Chapter 10: Piano Concerto No. 4 in B-flat Major
"You sure you don't want to come by?" Anja turns idly towards me when there's a break in our Physics lecture.
"Where again?" I narrow my eyes to try and remember exactly what it was we had been talking about. The tonkatsu had been a huge help with my concentration, but I'm still just a bad student at heart.
"It's a place in town, the Shanghai. It's a cute little tea shop that Junko likes to go to on occasion."
I was at least able to learn that Junko and Anja are both Sendai natives during lunch. I haven't asked exactly, but it seems likely Junko might be one of the students here that has no disability.
"I shouldn't be doing this kind of runabout thinking." I remind myself mentally before answering Anja.
"If it's after clubs then it should be fine. I'm helping my hallmate get around after class." I nod along to myself, figuring we'd have to wait anyway for Junko. She did express interest in two different clubs after all.
"Sounds like a plan! I'll let Junko know." She smiles before casually slipping out her cell phone, completely unfazed by the fact we're still in the middle of a lesson. Still, I can hardly blame her since she never gets caught. Her powers of deflection are pretty impressive.
So I seem to have some plans for dinner then. The final bell for class tolls a short time later, dismissing us to our own devices. I can go ahead and say my first day wasn't an utter disaster.
I probably shouldn't relax into my chair when I have somebody to fetch from the next room, but the atmosphere of generalized exhaustion I sense is hurting my motivation. It ends up being useless to think too closely about as Kyouko pops her head into the room a few minutes after class' end.
Ah, I should probably stand up so she doesn't have to call all the way to the back of the–
"Is Sora Akiyama here?" She calls out, her voice quiet but carrying pretty well.
"Room…" I finish the thought with a sigh.
Well, I suppose a bit of momentary embarrassment is my punishment for being lazy.
"I'm here. Just a sec." I smile to try and match hers, though I can't dream to give it the same playful quality.
Getting up from the desk is a bit of a struggle again, and I have to wonder if my leg is starting to regress. The doctors had all said it made a full recovery, but they're not the ones using it on a daily basis. It isn't limited in range of motion, but it just doesn't respond the way my left does.
Thankfully, Kyouko doesn't seem interested in drawing further attention to us, meaning I'm able to take a spot by her side without any further conversation.
"We're going to the Performing Arts Center, right?" Wow, Sora. You actually managed to remember.
"Right, in the auxiliary building." She confirms before we resume the same precarious but effective position from the morning. Surely enough, this arrangement is getting more comfortable through repetition.
Finding the Center is actually pretty easy. The auxiliary building is divided into very clear wings in a way that the main building isn't, and the Performing Arts Center is housed in the second closest wing. The crowd of students is a lot thicker here than I might have expected, but it does make sense considering how many must be checking out clubs.
I suppose I'm doing that myself, intentionally or not.
"How was your first day?" Kyouko breaks the raucous silence between us once we cross the threshold to the outside. The temperature has risen to a much more comfortable level by now.
"It could've been worse." I admit with a sigh, looking around the grounds at the crowds of students.
It really must be the entirety of Yamaku out and about right now. Green and white expanses as far as the eye can see… Which isn't terribly far given how the inner yards are enclosed by buildings. It sounds poetic when I think like that though, and life is more fun when it's a little poetic.
"Well, it's only the first day after all. Nobody wants to pile on too much work just yet."
"I guess so… That just means they're going to go wild tomorrow." I groan at the thought of it, but it's not an entirely unpleasant thought. It's nice being back into the swing of school, strangely enough.
Our conversation slows as the sonic landscape changes when we cross over into the auxiliary building. It's still quite loud, louder even, but the gaggles of students have reduced tremendously in size already. There are a few helpful signs pointing out the various landmarks inside the building, and it's quite fortunate that the Performing Arts Center seems to be confined to the first floor. I still don't want to imagine navigating stairs with us holding each other and our bags.
The sound of instruments warming up is starting to carry into the hall the closer we get, and before long we've arrived at the door to the music room. I stop outside, which seems to suit Kyouko just fine as she unlinks from me and starts prodding her cane along the cane in search of direction.
"You mind staying out here for a moment?" Kyouko turns to me, deftly pivoting on her heel.
"Hmm? What for?" I raise a brow curiously. I would have thought she wanted me to go in with her so I could hear her play, but now she wants me to stay outside the room? For that matter, she seems to have gained confidence in her navigational skills that had been lacking before.
"Well, Mrs. Sakamoto can be a bit pushy towards recruitment," She admits with a light blush, though I don't comprehend why that would be a problem for a moment. "That and I'd rather you hear me after I warm up."
"She's welcome to try," I sigh after some pause, chuckling at the surprising display of embarrassment. "If she thinks somebody with only one arm can learn an instrument for the first time…"
The smile I get in response seems like it ought to lead somewhere, but Kyouko leaves me hanging there, turning to enter the room with her bags and cases in tow.
"Just don't run away. I promise it'll be worth your while." She gives a nod without angling towards me in too extreme a manner.
"Right…" I murmur without being heard, a bit exasperated now that I think about it. To be fair to her, this arrangement probably fits just fine into my evening plans, and I was going to invite her along in any case.
Still, I can't shake this sinking suspicion that Kyouko is planning something.
"Akiyama?"
I'm suddenly shocked from my stupor by an unexpected, yet vaguely familiar voice. The clamor of the hall is a bit too intense for me to make out a direction very quickly, so it's a little relieving that the owner of the voice cuts in front of my vision.
It's relieving for all of a moment, at least.
"Ah, it really is you isn't it? Sora Akiyama!" The girl smiles as she recognizes me, her grey eyes sparkling. My heart starts to sink as I remember who this is. It's really been three whole years, hasn't it?
"Senpai?" I mouth dryly, surprised even a little bit of sound comes forth.
"You do remember me! I didn't know you'd be enrolling here at Yamaku!" The girl bristles suddenly with a nostalgic energy. It would be a pleasant thing to be infected with if it didn't come with the added need to spill my guts all over the pristine floors.
"I had no idea you'd be here either…" I stare blankly, trying to find something I could focus on to fight the slow growling in my stomach. Thankfully, it seems my head is behaving itself today, and the nightmarish memories don't flood back just yet.
"Well, I guess I hadn't expected it either. I was enrolling at a prep school near Tokyo the last time we talked…" She continues on, trailing off in the way a person only can when uncomfortable circumstances are involved. I let a nervous swallow as my curiosity gets the better of me.
"What changed..?" I mouth again, lowering my gaze a bit in expectation of something tragic. My thoughts are already cynically lined up to prove my situation is worse, and I want to scold myself for thinking again.
"Oh, it wasn't anything to be worried about! I'm fine it's just… Well," She blushes again and laughs nervously. "I might have gotten into an altercation that got me expelled…"
Okay, that's unexpected. In fact, I'm going to have to pick up my jaw from the floor. How did Sakurako Yukimura, the president of the Art Club my first year of middle school and one of the nicest girls I've ever met, get pushed into doing something that got her expelled from a Tokyo prep school? And for that matter, how did that cause her to end up here of all places?
"U-uh huh…" I simply mutter dumbly, not able to offer up any of these questions, though I'm sure they're written all over my face.
"I'm sorry, I went and talked about it and now I'd rather not get in too deep…" She looked away a bit sadly, telling me all I need to know at this point.
"No, it's fine, Senpai. I just… Well, I never thought I'd see you ever again." I look at her, trying to mix in some joy at the reunion. The sad truth though is that her presence doesn't bode well for my piece of mind. The only reason I haven't run for a bathroom by now is that she'd already graduated by the time of my fateful exhibition…
Dammit, stop thinking about it already, Sora. I don't even know where there might be a bathroom in this building, and the way I'm devolving means I really will make a mess here.
"A-are you alright? Should I grab the Nurse?" Yukimura frowns, leaning forward to touch gingerly at my temple. She's not taller than me anymore, though she was only barely so during our single year together in middle school.
"I'll be fine," I wave off her concern, perhaps a bit hastily, before taking deep, controlled breaths to rein myself in. I rub the bridge of my nose for a moment, relieving a good deal of the built-up tension. "But still, I wasn't expecting to see you here, Senpai, and certainly not next to the music room."
"Well, I was actually coming by to grab some of the stencils they keep here, since the Art Club doesn't need them often and they help tie the music room together. Kind of a mutual agreement between the clubs," She starts on with a gentle smile, before blinking suddenly. "Say, come to think of it, you were thinking of joining the Music Club, Sora? I didn't think you played any instruments."
That actually hurts, Senpai. Surely they're taking singers too? I'm not that bad a vocalist, right? Why am I going onto the defensive here?
"Well, I wasn't really looking to join," I start, but instantly regret it realizing what Yukimura just mentioned. She's in the Art Club, like she had been in middle school. It's too late to back out of the sentence I started, though. "I was just helping a friend here…"
"Well, why not check out the Art Club later? We're always looking for new members, and you were… Sora?" She cuts in as my voice trails off, only to have her train of thought derailed by the ashen expression spreading across my cheeks.
"I um… I'd rather not talk about it…" I speak through a series of uncomfortable belches, praying none of them escalate into something worse. Thankfully, the reliving never comes back into play.
"Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to prod," Yukimura frowns before putting a hand on my shoulder, rubbing gently. "Are you sure you don't need the Nurse?" The gesture is appreciated, Senpai.
"I'll be fine," I offer a shaky smile, but start to feel better as a result. Yukimura seems to be convinced too. "We can catch up later, if that's fine?" I consider extending an invitation to that tea shop Anja mentioned, but I figure it's probably not my place to do so.
"There's no need to rush! Well, there's a need for me to rush. I'll catch you later, Sora!"
With that, she rushes inside, the club members still warming up. They seem unfazed, meaning this is probably a common occurrence for this room, and Yukimura returns with a few large metal notes, rests, and other musical symbols I only tangentially recognize. Each is splattered with paint in varying amounts.
"I'll see you then, Senpai." I smile, already feeling a lot better by now.
"Right!" She calls, rushing past me without much extra fanfare, ending our engagement peacefully. Groaning, I settle back against the wall, the task of occupying myself for some unknown amount of time setting on my mind. I don't expect to hear my name again.
"Still here, Sora?" It's Kyouko this time, a smile on her face. She's resting against the outer frame of the door, enough out of the way so as not to impede students entering or leaving the room.
"Yeah…" I murmur, the sense of foreboding from before returning with a vengeance.
"Well, if you'd like, you can come in and observe now," She smiles, her fingers clasped together as she evenly and rhythmically stretches and cracks them. "Or if you'd prefer, you can come by later. We'll be ending at around 4:30 today."
"It sounds tempting," I offer, but stand up anyway, brushing imaginary dust off my lap. "But I think I'll stay here. I wanted to hear you play, didn't I?" Truth be told, I just want to avoid another bout of club recruitment. I think I'll be able to handle whatever this Sakamoto has to throw my way.
"Sounds fine to me!" Kyouko smiles and starts back into the room, her cane tapping rhythmically as I follow tentatively. There are a few wayward looks, but nobody seems all that bothered. In fact, it seems as if a good number of the students here are first-years without an instrument like me.
Ah, damn. I really did just walk right into this one.
Sakamoto isn't hard to pick out given she's the only one here that isn't a teenager, and that's by quite a margin. That said she doesn't exactly look old discounting her salt-and-pepper hair color. It's clear she's a generation beyond that of my core class teachers though, easily having 20 years over Nakahara.
There's an authoritarian quality to her stance, but she speaks gently enough when she begins addressing us prospects.
"This is a good number! I haven't seen this many new faces on the first day of one of my Music Clubs in some time," She nods along to herself, her voice sickeningly sweet and effective. "How many of you have played an instrument before?"
Unsurprisingly, I'm one of the only people not to raise my hand. Honestly, even if I could I'd be mismatched since everybody else raised their right hand.
Sakamoto nods along to this information. She seems like she's about to enter deep thought, so it's surprising when she instead immediately goes down the line asking what instruments each kid plays. Her semi-glare is sufficient to ward off joke instruments, of which I'm sure there are plenty.
I'm starting to really doubt I belong here at all. I can at least recognize most of the instruments my peers are listing, but some of them sound like they're completely made-up. Timpani? Euphowhat? Isn't that word a homophobic slur in English?
For now, those of us who don't play anything are let off the hook as Sakamoto invites those with instruments to join in with the rehearsal. Everybody who plays and doesn't have their own instrument will have to meet after class in order to figure out how to apportion Yamaku's limited stock of school-owned equipment.
I'm at least able to figure out now what some of the mystery instruments were as students take new seats in the ensemble. The timpani is a kind of drum, or rather a set of drums made of what looks like copper. The bassoon is a long, straight rod made of wood held at an angle. Not a single thing I see looks possible to play without at least two hands…
"Now then, does everybody have a chorale book?" Sakamoto steps up to the podium with that same infectious smile on her face. There are a few raised hands, which promptly receive the mentioned books. "Now then, let's go ahead and look at number five then…"
I might have come to watch and hear my hallmate play, but right now my eyes are fixed on Mrs. Sakamoto. She raises her arms calmly, a plain white stick in her right hand as the orchestra slowly comes together, ready to do her bidding…
Time seems to pause for a few moments, but Sakamoto's arm continues downward. There's a lift in the air, a great, all-encompassing sound that nevertheless manages to be quieter than a whisper. I don't have time to comprehend exactly what it is before the room suddenly erupts with the sound of the orchestra, focused and far less boisterous than my reaction belies.
The mysticism doesn't last long as the orchestra's sound catches on everybody's ears. A couple of faces in the group are cringing slightly at certain points, including Kyouko and another girl on violin, a third-year with blonde hair. Even I can tell it's not immaculate, but it's better than I'd ever expect to hear from a ragtag group of high schoolers playing together for the first time.
The short little song comes to an end with a light lift of Sakamoto's fingers. The greying conductor closes her eyes for a moment as the orchestra equally contemplates its performance.
"Alright. That was rather good!" She exclaims rather joyfully, setting the accumulated nerves of everybody in the room at ease, including my own.
Sakamoto isn't interested in simply letting her compliments float in the air though as she turns her attention towards the "brass section," complimenting their "balance" but encouraging them to "play out." I don't know what to make of it at all, and I don't have much time to comprehend it. In any case, Sakamoto raises her arms again, baton at the ready as she conducts only those in the group she was talking to. The air of her approach doesn't seem much different, maybe livelier…
I didn't think it sounded badly before, but suddenly these instruments on their own sounded absolutely stellar where before they were almost a weakness in the sound.
The rehearsal I watch is full of these moments, and I can't help being captivated. It seems like almost no mistake goes unaddressed by Sakamoto, but I never get the sensation that my peers in the ensemble are tiring of the feedback.
So much happens that it hardly feels like only fifteen minutes have passed, all spent on the same two, very similar but captivatingly beautiful songs. I have a feeling Sakamoto could continue on for hours at this rate, but she nevertheless cuts the orchestra off a final time, addressing the room as a whole.
"Well then! I think I have an idea about how best to divide up our sections. Enomoto, Souma, could you please pass around the student profile sheets?" Sakamoto smiles, the blonde-haired girl sitting next to Kyouko and the brunette at the piano both standing up. There's an eagerness in both of their faces as they start around the room, but Sakamoto isn't done talking.
"That just leaves this group, hmm?" She smiles to those of us who said they've never played an instrument before. In total, we number five. Everybody else has managed to migrate behind me without my noticing, and now it's clear that I'll be the first target of her attentions.
"What's your name, dear?" Sakamoto's smile is infuriatingly calming. Even still, I'm starting to sweat bullets as I feel eyes pierce curiously into my back. At the least, she doesn't seem a cruel type of person.
"A-Akiyama… Sora Akiyama…" I murmur quietly, trying to keep to keep still.
There's a sudden lighting up on Sakamoto's face, and I'm all too aware what it means. Damn it, Kyouko, you really were conspiring back then, weren't you?
"Miss Akiyama hmm?" She starts to look over me at strange angles, appraising me in an objective but still highly discomfiting manner. Without any better ideas, I just sit and blush, frozen to my spot. It doesn't take her much longer to nod and end her analysis. Then the conclusion is?
"I have something I'd like to show you, if you don't mind waiting a moment." She smiles brightly, eyes closed very effectively as she moves on to my other peers. Their whispering halts immediately once the attention has been stolen from me, and I breathe with relief.
The respite will only be temporary, though. I should run now, but why don't I? There's some kind of gross, inevitable familiarity about this situation though, and it's making me a bit queasy.
Behind me, Sakamoto is giving more traditional introductory interviews to the other four. Though I'm curious, I'm too mortified by being singled out to turn and watch the process. I overhear a few instruments I recognize, and even one of the instruments I'd just figured out existed, but I can't shake the sensation sinking down my gut.
The rest of the Music Club members seem to be packing up while Enomoto and Souma try furiously to keep the papers flowing between them. It's organized chaos, and following seems to be helping in settling my stomach.
"Now then, would you come with me, Miss Akiyama?" I'm shocked from my stupor by the intrusion of Sakamoto's calm voice.
"Y-yeah?" I bite my lip, turning to face her as my heart tries to bound out of my chest.
"Care to come with me to the piano?" Again with the one-two sugary voice and closed eyes!
I give a simpleminded nod, letting myself stand up a bit awkwardly. The Club is starting to clear up now, but they haven't been dismissed yet.
"Until tomorrow then! I hope you've all had a wonderful first day!" Sakamoto speaks up over the raucous crowd, creating a silence before the group nods in acknowledgement. A number of first-years automatically utter "Thank you," but it seems this common courtesy isn't expected around here.
I follow her the rest of the way to the piano, my heart starting to pound furiously. My cheeks were alight before being singled out, but now that I've been drawn even further away, the mortification is all the worse. Unexpectedly, Sakamoto seats me at the piano standing behind me carefully.
"Mrs. Sakamoto," I murmur quietly, looking around the room. Kyouko is standing on the other end of the piano, the lid lowered and serving as a table for a number of papers. I can't let this continue. "I uh… Appreciate the offer but, how could I… U-uh?"
I bite my lip as Sakamoto ignores my protests, grabbing my left wrist and bringing my hand to the keyboard. I feel the hard resistance of the ivory on my fingers, but I don't press down.
"Yes, that tells me plenty." Sakamoto hums cheerfully, and then removes my hand almost as swiftly as when she'd first grabbed and forced it onto the manual.
"W-what are you talking about?" At this point I'm too confused to offer anything but questions. What did she just find out about me? Why is she doing this in the first place? I need to run…
"Now then. You're worried you can't play piano with only one hand, right?" Sakamoto's voice catches my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. She's not close to my ears at all, but I can't shake the sensation that she whispered this within millimeters of them.
With no choice, I nod dumbly again. I suppose it's obvious after some time that my right arm is paralyzed, but I doubt Sakamoto would have come up with this plan without some forewarning.
I suppose patient confidentiality means little to friends, though. Really, I told Kyouko myself what was wrong with me yesterday after all.
"Let me show you something." She smiles, joining me on the bench and forcing me to the left a bit. Rather, it's more like I let her presence push me towards the left edge.
I simply nod, unsure of what the hell she's doing here. There's nothing to do except watch as her fingers come into contact with the ivories…
The fingers of her left hand only.
UPDATE: I'm back to the previous chapter count! After Chapter 11, a few things will be rehashed, hopefully in a more believable format, but this should only take a couple of chapters before it gets back to new content. Thanks so much for reading so far!