Moonlight Aria Kiss
When Kaede had been applying to university, the advice she received the most was that getting in was the hardest part, and it was true. University was a breeze. She just hadn't expected that it would be this much of a breeze. Kaede had stopped going to class by the second month of her first year, instead devoting all her time to her music, which seemed fair, given that she was a music major. (Classical piano to be exact.) But with competition season only starting at the end of the year, there truly was no incentive to treat piano practice like a full-time job. And that was why she was now in Ikebukuro walking around and browsing the shopping malls. There was a saying that university was the springtime of life, and even if it was literally summertime she was going to enjoy it!
She had just exited a UNIQLO store when she noticed a woman on the street. The woman wore glasses, and was tall and slender and dressed in a two-piece outfit consisting of a white cotton shirt with buttons embellished with lace and a low-hanging, coffee-coloured pinafore dress. A high ponytail and knee-high boots completed the cute ensemble, but to be honest Kaede's thoughts were elsewhere. The dress hung so low that it ended under the woman's chest, which only served to frame the button area of the shirt. It definitely drew Kaede's eye in, at any rate, and when she caught herself staring at the buttons she had to look away. Any longer and she would be caught in the act.
Wait a minute. She turned back and took another look. While the woman was pretty, in such a standard way that you would immediately gloss over her if you saw her in a magazine, she was also familiar. A few more seconds of examining her face and a name blossomed up from within Kaede's mind: it was her former high school classmate, Shirogane Tsumugi.
Who was currently pacing in front of a fancy fabric store, wringing her hands and muttering worriedly to herself.
Kaede walked up to her. "Shirogane-san?"
"Akamatsu-san! It's been a long time!" Surprise immediately replaced the worry on Tsumugi's face. Her greeting had been instant, almost an instinctive reaction to Kaede's, and Kaede felt a little embarrassed for having forgotten her, even just for a few minutes.
She pushed the embarrassment aside and gave Tsumugi a big smile. "How are you doing? Actually… is there something worrying you?"
Tsumugi's friendly smile turned rueful. "Was I that obvious? Sorry to make you worried over plain old me… I've been looking for a specific type of cloth to accessorise a cosplay. I've been to several fabric shops all over town but haven't been able to find chiffon which is soft enough. I really don't want to make the trek to Nippori…"
"Cosplay, that's the thing you do where you dress up as anime characters, right?" If Kaede remembered right, Shirogane had been President of the crafts club in high school, which was an impressive achievement for someone who was constantly saying they were plain. "What does the anime character look like?"
"Ah, give me a minute." Tsumugi took out her phone and swiped around, then brought it in front of Kaede's face. On her phone screen was a super-cute magical girl with springy blonde locks and huge, sparkly eyes. The dress was sky blue, and quite standard in look, but the source of Tsumugi's worries had to be the bow at her elbow gloves – or, more specifically, the soft, shimmering baby blue stripes streaming off them like rivulets.
"You know, Shirogane-san, this reminds me of a dress I once wore to a recital," Kaede said. "It was dark blue, and rippling off the top of the skirt was a layer of super-soft chiffon, just like those streamers. Is that the right name for those things?"
"Well, technically glovemakers would call it a streaming bow, since it's attached to a bow," Tsumugi said, putting her phone away. "But more importantly! Akamatsu-san, I hope it's okay to ask you this even though we just bumped into each other on the street. Could you do me a huge favour? I'd like to see this dress for myself!"
Tsumugi's eyes had an almost scary glint to them, but Kaede was interested despite herself. How could it be that despite having gone to school with Tsumugi for 3 years, this was the first time she was seeing such passion from her?
"Sure, I don't have any plans today anyway," she replied without hesitation. "Come over to my apartment. It isn't far from here."
Kaede's apartment was about a 20-minute walk away, and the two spent that time updating each other on what they had been doing since high school. Apparently, Tsumugi was now taking a specialty course in Clothing Production and Design, although she was finding the introductory courses too easy for her.
"But the true meat of the course is when you specialise in the third year," she added, "and I get to use the equipment at university whenever I like, which has been just plain great for cosplay!"
"Did you apply to the university to make a career in fashion or to use the machines?" Kaede asked, and it was only half a joke. Tsumugi took no offence, though, and accepted the rebuke with a smile.
"What about you, Akamatsu-san? Do you have a lot of lectures?"
"Oh, I'm a Classical Music major, so we don't really have class beyond music history. I don't think it's that important, though, and stuff like that and music theory I can just study from a book. We're supposed to spend most of our time practising, but since I don't have any big recitals until the end of the year I'm just taking it easy."
"You must have a lot of love for your music, Akamatsu-san, to be able to perform them to a crowd of people."
"Well, I do love to play the piano!" Kaede said. "And I guess I do love all the pieces I perform, in different ways. But I don't think it's just love. You have to understand each piece on its own terms, you know? Each piece has its own story behind it, and is saying its own thing. It extends to the pianist as well. You can't play a sad song with a big smile, and you can't put on too heavy of an atmosphere if you're playing a light song. You have to play your role."
"Like a second self?"
"That's exactly it!" Kaede exclaimed. "Of course the whole point of creative performance is to put your own spin on it. Otherwise a computer could just do it! But just being able to play the piece as yourself isn't enough. Who cares if you can execute the jumping octaves or the fast arpeggios? If you don't take the time to study and understand the piece, you'll never be able to perform it properly."
"You know what? That just plain sounds like love to me," Tsumugi said. "And it's just like cosplay too. I think you'd actually make a good cosplayer, Akamatsu-san!"
"You really think so?" Kaede replied. "It seems really complicated. And I don't even watch anime. Honestly, I wouldn't know where to start!"
They reached Kaede's apartment, and after pouring a glass of juice for Tsumugi Kaede dug out her dress from her closet. She took it out, hanger and garment bag and all, and laid it flat onto the countertop.
"Here you go, Shirogane-san. The chiffon is here, see? Super soft."
Tsumugi leaned closer to inspect every detail. "It's just plain beautiful! I can only imagine how you looked when performing in it. And it looks very finely made. Did you get it hand-tailored?"
"I did, actually," Kaede said. "It's so cool that you can tell by just looking at it."
Tsumugi waved it off. "When you work with fabric and clothing enough, it becomes plain as day! And actually… if it's not too much to ask, can you model the dress for me? I want to see how the material flows off a person. It would really help a lot!"
"Sure." Kaede didn't really get it, but it was probably the equivalent of artists looking at the real painting versus a photograph of it. "You'd have to help me put it on, though. And it's a bit fragile, so be careful."
She didn't think it was possible for Tsumugi to get more excited, but she did. "Don't worry!" the woman exclaimed. "Such a beautiful garment deserves nothing but the greatest of care!"
A few minutes later, Kaede was in the dress, and Tsumugi was scrutinising her. It was a bit of a strange experience, compounded by the fact that Kaede never wore fancy dresses like this unless she was playing music, but it wasn't strange in the bad way. In fact, an anticipatory tingle was starting to form at and run down the tip of her spine. Kaede would roll with it.
"You look wonderful!" Tsumugi said, clasping both her hands together. "What type of song did you play while wearing this?"
"If you count all the movements as separate pieces, I played about 12 different ones while wearing this," Kaede said with a smile. "But there's one I think particularly suits it. Do you want to hear it?"
Tsumugi's smile broke into a broad grin. "I would plain love to!"
When Kaede took her seat on her upright piano, it occurred to her that this was the first time she was playing the piano for someone she could vaguely call a friend. Most of her friends weren't interested in her music, which wasn't a bad thing since it was a reminder that there was life outside of it, but it was nice to have your talents recognised sometimes. That thought conjured up a wistful smile on her face as she brought her fingers to the keys.
"It sounds better on a grand piano, but this will have to do," she said as her fingers assumed their starting position. "This piece is the first movement from Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata."
And as Kaede started to play, her thoughts soon filled with nothing but rippling water and the moon watching over the shoreline, and the swishing flow of the tides. And the occasional nighttime dalliance at the waterfront, disturbing the quiet rhythm of the sea, and the waves methodically washing all of the evidence away as the tide receded in time with sunrise.
When she removed her fingers from the keys and looked up, Tsumugi started to clap.
"Oh my gosh!" she said. "Akamatsu-san, that was just plain amazing! The dress suited the song perfectly, and not just that – you were amazing! You had an otherworldly presence while playing. Hearing and watching you perform made me feel like I could see the moon!"
"Thanks," Kaede said, aware that faint warmth was dusting her cheeks despite herself. "Just wait till you hear the third movement. Another day, though."
"Yes, I would love to! But," Tsumugi said, and now she had the same glint in her eyes from earlier, "more importantly, Akamatsu-san, I've decided! You absolutely have to cosplay with me at Comiket next month! It's plain as day that you have the passion required for it. And you won't even have to make your own costume. I would plain love for you to wear one of my costumes! Please, Akamatsu-san! It would make me just plain happy!"
Kaede had never been begged for something with such fervour before. And maybe it was because she was still in the dress, but right now cosplaying felt doable, closer to what she had just done rather than an intimidating hobby reserved for passionate anime fans. It was just replacing the classical piece with a character, right? Tsumugi was looking at her with such hope that she would feel terrible if she refused. The 'yes' slipped out of her mouth before she knew it, and by the time her doubts rushed back it was too late to take it back.
Three days later, over a cup of ginger tea and a slice of charcoal strawberry roll cake, Tsumugi asked, "So have you decided who you want to cosplay yet? It doesn't have to be anime! Any character at all. Any show or movie. I can make it!"
"Yeah…" Kaede said, smile growing sheepish. "The thing is, I don't watch TV or movies much either… oh, I know! What's the name of the character you're cosplaying?"
"Tsukinoshita Karin-chan," Tsumugi said, a sceptical note entering her tone, "from PreCare Galaxy. I don't think you'd know it though?"
"And does Karin-chan have a best friend?"
"Kitagawa Keiko, her classmate and a shrine maiden."
Kaede beamed. "What a cute name and what a cool setting! I'll cosplay her."
Tsumugi's smile turned bewildered. "What?"
She agreed without any further objections, though, and soon Kaede was regularly visiting Tsumugi in her workshop for fittings and posing lessons. It was only a month to Comiket, but to Tsumugi that would be no problem at all. In fact, according to her the biggest problem was Kaede herself.
"At least let me cut the cloth or something. Or hold it down, even. I don't want to make you do all the work," Kaede protested.
Tsumugi didn't even look up from her drafting table, where she was moving bits of tracing paper around. Put together, those pieces of paper formed something that looked like the outline of a bodice, but Kaede wouldn't exactly bet money on that. It was just her uninformed opinion.
"Like I said, Akamatsu-san," Tsumugi said, "watching the show is work! How can you cosplay the character if you don't understand their backstory and their soul? The idea is just plain inconceivable! Don't worry about me. I'm just adapting your measurements to this pattern. It's a one-woman job, plain and simple."
"If you say so," Kaede said doubtfully. But she wasn't the expert here, not even close, so she let it slide and wandered back to the side table where she had set up her laptop.
It was currently open at episode 37 of PreCare Galaxy. PreCare Galaxy was a 52-episode series, and Tsumugi was adamant that Kaede had to watch all of it before Comiket. Only by experiencing Keiko's entire character arc would she be able to understand the heart of her character and capture her feelings while posing for her magical attacks. It was pretty similar to what she did with piano pieces. Just because you looked like the character didn't mean you could perform them. Kaede had just never thought that preparation for a performance could involve watching an entire children's anime.
But while Precare Galaxy was a children's anime, it was a surprisingly enjoyable one. The art was much prettier compared to what she remembered from her childhood, the battle scenes and transformation sequences were cooler, the characters were cuter, and the plot was darker and more gripping. Whether it was because today's children were more mature, or because the show was attempting to appeal to a wider audience, Kaede didn't know, but as Keiko-chan's shrine went up in flames and the normally stone-faced girl cried angry tears, Kaede felt her heart tighten. Suddenly, it was a little bit harder to breathe, and her eyelids were heavy with newfound moisture. Kaede reached for a tissue as quietly as she could and dabbed at her eyes. She prayed that Tsumugi hadn't noticed, because no way in her life would she ever admit that she had teared up to a children's anime.
The day of Comiket finally arrived, and Kaede and Tsumugi took an early morning train to the convention grounds. Early according to Kaede, anyway. As far as she was concerned, nothing could justify taking the 8am train on the weekend.
"It's not early," Tsumugi said. "Hardcore Comiket attendees take the first train! Of course, we're cosplaying, so there's no need for that."
"That first train?" Kaede asked, astonished. "But that's at like 4:30am! This thing doesn't even open until 10am!"
"That may be so," Tsumugi said, "but competition for the best spots and for the most popular doujin circle goods is very high. So 8am isn't early at all!"
Their train finally arrived at Kokusai-tenjijo-seimon station, and Tsumugi led Kaede to the convention venue and the changing rooms. Or rather… the changing ballroom. The ladies' changing room had to be on par in size with some of the larger recital halls Kaede had played in, and that was just as well because there were what seemed like hundreds of women in varying states of undress and makeup inside. Fortunately for Kaede, she had cosplay master Shirogane Tsumugi to help her into her costume and to do her wig and makeup, and before long they were heading back out into the cosplay area.
The swarm of photographers immediately approaching them made Kaede's heart skip a beat.
"Silver-san! Could you pose for a photograph, please?"
"Great cosplay of Karin-chan, Silver-san! Look this way, please?"
"Silver-san, when it's my turn can you do Doom Reflection Spear?"
"Wait, are you Silver-san?" Kaede said, shocked. This level of fame had to have taken years to build up. "Were you already this popular in high school?"
Tsumugi only gave her a sheepish "Since middle school, actually," before turning to the photographers and performing their requests, and Kaede was left to ponder the fact that they had all been classmates with a mini-celebrity the entire time. None of them had any idea.
She wasn't given much time with her thoughts, though. Even if she was an unknown face, the quality of her costume and makeup was obvious, and soon she too had her own requests from cosplay photographers and PreCare Galaxy fans. The stream of requests seemed endless, and Kaede only had time to exchange a glance with Tsumugi every so often.
"Moonlight Aria Kiss!"
"Thank you very much! Your pose is wonderful!"
"Could you do Symphony Charge this way, please?"
"Of course, give me a moment… Symphony Charge!"
"Thank you!"
"Could you do a pair pose, please? Keiko-chan and Karin-chan?"
The sounds of whirring lenses and snapping shutters formed a rhythm of their own, and it made Kaede feel like a celebrity or a model. This was definitely something she would never experience at a recital! As she assumed Keiko-chan's trademark poses and yelled out her attacks again and again, a steady excitement welled up from within her. Kaede couldn't help but think of episode 25 of PreCare Galaxy, when Keiko and Karin had to fight in the middle of a large crowd. This felt almost like that! Keiko-chan was a soft-spoken girl who put up a cold front to compensate for being shy, and it was a real effort not to break character and let her lips widen into a big grin. But she couldn't stop the joy from emanating from her very being. She was having so, so, so much fun!
They had been posing for what seemed like forever by the time Kaede realised she was hungry. The crowd had thinned, and when Kaede looked around for Tsumugi she spotted her coming back holding two packaged rice balls.
"Great work, Akamatsu-san! That was plain sailing. You did really well for a first-time cosplayer!" Tsumugi said, handing her a rice ball.
"Thanks, Shirogane-san… I guess I got really caught up in it. I didn't even realise I was hungry."
"Yes, it's the same for me, too," Tsumugi said. "That just leaves lots of space for dinner, though. It's almost closing time. Shall we go?"
After taking care of their final few photography requests, they both headed towards the changing room. On the way, however, in an unused storage area, Kaede caught sight of a black shape, with the unmistakable outline of a grand piano, and an idea popped into her head. Her lips curved into a sly smile.
"You see that grand?" she said, gesturing towards the storage area. It was probably a fixture of the venue that was temporarily moved for the convention, but they really should have chosen a better place. The piano practically sparkled where it stood. It was too good for a musty storage area. "C'mon, Shirogane-san, I'll show you something."
When they reached the piano Kaede wasted no time in taking a seat. It wasn't as nice a piano as the one at her university, but it was still a grand and the presence it commanded was totally different to her own upright piano at home. Kaede started with some trills and chromatic scales to warm her fingers up, and after a few seconds Tsumugi started to clap.
Kaede couldn't help but smile – this was basic stuff, not worth being impressed over. It wasn't even what she had wanted to show Tsumugi in the first place. But years of playing the piano was also years of people being impressed at the wrong moments, and Kaede had plenty of practice at both, so she let it slide without comment. Besides, what else mattered as long as the listener was enjoying it?
Then Kaede transitioned to the opening theme of PreCare Galaxy. After a few notes, when the melody line became clear, Tsumugi stopped clapping and Kaede turned to look at her, playing all the while. Tsumugi had two hands over her mouth and listened intently, and when Kaede's fingers danced into the chorus her hands parted to reveal a large smile.
They had to make a quaint sight, one magical girl playing the piano to another. Even to a PreCare Galaxy fan, it would be a strange sight, since Keiko-chan could only play the koto in the anime. But when Kaede went into the second-last note from a trill, and ended with a triumphant tonic chord, the applause that resulted warmed her heart more than any recital she had ever played in. Tsumugi's claps were thin and soft, devoid of power and presence, but she was clapping so enthusiastically that Kaede was almost embarrassed. It really had taken no effort at all to play the song. She hadn't even embellished it that much, just added a bit of a polka flair.
"That was wonderful, Akamatsu-san!" Shirogane said, while keeping up the clapping. "You're really so good at the piano!"
"Thanks," Kaede replied, cheeks heating up. "But this is nothing compared to all the effort you spent on my costume and teaching me the poses, and showing me PreCare Galaxy. Consider it as a little bit of repayment for this cosplay experience."
"No, no, the pleasure was all mine!" Tsumugi assured her. "I took a few peeks at you watching the show when I was working on the costume… when you dabbed at your face it was plain that this was going to be great! Do you remember when we talked about love? I could feel the love in your heart. The love you had for the anime, and for Keiko-chan. Cosplay is all about love, Akamatsu-san, and you're full of it. You're a natural!"
"I'm so glad to hear you say that," Kaede said. "To be honest, I was worried that I'd mess up somehow, but because we prepared so well I managed to do everything properly. Thank you again, Shirogane-san. I really had a lot of fun!"
She went in for a hug, and Tsumugi returned it, and when they separated, Tsumugi's eyes were glinting again.
"What are you thinking, Shirogane-san?" Kaede asked, although she had a feeling she already knew.
"Nothing much," Tsumugi replied. "I was just thinking about the next big event and what we should cosplay next."
"Well, you tell me," Kaede said with a smile. "As long as it isn't PreCare Galaxy again, I'm fine with anything. Just pick an anime with really good music so that next time, I can give you a much better show."
END.
Notes: This was my 2017 Danganronpa Secret Santa gift! Also thank you to June for coming up the initial scenarios that eventually were developed and combined to become this fic. Finally, there are a multitude of Moonlight Sonata recordings on Youtube, but watch?v=nT7_IZPHHb0 is the one I imagine Kaede's playing to sound most like.