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Chapter Eleven
Part Two

“Hey!” Now it seems like it’s Souma’s turn to be ribbed on, but the chance to laugh is lost on me. Two of my seniors are very close, both touching me in fact, and they’re both making light of a feature of mine I’d never noticed before on my own. Now it’s all I can notice.

“Senpai, you’re going to scare her off if you keep that up.” Kyouko murmurs, a bit of a low edge to her voice that gets both of them to detach from me. Unfortunately, it seems like my hallmate has made herself their new target for lighthearted harassment.

“Oh of course! Wouldn’t want your girlfriend thinking badly about us!” Chisato’s grin is deviously playful and I’m relieved I don’t have a drink in my hand. I’d hate to get spit all over the piano.

“Hallmate.” Kyouko retaliates, cool as ice even through grit teeth. Her calm reaction is reassuring, but it still serves to make me feel bad about mine.

“Oh don’t try to deny it, Kyoucchan~,” Enomoto is the next one to speak, her voice laced with overtly-cutesy tones. “You can’t hide that you were all over Soracchi~ here this morning in the main hall!”
Wait, I’ve got a diabetes-inducing nickname now too?

“Oh yeah, we saw everything.” Souma interjects, the two older girls giving a high-five around waist level (a low-five?) before turning back to appreciate our reactions.

It seems Enomoto is the craftier Senpai when it comes to Kyouko because my hallmate’s previously plain cheeks have fired up to an intense red. I’m not sure exactly what part did her in, but I’d be surprised if even I’m blushing as hard as she is.

“You guys are fucking jerks,” Kyouko groans, covering her face and then, to my surprise, smiling a bit through her unexpectedly bright blush. “I guess I’ll just ask one of you to be my ‘girlfriend’ tomorrow instead.”

Huh, that was a surprisingly deft reversal there. Alas, the two jokester seniors aren’t that easily affected.

“Hmm, it’s a tempting offer,” Enomoto smirks, stepping towards Kyouko. My eyes wander to her cane and how it differs from Kyouko’s. Though her cane is clearly for support, she seems not to rely on it much at all. “But I think I’ll pass this time. You’d probably get bored at the pool anyway.”

“Yeah, you’re not wrong there.” Kyouko sighs, laughing softly to herself. It has a nice lifting effect on the four of us, and the tense atmosphere of teasing takes its temporary leave once again.

I’m not really sure what to make of everything I’ve just witness, but it’s clear that Kyouko has known these two for quite some time. I’ll have to ask about it later, but for now there’s the issue of post-class plans to handle.

“Alright, that’s enough play you guys,” I’m shocked from my thoughts when Souma decides to execute a tackling hug on me. For once I’m thankful for my stature because it’s probably all that’s kept my shorter Senpai from toppling me over. “We should go celebrate Sora’s drafting into the Music Club!” Oh Thank God that obnoxiously cute nickname isn’t sticking around.

“Leave it to Chisato to think of excuses to go out,” Enomoto chuckles, turning away from Kyouko to restore our group to the vague square it had been in. “I guess we have to decide where, though.”

“We could always do the Shanghai!” Chisato hums delightedly, but immediately gets a less than savory look from her blonde comrade. Wait, that name is familiar.

“On the first night of school? I knew you were crazy, girl, but not that crazy,” Enomoto laughs, sighing and turning to the two of us for a moment. “You know the Shanghai, Sora?”

“Well, my classmates were actually looking to go there after club activities and invited me,” I murmur, seeing no reason to be opaque here. “But it sounds kind of popular right now…” This said to emphasize that I’m not a fan of that condition.

“See? And that’s just Sora’s friends we know about. As much as I like the place, it’s dreadful when it’s over-crowded.” Enomoto hums and Souma nods reluctantly in agreement.

“I guess you have a point. I’d hate to swamp Yuuko even worse. Say, Sora!” She turns to me, closing the small gap again and grabbing my hand again. The amount of casual contact I’ve been pushed into since I got here is nothing short of remarkable, but I suppose I don’t mind it. “Maybe we could convince your friends to come along with us and find someplace else?”

I blink as I stare back at her before looking to the other two to see if there’s an answer hidden somewhere in their faces. Their expectant appearances seem telling enough, but…

“I think we could try,” I murmur, looking away nervously as Souma continues to hold up my hand. “I got the impression that Junko was set on the Shanghai but… Well, she and Anja are both from the area.”

“Ah, they might know some good alternatives then! Although, the town isn’t that terribly big.” Souma sighs for a moment, the atmosphere dampening when my hallmate does something curious. After a second of introspection, she produces a cellphone and presses it to her ear after a quick button press.

“Uncle Eric.” She speaks into it a moment later as the rest of stare, a bit dumbfounded. There’s a flash of recognition as she starts to talk. Unfortunately, it’s followed by pity as a voice loud enough to be heard from meters away comes from the phone’s speaker. That said, all I can make out for certain from the other end is Kyouko’s name. Poor girl was expecting it and still looks a bit shaken.

“Yes, it’s been fine, nothing’s really happened… Yes, she’s right here, actually…” Kyouko’s face goes through so many different emotions in a few minutes that everybody can’t help standing around silently to watch. This is in spite of how inherently annoying half-conversations are.

“You can? There are going to be,” Kyouko pushes the receiver away from her mouth, calling in my direction. “How many of your friends was it, Sora?”

“Three…” I answer automatically, blinking at the suddenness. Kyouko relays the answer.

Ah, I should probably mention one of them is in a wheelchair though…

“Alright, we’ll worry about anything unforeseen later… No, maybe later. Let me hang out with friends first why don’t you?” Kyouko laughs a bit, setting the atmosphere back at ease. I hadn’t even realized before her laughing that it was so surprisingly tense here.

She closes up her phone with a loud sigh, the rest of us looking on expectantly.

“Well?” Souma is the first one unable to hold her tongue, unsurprisingly.

“He’s bringing the accessible van. We should go find your friends and see if they’re actually okay with this, Sora.” Kyouko turns towards where I had been, several feet away from my current position. I didn’t notice that either. I’m starting to wonder if I’m really in control of myself right now…

“Right,” I nod nervously, the phonation giving Kyouko a better reference for my position. “Um… I’m not sure exactly where to find them all. Junko’s probably at the track.”

“Let’s start there! Is everybody ready to go?” Enomoto smiles, her cane tapping against the ground to add some emphasis to her point.

The three of us give some variation of an affirmative, the light rustle of our bags filling the room before we’re all ready to start off. I take up my spot next to Kyouko, even when Enomoto offers to take care of it for me. I’m still getting used to this, so there’s no use turning down another chance to get acclimated.

“Alright then, to the track!” Souma grins, punching an arm forward triumphantly, heralding the departure of the four of us from the Music Club room.

I’m not sure where exactly we’ll end up, but it all seems like it’ll be fine.

When I first envisioned this chapter, I saw a scene at the Shanghai with all the Yamaku students I cared to introduce and feature heavily in the story. In that sense, naming it after Camille Saint-saëns Orient et Occident seemed like a chance to pay homage to the famous little tea cafe. Of course, this didn't happen, and I fully ignored that the piece itself is much more "Occident" than "Orient." Still, I feel like the chapter I ended up with is well accompanied by the piece. Though it was originally written for orchestra, Saint-saëns' opus 25 probably received its life through the concert/military band instead. Though the themes are charming, it wouldn't be uncommon for an orchestral mind to call them cliche and trite. That said, the piece is rife with solid counterpoint, including a fantastic fugato section, and is orchestrationally superb in all areas. All of these were in high demand by the band in its formative years, thus its elevation to a guaranteed spot in the top 100 pieces for the ensemble.

Chapter 12: Bydlo
Part One

A loud ringing buzzes in my ears and nearly shocks me upright. My eyes dart open, but even so all I can comprehend is utter darkness.

The detail of my room in the morning comes into focus moments later, but something is keeping me from turning toward my alarm clock to stop its incessant sounding. There’s a heavy weight in my shoulders and in my stomach, and I feel like I can barely move my arms…

Oh, that’s right. It’s normal not to be able to move the right. The left is the more concerning conundrum, but I don’t have a chance to contemplate the reason before a spike of pain courses through me, centered just below the navel. Even though it stings my muscles, I bolt upright from the shock, gasping as my nerves fire anxious warnings elsewhere into my body in response.

It’s all I can do not to scream, but the personal hell I’ve been thrust into is ended just as quickly as it’s begun. I bite my lip hard, panting as I try to regain control of myself and an appreciation for my surroundings.

I’m in my room, sitting up in bed, wearing a plain tank and shorts. My body is absolutely drenched in sweat, and there’s a dull throbbing in my center that didn’t go away when my nerve endings went back to behaving themselves.

“Period soon…” I groan to myself in defeated recognition.

A quick inspection confirms I haven’t started bleeding yet, but the red is going to start flowing fairly soon. At the very least, this answers the question I’d had last night wondering why I was starting to feel so sore. Here I was thinking I couldn’t get blindsided by cramps anymore…

“Ah…” I suddenly belch, holding myself in as memories of the day and night prior rush to my head. Not a single one of them was unhappy or anything, but the flow of thought is too intense…

I bolt out of bed, ignoring the protesting of my limbs that are still sore from walking a bit more than they were used to in a day. I must be making some unearthly clamor, but I don’t care at this point as I push the door to my dorm open and rush for the bathroom.

A few minutes later, I’ve avoided an unfortunate spew from the opposite end as I woke up worried about, and my stomach feels extraordinarily empty again. A quick chaser of water helps dispel the sticky bitterness that clings to my throat, but it takes a few more repetitions to cleanse it completely.

“Sora?” My name is called suddenly, and I nearly jump out of my skin in response.

“Ah, Kyouko,” I murmur under my breath, sounding far more bitter than I’d intended. “You surprised me there… Um…” I don’t know exactly what to say here, actually. The thoughts of our night out with our new group of friends are too distracting to allow me to concentrate.

“Everything’s alright?” Her voice cracks a bit and she seems as surprised by it as I am. At the very least it’s comforting that I’m not alone in speaking in a way I don’t intend to.

“Things are fine… Just woke up too suddenly and well…” I look down in embarrassment, my toes curling against the cold bathroom tiles. The rest of the sentence is something along the lines of “I’m just so used to throwing up that it happened automatically,” I know too well.

For her part, my hallmate looks concerned, but there’s a hesitation in her voice as she continues.

“Should we call the Nurse..?” She doesn’t seem to know exactly what to say here, but I’m also starting to pick up that she might not be all herself this morning either. Kyouko looks remarkably pale.

“That won’t be necessary… It’s just morning s–,“ Rethink that phrasing right now you blithering imbecile. “It happens sometimes I guess. I’m also starting my period today so…” I scratch my cheek nervously, trying to laugh it off. Truthfully, I’ve already calmed down a bit, but the cramps sure aren’t relenting.

Kyouko’s eyes go a bit wide, but it’s more as if she has more questions to ask now than understanding of my answers. She doesn’t pursue it, closing them again and nodding solemnly.

“I guess that time of month gets all of us in different ways,” She says slowly, almost like she’s trying to reassure herself of something. “You’re not just telling me something I want to hear?”

The frown on her face is a powerful guilt-tripping device, but I’m only being partially dishonest here.

“Not at all. It’s just been an exciting first couple of days and my stomach is just naturally weak…” I murmur, though it hurts a bit to admit it aloud. That said, even though it hurts, it’s a little refreshing to be getting it off my chest.

She nods, and I start feeling bad again, stepping past her and giving her a pat on the shoulder. It’s supposed to be reassuring, but my current thoughts force it to be unconvincing.

“I’ll be back out soon. Have a good shower.” I give a smile, but there’s no need for anything but a nod from my hallmate in order for me to be dismissed.

I look at myself in the mirror again, looking an absolute mess. Even my hair has surpassed the threshold of acceptability, and I’m apparently one bad step away from exposing more of my chest than I’d ever be comfortable exposing. Even knowing Kyouko is blind doesn’t reassure me; rather, it makes me feel worse.

“Truth be told,” I murmur to myself, starting to strip for my own shower, searching about for cramp medicine and pads first. “It actually gets better when I’m cramping.” I sigh, contemplating the irony of it all as I take another step out of my door to start my shower.

The rest of the morning progresses about the same way as it had yesterday. We shower next to each other, Kyouko is finished before I am, she waits for me to be done so we can talk. It seems like some of the paleness in her cheeks has warmed up again as we return to our doors.

We’re up impressively early, I realize, almost 20 minutes before yesterday’s already inhumane hour. Kyouko has already been up for a while like yesterday, but she has yet to get her first power nap in.

“It’ll be a few minutes. If you wanna go on ahead you can.” She gives a smile, the warmth in her cheeks reassuring. Still, it’s quite obvious she’s getting restless, which I figure is the reason she was pale before.

“I’m not going to leave my hallmate behind.” I blink in surprise at the suggestion. Isn’t she still learning the school at this point? Sure Enomoto and Souma seemed like they could help her from yesterday’s interactions, but does she even have a way to let them know?

“Well, I don’t mind it too much, I can,” She bites her lip before smiling suddenly and brightly. “Well, I guess if you’re offering, I can hardly turn the offer down.”

Something about the way she says this is incredibly flattering, but all I can do is offer a small verbal “Mhm” before departing for my dorm. I guess that leaves me with some free time then, doesn’t it?

Continued...

Chapter Twelve
Part Two

Rather than find something productive to do, I just spend the 20 minute-long period lying on my back, groaning from pain every now and again as I rerun last night’s trip with Dr. Tadamichi through my head. As it turns out, my concerns for Seto were unwarranted as the van was handicap accessible and absolutely huge. I didn’t even know vans that size were allowed here in Japan, but I probably was just imagining that there was some kind of restriction on vehicle size.

The Not-A-Real-Doctor ended up taking us halfway to the outskirts of Sendai, to a little roadside ramen shop. The place didn’t even look much like a shop given its plain, homey décor, but it actually ended up being really tasty even if I couldn’t finish my bowl. Surprisingly, neither Junko nor Anja knew about the place, but I suppose we’re not exactly living in a small place.

Somehow, the issue of appearance never came up. I suppose Seto’s presence helped in that regard, otherwise I think a strangely dressed middle-aged man taking a bunch of high school-aged girls around to really unknown locales would have drawn some really curious stares…

Still, I can’t shake the feeling that even with two guys there it was just a massive girl’s night out. I think I’m just imagining things.

Even with those few concerning things, it was still a pretty fun evening. I never really thought to ask why Kyouko was so familiar with Enomoto and Souma, but it’s not exactly a pressing issue.

Even though we left with a fair amount of daytime remaining, it was still dark by the time we’d returned. Dr. Tadamichi was talkative and always had something relevant to butt into our conversations, and somehow I was pretty thankful for it. It helped drive the rest of us on, finding ways to joke with each other and learn more without really ever prying. It might have been one of the most intriguing master classes I’ve seen dealing with social interaction.

I blink suddenly when my eyelids flutter shut, groaning when I jump in surprise. I guess I’ve been dozing off a bit, but thankfully I haven’t entirely lost track of time.

There’s still some time before Kyouko will wake up, or needs to be woken up, but I’m suddenly too bored to just lie around. I might as well complete my writing drills from last night, though I don’t really have enough time to get through the rest.

It doesn’t take long for those small minutes to pass by, a light stirring coming from the other room. I drop my pencil, sighing to myself before standing with a bit of difficulty. Thankfully, the medicine is starting to kick in a bit by now and the throbbing pains are reducing to more general discomfort.

Kyouko is already standing outside her door, yawning with an unmistakably happy grin on her face. Her hair is tussled up a bit, but otherwise she looks perfectly ready to go for the rest of the day, case and bag both strapped against her securely.

“Sleep well?” I ask, a bit amused I can ask a question like that when we’d last talked just over 20 minutes ago.

“Hmm, you could say that! Ready to go?” She inclines her head towards me expectantly, donning one of the most toxically cute and brilliant grins I think I’ve ever seen. It’s a familiar smile, and I recognize why after a moment’s pause. Kaede sure has a capable example in her sister.

“Y-yeah,” I feel a rush of heat to my cheeks, feeling woefully inadequate in light of such an impressive display. Was her sleep really that good? “You didn’t forget anything, right?”

“Hmm… Nope! Don’t think so!” She continues the sickeningly sweet behavior after double-checking all of her belongings. The curiosity inside me is threatening to spill out of my mouth, but I hold tight.

We link up to head for class once again. It’s warmer outside, but it’s still woefully cool for my liking. It’s likely too cold for an April morning too, for that matter, but I’m still stuck in the mindset that we’re just suffering some of Nature’s debt collection for giving us early cherry blossoms.

Kyouko is buzzing ecstatically next to me, and it’s getting to the point where I don’t know if I can ignore it any longer. She looked like she’d met Death when I saw her earlier in the morning; now it’s as if she’s just won... Something big…

At least my brain is only failing me in my own head and not aloud during an actual conversation.

“I’m not trying to go too fast, right?” Kyouko’s voice shocks me out of my stupor, the concern laced in her words derailing my perception of her face and manner. She isn’t facing me, but her demeanor has cooled considerably out of nowhere.

“Too fast?” I blink, looking down to her as we continue our walk. While it’s one of the last things on my mind, I’m still a little impressed how we’ve gotten used to walking together like this.

“I mean,” She bites her lip before stifling a chuckle, restoring some of the brilliance to her face. “I feel like I’m dragging you along a bit, and you’re fighting cramps, right..? That and you’ve been quiet…”

Kyouko, could you please not say things about my cramps so loudly in public?

Rather, once I get over that little bit, I recognize there’s something fishy about her way of speaking. It’s very subtle that she’s hesitating, but it’s noticeable enough that I can tell. The more I think about it though, the more and more I get confused. Why would she be hesitant to ask about my well-being?

“Sorry, I’m fine,” I try to dismiss her concerns with a laugh, but the sound that comes out is choked up enough that I know it isn’t effective. “I’m not usually that loud anyway, right?”

She blinks in surprise at that assertion, but it seems I’ve made a valid point given her nod.

“I guess you’re right… I don’t know. I’m probably just jumping to some weird conclusions.” She giggles nervously, taking a page out of the impossibly adorable book once more as we continue at a lesser pace.

Not much else interesting happens on the way to class, but we at least are able to carry on a bit of appropriate small talk. There are a couple of new classes being taught today, and we share a few concerns about them before we depart. It turns out even Kyouko Tadamichi has a limit to the number of enthralling conversations she can provide.

Frankly, as busy as this morning has been so far I’m rather thankful for it. It would be a bit too much to handle if every day was like my first two at Yamaku, so I’ll take some relative boredom when I can get it.

Before I can leave though, I feel a deft tap on my shoulder, turning to face Kyouko once again.

“What is it?” I tilt my head curiously, raising my brow as I try to search her criminally cute expression.

“I just wanted to ask something silly before you left.” On second inspection, it seems Kyouko isn’t quite on top of her game as I think she is. Her cheeks are alight with red, and she looks somewhat stiff.

“S-sure?” I blither, feeling a sinking sensation in my stomach. Doesn’t this situation seem incredibly, terrifyingly familiar?

I’m set at ease when she speaks up again, steeling her nerves after a moment’s contemplation.

“Well… What color is your hair, Sora?” Her eyes come dangerously close to meeting mine exactly. Of course, now I’m just inordinately confused rather than ridiculously uptight.

Why is a blind girl asking about the color of my hair?

“Auburn.” I answer her despite my misgivings, swallowing loudly enough I’m positive I’ve been heard.

After re-writing these events, I didn't feel like Promenade was an appropriate title for the chapter anymore. So it's fortunate that one of my favorite short sections of music not only fits the narrative of the story here fairly well, but keeps the title within the constraints of Pictures at an Exhibition. The piano piece by Modest Mussorgsky, written to the memory of the artist Viktor Hartmann, is most often heard today as an orchestra piece thanks to the efforts of Maurice Ravel. In Ravel's orchestration, a screechingly high tuba solo serves to depict the titular Bydlo (Polish for cattle) drawing a massive cart while the orchestra plays low, ponderous accompaniment. The solo is one of my favorites in the repertoire as the instrument it was written for, the French C tuba, has since fallen out of use. Bydlo today is most often played on a euphonium, an instrument actually tuned a whole step lower than the French C. As a tubist myself however, the sound of the solo played on the even lower bass tuba in F or E-flat gives the movement an even weightier and more appropriate sensation than can be accomplished on a euphonium, even if this is in some ways a less accurate sound than the one Ravel envisioned.

Much better pacing than previously (though I'm not quite sure where the rewrite begins...)

I think you should clarify the extent of Kyouko's blindness soon. She can't be very blind the way she acts. (finding her way around on her second day and walking faster than the sighted person next to her...)

Mirage_GSM wrote:Much better pacing than previously (though I'm not quite sure where the rewrite begins...)

I think you should clarify the extent of Kyouko's blindness soon. She can't be very blind the way she acts. (finding her way around on her second day and walking faster than the sighted person next to her...)

The rewrite begins in chapter 7, though I was able to recycle a lot of text from the previous edition so it might not look that different at a glance. The most noticeable changes then start taking place in chapter 8. The basic gist is that there's been no crazy dream to talk about and therefore no talk in the hallway. Thanks for pointing this out though, I've modified the title post to reflect where the re-writing has begun.

The recklessness on Kyouko's part is going to become less of an issue as we go on, but I'm going to leave it there for the moment. I have a plan in place that I don't want to tease too heavily.

Chapter 13: Gymnopédies
Part One

My answer is met by silence, though it’s not quiet given there’s a class of students getting ready for their second day all around us. Rather, my response seems to be a visual, curious considering whom it’s from. Kyouko’s face lights up considerably for some time, disappearing after a moment.

“Why do you ask?” I finally chance speaking again, biting my lip. I run the same question of ‘why’ by my brain a thousand times and I continue to fall short of providing an answer.

“Hmm, curiosity I guess.” She doesn’t lose her smile, but some of her energy is redirected to her cheeks.

It’s a perfectly reasonable answer, but somehow I found myself doubting it. Now I don’t understand why she’d be curious about something so foreign to her senses. Even thinking about how she’s been in an accident herself does nothing to dispel the confusion swamping my head.

Thankfully, the confusion is focused more into light cramping pains than a sudden urge to expel my quick breakfast into a toilet bowl. Grain bars don’t taste that good coming back up.

“Alright then...” It’s all I can really manage to muster. I’m starting to feel unbearably tired at this point, which doesn’t bode well considering there’s another full day of classes looming.

“Hey, Sora?” She speaks up again about as soon as I’ve turned back around, forcing me into yet another acknowledgement. It’s not that I even mind it, but it’s getting tiring very quickly.

“Yeah?” I tilt my head again. Will this be another strange question or something tamere?

“Do you mind if I tag along for lunch?” She tilts herself forward slyly, rocking back and forth waiting for my answer. Did she really have to make such a big deal of it like that?

“Yeah, that’s fine.” I smile and nod despite my sudden exhaustion. Then I have a clever idea.

Leaning forward, I take her hand and close my eyes. This is payback for yesterday’s departing message.

“I shan’t keep you waiting, my Lady.” I hum, passing close enough she can feel my breath on her skin but not near close enough to touch it directly with my lips. Now for the reaction…

Ah shit, now I’m starting to shake a bit. The smile has drained from my hallmate’s face, replaced by a curious, seemingly awestruck stare. There’s nothing she’s staring at of course, but it’s not what I was expecting to find when I looked back up. Was that too heavy-handed?

“R-right… Of course… Prince Charming,” Kyouko lets go of my hand after a moment, her voice quivering at first but steadying by the end of her response. “Class is about to start though, so don’t be late.”

“Right…” I murmur, staring back at her for a moment without a clue of how to proceed. I can’t read her reaction very well at all, but I can’t imagine it being a good one. I was expecting another instantaneous jab when I said it, but what I got instead… Should I say I was just joking around?

I’m already out the door and in my seat for homeroom by the time I come back to my senses. Nakahara is already at her desk, idly reading what appears to be a sports magazine, and Anja is enjoying a little conversation with Seto. The two of them greet me as I sit.

“Hey, are you okay?” Seto asks with a frown on his face, turning about deftly in his chair to face me.

“Huh? Yeah why?” I blink, surprised I’ve been wearing my emotions so obviously on my sleeve. Although, based on Anja’s surprised reaction, maybe he’s just making an unlikely mental leap.

“You just look a little beat,” He smiles warmly, putting his arms over my desk and leaning forward a bit. “You didn’t wear yourself out getting driven all around Sendai last night, did you?”

“Let’s just call it that,” I murmur, some more red rushing back to my cheeks as I smother my face against the table. “I don’t know how well I can stay awake, so please take good notes for my sake…”

“It’s only the second day and you’re already thinking about napping through class?” Anja raises her eyebrow, her expression a mixture of confusion and concern.

“I’m really not a naturally good student…” I complain, but it doesn’t seem to convince my classmate. She pats my desk unhappily, leaning over me. The glint of her necklace is what catches my attention at first.

“If you can’t stay up yourself we’ll make sure you stay awake.” Anja’s frown is tripping all of the guilt sensors in my brain, and even my sudden tiredness can’t overcome it.

“I’m not just tired…” I murmur, but nevertheless right myself just as the bell rings to start classes.

I don’t know if Anja understands what I’m getting at exactly, but at the very least my return to attention has gotten her off my back. Neither of them has suggested the Nurse, so I’m thankful for that.

This day is going to end up being even more boring than yesterday, and what’s worse is that I can’t shake my interactions with Kyouko out of my head. From the hair color question to my attempt at payback for yesterday’s flirtations… To call it an embarrassing turn of events is an understatement.

I barely even notice the changing of classes between Nakahara and Onitsuka, even if the first seemed to take an eternity. My head crashes against the desk and I do all I can to take notes from there. It seems like Anja and Seto are too busy writing down what he’s written on the board to notice, at least.

Ah, I probably should have let them know before class started that Kyouko would be joining us.

There’s no use complaining about my lack of foresight when class is progressing this slowly. Not only that, but Onitsuka has already established himself as one of the least attentive teachers I’ve ever met.

“Anja,” I groan, voice muffled by my arm while it rests on the table and supports my head. “Kyouko wanted to join us for lunch today.”
I don’t get any answer but some light shuffling for some time. Thankfully this happens before I just give up and project my voice traditionally.

“What did I say about sleeping?” It’s clear from her voice that Anja is a bit miffed, but I hope the dismissive wave of my hand is enough to satisfy her.

“I’m not sleeping. I’m just letting you know that Kyouko wants to join us during lunch.” I sigh, gaining a bit of fun out of this engagement suddenly. Having to rely on something other than my eyes here is unique. Is this what you would call gaining a new perspective?

“Oh,” She pauses for a moment, her answer lingering in the air for a second. “Yeah, that’s fine. Junko will probably be happy to have somebody else to steal food from at least.”

I laugh a bit underneath my arm, nodding to the best of my ability without breaking my surprisingly comfortable position.

“There’s safety in numbers isn’t there?” It’s too bad we’re not in biology right now; my comment would even be relevant to the class being taught that way.

“That’s for sure.” Anja giggles a bit herself before our conversation ends. Missing so much visual information has me painfully curious, but my laziness is trumping all by now.

“And Kyouko lives with this…” I mutter under my breath. Apparently this isn’t said quietly enough that I’m not heard, however.

“Something else?” Anja’s voice cut in, but I wave it off and shake my head without a verbal response.

There really isn’t anything else to be said beyond that for the rest of the period. The bell rings before too long, and I finally lift my head off the desk, smiling at the board for a moment even when all I can see are spots and stars.

I’m actually feeling pretty decently despite not catching any actual rest. The red spot on my forehead is a little embarrassing, but my hair is at least just long enough to cover most of it as I stand.

As expected, Junko links up with us, grinning and giving a thumbs-up when she’s told about Kyouko. She leads us out the door, starting a conversation with Anja that immediately concerns neither Seto nor me. I can at least pick out something about there being an adorable upperclassman on the track team, but that’s the extent of my involvement.

“You guys go ahead. I’ll go talk to Kyouko.” I separate from the pack as soon as soon as we’ve passed her room, the rest of them nodding and waving back.

“Sure. We’ll try to be at the same table as last time!” Junko calls back before resuming her conversation with Anja. I nod along, sighing as I turn to the room. To my surprise, Kyouko is just about to the door already.

“Hey there… Kyouko.” I call, adding her name when I realize a sudden call into a classroom of legally blind students accompanied by just a wave might be more than a little confusing.

“Ah?” She blinks and stops suddenly in her tracks, which almost gets her bowled over by another student. Instead, all she gets is a light tapping from another’s white cane. “Oh um… Sora, right?”

“Yeah,” I bite my lip, suddenly feeling a bit bad as I step into the room with a bit of bravado so I can at least give a bit of sound-mapping to those present. “Sorry about that… You ready to go?”

There’s a hint of red on her cheeks as she nods, brushing off her skirt for a moment. It seems she won’t be taking anything but her cane, so our carefully prepared walking arrangement from the morning will be unnecessary. Considering how our interactions have gone today, I can’t say I’m disappointed by a missed chance to practice at all.

Continued...

Chapter Thirteen
Part Two

“It’s fine,” She adds as we link up, her presence against my dead arm starting to feel more and more like a natural occurrence with every repetition. “Even Prince Charming can make mistakes.”

The wry grin on her face is not going to help me overcome the sudden jolt of embarrassment sent down my spine.

“H-hey now…” I murmur, but her giggle cuts me off. Just like that, it seems like my concerns have been lifted about what I said. Even still, I feel bad that she’s gotten so easily back into teasing me.

“You really are too fun, you know? It’s not often that I can tell right away how well it works.” She grins, gently pressing her elbow into my side as her laugh eventually infects me. We enter the hall, her cane tapping along the ground as we weave through crowds of Yamaku traffic.

“I guess that means you’d rather I didn’t stop then?” I smile as we walk, feeling at ease again even if I’m having to deal with a little discomfort. Her question about my hair still burns in my mind a bit, but I’ll leave my curiosity for later.

When we arrive, I’m hardly surprised that the group isn’t that far ahead of us. Seto seems to have actually broken into the conversation from the looks of it, though it’s impossible to tell what they’re talking about over the incredible din of the crowd. It’s subtle, but I feel Kyouko tugging a bit tighter to my side as we step into that noise.

The menu today is just as varied as it had been yesterday, and only a few of the most popular or most need-oriented dishes are being offered again today. A few items have already sold out too, but it seems like I can always fall back on curry if the need arises.

“Do you have an idea of what you want?” I look to Kyouko. The number of choices must be overwhelming for somebody who’s limited to feeling words rather than reading them. Even I’m a bit overwhelmed being able to read them normally.

“Something lighter. Do they have deli sandwiches?”

“Yeah,” I murmur after looking around and settling on two separate areas. There’s a custom deli bar, with a steep price tag to boot, and then a number of pre-made choices in one of the many refrigerated displays. “What kind would you like?”

“Tuna salad.” She says solemnly as we step up to the pre-made selection.

“Alright,” There aren’t too many tuna salad sandwiches left, but thankfully none of them are wildly different from the others. I decide on a sandwich with pork cutlet, reveling in my ability to snatch the very last one of its kind for the day. “Anything else? The miso soup is supposed to be pretty good.”

“This is fine, thank you.” She smiles.

This doesn’t really stop me from getting some for myself anyway. It’s not instant, but despite my statement I’ve actually heard the soup can be quite hit or miss. I’ll take anything that’ll warm me up a little inside though.

We pick up our drinks, green tea for the both of us. It’s disappointing, but it really seems like black coffee isn’t served here. I suppose that might actually be good for my wallet, but it’s still unfortunate.

As promised, everybody else is sitting at the table already, two seats saved for us on the opposite end of them. Junko seems to have finally abandoned talking in favor of devouring a plate of curry, but there are still words being exchanged by Anja and Seto as we approach.

“Ah, Sora! Kyouko!” In spite of this observation, Junko is the first to look up and greet us, her face not leaving her plate as it’s rapidly depleted of its medium-spicy contents.

“That was…” Kyouko’s brow furrows suddenly, but I cover for her as smoothly as I can manage.

“Hey Junko,” I smile, taking the seat closest to her before turning to Anja and Seto and doing them the same courtesy with a nod of the head. “Everybody kind of went for the curry today then?”

There’s a collective nod followed by a collective “yeah” as we finish seating ourselves, unpacking our sandwiches and opening the caps to our drinks. I down about half of mine in one go, sighing with relief when it leaves my lips. Kyouko settles for a more proper approach.

“First it’s eating, now it’s drinking huh?” Anja grins, drawing the attention of the table to me in the process.

“It’s something today, I guess.” I groan, taking another drink in hopes it might conceal my blush, but the way everybody starts to laugh tells me the effort is futile. Despite the mortification, I smile when I get back to displaying my face. Being joked with is miles better than my previous situation.

I’d been so apprehensive about Yamaku, but it feels like I’m already getting into the flow of things here.

The rest of lunch passes with more idle small talk between all of us. Kyouko is eating slowly and carefully, while Junko whines about the lack of variety in the food she can steal. It’s a peaceful atmosphere, to the point where I almost fail to notice something is a bit off with me.

“Ah, hey I’m going to head to the bathroom.” I stand suddenly, groaning a bit as I feel the cramp medicine start to falter. I at least brought my pills, but they’re in the bag I left in the classroom.

“Do you need company?” Kyouko angles her head towards me, ignoring the last few bites of her sandwich for the moment.

“I think I’ll be fine, it’ll just be a minute.” I shrug, gathering up my trash and waving to the group as I exit the cafeteria. There should still be plenty of time before class in case I have to make an emergency run to my bag, but overall I’m just expecting a routine trip.

A routine trip is what I get for the first half. There’s still no blood to worry about, and a look at the mirror confirms I haven’t sprouted any unwanted features on my face nor have I lost the ideal state of unkemptness I keep my hair in at all times.

I wash my face up a bit anyway, wiping away some of the sweat that’s been accumulating since my shower in the morning. It’s a bit sad that I’ll have to deal with this for at least another day or two, but as far as periods go, this one hasn’t been the worst yet by far.

I stop just outside the cafeteria a few minutes later, taking a look inside with a relieved smile. I hope I don’t look too relieved, but I can live with the ribbing I might get if I do. Everybody is still at the table, either finishing up or already standing up to leave.

“... Need to talk, dude.” A voice suddenly cuts into my head from the right side. There’s a flash of red and gold and the glint of glasses before I’m suddenly yanked from my anchored position.

It seems I’m being pulled along by the sleeve by a strange-looking boy.

Wait, I’m being abducted?!

“Hey, what are you–” I begin to speak but the situation dawns on me. I’m thrust back to that day just a few years ago and my mouth freezes while still wide open. The boy, older than me but barely any taller, starts to meander aimlessly about the hall, his guidance haphazard and without an ounce of concern for my own well-being as far as I can tell. It’s good the hall isn’t too crowded or else…

I don’t have a chance to finish my thought as bile starts to rise in my throat. All of the good feelings from lunch are starting to fly desperately from my system, letting themselves be replaced by toxic feelings of dread and foreboding. I’m losing control of myself and I don’t think I can hold on much longer.

We’ve slowed down considerably, but it’s too late.

“Dude, are you alright?” I hear his voice call out, a slightly concerned, mostly irritated tone to his enunciation.

This is all I hear before the rush gets to my head, which promptly meets the nearest wall.

On the list of most cliché classical pieces to exist, Satie's 3 Gymnopédies must surely rank among the 10. Yet even saying that, there's no reason to say that they're unworthy pieces of music by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, their overused existence is due exactly to their simplistic musical brilliance. The tempo and style marking of the first reads "Lent et douloureux," "slow and painful," and sets the mood for the melancholic, introspective nature of the works. These markings become increasingly disheartening and serious with each movement. This is mirrored poetically in the key choice. The first, and best known Gymnopédie begins in G Lydian, a mode that is generally used to convey emotions even happier than major. The piece as a whole is framed around A minor, however, which appears in every movement before finally ending in the key. The general mood of the chapter draws heavily on how these keys can drive a mood, and the building from Satie's piece should be reflected at least a little in the chapter's own pacing.

The pacing continues to be improved over the first version.
Not much else to say, though other than good work!

Always a promising thing to hear! Though I'm probably going to need another intervention before long. Chapter 15 is going to take a while longer than any other chapter so far, but for now here's chapter 14!

Chapter 14: March to the Scaffold
Part One

There’s a clanging in my head, and then a flash of blinding white light as my eyes dart open, my body frozen upon a bed.

“Where?” I attempt to mouth, but panic sets in as my voice fails to sound at all, much less in the way I would have wanted it to. I angle my head to the side, but see nothing new. I angle it to the other, but it feels as if I’ve been stapled to the bed, unable to move even as I want to. Nothing moves at all.

I feel my heart start to race as the image I’m forced to look at, a hospital ceiling, starts to deform before my eyes, the curtains coming off of their rails, the ceiling tiles becoming blobs of indiscernible colors and textures.

All that I can move are my eyes as they fire wide open, and of course my beating heart, driven into a fury of panic. My mouth refuses to open even as I demand to scream, and my eyes refuse to shed tears even as they’re so willing to shoot open in abject terror. Everything around me has become indistinguishable, and I find that I can no longer feel anything except the incessant drumming of my own heart.

There’s a flash of red as it seems to burst, and the lights start to fade…

“Where!?” I shoot up suddenly, another rush of blinding white light invading my retinas, but this one subsiding far more slowly than the one prior.

I wave my body from side to side. Everything is back in order. I try to raise my right arm. There’s no response, no sensation whatsoever. My heart continues to pound heavily as I collapse back against the pillow, the light knock against my head sending a shiver down my spine as the fear of my short nightmare returns in a sudden shock.

It’s impossible to tell exactly how much time has passed from when I truly woke up to when I’m able to stir myself again. There are voices around me, but the tones are muddy, the cadence of words asymmetrical and nonsensical. I start to make out the curtains and the ceiling, and the colors start to calm me, reassuring me that what I had was a dream and little more. There’s something buzzing about in my peripheral vision, but I don’t turn to face it, just staring for an uncertain amount of time.

“You had a really scary moment there, didn’t you?” A voice cuts through the air, clear and masculine. It originates from the buzzing blue in the corner of my eye, prompting me to turn my head to meet it.

“Where am I?” My voice comes out hoarse and stilted, and I’m highly surprised to be hearing it like this. It’s not exactly something I would have expected to hear, even considering my situation.

“You’re in the Nurse’s office, Miss–” The man suddenly pulls away suddenly to the sound of a rolling chair, and my gaze trails him slowly to confirm he sits in one. He fetches what looks like a medical file, turning back to me. His eyes are narrow and foxlike, and his smile is contagious. “Miss Akiyama, that’s right.” He makes a gesture looking as if he’ll continue speaking, but instead expects me to respond.

“Why…?” I question into the air before looking back towards the ceiling. I can remember now, as the memories flood back in all of their fragmented, incomplete glory. I’d just gotten back from the bathroom. I could see my friends at the table. Something grabbed me…

“You hit your head pretty hard. Given your condition, we were all very concerned, but you seem to have gotten out of it without any more than some dizziness. Still, there’s too great a chance you’ve had a concussion, so proper care has to be taken.” His smile becomes a much more serious-looking frown as he stands up out of his rolling chair, sighing over something.

“I see,” I murmur, turning over gently onto my side, a sudden sharp pain in my head sending me reeling for a half a moment. “Ah… You weren’t kidding…” I groan, reaching to the spot where my head met the table, just a few millimeters shy of the center in the back of my head. That’s not a good place to hit for anybody. It’s a bit cool too, and I realize I’ve left an ice pack behind on the pillow.

“Please try not to move around too wildly. Take this chance to get some rest. Your situation has already been explained to all of your teachers for the rest of the day.” The same grim look on his face is plenty enough to convince me to take his advice, settling back down in my previous position.

“Did anybody see what happened?” I ask after a few moments, struggling to piece together exactly what had happened after being grabbed. I can barely even recall anything about the person who grabbed me.

“No, unfortunately,” He shakes his head with a sigh and pinches the bridge of his nose. There’s something muttered under his breath I don’t quite make out before he continues. “Everybody I’ve been able to ask has said they heard a loud thud and found you leaning against the wall. Unresponsive.”

That really does sound pretty bad, doesn’t it?

All he needs as response is my solemn, near-imperceptible nod before I close my eyes again to contemplate my situation.

Two days into classes at a school deliberately tailored for students with disabilities, and there’s been a major accident like this already? I can’t blame the Nurse for being upset, but at the same time I can’t help but lament that we’re meeting under such unfortunate circumstances. Speaking of which…

“Do you keep any cramp medicine?” I groan out suddenly, not even bothering to open my eyes as the lingering throbbing in my abdomen manages to grow worse than the aching in my head.

There’s a light chuckle from him, but it only takes a moment before there are pills in my hand.

“Not a great way to start out the year, huh?” He looks down at me, one eye closed completely while the other inclines just far enough open that I’m able to see its iris for the first time. Funnily enough, it’s the same color as his flamboyantly colored hair, though I’m not sure I was expecting anything different.

“No kidding…” I murmur as even a drink of water struggles to get the pills down my throat.

I settle back in for a moment, but I’m shocked from my thoughts by the sharp sound of the carillon, indicating the end of a class period, though which one I’m unsure of.

“Don’t worry too much about class, just rest,” Nurse calls before I can finish sitting back up. It has the exact effect he desires, but he continues with a clearer voice than before. “All of your teachers have already been told about the circumstances, so just take it easy alright?”

I nod dully even though I’m unsure it’s being seen. As much as I want to get out of this bed and have a nice rest of my day, I still can’t deny that I’m feeling incredibly exhausted right now.

There aren’t many more disturbances from there, though I only seem capable of half-sleeping right now. The office seems popular as a place to go after school for various reasons that I’m struggling to discern in my current state. I imagine most are in need of check-ups and various medications, but I can’t shake the feeling some might be stopping by to flirt. I have to admit that Nurse isn’t exactly bad to look at.

Eh, but that’s about all I can get out of it. I start to giggle as my mind tries to turn a relatively innocuous thought into a dirty one but fails miserably. Then it starts to hurt a little and I go back to relaxing.

“Is she alright?” A familiar voice catches my attention, and it’s all I can do to keep myself from turning violently and throwing myself out of the bed. I manage to keep my position well enough to chance a look, but the curtain is in the way much to my consternation.

“She’ll be fine. She just needs a bit of rest.” The nurse answers with a smile, but unfortunately Kyouko hasn’t cut across the line needed in order for me to see her. She isn’t alone, however.

“She’s alright… That’s a relief.” Anja’s voice cuts across next, her tone of voice strongly reflecting her words. I can see now that there are three shadows across the curtain, but I can’t tell who the third is.

“Just let her rest and things will be fine. It’s good you guys linked up with Setou back then when you did,” He nods along solemnly, seeming to think before snapping his fingers suddenly. “Ah, you brought her bags right?”

“They’re right here.” Anja seems to nod, but it’s hard to tell as the Nurse is handed my school bag.

“Thanks for that, I’m sure she’ll appreciate having one less trip to make,” He turns back to his desk, leaving the three visitors hanging for a few moments. “Ah, is there something else?”

“Ah, no,” The third person finally speaks up. It’s definitely a male voice, but I don’t recognize it at all. I knew it wasn’t going to be Seto considering the silhouette wasn’t in a wheelchair, but now I’m more than a little confused. “We should get going, Kyouko.”

“Ah, you’re right,” Kyouko’s voice is a bit surprised. “You’ll be fine on your own, Anja?”

“Yeah, home ec doesn’t meet today…” Her voice starts to trail off and I realize the faint silhouettes have moved out of sight. I suppose that’s probably for the best that they’re leaving; I’m still dead tired.

Continued...

Chapter Fourteen
Part Two

Still, the mystery boy is going to bother me out of getting some valuable rest.

“I guess classes are over…” I murmur under the covers, closing my eyes again and trying to drift off to sleep.

Surprisingly, sleep comes easily even after my concerns have been taken into consideration. I suppose the mystery boy wasn’t as interesting to my subconscious as he was to my conscious, and I have to wrack my head just to remember he was even around once I’ve woken again.

It’s clearly getting a bit later outside. The sun has painted the landscape with a more muted palette than is typical of spring, though there are still hours of daylight left. The ice pack was removed a while ago due to the disappearance of swelling, so my pillow has grown warm where my head is resting.

“Feeling better?” Nurse rolls over to me with that trademark wink of his.

“I think so,” I murmur, sitting up as slowly as I can manage. I suppose there hasn’t been any bleeding or the like to worry about if he let me sleep, but the rush of blood to my head is still painful and disconcerting. “Ow…”

“Just try to take it easy, alright?” He reaches forward to help steady me on my way up, a gesture I end up appreciating quite a bit.

“Yeah…” I sigh, drooping forward and sinking my head against my chest. Sitting up took a lot more out of me than I thought it would, but it’s too late to turn back now.

I don’t actually know what to do with myself after all this. It seems like it’s too late to go to the Music Club today, which is a bit disappointing. Kyouko is apparently letting Mrs. Sakamoto know, however.

The Nurse seems pleased with my quick check-up and sees fit to dismiss me. I stand with some degree of difficulty. I finally see a clock and notice that I’ve been on bedrest for nearly five hours now, so some wobbliness in the legs is hardly unexpected.

“Thanks.” I wave, taking a look around the clinic for my bags. They’ve been deposited in a corner near the door, with a clear sight-line to the Nurse’s desk. The unease in my step is already starting to disappear as I gather them up. Before I leave, I take a quick look at myself with the little window in the door. Nothing seems out of order, and my hair is about as messy as I like it, if not a little messier.

There’s still some internal debate over where I should go now that I’ve been released, but I suppose the best bet would be to head for the Music Club room after all. It’s not too complicated a journey, but I can’t shake the feeling that I’m only ever a step away from getting lost.

It’s nice that I don’t have to change buildings because it’s becoming increasingly apparent that my right leg is lagging considerably through my stride. Long periods of time in bed can do this, but I doubt hitting my head violently enough to be there in the first place is also contributing.

The light is still on inside the room and Mrs. Sakamoto is still running rehearsal inside to my surprise. I think of opening the door, but apprehension over drawing attention to myself takes over. A moment after that, thinking about what she might say to me further cements my resolve to remain outside the door.

I peer through the window of the door as well as I can manage without being easily visible. The entire orchestra is assembled inside, but for most of my time watching only string instruments play.

I can partly make out what Mrs. Sakamoto is saying, but the door muffles her voice too greatly for it to be very clear. That they’re working on something fairly advanced is obvious enough. Everybody is listening intently, though it’s clear that the non-string players are getting antsy.

This pattern of starting and stopping is only broken by the addition of the rest of the orchestra later on. Once everybody is playing, the group goes through a large but incomplete section of music before Sakamoto finally cuts them off for the last time, having some final words before dismissing them.

Now everybody is going to be headed my way.

Ah, I should’ve thought about what I was going to do here before the moment arrived. I have little choice but to retreat from the door, but from there should I keep running?

I decide to bury myself as much as I can within the wall without looking completely unnatural. I don’t really know how to accomplish this, but I at least stop before I’ve made my back a completely straight line. The door opens next to me after a couple of seconds.

“What a day…” The first, unfamiliar voice says as its owner is accompanied by a number of other bodies.

“You’re telling me…” His companion starts, their conversation instantly becoming indiscernible as the clamor of the expanding crowd grows.

Suddenly there’s a click in my brain and I relax from my awkward position against the wall. I don’t know why I forgot, but the Nurse did tell me that all of my teachers already knew didn’t he?

I sigh, turning slowly to face the crowd, looking for signs of my hallmate and the unknown male who was with her during her visit immediately after classes. I have no idea how quickly Kyouko packs up after a rehearsal, but thankfully the group is small enough that I can see inside without much issue.

“Soracchi~!” I grimace as that ridiculous nickname from yesterday crops up again.

“Senpai…” I murmur, looking towards Souma with a light frown.

“Ah, I guess you’re still in a bad mood, huh?” She suddenly reels back, surprised by my reaction.

“I don’t like that name is all.” I sigh, rubbing my face and groaning. When I open my eyes again, Kyouko is already starting to work herself out of the room, but is stopped by another member.

“Aww, I thought it suited you though,” Souma pouts, her clearly practiced air of cuteness failing to get through to me. Maybe if our roles were reversed, Senpai. “Are you feeling better at least?”

“Yeah.” I murmur and nod along, closing my eyes to yawn.

So word of my situation really has spread around. I suppose it would be difficult for it to be kept a secret around a place like Yamaku, but the thought that I might be the gossip of the school makes me queasy.

I haven’t forgotten the last time I was the gossip of a school.

“Miss Akiyama,” Mrs. Sakamoto’s voice cuts across, forcing me to face her with my brows lifted. Her tone is a bit more neutral than I was expecting, but she’s smiling. “Could I have a word with you?

“Oh, um… Of course…” I stammer, my heart starting to race as the thoughts of a scolding start to dominate my being.

“Relax, dear,” She smiles, stepping between Souma and me and putting a hand on my shoulder to guide me into the room. “I just wanted to get your private lessons with me scheduled as soon as possible.”

“Private lessons?” I blink as we walk inside, forgetting what it was I came here to do in the first place. Something about the phrase is bothering me, but the way Sakamoto said it…

“Right! Since you’ll be learning piano, I wanted to make sure you have regular lessons.” She continues, guiding me towards the piano. Not too far away, Kyouko is still talking with that friend, a second-year boy. Is that the mystery kid from earlier?

“I think you’ll enjoy the club better too if you have more attention and time to prepare.”

“Ah? Oh,” I nod along having forgotten Sakamoto was addressing me already. This isn’t a good impression, Sora. Focus. “Alright, that’s fine. Um, what will that be like?”

“We’ll meet here in the club room and work for 30 minutes on your playing. When do you think you can start?” She smiles, settling down at the piano herself with an expectant look on her face.

It’s kind of tough to say for certain since I have no clue exactly what it is she’s suggesting we do right now. Even though she’s explained it, I still can’t get a weird association out of my head when I think of the phrase “private lesson.”

“Can I think about it?” I ask, sitting down with an exasperated sigh. There are too many things I’m trying to manage at once, but it seems like Kyouko and Souma have both started off on their own. I’m not sure whether I should be thankful about that or not.

“Oh, of course,” She smiles, clapping her hands together after deciding not to start playing the keys. “I don’t want to rush you into anything just yet. At least not after how I recruited you yesterday.”

“Thank you,” I nod, smiling a bit in relief before looking down at the piano with its ebony and ivory keys. It seems that they’ve actually been painted, as a few have lost their luster from being used extensively. “Actually, would it be something we could start now?” I blink again, surprised at the words coming from my own mouth.

Sakamoto pauses and lingers on my question for a moment. To my relief, she starts to shake her head.

“I considered it, but I really can’t linger here long enough to get started,” She hums with a bit of disappointment, before snapping her fingers. “Ah! But I suppose I can find out a bit more in regards to your musical background. Come here.” She smiles, welcoming me to the bench with a wave.

I nod dully, starting to feel as if I can’t manage any other visual reaction. Thankfully, I snap out of it before I’ve completed the process of sitting down.

“Ah… Trust me when I say I don’t know even the first thing about music…” I murmur, feeling red in the cheeks as I brush off my skirt idly.

“Hmm, are you sure you’d rather not give it a try? I’m sure you remember something from elementary school.” Sakamoto frowns, turning to face me but not seeming too perturbed by my dismissal.

“I really don’t… I remember that there were notes and they had names and the like but… That’s it.” I sigh, feeling a bit defeated. What was the point of learning that infernal plastic instrument called the recorder as a child if I was never going to use that knowledge again, right?
Now I’m desperately wishing I didn't have that kind of an attitude about it.

This is probably one of the least fitting chapter names I've used thus far and might actually get a rename later. For now, I'm sticking with my initial gut instinct of naming it after the fourth movement of Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique, at least until I find a suitable alternative. "March to the Scaffold" is a musical depiction of a dream, an opium-induced nightmare where the titular artist (The full name of the work appends "An Episode in the Life of an Artist, in Five Parts) has murdered the woman he loves and is now witnessing his own execution as a bystander. Compared to the rest of the piece up to this point, the music in this movement is daring and striking with a very noticeable martial flare to reflect the sudden, dark turn in its events. In this sense, the movement fits rather nicely to the chapter as a sudden change in tone and pace, but I feel the effect is not near as extreme as that presented by Berlioz. In any case, the chapter notably reflects this movement in that it too deals, however briefly, with dreams and drugs (though not drug-induced dreams) and it shares an abrupt ending, though my ending receives no final celebratory fanfare. In any case, I hope these parallels, stretched as they are, help provide a bit of enrichment to this chapter that I have to admit was incredibly fun to write.

Okay, the only thing that is really wrong is that tense in the very last line:

Now I’m desperately wishing I hadn’t had that kind of an attitude about it.

Should be "didn't have"

But there are quite a few lines that read... strange.
Some of them are due to an overuse of a stylistic element called "pars pro toto" e.g. here:

but panic sets in as my voice fails to speak at all

There's a fine line between what works and what doesn't, and I feel you've crossed that line a few times here.
Contast this to :

my gaze trails him slowly

That works. A gaze can trail someone. But a voice can't speak. A voice can sound, but the speaking is always done by a person.

Another example:

thinking about what she might say to me further cements my position outside the door.

It's probably not her position that is being cemented but her resolve to stay there.

before I’ve completely negated the curvature of my back.

Not quite sure what this is supposed to mean, but it doesn't sound like the language of a thirteen-year-old.

At other times the sentence structure is slightly wonky:

but unfortunately Kyouko hasn’t cut across the line needed in order for me to see her.

As written, she needs a line to be able to see Kyouko not for Kyouko to cross it.

None of there are really big issues, but you might want to keep them in mind.

Hey, long time lurker here
I've enjoyed this story immensely, it's actually been one of my main motivations to pick up an old project once again (as you can see in my sig). OCs just make things more interesting for me

WolfWarrior wrote:Hey, long time lurker here
I've enjoyed this story immensely, it's actually been one of my main motivations to pick up an old project once again (as you can see in my sig). OCs just make things more interesting for me

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! I've done a thing! I really look forward to seeing the results of this motivation in the future!

This chapter... Well, I guess I'll see how the response goes for it before I make any hasty decisions, but I'm admittedly slightly worried I'm falling into some old habits while also getting unnecessarily philosophical... But for those that have been waiting, Scene Three finally draws to a close tonight!

Chapter 15: Nocturne Op. 27
Part One

All things told, my unexpected lesson with Sakamoto could have gone a lot worse, but I’m not altogether thrilled by the work she’s suddenly piled onto me.

“F-A-C-E…” I repeat as I stare at the piece of paper she’d handed to me before I left, filled with all sorts of cryptic bits of so-called music theory. I’m having trouble figuring out everything it’s come past me in such a rush.

Even losing as many hours to an unexpected head knock as I did, today has been unusually hectic. Nurse did tell me to take it easy the rest of the day, so I start immediately on the path towards my dorm.

There are still a few hours of daylight left, and the morning cold has thankfully managed to give way to pleasant, ambient warmth. The breeze still carries the barest hints of winter’s chill, but it’s nothing the Yamaku uniform jacket can’t handle.

I give up trying to decipher the page in my hand, working to stuff it away somewhere that won’t see it blown away by the wind. The medicine Nurse gave me is working to the point that I’m not sure I can keep myself from falling should I trip up even a little bit, so now is a good time to focus on just walking.

My mind flashes back towards my enigmatic hallmate and perhaps more noticeably the mysterious companion that had joined her in the Nurse’s office along with Anja. I’m dwelling on something inconsequential certainly, but I can’t for the life of me come up with something better to think about.

I’m actually not quite as alone in my walk as I feel, a great number of Yamaku students leaving their clubs and finding places to go for the rest of the night. It’s strange that it’s only now when I don’t really have a companion for the first time since arriving here that I’m feeling so surrounded by crowds.

Isn’t that strange too, in and of itself? I’ve been at Yamaku for two and a half entire days now, yet I can count the number of times I’ve really gone anywhere on my own on one hand. In fact, I’m pretty sure right now and the trip to the bathroom I took during lunch are the only two I can think of.

The more I think about it, the more my mind wanders towards Kyouko. Our meeting itself was strange, her uncle seemingly at random picking me off the path and introducing us. From there, things only grew more unnatural and uncomfortable.

What kind of person meets somebody for the first time and immediately asks what’s wrong with them?

For that matter, what the hell is wrong with the way I reacted? I had every right to back away from that conversation and close my shell back up, but some mystic hand seemed to guide my mind elsewhere.

“Ah… I’m getting too philosophical…” I murmur, sighing and taking a break as the distracting thoughts threaten to knock me off balance yet again. The crowds have slowed a bit as the girls’ dorms start to loom, but I still have to be certain I don’t stop someplace inconvenient for others. This big concrete wall seems as good a candidate as any, even if it’s kind of eyesore to be seen next to.

It seems to serve some kind of purpose holding the ground in place, but I can’t for the life of me wrap my head around why it has to be so damn bare… It’s smooth and plain, and could make an excellent canvas for some populistic art.

Reluctant as I am to think on it, I’m really surprised such a big spot has been completely untouched when Yamaku has an art club as reputable as it does.

The lack of gagging gives me at least a little reason to be thankful I’m on my period, but I still don’t feel too great when I have to bring up my past like this. I’ll never be able to do the same things I did then again, and it’s time I moved on.

Sighing, I start to gather myself up, but a flash of red and gold cloth catches my eye before I can finish the process. I nearly jump out of my skin as the figure doesn’t move a great deal, instead jumping to mirror me. There’s something vaguely familiar about this situation, but I can’t place it at all.

“Whoa! Dude, you alright?” The boy behind me looks like he’s trying to combine a fighting stance with a fetal position, and the end result is unbearably hilarious to behold.

“Y-yeah, you just kind of snuck up on me…” I murmur as I look over him. It’s hard to tell what year he is given his necktie is obscured by that ridiculous scarf of his, but I doubt he’s the same year as I am even if we’re of about the same height. His coke-bottle glasses seem thicker than could possibly be useful, and his gaze only barely meets mine during this initial appraisal.

“Sorry dude didn’t mean to,” He nods, starting to relax from that dubious stance of his before extending a hand and assuming a confusing but frank smile. “It’s important to be careful in our line of work though, y’know? Wouldn’t want to get caught off guard and have your head lopped off, right?”

I just stare at him for a few moments as his offered handshake hangs in the air. This second mystery boy is starting to get visibly annoyed that I’m not reciprocating the handshake, but at the same time he’s also extended his right hand to me.

“R-right,” I stammer, breaking the silence and sighing as I let myself collapse a bit, the wall able to catch me before I take a nasty tumble. “Um, sorry I’m not so great with handshakes…”

“Man, you’re not serious right? Even though it’s the manliest common greeting there is?” He frowns and looks upset, further sending my brain into a death spiral of confusion.

“Why would I be concerned about being manly?” I raise a brow after I finally find something of his inane speech to latch onto. His hand is still extended awkwardly, and it’s getting to the point where I’m starting to feel bad about it.

“Dude, you don’t have to keep it up around me,” He continues, stepping past the boundary of personal space and closing in dangerously. A gross familiarity is seeping into my being, but my stomach seems resolved for now. “You’ve got an ally here any time. Just be sure not to trust anybody, okay?”

There’s no use trying to reason or argue here. I just need this strange boy out of face so I don’t end up doing something regrettable.

“O-okay… Um, could you give me some space please?” I pant, closing my eyes and trying to collect myself as pain creeps all around my body for a few moments. Stay strong…

“Alright man,” He frowns again but obliges for me, a wave of relief rushing through me to replace the wracking pains. “I understand not trusting me either, but there’s no reason to be this standoffish either. We’re comrades right?”

“Sure… Um…” I tilt my head towards him, even if I’m sure he can’t see it too well if at all.

“Kenji.” He says, the frown replaced with a smile before he turns away from me to go on his way. “Stay strong the course and all that. I’ve gotta grab my pizza.”

He walks away and I end up staring at him the entire time he’s within eyesight. I have absolutely no idea what just happened, but it puts the weirdness I’d been thinking of relating to my roommate into a very different light. At least she isn’t anywhere close to that eccentric and clueless.

“Strange kid.” I finally settle on rather than overthink the exchange too much. Whatever just happened, this Kenji figure seems to think he knows me, but I can’t for the life of me fathom how that could be. I didn’t attend a Crazy convention anytime in the last few months did I?

The journey back to my dorm is a lot more peaceful from there, even though the distance is admittedly short. For Kenji’s credit, he’s at least managed to take my mind off of a far less comedic set of circumstances.

Kyouko doesn’t seem to be back as I file into our hall, my knocks at her door going unanswered. That doesn’t seem too surprising considering she was probably making plans with that boy in the Music Club. I shouldn’t really be surprised she’d go and do something like that, but maybe it’s the lingering reality that we’ve been uncannily attached to each other since school started that I’m feeling bothered by it.

At the very least I won’t have to worry too much about social obligation and can get some work done on these make-up assignments. I might even be able to learn some more about some of these musical terms that Sakamoto sent me off with earlier.

I haven’t eaten since lunch, but long periods without food are hardly that uncommon for me. I shouldn’t be letting myself fast unwittingly considering I went more than 24 hours without food earlier in the week, but the selection of grain bars Dad left me is adequate for both quick breakfast and quick snack.

If I get desperate there are always instant noodles to be had to, though I’d really like to have a cold drink if I’m going to give something that unnecessarily salty a try.

On a positive note, the cramp medicine Nurse gave me has reached its peak effectiveness as I almost completely forget about my current biological scenario for the next hour. I still feel a little groggy, but I blame it far more on the piles of homework I’m making myself get through right now.

I don’t know exactly when it got dark outside, but it’s around when I notice this for the first time that there’s a rapping at my door.

“Sora, are you in?” Kyouko’s voice carries through the door, so muffled I’m surprised I can make it out at all.

“Yeah, the door’s unlocked.” I smile, turning away from my writing drills. I’m not quite through them yet, but I’m actually thankful she’s arrived at such an opportune time. There’s still plenty of night left, and I was going to have to come up with a way to entertain myself otherwise.

Taking my voice as cue, the door opens and reveals Kyouko beyond it. A rush of air comes with it, along with a faint hint of… Burning?

That doesn’t seem right, but Kyouko looks to be fine and is even smiling rather cheerfully as she works her way into my room.

“Here, you can take this seat,” I smile, standing immediately and hurrying over to help her navigate the premature mess of my room. As I approach, the curious odor grows stronger. “Did you go out someplace?”

“I caught dinner with some Music Club friends.” She smiles, settling into my former seat as I take a spot on my bed, nodding along.

“Ah, I figured you did. Who all was there?”

“It was actually just two of us from the club, Tamano and me.” She answers, folding up her cane and relaxing into the chair for a second as I lay across my bed in one of the least flattering manners I can imagine.

“Tamano?” I tilt my head curiously, not really familiar with anybody but Enomoto and Souma from the Music Club. Well, that excludes the two of us, I suppose.

“A second year, one of the low brass players. You guys haven’t met, but he was with me when we visited you in the Nurse’s office.” She continues, turning herself about in the chair to better face me, though her approximation of my position is naturally quite off.

“That’s who that was?” I blink, not even realizing I’ve said anything until it’s out.

“You were awake for that?” Kyouko’s eyes open, looking about as surprised as I think I’ve seen them since meeting her. She makes no effort to point them away from the imaginary point they’re fixated on.

“W-well… Kind of. Nurse wanted me to rest, so I tried to even though you guys were there…” I’m starting to feel a little guilty for my behavior now. Before I start rubbing the back of my head, the nerves vanish when Kyouko starts to giggle, covering her mouth and closing her eyes again.

Continued...

Chapter Fifteen
Part Two

“Well, that’s fine. You seem to be doing a lot better…” Her voice suddenly trails off. The words are like some kind of negate-spell card, and I feel on edge again.

“Erm, are you alright?” I push myself towards the edge of the bed, closer to her.

“A-ah, yeah I’m fine just…” She bites her lip before turning towards my desk and letting the shadow of her head darken my papers. Her torso starts to heave gently a moment later.

“Kyouko,” My eyes go wide as she does something completely unexpected. I swallow, somehow mustering the courage to ask even as my heart sinks. “Y-you’re crying though. That’s not fine, right?”

“N-no, it isn’t… I’m sorry I just…” She shakes her head and pulls away from my desk, likely from noticing all of the paper perched on top of it.

“Hold on…” I say softly, my heart leaping in my chest as I start running instinctively. Every passing second after I wrap an arm around her shoulder is like a socially anxious nightmare, but it seems like I’ve done the right thing here.

I should feel guilty that a part of my courage to speak up came from not wanting anything to stain my homework, but right now that’s not really that important.

“I… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for you to,” She quivers and bites her lip. She isn’t sobbing too heavily, but whatever has gotten into her head is clearly enough to affect her. “I shouldn’t have let you go alone then… And the waiting…”

“W-what are you talking about?” I stare at her, trying to comfort and simultaneously ease her answers in a way I can understand.

“I’m sorry, I’m so selfish but,” She pushes away my arm for a moment and sniffles, wiping away tears and collecting herself before inclining her head to the ceiling. “I was scared, Sora.”

“Why…” I start to mouth, but I know where she’s going. I’m starting to feel confused now about this reaction, however.

“You were hurt! I didn’t know what was going to happen and I kept it down but… You’re okay now… God, I’m sorry, I’m getting so sentimental…” She cups her face in her own hands, taking deep and controlled breaths. I’m inclined to rub reassuring circles into her back.

“I… I don’t know if I get it, but,” I start, dropping to a knee so that we’re a bit closer together and smiling despite my own nerves. “I do at least get you’re worried about me…”

And how exactly do I feel about that?

I’ve only known Kyouko for just over 48 hours. I’ve spent the past years of my life shutting myself off from others reflexively.

Pity? It was natural given my pitiable existence; an artist who can’t make her art anymore.

I can’t formulate even a fraction of my lingering concerns and demons into a thought, but I can at least think of one thing. Just why is Kyouko so invested in me right now when we’ve only known each other for a couple of absurdly hectic days?

Something about this seems utterly and inhumanely wrong, but even as I dwell on it I can’t think of how I’m supposed to react. What has she seen… Well, what has she found in me that has her trying to push down the painful barriers of my own existence, at times without regard for my own feelings?

For that matter, what are my feelings right now?

Ah, wait a second, isn’t that… Tautology? Is that the word?

“I’m sorry, Sora,” Kyouko’s voice breaks the silence of my internal monologue, and I look up to see her with head bowed in shadow, holding her knees. “I’ve been getting so far ahead of myself, and… All I’ve done so far is hurt you. I’m just an–“

“Don’t you finish that sentence,” I frown, moving up to put a finger boldly on her lips. I’m not actually entirely sure where she was going, but I’m all too afraid to find out. I open my mouth but the sudden awareness of our curious juxtaposition combined with the surprisingly adorable look of surprise on her face (Oh now my brain is just downright redundant) has me fumbling for words. “K-Kyouko… Um…”

Well, there goes that idea. Thankfully, my hallmate covers the slack, giggling again and pressing my hand away from her face.

“I think I get it… Alright,” She sighs, seeming to try and convince herself, like her mental processes are lagging behind her physical instincts. “I still feel like a fool…”

“Kyouko…” I stand up awkwardly, my lack of foresight meaning I can’t use my arm to support the effort.

“I’m sorry I kind of broke apart on you, Sora,” Kyouko smiles, inclining her head back towards the ceiling now that I’ve finished standing. “I’ve been keeping things bottled in all day… I think I’m fine now.”

I nod dully, before adding a soft “Mmm” to the gesture and returning to my bed.

I don’t know what just happened there, but there’s one thing I’m struggling to chase from my mind.

Despite all of my current misgivings, I can’t bring myself to fully blame Kyouko for her role here. I can’t even really say her role is necessarily a bad one, either. It’s been uncertain before, but seeing her now, the doubts about her sincerity I’ve had are slowly disappearing.

“I’m not sure I get it all, but,” I open my mouth, laying on my back and covering my forehead with my forearm. “I think it’s kind of nice. Having a hallmate be concerned about you like this, I mean.”

I’m not really sure if that’s the answer, but maybe saying something aloud will help me decide.

I don’t get much of a response from Kyouko, my ears too pressed against pillows for sound to work its way to them effectively. I can’t see her either, but I doubt she’d give much visual indication anyway.

“Sora,” Kyouko’s voice cuts into my attention suddenly, and I only then realize I’ve been resting for a few moments longer than what constitutes a comfortable pause. “You’re sure you’re fine?”

I lift my head from my spot, blinking in surprise to find Kyouko hovering over top of me, hands resting gently against the mattress. She’s surprisingly close, almost disconcertingly, but the concern on her brow…

“I’m fine,” I smile, pulling myself upright and groaning suddenly as the cramping returns in all its painful glory. “W-well… Except the whole period thing…”

I sit groaning for a second, but Kyouko only ends up giggling, assuming that same curiously adorable position from her earlier giggle.
It’s too infectious to resist, so I join her a moment later. It actually helps the cramping stop for a moment.

“I’m sorry again.” She turns about before resting herself against the bed, a half-sitting half-standing posture that my bed is perfect to utilize for given its height.

“Don’t be. If anything, I should apologize for making you worry.” I settle myself upright on the bed, hugging my left knee to my chest and looking over at her back.

It’s not really entirely my fault for this either, but maybe I should apologize for making her cry, too? I might just be a girl myself, but making another girl cry is reprehensible.

“Well don’t. Let’s just go back to being friends… On good terms…” Her voice hitches again as she hangs up on a few of her words, but her expression never changes from one of solemn warmth.

“Let’s do that then.” I nod, closing my eyes and letting myself doze for a moment.

At least, I plan to but the suspension of conversation I was expecting is cut off by Kyouko again.

“I do have a request, actually… Since we haven’t had a chance to do it just yet…”

I blink, looking towards Kyouko to see that she’s twiddling her fingers a bit anxiously and looking bashful. Wait a moment, the way she’s worded that is…

“U-um, Kyouko?” I mouth, feeling my cheeks feel a bit red. Is now really a good time to revert to that wanton flirtiness she’s been so willing to display around me?

“Oh, um sorry. I meant,” She sighs, taking a deep breath before turning towards me. Her eyes are open and her gaze is so close to approximating my own I can almost swear she’s regained her vision in this moment. “Well, I don’t really know exactly what you look like. At least not your face.”

“What exactly are you getting at here?” I blink, staring “back” at her for a moment as my mind returns to the curious question she had about my hair color earlier.

“I want to learn your face,” She pouts, suddenly frustrated by my confusion and clasping her hands together to show her nerves have dissipated. “Since we’ll be acquainted for at least this year and all, I’d not like to be absolutely clueless as to your appearance, Sora.”

“How?” I can only manage to mouth a single word, my head too bogged down with thoughts to come up with a better response.
Kyouko giggles again, though there’s a twinge of annoyance apparent as she puts a hand to her face, then another.

“Like this. Come on, I promise to be gentle~.” She smirks suddenly, her most nonverbal explanation finally causing some cogs to roll in my head.
Of course, she would preemptively derail this positive motion with some of that incessant flirting of hers.

“Don’t say it weird like that,” I pout, sighing and dragging myself from my position near the middle of the bed and closer to the edge until my legs finally fall over. “Um, where would be best.”

“There is fine,” She smiles, placing a hand on my thigh for a moment as she steps off of her spot and stands in front of me. The slight advantage she’s afforded in height still isn’t enough for her to completely measure up to me, but it’s definitely closer this way. “Stay still and close your eyes.”

Swallowing I nod and comply, before adding that oft-forgotten verbal cue for her sake.

“Mmm…”

This is bound to be an interesting night after all.

Chopin's Nocturnes include a grand total of 21 pieces written for the solo piano, each of them being structured similarly and featuring the juxtaposition of broken chords in the left hand with hauntingly beautiful cantabile melodies in the right. Chopin's Opus 27 contains two of these Nocturnes, the first in C-sharp minor and the second in the enharmonic D-flat major. As far as their relation to the chapter I've written, I've admittedly only sought to evoke the meaning of "Nocturne" here, that is a song relating to the night. That said, I find these two Nocturnes of Chopin's to be among my favorites of all piano pieces, and the No. 1 Nocturne is easily one of my favorite piano pieces at the moment. The first evokes many of the same sensations as the first movement of Beethoven's famous Piano Sonata No. 14, widely and popularly called the "Moonlight" sonata. This isn't merely because of their shared key signatures, as the also share patterns of putting a flowing triplet accompaniment against a slow melody utilizing dotted, military-like syncopations. The Neapolitan chord also features extensively in both, further contributing to the parallels. Chopin's ending however is far more joyous than the melancholy of Beethoven's, the Picardy third appearing to morph the final tonality from C-sharp minor to C-sharp major.

Just joined the forum about a day or 2 ago. Other than going through some fan arts to silently appreciate some amazing works with sips of some fine earl grey tea, I have been trying to find a selection of good fan fictions to read. Needless to say, after going through 2 chapters of your work, I am put on a spot to cut short activities here and there so I can finally sit down and read out your piece for myself and for my girlfriend to hear as she sits next to me. I am looking forward to catch up to the story so to remain in future discussions