Tomori sat alone in the RiNG prep room. One hour from now, she would be on stage. But at this moment her mind was occupied with something else entirely.

Between her fingers she held a small, cylindrical object, and she was staring at it like a woman possessed. She squinted and turned it over, utterly fascinated. She looked at it from afar, from up close, and–

“Whatcha doing?”

“O-oh! Raana-chan.” Tomori turned to the girl looking over her shoulder.

“Um, well. The other day, m-my aunt who lives in Kagoshima came to visit a-and gave me this gift, and… I’ve been trying to… figure out what it’s for.”

She presented this gift to Raana. From one end of it, out poked a glossy, cherry-red tip.

“Hm? It’s lipstick. You put it on your lips.”

“I-I know. That’s… not what I mean, though…”

Raana tilted her head.

“I’m wondering… w-what the point is.”

“The point?”

“Y-Yeah.” Tomori’s voiced turned somber and contemplative. “I… know people use it a lot, but… why? What does it signify? Is it… really just for looks, or is there something more to it? I… I want to understand.”

Raana took it and looked it over. “Hmmmm.*”

“Oh! I… should ask Ano-chan. I bet she’d have an answer…”

“…I know.” Raana’s eyes lit up. “I just remembered.”

“R-remembered… what…?”

“When I was younger and SPACE was still open… I’d walk around in the backstage hallways a lot. And some of the women from the bands would be covered in lipstick marks.”

Tomori’s eyes went wide. “E-eh?”

“Once I even looked into a room and I saw one of them putting those marks on the other.”

“O-oh! Really…?”

“Mhm. So I think that’s what it’s for.”

“I… I see,” Tomori said, hesitantly. “But… why do that?”

“Hmmm… Because it’s rock ’n’ roll.”

“Oh! T…that makes sense!”

“Wanna try it?”

“…S-Sure.”

Raana twisted the tube to reveal its contents and clumsily smeared them over her lips. She tossed the thing aside, dived towards Tomori and kissed her exposed shoulder.

“Ah. T-that tickles, Raana-chan.”

Tomori fidgeted and squirmed as Raana worked her way around, up her neck and onto her cheeks. The marks grew fainter and fainter as she went. By the time she reached Tomori’s lips she had, by pure instinct, pushed her down onto the floor.

Raana drew back and wiped her mouth. “That felt pretty punk rock.”

“Yeah.” Tomori’s smile was painted cherry red. “…I-I think so too.”

“…Stray cat. What… the hell… are you doing to Tomori?!”

From the doorway at the opposite end of the room, Taki glared at Raana with bloody murder in her eyes.

“T-Taki-chan! Um, we’re actually practicing our… rock ’n’ roll vibes,” Tomori said as Raana nodded along. “Do you… w-want to join us?”

“I-Wh-H-Ha?!” Taki recoiled. Her eyes darted around the room. Even with an open door behind her, she froze up like a cornered animal.

Raana stood up and picked up the lipstick. As she dragged it over her mouth, she walked ominously towards Taki.

“C’mere, Rikki.”