna be able to see the stars. This park’s still in the city centre, after all.

[sfx: creaking stopping suddenly]

Tsugumi: Wuah! No way! Did you put some kinda GPS tracker on me?

Toki: I don’t need one to know where you’re going… Huh? Did you really eat your cup ramen here?

Tsugumi: It tasted like ass. I waited too long and the noodles sucked up all the water.

Toki: And you still ate the whole thing, huh?

Tsugumi: It’s not the noodles’ fault they’re gross.

Toki: Hah, I see.

[sfx: plastic bag rustling, Toki pressing a can against Tsugu’s skin]

Tsugumi: Augh, cold! 

Toki: For you. To wash away the taste?

Tsugumi: With beer? The cup ramen?

Toki: If you don’t drink it, I will.

Tsugumi: …Give it here.

[sfx: Tsugumi popping the can tab]

Tsugumi: (gulping, satisfied sigh) Man, too bad it’s lukewarm. 

Toki: Stop complaining. There’s also this, for you to borrow.

Tsugumi: What is it?

Toki: Can’t you tell? It’s a portable CD player.

[sfx: player clicking open]

Tsugumi: Don’t need it, you keep it.

Toki: I thought you’d wanna listen to this song... Am I wrong?

Tsugumi: No. But it’s been stuck in my head for so long now, I don’t need it. 

[sfx: Tsugumi shoving the player back]

Toki: Were they really that good? RUBIA Leopard.

Tsugumi: No way!

Toki: Pretty formidable, right? Their music. Still, how do I put this… it’s weird to praise someone just for sounding cool.

Tsugumi: I still haven’t even said anything.

Toki: Doesn’t matter anyways. I’ll always like your music more, Tsugu. 

Tsugumi: What’s gotten into you?

Toki: I’m just speaking my mind.

Tsugumi: You idiot, don’t say that with such a straight face, I know that already.

Toki: You know? Good.

Tsugumi: I mean it’s obvious! With your guitar, Mitsuru’s bass, and Hibari on drums, we’re the coolest band in the world! And I’m a musical genius!

Toki: (amused) Right? Knew it.

Tsugumi: But even still… That concert I went to… From the moment it started, I could feel the music completely taking me in. It really caught me off guard.

Toki: I see.

Tsugumi: And like, by the third song, I felt like I’d been knocked off my feet, and before I knew it, . And that flashy vocalist, from up on the stage I could swear he was looking straight at me. “Oi, that’s still not nearly enough.” 

Toki: That vocalist, Higurashi Akane, huh?

Tsugumi: What kinda name is that? Anyways, you know them, don’t you? That band.

Toki: They’ve been doing a lot of TV drama and radio appearances lately, it’s kinda hard not to notice.

Tsugumi: Really? …Since we started performing as Inkuro, I haven’t really been paying attention to any other bands! Singing and making music is just too much fun…

[sfx: swing creaking]

Tsugumi: Hey, Toki… Have you contacted your mom recently?

Toki: Ngh, what’s gotten into you? Don’t worry about it.

Tsugumi: So then why won’t you tell me?

Toki: (sighs) She calls, sometimes.

Tsugumi: Asking you to come home?

Toki: Yup. That’s all she ever calls to say, every single time.

Tsugumi: She hasn’t changed a bit since we were kids!

Toki: I went to university just like she wanted! I wish she’d leave me alone already.

Tsugumi: You and Hibari have school, me and Mitsuru work part-time. We put all our remaining free time into Inkuro… We work pretty hard, don’t we?

Toki: I definitely don’t have the time to be going to mixers, at least.

Tsugumi: Huh? You should totally go to one sometime! There’s girls there too!

Toki: It’s inefficient. 

Tsugumi: Inefficient?

Toki: Even if I go to a bunch of random mixers, there’s no guarantee any of the girls there will be my type, right? I could spend that time playing guitar, making music or whatever instead. That’d be more valuable.

Tsugumi: You’re such an idiot! There’s more than one way to have fun at a mixer!

Toki: What does what I do in my own time have to do with you?

Tsugumi: Man, you’re pretty popular, and you’d still rather do that?

Toki: And what about you? If it was between going to a concert and a mixer you’d still choose the concert.

Tsugumi: Well if they clash, I guess I’d have no choice, right?

Toki: See! Look who’s talking.

Tsugumi: There’d be other mixers! But a live concert is different. Tobi-chan said that no two sound the same!

Toki: You see what I mean? We’re birds of a feather here.

Tsugumi: Well, you aren’t wrong! 

[sfx: swing creaking]

Tsugumi: All I need is my favourite people by my side, going to my favourite places, and making music I like, and to keep on living however I decide. So who cares about going pro. That’s what I’ve always thought.

Toki: Sounds about right. That’s the conclusion all four of us came to.

Tsugumi: But when I saw him, up on that stage, it felt like he was talking directly to me. “What on earth have you been doing all this time?”

[sfx: Tsugumi hopping off the swing]

Tsugumi: Indie bands, no matter what, aren’t held back by a smaller venue, and we can blow people’s minds with that kinda free-spirited music…! We have that, at least. But when I saw that guy, I knew that he, more than me, more than all of us… is the one who’s really free.

Toki: You felt frustrated, huh?

Tsugumi: More than anything I felt angry! Why do they get to be the ones up on that stage, why not us?! Inkuro’s better than anyone, so isn’t that weird?!

Toki: (laughing, giggling)

Tsugumi: The hell are you laughing at?!

Toki: Nothing! That’s just a very you thing to say, that’s all.

Tsugumi: Well of course it’s a me thing to say, I said it! I still don’t get why you’re laughing! 

Toki: Sorry, my bad. This is good though, right?

Tsugumi: What is?!

Toki: You’ve finally figured out why you feel unsatisfied, right?

Tsugumi: I’m not really… unsatisfied.

Toki: Even though you’ve been feeling unexcited by our concerts recently?

Tsugumi: E- Eh? That’s not true…

Toki: You think I haven’t noticed? Don’t underestimate me. Do you know how many times I’ve listened to you sing? I know better than anyone just how amazing you can be. 

Tsugumi: Performing our music for everyone to hear is fun. But I don’t understand why that’s not enough for me. 

Toki: It’s exactly because it’s so fun. When you feel satisfied, you start craving even more. And it’s not just you… I feel it too. At first I just wanted to hear your music. Then after that I wanted other people to hear it too, so we made a band. And if you’re going to the trouble of making a band, you want to play alongside the best. You become greed itself. It never ends.

Tsugumi: The first time we all played together… was the best moment of my life. I don’t need anything else, we can just stay in this moment forever…! That’s really what I thought…

Toki: But you can’t be satisfied with just the pleasure of making music anymore.

Tsugumi: …

Toki: You said it yourself, just a second ago. “Why do they get to be the ones up on that stage, why not us? Inkuro’s better than anyone.” You already know how it is, right? If you want to get up on that stage, we can’t just do what we’ve always done. And we can’t do it alone.

Tsugumi: This is just a guess, Toki… But did you say something about this to Tobi-chan?

Toki: (unconvincingly) Noo.. Not really…

Tsugumi: Aaaaugh! I should’ve known you two were working together! I thought the timing was way too perfect to be a coincidence!

Toki: Don't be shy about it, give him a proper push, that’s all I told him.

Tsugumi: You dirty liar.

Toki: If the box you’re living in is too small, you’d better move to a bigger one. No matter where we go next we’ll still be free. Crows fly high above in the sky, after all. Right?

Tsugumi: That’s… I mean… You’re not wrong. Is it really okay for me to decide something this important by myself?

Toki: You being hesitant, that’s new! I said before, whatever you wanna do with your life, I won’t complain. Oh, I have this too, you gave it to me. I’m returning it.

Tsugumi: A score sheet…? I don’t remember giving you anything like…

[sfx: paper turning]

Tsugumi: This is…! What the hell, when did you write this?

Toki: Sometime after I went to school and went to work, and after I had something light to eat and had a nap, but before I went to school again, I think? 

Tsugumi: You lead a tough life, huh? But anyways, this song…!

Toki: What? …Do you not like it?

Tsugumi: You dumbass, it’s amazing! But, it’s different than it was before! And these lyrics…!

Toki: ‘What are we gonna do now, you ask? We’re going to fly’ … is what I went for.

Tsugumi: That so…? (short laugh) I guess you’re right!