Scene 11 – Loose Chords

A strong silence overcomes the class, as I walk in right behind Hanako. I don't think much of it at first. However I notice most of the students were staring at us. The most notable, were Shizune and Misha, who have finally returned to class.

Hanako quickly moves to her seat, leaving a short distance further to go, alone. The pressure from the attention is overwhelming.

Once in my seat, most turn away. Shizune and Misha however, approach my desk.

Shizune is quite serious, while Misha has a mischievous grin.

"Well, well, well… Where has dear Hiroshi been this whole time?" I lean back into my seat, if to only make myself feel a sense of distance between us.

"…What do you mean…?" I glance over at the window, not wanting to make direct eye contact with either of them.

Shizune signs to Misha, and then she softly slams her hands on my desk. I flinch on instinct, turning to her.

"We were so busy today with Student Council work. We wanted to have lunch with you, but we couldn't find you," Their statement has some holes in it, considering I wasn't off the campus or anything.

"I didn't expect either of you to show up at lunch, so I went somewhere else. Is that a big deal?" The music room was the only planned part of my day. Lunch with Lilly and Hanako wasn't.

A sudden feeling of regret falls on me, as I could have chosen a better set of words to explain what happened. Shizune's eye brows scrunched up, she doesn't look too happy, though if it wasn't for the serious atmosphere of the conversation, it would look very cute.

"I don't know Hiroshi, it seems like you found other company," The bitter taste of jealousy. I never would have thought I'd get to see it first-hand.

As much as I attempt to resist the urge to glance at Hanako, I can't help it and look over at her, giving away any chance to play this off as anything less.

"So you did spend time with someone else Hiroshi!" Hanako pulls her book over her face, knowing Misha's loud claim is about her.

I can't understand the sudden feeling to defend Hanako, but I react quickly to the claim.

"It's not…"

Mutou walks into the room as the class bell rings, conveniently cutting me off. Shizune and Misha sulk slightly as they return to their seats.

A long sigh escapes my lips, feeling that I might have dug myself into a hole and not realized it.

I flip open the notebook on my desk to a clean sheet, as Mutou starts to dictate. A feeling of concern about a possible quiz fills my mind.

The pace in which he speaks is a bit faster than I can write, making it difficult to keep up. I notice that Shizune and Misha sign to each other, making me worried about their conversation. This in turn makes me miss a few words. I hope they weren't that important, letting out a soft sigh again, knowing the second half of the day will be long.

The school bell is mark of relief as my wrist felt like it was going to fall off from all that writing. To my surprise, Mutou made no mention of an exam or quiz. I start to wonder what all this note taking is preparation for.

I start to wiggle my hand, wanting to get the tension to fade. It is a silly way to try to relax that part of my body, but I suppose it's a trick of the mind.

From the corner of my eye I notice Hanako is looking at me. Does she want to say something or want something from me? She stands up and slowly starts to walk towards me, but stops once Shizune and Misha step between us.

My vision turns to both, though I see Hanako leave the room in a hurry, before focusing on Shizune.

"Class felt so long, didn't it Hiroshi?" Misha's cheery words lighten the mood.

"Yeah, my hand was going to fall off if we had to write any more," I take my books and put them away.

Misha translates to Shizune, who in turns makes a wide grin. I guess she does have a sense of humor.

The grin on her face drops into a normal smile as she gives me a rough nudge on the shoulder.

"Hiroshi, we should hurry, we still have a lot of work to do for the festival," Shizune and Misha rush off, as I realize what's said. It hits me like a mountain of bricks.

The palms of my hand cover the top part of my face as I sigh. The aches of my muscles come to the surface.

I forget to tell them! Now I'm stuck doing this another day…