Somethin' cool is going on here. One word: MUSIC! Did you know that a certain canon character can play guitar?
Q: What's the difference between a dog and a basketball player?
A: One drools and the other dribbles. - Maelstrom_MVF
A sign at a music shop: "Gone Chopin. Bach in a minute." – Aloysius
Ch 10
Anyone would think that it was planned out when every school's sports teams had a day off on the exact same day, but really, it was a just a coincidence. Needless to say, everyone gladly took the day off to get over their sore muscles and relax.
Kasamatsu was walking to his favorite music store with his guitar strapped to his back. He was planning to replace some of its strings and play it outside the store to help Sousuke draw in more customers like he used to when he wasn't so busy. As Kasamatsu stepped into the store, he heard Sousuke talking with someone.
"Can you bring up the box of wind instruments, please?" he asked. Kasamatsu didn't hear a reply, but heard receding footsteps as the unknown person walked down the steps to the basement.
Kasamatsu walked pass the aisles of instruments and replacement parts until he found Sousuke sitting down on a stool in the back of the store. It was then the shop owner noticed the highschooler. "Yo."
Sousuke was a few inches taller than Kasamatsu and had short, scruffy, dark brown hair. The man was 27-years-old, but he had the heart of a teenager. He smiled. "I haven't seen you in a while. How's it been?"
Kasamatsu shrugged. "The Winter Cup is coming up soon, and practice has gotten more intense, but I'm good."
Sousuke nodded, then gave a look of realization. "Oh! I recently hired a talented musician to help around the shop. He's a great kid! He works quickly and efficiently and never complains. His basketball team is going to the Winter Cup, too." When Kasamatsu heard the part about Sousuke's new employee participation in the Winter Cup, he couldn't help but wonder who it was. "His name is-"
Just then, Sousuke's new employee came back up from the basement carrying a large box. The box blocked Kasamatsu's view of the boy's face, making the captain unable to tell who it was.
"Sam!" said Sousuke. "You have impeccable timing!"
Kasamatsu flinched at the sound of Sam's name. No, it can't be… can it? Kasamatsu's thoughts were answered when Sam put down the box he was carrying and turned to face Kasamatsu. Both of them froze in shock. It was the Sam whom Kasamatsu had met at the beach and… kissed. She was wearing a fern-green, sleeveless hoodie over a white dress-shirt and had on a pair of black skinny jeans. Sticking out of her mouth was a lollipop stick. The basketball captain thought that she looked kinda cute.
Sam was just as surprised to see Kasamatsu as he was to see her. After a few seconds, both of their faces flushed bright red. All they could think about at that moment was their accidental kiss.
Sousuke looked back and forth between the two and chuckled. "I see you two know each other." He put his hand to his chin. "Are you two dating? How did you meet?"
Kasamatsu quickly turned to face Sousuke. "That's not it!" he shouted, flustered. Sam's face turned even redder.
Sousuke dropped his hand. "Awww~! That's no fun!" The three of them calmed down a little and Sousuke got an idea. "Sam! I told Kasamatsu that you were a talented musician when he came in. Can you play something for us?"
After taking a few moments to completely calm herself down, Sam nodded her head and walked over to her violin case. She pulled out a lime green electric violin, plugged it into an amp, and placed it on her shoulder. Sam grabbed her bow and tested a few strings until she thought the sound was perfect and started playing 'Catch Me If You Can' by Burnham. Kasamatsu and Sousuke were amazed as Sam hit every note and even added to the song by incorporating her own flare. Kasamatsu couldn't help but smile as Sam smiled, too. When she was done with the song, Sam heard a lot of clapping and cheering. Confused, she turned and found everyone in the store had come to see Sam play. Not use to all of the attention, she quickly bowed and moved to hide behind Sousuke and Kasamatsu. When everyone moved away, she came out from hiding.
"I told you he was good," said Sousuke as he turned to Kasamatsu. All of the sudden, he jumped out of his seat and rushed to his desk.
Sam and Kasamatsu slowly walked to follow until Kasamatsu pulled Sam to the side. He leaned in a little closer, making Sam's face heat up. "Look, about what happened at the beach…"
Sam covered her face and turned her head to the side. "I'm sorry… I-"
So cute! "I know it wasn't your fault," he interrupted, getting slightly embarrassed himself. "I know, that's why I don't want things to be so awkward between us."
After a minute, Sam looked up again and nodded, cheeks still pink. Kasamatsu let out a sigh in relief and the two continued to head to the front desk. He turned to look at Sam in front of him and his cheeks flushed. Kasamatsu secretly found Sam quite alluring. He caught himself thinking about Sam and shook his head to clear his mind. I do not like another guy! Plus, we've only met twice!
They made it to the front desk when Sousuke pulled out a flyer and smiled evilly at it. "I just got a brilliant idea!"
Sam and Kasamatsu looked to each other, then at Sousuke. "What's your idea?" the captain asked.
"You two should enter this music contest together!" He thrusted the flyer in the high schoolers' faces. The flyer was advertising a 'Battle of the Bands' competition a few blocks away from the shop, and it officially started in 15 minutes. The form said that you could sign up on the day of the competition.
Kasamatsu's eyes went wide. "What?! You expect us to play together, last minute, without practicing?!"
Sam just sighed. Sousuke always had the craziest ideas - much like the rest of her friends.
Sousuke just smirked. "Yup!" He grabbed Sam and Kasamatsu's arms and dragged them down to the competition. He signed them up and paid the $5 admission fee, then turned to face the two musicians. "There!"
Kasamatsu sighed and turned to Sam. "So, what song do you want to play?"
Sam thought about it for a moment, then snapped her fingers. She pulled out her phone and flipped through her playlist until she found the song she was looking for and showed her companions. The song was 'Nevereverland' by Nano.
The basketball captain scowled and took out his acoustic guitar. "You're lucky I know that song."
Sam pulled out her lollipop and suddenly, Kasamatsu felt her eyes water. He noticed that Sam's candy was a super spicy chilly flavored lollipop. He stared wide-eyed at the girl. How can he eat that thing so casually?! I'm just standing next to him and my eyes are already burning! The boy wiped his eyes as Sam tossed the lollipop into nearby trashcan.
Suddenly, the speakers sounded. "Now, for the next group, Kasamatsu, Sam, and Sousuke!" called the host of the competition.
Sam and Kasamatsu looked at Sousuke in surprise. "You're going to be playing with us?!"
The man in question shrugged. "It said you had to have a minimum of three people. Plus, I can be your drums!"
They didn't have any more time to argue as the competition people pushed the three on stage. It was then Sousuke realized something. "Who's going to sing?"
Kasamatsu and Sousuke both put up their hands in defense. "I can't sing," they said simultaneously.
Sam groaned and smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand. She walked up to the mic. "Hello, everyone! We're going to be playing 'Nevereverland' by Nano. Hope you guys enjoy!"
Kasamatsu and Sousuke were shocked at Sam's sudden enthusiasm and the crowd burst into cheers.
Suddenly, Sam pulled a keyboard out of what Kasamatsu thought was nowhere. She played a few keys, then they started the song.
"Long ago, inside a distant memory,
There is a voice that says
'Do you believe a world of happy endings?'
Even when the road seems long,
Every breath you take will lead you closer to
A special place within
Your Neverever...
"Mezamete komaku wo tataki tsudzuketeru SAIREN
Kono sakebigoe wo oshikoroshite
Nani mo shirazu ni shinon dake wo tsunagitomete
Genjitsu no TORAAPU ni ochite yuku
"Koukai wa shinai yo tsumiageta
Chigireteta miraizu wo nagame
Iki wo tomete sabitsuita kioku no hari
Atama'n naka guru guru mawaru yo
"As I close my eyes
Nokosu ato mo naku kobosu oto mo naku iku ate mo naku
I know that this is what I want, this is what I need
Ima mo kurikaeshiteku zanzou
Kizutsuita kako no bokura wa ienai mama de
Sonna karamawari kawaranai
Hibi wa mou tozashiteikunda
So now kore wa boku ga nozonda My Nevereverland"
Kasamatsu and Sousuke were so impressed by Sam. She was usually didn't speak and kept more to herself, but now she was passionately singing a song in front of a huge crowd while playing the piano at the same time.
"Samayou NAIFU no you ni tsukisasu kotoba ga
Kono kurushimi wo azawaratte
Nani mo dekizu ni furueru koe wo nomikonde
Kodoku no TORAAPU ni ochite yuku
"Mayoikonda kono ashidori tsumazuite sonzaikan wo ushinatte
Namida de somatta higeki no SUTEEJI kuruoshiku
Kokoro'n naka fura fura odoru yo
"As I take your hand
Kakenuketeiku kokoro no kioku iroaseteiku
I know that this is what I want, this is what I need
Asu mo kurikaeshiteku zanzou
Tobidashita hizumu sekai ga kienai mama de
Sonna karamawari kawaranai
Hibi wa mou tozashiteikunda
So now kore wa boku ga nozonda My Nevereverland
"Mezamete yume no ato no you na komorebi ge
Mabuta no urashimi wataru
Subete ga kanatta hazu da to omotte mo matta
Ochiteiku
"As I close my eyes
Nokosu ato mo naku kobosu oto mo naku iku ate mo naku
I know that this is what I want, this is what I need
Ima mo kurikaeshiteku zanzou
Kizutsuita kako no bokura wa ienai mama de
Sonna karamawari kawaranai
Hibi wa mou tozashiteikunda
So now kore wa boku ga nozonda My Nevereverland!"
The crowd was silent when they finished their song and the three weren't sure what to do. They were about to just walk off of the stage when they heard two people shout to them.
"Sam! Kasamatsu-senpai!" shouted a certain blonde model and a redhead with heterochromatic eyes. It was Kise and Akira, and with them was the rest of Seirin and Kaijou. After Kise and Akira started cheering, the entire audience broke into cheers.
Sam, Kasamatsu, and Sousuke stepped off stage and Sousuke seemed to have disappeared in the crowd. The two high-schoolers were left alone until the teams found them.
"Sam!" Akira shouted as Kise shouted, "Kasamatsu-senpai!" The two tackled their friends while the rest of the teams came closer. "You guys were awesome!"
Sam and Kasamatsu both struggled to get out of their friends' grips, but once they were free they were bombarded with questions and praises.
"I didn't know that you two knew how to play the guitar and piano," said Kuroko.
"Your singing was amazing!" shouted Riko.
Hyuga took a step forward. "The performance was quite impressive."
"Yeah! And I never thought the serious captain of Kaijou knew how to play the guitar!" added Koganei.
"You guys played really well together. How long have you two been practicing?" asked Kiyoshi.
Kasamatsu looked to Sam, then back to everyone else and scratched the back of his head. "Yes, I play the guitar. Sam apparently plays the violin, piano, and more?" Sam nodded. "And to answer Kiyoshi's question, we only played together for this performance a guy we know forced us into 15 minutes before the competition started. I didn't even know he played an instrument till today." Kasamatsu had to admit, Sam had continued to impress him every minute 'he' was with him. He wondered why he started getting this weird feeling in his chest every time he was close to Sam.
Everyone's eyes went wide. They had to admit, what Sam and Kasamatsu had done was more than a little impressive and before anyone else could ask another question, the announcer spoke.
"That ends our performances for the competition. Now, for the winner!" He took the paper with the winners' names off of the judges' table and held it up. "The winners are… Kasamatsu, Sam, and Sousuke!" The crowd went wild as the winners were called and Sam and Kasamatsu were in shock. They stepped back on stage and once again faced the hundreds of people in the audience. "Where's your third member?"
"He left," Kasamatsu replied.
"Oh, that's fine, I guess. Congratulations, Sam and Kasamatsu, for winning the battle of the bands! Your prize is a necklace each from our sponsor!"
Someone stepped forward with several necklaces, each with a different pendant. Kasamatsu took the one with the guitar and Sam took the one with the violin. They hooked them around their necks and bowed to the crowd. As they were about walking off stage, the announcer pat Sam's back a little too hard and sent her forward toward Kasamatsu. Kasamatsu caught Sam at the last second and they looked into each other's eyes. Their faces burned bright red at the close proximity. Sam tried to pull away, but her necklace was tangled with Kasamatsu's. They had to keep close to each other as they slowly moved to step off stage and blushed deeper when they made it to their friends.
Akira took several minutes to untangle the two chains, then pulled Sam behind her. "From now on, Kasamatsu, you are not allowed near Sam. You always seem to cause some sort of problem."
Kasamatsu sulked. He was just banned from being near the person he was falling for.
If I may make a suggestion, whenever a piece of music is mentioned/sung in this fanfic, it's best to listen to the song on YouTube or something while reading along. That way, you kind of feel like you're listening to the characters sing. And yes, there will be more songs in the future. - Maelstrom_MVF