A friend from school
A lighthearted story for our precious Shu.
It was just another usual day at school.
"Good day, everyone! I'm [insert-name], from [insert-country]! My father has been assigned to work here for a few years, that's why I'll be staying here for a while. Please take care of me!" You, the new transfer student, stood cheerily in front of the class, announcing your arrival.
"Transferring in the third year? That's risky."
"Exams are not far off either, I wonder if she'll cope."
"Maybe she'll repeat a year like *cough* you know who"
"Stop badmouthing Shu."
"But damn, she's hot! *whistles* "
There were soft chatters among the seated classmates.
"Alright, calm down, class. That was a nice self introduction, [insert-name]. Please take a seat over there." The teacher pointed to an empty seat in the middle of the class.
You looked at your assigned seat, then glanced over at the only other empty seat in class, the one at the last row beside the window. A nice view, in the corner of the class.
"Umm, sorry, may I take that seat beside the window instead?" You smiled and asked politely, only to see the teacher sigh and shake his head.
"That seat is already taken, sorry about that."
Trying to hide your disappointment, you thanked the teacher and walked over to your assigned seat.
.
.
.
The bell rang, signalling the time for lunch break.
"Heyy-" you poked the boy sitting beside you. "Who's sitting there?" You pointed over to the lone empty seat, still unhappy that you weren't allowed to sit there.
"Oh that seat belongs to Shu. You shouldn't get close to him though. He skips class all the time, and he's repeating for the third time already."
"Bad influence, huh?" You commented. But you started wondering what kind of person he was like. This Shu who never attends class.
"I know, right?" Another classmate joined in. "By the way, can I get your number?" Soon after, everyone gathered around the new girl, especially the boys, trying to hit on you.
Laughing nervously, you stood up. "I'd like to explore the school a little! Will you guys help me?" You politely requested.
Of course, your classmates readily agreed. You ended up being guided around by a bunch of male classmates, as they walked you through several corridors, giving a detailed tour around the school, from chemistry labs to football fields.
"Hey, that's the music room, right?" Your eyes flickered to a closed door, where you could hear a familiar melody being played on a piano. Classical music, like those you loved.
"Well, yeeeahhhh. But-"
"I'm going in to take a look!" You exclaimed, excited to find out who was playing that piece. You don't know many people who take interest in music of that genre, and you really wanted to get to know those who had the same interests as you.
"No, don't go to the music room!"
One of your classmates grabbed your wrist before you could reach for the door handle.
"Why?" You asked, a little surprised at their aversion to that particular room. They were alright with the rooms before.
"Just don't!"
"I'm just going to take a look." You stubbornly insisted, being drawn in by the alluring music.
"Oh my god [insert-name] why aren't you listening to us?"
"We're not gonna help you if you get in trouble!"
As if affected by the noise made outside the music room, the melody stopped.
Your attention went back to the curiosity behind the music room, and gently removed the hand holding onto your wrist with your other hand, then slowly pushed open the door to the music room. Peeking inside, you saw a beautiful blonde boy sitting at the grand piano's seat. His fingers were resting on the keys, his posture was straight, confident. He wore a beige sweater with the school blazer casually draped over his shoulders. His messy blonde hair fell perfectly over his mature features, and his light ocean blue eyes sparkled under the moonlight. He looked like an angel, you silently noted.
"You're noisy." Was all he said, sudden and harsh, pulling you out of your trance. That alone made your classmates shudder and apologise profusely before scampering off, leaving you behind.
"H-hey!" You shouted after them, but they didn't even look back. "Leaving me here like that…"
You pouted and turned back to the boy in the music room. Why were they so afraid of him? He was just being a little cold to them, after all. He didn't sound like he had any malicious intentions. Deciding to make yet another new friend today, you decided to let your cowardly classmates run off on their own, and approach him yourself.
"Hi, nice to meet you, I'm [insert-name], I just transferred here today, What's your name?" The unknowing you tried to talk to him as you walked towards the piano.
However you received only silence as a response. He completely ignored you, and was staring at the piano keys, deep in thought. You swallowed hard, wondering if you did something wrong. Culture difference, perhaps? You tried to comfort yourself. But you won't give up just like that.
"That piece that you played just now, it's amazing! How long did you take to perfect it? I've been practicing that song for 6 months now, and I still make the same mistake at that difficult part in the middle." You tried to strike a conversation with him on a topic of common interest.
But it seemed like talking to you wasn't part of his interest at all.
"Be quiet." he grumbled.
You sighed as a drop of cold sweat flowed down the side of your face. He's really unsociable, huh. You just stood there for a moment, not sure of how to react to such a response. But as you remained silent and stood there awkwardly, the strange boy closed his eyes, breathed in a little, and his fingers continued dancing on the piano keys once again, moving on from where he stopped before you came in.
You stood there, watching him play, listening to the flawless music that he produced. You were genuinely amazed. When he finished, you were smiling widely and clapping for him, having completely forgotten about how cold he was to you before.
He turned towards you with a blank expression, and you couldn't tell what he was thinking - was he happy that you appreciated his music? Or still annoyed at your intrusion? His unwavering gaze gave nothing away.
But before you could say anything, the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch break.
"Oh no! It's so late already." You checked your watch. "I'd better get back to class soon, it's not nice to be late for lessons on the first day!"
You hastily ran towards the door. "You should get back to class soon too!"
"That's all for today, class. Please remember to do your homework."
That signaled the end of the day.
You packed your things and stood up, thoughts of the strange boy you met in the music room still lingering in your mind. He played like a professional musician. I wonder if I was the first one who ever watched him play? Ah, that's right, I haven't even got his name yet… you thought to yourself. Will I be able to see him again?
"Hey [insert-name]! Errm, we're sorry for running away, and didn't really have a chance to ask, but what happened in the music room just now?" Your classmates came to talk to you again now that class has ended.
"Hmm.." You raised your eyebrows. These classmates of yours definitely know something about the boy you saw earlier. Perhaps you'll get to find out more about him if you ask them. But after a moment of consideration, a cheeky idea came to mind, and you decided not to.
"Nothing, I just walked off after you guys left me there!" You tried to make yourself sound upset, but you just couldn't wipe the huge grin off your face.
Watching your classmates look at you with baffled expressions, you uncontrollably let out a tiny giggle. I guess I'll keep my encounter with him a secret for now. You smiled to yourself.
The very next day, you ran off once the bell for lunch break rang to ensure that none of your classmates manage to follow you, and rushed to the music room again. Will he be there again? There was something about that boy that attracted you.
You threw the door open once you got there, but no one was playing the piano. Ah, did I think he'd definitely be here again? You felt a little disappointed and your heart sank a little, only to hear a familiar voice from the other end of the room.
"Stop making all that ruckus."
You turned over to find that boy you were looking for sleeping on the couch. His earphones were plugged into his ears, just like yesterday. You could feel you heart beat faster as you saw him.
"You're here again!" You didn't bother hiding your joy.
"What about it?"
"But when did you get here? I ran here as soon as the lunch bell rang.." You realised you just ran here like an idiot as fast as you could. You then went to sit down on the floor beside him, since he took up the whole couch.
"Does it matter?" the sleeping blonde mumbled softly.
You perked up at the responses you got. He's replying me seriously, not ignoring or telling me to shut up.
"I was just curious, like, maybe you could teleport or something." You laughed at your own lame joke.
To your surprise, his eyes shot open at your comment. Well, he could teleport, but that wasn't why he was here. A normal human shouldn't know of his abilities. His brows furrowed a little.
"Stop making ridiculous comments." His voice never changed.
He's quite nice after all, if you try to know him better. You felt a nice warm feeling of happiness in your stomach.
"Heehee!" You couldn't hold back your glee. "Do you come here everyday?"
"Hmm..most days, if I come to school."
You nodded your head, encouraging him to tell you more about himself.
"Some days I'm just not in the mood for school."
"You mean, you're just lazy."
"It's too troublesome."
From then on, you went to the music room every lunch break, and stayed there till it was time to go. Sometimes you wonder why he doesn't need to eat, but when you ask, all he says is that it's "not worth the trouble". Because of that, you'll often bring homemade bentos to share with him. All this while, you never got his name.
"Who's your favourite composer?"
"Mm..I have a few."
"What are you listening to right now? You have your earphones on all the time."
The male companion took off one side of his earphones and pushed it in your ear.
Music often became the common topic of discussion.
Meanwhile, in class, you kept glancing over to the empty seat at the corner, noticing that the Shu your classmates spoke of really never comes to class. Why won't they let me sit there then, if he isn't coming anyway? You sighed to yourself. I wonder if I'll meet him one day?
"You play really well! I wish I could play like that too." You entered the music room and saw him at the piano, just like the first day.
"Do you want to learn?" He asked.
"Yes, yes I want to! Please teach me your secrets senpai!" You emphasised your willingness to learn and laughed a bit at your own words.
"Come, I'll teach you."
You were seated on the soft cushioned chair in front of the grand piano, and he stood close behind you, his hands guiding yours over the monochrome keys. You blushed at the closeness and was glad that he couldn't see your face from behind.
"By the way, when's your birthday?" You asked curiously.
"October 18."
"Woah, that's tomorrow! I'm glad I asked today.."
"Why, thinking of getting me something?" His mouth twisted into a playful smirk.
The both of you got closer as the days went by. You talked about anything under the stars, and started opening up to you.
That day, on his birthday.
"Hey, this is for you!" You handed him a neatly wrapped box tied with a blue ribbon.
He took the box in his hands, it was the size of his palm. Eyeing it carefully, he pulled the ribbon loose and removed the cover. He found his present inside, golden and shiny, in the shape of a cube, with detailed patterns covering each side. There was a tiny handle, which produced a melody as the he turned it round in circles.
"This is..." His voice sounded slightly intrigued. "A music box."
"Happy birthday!" You swiftly jumped at him and gave him a surprise hug.
"You..." He didn't flinch at all from your sudden attack. "Are you trying to seduce me?"
Your face flushed at the comment.
"Don't say such weird things!"
That was when someone else came running in to look for him.
"Oi Shu! We're going back, Reiji said-" A red haired young man barged in. "Who's that?"
You blushed even harder and retracted your arms in surprise.
The blonde glanced over at the newcomer, and merely stood up and walked out without saying anything. The redhead then frowned and tilted his head to one side in confusion, and walked out right after.
After sitting there dumbfounded for about 5 minutes, you finally gathered your thoughts.
"Shu...?" You mouthed the words the red haired boy used to address your secret friend. "He called him Shu..."
Running out and heading towards the canteen, you spotted your classmates and went straight to them.
"Hey! Tell me, that boy from the music room, what's his name?" You demanded, your voice filled with excitement.
Your classmates almost choked on their food at your sudden outburst.
"Oh that guy? He's Shu."
"The Shu that always skips class?" You asked, slowly connecting the pieces together.
"Well yeah, he owns the music room, so we don't really bother him over there..."
Why didn't I ask them earlier? You slapped yourself mentally.
/Meanwhile at the Sakamaki mansion/
"Happy birthday!" There was a pop, and confetti landed in Shu's hair.
"What? It isn't like you guys to celebrate my birthday." Shu stood there, not even bothering to brush the coloured paper off his head.
"It's 'cuz bitch-chan insisted, that's why we decided to do this. Aren't you happy, Shu-kun?" Laito cheekily placed an arm over the birthday boy's shoulder.
"Tch, such a pain." Subaru grumbled as he took the cake out.
"Oi oi! Lately, Shu's been sticking with this human girl at school!" Ayato announced to everyone, expecting an explanation from the oldest sibling.
"Oh my, how far have you guys gone?" Laito couldn't help but join in the conversation.
"Why, is her blood sweet? I like sweet things too." Kanato asked, also rather interested in the current topic.
"Cheh, humans." Subaru said, but he still stayed there, curious to find out more.
Shu stared at the slice of cake in front of him, not interested in answering their questions.
"You'd better not do anything unnecessary, it's troublesome for civilians to find out about vampires." Reiji gave him a stern warning.
Shu looked down at the golden cube in his hand with his half closed eyes. Grunting, he closed his fingers around it and smiled, earning him a few curious looks.
For the next few days, you didn't see Shu in school. He wasn't in class, he wasn't in the music room either. You were curious and frustrated, and almost getting depressed from not knowing the reason for his disappearance. Ever since his birthday, you never saw him again after the redhead called him out. Did something happen? You couldn't help but wonder.
Nevertheless, you continued going to the music room day after day, hoping to see him again. Your pace slowed down as each day passed, disappointment weighing your feet down as you lose hope. He used to be there everyday, but now he is nowhere to be found.
But then, exactly 5 days later, you heard the familiar sounds of the piano drifting from the music room. Your eyes lit up and you ran to the music room immediately, swinging the door open frantically, afraid that he might disappear again.
True enough, you saw the person you've been dying to see, sitting at the piano, his blue eyes fixated upon you as you entered the room. On his face was not a blank, emotionless expression, but a sweet, gentle smile that melted your heart.
"S..Shu!" You called him by his name for the first time. Closing the door, you walked over to him, having a mountain of questions but not knowing where to start.
He chuckled at your reaction, and turned to the piano again.
"This is for you." He said.
His fingers started moving, flowing gracefully across the keys, playing a song you've never heard before. You closed your eyes as you let the music seep in. It was addictive. Amazing. Breathtaking. Every note was hit perfectly, the piece was flawless.
Once the song ended, you let out a satisfied sigh and opened your eyes, only to find his lips pressed against yours, right there, at that moment. Your eyes widened in surprise, and your body tensed up at his sudden act of affection. You felt a hand behind your head and the other around your waist, holding you close to him. You relaxed, feeling the warmth of his embrace and wrapped your arms around him, kissing back to show your passion.
"I knew you were a dirty girl after all." He said as both of you pulled away, gasping for air.
Your face flushed at his crude comment.
"Shu, that song, what is it called?" You asked, your face still pink.
"[insert-name]."
"Huh?"
"That's its name. I'm naming it after you."
Oh, I told him my name on the very first day. Your face turned a deeper red. Even though I never knew his.
But that was when a sudden realisation hit you.
"You composed it? Is that why you were gone for the past five days..." You asked softly, your voice trailing off.
Shu just laughed and hugged you tighter. You returned the hug, a huge grin on your face.
"Thank you."
THE END