Author's note: Writer's block! FFFFFFUUUUU-
Anyways, I'm gonna focus on Chihaya and Ritsu for now. Hiromi and Yui had too much romance a few chapters before.
"Winter is close, huh…"
I sighed after I let out the above statement. It was obviously pointless for me to utter such words, since there was no one in this house of mine. Saying something when there was nobody around to hear it could be treated simply as a vocal exercise, I remembered Kyon saying those words.
I guess he's right, it's a waste of breath, and the exercise barely do anything beneficial for my throat.
Stepping downstairs, I felt the cold air settling in. It was Saturday, where people mostly stayed still under their roofs. I was no different than most of the population. I found it enjoyable to be walking around in the cold, but for this day only, my mind was too damn sluggish.
I brewed myself a cup of coffee for a boost of awareness. I was used to the quiet and eerie atmosphere in this house, but recently, I found it rather lonely.
The club's to blame for this change of mindset. I don't know how I should feel if I'm really changing. The effect of a change is still mysteriously vague to me, and I'm quite curious, yet scared at the same time.
Two soft, consecutive knocks coming from the door snapped me out of my nagging thoughts. I strode my legs towards the entrance, opening the front door as I arrived.
"Good day, Yamamoto-kun."
Standing in front of me was Kotobuki, carrying what seemed to be a guitar in a leather case. Behind her were Akiyama, Tainaka and Yui, smiling excitedly.
"The hell are you guys doing here?" I asked, a bit surprised seeing the uninvited guests. "Wait, nevermind. Just come in, it's freezing outside."
"Sorry for intruding." The guests came barging in, taking off their shoes.
I walked inside to fix them each a cup of tea. In a cold weather, even the slightest warm drink could boost your morale up like magic.
An explanation can wait. The priority now is to keep them safe and comfortable in this property of mine.
I placed the tray which contained four cups of hot tea on the table. The girls gave me a small 'thanks' after I handed them each their cups.
"So, mind explaining why you all came here?" I asked after taking a seat.
"I have something for you, Yamamoto-kun. It's from my father." Kotobuki stated, taking the guitar case.
Handing it to me, I could feel the weight of it. It was light, meaning it was an acoustic guitar. I noticed it was a bit too small for a guitar.
"You could've just called me, I'll get there instead of you going here in this freezing temperature." I said, opening the case. "And why are these people with you, anyway?" I gestured towards the other three.
"I'm just here to meet Kaito-kun." Akiyama stated, taking a sip of her tea.
"I have nothing better to do." Tainaka echoed.
"I want to meet you, Hiromi-kun!" Yui chirped.
"Whatever…" I inspected the guitar after the leather case was off. It was shiny and sparkling clean, pretty obvious that it was newly bought. It was then I realized the piece of instrument I was holding, was a pretty damn expensive guitar.
On the peghead, there was the logo, 'The Gibson'. Just by taking a glance at it gave me the chills. Mahogany neck, ebony fretboard, aged vintage sunburst finish. The 17th and 18th frets were graced with the Robert Johnson signature.
I don't even want to THINK how much this machine costs. Good God, Mr. Kotobuki, just how loaded are you?
"I told my father that you like blues." Kotobuki began, taking a sip of her tea. "Suddenly, he gave this guitar to me. He said he wanted to return the favor a few months ago, and asked me to deliver it to you."
"I can't accept this." I stated, remembering the price of the instrument.
"I insist." Kotobuki said with a straight look.
Damn it. Oh well, I think it's rude to decline after she went all the way here just to deliver it. And as a plus, I don't think this thing is really expensive for Kotobuki's father. Maybe buying this thing is like buying a meat bun in the winter for him.
"Alright, I'll take it. Tell your father I'm grateful."
"I will pass the message." Kotobuki stated with a smile.
"Try playing it, Hiromi-kun!" Yui exclaimed, eager to hear the sound of the new guitar.
I started with the 32-20 Blues. As I strummed on the strings, the guitar produced a beautiful sound loud enough for the whole house to hear. It was amazing how a small guitar could let out such thunderous sound.
It's pretty damn beautiful. It feels like the soul of the man himself possesses me right now.
I finished the tune, followed by a round of applause from the girls.
"That's amazing, Hiromi-kun!" Yui said.
"The guitar helps a lot." I stated, turning my head to Kotobuki. "Thanks, I appreciate it."
"You're very welcome." The blond smiled cheerfully.
"By the way, Yamamoto-kun, mind if I call Kaito-kun over?" Akiyama asked.
"I'll do that." I stood up, walking towards the living room. Beside my PS3, there was an old walkie-talkie my father used to utilize. I had handed the other one to Tanigawa for simple communication. I took the device and held the talk button to connect to the other side.
"Tanigawa, come in." I said to the microphone.
After a few seconds, a response came from the speaker.
"This is Tanigawa, go ahead."
"Your girlfriend's here."
"Copy that. I'll be there in a second, over and out."
I put the handheld transceiver back to its place, heading towards the dining room once again.
Just as I was about to take my seat, I heard the front door opened. A few sounds of footsteps later, Tanigawa revealed himself.
"Hello, Mio-san, everyone." He greeted with his trademark smile.
"Hey." Akiyama welcomed her boyfriend with a quick peck on the cheek.
Tanigawa took a seat beside his lover, before noticing something new in my house.
"Gibson L-01, is it yours, Yamamoto-san?" asked he.
"Kotobuki gave it to me." I stated, grabbing the guitar.
I wonder how good it sounds for fingerpicking? Let's give it a shot…
I started playing 'Speak Softly Love', a simple, yet beautiful tune.
Hmm… it's good, but not perfect. I guess this thing's only for-
"AH!"
Tainaka's shout, as well as the sound of an impact between the chair and the floor stopped me from playing further. Just as I was pondering what caused her to be so surprised, it hit me.
Crap, I completely forgot this song is rather 'special' for her.
"You startled me, Ritsu. What's wrong?" Akiyama asked her friend.
Tainaka stood there with a flustered look. It took a while before she regained her consciousness. The tomboy flipped the chair back up, sitting on it with a tint of pink on her face.
"N-nothing… sorry." She muttered, hiding her face.
Akiyama stared at Tainaka with a weird look, completely confused.
Oh well, rather than being surrounded in an awkward situation, might as well step on the pressure plate for the TNTs.
"Reminds you of someone?" I asked directly.
Tainaka banged her hand on the table. Hard. She stood up while giving me a look of panic, which was quite an amusing sight.
"How did you-"
"Take a look around anywhere you go. There's always someone listening to you." I stated, remembering the event around two years ago.
"Damn it." Tainaka feebly muttered. "You and your sneaking skills, Yamamoto…"
"I know it's an invasion of privacy, sorry for that."
"Yeah, yeah, it's fine." The president sat back down, sighing tiredly.
"I don't get it." Akiyama piped in.
"I, as well." Tanigawa raised his hand.
Tainaka reluctantly explained the occurrence to the others, much to her dismay. Akiyama's smirk wasn't helping the tomboy, obviously.
"Interesting…" The black haired woman muttered after the brief explanation.
"So, do you like him, Ricchan?"
Yui's question was straight-to-the-point, and it successfully initiated a sudden chuckle from Akiyama. Kotobuki and Tanigawa just sat there, smiling their usual smiles while I continued to play the blues as the background music.
"What kind of question is that, Yui?" Tainaka was not amused.
"Come on, Ritsu, just tell us." Akiyama demanded.
"Look, I don't know, alright? I don't understand all of this stuff."
"Shall we find out, then?" Tanigawa suggested.
"No, no thanks, I don't even-"
"We shall." Kotobuki interrupted.
"Argh!" Out of frustration, Tainaka clenched her hair and pulled it hard.
And so, the club arranged a plan for the two of them. Tainaka seemed uneasy, but rather curious of her own feelings. The mastermind was Kotobuki, with a few suggestions coming from Akiyama and Tanigawa. Yui was pretty interested, she observed the plan closely like a S.W.A.T member in a briefing room.
Me, I'm just providing the background music as they organize the plan.
"And that's how it should go."
With those finishing words, Kotobuki ended the planning session.
In summary, the operation would commence next Saturday. Location would be at the newly opened theme park, named Magicland. The whole club would be there to decrease awkwardness between the two, and the time would be around 9 in the morn.
"Okay, this is just ridiculous." Tainaka stated, defensively putting her hands in front of her. "I don't need this, seriously."
"Well, I'm not sure if I should say this, but please excuse me if I seem arrogant." Tanigawa began. "I know not what Chihaya-san feels about you, but this plan, I'm sure, will give us answers. You are in a state of confusion, am I not right?"
"A bit, yeah." Tainaka said.
"Then this operation will clear your thoughts of it. Confusion could easily lead into ineffectiveness of your everyday activities. Studying, for example."
"Ritsu's still stupid even without the confusion, though." Akiyama stated, earning a glare from the aforementioned person.
Chuckling a bit, Tanigawa continued. "Now, we don't want to make it worse, do we not?"
This guy's got a good point. Feelings will get in your way on the battlefield, my father once said to me. I guess the everyday life isn't any different.
"Alright, I get it, it's for my own good." Tainaka agreed, though not entirely pleased.
The guests went back to their respective homes after a few quick chats. Once again, I was left alone in my quiet house. Sitting on the couch, with a piece of Robert Johnson by my side, I booted my PS3 and started replaying Shadow of the Colossus.
Next Saturday will be the start of the operation. I can't say I'm looking forward to it, but I guess I'm a bit excited.
Well, there goes another one of my gaming Saturday…
I don't have a Gibson L-01.
...
...
...
*sniff*
