Love, Eroge, Music & Other Craziness

by Geek Girl Naruru

Namikaze Naruto is a normal fifteen-year-old high school student. He has a distant relationship with his sister Naruko, who always treats him rudely. One Day in Spring, he encounters a foreign girl playing a piano on one of his travels to a junkyard and helps her in many ways as he discover that her name is Weiss Schnee.

45. To Stand Beside Her -Part 2-

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"Naruto, it feels like you are unaware of the fact that you are a part of the Class of 2B."

"Haven't you heard at the class meeting? Didn't we say we'll be coming here early to work on the class decorations?"

I made the effort to reach the school slightly earlier on Monday, but I was scolded by my classmates who were around for the class decorations early in the morning.

"Sorry…"

"You didn't attend the practices regularly during the sports meet as well."

"Listen up Naruto. The only one who can withstand the atrocity of our class-rep and the fellow girls of our class is none other than you, thanks to all the training you've received at the Folk Music Club. We'll leave the preparation of food to you on the actual day of the festival."

"… Then what are you guys doing?"

"We will be busy with the other important jobs!"

"Taking the pictures of the waitresses; selling the photos; appreciating the pictures."

"You guys, enough is enough!"

Upon seeing the furious Nibutani, the guys quickly picked up their tools and returned to their workplaces that were scattered all over the classroom.

"Listen up, Namakaze-kun!" Nibutani prodded my at chest hard as she said that. "You'll be in the kitchen the whole day since everyone knows you're good at cooking. You'll have to practice at the home economics room the day before that. I don't think there will any time for you to rest."

"No wait, am I not the waiter?" Didn't they make me put on the waiter's clothes back then?

"Your job is to wear the waiter's attire and take pictures with our guests. Rush into the classroom should anyone requests for a picture."

"What's the point in that…"

"You have a complaint?"

"Nope…" I whimpered. I can't complain because I had not really participated in any of the class activities. But I have to thank our busy schedule. Glancing through the corner of my eyes, I could see Weiss working on an innovatively designed wooden binder together with Chiaki, Karin and the rest of the girls, which will then be used for our menus.

We never had the opportunity to exchange looks, much less to speak with each other. I had no idea how I should portray myself when I speak to her. It was impossible for us to carry on like this forever since her seat is right next to mine.

When the bell rang, my classmates began to stuff the half-finished work into the cabinets in a hurry. Larger items were shifted to the space behind the class.

Weiss then returned to her seat beside me. I dared not raise my head, and had even hoped for the hustle in my class to continue on forever. Chiaki, who was sitting in front of me, turned her head around to take a brief glance at me before shrugging her shoulders in resignation.

The hustle in our class died down gradually, and the sound of the chairs slowly came to a halt.

"Ruto…" A tiny voice came into my ears, but I could not hear it clearly.

I stared at my table and squeezed out an answer, "… Mmm."

"Did you practice?"

I took a look at the pocket of the bass casing. The score which Chiaki passed to me yesterday was placed inside it.

"… More or less. But it's still not…"

"Alright, head to the practice room after school." Said Weiss faintly.

As for me, I had the feeling that my heart was melting, boiling and close to flowing out from my ears. She should be angry. Is she okay with talking to me?

Can I stay by Weiss's side?

I gulped and nodded my head.

I ran away from the classroom during lunch break. Weiss, who sat besides me, would look at me occasionally with that pair of eyes — eyes that looked like they contained the skies of the night. It looks like she wanted to say many things to me, but I almost asphyxiated from her gaze.

I walked along the corridors in dejection and thought to myself: everything should be okay if I have a heart-to-heart talk with her. I'll apologize to her, ask her the question properly before I… convey my feelings to her. Things would not have turned out like this if I could do just that.

So I ran out of the class, but now what? Weiss may appear at the practice room if I hid myself in there to kill time (though recently it was rare of her to lock herself in the room during lunch break).

All Weiss said was for me to head to the practice room after school, and that was the only agreement between us. And so, the pathetic me decided to go with just that and delayed concluding the matter. If that was the case, then all I have left is that place. The rooftop.

"I am right after all. The only place you can run to is here. You had not been to here recently, but I had the feeling that would. Looks like I made the right decision to cast my web here."

Kagurazaka Senpai, who was leaning against the fence and listening to her walkman, took off her earphones and flashed a charming smile at me when she noticed my presence.

"Oh no you don't. I'm not letting you run away."

"W-Whoa!"

Just as I was about to turn around and run away, Senpai came in from behind and hugged me to prevent me from doing so.

"Don't you have something to say to me?"

"Umm, well— Hyaa!"

Quit exhaling onto the back of my ears!

"I am not angry about how you failed to finish the composition last week."

I froze in the Senpai's arms.

"I am just frustrated when I see you sink into the abyss of your heart without saying a single word, young man. Geez, you and Weiss are way too alike. It's painful to watch."

Weiss and I are alike…?

"Both of you bumped into each other for the same reasons, and yet you two passed each other because of same reasons as well. As a bystander, I find you two unbelievably cute."

I am fine with you calling me cute, but I am in no mood to be listening to that.

"Right, I am actually not in the mood to be saying things like this. The day of our live performance is approaching, and yet we've not even decided on our songs yet. The both of you are frustrating to watch, and I can't possibly be dote on you two forever."

"That's because —" I was close to slumping onto the ground, so I gripped Senpai's arms hard. "—must it really be me who composes the songs? Why? But Senpai is better…"

"I'm better?"

"You're better at coming up with great songs, isn't that so? You're different from me. I am not well-versed in composing —"

Senpai pressed her finger against my lips to stop me from going further. I twisted my upper body so that I could turn my head around. Senpai plugged one of the earphones into my ear all of the sudden and placed the other into hers. She then pushed the old walkman into my hands.

"… What's this?"

"My treasure." Murmured Senpai as she placed her hands softly onto mine and pressed the play button.

The sounds of the waves; the footsteps on the sands; the noise of the portable mini amplifiers. A blurry but gentle dyad. I held my breath reflexively.

Next, I heard a faint singing voice.

"This is…" I lifted my head and was almost sucked in by Senpai's eyes. We were at a distance where our skins almost came into contact with each other. The only thing connecting us together was the thin, long wires of the earphones.

"You do remember, don't you?"

I nodded my head in surprise. How can I possibly forget? That was the sample tape I made during our training camp — the tape which was filled with the immature playing of my bass and my voice.

"This is the song you robbed off of me."

Senpai's fingernails scratched my arms lightly.

"You had no idea how much of a shock I suffered back then, did you?"

Senpai's sad murmurs were overlapping with my singing voice. I could not breathe.

"It's really simple, young man. Things are much simpler than what you're thinking in your head. You have a power to make a tune take its shape. And that power of yours is something which I lack. "

Senpai dug her nails deep into my arms.

"That's the reason why I delegated the task to you. It's that simple."

"But, but I…"

"I know what you are trying to say. This time round, your opponent is not just me alone, but together with Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky, Keith Emerson, Greg Lake and Carl Palmer. You have no chance of winning. Am I right?"

I hesitated a while before nodding my head. That is indeed the case according to how Senpai puts it. But if you ask me, it's just simply: 'I was not confident in composing'.

"Mmm, I get it." Senpai laughed and removed the earphone in my ear. The song which was playing in half of my world disappeared. For a brief moment, it felt like I was abandoned beneath a starless sky.

A sense of uneasiness assaulted me and froze my inner body as Senpai took a step back. Is she giving up already? Had Senpai gave up on passing this task to me? Why was I feeling so depressed? Isn't this what I wanted all along?

"I will never give up."

Senpai flashed a sinister smile and fished out something from her jacket's pocket before stuffing it into my hands. I took a look at the object and was rendered speechless.

"What's… this?"

"Hmm? Isn't it obvious? Sauce cutlet bun, of course. You know, for victory. Though I am not praying for your victory."

"Ah, right…"

It was indeed a sauce cutlet bun wrapped up in a plastic wrap. But what's with the praying for victory?

"Because Comrade Schnee asked you out today after school, didn't she? It's the same as what you did before. You said things like wanting to teach her a lesson because she did not accept what you had said."

"Ah…"

"The two of you are really alike. And that's why, young man —" Senpai put on a gentle expression all of the sudden and pressed her palm on the area close to my heart. "— I hope she'll teach you a really good lesson."

(◕ω◕✿)

It was two hours of physical education for the afternoon lessons, so classes ended without me bumping into Weiss.

Just as I was heading to the changing room in a state of exhaustion, the girls who were done changing had already begun their work on sewing the tablecloths and designing the brochures. I did not see Weiss though.

"She had already made her way to the practice room," said Chiaki. "Hurry up, stupid Naruto! It's best you get your ass kicked by Weiss!"

"… Mmm, I get it. I'll go and get my ass kicked by her right now."

Chiaki tilted her head in surprise when she heard my reply. She then returned to her angry expression and turned her head away. I must apologize to Chiaki properly one day, I thought to myself. But for now…

When I reached the courtyard, the old music building looked gloomier than usual somehow. I could faintly hear a guitar playing Beethoven's bagatelle through the soundproof door. The soundproofing was still not perfect despite the fixes I've made. Sounds were still leaking out from the room. It's the same as that day.

"… Weiss?" I yelled.

Beethoven's bagatelle stopped for a moment. There was no response after that. I tried pulling the door, but it was locked. My gaze fell to my feet as I was at a loss of what to do. It was then that I noticed a small black hole that was dug beneath a hinge of the soundproof door. A cable connector was located there for the purpose of that showdown with the rights to the practice room on the line. So it has been year since that showdown huh. It still feels unreal.

However, it felt like my time spent with Weiss was way longer than that — but I guess that illusion of mine was caused by the lack of conversation between Weiss and I. The god of music will be angry if I push the blame on him, won't he? But god, please give me, who is poor at expressing himself, a chance.

I opened up my case and pulled out the cable. I plugged one of its ends into my bass and the other beneath the hinge. It felt like a faint electrical surge flowed through my body the instant I plugged the cable into the connector.

"… Are you ready?"

I finally heard Weiss's voice through the soundproof door. I leaned against the door and replied, "Mmm."

I had zero confidence in following along to her tempo since I spent only one whole night in my preparation for this. More importantly, I had no idea what was the song we will be playing. Who shall be the one to start?

Giin A feedback, together with the Weiss's breathing, came from the back of my head. The faint sounds flowing out from the strings of the guitar caused me to hold my breath subconsciously. As the violin and viola played their long overlapping octaves, another violin squeezed itself in during the brief interval with its trills.

Of course, those were none other than the sounds produced by Weiss's guitar. The timbre was so incredibly clear and comforting, it was hard to imagine that those sounds are produced by the hands of a girl. I almost missed the timing of my entrance into the piece. The bone-chilling footsteps of the cello approaches me one step at a time amid the icy clear sounds of the treble. It was a passage filled with unease.

This was a string quartet, one whose harmony was vastly different from what I was familiar with. My body was trembling with the inexplicable harmony, which had a eastern European style to it. I knew this tune; I should have heard it before. From the cello to the viola, and then the viola to the first violin. I searched through my mind as I endured the frustrating melody. It's probably the music from Czech, but it's neither Smetana nor Dvorak. If that's the case…

I finally got it. Janáček. It was at this very moment when I really felt like I was hit by a bolt of electricity, which caused me to be unable to find my own melody. Weiss's solo of the three melodies were scratching me on the back of my neck. I got it.

It's Janáček's String Quartet No. 1, Kreutzer Sonata. Despite it having the same name as Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 9, one will not find traces of Kreutzer in the melody of the piece. That was because what connected the two pieces separated by a hundred and twenty years apart was something totally unrelated to music.

I gripped desperately my bass in an attempt to find a place in the music where I enter. It was only then that I realized that what Weiss wanted me to listen to was not just the piece she performed live together with Asto in that studio. Weiss's guitar gave not a damn to my bass, continuing its way forward as it weaved the melody. I could not catch up to her — there was no way I could reach her side at all. The back of Weiss was becoming smaller and smaller.

I cannot remain stagnant however. If I wished to stay by Weiss's side, the only thing I can do is to run. I fumbled my bass without much of a clue. The intermittent and sporadic themes of the quartet agitated my sense of frustration, causing it to slip away from my weak grasp constantly. Before long, Weiss had constructed a tall arpeggio bridge across the raging waves of repeating melodies.

She then abandoned me just like that; the melody kept rising. It became transparent before finally fading into a cloud of mist and disappeared completely. I heaved a huge breath, removed my sweaty palms off the bass and pressed the back of my head against the door. I accomplished nothing. All I did was to stare at the walls of the school building — that was because the tears would flow out of my eyes should I close them.

For some reason, I knew Weiss's body was on the other side of the door. Despite her close distance to me, I came up with all sorts of nonsensical thoughts and even ran away before Weiss could even speak. How should I apologize to her? What should I say…

The door behind me opened all of a sudden, causing me to dive into the soil. I hit my head against the ground.

"Geez, you can't keep up at all…"

I directed my gaze towards the source of the sound. Weiss, who stood behind the door, crossed sight with me while my forehead was still stuck on the ground. That made her swallow her words. Instead, she ran to my side and knelt down as she peeked at my face with teary eyes.

"… S-Sorry, are you alright?"

"Eh? Ah, I-I'm fine."

I move myself stiffly backwards a little with my butt and my hands still on the ground. I then patted the soil off my pants and said, "I'm fine, really. Mmm."

I was at a loss of words again, so I moved my gaze away from Weiss's face. I found myself useless and pathetic.

As for Weiss, she remained by my side with her lips tightly shut — at a distance where we would touch each other should I get up just a little. Before long, the silence forced the words out from my throat through my mouth, "… Sorry. You took the effort to get me here, and yet I screwed up. And this Kreutzer. You prepared it specially for me, and yet I did not realize it at all… I'm really sorry."

I finally said it. It took me three gulps of breathes to stabilize my own emotions before I finally moved my eyes slowly onto Weiss. Her ice-blue eyes were reflecting that embarrassing face of mine clearly.

Weiss lowered her gaze and shook her head.

"You don't have to apologize to me for that."

Her cold voice froze my throat.

"You should apologize to Asto instead. He was really concerned about this. As for me…"

Weiss, whose head has been lowered all these while, pressed her forehead against my chest. There was a burning sensation on my chest and my heart was pumping wildly like a beast's. I could not move my body.

"I long knew you were stupid, dense and slow, someone who does not take my feelings into consideration at all."

I really felt like crying when she reminded me of all my shortcomings.

"However, it's fine so long as you realize this piece is Kreutzer."

Weiss breathed her depressed voice onto my chest one word at a time. I did not even realize something as simple as that. I never thought she was searching for books written by Tolstoy despite bumping into her at the library.

19th century Russian writer Lev Tolstoy wrote a novel under the influence of Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 9. This piece, which name was endowed with the title of a novel's name, had finally returned back into the hands of a musician after a century. Janáček found inspiration in that novel and created a series of his early works, naming them after the title of the book. Most of his works were lost over the years, so all that's left is the String Quartet No. 1 to inherit the ill-fated name.

Kreutzer Sonata. A span of a hundred and twenty years apart. They were linked only by their same names. Music — novel — music.

Such miracles appeared frequently around the world. This is where music links the fate of people from different eras and different countries together. I doubt Janáček was afraid of falling under Beethoven's shadow while he was composing his own Kreutzer. All he did was to borrow a few phrases while serving Beethoven his greatest respect. That was how music is interlinked together, and almost all the music we have in our hands were remnants found at the ends of the flow of music.

And so…

"There is no need for you to be afraid of Mussorgsky."

Weiss lifted her head to a distance where the tip of our noses were almost in contact with each other's.

"All you need to do is to come up with an ordinary piece of rock. Even if it is the work which you copied off others, the music still belongs to you. I… Chiaki, Kyouko and I — we all want to play the music composed by you."

"… Yes."

My music.

No matter how much I copied it off others, regardless of how humble I was, even if I were to turn my gaze and run away — I cannot disappear from this place.

"You…"

Weiss pushed both of her hands hard against my chest, causing me to stumble backwards. I stabilized myself by planting my arms on the ground behind me.

"You played so badly! Practice properly and finish your composition quickly, get it? You couldn't even catch up to me at all."

"Yes…" I sank into depression when she lectured me right to my face.

"Did you think about it properly? Or are you still stuck?"

"I did think on it a little, but…" I was mumbling vaguely.

I retracted my chin when Weiss's face closed in on me.

"When I was fiddling with the synthesizer at my house during my attempted composition, it will all end up with me coming up with some sort of arrangement using the keyboard. However, that arrangement will not work for the live performance. Therefore, there is no —"

"But you have me."

… Eh?

Weiss pressed her right hand against my chest. Different from the hands of Kagurazaka Senpai, Weiss's hands were not only soft, but her touch felt unreal as well.

"Because I can move my right hand again."

For a moment, I could not understand what she was trying to say. I lowered my head to look at her delicate right hand. I then stared at Weiss's face and muttered with a sense of disbelief, "What do you mean… you are willing to play? No, but… this is a live performance, no?"

"I cannot use that as an excuse any longer. I am about to return… back to that place."

I could feel something jamming in my throat. An icy flame was burning in Weiss's blue eyes. Weiss is about to return back to the stage once more — this is the first time I actually heard it straight from her mouth. I could still feel the lingering sensation of her snow hair brushing against my face as I propped my body up.

"B-Back then…" Weiss hugged her chest and said with a painful expression, "You helped me many times on your own accord. All I'm doing this time is the same as you did, so why are you still complaining?"

"S-Sorry," I am not complaining. I am just finding it hard to believe it right away.

"Finish your composition as quick as you can. Bring that synthesizer to school as well, you hear me?" I nodded my head hard several times.

Weiss offered me her right hand which she had once lost. I accepted her hand with a firm grip of my own. I could feel the strength flowing through my arms when I stood up.

I may not be able to stand up on my own, but Weiss's around.

The question which I had tried asking several times but failed in all of my attempts was swimming within my mouth once again — will Weiss stay by my side? Or will she fly towards that world and never return? Regardless of the answer, it does not really matter any more to me.

I wish to stay by Weiss's side. Even if I can't catch up to her — all I can do is to continue running forward.

(◕ω◕✿)

Three weeks passed by in a flash. The preparations for the school festival were in the final stage. A tense atmosphere permeated the school, just like how one has muscle pains after an intensive exercise. It even felt like the temperature rose by a degree or two after school.

"Are we really going to perform in these attires?" I asked Senpai yet again as I stood at the edge of the stage in the sports complex. The area behind me was filled with drums, amplifiers and footlights, while Senpai was standing before the microphone in the middle of the stage.

"Of course. The four of us will be burning on the stage!"

Senpai took a glance at Weiss who stood to the left of the stage, and then at Chiaki who stood behind the drums. Her expression became slightly dazed. The two girls wore black dresses with lots of frills. And since Weiss is foreigner, the dress suited her perfectly.

As for me, I wore a black vest with a half apron. The typical attire of a butler.

Next was Kagurazaka Senpai. Her attire was of a fourteenth century Italian style — a glorious white multi-pleated dress accompanied with a bright red shawl. Simply put, it was her Juliet costume. The reason we wore our attires was because Senpai said we should all go on stage in the attire we will be wearing for our class.

"We'll waste no time in changing. Moreover, all of us can promote the band's live performance during our class activities. What a great plan."

"Well… you're right."

"Actually, I want to look at you two in this attire since both of you are ravishing!"

"I've no interest in your true intentions!"

So that was the reason why Senpai wanted us to wear the official attire even though it was just a rehearsal one week before the actual performance? All the windows of the sports complex were draped over with black curtains, so the stage looked especially bright thanks to the spotlights. After Chiaki was done tuning the snare drums, she began drumming various fills as warm ups.

"Whoa, it's quite hard to drum in this fluffy dress," Said Chiaki with a frown.

Senpai walked up to the drums and sank into thought.

"Can't we think of something so that those cute curves of Chiaki's legs can be put on full view for the audience…?"

How could that be possible? Now was not the time to be fretting about things like that, right?

"They'll be visible if we switch to transparent drums. How about that?"

"Good idea. I'll check out the warehouse of the Hatake's Musical Instrument Store. Problem is, there are situations where the contents in your skirt will be in full view to certain audience's angles since you're a drummer —"

I decided to ignore the two girls who were seriously discussing silly things like that and went over towards the wiring for the effector.

Just then, Weiss at the other side of the stage spoke, "Ruto, can this thing stores only up to sixteen sets in its performance? I have no idea how to synchronize the memory between these." She pointed to the two synthesizers that were stacked on top of each other as she said that.

"Ah, hold on. I'll be right over."

A weird lament struck my heart as I looked at Weiss who was before the keyboard. Weiss has returned back to this place once more so that she can play the piano amidst the lights once again. But that was something I had never once considered before the end of summer.

"… Yes?"

Weiss noticed that I was staring at her face in dazedly. I quickly shifted my gaze onto the control board.

"The memory space for this unit is smaller as it is an older model. We'll set three main tones for the upper one."

"Is there no way we can synchronize it with the one below?"

There were lots of things I could teach Weiss ever since she came into contact with synthesizers. This may be just temporary, but I prayed for this luck to go on forever. There was really nothing much I could do for Weiss.

"It's about time you guys begin with your rehearsal! The guys after you are rushing us already."

Isshiki the member of the broadcasting club yelled at us from the temporary PA console erected beneath the stage. I flashed a thumbs up at Weiss as Senpai heaved her guitar onto her back and made her way towards the microphone, before I ran back to my bass located at the left side of the stage.

Turning my head backwards, I could see Weiss's guitar slung over her back, supported only by a strap on her shoulder. I did think that was quite a crazy idea, but I did want the audience to see Weiss on stage as a guitarist as well. She would have to be quick when she change her instruments, so that must be really tough on her.

But I was sure it will be our best performance yet. The footlights dimmed, signaling a change of scenes. All that was left were the blue lights moving about behind us on the backdrop of the stage.

There was the sound of endless bubbles floating up from the depths of the waters. The metallic timbres of the celesta could be heard vaguely amid the waves. All of a sudden, it felt like I was in the Disney movie Fantasia. Just as expected from the synthesizer nurtured by Yang. It could replicate all sorts of scenes realistically, regardless of whether it was a snowing morning or the seas amid a violent storm.

Next, the bright melody of the piano pierced through the darkness. It was the main theme of Promenade.

The heavily twisted roars of Senpai's Les Paul were was climbing upwards non-stop as it sunk its teeth deeply into Weiss's organ. The fugue had already strayed far away from the music envisioned by Mussorgsky and was beginning its sprint. As it approached the highest register, it began to spread its wings apart.

My very own Pictures at an Exhibition could not be considered as music without the fingers of Weiss — my spine trembled I realized that fact. In order to catch up to Senpai's guitar, Chiaki's fills descended deep into the fugue as the cymbals exploded countless number of times. I paced myself to her temp and suppressed the elation in me as I carved each and every heartbeat into my mind.

When we were done with school, the four of us went down to McDonald's to have our meeting — something which we had not done in a long while. As there was only a week left until the school festival, it felt like we shouldn't waste any of the remaining time we had in our hands. There was no way we could head home straight after school as a result of that.

"Let us sell our feketerigó T-shirts and the CD of our live performances at the entrance of the sport complex!"

And here we have Chiaki with her entrepreneurial mind in full display. She did mention selling the T-shirts before as well. Was she really serious about that?

"We should make use of this opportunity and put the Weiss Schnee & Lollipops T-shirt on sale as a rare item."

"N-No way!" Weiss knocked into the tray when she stood up in protest.

"I am thinking of recording our live performance on a DVD. I mean, we're going to wear those beautiful clothes." Senpai was dreaming as well.

No wait, she might actually be serious about that. On a side note, we'll have to obtain permission from the students council if we wish to sell things during the school festival, so the actualization of that was highly unlikely.

"Oh right, Comrade Schnee." Said Senpai suddenly with a serious expression on her face. Weiss tilted her head in response. "Are your fingers really okay? You paused in the middle of our rehearsal, and that was no mistake." Weiss's expressions froze. So Senpai noticed that as well?

That was something that happened in the middle of our rehearsal. Catching the news of us rehearsing in our actual attire on stage, the various sports clubs came flocking down to the sport complex to watch us in action (and in a certain sense, the Folks Music Club was incredibly well known in school). We were performing the fourteenth song Con mortuis in lingua mortua then. A ray of beam suddenly burst into the sport complex filled with darkness and the whisperings of the spirits, and a group of noisy people came walking into the hall.

We did not stop our performance though. Chiaki and I continued our performance along to the pace which we had practiced to a countless number of times — we did not slow down. But I knew Weiss's fingers went stiff. The promenade variation which were conveying the words of the dead came to a halt in mid air. She returned to normal only when we were at the song Baba-Yagá.

"… I'm okay."

With that said, Weiss bit onto her faintly trembling lips.

"I am confident of stuffing the sports complex with people, but are you really okay?"

Weiss did not open her mouth; instead, she nodded her head several times in reply. But that just makes me even more concerned for her, since she had once injured her right wing amid the glamour of the stage.

"… I cannot run away any longer."

Weiss surprised us with the her overly unyielding voice. Even Chiaki dared not look at her straight in the eye, but she still stared at Weiss with a worried expression on her face.

"I have always wanted to say this."

Weiss's hands were encased around the paper cup with iced red tea inside, her eyes fixed onto the straw.

"I will be embracing the role of a pianist once more, and I'm now preparing for the recordings. If the situation allows, I'll be performing in a concert as well."

"Then — Comrade Schnee will be returning back to the glamorous but icy world?" Asked Senpai as she clasped onto Weiss's right hand tightly.

For some reason, she was phrasing the question in the exact same way I had in my mind as well. Oh right, I remember Mom had once said this in a certain critique of her: "a world shimmering in icy rays".

Weiss nodded.

"Then what about the band?" Chiaki asked gingerly.

Weiss's shoulders flinched, my arms went stiff as well. That was the question which I could not bring myself to ask and had long decided not to think about it any longer, but Chiaki voiced out the question easily.

"… I hope to continue playing with the band." Said Weiss while she stared at her own hands.

"I hope". Not "I will". I should be happy about that answer from her, but the insecure me had decided to dig out the seeds of uneasiness which could be found in each and every crevasse of my heart.

I mumbled my question without looking at Weiss's face, "Won't you be busy? I mean, with activities like the recordings or the performances and so on."

I knew the girls were all looking in my direction even though I had my gaze on my knees.

"I don't know. But I will try my best…" It felt like Weiss's voice was slowly fading away.

"Even if you say that now, what will you do should you be on a tour or some other activities?"

"Then I'll —"

"Calm down, young man."

It was only when Kagurazaka Senpai pressed hard on my shoulders that I realized that I had actually stood up. Weiss was cowering as she looked upwards at me.

"Comrade Schnee has already said 'she hopes to continue'." Senpai pressed her finger hard against my chest.

"There is nothing more assuring than that. There should not be a problem so long as she wishes for that. We will offer you our strength any time regardless of what happens so that you can realize your dreams."

It was as if Senpai's smile had encompassed my fears as well.

"Just like what you had done before."

I swallowed the words I was about to say and sat myself on my seat. We could offer our strength any time. Was that really true? Should Weiss's delicate fingers become immobile due to some unfortunate reason in the future… I won't be able to help her with anything even if I was by her side.

It was depressing to say this, but the person who would be able to help her then will not be me.

(◕ω◕✿)

"Oh right, about Weiss I heard she'll be playing the piano on stage during the school festival?" Mom asked me that question suddenly after dinner.

"How did you know that?" I don't remember telling you that. Or was Jacques the one who told you that? No way, Weiss would never tell her father about something like this.

"Nah, I heard it from a fellow journalist, and the news is spreading already. You know, since Weiss is famous and all."

"That's right, but why are you asking that now?"

When Weiss and her father returned back to Japan from France, they did stir up quite a huge commotion in the media for about a month, but the media stopped reporting on the news after that. So Weiss and I were totally not concerned about this. No wait, Jacques… was he still concerned about this?

"Because, it felt like Weiss's right hand was a goner judging by the stuff that happened back last year, isn't that so? Since no one knew the details of the situation, and there were nothing from Weiss as well — everyone thought she had retired already, so that lacks news value. However, Astolfo Icecolle came to Japan, didn't he? The whole industry is aware of the news of him and Weiss playing together in Weiss's comeback album, and that has captured everyone's attention. And since it came down to this, there should be lots of interested people if she is to play the piano during your live performance."

"Ah… I see." I do understand the musical world very well — the closed society of Japan's classical music circles is shockingly small. Moreover, Asto said the media had information on his whereabouts as well. This will be quite troublesome for Weiss. For some reason, I began to worry about the live performance during the school festival. I hope nothing bad will happen.

"From what I know, there's quite a few companies who will be happy to sink their teeth onto any news related to Weiss."

"Hold on, Mom, are you really planning to use Weiss as a way to earn cash? Don't do that!"

"Eh, what's wrong? You think you're a knight or something? Mommy will be heartbroken if you're that interested in girls."

"I'm talking to you very seriously!"

"You know, I've written countless crass and horrible articles to raise you to who you are today."

"Mom! Listen up, Weiss is now in the toughest period of her life, so don't use her for your article!"

Mom made a silly face in response. Damn that woman, was she planning to visit the school festival?

"Actually, I am much more interested in the goth lolita café that your class is doing."

"How the hell do you know that!?"

"Fufufu, don't underestimate my network! I can't wait to see how Naruto look in the butler costume."

"D-Don't you dare come! You're banned from coming!"

Mom ignored the furious me and ran away to get her digital camera. She then began wiping the lenses with anticipation. Goddammit, that woman never listen to anyone.

Later that night Asto gave me a call. I was sorting through some data on the computer for the synthesizer after a bath, and the phone call came not long after I was into the task.

"Ruto? Sorry, I was really busy. My living place was found out by someone from a certain magazine, so I was fleeing all over the place. Ah, right. I've decided to carry a cellphone along with me, since I think I'll be staying in Japan for a while. Do remember my number, okay? Japan's cellphones are incredible! They're so small and light!"

I had no idea what I should say when I heard the truly happy voice of Asto. We have not contacted each other since our meeting at the studio in Shibuya. It was because I could not contact him, and I was actually wondering if I should get Weiss to pass a message to him. But it somehow felt a little despicable of me should I do that.

"Umm…" I gave a cough. Calm down. "… I am really sorry for last time."

"Eh? A-Ah, mmm, it's okay, I did not take it to heart. But Weiss looked really depressed, so you'll have to apologize to her, okay? Did you make up with her already?"

He said the same thing as Weiss…

"I guess. Back then, umm…"

It was hard for me to explain to Asto. Simply put, I was jealous of Asto. Thankfully I was speaking to him through the phone, or else I would have ran away already if I was meeting him in person.

"Are you angry at me, Ruto?"

"No, that's not it. No way. Everything's my fault, I've got everything wrong. I am really sorry…"

"Did Weiss and my performance made you unhappy?"

"No, no way. How can that be —" I swallowed the words that were halfway out of my mouth. Actually, in a certain sense, that was exactly what it is. I ran away precisely because my heart was pierced by their Kreutzer.

"… Ruto?"

Asto's voice was filled with a sense of unease. Perhaps I should tell him the truth. I am tired of constantly running away from things.

"Umm, well…"

I shut my eyes and clenched my fists that were resting on my knees. I then relaxed my body and focused all of my attention on my body.

"Actually… I am really envious of you."

"… Me?"

"Mmm… because you're the only one who can compete against Weiss's piano."

"Hold on, but I heard from Weiss you'll be performing on stage during the school festival, no? And Weiss will be playing with the synthesizer as well, right?"

"Eh… yeah."

Oh right, Weiss said she was willing to play it.

"Why are you envious of me? Hey, I think I should be the one who's angry right now. I have always, always been envious of you, you know?"

Why? Why must I be chased about by your words?

"… But the reason Weiss's willing to pick up the piano once more is because she wants to play together with you… and the reason Weiss's fingers are movable once again is because you've returned."

"… Me?"

Asto sank into a temporary silence after that. Umm… what was wrong?

"… Hey, Ruto, I want you to answer me this honestly."

"Mmm."

"Do you love Weiss?"

My hand slipped by accident and the phone dropped onto the floor. "What's with that loud sound just now? My ears hurt!" came Asto's voice that were close to tears when I picked up my phone.

"S-sorry. Umm, you were saying…"

"I asked you if you are in love with Weiss."

I dropped onto my bed, burrowed my face into my pillow and fretted about for a while. I then kicked my legs about in the covers before slumping onto the bed in exhaustion. The phone had never once left my ears during all this while, and I even heard Asto shout out my name a few times.

There was no way I can run away any longer. I had to give him an answer. And so I gripped hard onto my phone.

"… It's just as you've said. I love Weiss."

"I see."

I could somehow see the shoulders of an angel-like boy trembling as he tried his hardest to hold back his laughter.

"I get it then. Ruto have said lots of mean things to me today, but it can't be helped if you are in love with Weiss. I'll forgive you."

"What are you talking about…"

Crap, the hand I was holding the phone with was getting sore.

"But I can't hand over Weiss to you. No way. I won't allow it."

"It's not like she belongs to you." Ah, no, wait. I hesitated for fifteen seconds before asking him the all-important question, "I have a question for you. Are you and Weiss, umm… in that sort of relationship?"

"Hmm? Well, we did see the sleeping faces of one another, and we do swap our clothes as well. Our relationship's probably something like that."

What sort of relationship was that… but come to think of it, didn't I see Weiss's sleeping face before as well? But I spoke no further as the conversation seemed to be getting more and more complicated.

"Though we used to be together all the time, it's nothing like what Ruto's worried about."

I see. I heaved a soft sigh of relief, but I tried my hardest not to let Asto notice it.

"But Weiss does not belong to Ruto as well, isn't that so?"

"Mmm, you're not wrong. No wait, the way you put it…"

"You do love Weiss, right?"

Really? was that so? I guess it was.

"Have you told Weiss about it?"

"How can I possibly say that!?"

"Why not?"

"And you're asking me why not…"

I've been thinking — I don't know what would happen should I tell Weiss that.

"Is it that hard? Are you planning not to tell her forever?"

"Don't make it sound so simple, I'm —"

"Listen to me, Ruto…"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

I accidentally dropped my phone once more.

"Be careful! It's really scary! It feels like my phone will break down as well!"

Asto sounded furious when I picked up my phone.

"S-Sorry. No, that's not it. Umm, what did you just say?"

"See? It's easy to say it, isn't it?"

I opened my mouth and froze for a while. I finally heaved a sigh after a short while, though it felt like I was about to puke my innards out as well.

"Can you quit teasing me? I'm at my limits already."

"It's not my intentions to tease you…"

Asto gave a sigh as well. It seemed like he was actually surprised by my words.

"Just to tell you this, I've said that many times to Weiss already."

"Whoa…"

I can't take it any more. My head was about to burst.

"Do you want to know just how mean Weiss's replies were?"

"Umm, Asto, I'm sorry. I give up. Please spare me from that."

Asto snickered. That bastard. I'll pay you back for all the humiliation some day.

"Then I'll be returning back to the topic!"

"Oh, mmm…" Speaking of which, why did he give me a call?

"Weiss invited me to the school festival. I do want to attend it, but I'll be busy with a rehearsal with an orchestra that I'll be working along with for the very first time, so I will not be able to make it. Please tell her that I'm sorry."

"Why don't you tell it to her yourself —"

"Don't be so pissed! Therefore, I have a favor to ask from you. Can you record the performance and pass it to me? Please?"

"… I get it."

I dropped onto my bed in exhaustion once more after I hung up the phone. It felt like I had suffered a pretty huge blow, so there was no way I could get up any time soon.

(◕ω◕✿)

The MC in charge of the school's broadcast were rambling on and on as they assisted the guests with navigating through the festival — I guess even real disco DJs would be shell-shocked by what they will hear. The performance venues are in the sports complex, the music hall and the visual-audio room, while the performances include dramas, homemade movies, mimes, orchestras, manzai and rakugo.

The school's corridors were filled with visitors, whose numbers dwarfed the students in uniforms by about three times. The mobile advertiser with the billboard hanging from his body and the ramen store waiter were yelling with loud voices; the lost child was crying; the festival community members with sleeved logos on their arm were running about all the time as they communicated via the walk-talkies with a pale face.

The school has turned into a battlefield on the day of the school festival. Thinking back on how heated the atmosphere was for the chorus contest, it was no surprise that the school festival are the way things are now. Even so, we had never expected the foods and drinks we had prepared to be sold out by morning.

"Manager, I've bought the bread and ham, but I forgot to ask for the receipt."

The student who came running into the home economics room slammed two stuffed supermarket bags onto the table.

"Don't address me as the manager. Now cut the ham into halves," I replied hastily as I quickly diced the onions required for the hotdogs.

"The red tea's almost finished as well. You should have checked with us before getting the items!"

"Can we dilute it with water?"

"Just add more ice to it!"

"Can't do, the tea's hot."

"No problem, they'll never notice."

They definitely will! Don't do that. It's not like we're some unscrupulous shop that rips people off.

"Manager, there's a customer who wants to take a photo with you."

"Again? But I'm really busy right now!"

"Nope, taking pictures is part of your job as well. Now go!"

After I was kicked in the butt, I dropped the knives and dashed out of the home economics room. I wondered whose idea it was, but we were offering photo services for with the butler and maid for our costumers (but they'll have to pay). Thanks to that, our shop has turned into one of the most popular destinations around. Of course, the majority of the customers were here for the maids in their goth lolita costumes, though there was an occasional female customer who requested for a photo with the butler. That means I would be asked to take part in the photo — taking despite me scurrying around the kitchen due to all the work. I've already lost count of the number of times I had to run to and from the classroom and the home economics room. Did they want me to die or something?

The entrance of our classroom was decorated with styrofoam that was made to look like a bricked gate. The styrofoam was covered with a layer of ivy — looks like everyone had put in a great deal of effort into this. My head hurted even more when I saw the long queue waiting outside of the café. Today's Saturday, the first day of the school festival. Wouldn't it be even more chaotic tomorrow since it will be a Sunday?

"Welcome… oh, it's Naruto."

I almost bumped into Karin when I squeezed myself into the heated classroom, who was dressed up in a fluffy maid dress.

"Come over here, your fan's waiting for you. Go there and take a picture with them."

Five minutes later, I was finally spared from the flashes of the camera. However, someone grabbed me by my arm just as I was about to head back to the home economics room.

"Naruto, listen. There was a really weird customer earlier on."

It was Chiaki. She had removed her hair-clips today and and replaced them with a headdress. I almost did not recognize her.

"A weird customer?"

"Mmm." Chiaki shot a glance into the classroom. Standing by the side of the tables, to the left, was Weiss, who was taking orders from the customers. She was the only one who looked like she was not from Japan. It was not just the color of her hair and skin or how her body shape was perfectly shaped for a dress; even the surroundings around her looked especially different.

"There was a middle-aged guy who came to ask for information about Weiss, though it's lucky that Weiss was not serving the customers then."

"I was questioned as well." Karin interrupted all of the sudden.

"I was asked about her usual attire, whether she attends the music lessons, things like that. It was incredibly irritating. Moreover, it seems like the person who approached me was different from the one who spoke to Chiaki-chan. The ones who approached me were two middle-aged man and a young man who looks like a university student. It feels really disgusting to have so many perverts around us."

So there are people asking for information about Weiss? And not just one?

"What should we do? Should we get Weiss to stay away from the classroom?"

"Mmm…"

But Weiss's our star Maid, and there was actually a whole bunch of people who wanted to take photographs with her…

"And since they brought their cameras along with them, we barred them from coming into our café." Whispered Karin after she took a brief scan around the café. I see, as expected from my competent cousin.

"Call me again should anything happen." I left the classroom after exchanging a nod with Chiaki. I had a bad feeling about this somehow.

(◕ω◕✿)

Just as I walked past the courtyard to reach the sports complex, a thunderous cheer erupted from within. I had almost mistaken it as an earthquake.

It was already three in the afternoon, so it was the moment when the class 3A's Romeo and Juliet came to an end. The cheers from the audience were crystal clear to my ears when I entered the sports complex through the back door.

We had turned one of the storerooms into our personal green room. There were lots of expensive and large items inside such as the amplifiers and the drum set. Piled onto a heap next to the wall of the room were things like foldable ladders and extension wires, old bicycles, cupboards and a fridge. There were also what looked like the props of the drama club; either that or they were your typical large-sized junk.

As I was about to dismantle the drum set in order to facilitate its transportation, an emotional Kagurazaka Senpai came walking into the room with her face flushed red. The long skirt made it difficult for her to walk.

"Sorry, I'm late! The curtain call took quite a bit of time."

"How many are there in the audience?"

"You can flood the sports complex with their tears alone. Let's begin with our rehearsal quickly… where's Comrade Schnee and Comrade Aihara?"

"They couldn't leave as there were too many photo-taking requests. I guess they'll be here soon."

"I too want to queue up so that I could take a close look at them in their maid attire."

You can look all you want when we're on stage! However, the two girls did not show up even after the class 3A were done with their cleaning up. I was done moving the amplifiers and the drum set onto the stage already. We were given thirty minutes for clean up and preparation, but if they did not make their way here quickly, it would be time for our performance soon.

"I'll go to our classroom to take a look."

I dashed out through the back door after yelling towards the back of Senpai, who was busy setting up the PA system. After walking past a flight of stairs and onto the carpark, I heard the snide voice of Chiaki.

"Stop following us already! Please move away, we're short of time! Didn't Weiss say she doesn't want to already?"

They were at the courtyard. I hastened my pace and turned past the corner of the building. What I saw were the backs of four men in trench coats and half coats, and I could faintly see two black dresses. It was Chiaki — and there was also the silver-white hair hiding behind her back.

Chiaki was protecting Weiss with all her might against those men despite the fact that they were cornered at the trees next to the fence. Who were those people? Everyone of them had a camera in their hands. Were they the people who went to our café earlier to get their hands on the Weiss's information?

"So I say, all I want is to ask Weiss some questions."

One of the guys pulled his face close to Chiaki and said with a disgusting voice, "Eh, are your hand healed already? What made you want to play the piano on stage today?"

"We've heard you'll be releasing a CD with Asto, when's that? Do both of you meet up frequently?"

"Please, everyone's looking forward to Weiss's comeback."

I ran towards them straight away. They were from the media! It was just as Mom said.

"You've never played the piano on stage ever since the concert at London two years ago."

"You had suddenly decided not to go on with the concert anymore, and there was no official apology from you after that. How will you explain that?"

"— Weiss!" I yelled from behind the reporters.

The reporters turned their head around in surprise, while Chiaki's expressions softened as she relaxed a little. As for the cowering Weiss, she lifted her head up as well. I pried apart the guys who were surrounding them and grabbed onto Weiss and Chiaki's arms.

"Let's go. Senpai's waiting."

"Oi, wait a second."

The reporter placed his hand rudely on my shoulder. I shoved it away and began to pull the two girls along as I walked briskly towards the sports complex.

"Hey, come on, please. We're not here to play!"

Those crass voices came chasing us. I knew Weiss was close to her limits already — Chaiki was the one who was supporting her with her steps. We were caught up by those reporters in no time.

"You do know the London incident has became something that is quite serious, don't you? You disappeared off the music world without even holding a public conference. Please let us in on the details if possible."

What the hell is that!? Are they that insensitive? Why are they asking Weiss these questions? I could sense Weiss trembling in unease through her palms.

"Was it related to your father? Is it true that you are on bad terms with him? Did that happen after the divorce of your parents?"

"We heard you went to look for your mother when you were performing in Germany. Is that true?"

Weiss's hand flinched. My arm was hit by a sudden tremble, and that made me stop in my tracks.

"Weiss!" Chiaki yelled sadly.

Weiss was squatting down on the asphalts of the carpark with her hand gripped tightly on the sleeve of my shirt. The few guys caught up to us and surrounded us.

"I'll be calling the police if you guys don't stop!"

Chiaki's voice was trembling as well, but all the reporters did was to look at each other and shrug. The fury hidden in my heart was burning. What the hell was wrong with these people? Why are they tramping on Weiss like this?

"We did nothing to her! I've said it already, all we want are some answers from her."

"Eh, but we'll not take up much of your time, so why don't we head to somewhere where you guys can relax so that we can have our interview. And oh, some photo-taking as well."

"You guys —"

Just as I was clenching my fists, Chiaki's arms appeared before my eyes.

"Naruto, take Weiss and run! Hurry!"

"But —"

" — Don't worry, just go!"

Chiaki moved like a black whirlwind — all I saw was her lowering her body, and I could not catch what she did next. I don't know if she rammed them with her body or sent them flying with a kick; all I knew was that the two reporters on both sides of me had collapsed from impacts on their body.

I carried Weiss and began to ran. She felt much heavier than the last time I carried her, probably because her limbs were overly stiff. I could hear the angry howls of the guys behind me, but I shook them away and scrambled up the stairs. We then squeezed our bodies through the gap of the back door. I was really worried about Chiaki as well, but I'll leave that for later after I finish taking Weiss to the green room. Weiss was in a wrecked state as she slumped on my back. Her breathing was rough and disheveled, and that made me felt really uneasy.

"Young man?"

I bumped into Senpai in the corridor in front of the storeroom. Looks like she was making her way back from the stage.

"What's going on —"

It was only when I was pointing at the door that I realized my throat was parched. "Chiaki, she—" were the only words I barely squeezed out of my mouth.

Senpai turned around right away and sprinted towards the back door, and Chiaki came stumbling into the building at the same time. The two of them knocked into each other. Chiaki's headdress and dress was in a mess.

"Are you alright, Comrade Aihara?" Asked Senpai as she offered support to Chiaki's body.

"I-I'm alright. They did not follow me here."

The four of us then retreated into the green room. All of the large items were moved to the stage already, so all that was left in the room were the guitars and the two synthesizers stacked together. I used one of the large props as a makeshift chair and sat Weiss on it. Her body was still trembling and her lips were pale.

"Weiss, are you okay? Weiss!"

I called her next to her ears. She nodded in response, though her eyes were dazed — however, that action of hers was so minute it looked as though her chin was shaking from her trembling.

"It looks like those guys were loitering around our café." Said Chiaki in disdain.

"They approached us all of the sudden just as we were crossing through an empty area. They're disgusting."

"So what happened to them?"

"I ran immediately after I kicked them, so I've no idea. Probably went to the audiences' seats, I presume."

Weiss's shoulders flinched in fear.

"Sorry, if only I had been more careful…"

It was not Chiaki's fault. They are the ones who are at fault.

"… I knew it."

I did not realize Weiss was the one who murmured those words.

When I turned my head around, Weiss's body was no longer trembling that much, but she was still grabbing tightly onto my wrists. Her eyes were fixed on a certain spot on the ground.

"Those guys knew about my Mama."

Her voice were like the moan of the dead, and that made me shudder. I knelt down beside her in an attempt to look at her eyes, but she shut them tight to avoid eye contact with me.

"Why? I had forgotten about it already. I have decided to forget it already…"

Weiss's empty words were landing drip by drip onto the folds of her black skirt.

"I was really composed on the day I met Mama. I even thought to myself, 'Oh, I never expected myself to be so composed. I must be a really cold person'. B-But…"

Just then…

The announcement from the school's broadcast sounded especially loud — "Three-thirty, Folks Music Club feketerigó will be holding their very first live concert in school at the sports complex".

The announcement acted like a catalyst of some sort. I could hear the cheers and footsteps even though we were separated by a wall. It has already begun. I could feel the rumbling of the sports complex. Weiss gripped onto my wrists even harder, and that made me realize something.

"I was not composed at all. On the second day when I was about to go on stage… I heard it… the sound of applause —"

Weiss should be gripping hard onto my wrist with her right hand, but I noticed her grasp was weak. Why? Because Weiss only ringed my wrist with her thumb and her index finger. Her middle, fourth and baby fingers were slumped weakly by the sides.

"Weiss! Your fingers —"

Weiss shook her head hard as if she wanted to tear her head apart from her body.

"It's okay, it's alright now. I'm fine."

"How are you fine!? Just now—"

Senpai and Chiaki realized it as well. Senpai bit her lips as she leaned her body against the wall; as for Chiaki, she ran over quickly and gripped Weiss's knees.

"Weiss, a-are you okay? Do you want to go to the infirmary?"

"I'm fine. It's okay, I'll be alright after a rest."

The fingers on Weiss's right hand were twitching strangely. Fine? You're like this and you say you're fine?

"Now's not the time to be worrying about the concert. Let's get a doctor here."

Just as Senpai said that in a calm voice, Weiss grabbed me tightly on my shoulder and stood up wobbly.

"Don't call the doctors!"

"Objection overruled. We'll have to fix your body…"

"I'll think of something! Please, I am really okay. Please don't cancel the concert."

"Why are you so insistent on this?"

I've never seen Senpai with such a speechless expression. I was thinking the exact same thing as Senpai. Why was she so insistent about it?

"I-I want to stay here, I want to stay in this band! So please!"

"You can't force yourself even if that's the case!" Chiaki grabbed Weiss by her shoulders and gave her a hard rattling.

The noise and footsteps from the audience were getting louder and louder. How much time left until the start of the concert? There was no way we can continue with this, can we? Since Weiss's already in such a state.

"This is something created by the efforts from everyone. I don't want to wreck everything just because of me."

"I've no interest in your willpower talk or whatsoever."

Senpai severed the unnecessary speech with her incredibly cold words.

"Ten minutes. I'll cancel the concert if your fingers are not fixed by then."

With that, Senpai took her guitar and left. Her back looked really gloomy.

"It will be pointless for us to perform with a member down. I'll check the stage and be back in a jiffy."

Looking past the shoulders of Chiaki, the Senpai's back was swallowed up by the closing door.

"Weiss, is there anything… I… I can do to help?"

Weiss shook her head and released my hand. She could barely stand up with the help of the synthesizers next to her.

"Wait for me at the stage… I'll think of something myself."

Chiaki looked at me and then at Weiss. She wanted to say something but decided against it in the end. All she did was bit her lips in disdain and lowered her head, before lifting them up again and pressing her fists against my chest.

Please think of something — somehow, Chiaki conveyed the words that she could not say to me through her arms. She then left the room without even looking back once.

"Ruto, you too…" Said Weiss as she rested her hands on the control board of of the synthesizer.

"Go. I'm okay, I'll —"

"— How can you recover in your current state?"

Even I was surprised by how cold my voice sounded. Weiss lifted her head in shock, and her eyes were close to tearing.

"What on earth is happening? Why are you insisting on doing this? Are you an idiot? You should know very well the condition of your body!"

But I couldn't help but to think: what the hell is going on with me as well? Why am I so angry? It was because I knew I could do nothing for her. Weiss had stood up by herself due for a reason unknown to me, and now she has collapsed before me in a place where I could not reach. This was just… pathetic.

But I could not stop myself. I continued, "It's okay for you not to play the piano now. We'll not disband from a thing like that, and yet you're forcing yourself to play the piano in front of everyone —"

"— It's you—" Weiss cut me off as she cried. "— It's you who said this to me — you wanted me to play the piano for you on stage. But, but I could not do it then, so I was disappointed in myself."

I… said that? I asked her to play the piano for me?

The air in my throat was solidifying into a lump. That's right, I did say that, and it was back when the two of us were alone in the music resource room. The time when we performed Ave verum corpus; the miraculous piano accompaniment which blended the singing and the conductor together. Back then, I did say I hope to hear her piano in an actual performance and not just during practice. But I never thought…

"And so I wished to play the piano for you. I had planned to live in a world far away from the piano if you never asked me to play it, but…"

Everything was for… me.

"But, my fingers… can gradually move." Weiss continued with her depressed voice.

"And it happened after our performance at summer. It was all because of you."

My throat was trembling slightly. I could not speak. Her fingers were healed not because she met Totsuka, but… because of me? Weiss picked up the piano once more because I said to her, 'Please play the piano for me' — how could that be?

"It's okay to force myself because you're here. For now, no matter what, I'll —"

Weiss stood up with difficulty, gripping hard the keyboard. Her frail arm, which she will be using to play the piano once more, for my sake, even if it means to do so beneath the cruel lights, were trembling non-stop. It hurt me to see her like this.

Why was it me?

I wished to stay by her side forever. I hoped to give her strength when she was in pain. However, half of the reason Weiss was in pain right now was because of me, and the other half was because of herself. If what she said was really true, then what should I do at a time like this?

"But you have never once responded to me. You had said many times that you wanted to listen to me playing the piano, and I tried to get you to listen as well. I've even recorded everything of Beethoven so that you could listen to my piano. I wanted to tell you that my fingers are all healed, and everything should be fine now. But I never thought… I am so… weak. That I'll became like this just because…"

The fingernails of Weiss's left hand were digging deep into her right hand when she said that. Her fingertips even turned pale as a result of her tight grip.

"… Weiss," I did my best to squeeze my voice out from my parched throat. "Calm down."

That was the only thing I could say. A line which I find to be totally stupid and corny.

"Why are you doing so much for someone like me?"

No wait, that was not what I wanted to say.

"— Sorry, I never noticed."

That Weiss has already picked up everything again.

"I never noticed it myself either."

With her wet eyelashes lowered slightly, Weiss continued with the hoarse voice of hers,

"I never thought I'll want to play the piano for someone."

"I had already lost everything— "Weiss murmured, her words falling into the scarred black cover of the synthesizer. "I don't know anymore. I have no idea what I should do. I do not know where I should return to. I have never played the piano for the sake of someone."

How could that be — was what I wanted to say, but I swallowed my words. Back when we ran away from home, I heard from Weiss that her last memory of her loving the piano was when she was together with her mother. It was an unfillable hole that caused Weiss to be immobile from her fears; and it was those damned reporters who reminded her of the times which she will never be able to return to.

Weiss reached for the casing of the synthesizer with her fingers. Her face was filled with tears when she turned around to face me.

"… Go. Kyouko and Chiaki are waiting for you." Weiss's voice sounded like the cracking of ice. "I… I'll come up with something… but if I could not make it in time, then just go without me. The rest of the songs can be performed with just three —"

I raised my fists and slammed them against the synthesizer to interrupt Weiss's words; I could not listen to her any longer. Her long silver-white hair trembled slightly, her blue eyes were filled with unease as she looked upwards at me in fear.

"I don't want that." My voice were cold and yet crystal clear. "I'll definitely not leave you alone in here and walk out of this room."

"Why? B-But I may never be able to play the piano ever again."

"No— it has nothing to do with the piano or the band."

I stared straight into Weiss's eyes, which looked like they were about to sink into the bed of the ocean. I said, "I've already decided that I'll be staying by you're side forever."

We used to be connected only by music. If so, what would happen if someone was unable to sing or to continue playing? The only thing we could do then was to stay rooted on the spot. I don't want to carry on like that.

It was because I loved Weiss. I wanted to stay by her side even if we lose our music. Those feelings of mine turned into bubbles and vanished on the surface of the ocean between us. Weiss's pale face was dyed with a faint dash of redness. She then lowered her head in an attempt to hide her embarrassment.

"But, even if you've decided to stay here…"

I can't do anything for you even if I am around? Was that really the case?

"But I have never once played a melody for you successfully. What should I do? I have no idea."

What should I do? What must I do so that Weiss can pick up the piano once more? I won't be able to help her if I was only staying by her side. I was unable to speak; all I could do is to stand there frozen in a daze. My hands would not come into contact with where she needed my help — just then, that melody, the darkness, the howling of the wind as well as the smell of the raindrops appeared in my mind once more.

It had…

It had happened before.

"… You did."

"… Eh?"

"You did play the piano for me before."

Her blue eyes trembled slightly in confusion as though they were melting. She shut her eyes.

Did Weiss really forget about it already?

But I could still remember that miracle very clearly. I shot a glance to my bass which was resting on its stand by the side. That fragment of my body was still around precisely because Weiss played the piano for me.

Perhaps it was just my auditory hallucination. Perhaps it was just a magic constructed by the howls of the sea, the echoes as well as the thick mist. But what I heard was certainly the sounds of Weiss's piano.

If so, then what should I do? How could I get Weiss to remember?

I can do it.

Unknown to me, I had already opened my tightly shut eyes. The world before me was one surrounded by the dirty concrete walls of the dark storeroom. Me, Weiss, my bass and the synthesizer were leaning tightly against each other under the gaze of the junks by the side of the wall.

Can I really do it? Can I summon her memories? I have no idea. But the only thing I could do is to try.

"— Weiss."

Her head was lowered even as I called out to her.

"Weiss, step back. I'll make some preparations."

She lifted her head to my sentence. Her eyes were still swollen from crying.

"… Why?"

I pulled Weiss away from the synthesizet silently and knelt down to stuff a stack of scores beneath one of the legs at the side. The angle of tilt should be something close to this.

Next, I scanned the room and pushed the fridge down by its side before shifting it next to the synthesizer. I then placed the upside-down bicycle against the door. After that, I dumped the cupboard and desk clock onto the floor. Finally, I moved the drawers before the keyboard.

"Take a seat."

Weiss stared hard at me with her teary eyes.

"What are you doing, Ruto?"

"Don't ask. Just take a seat."

I pushed Weiss on her back to get her seated on the drawers. I then stood behind her and flipped the switch of the synthesizer. Could I really do it? For a brief moment, I thought the thing which I'll be attempting to do as something incredibly ridiculous.

But… If that was really a special place. If that was really Weiss's greatest wish.

"Close your eyes." I murmured.

I stretched my arms over Weiss's shoulders to reach for the keyboard. I then fumbled around with the control board to locate the switch to the sound effects. It started off with the sound of the raindrops.

The gentle drops of rain that landed on the roofs of the scrapped cars, the buckets full of holes as well as the broken cupboards. That sound was overlapped with the faint roars from the waves of the sea. The sounds of the waves that passed by endless trees. The rustling of the leaves of the forest. The howls of the winds as it breezed past the mountains. The sounds of the passing train far away. The sound effects which were hidden within the machine were appearing before the darkness of my eyelids one after another through my hands and were spreading outwards endlessly.

We could not hear the commotion from the audience; what surrounded us was silence formed by the stoppage of time. The Department Store of Hearts' Desires. The junkyard where we first met, the same place where we found what we had lost. And at the same time, it was a place located at the ends of the world where the remnants of dreams accumulate.

That was my long-standing wish. I made a wish back then; I wished I could listen to Weiss's piano once more. And with that, Weiss responded to my wish. I did hear the fugue that night. The miraculous power which allowed me to find my bass was Book 1 of Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier.

As I was praying, I switched on the other synthesizer. The lights on the control board lit up and a series of white noise appeared amid the rustling of the forest. Unknown to me, Weiss was already staring at me with her head lifted. There was still the remnants of her tears on her upside-down face. Both of us had opened our eyes. However, the magic has yet to cease. We were still located at the end of the world where the miraculous department store was.

"Do you remember now?"

Weiss nodded her head gently.

"If so…" I said each and every word slowly after choosing them carefully in my head. I had to say it before the magic disappeared. "I hope you can continue to play the piano. I wish to listen to Weiss play."

"… But I have no idea what I should play." Said Weiss as she rested the back of her head on my chest. Her eyes were like that of a nestling which has lost its way after it was separated from the flock of birds.

"… You decide, Ruto."

I had no idea what I should get her to play as well. Bach's fugue had just ended in my mind, and dawn will be approaching soon. I allowed the LCD screen on the control board to guide my fingers as I sought for the answer on the keyboard.

Then came the final sound effect.

A screech was calling out to Weiss, followed by the fluttering of a pair of wings from amid the trees as the bird prepared itself for its flight into the dawn. Weiss's hand struck the keyboard once, releasing the cold sound of the piano.

Perhaps it was due to the constant striking of the G note, but it felt like our heartbeats were overlapping inseparably. Weiss's counted the remaining traces of the tiny ripples on the black and white keys with her fingers — fingers of both of her hands — in her attachment to the gradually weakening rain.

Blackbird — The misty veil was shredded into pieces. The light of dawn. The song which was about to break free from my mouth disappeared at the edges of my lips. Even up till now, this song had always existed among us. The only thing I want to hear was the sounds of the piano until the magic subsides.

A while later, the final note finally disappeared after dispersing itself on the surface of the water. The blackbird has pushed itself off the branch to soar into the sky. The raining had stopped; the wind has died down. We were getting further and further away from the ocean.

The back of Weiss's head was still pressed tightly against my chest. We've returned — to the middle of the messy storeroom, where the synthesizers were giving off an unstable rumble impatiently. I could faintly hear the chatter and footstep from the audience through the walls.

We've returned.

For a while, I did not know what I should say. Weiss was clenching and releasing her hands as she stared at them in silence so as to reaffirm the dampness of the rain that were surrounding her hands.

"… Weiss?" I called out her name gently.

Weiss did not turn around. Instead, she removed her hands from the keyboard, placed them on my arm and gripped my wrist hard with all five fingers from her right hand. I could not believe it. There was a sense of elation within me, but what came before that was a much stronger throb. Still, I could not move my hands away just yet.

She may not be perfectly fine, but Weiss has returned back to this place. Thank goodness. But I could barely make anything out of my hoarse murmurs.

"… T-Thank… you…" Weiss replied in stutters.

"Mmm."

Feels like I should be saying something, but that was a way too difficult task for me. I could not really come up with something perfunctory to say.

"… Or perhaps… I should get you to play something?"

Since it was really rare for Weiss to ask me what song I would like her to play. Darn, I should have requested her to play the Diabelli Variations which was not included in any of her CDs…

"Idiot!"

My wrist were scratched by her fingernails… it hurt quite a bit. She stood up and turned around while staying between my arms. Our face were almost in contact with each other when she raised her head to look at me.

"If it's Ruto… you can ask me… anytime."

Weiss's face went beet red halfway into her sentence. She even pushed me against my chest with both of her hands, and that almost caused me to fall backwards.

"A-Anytime… so that means —"

Why did she phrase it that way? Because it was me? It was only now that I realized I had said something really incredible to her. I said I'll be by her side forever… and she did hear what I said. So that means… Weiss, she… no, but, it can't be, right?

"I-I've already said I will play!"

Weiss pushed me on my chest with her two hands yet again.

"You are the one who brought me back here! Didn't you say you want to listen to my piano? Why are you acting as if you know nothing?"

"S-Sorry…"

"Idiot! Dummy!"

Weiss pushed me aside and turned towards the synthesizer. She switched it off in preparation for moving it away.

"A person like you should just stay dense forever! All you need to do is to flip the scores and play the bass! Now help me with the other side, I'll be carrying it away!"

"Ah, m-mmm."

After I was done slinging the straps of the bass on my shoulder, I quickly walked to the other side of the synthesizer. Weiss turned her burning face away unhappily.

"… Can I?" I tried asking.

"Can you what?" Asked Weiss softly as she lifted the synthesizer.

"Can I play the bass for you and help you with the flipping of your scores forever?"

That was the only thing I could think of after I wrecked my brains out. It was because I loved Weiss — I wanted to tell her that several times, but I could not bring myself to say it.

"You're my bassist, are you not?" That was Weiss's reply.

I see. I heaved a sigh of relief in my heart. For now, the only thing that was connecting us together was music. The tears on Weiss's face had disappeared completely. She had returned back to the usual Weiss with her stinging words.

That made me feel at lot more at ease — I'm really useless.

When Weiss pushed the door open, what greeted us was a thunderous mix of cheers and footsteps. Leaning against the walls of the corridor was a girl in a frilly black goth lolita dress… Chiaki. She tightened her grip on the two drum sticks and lifted her head slowly. She flashed an icy stare at me before directing her attention towards Weiss.

The three of us did not speak for a while. The noise from the audience that was coming through the walls sounded nothing more than just the breeze of an incoming wind. Chiaki stepped away from the wall. As for me, I took the synthesizer away from Weiss's hands and carried it by myself.

Chiaki moved towards us one step at a time and clamped her hands onto Weiss's right arm. Confused by her actions, Weiss took a look at her arm and then at Chiaki.

"… It's because Weiss will always disappear all of the sudden." Mumbled Chiaki as she slumped her shoulders. It looks like she was close to tears. "And Naruto's the only one who knows where you are. Always."

"… Sorry."

"I do hope you'll realize how frustrated I am."

Weiss nodded. Chiaki pressed her forehead onto Weiss's.

"Naruto, you can't spoil Weiss like that. She can move her hands already, right? Let her carry her own instrument by herself."

"… Mmm."

I gently passed the heavy synthesizer to Weiss. Could she carry it? I couldn't help but to worry when I saw those delicate arms of hers.

"And also, come here."

"Eh? W-What?"

Chiaki pulled me by my ear and dragged me in the direction opposite to that of the stage. My mind blanked out for a brief moment when I saw the person who was squatting against the wall next to the door.

"… M-Mom?"

… Why was Mom here at the backstage?

"Oh? Ohhhh!? You're finally out? Hey brat, you can't have your customers waiting, yeah? Look, everyone's getting impatient already, so get going!"

"W-Wh…" My voice was stuck. "Why are you here?"

"I said I'll pay a visit, didn't I? Can't a mother attend the school festival that her son is participating in?" Mom gave a nonchalant shrug.

"M-Mom, could it be that you…"

Is she here to write articles about Weiss — I then noticed a few straps hanging from the hands of Mom, and connected to them were cameras. Four of them, all expensive looking and equipped with giant lens.

"… W-What are those for?"

"Hmm? Ah — well…" Mom scratched her head. "You see, I saw four familiar faces at the entrance. They're the parasites of the industry and they pissed me off, so I gave them a good beating and confiscated their cameras."

This woman is scary.

"S-So what happened to them?"

"Nothing much. Probably cried their way home?"

I was at a loss of what to say. So that what was her reason for asking stuff about Weiss?

"Don't you underestimate the paperback mercenary! I'll be heading off then~ now, get going, everyone's waiting for you!"

And with that, Mom waved her hand and opened the back door. She was planning to leave just like that? Didn't she say she was here to watch? Did she know that Weiss was targeted by those reporters? So she actually came down specially to prevent them from doing so — all so that she could protect Weiss. Mom actually took the initiative to protect Weiss?

"Naruto, hurry up!"

I was pulled back to reality when Chiaki gave me a tug at my sleeves. I saw Weiss walking slowly along the corridor with unsteady steps as she hugged the synthesizer that was about as tall as her. With the strap of the bass on my back, I was pulled by Chiaki by my arm and we caught up to Weiss.

And before us…

In the midst of the light coming from all four angles, there was the silhouette of a person standing amidst the cheers, teasing the audience with her long hair and the hem of her skirt. I could not quite make out the expression on her face as we were staring into the lights, but I was absolutely certain what smile Kagurazaka Senpai would be wearing on her face at a time like this.

Everyone… was waiting for us.

I caught up to Weiss and briefly exchanged gazes with her. We nodded in unison. It was alright, everyone's here.

Then — let's go!

Chiaki released my arm to walk ahead of me by a step or two.

As for me, I chased her and made my way along the promenade stretching towards the light.

.

.

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