"Hello, Matsuoka Harumi speaking!"
Matsuoka Gou sat on the lounge doing her homework, biting the tip of her pencil rather savagely, twirling a strand of her burgundy hair around a dainty finger.
"Hm? An offer? The national orchestra you say?"
The girl's ears perked up at that, and she spun around on the couch to face her mother, books flying off her lap and on to the carpeted floor.
"Ah, I see. Rehearsals on selective weekends? She'll be there. Thank you, good day!"
"Whaaaaaaaaat?" Gou's excited screech sent her catapulting off the couch, scrabbling to grasp at her mother's dress, "The national orchestra?"
The middle aged woman laughed, rolling her eyes at her daughter's antics, "Yes, Gou. They want you as a violinist for the performance in Nagoya this summer."
"AAAAAAHHHHH NO WAY MA!"
Harumi rolled her eyes once more at her daughter's dramatic outburst, "Yes way, Gou Matsuoka. They've emailed you the sheet music, so finish your homework and get practicing!"
Taking a few deep breaths to collect herself, Gou stood straight and squared her shoulders, "Today is the day your daughter became a woman," she announced to her mother. Before the unamused woman could reply, the teen raced to her room and tore open her laptop.
Minutes later, her mother heard an ungodly screech from within, "AH! MA! IT'S SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN, WE ARE PERFORMING THE SOUNDTRACK OF SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN MAMAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"
OOO
"Congratulations, Gou-chan!" Chigusa Hanamura exclaimed, patting her friend on the back gently at the news of her selection into the most prestigious orchestra in the country.
"Thank you, Hana-chan!" the amber eyed girl chirped back as they walked through the hallway at school, a slight blush grazing her cheeks, "God knows how many hours spent practicing has got me here."
"Hn, I'll see you later!" her blue eyed friend piqued up, heading into the open door of her homeroom.
Still bursting with excitement, Gou made her way into her homeroom, not even Nagisa's cry of, "Gou-chan!" able to dampen her spirits.
"You look exceedingly happy today, Kou-san," Rei commented, pushing his red rimmed glasses further up his nose.
She smiled at him and took her seat in front of him and Nagisa, practically bouncing in her chair. Still with ten minutes before the class was to begin, Gou dug around in her bag, tugging out her iPod and headphones. She'd downloaded the sample tracks yesterday so she could listen to the Shingeki no Kyojin soundtrack and learn her part partly by ear.
It did help that she read the manga and absolutely adored the anime adaptation.
"Ah, Gou-chan, what're you listening to?" Nagisa asked, bouncing at her side.
With a grunt and a shove with her shoulder, he was sent tumbling back into his seat, and she was left to enjoy the music in peace. Still terribly excited, she checked her phone, hoping for a reply from her brother. She had sent a frenzied message last night, but (unsurprisingly) she'd still received no form of communication.
"Alright class, settle, settle!" the elderly homeroom teacher called, flattering her hands in the likeness of a flustered hen.
Sighing, the red head stowed her iPod away and focussed on class.
I just have to wait until swimming practice, she thought, I can listen all I like there.
Alas, when the time finally came for her to meet the boys at the pool, she practically ran there. She, not being the fittest of people, came to a gasping halt before them, leaning against the pool gate haphazardly.
"Are you alright, Gou-chan?" Makoto asked worriedly, leaning down to her height.
She nodded, waving him away, "I'm fine! Hah! I must get to painting immediately!" and she hurried into the adjoining locker room to continue painting the ever impending countdown to the first tournament.
"Strange," Haru murmured, shrugging his shoulders before he stripped and leapt into the pool, ignoring Makoto's pleas for him to wait.
It wasn't long before Gou came hurrying out, screeching about some island paradise swim course.
OOO
Captain Mikoshiba Seijuuro was a dork. He loved all things sci-fi (such as star-trek and Doctor Who), and he was absolutely fascinated by Hajime Isayama's manga, Shingeki no Kyojin. In fact, he was subscribed to one of many websites entailing updates on both the manga and anime.
So, when he received an email on the way to a beachside training camp detailing a performance by the national orchestra, he set out to buy tickets off his smartphone immediately.
Hence, when he was brought to the main webpage, there was the initial opening page, a dark background with a cream coloured font, describing the new talent found in small towns. He was about to skip straight to buying the tickets when he saw it.
"Matsuoka!" he cried from the front of the bus to where Rin sat somewhere towards the back, "I didn't know your sister was in the national orchestra!"
Many heads on the bus turned in awe, gaping at the moody athlete.
"Yeah," the sharp toothed teen growled, "what of it?"
The Captain flashed a snarky grin, "Here we were, thinking we'd get scholarships into universities – she's going to upstage us all."
Rin glowered at his senior, "She's not upstaging anyone. Gou's always been good at violin, but that's all she'll ever be: good. There's better out there, so don't get your hopes up."
Seijuuro raised a brow at his words as the second year turned to glare out the window.
"Ah, that's no way to speak of your sister," he muttered to himself, shaking his flaming head of hair briefly before turning and plonking back into his seat, "and she's so cute, too."
OOO
"Good work, team!" Gou enthused, burgundy hair bouncing in her pony tail as she scurried over the hot sand, a plastic bag dripping a trail of condensation behind her.
"Ma, what do you have there Gou-chan?" Nagisa cried, splashing out of the waves to meet her.
"Kou! It's Kou!"
"Gou!"
"Kou!"
"Gou!"
"Fine, no popsicles for you, Nagisa-kun!" the redhead finally snapped, kicking some sand at her friend before beckoning the others out of the water.
"Popsicles for everyone!" she exclaimed, "-except Nagisa."
The blond boy pouted, falling into a slouch and dropping his head as he trudged slowly away through the sand, glancing over his shoulder every few seconds to check if Gou had cracked yet.
"Ah, alright, alright, come here!" she shouted after him, the frown melting off her face, "It's too hot to argue."
"Thank you, Kou-chan," Rei grinned, unwrapping his blue ice block.
"Yes, thank you for the treat!" Makoto added, "We're very grateful-"
Blushing, Gou shook her head, "Never mind, never mind! Come now, Haruka-senpai, are you really going to finish that off in the ocean?" she asked the tall boy as he sauntered into the calm waves.
Shrugging, the boy plonked himself down at the water's edge and let the little waves lap over his legs.
"Haru's got the right idea!" the green eyed giant chuckled, following his friend's lead.
Soon, Nagisa and Rei joined the other two and all four sat quietly, licking away at the cold treat.
"Kou," Haru spoke, not looking away from the vast body of water spread out before him, "come sit with us."
"Eh?" the girl frowned, nibbling away at her own popsicle, "I'm not in my swim clothes."
"Ne, it's okay!" Nagisa chirped, "It's only your feet, Gou-chan!"
"How many times do I have to tell you, it's Kou?" she grumbled, but she kicked off her shoes and moved to sit beside Rei, nevertheless.
"Where's Amakata-senpai?" Rei queried, splashing the water gently with his legs.
"She's up at the hotel getting ready to come down and sunbathe," Gou yawned, wriggling her toes in the frothy wave residue.
"Eh? Will you come swim with us?" Makoto asked, smiling kindly at her.
The girl flushed and shook her head, "No, no, I must practice up in the room!"
"Practice what?" Nagisa asked, looking to her, bright eyed.
"Violin," she answered, trying to play it off smoothly.
Haru eyed her coolly, head tilted to the side, "You didn't bring your violin."
And so she panicked, "Ah- er – I mean I must practice reading the sheet music! Yes!" she blurted, hurriedly standing, "I'll – I'll come back later to check on your progress, enjoy your day!"
And she was jogging back to the hotel, panicked that Nagisa would chase after her and make her swim. It wasn't that she was afraid of water – though she was when she was a lot younger – but she never quite learned how to swim. Swimming was always Rin's sport, just as Violin was always Gou's instrument.
It was when she hit the hot concrete that she remembered that she'd forgotten her shoes back on the beach. With a squeal she hopped onto the balls of her feet, shaking her hands, almost tearing up at the intense heat beneath her bare soles.
"Gou-kun!" she heard a familiar booming voice shout, just as she spotted a park bench in the distance.
Giving a brief shout and a wave over her shoulder, she dashed over to the park bench, squealing as she went. Finally, the bench was only a few metres away, and so she leapt onto the warm wooden surface, crouching on the seat and almost crying out as her feet were relieved of the intense midday heat.
"Uh… Gou-kun… is now the right time?" the Captain asked, rubbing at the back of his neck nervously as he approached the bench where she crouched.
Finally aware of her peculiar behaviour, Gou flushed red, "Yes! Sorry! I just… forgot my shoes on the beach," she blurted, face palming.
"Oh!" the flaming haired Captain laughed, suddenly at ease, "Fancy seeing you here! I thought you were doing some weird voodoo dance to shake me off-"
"What?" Gou laughed, falling back onto her bottom and shaking her head, "You are insane!"
"Hey!" Seijuuro cried, feigning hurt, "At least I didn't forget my shoes on the beach!"
They both broke off into fits of laughter after that. In a few moments, Gou looked up, frowning, "Captain Mikoshiba, aren't you meant to be training?"
"Even the best swimmers must eat some time, Gou-kun-"
"It's Kou!"
He laughed, shaking his head, "If you say so."
Huffing, but glad her feet weren't aching as much, Gou looked up at him again, "Have you… have you seen Rin?"
The Captain nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets, "Of course. Does he know you're here?"
Gou shook her head, "No. Please – Please don't tell him."
Staring briefly into her pleading eyes, Seijuuro nodded, "Very well, then. Where are you staying, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Uh, those lodges," the girl pointed to the beachside houses in the distance, "just over there."
"Ah, I see," he nodded, "would you like some help getting back to your shoes?"
Flushing red, Gou nodded, "Uh… yes, please…"
The Captain grinned and spun on the spot until his back was to the bench, crouching a little.
"Mikoshiba-sensei?"
"Well, come on – on to my back," he laughed over his shoulder, "or are you scared of heights?"
"Hmph!" the first year huffed, frowning as she stood on the bench and clambered on to his broad back.
"And it's Seijuuro. But you can just call me Sei."
"O-Okay, Sei-kun. Thank you. They're just over there, see?" she pointed to where the boys sat with Miss Amakata, just getting started on lunch.
"Oh! Look!" Nagisa cried, pointing to the approaching Captain with Gou perched on his back, looking quite tiny compared to him, "Gou-chan is using her sex appeal on the Captain again!"
"Nagisa!" Gou shouted, rattling her fist in the air, "Shut up!"
Seijuuro chuckled as he reached the swim club, crouching down to set his passenger down lightly. After greeting everyone, he turned to the manager as she glared daggers as her blond friend.
"See you around, Gou-kun!" he was about to turn away when he seemingly remembered something, "Oh! And congratulations on performing with the national orchestra, I hope I have the time to come watch the show!"
"Eh? National orchestra?"
"What show?"
"What's this?"
"Gou! Why didn't you tell me you were that good?"
"Ne, ne, calm down!" the red head blushed, waving her hands frantically, "Thank you, Sei-kun."
Chuckling, the Captain swaggered away, throwing her a wink over his shoulder.
"Ah, what's all this about the national orchestra?" Amakata asked, her interest piqued by the senior's words.
"Oh, it's nothing," Gou mumbled, face still red, "I just play a little violin, that's all."
"A little violin?" Rei gasped, appalled, "A little violin? Not just anyone gets in to the national orchestra! How long was your application in for?"
Gou shrugged, "I had no application – they called my mother and asked if I was interested in performing as part of the orchestra."
"Wow, Gou-chan!" Makoto exclaimed, "That's impressive! I'm sure your family is very proud of you!"
The girl mumbled her thanks, face still quite red.
"Hm, now for the true question!" Nagisa exclaimed, rubbing his hands together as a mischievous glint formed in his eye, "Just what were you doing on his back and what does your brother know of this sex appeal on the Captai-"
"NAGIIIIISAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
