Beginnings Arc;
Chapter 1
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Yusuke Kitagawa wasn't one whom people chose for company, no matter how hard he forced himself to be more sociable, students of his school strayed far from him. Although his division consist mostly of girls, he considered himself quite well-informed, and was able to hold a normal conversation with them - art was always a safe topic, and his knowledge on art was, certainly, not lacking.
More than he wanted himself to, he had found solitude to be a welcomed companion. His goal to capture beauty in his paintings consumed most of his time, leaving little for genuine and long-lasting friendship.
Most of his days were spent contemplating in front of a canvas, either in his school's art room or at home - his sensei's home. Each and every time, he was alone. Even the few students who also, albeit rarely, chose to stay late to finish their projects didn't even attempt to engage in a conversation with him.
That was why, that day, for the first time ever, Yusuke Kitagawa felt some sort of misplaced excitement.
It started with soft footsteps, the opening of the art room's door, and a student wondering inside - oblivious to Yusuke's presence. She was a curious little lamb, a notebook clutched tightly in her hands, the girl observed the paintings that were kept in the room. Her small hands scribbled away at her notebook everytime she came across a painting that, he speculated, she found interesting, her face lighting up ever so slightly at the sight.
Though Yusuke didn't want to interrupt her, the girl was the one who interrupted herself by spotting him in the room. Her gaze landed on him, and recognition flashed in her hazelnut eyes, but she didn't say a word that indicated the case was just that.
Seeing that the girl had no intention of engaging a conversation with himself, Yusuke turned his attention back towards his current painting. With every brush stroke, his disappointment grew, knowing that this painting wouldn't even began to compare to Sayuri, but he was determined to see this through.
Not long after, he could feel the girl approach him, but still he didn't pay her any mind. What irked him was when he heard the scraping of a chair not too far behind him, the girl sat on it. The action garnered his attention towards her, as he raised an eyebrow questioningly. The girl didn't notice, too busy scrutinizing his painting.
"Can I help you?" Yusuke, a bit uncomfortable, asked warily.
She blinked twice before answering. "No."
"I see." With that he turned back towards his work, but found it a little hard to continue under the watch of the unfamiliar student.
A few minutes of awkward silence passed by. Yusuke tried his hardest to ignore her, she didn't even make a sound this past minute but still, he was bothered.
"I'm Kotone Wakana," It was the girl, now he knew as Kotone, who broke the silence. The introduction seemingly came out of nowhere, Yusuke glanced at her to find that she was smiling. "from the temporary music division."
It took a while for Yusuke to register that an actual person was talking to him, and introducing themselves nonetheless. No students from his division was even interested in starting a conversation with him, the same could be said with the other divisions at his school, but to a greater extent; they didn't even bother to know him.
"Yusuke," He started, still unsure if she even wanted to know his name. She must want to, he thought. If she didn't then she wouldn't even bother telling her name. "Yusuke Kitagawa."
She smiled gleefully at him, and Yusuke found wanting to smile himself. He wondered if this was what they would call the start of a friendship - something he had been deprived from most of his life - but held back the thought when no words were exchanged between them after that.
Yusuke wanted to break the, yet again, uncomfortable silence in the air, but he found himself at a loss for words, confused about what to actually say to her. Before it stretched for too long though, the girl stood up and headed to the door, probably intent of leaving his boring and nothing less than eccentric self behind. Yusuke was dense, he knew, but that didn't mean he wasn't aware of people's opinions. And he wouldn't blame her if she found him to be just that.
That was why she surprised him yet again.
"See you." Her voice was small but certain, as she said her goodbyes just before disappearing through the door.
The encounter was short and nothing else other than confusing, but Yusuke found himself questioning the purpose of her being here mere moments ago. And were those last words a promise of seeing her again? His painting was more interesting though.
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Kotone Wakana wasn't one to make rash decisions, or at least, that was what people knew. At that moment she wanted nothing but to get up and leave, go home and tinker with her instruments. Her heart held her back, she didn't want to disappoint her mother - not now, nor ever. The smile she put up, as she listened to the man in front of her drone on and on about his terms and what-not, was tiring. Kotone didn't bother to listen, since she knew that in the end she would agree anyway; the man would take the royalty of her song and she would be paid.
She couldn't be more relieved when the meeting was over. Heaving a sigh, she navigated through the brightly lit streets of Shibuya; her transit before returning home to Yongen. Her gaze landed on Big-Bang Burger, and like a reflex, her stomach growled. The urge to fill her stomach with junk-food was irresistible, but she knew better. Her mother, Kiyoko Wakana, must've already prepared dinner; a healthy one, without question. With heavy heart, she headed straight to the station.
The rhythmic shake of the train was like a melody lulling her to an almost sleeping state. She took the free time to pull out her phone, and entered two words into the browser: Yusuke Kitagawa. His face was familiar, and hearing his name had made her a little bit surer that he knew who she had met. And the internet proved her right, there were a few articles mentioning his name under the tutelage of Ichiryusai Madarame.
If she remembered correctly, her mother had an acquaintance with the same name. She had to ask her mother. They - she and Yusuke - were alike in a way, they were both pupils. Though her mother had long stopped being active in the music world.
Her house was a couple minute walk from the station, chosen not for luxury but convenience and comfort living. It was a standard two-storey japanese house. The first floor consisted of the living area, kitchen, bathing section, and the washing room. On the second floor, Kotone's and her parents' bedroom were located adjacent to each other, with a notable size difference - her parents' was quite vast for a bedroom. And a toilet was added on the second floor for convenience sake.
The first odd thing when she entered her house was the absence of the aroma of food. Kotone was now only beginning to regret not dining in Big-Bang Burger knowing that her mother, in fact, hadn't cooked that night. The second one was that her father was already home, sitting leisurely in front of the television. He wasn't supposed to be home yet, not in another few hours.
"I'm home."
Her declaration of herself being home was returned warmly, and immediately after, her parents stopped what they were doing and ushered her to change into more comfortable clothes. Kotone raised a brow at this, though only received a chuckle in response.
Soon after she changed out of her uniform, the three of them was out walking in the streets of Yongen. The direction of where they were going was familiar to them, probably to eat dinner. A few turns and they arrived at a small café; Leblanc. The familiar musty atmosphere of the small restaurant greeted them as they chose a seat in a booth nearest to the door.
"So," Kotone started, garnering the attention of both her parents. "What's the occasion?"
"Your father was just promoted." Kiyoko provided, her picture perfect smile was exactly the same with the one Kotone had seen in a magazine, many years ago. It was too happy and forced to her liking.
"Oh…"
"To the position of chief." Her father, Daisuke Wakana, elaborated even further. What Kotone was sure of was that her father was a hard worker, and that the promotion was something important and dear to him. Even Though Kotone and her mother had a relationship more akin to a student and a teacher, she was fairly close to her father. And being nonchalant about his promotion would surely wound his pride—and to a further extent, although not much, their bond.
"That's great!" She smiled brightly, nodding to her father.
Leblanc wasn't a fancy restaurant that people usually prefered for a celebration such as this, including Kotone's family. But seeing her father's worn face she could see he was tired from a long day of work, and Leblanc's curry was in the list of his favorite foods. The distance was what mattered.
"Well look who we have here." A deep voice greeted the three of them. Kotone looked up to see the humble owner of Leblanc, standing in all the glory of his hunched figure.
"Sojiro!" Daisuke was up in his feet to greet the man, patting him in the back.
"All good, I suppose?" Sojiro asked, giving each of them a welcoming smile.
"Absolutely, we're here for a little celebration." Daisuke scratched his cheek, chuckling fondly at his old friend. Sojiro nodded, presumably hearing their previous conversation; it was a small café after all.
"Glad to see you're doing well now." Recalling one of her father's stories, Sojiro Sakura was an old acquaintance of Daisuke. They worked together once if she remembered correctly.
Speaking of old acquaintances, after they made their order and settled back down, Kotone inquired her mother about Ichiryusai Madarame. And she boasted of her past, telling her that he once made an illustration accompanying one of her song's releases.
Three plates of curry were soon set in front of them, the aroma blending perfectly with the coffee that Sojiro previously served. The three of them said a little prayer then proceeded to savour the food, accompanied with the coffee that seemed to just enhance the flavours further.
Small talk were made, starting with the inquiry of Ketone's finals—which were a month away—and her final assignment. To which she assured her mother that she was working on them to the fullest of her capabilities. Not that she had another choice, her mother did expect a lot from her; she was, after all, her legacy. Or so she said.
Then the conversation moved to the contracts she signed previously that day. Kotone was not unfamiliar with them, and didn't find anything worth noting of. With the help of her mother, her music was out there amongst the crowds. Though it did not fulfill her original motive of being a composer, which was to help people. To elicit emotions that would help any person get through the day happily through her music.
Since she was not her mother, who was a singer, the contracts offered to her were mainly for commercial use. Either for companies or stores, but none of them were an extremely big one, thus it wasn't as grand as it seemed. And the fact that her name wasn't listed with the song didn't help either. There was no use for it though, it was just music that would just pass through people's ears as they shop, or watch a commercial, or even when riding an elevator. She wasn't helping them brightening their moods.
It was a good start, according to Kiyoko. And being a teenager she was, Kotone couldn't do anything to protest, not yet. She wondered if Yusuke Kitagawa had a similar experience, being an apprentice of a renowned artist surely came with a lot of expectations. Was Madarame as fierce as her mother to get their pupils out there? Probably not. He offered tutors and the sharing of his knowledge, not the pressure to uphold his name.
The conversation drifted as the hours got late, the only reminder was that Sojiro told them that he was about to close the shop. All in all, it was a nice evening. They all went home satisfied with a good meal and a pleasant family time.
The thrill of making a new acquaintance almost kept her up that night. A plethora of new inspirations awaited her in the form of friendship with Yusuke Kitagawa, a fellow artist, whom she hoped would share secrets of Ichiryusai Madarame's huge range of works with her. Highly unlikely, but she had all the determination of being his friend. Maybe in hopes of finding a friend that understood her predicament. She hoped indeed.
People knew Kotone as one who didn't make rash decisions, and they were wrong. The very next day, she had a new found confidence in deciding what to do for herself. A rash decision, but one she would not regret, ever. Afterall one of the quirks of her division was the freedom to express themselves through appearance; a freedom that previous students had fought the school for. And artists had to make an image for themselves, right?