Disclaimer: The games, anime, and manga belong to Kure Yuki and Koei. I'm just borrowing them.
There are slight spoilers in here for the main drama that goes through the Character Collection CDs.

Vivace

Rays from the setting sun glinted off the finish on Hino's violin as she practiced, and yet she showed no sign of stopping. Tsuchiura had lost track of how many times she had played Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star while he sat there, but that didn't mean he found the newest run-through any less endearing than the last. He continued to watch from behind a group of trees, his figure mostly obscured from her view.

He should have been practicing as well, but he couldn't bring himself to get up and leave. They hadn't made plans to walk home together or anything, and it was really only coincidence that he'd noticed her when he had taken a shortcut through the park, so he wondered briefly what made him stay and watch over her.

The answer finally came to him as she finished the song once more and noticed how dark the sky had gotten with a small exclamation of dismay. She packed up her violin and bow in a hurry, and Tsuchiura had to chuckle at how the rushed motions suited Hino's personality. It had something to do with how she often seemed flustered by one thing or another, running full speed toward a goal, but he found her a refreshing change from most other girls. She didn't shrink away from a conversation with him, he'd never seen her turn hysterical and cry for no reason, and she had her own pace that made sense both to her and her violin. Rather than the near-cold precision Tsukimori held over the same instrument, Hino played with a life and joy that came through in the sounds she created.

Just as she hurried past him, Tsuchiura called out, "Hey, Hino!" She stopped and looked around, puzzled, before she spotted him and grinned.

"Tsuchiura-kun! What are you doing here? Don't tell me you heard me playing!" The last was said in a tone that bordered on mortified. "I'm still not very good at that song."

He laughed and didn't care that his words gave him away. "That's not true. You've gotten a lot better since yesterday. At this rate, those flowers will definitely bloom before the end of the week." They left the park and headed toward the street that would take them both toward home.

"You really think so? There hasn't been any change yet and there isn't much time left." She bit her lip and watched at the ground as they walked.

Unable to bear seeing her sad, Tsuchiura placed a hand on her head and ruffled her hair lightly. "Don't worry so much. Just put your feelings into playing and the rest will come naturally." He stopped and leaned down to look her in the eye. "Trust me, okay?"

Her smile made up for the lack of sunlight and stunned him for a moment. "Okay. Thanks, Tsuchiura-kun. I was starting to get down about the whole thing, so it's nice to hear some encouragement."

Tsuchiura nodded in response, glad for the dim evening because his face felt suspiciously warm. "Anytime." They continued walking down the street, and it wasn't until after they parted ways that Tsuchiura realized he had gained a bounce in his step and that Hino's enthusiasm must have been contagious.