IX - Dare You to Move

It was a regular day in early December, with a gentle frost covering the thinning blades of grass in the outer garden. It was a time of rest for everyone now that the concert was over, at least for a few days before both Natsuki and Shizuru would have to return to their training for the upcoming competition. That said, it didn't stop them from a refreshing dinner at the dining table that was situated directly next to windows leading to the peaceful outdoors.

"It's getting cold," Natsuki commented, blowing a stream of hot air onto the window and watching it fog up, before touching her finger to it and beginning to make a design of some sort.

Shizuru chuckled.

"You don't like winter?"

"Well, not so much that I don't like it... I just prefer summer that's all."

"Ah," the older girl looked outside at the darkening sky of the early night, "Winter is actually my favourite season."

"... That's a little depressing..." Natsuki said with a lopsided smile.

"Why?"

"Well winter is seen as the dreariest of seasons, so for someone to say it's their favourite says something pretty bold about their personality."

Shizuru looked back at her with intrigue.

"Well, I like it. When I was little I used to love playing in the snow," she grinned, with a spark of innocence that caught Natsuki's attention.

"You still do don't you?" she laughed.

"I do... but unfortunately the life of an adult doesn't allow for such things."

"Ah come on, you can play in the snow if you want," the navy-haired girl munched on her food, "What's anybody gonna do to you?"

She had a point there, Shizuru agreed mentally. In the privacy of her own home she could really do whatever she wanted, and even then it wasn't like playing in the stuff was a crime. However, instead of admitting she was wrong, she merely chose to remain silent for a while, watching the beginning of a soft snowfall.

"So why did you join the orchestra?" the ruby-eyed girl asked after the momentary pause in conversation.

"Huh?" it seemed like a sudden topic.

"Oh well I read somewhere that music can help the grieving process, so I joined a little after my mother died," she chuckled, "Man, I was so bad at first."

"Really? It's hard to imagine you not playing well..."

"Hah, thanks, but you've only heard me now after years of practice. When I first started it was on the violin and I could never get it right, but I loved the sound of the string instruments so Midori-sensei suggested I try out for the viola opening and surprisingly, I got in."

"And that's where you met Mai-san and Nao-san?"

Natsuki nodded.

"It's kinda funny. Even though I joined to help not be depressed, I was pretty much a loner. I tried to keep everyone away from me because I didn't want to have to tell the same story of why I was sad over and over again... but Mai was the only one to keep trying to talk to me because she saw a similarity between us, that we had both lost precious people," she smiled with comfort.

"And one time when we were practicing this piece I just broke down in tears... and Mai was the one to help me; the first person I felt I could depend on."

"I'm glad you have her," Shizuru replied.

"Me too... Nao's the stranger story though. She joined a year after I did and when I was finally coming out of my shell, openly hanging out with Mai... And the second she showed up I saw myself in her. She was doing all the same things I was," she laughed, "Even going so far as to try punching me in the face when I tried to help. But it turned out it was a misunderstanding, and that she was Mai's friend from work who she brought specifically to talk to me."

"Why?"

"Well, Nao and I have similar pasts. Both of our mothers died when we were young, and our fathers were less than dependable. She was trying to make ends meet when she finally got a job at Mai's store. And just like me, Mai got her to socialize a bit more, but she still needed some help from someone who was more in her position than Mai was."

Shizuru looked down sadly, unsure of what to say. As far as she was concerned her family life was what would be considered normal; and compared to these two, she could hardly relate to that deep part of Natsuki. Her insecurities were eased when she looked up again though, seeing the girl smiling happily. She wasn't brought down by the loss of her mother, but instead uplifted by meeting her closest friends.

That's what she remembers...

"In a way we think fate wanted us three to be together. Nao and I are connected by our pasts, she and Mai are connected by work, and after meeting her I found out that Mai a sales associate at my favourite store! It was so weird!"

Shizuru's attention perked up again.

"What store would that be?" she quirked at Natsuki's sudden blush and silence.

"Umm... Mai works at a, err... lingerie store..."

"...And that's your favourite because?" she raised an eyebrow, trying to suppress giggling.

"Ah yeah... I haven't told you... I sort of collect them," she saw the strain on Shizuru's face and sighed, "You can laugh if you want..."

And she did. Not for very long, but she did have to let out some of her amusement with the revelation. Given Natsuki's harsh exterior she hardly expected such a feminine hobby from her; however the girl was also full of surprises so she couldn't be too shocked. Her scarlet eyes met with emerald ones, focused again on her original intent; about to speak when Natsuki beat her to the punch.

"Why do you ask though? About the band?"

"Ah, no reason," the girl defended herself, "I'm just curious about you that's all."

"Alright... Anyway I'm done," she picked up her dishes and brought them to the sink before passing by the dining room again, "I'll be upstairs playing video games if you need me."

Shizuru gave a slight nod in response but continued on her current train of thought. Her curiosity about Natsuki was honest, even if she did have her own little part of the plan. It all served to render her decision for the following day.

-0-

The next morning Natsuki had set out early to take a relaxing walk through the forested area around their house. It was strange how isolated it was, but it was one of the few benefits of this arrangement that she had liked from the beginning. Aside from being close to roadways to ride her bike, the girl didn't like living in the city, not compared to the seclusion this place provided. There was only one worn trail, and for now she would stick to it, even though she intended to explore further one day. The navy-haired girl stopped at what appeared to be a pond that was beginning to freeze over. She had been outside for a while now and needed to take a rest.

"I've never come this far before," Natsuki spoke aloud, kneeling down to touch the frigid water.

I wonder if Shizuru's seen this...

She then dusted off the thin layer of snow from a large rock in order to sit and scan the area further. This pond must have been beautiful in the summertime when it flowed from what looked to be a waterfall. By now it was too frozen, but there was definitely a water source coming from over the hill.

When summer comes I'm definitely gonna swim here...

Inhaling the scent of the outdoors in a deep breath, the girl stood up and started her trek back to the house. It was a rather long walk until she stopped at the small hill to the side of the cabin, nestling it in the woods. The navy-haired girl waited up here for a few minutes, leaning her side against a tree and closing her eyes thoughtfully.

However, those thoughts were becoming distracted by the strange sound of a poorly played melody coming from below. Curiously, Natsuki opened one eye and confirmed its direction before hopping down from the wooded area and walking up to her front porch. While the volume increased as she approached, its quality did not improve, further intriguing the girl. Peeking inside, Natsuki slowly opened the front door to see a large piano positioned in the far corner of the dining room. She also found out why the notes were off key.

"Shizuru...?" she asked with a cocked eyebrow, her sudden presence causing the older girl to stop her attempt at playing rather harshly and look up with a certain fear in her eyes.

"Ah, Natsuki, I..." she didn't know how to explain.

"You bought a piano?" it was a rhetorical question of course; Natsuki was far too busy admiring its sheen and smooth surface.

"Yes, I thought it would be a nice addition to the house..." she paused.

"Well it is... but why?"

Shizuru continued to be quite shy, or rather she had a legitimate fear of having become too overbearing for Natsuki to handle. Still, she would rather face her reaction than lie.

"You just... seem to enjoy music so much. And I enjoy it when you play too, so I thought... maybe..."

"You want to learn how to play piano?" the navy-haired girl's enthusiasm confused her.

"Yes... and I was hoping that you would teach me as much as you could?"

"Of course!" Natsuki's eyes lit up excitedly, "This'll be great! We can play together too!"

Pleasantly surprised, Shizuru only stared as the other girl ran upstairs to fetch her own instrument and some theory books. Natsuki on the other hand was blinded with pride for the moment as she set up everything she needed, but when she had finished she noticed the strange aura around Shizuru.

"What is it?"

"Ah... no, nothing, sorry."

"No don't gimme that, I know when something's wrong with you. Just tell me."

"Well... I was worried about your reaction. I thought you would be angry with me or afraid of me... Thinking that I had crossed a line."

"Because you bought a piano?"

"Basically... yes... I wasn't even sure when I did, but I decided to go for it."

Natsuki smiled.

"You're reading too much into things again. I'm not mad at all, really. No one's ever wanted me as a teacher before so I'm actually really happy that I inspired you."

Natsuki lifted her own instrument to rest on her shoulder.

"Now let's start with this: basic tuning."

-0-

Over the course of the next few hours, the two had been doing some very basic training; mostly consisting of Natsuki showing Shizuru a note on paper and then playing it for her of the viola, then guiding the latter's hand to the proper key. At first Shizuru was becoming faint by the familiar contact between their fingers, but grew to savour it instead of being overwhelmed by it. She paid close attention to the distinct sounds and did her best to memorize where they went on the visual scale.

As for Natsuki, she was merely trying to be as good a teacher as she could be. She wasn't a pianist after all, so there were times when she erred as well, but it served to creating ice breaking laughter among them. It was unfortunate that they were suddenly interrupted at dinner time. In the middle of playing a short tune, Natsuki startled when she heard the doorbell, having become focused in their work. In fact, she was even a little frustrated that they had to stop since all in all it didn't feel like that much time had gone by.

Shizuru was the first to stand up and answer, leaving Nasuki to put her things away casually... that is until she heard who it was. The girl's emerald eyes darted around to the doorway when she heard the recognizable voices of the other's parents.

"Otou-san? Okaa-san?" Shizuru was just as surprised really.

"What are you doing here?"

"We just figured we would stop by to check on you; to see how you are doing," her father said as he stepped inside freely and removed his coat.

"You don't mind if we stay for dinner do you, my dear?" asked her mother who followed.

"Oh... no, I don't mind, it's just surprising that's all," just then Natsuki came up from behind, in a way hiding behind Shizuru.

"A pleasant surprise I hope?" her father said as he looked around the living room at what minor decorating the two had done.

"Is your fiancée still locked up in the guest room?"

"Hiro!" his wife, gave him a light scolding tug on his arm.

"What? I just asked a simple question..."

Rolling her eyes, Shizuru moved aside to reveal Natsuki, much to the navy-haired girl's displeasure. She would have rather stayed hiding behind Shizuru all night if that's what it took to avoid them... after all their first meeting did not go that well.

"Oh look she's downstairs socializing, what a surprise!" Hiroshi was only joking, but his rugged tone made it hard to tell.

"Father, there's a chance she may take offence to that you know. Besides, you already knew we were getting along didn't you? After all, you had how many guests sent here for the Halloween party?"

Shizuru was quick to capture anyone in their words if they were going to make Natsuki uncomfortable.

"W-we are," Natsuki stuttered as she took a step ahead and bowed, "I also want to apologize for how we met last. Since then I've come to a much better acceptance of my role in this arrangement."

The girl lifted her head to see that both of Shizuru's parents had actually taken her seriously. It felt strange, too easy in a way, to be forgiven for her behaviour. Still, the couple seemed genuine. On the other hand, no matter what the circumstances, this was essentially Natsuki's first real meeting with them and needless to say she was nervous about making a better impression.

There was also a hint of challenge posed in Hiroshi's tone when he spoke of her initial rejection of the arrangement; not insult, but patronization. In her heart Natsuki had already decided to accept the challenge, ready to prove that she wasn't just some kid who would run away when something went "wrong" in her life... why she felt this way she didn't really know.

-0-

By the end of the evening meal, Shizuru was gifted with the pleasant surprise of Natsuki warming up to her parents. When they first arrived she was definitely worried, but by now the atmosphere was comfortable enough for her to leave the dining room to clear the dishes; not having to supervise the table for the safety of either side. Despite the many jabs given by her father, Natsuki was staying on her toes, sometimes even going offensive and teasing him back.

There was something comforting about Hiroshi's good natured humour that made the girl happy; just like she wasn't presented well the first time, she had also gotten a misinterpretation of his personality too. For some reason she had always pictured him to be cold and uncaring, but in fact he was her ideal father figure: someone who wanted to protect his child from any harm, which was why he had been intimidating earlier. A few moments later she joined Shizuru in the kitchen with a big smile that didn't go unnoticed.

"That was unexpected," the older girl said, "I thought as soon as they showed up you would rush through dinner and hide again."

"Come on, give me a little more credit," Natsuki chuckled while she started putting the clean and dried dishes back into the cupboard, "I'd stay just to redeem myself."

"Right, but that's not why you're still here is it?" she smirked.

"It was at first, but somewhere along the line I kinda forgot about it. They're both a lot easier to talk to that I thought parents would be. I wish your dad was mine," she said light-heartedly.

"Well he will be soon," Shizuru responded on reflex, stopping her words a tad too late and instantly looking over to see Natsuki's response.

"Yeah I guess so," she wasn't particularly displeased, luckily, but far from exited.

Just then their conversation was saved by Shizuru's mother announcing that they were going to leave. The pair was finished their chores anyway and escorted them both to the front door. By the time they were done dressing for the outdoors Shizuru was giving each of her parents a farewell hug, but ended up laughing at the innocent way in which Natsuki was smiling and waving goodbye to them; and then at the fact that it was reciprocated. What she first thought was going to ruin their nice day of playing music instead added a whole new dimension to their relationship.

Closing the door, Shizuru followed Natsuki to the couch in the living room. While the navy-haired girl flopped down, her exhaustion catching up to her all at once, the elder one sat on the backrest and looked down. A part of her wanted to speak, but it seemed as though Natsuki was caught up in a sudden heavy thought stream; which she was.

Now that the excitement was over, she was left with an awkward feeling. It was like the happiness was strange, or that it led to something strange. Natsuki knew there was no bad intent by the visit, but part of her felt threatened. It was cemented now that Shizuru had something Natsuki wanted, and the only way to get it was to marry her; and her sceptic side interpreted it as a form of blackmail. Her rationality was in control though, trying to get her emotions to settle on the positive side.

I'm... I'm gonna have a family again...

A smile graced her features, and in time a small tear of happiness slid down her cheek.

"Natsuki...?" Shizuru was unsure what to take this as, was she just weighed down or did something actually go wrong?

"Hm?" she felt a delicate finger wipe the tear away, "Oh don't worry, it's happy."

"For sure?"

"Mm," the navy-haired girl nodded and sat up, "It's just one of those times when you suddenly feel really lucky."

"Good," Shizuru patted Natsuki's head, ruffling her hair a little as she stood up, "Shall we continue our practice then? As much as I enjoyed a visit from my parents, I'll admit I was a bit sad that we were interrupted."

"Me too," Natsuki replied as she stood as well, "And really, I know I already said it but just to be sure: I'm happy that you wanted to do this with me, so no worries, got it?"

Shizuru grinned back, glad for so many things; from the chance to have something for them to do together, to the fact that Natsuki cared about her feelings. There was also the gradual change in behaviour that her subconscious mind noticed, and that consciously she attempted to push away; the thought that Natsuki was becoming very comfortable around her.

-0-

"That doesn't sound right..."

"Hey I'm trying my best! It's not my fault you want to start with such a hard song!"

"Mou... Natsuki is being mean to me!" Shizuru fake-whined.

"Ahhhhh damn it!" Natsuki rolled her eyes as she, once again, went back to looking over the sheet music for the piece Shizuru just insisted on learning to play.

It was a rather childish request but the younger girl decided to appease her.

"We have to go through it slowly at first so you get used to the way your fingers move... I have to say though, it's pretty incredible that you can already tell which note is which when I play it after only a week."

"I'm a fast learner," she replied with a grin as she went back to following the notes on the page.

"Right now I'm playing your part with you... well, as much of it as I can... but see here," Natsuki opened up her book, "My notes are different, and that's what'll make it sound good when we play together."

"The melodies complement each other?"

"Yeah, but don't worry about that just yet; for now just play along with me, but look at the notes on the sheet so you know how to read them."

With a nod, Shizuru placed her fingers on the keys and listened for Natsuki's cue to begin. In a few seconds the latter led in the first bar of the piece to create the feeling, and then the pianist followed. At the moment their goal was to get through the song in one shot, however without the repeats or paying too close attention to the volume.

They were incredibly close to reaching that goal too but just before they were about to finish the front door opened. The navy-haired girl grit her teeth in frustration at first but quickly remembered that Mai had in fact called to say she would come by to pick up some things she had left at their house on the night of the concert.

"Hey," called the redhead as she stepped in, "What'cha up to?"

"Trying to teach Shizuru how to play Ensei," Natsuki said with a sigh as she placed her instrument in its case for the time being and then walking over to greet her friend.

"Ensei? Don't you think you should start with something a little easier?"

"Hey, it wasn't my idea," Natsuki shrugged.

"Now now Natsuki, didn't you just say I was a better student than you expected?" the elder girl said with a jaunty smile as she came into view.

"You are," the navy-haired girl replied.

"But I stand by the fact that this isn't the easiest of songs to learn on the first try... Anyway," she picked up a bag from behind the open door, "Here's the stuff you left."

Mai raised an eyebrow.

"You don't want to hang out for a bit?"

Natsuki continued to express her frustration, though in a bit of a hypocritical manner. She wanted Mai to know that she was feeling disrupted, but given that she wasn't sure why it bothered her all that much, she tried to pass it off as a joke.

"Well you know how I get when I practice, how I hate being interrupted and stuff..." in fact her face was starting to lighten, ever so slightly.

And Mai, having her own inner trickster, took no shame in exploiting it with a bluntly honest response.

"No, actually come to think of it you're always the one who wants to take breaks," she looked up thoughtfully.

The words didn't go unnoticed by Shizuru either; however she chose to not say anything and see where this went first.

"What? No way, come on you know what I'm talking about! Remember that time... when..." and of course since there wasn't ever such a time the girl was at a loss for words.

"I'm only messing with you," Mai said with a sly smile, "I have some things I need to do anyways so it's not like I could stay long..."

"It's because I'm teaching!" Natsuki continued, still on the train of thought that was trying to come up with reasons why she was so frustrated.

"Ah, I get it," the girl nodded along, "I'll leave you to it then."

And then with a casually polite wave, Mai left the house; but not one step down the front porch did she immediately pull out her cell phone and send a text message, all the while grinning.

-0-

Over the next hour, the two musicians did finally get to finish the most basic version of the piece they were trying out, even adding in what was originally left out. In all her years as part of an orchestra, Natsuki hadn't seen someone who could pick up the technique so quickly. Granted the hard part was over. Learning the notes was what took the week, now it was just up to practice in order to play at the proper speed and proper volume. However, it seemed that for now Shizuru's learning was at a limit. At the same points in the song her fingers would slip from the correct position.

"You need to rest a bit or your hands will cramp up," Natsuki said as she rested her viola across her knees.

"I thought you didn't like to take breaks when you were teaching?" she teased in reply.

"... Stupid Mai..." the navy-haired girl grumbled under her breath for a second, "Besides this time a rest is part of the teaching. You have to know when to stop."

"Ah!" Shizuru winced in pain when she tried to rub her hand, "I see what you mean... I didn't even notice until now."

"Yeah..." Natsuki sat and watched the girl make a few more attempts at easing her pain, but by the third or fourth time she figured she had to help, "Here, just relax."

Without a second thought, the girl took hold of Shizuru's hands and proceeded to massage them as gently as possible... which in many ways made it practically impossible for her to relax. Shizuru was actually shock stiff at this point, trying to at least loosen the muscles in her hands so that Natsuki didn't start to feel as though her efforts were futile; even if a part of her came to the logical, but impractical, conclusion that if her hands were always cramped then Natsuki would have to stay holding them forever.

Fortunately, just like before when she was being taught the basic keys on the piano, Shizuru was able to adapt to the contact in order to enjoy it. She was spending so much time making sure her heart didn't flutter at every second minute that she forgot what a pleasant feeling it was.

"Hm," Natsuki muttered, catching her attention.

"What?"

"Nothing... It just never occurred to me that you would have such strong hands... But it makes sense given that you're a martial artist."

Shizuru couldn't help but blush at what she took as a compliment, and good for her, Natsuki meant it that way.

"Well well well, am I interrupting something?" came the mischievous voice of the girl's other redheaded friend as she, as usual, entered the house as if it were her own.

Natsuki immediately let go of Shizuru's hands, using her own to clench into fists to over express her "friendly-anger" at Nao's intrusion.

"You aren't interrupting anything!" the navy-haired girl yelled, "I was just teaching her how to play a song that's all."

"Pff, yeah, like I'm gonna believe that after what I saw with my own eyes."

Natsuki grabbed her collar, her eye still twitching.

"You better believe it, because it's true!"

"I know," Nao replied while sarcastically patting her friend on the head, getting her to release her easily and walk past towards the fancy piano, "Wow this is nice, so what song are you working on?"

"Ensei."

"Oh really?" the girl gave a wicked smirk, "... Since when is there a viola in Ensei?"

Natsuki cringed.

"There isn't a piano either but we're making it work! She's going to be playing the string part and I'm going to play what the chorus sings... So it'll sound a bit different."

"Oooooh, so that's what you're doing eh? In that case you wouldn't mind if I joined in too? You know, day or night, I'm always free!" she held up her smile.

The three were silent for a few seconds while Nao re-briefed herself on her mission given by Mai. After getting a text message saying that there was something strange going on over here, she had to use all of her tricks to trying getting the information she wanted. And in general she was good at it, but in this particular case she was cut off before she could dig any deeper.

"Don't you have work?" Natsuki said with a sort of determined curiosity, "Unless of course Mai said you could take time off?"

Nao blinked.

Wow... she actually caught me... that's a first...

She shook her head.

At least it confirms that something's definitely up.

On the far side of the room, Shizuru was rather relieved that it would remain the two of them alone, for obvious reasons. What got her thinking though was actually the same thing as what happened with Nao, the fact that twice in one day Natsuki had blown off her friends in order to spend time alone with her. Maybe it was just frustration at being interrupted by teaching, but somewhere along the line the signs had either changed, or become more frequent, or something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

I can't let myself think that, Shizuru told herself, No matter what I can't fall into the trap of thinking Natsuki might have feelings for me... Even if it's my goal I can't think it unless I know it's true... and right now we're still friends...

"So how are you and Yukino?" she asked in a last minute attempt to change the subject; and with Nao in an odd way on the same side as her, she was glad to be able to divert Natsuki's attention from being investigated... though she may have taken it a little too far.

"We got caught having sex in the park yesterday," she said, all while keeping her expression completely serious, which was more than she could say for the other two.

"WHAT!?" Natsuki and Shizuru both exclaimed simultaneously, causing Nao to burst into laughter.

"Oh my God I'm only kidding but you should have seen your faces! Priceless!"

Of course, this also led to her being smacked over the head by the navy-haired girl... just out of habit if for anything. After some seconds of calming down, they ended up moving over to the couch to talk.

"Really," Natsuki began, "I'm surprised how serious you are... it's only been a month and a half since you met..."

"I know! It's amazing!" Nao couldn't hold back her smile.

"But don't you think it's a bit too soon to be saying things like you love her? What if it's just the rush?"

The girl shook her head.

"It's not. Sometimes you just know, you know?"

"Can't say I do..." Natsuki answered a bit hesitantly, slightly embarrassed by the fact that she hadn't experienced love yet at her age.

"Right," Nao replied, though with an unsaid sarcastic opinion behind it, "Well, I have to go… leave you two back to practice."

She smiled with a wink when she stood up.

"I know how you get when you're interrupted, right Natsuki?"

The navy-haired girl stared at her friend as she exited the house, her jaw dropped at the carefree way in which the redhead waved at both her and Shizuru before getting in her car to head back to work. The latter of the two was too excited to read too much into Nao's behaviour, especially since she was well aware of what these two were capable of when it came to teasing each other; even if it left her with a hint of curiosity. The focus of the moment was really on Natsuki, who couldn't believe that she was right from the start about something suspicious with the visits.

Mai might have come here innocently, she placed a palm on her face, But Nao was sent here to look for something… And I'm pretty sure what…

She gave an uneasy look towards Shizuru, who for the moment had her back turned to her, sitting at the piano; although seeing how calm she was somehow calmed her too. She wasn't going to let herself think too much about what Nao and Mai had thought was going on, she knew the truth after all. Although despite Shizuru's aura keeping her calm on the surface, Natsuki was wracking her brain and trying to find out why it was that, of all things she felt when Nao winked at her was panic.

Her attention was caught by the melody a few feet away. Without Natsuki's guidance, Shizuru was playing the piece in its entirety, with every nuance and repeat in the proper places. The younger girl stood in awe of her talents, listening intently until the music flowed to an end. While she always liked this song, never before did she have a reaction like this. Maybe it was because she felt like she had something to do with Shizuru's skill, being her teacher and all, or maybe it was the unique way a sole piano sounded when following the notes of a set of string instruments… but Natsuki's heart warmed so much that it felt like it was melting.

As if it were an instinctual reaction, her feet carried her to the piano bench where she now stood directly behind the older girl, who was taking a deep breath of success. That relaxing breath was cut short though and replaced with one of surprise when she felt two arms wrap around her at the height of her shoulders. Shizuru blinked in silent confusion when she felt Natsuki's head lean down onto hers, and quite frankly she hadn't the strength to move.

"… That was so beautiful…" the jade eyed one said, trying to hold up a serious tone to contrast with her rather abnormal action.

"… I'm really… proud, of you…"

Shizuru then lifted her hand to hold onto Natsuki's arm that was around her front, resisting the urge to cry and instead turning the feelings into words.

"I think it will be most beautiful when we play it together…"