Arima Kousei, aged 17, in my final year at Otsuku College of Music Affiliated High School where many renowned musicians have spiralled their way to the top. You may have heard of me as the child prodigy of Arima Saki or perhaps the 'Human Metronome' but that does not mean getting scouted would be an easy task. Now my only remaining chance was the International Piano Competition where standards soared up to the heavens. If I couldn't catch anyone's attention then my entire life as a musician -

"Kousei!"

Instantly my fingers froze above the keys and I raised my head from the complicated music sheets to greet my excited childhood friend who had mystically arrived. She was something like a hurricane, disturbing the peace that I had just created.

"Hey Tsubaki, what are you doing here?"

Within these short years, Tsubaki's short unruly brunette hair lengthened down to her shoulders but she was still the same violent, unpredictable, reckless baseball player I knew – nothing like the feminine girl that most boys thought she was. Thankfully she was at another school or else I would be getting into so much trouble with her.

"I got permission; I didn't sneak in," she rolled her eyes at my unsaid accusation, "Tomorrow's the last day of term so I came to invite you home since my mum hasn't seen you for three years…"

Oh great, the guilt trip. I laughed nervously, "Sorry but maybe next time; I have that international competition coming up."

"Which is in April," she interrupted as she glanced sceptically at the score: Chopin's Impromptu No.1 in A flat Major, Op.20. "You still have another month so pack your bags. I'll meet you at the station at three tomorrow – I'll already bought your ticket so I won't take no for an answer."

Just as she appeared, Tsubaki disappeared like a forceful tidal wave crashing onto the shore. But unlike someone else, it didn't leave such a deep indent on the sand of my life. No, that record was still belonged solely to Miyazono Kaori.


The train station had been refurbished into a grander, more futuristic area with gigantic screens displaying some sort of perfume advertisement. The tiny coffee shop that I often spent time with my ears plugged in was now replaced by a sweet shop with children fighting over a lollipop. The roads that were so endless when I walked home from school were now disgustingly sloppy with puddles. More importantly when I gazed down, I couldn't recognize the person staring back: curly dark hair that had flattened out, a sophisticated jawline and only the same black rimmed glasses to remind myself that this stranger was me.

"Kousei, are you going to go home to freshen up first or do you want to come over first to say hi?" Tsubaki asked casually, completely comfortable strolling down this foreign road. "Kousei?"

"Oh, I think I'll drop my stuff off first."

It was this exact spot where Kaori pounced onto the back of my bike, carelessly leaning onto me with her scent overpowering my senses as she urged me to join her rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I could picture her gazing up towards the starry sky and her laughter echoing in my ears – the sweetest music I had ever heard.

"Why are you staring at the ground?"

My reverie of discarded memories was swiftly broken when I realized we had paused in front of our houses. Tsubaki was frowning with concern, as if she knew what I was imagining.

"It's nothing; I'll see you later."

After exchanging a short farewell, I locked the door to face the bitter emptiness of my home. This was the scenery of normality: my dad isolated in some faraway alien country that I couldn't reach and deafening silence engulfing me into its bottomless ocean. It seemed now that the only reason I returned was just to see my piano again.

The edges of my lips curled a little as another scene was released from its concealed chest stored away in the deepest parts of my brain. Kaori had flung herself onto my piano in a sorrowful embrace and had started tearing up. Even then she looked so beautiful. She shared its pain… my pain.

Like a cautious child searching for monsters, I creaked the door open enough for my hand to flick the light switch. Clearly my dad had not step foot into this room. All my music was still splattered across the room like a clumsy artist would play on his palette. Debussy here, Rachmaninoff there. Only the shelf was still arranged neatly in order but my sole focus was on the piano veiled by a thick layer of dust concealing its unspeakable beauty.

As I attempted to mimic Kaori's gentle actions by caressing it, I slowly pushed the flap up to view the strings which were miraculously in tune. Just by admiring the strings, I felt as though the piano itself was seducing me, tempting me to take a taste. Just a smidge.

How long did I used to spend practicing in this room just for a chance to perform with Kaori perfectly the next day? Or was it because of her persistent orders for me to practice Beethoven?

Time began to warp around me like a cocoon, confusing me as to whether I was practicing for the sake of it or if tomorrow I needed to go to Middle School and rehearse with Kaori for an upcoming contest. My ears had once again grown accustomed to the somewhat muted sound and I let my frustration resound throughout the house. Kaori, the enthusiastic musician who played alluring music yet was so delicate to touch…

"Kousei! It's been an hour and I'll eat your portion soon if you don't come over!"

Nostalgia fluttered away from me like the cocoon had shattered for the butterfly to spread its wings and I was returned to a proper state of mind by Tsubaki's obnoxiously loud voice from a whole house away. A shiver trickled down my spine like a raindrop was sliding down, a certain coldness filling me.

Why was this happening now?


"Welcome back Kousei!"

It felt like masses of people were crammed into the stuffy hall of Tsubaki's house just to scream out those heart-warming words to me. Once I had recovered from jumping several steps back from shock, I greeted them all with a bright smile.

"Hey Kousei, did you just forget about all of us?" A tall brunet with the cheekiest grin I had seen stepped up to punch me on the shoulder as a friendly gesture. "Too into your music to care?"

"Watari!" I laughed as I rubbed my shoulder lightly- he had definitely trained to build up some muscle. "I haven't seen you in forever. How's the football going?"

"Great," he chuckled, "I just returned from a tour. And you should have seen all those babes in –"

"Arima-sensei, it's good to see you again," Nagi politely cut in. I almost couldn't recognise her without her childish pigtails. Her rich hair cascading down her back reminded me instantly of a certain girl who also wore her hair this way, with the exact same glittering blondness…

"How has your piano lessons been going? Has Hiroko-san been treating you well?"

"I'll have you know Kousei, after you've seen my training schedule you'll think you've been slacking off," my former teacher reprimanded me and then grimaced, "You've grown taller than me now but that still doesn't mean you play any better. No scouting yet?"

I shrugged with a dejected look on my face, "I still have this last competition that I'm hoping to -"

"Enough about piano," Tsubaki whined loudly, "Let's hurry up and cut the cake!"

At this, everyone burst into laughter but even though I was chuckling along it felt abnormal. There was a missing piece to this twisted puzzle and for once, I was certain it was Kaori. It had been almost a year since I last pictured her when I compared her passionate performances, which had etched so perfectly vivid into my mind like an intimate piece of music, to a mediocre violinist. Why was she clinging onto me so desperately now? Or was it that I was actually the one who wouldn't let go? I had already bid her farewell so why…

Why was I still so in love?


Reviews would be appreciated because I would like your advice on whether to continue this as a longer story or just to leave it... But I had fun writing this, I really like Kousei :) Thanks for reading guys!