It's a typical afternoon. Len and I are returning to the classroom after having a lunch break which we spent in the library as usual. Len and I aren't really sociable. We're both introverted dreamers, scientifically known as an INFP, which is why we immediately became friends. We're both loved by teachers because of our good grades. Because of our similarities, I might have even developed a tiny crush on my best friend.
Walking through the door, we're greeted with the odd sight of our classmates looking at the ceiling in fear. Ignoring that, I walk back into my seat and ask my seatmate, Luka, what's going on. She replies,"There's a giant bug in the room right now..." Her voice was barely above a whisper. 'A bug?' I thought, 'that's not that big of a deal...' "So where is it now?" I ask her. "On the ceiling fan..." still as quiet as she was before. I look and squint my eyes to get a better view. There's a black dot, barely larger than a 500 yen coin.
"What are you guys afraid of it's just a bug!" Miss Lily's sighs exasperatedly. It was clear she was annoyed with the class full of a scaredy cats. "Because we've never seen it before!" Longya yells from the back. "Seriously? Even the boys are afraid?!"
The bug seems to be able to understand us, for not a second after the thought passed my mind, it took flight once again.
"Ahhhhh!" scream from both male and female resound in the classroom. The black bug flies towards the window and turns around after realising that there was no escape. It lands on the backboard, within hitting range.
Kaito, who was sitting behind me, immediately says, "Gah! Why is it so close to me?!" Mr Lily says, "Kaito, just go kill it!" It was clear she was 100% done with the nonsense. He hesitantly stands up, holding a book, looking ready to smack it. Instead, he swings it back and forth, trying to scare it away. It was deemed useless as it stayed put. I noticed Miss Lilly facepalm and decide the entire situation is too stupid and I deal with it myself.
Standing up, a grab Kaito's book and he immediately steps back. I smack the bug as hard as I can, making a loud noise, killing it instantly. "Good job, Rin," Miss Lily says, "That's finally over..." I drop a book on Kaito's desk, and walk straight back into my seat. Immediately, I'm showered by praises.
"That was so brave of you!" Miku says.
"Remind me to not make her mad..." Aoki mumbles.
"You're braver than half of the boys!" Rion says.
"It's just a bug..." I mumble to myself. I turn around to question Kaito, "What's there to be afraid of? It's just a bug." I notice my voice quivering. I'm not brave at all. My entire body is shaking. My mind isn't afraid, but my body shoes symptoms of fear. I'm a coward.
Kaito whimpers a bit, and replies, breaking me out of my thoughts. "I'm afraid of bugs. You can't blame me!" I sweatdrop. Typical Kaito.
"Alright, simmer down. Now, get ready for the next lesson," Miss Lily commands. I pull out my music textbook and get ready to head to the music room. I notice a piercing gaze, and I turn to find the origin. I lock my eyes with Len and tilt my head, asking him what's wrong. He shakes his head as if to say nothing. Weird.
"There is a Chinese tale about friendship and music, the tale of Yu Boya and Zhong Ziqi. Boya was a qin player and Ziqi was a woodsman. One rainy day, Boya was trying to mimick the sound of the falling rain. Ziqi, who happened to be nearby, nodded his head contently, and said that it sounded like the rain. Boya was surprised and tried to play the sound of the rapid river. Ziqi once again, guessed it. No matter what Boys played, Ziqi was able to guess what he intended to play." Mr. Hiyama says.
It's the music lesson and Len is right next to me taking notes. The story has always intrigued me, how a person could understand another without saying a single word. How deep of a connection do they need to achieve that?
"However, Ziqi died after some time. Boya was devastated and went in front of his grave to played a sad tune. Afterwards, he smashed his qin to pieces and swore to never play again. For it was pointless without his zhiyin, meaning a close and sympathetic friend." He finished the story. The class was murmuring about the story. "Now, can anyone tell on me what made smashing the qin so important?"
Silence.
Two hands were raised. Left and right. "Thank you, Len," Mr. Hiyama says. I put my hand down as Len stands up, "The Chinese have six arts. Once mastered, one would be considered a perfect gentleman. They include, rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy and mathematics. In music, the qin is the most significant instrument,"
"Correct, good job Len," He mods and sits back down. I give him a thumbs up and he gives a gentle smile. We stare into each other's eyes for what seems like hours. Those crystal winter blue eyes never cease to mesmerize me.
"What is the name of the song that he plays in the story?" Mr Hiyama's voice pulls me back into reality. Two hand were raised once again. "Rin, thank you" I stand up and answer, "Gaoshan Liushui, directly translating intohigh mountains and flowing water."
"Spot on. You two are really informed on the subject." Mr. Hiyama compliments us. We share a smile.
"Don't you think it's cool how Ziqi could understand Boya immediately?" I ask Len. It's after school now, and we're walking home together. We live right next to each other, so we often go to places together. "I suppose. It should be impossible to understand someone before even meeting them," He replies with speculating tone.
"That's what makes it so special! I wish there was someone who can understand me like that..." I mumble the last part to myself. "I could do that if you want me to," I hear Len say. I freeze in my steps. "What do you mean?" he turns around with a boyish grin. "I can guess your thoughts, shall I demonstrate?" I nod my head dumbly, what does he mean?
"Today, when you killed that bug, you were afraid" My eyes widen, "H-how did yo-" "Your body was shaking. It wasn't obvious, but it definitely was. Your voice was quivering. You were also biting your lip. You do that when your scared" My mind goes blank. "What was I thinking about during the music lesson then?" I ask shakily. There's no way he knows, right?
"Are you sure you want me to answer that?". His eyes has a devious glean. He knows. He most definitely knows. "No thank you." I reply all too quickly. I should pay more attention to his actions as well.