.

.

.

There were quite a few picture frames drawn on the jacket sleeve of this album. They were titled THE GNOME, THE SAGE and THE OLD CASTLE — but all three frames were empty inside. The titles of the albums were printed in the frame at the bottom left. PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION.

I removed my headphones with a sigh and placed the CD back into its case before stacking it on top of the mountain of Pictures at an Exhibition. I had an urge to yell in frustration. Why were there so many versions of the same song?

The piano version composed by Rimsky-Korsakov; the most famous orchestral version by Ravel; Henry Wood's version which dates back much earlier; Tomita Isao's synthesized version. These were the various versions of Pictures at an Exhibition. Still, I returned to the version that I was listening to — the live- performance by Emerson, Lake & Palmer. God knows how many times I had listened to it already.

The first to speak was Weiss. It happened during our club activity today. She picked out a musical score from a huge stack and opened it.

"One of the main themes of Pictures at an Exhibition is Promenade. We can form a complete medley if we insert that between our songs."

"Pro… what does that pro-whatever song sounds like?" Chiaki lifted her head and asked Weiss.

Weiss grabbed her guitar silently and played a sample of the main theme in B major.

"Ah, I heard that before."

"Comrade Schnee has not released Pictures at an Exhibition, right?" Asked Kagurazaka Senpai.

What Senpai was referring to was obviously the piano version. Weiss nodded her head slightly after a brief moment of silence.

"I'm looking forward to it. I must listen to Comrade Schnee's version of Mussorgsky even if it's performed using a different instrument. Well then, young man. Thanks to that —"

"— Eh?"

"I'll leave the composing to you."

"Why?"

"I can't believe you're asking me why."

Senpai inched towards me and lifted my chin with her finger. What appeared before me was Senpai's black eyes, which looked like the starless skies in the night. I could not move my whole body, much less my face.

"You're my other half; my dearest Paul. Is there a need for anything else?"

"Er… "

"I never expect you not to know that. Guess I've no other option but to lock you in a room at a hotel to let you know how much I treasure you."

"Geez… Senpai!"

"You can't!"

Chiaki performed the triangle choke on Senpai and pulled her away from me; as for Weiss, she strangled me from behind and pulled me towards the side of the entrance. That's painful. Why is everyone not giving a damn to my neck recently…

"Now's not the time to be doing stuff like this! We're only two week away from the school's festival!"

Senpai became a little depressed after that scolding from Chiaki. However, she straightened herself immediately.

"Sorry, I've reflected on it. So let us all head to the hotel together."

"You've used that gag during chorus contest, no?"

"Mmm, mmm."

Looks like Chiaki has improved considerably… please continue to tsukkomi Senpai in my stead.

"But you don't hate Pictures at an Exhibition, do you, young man?"

"Hmm? Not really…" Don't veer back to the topic all of the sudden. "I don't actually hate it."

I'll be the one to compose it? I took the score from Weiss's hands and stared at the floor.

"That's decided then. Please compose a medley that is irritatingly long, but so exciting that our audience will never have the chance to catch their breaths."

I hugged my head in response to Senpai's unreasonable request.

When I returned home, I dug out all the versions of Pictures at an Exhibition that I could find in Mom's collection and took out the synthesizer as well. It was the one Yang gave Senpai, who then lent it to me for an unlimited duration. I tried playing the Promenade theme with various sorts of timbre.

Promenade. It was a theme which depicted the scene of someone walking leisurely in an exhibition, appearing six times in the the entire piece during the various variations. It brought a strange sense of uniformity to the piece.

All in all, that was what Weiss was referring to. Our song could be added into the exhibition as long as Promenade appears in between our songs. Her argument may sound a bit forced, but I did agree with it in general — the reason was the lasting impression that melody brings to the ears. I have no idea why it sounded so easygoing to the ears despite the alternating 5/4 and 6/4 beats, and the intense irregular tempo.

However, I did not really like Mussorgsky's piano version. There were way too many unreasonable sustained tones in it, which sounded like he forcefully recomposed an orchestral piece into a piano piece. Especially that finale. Therefore, if it was me doing the composing, I would use the organ or a similar instrument to play a resounding cry — like the way GNOMES did with the unison of the bass and drums.

I then realized something — my headphones were conveying the desired timbres in my mind. I subconsciously replayed the album by Emerson, Lake & Palmer. I sighed and turned off the audio before tossing the CD onto my desk. The mountain of Pictures at an Exhibition tumbled and fell onto my bed.

That won't do. If that was how it was, I might as well as copy their performance. I grabbed my cellphone so that I could give Senpai a call, but I decided against that in the end. I was about to tell her that I could come up with something — it would be really embarrassing if I was to tell her that. All the songs played by feketerigó were composed by Senpai. Why didn't Senpai compose the songs this time around as well? Why did she make me do it? Weiss would be a much better choice. What should I do? The music of EL&P continued to reverberate in my ears.

On Wednesday, we had a rare guest in our house. It was already late into the night when I ended my practice in Hatake's Musical Instrument Store. When I arrived back home, exhausted, I saw a large foreign car parked in the garage of our house.

"Wow…"

I recognized this car straight away because that was my fourth time seeing it. For a brief moment, I seriously contemplated if I should just stay over at Karin's house for the night. I opened the door silently, and what greeted me was the loud, blaring Shostakovich as well as the occasional uncouth quarrelings between two adults.

"… That is why I say, the fugue should go on all the way till the exposition! How long are you gonna emphasize the voices? You're blindly following Shostakovich's orchestration — the instruments are scattered all over! This is far from the standards of the original."

"That's all that is needed from The Symphonic Brass of London to make the piece shine! It's not like they do that only during Shostakovich. Most importantly, the conflicting inner voices in the most important part of the final movement."

"Don't be surprised if the concertmaster deliberately refuses to show up after a quarrel with you. It will be due to your insistence to sticking to the same tone as the American orchestras."

"Stop pretending like you know everything!"

"May I know what you two are quarrelling about…?"

Mom and Jacques, who were about to get into a brawl, were shocked when I stepped into the living room. They quickly tidied themselves and took seats on the sofa. A clear and thick string adagio was playing though the speakers. I knew immediately that it was a live performance conducted by Jacques.

"Sorry for intruding on you despite the late hours." Jacques greeted me with a wry expression on his face. I nodded my head slightly in response.

"… You want a cup of coffee?"

I was pretty sure Mom did not offer our guest any drinks.

"Ah, that's unnecessary. Actually, there something I want to talk with you."

… Huh, What he want to talk to me about?

"Umm, but, it would be rude for us not to offer you anything. It'll be better if I get you a drink."

I slipped into the kitchen and tried to calm myself down as I washed my hands. Well, I don't think Jacques's here to pick a fight with Mom since he was a busy man. That means he'll be talking about things related to Weiss.

"But what exactly? Did I do something wrong?" I tried to jolt my memories as I lit the gas to heat up the water.

"He's a really considerate boy. I start to doubt he really your son, Kushina."

Jacques, I can hear what you're saying clearly. He's surprisingly dense in some weird areas — something that could be clearly seen from Weiss.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but he carries 50% of my genes." Mom, please do not answer him with such a disgusting reply.

I offered them two cups of incredibly thick coffee as small revenge on my part, but both of them drank it all indifferently. That was not fun! As he placed his cup away, Jacques looked at me with his stern poker-face and said, "You might have heard this from Asto or Weiss already. I guess I'll tell you just in case… Weiss's preparing herself for the comeback."

I kept my gaze on the cup in Jacques's hands. A comeback. Weiss was slowly returning to that glamorous but cold world.

"Please keep this to yourself. Weiss hates the media — those things she was involved in weren't pleasant, and I have no intention for her to be harassed as well. But the industry's a small world, so it's quite impossible for us to keep it a secret forever. There are people looking into this already."

"… Right."

"I've no idea what on earth happened, but her illness were almost completely healed, which is a miracle. Early last month, her right hand were no longer numb. The doctors were surprised as well, but since her numb hands were caused by something psychological… so it is highly possible that her recovery is the same as well."

It was the same as what Hiratsuka Sensei said to me. And I think the return of Asto is the biggest reason for that change.

"Though she's unable to hold concerts for now, she'll be releasing an album. The record company's all geared up for that. Her comeback album will probably be Beethoven's violin sonata."

My shoulders flinched. Typically speaking, a violin sonata is written for a piano and a violin, composing of various movements. I see… that was what it was all about. But I still could not help but to ask him something that I already knew the answer to.

"… She'll be performing with Asto, right?"

I was surprised by how cold my voice was. I could not bring myself to look at Jacques's face.

"Of course, since the idea did not materialize back in America. The producers were gunning hard for their success, and the two of them seemed pretty enthusiastic about it as well."

That combination should be a popular one. Lots of things to talk about, and even I want to listen to their performance. That's quite the pleasing news. And so? Why are you here to see me?

"Oi, wait a second, the Asto you are talking about is Astolfo Icecolle? What the hell? Naruto, you actually met him? Where? Where is he right now?"

Mom suddenly pulled herself close to me, her eyes blinded by the sign of cash.

"Can you hook me up with an exclusive interview with him? The editor-in-chief has been chasing me for that — even photos are okay! Damn, I shouldn't have bragged and said I can snag the interview with my network and contacts."

"Shut up Mom!"

"Don't bring your dirty work into this conversation!"

Mom was retorted by the both of us yet again, but she did not back down this time.

"Hey! Quit joking with me! What do you think allowed me to raise Naruto up into a fine person he is today —"

"— You said you were the paperback mercenary, no?"

"— It's because you are the paperback mercenary!"

"T-The paperback mercenary's no sleazy job, okay!? I don't manipulate strings behind backs and do bad stuff like controlling the middleman who introduces members to the orchestras, nor do I act as spies for the College of Music. It's true! Naruto, what's the meaning of you looking at me with that cold stare of yours!?"

It's pointless, Mom. Your voice is turning strange. Just be quiet and give it a rest…

"Huaaaaa, that's mean of you treating me as a shady person!"

And with that, Mom grabbed her cup and ran to the kitchen in tears. Jacques let out a deep sigh when he saw Mom's sorry state and took a sip of coffee.

"Well, just the image of Asto is enough for the magazines to sell like hot cakes, so I can understand why they are that desperate to locate his whereabouts… I think you should already know this, but please do not disclose anything about him to anyone else."

I nodded my head. Asto probably disliked being chased about by the Japanese media and being the subject of some baseless articles.

"Back to main topic, I would like to ask you — you see, I've never seen Weiss practice the piano at home."

"… Oh."

So that was what he was here for? You should know even without asking me, right?

"I think she's practicing in the school's music preparatory room or something?"

Though I didn't think those practices were enough. It's been said that professional pianists would have to spend at least six hours a day playing the piano, or else they would die like fishes out of the water. Therefore, she may have continued practicing in other places unknown to Jacques and me.

"I… see." Jacques gave a sigh and relaxed the expression on his face. "That's good. No, you may find it strange to see me acting like this, but — I can't believe it. About the fact that Weiss is willing to pick up the piano once more."

Well, the same goes for me.

"I guess it's all thanks to Asto?"

"No."

Jacques stared hard at my face for some reason. It seemed like he was hesitating on what to say. After a long period of silence, he finally shifted his gaze to his knees.

"… I don't know. That girl never tells me what she's thinking."

She did reveal quite a bit of things to me, though those are just a tiny part of the whole picture. I still do not quite understand her very well even now. I guess it's because I am too stupid.

"However, she began to talk to me after she transferred to your school."

A faint smile appeared on Jacques's lips as he continued his mumblings, "I had initially planned for her to transfer to a high-school that was affiliated to the College of Music, in the hopes that she'll be motivated from all the pianos that would be around her. However, Weiss was strongly against the idea. Come to think of it, it's a blessing that I did not force her to. I feel… I'm really glad to have enrolled her into your school."

I nodded my head in silence. My feelings were settling down when I heard those words from him.

"But in the near future, she'll probably be apply for leave away from school frequently."

I lifted my head in shock when I heard that.

"She'll become busier and busier due to her piano practices as well as the recordings. And while she's still rejecting the interviews now, that's not something that she can do forever. Wouldn't it be the same as before if she continues to reject all interviews…"

A troubled expression appeared on Jacques's face. It was probably the same expression on mine as well.

"This time round, she's the one who wants to do this, but I've no idea if that's something good or bad. She may not even have the time to attend school."

Somehow, there was the illusion of my heart thumping at my feet. Weiss would not be coming to school. This was not the same as what happened before — she was the one making decisions this time around. Despite it being something with a good chance of happening, the very thought had never once crossed my mind. And when she returns back to that world, she'll disappear from mine. Weiss is about to leave.

What happened after that was I answering Jacques's questions in an absent-minded state. I had no idea when he left the house. Before I realized it, I was all alone in the living room, slumped on the sofa. The music of the strings that came from the records in Mom's study sounded very far away.

(◕ω◕✿)

The following day, I headed straight to the music preparatory room after school. Not only did Hiratsuka Sensei loan me the keys, she also gave me permission to look through all the scores on the shelves. Well, Mom's study was better stocked in terms of genres as compared to this place, but no one knew the locations of the different scores (aside from the very person herself) since she never tidies her room properly.

I spread the staff papers on the desk, placed my bass on my knees and began to browse through the pile of scores. However, I had no will to move my right hand with the mechanical pencil in its grip. I tossed the pencil away with my hand. The classes' preparations for the school festival starts at four-thirty, but I skipped it anyway. That's because the Folks Music Club begins our practice at four-thirty in the studio. I had originally planned to come up with something before our practice, but my brain was filled with nothing but Weiss playing the piano.

I suddenly thought — what if I get Weiss to help me out with the piano or the synthesizer on stage — wouldn't I be able to keep Weiss around with that? What if I get her to play the piano in the band? I had jolted all my ideas onto the staff paper when I was fiddling with the synthesizer at home. The synthesizer was nurtured by Yang's very own hands, so it was well stocked with all sorts of sound effects. That unit alone contained almost all the sound effects found in movies.

If we could use that synthesizer onstage; if Weiss was willing to play the piano for me — if that happens, then any song… or even something as extravagant as including guitars into EL&P's PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION… I shook my head and tore the staff paper into shreds before rolling them up into a ball and throwing them away. It's about time I move away from EL&P and Weiss's piano.

Even if she had the intention to pick up the piano once more, there was no way she would be willing to play the piano beneath the spotlights just for my sake. That was something I already knew since a long time ago, wasn't it? I shouldn't even be thinking about keeping her by my side… though I have not asked Weiss what her plans were. Just then, my train of thought came to a halt. I could not think any further. I then heard the sound of the door opening. As I turned my head around, my eyes crossed with a pair of ice blue eyes.

"Ah…" I stood up in a hurry.

Weiss walked in silently and looked at the messy scores, the notebook and the pencils that were on the desk. She then asked, "… Sorry, am I interrupting you?"

"Nah, there's not much progress anyway. Are you going to practice the piano?"

Weiss nodded stiffly. I was using the piano chair. I tidied up the scores, stood up and decided to head somewhere else. It felt a little nervous to be with Weiss right now. Weiss tugged the hem of my shirt just as I was about to leave.

"… Why are you stopping me?"

"You don't have to leave."

"But!"

"L-Look, it's not like I am deliberately trying to hide fact that I am playing the piano again from you."

Weiss covered the lower half of her blushing face with the scores. She looked upwards and peeked at my expression.

"I had intended to tell you only after I have done it and became good at it. If possible, I hoped to tell you after the recordings."

"… With Asto?" I was wondering why I asked her that question.

"M-Mmm. Umm, but…"

"No, it's fine. It's not like I really mind," I lied. "This is the only place where you can practice in school, right? I'll head back to the classroom after I am done selecting the scores."

"You can listen by the side."

There was no way I could leave after hearing that from her.

Just as I sat myself down before the desk, Weiss began playing the Hanon etudes in the various octaves. I stared hard at Weiss's back while she sat before the piano. I was overcome with an inexplicable feeling as I watched her snow colored hair sway along with the steady rhythm.

Speaking about the characteristics of the pianist Weiss Schnee, the first thing that came to mind was the uniform strength she exerted on all her fingers on both hands. A certain critic likened that as something similar to 'breeding pearls of the exact same sizes'. I was not quite happy with the way he put it, but I understand what he was trying to portray.

After listening to her at such a close distance however, I realized that her right hand was slightly weaker when it comes to the high notes. Those were the three fingers that Weiss had once lost.

I think I managed to pick that out only because I was listening out for that. If I were to immerse myself into the music just like an intricate toy that was powered by flowing water and drifted along to the rapidly rising octaves, I would definitely not have noticed the two-and-a-half years break to her playing.

Just then, her practice stopped all of a sudden.

"I-It will be better…" Weiss turned around and looked at me, "If you do not stare at me. It's hard for me to play like this."

"Eh…"

Then… off I go. With that said, I walked past Weiss, only to find her tugging at my shirt yet again.

"You don't have to leave."

What the heck is this? I've no idea what you want from me. I sighed, made my way back to the desk and turned the chair away from Weiss.

This time round, she was playing phrases that required her to span her tiny hands to a tenth. That was really impressive. Her piano sounded almost as beautiful as before. The blank period to her playing may still surface on a certain piece or two. However…

Weiss will be leaving soon. That realization of mine was much more real and pressing than all the sentences she had said before. This time round, she was not running away to a certain place by herself — she would be soaring back into the world where she belonged with her healed wings.

And so, I no longer have any reason to stop her. None? No reason at all? Was that really true? If Weiss leaves — Even though I wished to stay by Weiss's side, but if Weiss really leaves, then I…

"… Ruto?"

I flinched in surprise and stood up on reflex. Turning my head around, I saw Weiss standing behind me without me noticing, her head stretched out to look at the staff papers in my hand.

"Eh. A-Ah… Y-Yes?" I let off a strange voice subconsciously.

"There is no progress in your composition?"

I covered the empty staff papers in a hurry, though it was already too late for that.

"… Mmm."

"Is there anything I can do to help? I can play any song you want me to."

"Eh, ah, no…"

I was very happy how she was willing to do that for me, but it just felt worse when I was once again reminded of how she could play the piano. Speaking of which, all I had to do is to ask, no? If she was returning to the status of a professional pianist, and should she resume her performances…

What is she planning to do with the band? But I could not bring myself to ask. I was afraid of Weiss's answer.

"I can play the original version or even Rimsky-Korsakov's interpretation if you want me to. It's okay even if it is impromptu."

"No…" I sighed.

I just couldn't focus my thoughts on PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION for now, but I can't remain stuck either.

"My thoughts are not sorted out yet. I have no idea what I should be doing for now."

"Kyouko mentioned about how a rock band had performed PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION before. I guess you know about that as well?"

"You're talking about Emerson, Lake & Palmer? They're the reason why I'm stuck!"

"Stuck?"

"It will end up as a copy of their version regardless of what I do."

"And that's not okay?"

I looked at Weiss's face, surprised.

"I guess… not?"

I grabbed the scores of the original PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION.

"Because I've no understanding of Russia's musical nationality. I spent a whole night researching it only because I received a job to write about it, and it's not like I have learned music composition seriously. This… this is something that is born out of mimicking what I have heard from someone else — how can I possibly compose something good out of that?"

"How do you know if you do not try?"

I shook my slumped head.

"That's nothing more than an inferior copy. I've no idea why Senpai delegated this job to me. Are you interested in trying this, Weiss? Not only have you played this before, you're also much more knowledgeable than me when it comes to Mussorgsky, isn't that so?"

I spilled out my thoughts while staring at my hands, but soon realized Weiss was clenching her fist. What greeted me when I lifted my head was her face filled with anger.

She said, "That has nothing to do with what you have in hand! You should be the one to compose this!"

"Didn't I say it already? Whatever I compose will end up as nothing more than the rock version of the original melody. I mean, that's all I've been listening to up till now! I've only listened a little of the classical music."

"Isn't that fine!?"

Weiss slammed her palm hard on the empty staff papers, and that caused me to nearly fall off my chair in shock. I straightened myself and looked at her.

"You really have no idea why Kyouko passed that job to you?"

Weiss's blue eyes were staring straight at me, and all I could do was to shake my head absent-mindedly and reply, "… I really don't… know…"

Because I cannot differentiate between Senpai's jokes and her serious words.

Weiss lowered her gaze, her shoulders were trembling non-stop. "It's… It's because of you that I…"

My chest was assaulted by a sudden surge of pain. Just as I was taking in a huge gulp of air due to my inability to convey my words properly, the door opened all of a sudden as though someone banged against it.

"Yeah, they're here! Both of them!"

There were two people at the door — they were Chiaki and Class-rep Shinka Nibutani. The sight of them both caused me to forget everything, including the words that I was about to say and the reason why I was in this room.

"… What's with that attire of yours?"

Chiaki and Nibutani were both dressed up in very feminine black dresses with plenty of frills — very similar to that worn by Kuroneko. And they even put on the headbands as well.

"You've no idea what's happening because you always skip the festival preparations, isn't that so? It looks like our class will be doing Gothic café."

"Sorry, never heard of that."

"And Namikaze-kun will be the waiter," Nibutani added.

"Now that's something new!"

"It's your fault for not being around for the poll! Come here, we'll be sizing you up. Put this on right now!"

She tossed a black object into my face. I opened it up and realized it was a half-apron and a vest. So they have the costumes all ready huh…

"Also, to the Princess over there who's behaving like she has nothing to do with whatever's happening here — you're the waitress as well."

"E-Eh!?"

Weiss was just as surprised when Nibutani shoved a goth-lolita dress into her arms.

"Namikaze-kun, you'll be changing at the corridor. We'll be helping the Princess to change."

"This dress is not something which you can wear on your own on your very first try, so let me teach you how to do it."

Chiaki's eyes were sparkling all of the sudden. I was pushed onto the corridor before I could even say a word.

(◕ω◕✿)

Thanks to that additional burden, we were forced to skip our band practice. We had to work on the interior decorations of the café as well as come up with a menu after class. Whenever I had the time, I would spread the stave papers apart and stare at them as I sank into despair. Then again, I could only practice by myself even if I made it to the practice room.

The reason we could not practice together was because I was not done with my composition yet. I find myself pathetic for the slight feelings of relief in me. I would definitely not be able to think deeply into this if I never talk to Weiss, and I would be running away from trying to conclude this.

It seemed like the Class of 3A will be doing a play of Romeo and Juliet at the sports complex. Senpai, being the main character of the play, was all busy thanks to the rehearsals, so she would only be at the practice room for our band practice after six. However, Weiss and Chiaki were stuck with our class' preparations, so they could not come down for the practice.

"It feels like the role of Juliet does not suit Senpai one bit…"

"That's because our script is modified off the West Side Story. That's why the Juliet whom I am playing will not die at the end. Instead, she's a character who will bring an end to the feuds of the House of Montague and the House of Capulet."

I see. Now that was something I could understand very well. What a scary Juliet that is.

"And I took the opportunity to seek my classmates' assistance with the lightings during our live performance. That's because the Folk Music Club will be performing right after my class."

I am really thankful for that.

"So all that's left is to wait for you to be done with your composition. Can you finish it by this week?"

"Uguuh!" Senpai grabbed me by my collar just as I was about to slip out of the practice room.

"Oh right, the effects should be great if you can use grand words to fill in the lyrics for Promenade or Great Gate of Kiev. How about the hymns from the Russian Orthodox Church?"

"Why are you making things difficult for me…"

"Because, while you'll complain and moan, you will always answer my expectations at the end of the day. That's how it has always been, be it the chorus contest or the sports day. That's what I like about you, young man."

Please do not hold my head with your arms and say that to me with such close proximity!

"… Why —"

I wanted to ask Senpai what Weiss meant when she said "You really have no idea why?" however, I swallowed my words upon facing Senpai, who looked like she would bite onto me while putting on the smile of a ferocious beast. What was the point in asking her that anyway? Could I respond to her demands, or will I fail? The answer must be one of the two.

And so, I took a trip to the library on my way home. In the end, the four of us could not fork out any time to practice together. It felt kind of sad to head home without making any progress. But where on earth were the hymns of the Russian Orthodox Church located? Were they related to religion? Or foreign literature? Come to think of it, it was unlikely for me to find such books in the school's library in the first place.

There were not many people around, so I walked about aimlessly between the bookshelves as my gaze wandered around the endless spines of books. I did want to meet Senpai's expectations of me, but I was short of time. If all I could do was to struggle on the same spot while wrecking my brains out on something which I deem impossible, then I might as well apologize to Senpai right now! I am just an ordinary high-school student who had studied only a bit on the history of music and its theory, and I have only picked up the bass just a year ago.

By coincidence, I came across a small silhouette standing before the shelves of foreign literature, causing me to almost yell in surprise. Weiss froze for a brief moment as well with her hand reaching out for a book on the shelf.

"Why…" Why are you at the library? I was about to ask her that question, but I shut my mouth immediately.

Speaking in the library was strictly forbidden. Weiss quickly placed the book back onto the shelf and shook her head hard. She then walked past my side in a flash and went out of the library. I did not even have the opportunity to stop her.

It felt like she was avoiding me ever since that day. Come to think of it, I said lots of depressing stuff to Weiss back in the music preparatory room. Not only did I shift the blame of my lack of progress in the music composition to other things, I wove a whole lot of excuses as well — moreover, I did not ask the most important question.

Will she not come to school any more? It was just like what Jacques had said, Weiss has been applying for leave frequently in the recent days. Perhaps she was busy with the recordings. It somehow felt like Weiss was slowly drifting away from me before I could express what I wanted to say.

I took a glance at the shelf that Weiss was searching earlier. I had no idea if this was some sort of coincidence or what, but she was searching for Russian literature as well. The books were indexed with the letter T". Then Chekhov, Turgenev…

Fyodor Dostoyevsk…? Tolstoy? No wait, not all the books on the shelves are novels. There were a few books on Kagurazaka Senpai's favourite revolutionary, Trotsky as well. Weiss was planning to read stuff like these? I didn't recall seeing her read these kinds of books. I guess I really didn't understand Weiss a single bit after all. It was always music whenever we spoke with each other.

However, we will no longer be able to chat like that in the near future. Weiss had already taken up an unimaginable amount of space in my heart. Will Weiss continue to stay in feketerigó as its guitarist — all I had to do is to ask. But I was afraid of her answer. There was no way I could ask.

Can you… stay with me here by my side?

And with that came the weekend. I did not make my way down to the practice room on Friday after school — I head straight home instead. That was because I made no progress at all, and the stave papers were as spotless as ever. That was just embarrassing of me. I could not bring myself to face Weiss, Senpai, or Chiaki.

Even though I hesitated for quite a while, I sent a mail with a rather unconvincing "Sorry, stomach's aching. I'll be heading home first" to Chiaki's phone. I hugged my head and squatted down at the entrance when she replied with "You have always sucked at feigning sickness, you know".

I was quite worried about how I should respond should any of the three girls give me a call, but I hid myself in the blankets, plugged in my earphones and blasted my ears with the music of London Calling by The Clash until I fell asleep.

I woke up to the ringing of my handphone and checked the time groggily. Nine. But I had no idea whether it was the morning or the night. No wait, the light's filtering in through the curtains, so it should be in the morning. I was assaulted by some strange noise which had caused me to nearly miss the ringtone. And why does my head hurt? It took me a while to realize that I was still wearing my earphones. I quickly removed the earphones that were playing the voice of Joe Strummer endlessly.

I took a look at the incoming number. Not from my band mates, but a number unknown to me and it started with 03… From Tokyo? I was greeted by a clear voice the moment I accepted the call.

" — Ruto? Are you Ruto? Great, I finally got through!"

"… Asto?"

There is no way I would forget his candy-like voice. Come to think of it, I did give him my number. But why was he calling me?

"Are you free today, Ruto?"

"… Eh?"

"Today's a rest day, isn't it? Can you head down to Shibuya before three?"

"Eh? Why…?" I rapped my temple with my fist in an attempt to jolt myself awake as I answered him in a daze. Shibuya? Today, and then what?

"We've made an agreement with each other, didn't we? It will be me who will invite you next time."

"Ah, yeah." It still felt like my eyes were obscured by something hazy. Asto was looking for me? So he was serious about it and did not actually just say it on a whim?

My low spirits were more or less related to Asto, but it's not his fault. And it was rare of him to invite me. Perhaps it was not a bad idea to meet up with someone whom I can talk music with other than my band mates, but that may just turn into a scenario of him listening to me while I whine and complain. I have no desire to let Asto see me in such a state.

"… Where shall I wait for you at three?"

"You are willing to come down? That makes me really happy! There's a 3L Studio located at Spain-zara, do you know where it is?"

"Ah… yeah I know it".

"See you at three, and do not be late."

"What's going on over there?" Since the place was a studio, it should be something related to the band?

"Secret. I want to give you a surprise."

I knew he would say that. That was just the sort of person he was.

"Oh right, I have a question for you. I am fine with meeting you, but about your attire…"

"Mmm, don't you worry. I'll be wearing something cute that you'll definitely like."

That was not what I meant! But the phone hung up on me just like that.

Spain-zara was filled with stores on both sides, with their appearances dominated by the popular Southern Europe styles. The place was exceptionally crowded, perhaps due to the fact that it was a Saturday afternoon. It was a street filled with an irritatingly large amounts of cafés, general stores and fashion stores. I never expected myself to sweat in November, which was all thanks to the heat caused by the crowd.

It took me a while before I could finally locate the pristine building with the words Studio LLL written on the wall along with the logo of the recording company. That caused me cower a little. Wait, so this was actually a commercial recording studio?

There was a lady in uniform behind the counter. She led me into the building when I gingerly told her my name. Studio No. 7. We walked past a lobby with a kitchenette in it before opening the soundproof door that was located furthest to the left.

"Namikaze-san is here."

With that, the counter lady urged me inside. There was an incredibly large mixer — the largest I had ever seen — that occupied half the space of the control room. It looked like the cockpit of a giant robot straight out of an anime.

Sitting on the chair before the mixer was a guy in sunglasses with a sparse beard. He was giving off quite a wild aura, so I thought he was probably the music producer or something. That person shot me a brief look. I can tell he was not too happy despite the sunglasses on him.

Standing next to him was a fat middle-aged man who was almost bursting out of his polo shirt. Probably the audio engineer or something. He grinned and walked towards me when he noticed my presence.

"You must be Kushina's son? Nice meeting you."

"… How do you know?"

"Hmm, I used to receive lots of care from her back in the college days. As for what they are, I can't really reveal them."

As expected from the paperback mercenary. No wait, where was Asto? Just as I scanned my surroundings with my eyes opened wide, the door to the control room opened all of a sudden and a small person came rushing in.

"Ruto!"

Asto was about to rush towards me to give me a hug, but the producer stood up quickly and grabbed him by the collar to pull him away.

"Don't be silly, head back to the recording room now! This may be a test recording, but I have no time for you to be fooling about! You are not the only person who is doing the recording here!"

"Uhhh…" Asto swung his limbs about with tears in his eyes. He was not the only one who's doing the recording?

I took a look at the soundproof glass located in front of the mirror. On the other side of the window was a spacious recording room filled with plenty of microphones, and in the middle of the room was a black piano with its lid propped open — her snow colored hair swayed lightly. She then looked towards me.

"… Weiss?"

It was Weiss. It was indeed Weiss sitting before the piano in a pale blue dress. She crossed sight with me. Lots of different expressions flashed past her face before she returned back to her calm state. She then turned her face away all of the sudden.

"Weiss said she wants you here."

I could not believe what Asto had said. I looked to-and-fro at the side profile of their faces that were located on either sides of the glass window.

"She wished you can listen to this song which we will be recording right now."

Weiss… did she really want me to listen to her duet with Asto?

Her ice-blue eyes were looking at me through that thick glass once again, and her gaze seemed to be inquiring something from me. However, Asto blocked her gaze with his back when he returned back to the recording room.

Weiss turned away to face the piano after giving a nod in my direction. Asto lifted his violin and flashed a brief smile before picking up his bow.

"Hey, Kushina son."

The bearded producer spoke to me softly, "Don't just stand there, take a seat. You are here to look, isn't that so? Please don't create any trouble for us."

I slumped myself in a chair prepared by the audio engineer.

"Take one."

Asto's and Weiss's eyes, which were of the same bluish color, turned ice cold the instant that voice reached the recording room — a gaze which I had never seen from them before. Both of them were neither suppressed nor burned to crisp by the light beaming down from the skies above. All they did are to look at the endlessly-stretching seas before them.

Asto stabbed the tip of the bow in his hand towards the skies. The volume of the sound dropped in an instant after a brief passage of the majestic accent. At the same time, Weiss replied with a conflicting feelings of gloom and passion, forming a harmony with the sounds flowing out from her piano. The questions and answers between the two then embedded themselves firmly into the A minor. The first movement was a passage sounded like a person who was groping about in darkness. Asto's hands were pulling that song towards the light.

This song is… Beethoven's Opus 47, Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major — Kreutzer. As my brain was engulfed by the sound that was searing its presence onto me, I suddenly recalled an old explanatory music article that was once written by Mom.

There are countless numbers of duet concertos written for the piano and the violin, the king and queen of the classical musical instruments. Before the appearance of Beethoven, all the concertos were written with the piano as the main focus, while the violin serves as a decorative ornamental, an 'accompaniment to the piano concerto'. I guess this is something well known by all composers already, but the timbre of the two instruments were fundamentally not compatible with one another, so there is no way one could harmonize the two instruments together just by themselves.

Even the genius Mozart could not bring the queen on equal terms with the king in his violin concertos. The idea of harmonizing them together was finally abandoned in Beethoven's era. And in this Kreutzer, a final form of the violin concerto composed by Beethoven, comes the portrayal of the 'battle' between the violin and the piano. And now I had finally realized the meaning behind those words. A sense of frustration was brought about by the stagnant atmosphere, baiting for the hammering from the piano. The violin's passage then began to dance as though it was engulfed by the tongues of the flames. The same melody were sent to my ears constantly, though they were either sliced into pieces or stomped into dust; there were times where they were above me, others below.

The gradually increasing heat was seeping its way into my ears before finally tearing apart its wounds and bursting into a touching movement. It felt like someone was taking away my sense of hearing within my consciousness in response to the music; but despite all that, I could not move my gaze away from the other side of the window — the scene of Asto and Weiss giving their all as they play. Both of them were standing on the same ground at a place high above me.

It was a place where I could not reach with my hands, a place where I was screened off by a wall of mirages. How long has it been since I cried from listening to music? A searing sensation streaked past my cheeks, but at the same time, the retorting personality within me was thinking calmly like an idiot. Even back when Kuroneko dumped me, my emotions on that time were nowhere close to what I was experiencing right now.

Why does Weiss want me to listen to this? As of now, the one by her side… is no longer the person who was lending her his shoulders and supporting her with his exhausted body. That meant she has found someone who could fight together with her beneath the same sky. What does she want from me after I was done listening to this song? I had no idea. But there was one thing I was painfully clear about — I will never be able to touch Weiss, who was standing on the other side of the glass window, ever again. That made me really sad. My tears were burning my throat.

At the end of the first movement, the melody of the two soared through the storm towards the gap between the clouds. As they flew upwards, they harassed and gnawed at each other before they were finally cut off by a crash.

Asto lowered his bow gingerly amid the lingering sounds which shook even the soundproof walls. Weiss lifted her hands slightly off the keys of the piano as well. I stood up subconsciously. I knew Weiss was about to look in my direction, but I had no confidence of taking on her gaze.

I pushed the back of the audio engineer aside and made my way to the door. The two person behind me seemed to be saying something. I rammed the door open with my body and stumbled my way towards the lobby.

As I was surrounded by the dry air of the real world, I finally understood that the dampness on my cheeks were not just an illusion. I burst out of the building and dashed through the crowds of Spain-zara. While taking in huge gulps of air, all I felt was my shirt drenched in sweat sticking on my back. It felt like my body was about to be melted away by the heat. But I cannot stop in my tracks.

If I stop in my tracks… if I steady my hurried breaths and regulate my heartbeats, the Kreutzer Sonata played by the two would reverberate endlessly in my ears once more — not just that, but the variations in the second movement as well as the tarantella in the third movement would surface in my mind despite the fact that I did not listen to them. And they would tear me into pieces.

I must had been a wreck when I reached home. I was overwhelmed by a strong sense of regret after shutting myself in my room and dropping onto my bed with a thud. What the hell was I doing? I dashed out of the place before I said anything or asked them any questions. I even circled the Yamanote Line a few rounds on the train.

Weiss called me multiple times but I lacked the courage to pick up the phone. It never crossed my mind to switch the phone off or turn it into silent mode either — the phone was left to blare Blackbird a few times on the train. That made the other passengers stare at me in irritation, which caused my situation to become even worse.

What an idiot I am.

Thank god it's rest day tomorrow. I don't know how I'll face Weiss otherwise.

I'll have to explain it clearly to Weiss. After speaking to her about it and apologizing to her…

Then what?

I flipped my cell phone open and closed for a few times and hesitated for a while, but I could not press the button. Next came the knocking on the door. It was my sister, Naruko.

Naruko said, "… Hey, I make instant Ramen, do you want some."

I nodded my head slightly while lying on my desk. There should be no way she could see me doing that, but I heard the sound of the door opening anyway. A cup of steaming hot instant Ramen appeared before my eyes.

"You can speak with me if you have a problem," Naruko murmured. "Sorry for being a useless sister. I can't help you much."

No, you're much better than me — I thought to myself. Because you always notice it when I am feeling down. Naruko left without saying anything else. I held the cup noodles silently with both of my hands. That feels so warm! But I was in no mood to eat that. Why have things became like this, I thought.

I recalled a question which Asto asked me earlier on.

"Why do you want to be together with Weiss?"

"Ruto, what is your relationship with Weiss?"

Just what is the relationship between us? And also, Weiss and I…

(◕ω◕✿)

I had almost sunk myself totally into a mire, so what gradually pulled me out of that and back into reality was something that have happened quite a few times already — the rapping of my room's window.

It was a Sunday morning.

A silhouette was blocking out the rays of the sun that were filtering through the curtains, and I could hear the dull sound of a fist knocking on the glass window. I snuggled against the blanket and counted the knocks for a while.

Who's that? Is that Weiss? Nah, can't be her.

I stumbled towards the window and opened it up together with the curtain. What came to my eyes was a pair of denim suspenders and a mustard-yellow blouse. Moving my sight up, I saw a pair of eyes that were giving off a headstrong gaze.

So it is indeed Chiaki…

"… You thought it was Weiss instead?"

Chiaki questioned with a very serious expression. I quickly turned my eyes away.

"Nope…"

"Then I am coming in?"

I took a step back as I was strangely overwhelmed by her imposing attitude.

Chiaki came through the window frame after she was finished removing her shoes. She then shut the window and leaned against it. Her head was lowered and she spoke not a single word.

I walked back to my bed and sat down. Why on earth is Chiaki here?

"Are you angry about what happened on Friday? I'm sorry, I was…" I mean, she saw through my lie. However, Chiaki shook her head.

"That's not the reason why I am angry."

That's not it — so she is indeed angry huh?

"I heard from Weiss," Chiaki said.

I had a feeling of ice falling into my lungs. She finally lifted her head and stared at me as though she was trying to see right into my heart.

"Weiss… she was worried about you. She had no idea why you went back without saying anything, and she was thinking of all sorts of wild things. She originally wanted to come to your house, but she came to mine instead since she dared not do it."

So Weiss… she had originally planned to come to my place? Yesterday? It should have been really late already.

"… What happened?" Chiaki was practically interrogating me.

I exhaled a sigh and took a deep breath as I stared at my hands with my head dropped low. I never thought Weiss would look for me despite me running away.

"Asto, he's an exceptional violinist, and he's together with Weiss, so… they will probably continue to create lots of impressive recordings from now on. With that, Weiss will no longer have the time for the band. As for someone like me…"

I had no idea what I was talking about either. However, Chiaki's expressions became gentler as she listened to me, and that made me feel like crying.

"For someone like me who's not that great when it comes to playing in a band, I'll be stuck in the same place forever. And so, Weiss and I will probably…" Not be together.

Even though I just muttered whatever that came to my mind, I guess that was the ultimate reason behind everything, I may never be together with Weiss ever again — I was close to tears just from thinking about that.

When did I love her so much?

I was by her side ever since the beginning, involved in her sorrow and happiness precisely because of my close distance to her. Because I wanted to do something for her… because I wanted to follow her.

Why did I realize this only at an important time like this?

"… You're really terrible, Naruto." Chiaki murmured.

That sentence seeped its way into the almost-healed scars on my face.

"… Mmm, I know that."

"No, you don't understand."

I lifted my head — Chiaki's expression was like the autumn sky. She had finally put on a smile, but along with it was a touch of loneliness.

"Both of you are terrible people, but Weiss's worse than you. She passed this to me despite knowing that."

With that said, Chiaki pulled out something from the pocket and shoved it into my hands. It was a piece of paper folded up several times. I opened it and realized it was a staff paper. The neat handwritten notes invoked a nostalgic, sweet and yet bitter feeling inside of me. It had happened once before. That was the time when I received Senpai's scores from Chiaki; a time when my heart was sent flying with a kick.

And now, it's…

"Practice it before coming down tomorrow — that's what Weiss said. Why must I accept chores like these…"

Chiaki pulled her hair into an untidy heap as she said that with a sad smile on her face.

"But I guess it can't be helped… 'Love'… is a painful thing, isn't it?"

"Eh… a-ah… mmm."

Chiaki opened the window and sat on the window frame. Her hair, held together with a hair-clip, was swaying along with the incoming wind. I looked past her shoulders to glance at the gloomy skies.

Chiaki continued with her murmurs, "I think it's much easier to 'hate', because all we have to do is to separate ourselves. But 'love' is just painful, because the distance between us can never be smaller than zero. And I have no idea what to do."

I stared at the profile of Chiaki's face in a daze while holding onto the scores in my hand.

"Distance… smaller than zero?" Is she talking about Weiss and I?

"Yes, because both of you did not voice out the most important thing to the other person despite the fact that you were by each other's side since the very beginning. You two never expressed your feelings to each other. That's why!"

Her expression was sorrowful as she kept looking upwards into the autumn sky.

"That's why you cannot become closer, and yet it's painful to be at a loss of what to do."

So that's what she meant by not being able to reduce the distance beyond zero. Why did Chiaki understand the feelings I have in my mind?

"Oh right…"

As she turned around, the smile on her face had finally returned back the the cheerful smile she always had.

"The reason I let you off is because you'll not be able to play the bass should I fracture your arms after punishing you with the Juji Gatame. Got it?"

… Chiaki-sama, the smile on your face is really scary, you know?

"Well then, see you in school tomorrow. Should you whimper and not come to band tomorrow, then how about having a taste of my figure-four leglock? I mean, you can still play the bass even if your legs were snapped into two."

Chiaki leapt through the window frame nimbly when she finished saying her dangerous line to me. I watched her climb down the tree without any trouble before shifting my attention back to the scores. This is something written by Weiss for me.

For me?

It was a bass portion that was taken off a certain song. Looking at the phrasings, I guess it was probably the cello or the double bass. We are really bad at expressing our feelings — not only are words incapable of breaking into our souls, they are not even close to touching them. Our feelings are forever connected by music.

That's the reason why I must pick up the bass by my bed. That's the only place I can return to regardless of how bad things have became.

.

.

.