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.

55. Love & Xmas -Part 2-

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"Did you not have any sleep? The dark circles beneath your eyes are really something!" Asked Chiaki as she stared hard at my face.

I answered by nodding my head while trying my hardest to hold back a yawn. My voice was slightly hoarse.

It was morning at the station platform. The sky was still dark as the sun was not out yet. However, the grayish concrete and Chiaki's checkered red skirt stung my eyes, since I stayed up all night.

"I couldn't sleep, so I worked till the morning."

I moved the heavy luggage from my shoulder to the floor. I brought the synthesizer along with my bass as well. My hand almost snapped from the weight.

"Something must have happened, right? But Senpai refused to say anything."

Chiaki's eyes were fixed onto me; they teared up gradually as she put on a sorrowful gaze. Two conflicting feelings flooded my heart. Thank goodness she did not say anything, why didn't she make things easier by voicing it all out? I had no idea if I was nodding or shaking my head.

"Why is no one willing to disclose anything…"

Why was Chiaki so gentle with her words? I thought to myself. Why did she not ask me forcibly by making me "spew it out quickly"? That was how she used to be. It was what happened on the night when I was shaken up by Weiss and Asto's Kreutzer Sonata.

However, this was not just my problem alone… I could not tell Chiaki about it.

"Senpai said 'I love you, please embrace me' to you, right?" I fell backwards and almost rolled into the tracks.

"Naruto's just too easy to read," Chiaki laughed shyly.

"So you did hear everything?"

She heard Senpai asking me to embrace her… or rather, words that were along that line, didn't she?

"I didn't hear that much, but I do know Senpai is in love with Naruto right from the start."

"You knew about it all along?" I went all polite unconsciously.

"I should say everyone does. Even the girls in our class."

"Ehhhhhhhhhhh?"

I squatted down next to the synthesizer. I might have fell flat on concrete from shock.

Come to think of it, that should be the case. Kagurazaka Senpai's attitude towards me was clear as day right from the beginning.

"Forget it, I'm not surprised by this. It's normal for Naruto not to realize this."

"Uhhh…"

I should just skip my lessons. I could not bring myself to face the rest of the world.

I came into contact with the synthesizer next to me. But I can't do that.

Chiaki squatted down opposite of me, beside the synthesizer's case. It felt like I would be captured by those powerful eyes of hers should I lift my head up, so I kept staring at my hands instead.

"Just as I had expected, Senpai's really strong." Chiaki murmured.

"Though I can't comprehend why she chose to say it with such a bad timing."

That was something… I could not understand as well. Thanks to that, I was in tatters right now.

"… That's something which I can't do. I should be shocked when I came to know of this."

Right. Chiaki loved Senpai as well. There was no way she could act like nothing happened.

"Umm, well, sorry."

"You have no right to apologize to me, so shut up."

I almost stumbled backwards onto the ground when Chiaki dissed me with a fierce smile on her face.

"I'm alright. I am not as strong as Senpai is, so a weird mechanism in my mind will kick in and ask me to take it easy so that everything will remain the same."

"… Isn't that being strong?"

"That's being weak. This is too hard for Naruto to comprehend. You'll probably understand nothing even if I explain it to you."

I remained silent when Chiaki pointed her finger at my nose. That may very well be the case.

One thing I was very certain of though; Chiaki's smile was lonelier than the cloudy dawn of late December.

"So, having skipped yesterday's practice and spent the whole night thinking, did you decide on what you are going to do?"

What I am going to do? Where should I escape to? What should I do from now on?

I nodded my head slowly.

"… In theory, I modified the flanger so that it will only take in the note values from the synthesizer."

"Hold on a second, what are you talking about?"

"The arrangements, of course." I rapped the synthesizer. "I made this effect unit myself. It will connect Senpai and Weiss's guitars to the synthesizer and use the delayed effects as a backing. It'll adjusts the tones as well."

Chiaki lifted her hips slightly in a dumbfounded state. She remained speechless for a while.

"Wh… What's this? That's what you did without any sleep?"

"I can't help it."

I could create some breathing space if I was to direct all my attention to music. Therefore, I focused my consciousness and fingers onto the soldering iron, the screwdrivers and the pliers, burrowing myself in the modification work. I linked the effect unit, the bass and my computer to the synthesizer and modified the arrangements of the codes as I checked on the sounds repeatedly.

And this is my answer. The black box placed in the back pocket of the synthesizer case.

Chiaki burst into a laughing fit. It started with her hugging onto her stomach and bending forward, but when she heard my hesitant "Chiaki?", she covered her face with her hands and roared.

"… Hold on, sorry… Ahahahahaha, ha, Naruto, you're really…"

"D-Did I say something strange?"

Chiaki shook her head as she held back her laughter. She wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes.

"Now I'm the one who looks like an idiot. If only I can be like you."

"No, I just pushed the problems aside for now…"

I will still see Senpai when I'm at school. I did not even know what expressions to put on when I see her. However, if it was music, then they will gush into the silence and fill it all up regardless of how hopeless the situation is.

An announcement signaled the arrival of the train, rushing past us as it came to a stop in front of the platform. It caused our hair to flutter in the air—that was the end of our conversation.

When we reached school, what surprised us was the fact that the keys to the practice room were nowhere to be found in the key box. There was someone earlier than us. Chiaki and I exchanged a look before making our way to the practice room located at the back of the school complex.

"How close were you and young man together? Something like this?"

"Eh? Ah, uh…"

"Did he place his arms around you? There's not much space there, isn't it?"

"Ruto would not do something like that…"

"But it's cold outside, so he should have at least done this, right?"

"Yaa! Kyouko, stop!"

"What are you two doing…" I was speechless when I opened the door.

Kagurazaka Senpai and Weiss were sitting together on tables placed together, with Senpai wrapping her arm around Weiss's waist. Looks like Senpai was harassing Weiss sexually.

"Geez, Senpai! Here I am wondering to myself why you're here so early today!"

Chiaki pushed me aside and dashed into the room. She then clamped her arms onto Senpai's neck to save Weiss. With her hair and uniform in a disheveled mess, Weiss hid herself behind Chiaki's back with a timid expression in her eyes.

"Because she and young man had their love talk at the water tower on the roof, so I am grilling her for the details. As the president of the club, how can I not keep myself updated on things like that?"

"That has nothing to do with you being the president, isn't it? And there is no need for you to remove your tie either."

"But everyone has forgotten about the fact that I love girls as well, so I took the opportunity to emphasize that once more."

It was okay even if you didn't emphasize it. Man, she was just… I happened to exchange sights briefly with Weiss when she turned herself in my direction. Her face was dyed with the colors of the setting sun. I turned my gaze away on reflex.

I had already decided on the expressions and the things to say should I bump into Senpai or Weiss, but it looked like it was all for nothing. Who would have expected a scene of sexual harassment going on when I walked into the practice room? I heaved a sigh and laid the luggage against the wall.

"So you brought the synthesizer as well? Are you planning to do some arrangements? I was thinking of having a guitar showdown with Weiss. If so—"

Senpai leaned herself over and looked past my shoulders to the area my hands were at. She pressed her chest tightly against my back and rested her chin on my shoulder, causing my body to freeze while I was about to take the synthesizer out from its case. My body was stabbed by the painful glares of Weiss and Chiaki.

"Umm, well, I am going to take the synthesizer out. P-Please move away."

No one said a word while I installed the wires. Compared to the complicated installation and tuning of the synthesizers and effect units, they were much faster when it comes to the preparation of their instruments.

When I passed one of the connecting wires of the synthesizer to Senpai, she gave a gentle smile and said, "Is this your answer?"

What? What did she mean by my answer? The answer to the grand, unreserved and heart-bleeding confession Senpai made yesterday?

How was that possible? There was not a single word or thought I had in me which I could use to answer her. It was just that I had no idea what I should do to get things back to normal—Senpai plugged the wire into her Les Paul without waiting for my reply.

I still could not bring myself to look at Weiss when I passed her the wire, so I fixed my gaze on the control panel of the effect unit instead. The bars on the display sprang to life, a signal that the two guitars were connected to my machine.

"Chiaki, you start off with the high hats. Senpai, please join in during the second chorus. Weiss will perform solo for the first."

There was a silent and yet heated atmosphere in the room. I tapped against the body of the bass to begin the count down. Like the minute echoes of the bell reverberating in the snowing sky, Chiaki began the drumming of the faint beats.

I did not tell them the song which we will be playing. However, there was no need for me to. All we need was a breath and we were transported to the silent night of Christmas Eve, where the falling snow was about to cover up everything—be it the soldiers, trenches, corpses or the weapons.

As though she was exhaling the air out of her chest, Weiss's Stratocaster began to sing.

::::::

So this is Christmas and what have you done, Another year over, a new one just begun… Happy Xmas.

::::::

The remnants of the beautifully decorated lines of the main melody led the clear hymns of the organs and began to spread. I could hear someone gulping. No one was touching the keyboard. It was done solely by the effect unit connected directly to Weiss's guitar, which located the harmony between her guitar and my bass. It felt just as if there was another Weiss standing right here.

I finally raised my head, but the illusion disappeared in an instant without a trace. On the other side of me was Chiaki behind the drums, playing the sounds of the falling snow; there was Weiss, her eyes lowered as she wove the song with her Stratocaster; Kagurazaka Senpai was there with her Les Paul held tightly in her hands, looking at the shattered fragments of the illusion together with me.

I crossed sight with Senpai. Her eyes glittered like melting snow. She gave the pick in her fingers a swift flick in the direction of her Les Paul, overlapping the whispering melody of Weiss's Stratocaster with a simple and powerful stroke. I could hear the children singing the prayers of peace.

::::::

War is over, if you want it, war is over, now…

::::::

I could feel a slight difference in the tone.

The bright strings exploded. Goosebumps ran through my body.

Was there really just four of us here? Was this the music created by just the heart and limbs of feketerigó? Even though none of us were making any sound, I could hear the voice of John Lennon and the chorus of thousands of children; I could even hear the bombings of the jet fighters, the explosions of the incendiary bombs, the cries of the orphans as well as the furious roars of the people.

Chiaki's fill in came bursting in like a lightning which streaked through the night sky and dragged us all into a rock tempo. The hymn broke free from John Lennon and the hands of the children. Supported by the wings of Kagurazaka Senpai and Weiss, it changed into a complex variation, spiraling at a dazzling speed as it climbed upwards. It dragged all the timbres from the synthesizer, shot its way into the sky of Christmas night and burst apart. Should I be a split second later with the entrance of my bass, the harmony would become distorted and fragmented, covering up the brilliant stars in the sky. The scattering particles of light were burning my body. I had to rely on the faint vibrations detectable only by the tips of my fingertips to pump blood continuously into the wings of feketerigó.

No one stopped. And so, the thing that hindered Senpai and Weiss from going on and on for eternity was the bell which came from far away.

When I finally stopped my fingers in exhaustion, the night sky faded away. Chiaki's beats were slowing down considerably, while Senpai and Weiss's guitar were restraining each other as they stopped their singing and counted the lingering echoes made by their counterpart.

None of us spoke for a long time even after the end of the preparatory bell. The room was filled up by a comforting numbness.

"—This has to be our best yet, right?" Murmured Senpai with heated breaths. Her eyes were wet. "The auditions, the actual performance, and even places higher than that. It's all within sight, isn't it?"

I had no idea who started it, but we were all nodding our heads. Even the synthesizers and the effect unit as well—it felt like they were giving off an unsatisfied glow in reply.

As the volume of the amplifiers dropped step by step, the lingering heat finally slipped away from our body, and replacing them were the air of reality on our skin. It was a really scary scene.

When I thought back on this, feketerigó then should have been torn apart into pieces already. Even so, we were bounded tightly together by the machines I hooked up and the music. Despite the fact that I did not reply to Senpai's feelings, nor my own thoughts.

And that was my first mistake.

(◕ω◕✿)

Before my eyes stood a large gate with spikes, conifers and tall metal railings on the sides. A large and elegant mansion stood deep inside, surrounded by a courtyard filled with flowerbeds.

I checked the time on my phone. Four in the afternoon. Right on our agreed time.

The last time I visited the Schnee household was in the middle of summer. The courtyard now looked vastly different from how it was back then. The flowers were not around since it was December—I thought to myself as I stared at the lonely grassland. Just then, the two sharp dobermans laying on the turf sat up. They came dashing in my direction just as I was about to reach for the intercom at the pillar, causing me to retreat in fear.

The two dogs lay down at the other side of the gate and stared at me intently. They did not bark, nor did they flash their teeth. Did they actually remember me?

I walked forward timidly with that thought in mind, but they stood up once more.

"U-Umm, listen doggie I am not a strange person," I somehow began explaining to the dogs. "I am just here to celebrate her birthday. Honest."

The dog to the right cocked its head suspiciously—did they somehow understand what I was saying? It looked like the dog to the left was observing me. Did I really look that suspicious? It was an incredibly grand mansion, and I heard that Weiss normally dressed up like a real lady, so I came in my suit to match myself to that. I approached the gate with two steps and squatted before the dogs as they continued to watch me.

"Do I look weird in this?"

"Not your clothes. But your actions, yes."

"Whoa!"

I sprang upward from the sudden voice next to me.

Standing beside me was a middle-age man in a butler outfit. He came through the side door without me realizing it. I did not even hear the sound of footsteps.

He is Klein Sieben, the butler of the Schnee family who oversaw everything.

"Artur and Fricsay are pretty smart. They can distinguish different attires worn by us," said Klein as he looked towards the two dogs, "But sadly, they cannot comprehend human speech. It is pointless to seek their opinions."

"Ah, no, it's nothing…"

Someone saw that. He saw me. That was really embarrassing.

"S-Sorry, I never expected you to receive me."

"No, I came out because I saw a suspicious person at the side of the gates."

He was as straightforward as ever.

"It's been a while." I could not think of anything to say. I stood up, dusted my knees and gave a bow.

"Pardon me," said Klein as he walked swiftly towards me and stretched his arms towards the collar of my coat. He adjusted my tie amid my flustering.

"Welcome. My lady has been waiting for you."

Klein opened the side door and walked into the courtyard while I was still rooted to the ground. The two dobermans moved their way obediently towards the side of the flowerbed after he gave them some pats and a few brief words. That was when I was granted access into the courtyard. The sequence of events looked really abrupt. How very horrifying.

"Lady Weiss is still in an exhausted state. She practiced the piano for a long time right after returning home from the audition yesterday," Said Klein who was three steps in front of me, causing me to flinch. I continued walking as I fixed my gaze onto my palms.

The audition yesterday. The burning sensation from the bass still stuck onto my hands, enough to cause my body to tremble. The metallic smell from the microphones and the damp atmosphere due to our breaths still lingered around me. We separated after giving it our all in the short period of time—yet he continued to practice the piano even after reaching home?

"I hope Mr. Namikaze will offer your assistance getting her to rest—"

"Ruto!"

A clear voice, one which sounded like the melting of the morning snows of winter, came towards me. I lifted my head.

It was a dazzling sight, be it the warm, silver-white hair or the pure white dress. Even her blue blue eyes were sparkling. Weiss's body was bathed in light as she came flying towards me.

However, she stopped in her tracks when she noticed my unreserved gaze.

"… What's wrong?" She tilted her head and looked at herself shyly.

"Eh, ah, no…" I couldn't possibly tell her I was bewitched by her looks.

"… I don't get to see you in this attire that often."

I hastily said those untruthful words. I had already seen Weiss in these elegant attires several times, be it on the CD covers, the magazines or the TV. Nothing new.

"Ruto's the one who is not in your typical attire."

Weiss tilted her head and took a good look at me from head to toe.

"It doesn't really suit you."

That was a huge blow. I almost slumped onto the grass.

"Ah, s-sorry. Urm, you looked much better than the time when you attended Papa's concert."

"Lady, you're not making it any better by saying that."

Klein's words gave the depressed me the critical blow.

"Lady, it will be better if you are more careful with your words."

You are in no position to say that!

Stepping into the Schnee mansion for the very first time, I realized that the interior design was not as oppressive at it looked from the outside. I expected the house to be covered with woolen carpets and fur as deep as the ankles, chandeliers larger than a table, or Victorian vases huge enough for a child to hide inside. However, the corridors and the stairs were a huge let-down to what I had in mind. It felt like I was in a brand new art museum—a vast whiteness filled up my eyes, making me more and more restless. To add to that, the temperature indoors were almost as cold as the temperature outdoors.

Finally, I was led to a room that was about twice the size of a classroom, filled with curtains and woolen carpets in warm colors. To my left was a grand piano with its lid raised, and on the walls was a classy sound system that would put even Mom in envy. The heaters of the room were switched on, that allowed me to finally remove my coat.

"… Is this a music salon? Does your family hold family-concerts frequently?"

"No, this is my practice room."

I almost dropped the present in my hands onto the floor. This room alone was almost as huge as my house.

Just as I was looking about in a fluster, Klein took my coat off my hands swiftly and hung it by the wall. He then led me to a chair. Next to the small, single-legged round desk was a stylish cream-colored tea table.

After Klein left the room, Weiss sat on the chair diagonally before me and said softly, "… Thank you… for coming over today…"

"M-Mmm." I wanted to say something cool, but I could think of nothing despite contemplating for a solid five seconds with my fingers crossed.

It couldn't be helped. I brought up an uninteresting topic: yesterday's event.

"Are you okay yesterday? You couldn't even stand properly after the audition."

The audition was held at the scheduled venue, which was a club house. Unlike Bright, there was no smell of sweat—it was an avant-garde place, so spacious that my legs were slightly wobbly just from standing on the stage. The other participants were leaning more towards the disco style. There were even dance groups as well. Naturally, we were one of the youngest groups there. As we were the last to hit the stage, we listened to the high- standard performances from the other groups while we trembled behind the stage.

However, Senpai remained unfazed. "We will score a landslide victory if they factor in the looks as well," said Senpai. How very confident of her. But when I saw the exhausted look that Weiss had at the end of our performance, my worry of whether we would pass the audition or not was thrown out of the window.

"Umm, is the solo for Happy Xmas too long? You were playing by yourself for a full minute, and it looked like you were breathless by the end of that…"

Weiss took a deep breath and shook her head immediately. "… I'll work hard to last through the whole song."

No, please don't. A chill went down my spine as I recalled what Deidara said. The thing about the burdens of her wrist, and how it was inconceivable for her to last through the whole performance.

"And I heard you practiced the piano after you reached home? Klein—"

"That's because!" Weiss raised her voice to prevent me from going further.

"… Because you're coming today. I will not stop my practice just because I was tired from the audition."

Me? What does she mean when she said it was because I was coming?

"Whatever! It is my birthday today, so stop talking about things like that!"

"Ah, s-sorry."

Right. It was the rare occasion where we are celebrating her birthday alone by ourselves. I'll have to get on topic.

"Well, congratulations… how old are you?"

"Seventeen, of course."

Right. What sort of idiotic question am I asking her? Weiss quickly continued on, perhaps because she noticed how depressed I was.

"When is Ruto's birthday?"

"Ten of October."

"No one celebrates it with you?"

"Nah, but when I was still little. My parents used to bought me and my sister cakes or something."

"Hmm, if that so… let's celebrate Ruto's birthday together then."

"What are we celebrating here? A birthday that is two months late…?" I laughed. Then again, I said something similar to Chiaki as well, and I was scolded by her for that.

"… It's okay, I want celebrate Ruto birthday too. Ruto's sixteen when we first met, aren't you? That mean we are the same age now."

I shut my mouth and looked at Weiss's face.

The day when we first met. Did she even remember the date? The spring holidays marked our beginning. The junkyard where time grounded to a halt, hidden between the mountains next to the sea. Ravel's piano concerto was what brought us together. And here we are now, as time flew by. Our hearts were stirred up by the memories.

As we lowered our head shyly from the brief exchange in sight, we were interrupted by the sudden knocks on the door.

"I am here with some snacks and tea."

It was Klein. He pushed a tall, sculptured, two-story metal trolley into the room. On the trolley were a long teapot, a basket full of freshly baked madeleines and an overflowing amount of soufflés.

"Wow… smells great."

"The slightly deformed madeleines at this side were done by Lady Weiss."

"T-That because I have never once baked a caked before so I wanted to try it!" Weiss stood up with a teary expression and quickly turned towards me with her face flushed red.

"I could not bring myself to watch on any longer, so I did the remaining half of the madeleines and all of the soufflés."

"Geez! Just go away, Klein! I'll brew the tea!"

A blushing Weiss stood up and chased Klein out of the room.

"Well then, I will be at the office on the first floor. Please give a scream if anything should happen. Mister Namikaze is a man after all."

"Whatever! Get out now!"

The two of us were left alone once more.

"Well, umm…" Weiss began serving me tea despite her fluster.

I was incredibly nervous as well. In the basket were what was said to be madeleines made by Weiss. Indeed. Four out of eight of the madeleines were in a rather peculiar shape.

"Umm, w-well, uhh, but…"

Weiss shook her hands in panic when she saw me grabbing the cakes made by her.

"You don't have to choose that deliberately! Umm, I do wish you can try it, but!"

"Don't worry, it's delicious. Really delicious."

Here I was, drinking afternoon tea with an all dressed-up Weiss in a rather out of this world room (and her's to boot)—how can anyone possibly remain calm after all that? However, having suffered from the preemptive embarrassment earlier, I managed to remain calm somehow. Moreover, I was not lying when I said the madeleines were delicious.

"This really good, at our home we rarely eat cake since my mom and my sister are hopeless when it comes to desserts."

"That is the only thing I know how to do. Klein just taught me today."

"The kitchen should be in a mess…"

"It's not!"

"No, sorry, I was just joking, really! Don't cry!" Weiss glared at me as she pouted her lips.

She so easy to tease, but she really cute with that expression.

Just as I was stuffing the fifth madeleine into my mouth, Weiss stood up all of the sudden. After wiping her hands carefully with a wet towel, she turned towards me.

"This is my birthday present for you."

"Eh?"

"I'll give it to you right now."

I froze on the spot with the half-eaten madeleine in my hand, as if I was appearing on the cover of a CD. Weiss's white figure floated away from me. Her pure-white dress as well as her silver-white long hair could be seen behind the gloomy piano with its black wings spread out wide. It felt like time would stop forever.

Weiss's blue eyes were fixed onto me.

"… Because we ran out of time back then."

It felt like Weiss's voice had waken me up from a long dream.

"I will play anything Ruto wants to hear."

I did not even notice the madeleine dropping into the teacup.

Weiss was about to play the piano for me. For me—and only me. A present that she could not give me if I did not come to her house—could she be referring to this?

Crap, I was clueless about my current situation. What was the expression on my face? Was I about to stand up? Did I let out a weird smile? A strange, warm sensation came gushing up from beneath my abdomen, making me feel uneasy.

Calm down. I tried my hardest to force myself back into the chair.

"And the first piece will be?"

"U-Umm…" My voice shrunk back within me.

I cleared my throat. What should I do? Was any piece fine? Really? Then I must choose something she did not release in her album. If only the orchestra is around, then I can get her to play the whole Brandenburg concertos. Or perhaps Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor. No, that is not quite possible to do, but how about Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel? Is she good with the works from the early romantic era? Will the organ works by Bach be better? How about—I came close to voicing my greedy desires a few times.

However, only one answer remained in my mouth. The first song I hope Weiss will play for me has to be none other than this.

"… Beethoven's Op. 81a."

Weiss flashed a faint smile when she heard my answer. But in the next instant, she faced herself towards the eighty-eight black and white keys, immersing her fingers, her wrists, her bones and her soul deeply into the icy monochrome world.

Her eyelashes lowered, her shoulders were swaying. I could not help but to stand up. I could see Weiss's slender fingers pressing onto the keys of a triad that symbolized goodbye.

Next came the whispers of the adagio.

Beethoven's Op. 81a. Piano Sonata No. 26 in E major, also known as the Les Adieux sonata. The first movement, where the friend left by riding on the allegro. With the train disappearing in the morning mist, the footsteps sounded so clear, but was filled with an indescribable sadness at the same time.

Why hasn't Weiss recorded this song before? I remembered she said that this is her most favorite piece out of all the pieces by Beethoven in a certain interview.

Was it because this is a song of goodbye? Would the story woven by Beethoven appear clearly before her eyes each time she played this song, bringing her pain as the result? Or does she fear her fingers will stop before she can even reach the final movement? However—the reasons did not matter any more.

Weiss was currently playing Les Adieux sonata. The emotional andante wandered around aimlessly amid the grey gloominess as it counted the number of days without the other half. As it sought for the exit like a ray of light, the pitch increased gradually before it was finally released. The left and right hands were seeking each other from the beginning. Their sounds then clashed, before breaking into a dance of happiness from the reunion. What a clear, simple and yet powerful harmony.

As I closed my eyes, it felt like the insides of my face were about to ignite.

Could the sounds of the piano be so intense to the point where it felt like it could sear my skin, and yet be so sweet like an intoxicating rain of liquor? Strange. This wasn't the familiar sounds of the instrument which I had listened to over thousands of times. Was this really the piano? Could it be the chirps from the magical bird due to the painful caress of Weiss's fingers? I moved myself forward unconsciously, attracted by the luster of the black wing.

Weiss hammered the final chord of the E major. She waited until the final remaining sound permeated itself into the air before lifting her fingers.

"… Ruto?"

I jumped in surprise from her call. Somehow, I was already leaning onto the side of the piano, my eyes fixed onto the keyboard.

"… Ah."

"Anything wrong? You don't like it?" I shook my head hard.

"How can that be? Just, how do I put it? In any case, it was amazing. Umm…" I couldn't speak. The genes of a music critic which I had inherited were laid bare for Weiss to see.

"What will the next song be?"

"Umm…"

It felt like my heart was right next to my ear—I could hear the thumping of my heart.

"W-What should I choose? I guess Bach will be the best. Well then, umm, Partita No.2 in C minor."

Weiss nodded. Each time I said the title of a song, Weiss would head towards the mysterious, pitch black and ivory world. It was a little saddening, but the songs which she wove there would captivate me again and again, preventing me from escaping. It started with a viscous question, followed by the confirmation in what felt like a repeated stampede on the frost and snow, before ending off with a fugue that expanded outwards in the brilliant sky and beneath the waters.

Ahh, that was—it was that unique piano. I finally understood. It was that piano. There was no mistake. From the fugue, I could hear the smell of the tides drifting in my direction. I could also hear the sounds of the gentle breeze rustling against the leaves. Also, there was the sound of the rusty bicycle wheel spinning in the air as well as the drops of rain knocking against the door of the fridge.

Well-Tempered Clavier, The Art of Fugue, The Musical Offering as well as Goldberg Variations. I could no longer differentiate which were the songs requested by me, and which of those were played by Weiss on a whim.

Weiss, who had been playing the piano silently all these while, finally rested her hands on her knees and heaved a heated breath towards the ceiling. The drops of sweat on her face were glittering in the light. From that gesture of hers, it looked like she was praying. I hesitated, wondering if I should call out to her.

Was it due to the exhaustion from those excessive practices? It looked like she was twisting her skinny body during the ending stretches of her playing. It was painful to watch.

A light smile appeared at the edges of Weiss's mouth. She slowly fixed her gaze onto my face.

"Hey, that piano."

Weiss's gaze blurred when I spoke, as though she was in a dream-like trance. She tilted her head slightly.

"Is that… the piano at the junkyard?"

Weiss leaned towards me happily. "You can tell from listening?"

"Yeah, because…" It was impossible for those sounds to be anything else. I've already heard it twice, and there is no way I'll ever forget it.

However, Weiss shook her head instead. "… That piano was Mama's."

I took in a deep breath.

"Klein moved it secretly to the villa for me, but Papa saw it when he came back to Japan, and he threw it away in anger. But I still visited Mama's piano for quite a number of times."

And that was how we met. The department store located between the valleys at the ends of the world.

"I could not go there frequently when I entered high school. Moreover, it could no longer be played due to the damages sustained from the rains, so I gave up in the end. However, Papa brought this piano for me not long ago."

Jacques did?

"The way I press the keys is really similar to the way Mama did. Mama's piano was custom made, and the keys were made really light. So Papa asked Yamaha to make an exact replica of the piano for me."

Weiss lovingly caressed the golden manufacturer's name carved above the keyboard.

"I really do not understand what is going on in his head. He is the one who threw it away, but he ordered another one to be made."

I thought I could understand it a little. Perhaps he gave his forgiveness some time ago. Not to his wife who separated from him, but to himself.

"This is inconceivable. I never thought I will have a chance to get it back."

The same piano as her mother's. The item Weiss yearned to get back. It was probably because it was Weiss's heartfelt desire.

"… Magic exists at that place, you know?"

"Magic? What?"

Weiss's locked her widened round eyes onto me and questioned me in seriousness. I became shy all of the sudden.

"Nothing."

"How can that possibly be? Explain properly."

Weiss's eyes grew serious all of the sudden. I was forced to tell the truth as she pressed me further—the name I secretly came up with for the junkyard.

"The Department Store of Hearts' Desires."

"… Why did you name it as that?"

"Why do you want to know…"

"Because it is a good name."

I could not help but to turn my gaze away. I was proud to receive her praise, but sadly it was a name which I borrowed from somewhere.

"Have you heard of the novel Norstrilia?"

Weiss shook her head. Right. It was not a novel one would normally read.

"It's a name found in that novel. If you can find your heartfelt desire, then that place will fulfill it for you regardless of what it is."

It was a book I read when I was young, so I could not quite remember the detailed contents—just a few names here and there. I remember it's a story about a youngster named Rod McBan, who finally got his hands on the collectors postage stamps and returned.

"Did you gave it that name because you are always there to get your spare parts?"

"Mmm, you're not wrong. I could fix almost anything that is broken so long as I make a trip to that place."

Weiss's eyes were sparkling as she looked at me. I could almost hear the howls of the wind located in my memories.

"Well then, did you find it? Your real desire."

The heartfelt desire.

"… I don't know."

"I've already found mine."

Weiss's desire?

Neither of us could ask the questions which followed after. Because that was the place where we met.

However, the fairy tale way of thought was not practical. Weiss's cheeks burned like the flames of a heater just from a brief exchange in our gazes. If I had said something, then perhaps the distance between Weiss's hands, whose fingers that were placed gently on the keyboard, and my hands, with wings sprouted on them, would gradually close down to zero—A shadow appeared on Weiss's face.

Were those eyes, which looked like the deep seas, trying to tell me something? It felt like my heart was gripped hard by something when I was about to question her, so I heaved a slow sigh instead.

"… Well," the dry sigh finally transformed itself into my voice. "There's a present… I'd like to give you as well."

For a moment, I thought Weiss would burst out in tears. However, she just lowered her eyes and nodded her head gently instead. I almost apologized to her.

I took the bag from beneath my coat.

When I passed her the wrapped present, I could see Weiss's watery eyes alternating between the ribbon and my hands.

"… Can I open this?"

"Mmm, umm, well, I'll like to introduce you to your present as well."

Weiss shot a surprised look at me. She then undid the ribbon and removed the wrapping. Her eyes widened when she saw the crimson jacket of the record.

"Sorry for how worn out it is. I could only get my hands on a second hand one."

"It's okay… I have never once listened to a full album of The Beatles."

"Do you have a player?"

Weiss nodded and led me to the sounds system at the side of the wall. She placed the black, round record into an aged but solid player and lowered the needle.

The cheers and applause of the audience came from the speakers as we sat ourselves down on the sofa. Weiss placed the jacket, which had a wildly colourful group image printed on it, on her knees. As she looked at the jacket, she asked, "Is this a live recording of a concert?"

"Nope. It's a studio recording."

What broke the cheers apart were the resolute beats and the guitar riffs.

"Back then, The Beatles were already worldwide superstars. They were surrounded by ardent fans and chased around by the media wherever they went, so they gradually became tired of the thought of a concert."

Paul McCartney finally began to sing. Crooning about the fictitious story about the roots of their music.

"However, they still love performing live. It's to be expected since they were a rock band. Therefore, they created a fictitious band and created a setting where it was the recording on the live performance of the band. And thus this record was created."

—Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. A fictitious name entrusted with their dreams. It was the name of the album, as well as the name of the first and last track in it.

Weiss sat next to me silently, allowing her body to sink into the sofa as she listened to Ringo Starr's voice which came after Paul's. The mike was finally passed to John Lennon. The brass section, orchestra, harpsichord, sitar… the lively instruments which could not possibly be accommodated on a real stage had all appeared in the fictitious stage and within the rock music.

I left my seat only once, and that was to flipped the record over to the "B" side. I didn't think Weiss even noticed when I returned back to her side.

The live gig was about to end. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band turned their ending speech into a song. An impromptu performance, but sadly, it was about time for us to part…

The song ended. The thundering cheers gradually died down. They were replaced quietly by the strums of the guitar and the piano which came in shortly after.

Somehow, I will always tear up when it reaches this part. Till this very day, I still cannot understand which part of the intro touches me.

Encore, A Day in the Life.

Body warmth came from the back of my hand.

They came from Weiss's fingers. She was playing on the back of my hand the same melody as the piano in the song.

Finally, the orchestra went into a crescendo. All instruments started off from the lowest note to the highest note, ignoring the clashing and grazing of the disharmony. It kept climbing and scaling upwards in their search for the light, even prying the clouds apart—shatter.

The harmony from the simultaneous strikes of the three pianos created a buzzing echo. The shattered fragments scattered across the surface of the sea.

Our hands folded together as we listened to the dying moments. Despite the fact that the sounds of the piano was totally sucked up by the air, the record did not end there. I could clearly hear the sound of footsteps and the scrapping of the chair against the floor.

Then, the silence was suddenly interrupted; not by a song or our words, but a rewinding sound. Weiss's hair flinched. She grabbed onto my hand tightly.

"… W-What is this?"

A melody loitering on the brink of existence, with a few voices played in reverse at the same time. The short verse repeated itself endlessly.

"Umm, this is called Sgt Pepper's Inner Groove. The inner groove of the record creates a repeating loop. The record will keep playing if you do not stop the player."

Thank god the record player in Weiss's house was an older model—I secretly heaved a sigh of relief. Also, I thanked Mom silently for locating another UK version of the vinyl record.

The records released by the US or Japan either ignored that feature, or it will not play repeatedly forever. Of course, the track in the CD version will simply fade away.

It has to be the UK version of the vinyl record.

"Why did they design it like this?" Asked Weiss while she looked at the record uneasily.

It felt a little embarrassing to reply to that with an answer prepared in advance. No no, then what was the purpose for me to ask Mom beforehand? I have to answer her properly.

My gaze fell onto the jacket—onto John, who was wearing a military band uniform and carrying a horn. I chose the appropriate words slowly.

"This is probably a prank by them. The Beatles loved to tease their audiences. They were probably saying 'It's over', but…"

I shifted my eyes to the tiny hand of Weiss that was resting on top of mine.

"Perhaps they actually did not want the fictitious concert to end. That's how I feel anyway."

I could feel Weiss's large eyes fixed on my cheeks.

"That's why I decided to give Weiss this record as your birthday present."

The concert will never end if she does not lift up the needle. A dream that could never be fulfilled in real life.

I sneaked a peek at Weiss when I was done with my explanation, came into eye contact with Weiss. Both of us lowered our eyes shyly to our overlapping hands.

Weiss gave an inaudible shriek and stood up with her face flushed red. She hid her right hand, which was originally placed above my hand, behind her back and shook her head as she stepped backwards.

"Sorry, umm…"

"I'll switch the player off."

Weiss ran towards the sound system, the hem of her dress fluttering around her. She lifted the needle up. Inner Groove came to a startling halt, destroying eternity. An awkward silence lingered between the two of us.

After slotting the record back into its jacket, Weiss returned back to the sofa with the record hugged before her chest. I was feeling a little uneasy. Did I make her happy?

"I thought… I heard something just now." I tilted my head.

"Well, I thought I heard an incredibly high-pitched sound prior to the repeating voices."

I was dumbfounded from surprise.

"… R-Really? Well, you are not wrong."

That was one of the childish pranks by The Beatles. Prior to the Inner Groove, they inserted a high-frequency tone which is supposed to be audible only to the dogs. She could hear that?

"Dogs? Why?"

"No idea. A joke of some sort, perhaps."

"Ah, perhaps because it is the band of Constable Pepper? That may be the dog whistle which summons the police dog."

Weiss's sounded a little hoarse. She was flipping the record around as she looked at it intently. I see, that was something which never came to me. No wait, he was a sergeant, not a constable, yeah?

"There are plenty of fun stuff on the cover as well. You can even see the arm badge and insignia of Sgt. Pepper. There's that fake beard as well."

When I drew out the cover, a simple and yet colourful print came into Weiss's view. A child-like smile appeared on Weiss's face. She must be really happy, right?

Finally, Weiss placed the cover back in place and hugged it tightly before her chest once more.

"… I'll"

"Eh?"

"I'll listen to it again later. Over and over again."

"Ah, oh, mmm."

"Thank you. I'm happy, really happy. Really really happy."

"Mmm, I know."

Weiss hugged the record and sat down next to me.

She was even closer to me than before, her shoulder coming into contact with mine. I could not shift the angle of my upper body.

Thank goodness, she looked elated. Having walked between the realms of nervousness and ease repeatedly, it felt like the bones in my body were about to shatter apart.

"Ruto, why…"

Weiss was murmuring next to my ears. The only thing I could do was to turn my face slightly towards her.

"Why do you always know what I want in an instant when it comes to music?"

W-was that so?

"But why do you not understand the thing that I really desire?"

I can't look, I'll get sucked in by her—I still turned my head around despite that thought of mine. I was immediately held captive by Weiss's deep blue eyes that were only about fifteen centimeters away from me.

What she really desires, huh.

Why? I knew all I had to do was to convert my answer into words, but I was unable to make a sound. I lacked the courage. It was just the end to the music. And yet I could not breathe.

I only had to convert them into words.

But somehow, Kagurazaka Senpai's words awakened in my mind at this very instant.

"This is what a confession of love means. What a scary thing it is."

"The rational fantasy people have on others will all be taken away gently by love."

It felt horrible just by imagining how I could no longer sit next to Weiss like how I would normally do if I were to say it all out. Isn't that something really scary?

We could interact with each other like what we are doing now if I chose to remain silent. Should I confess, then all that will be left between us are blades.

Moreover, I have not given Senpai a proper reply yet. Senpai did say she does not want to hear my answer, but that was not the point. There is no way I could say the same things to another girl without giving her any reply. I could not do it.

No, but I have to. Weiss's eyes were clouded by a sorrowful expression. I do not want her to put on this expressions any more. I have to say it.

Just as I was about to open my mouth—a shrill guitar riff came between Weiss and I. I sprang up in shock. With her hand flung away by my action, Weiss prevented herself from falling off by gripping onto the sofa.

"Ah, s-sorry!"

It was my handphone. And the incoming ringtone Revolution means —I remembered stuffing the phone into the pocket of my coat, so I rushed to the wall.

"Hi, young man. Sorry for interrupting, but I made the call since I have something important to tell you. Then again, I'll make this call regardless anyway."

On the other side of the phone was Kagurazaka Senpai musing away. I pressed my hand against the wall and lowered my head in dejection.

"Anything of importance?"

I could feel Weiss's eyes behind me. For some reason, I unconsciously turned my body around to block her from the sight of my phone and lowered my voice.

"I have a good news and a bad one. Which will you prefer first?"

I gave a sigh. It was a question I had heard from her countless times ever since I met her.

"Anything's fine. It should be roughly the same thing."

Senpai went silent for a while. Did I manage to surprise her? Damn, this felt so great.

"You are gradually metamorphosizing into a man of my preferences. Why is that so? You'll turn into an ordinary suave guy should you remove the problem of your denseness. Stop making my heart skip a beat."

"No no, what are you talking about?" Weiss's right behind me! I doubt she could hear the conversation through the phone, but she does possess a pair of incredibly sharp ears!

"In any case, it's like what you've said. We got through the auditions. I never expect the results to be out so soon. Hope it will be the best Christmas Eve yet."

I adjusted my grip on the phone.

We passed the audition. The good and bad news.

"… H-How's this a…" I tried my best to hold on. "So what's the bad news?"

"Your voice is trembling. That's really cute as well," Senpai giggled.

"Well then, please pass this message to Comrade Schnee behind you. Should you two step over the line today, that will mean that I have kissed young man indirectly as well. Please remember that."

"Kyouko~!" Weiss gave a furious shriek.

It looked like she actually heard us.

The call disconnected. Weiss hammered me hard on my back with her face and ears burning red. I was at my limits as well, so I could not look at Weiss properly in her face.

That ended up with me missing the chance to say those important words.

And that was my second mistake.

(◕ω◕✿)

I reached home about eight at night. When I opened the front door, I was immediately greeted by an earth-shaking Tarantelle by Chopin that was coming from the depths of the dark corridor, along with Mom's weird singing.

"Meat, meat, veggies! Meat, meat, veggies!"

"Mom, what the hell are you doing…"

Mom was circling the steaming hotpot and dancing like a lunatic with a bowl and a pair of chopsticks in her hand. Her face turned green when she noticed my presence.

"Hah? Hold on, Naruto. Why are you back home?"

"I am currently residing in this house," I went all polite for some reason.

I switched off the CD and took a glance at the contents of the pot. The meat was bubbling inside the gas stove hotpot. At the side of the hotpot was what looked like a plate of really expensive marbled beef.

"No, you see, I thought today you and Naruko would not be home, so I was thinking I should enjoy my super ultra special dish."

"What's the price of this beef? Per gram?"

"Six hundr… Hold on, Naruto! I'm sorry!"

"Mom, what did you said about the financial situation of our house again?"

"It's important to reward yourself occasionally, Naruto."

"But you has done nothing worth rewarding, have you!? And all you have here are meat and beer—you can't even call this a dinner!"

"Yeah, that's the reason why I was doing the veggie dance which I invented. Thirty minutes of that will net you about sixty lemons worth of vitamins. You want some Naruto? It's everyone's favourite Kushina-chan styled sukiyaki, made personally by yours truly—though there's only beer, soy sauce and meat! Simple and yet delicious!"

"Nope. I'm not hungry…"

I removed my coat weakly. It was not just due to the snacks I had in the afternoon. Lots of things happened today—the conversation with Weiss, listening to Weiss playing the piano… I was filled right up to my chest.

And then there was that beautiful finish from Kagurazaka Senpai. I gave a sigh, removed my tie and sank myself into the sofa.

The four of us would be spending Christmas together. That was final.

But I am truthfully happy about that. We are getting on yet another stage that was even higher. And it was just like what Senpai had said before: this time, it would be a night without the support from the audience. We cannot afford to make the slightest mistake.

The problem was, could we really make it past the practice and into the stage with our current chaotic states of mind? It was not like Kagurazaka Senpai had let it all go or something; instead, it felt more like she was impervious to that explosive confession she had made… and it was the three people by her side who were way more fidgety instead.

Did Weiss know about the confession that Senpai made? Ahhh, I should have asked her earlier today—no, that was impossible. There was no way I could do so in that situation.

The problem was, I did like Kagurazaka Senpai as well. No, I mean, well, I have been under her care all this while. She just like older sister to me. She was always there to push me from behind and led us forward in a very dependable manner. I was happy about Senpai's feelings for me, but there was no way I can reciprocate her feelings as I had Weiss in my heart.

I did want to tell Senpai that, but she avoided it simply with a "I understand, you don't have to take it to heart" look in her eyes. We even managed to make it through the auditions despite the ambiguous situation which we were in all this while. Kind of impressive, if I must say.

No—I can't drag this on any longer.

I couldn't say it because I was so damn useless. Today too. I couldn't tell Weiss the things that mattered. What was the reason I visited her house in the first place? This was just shameful of me.

"So you ran back here just like that? There's a sofa there, no? All you had to do was to push her down onto the sofa, isn't it? You wuss."

"No, that's something… What the hell are you talking about, Mom?"

I threw a cushion in the direction of Mom, who was walking into the living room with a can of beer in her hand.

"Those marbled beef was just heavenly. Now then, I'll have these strawberry-flavoured reports as my dessert. Which hand did you place on her shoulder?"

"Please, just get back to your work."

Mom grumbled unhappily as she opened up her laptop and sat on the sofa opposite of me. I went back to my room to change into my home wear. My shoulders were sore from the suit due to my unease wearing them.

Just then, I remembered about the cassette tape in the pocket of my suit. Weiss passed that to me just as I was about to leave her house. It was the final present for the day.

Then again, I could not listen to it in my room. Can't be helped, I'll have to go back to the living room.

"Mom, mind if I play a cassette tape?"

"Ah, did you actually record those mushy words between you two?"

"Of Course Not! what the hell are you thinking!"

I returned back to the sofa after pressing the play button. Some background noise, then the voice of the producer or recorder or something. Next was the lively melody of the violin, and supporting it was the simple arpeggio from the piano.

Mom lifted her head above the screen of her laptop. "… You got your hands on the sample tape?"

"Mmm."

"I see. Hmm, she's on par with Astolfo Icecolle even though she has not played for a long while."

It was Weiss's comeback album, performed together with Asto. She passed the sample tape to me. It was Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major—or more often known as Spring—and is typically paired up with Kreutzer. It is the most commonly seen combination, and the two pieces will probably be included in the album.

Rather than the smooth-flowing piece, I'd very much prefer to listen to the intense arguments between the two in Kreutzer or Violin Sonata No. 7 in C minor—I thought to myself as I cocked my ears to listened to the exchange of the crisp and clear melody in F major.

Something felt off when I reached the third movement, the Scherzo.

"… Weird?"

"Hey, what are you doing, Naruto? Don't reverse the tape!"

"Sorry, I want to listen to it once more."

I reversed the tape back to the start of the third movement and placed it once more. The strange feeling I had was gradually taking shape.

It was the same for the last movement as well. However, it was not too noticeable if it was from a slow moving piece like Spring. I forwarded the tape to the next piece.

An abrupt bursts of the chord in A Major. So the second piece is indeed Kreutzer. This should be enough to confirm my doubts. I sat before the sound box and focused my attention on the tarantella in the final movement played by Asto and Weiss.

"… What's wrong, Naruto?"

"Eh? Ah, nothing."

Was it just my imagination? I rewound the tape back to the middle portion of the tarantella.

"… The way Weiss strikes the keys with her right hand… doesn't it feel like something's not quite right?"

Mom tilted her head and gave it a thought. So it was just my imagination? But the strange feeling was way more intense than what I felt during Spring.

"It's even more obvious towards the later movements. Like the way she pressed the keys down forcefully after striking the key."

What's this? It's just like… yes—it was like she's using the force of her shoulders to assert strength on her fingers in order to compensate for the lack of strength in her wrist. The transfer of the force was delayed, thus resulting in the murkiness of the sounds.

I shivered.

Mom sat on the floor, shuffled her way next to me and pressed herself against the sound box. We rewound the tape and replayed it once more.

"You're right. Some of the notes sounded sticky towards the end of the piece."

No, that was not it. That was not the main thing. There was something more important than that.

"Hey, you've got the better pair of ears, Naruto. You sure about this? Is it really only from her right hand?"

I nodded as Mom shook me by my shoulders. It was just her right hand.

That glass-like right hand of Weiss. Why was this happening?

She played quite a few pieces for me today right before my eyes, but I did not notice anything out of place back then.

No… hold on a second. All of the songs I heard today were Bach's compositions other than Les Adieux sonata, and they were all piano pieces that were around three minutes in length. She took rests in between the pieces as well.

However, the pieces recorded in the tape are songs by Beethoven. The movements of Kreutzer were all very long. Moreoever, Weiss did not play solo. It was a duet with Asto. She did not have the option of playing at her own pace.

So, that was what caused… a relapse of her injury?

"I'm surprised you noticed something like that." Mom shook her head and stood up. "I better give Jacques a call. Just in case."

"Eh? Ah, w-wait."

"What?"

I myself had no idea why I stopped Mom.

"What if it is a relapse? Better safe than sorry."

A relapse. I gulped. No, but that was caused by psychological issues. There should be nothing that is restraining Weiss's fingers right now.

I then recalled the words of Deidara. She was putting way too much strain on her wrist. If she used the strenuous way of playing the guitar, and coupled that with an increasing amount of piano practices, then it might not be a relapse—not a psychological issue. But a possibility that is way more cruel.

In any case, I should ask Weiss first. It'll be great if everything was fine.

However, Mom had already made the call while I was entangled in my chaotic thoughts. The conversation ended quickly though.

"Jacques's not around, so I asked Sieben to pass the message instead."

Oh yeah, Jacques was not in. I heaved a sigh of relief. I guess it was better not to let Jacques know? It must have been my mistake. I rewound the tape once more. Would I realize it was just all an illusion of mine if I turned the volume down? I pressed the play button with that naive thought in mind.

However, there was no way I could erase that strange feeling after noticing its presence.

(◕ω◕✿)

"Well then, even though Comrade Schnee is not here yet, let us have a toast. Please raise your cup."

It was the next day, and that was what Kagurazaka Senpai, the earliest member to reach the practice room, said when I made my way there. She passed Chiaki and I a paper cup each and poured the contents in the bottle into the cups.

"Wait, this is liquor, isn't it?"

"You hate whiskey? I have sake too."

"That's not the point. We have lessons later!"

"More!" said Chiaki. She downed it all in a gulp before I could even stop her.

"Fwuaaa! It's just barley tea!"

"We'll be punished and disbanded if they found out," smiled Senpai. "But I want some real liquor! It won't do if I do not drink a cup or two!"

Chiaki knocked her paper cup against the desk. She was not in a good mood since I met her at the train station.

"… Something happened?"

"Of course!"

"What?"

"Uhhh—Senpai, did you hear the dumb things Naruto said?"

Senpai hugged the teary-eyed Chiaki and patted her head gently.

"It's no good to drown yourself in alcohol, Comrade Aihara. We finally made it past the auditions and won ourselves a brief happiness from our victory last night, so we should be hugging each other in joy right now."

"Mmm, I won't be attending lessons today. I want to be together with Senpai all day."

"I am happy with that thought of yours, but the diligent me will attend my lessons obediently."

"Then I want to attend lessons together with Senpai…"

"You want to hide yourself in my skirt?"

"I'll do my best!"

"Don't! What the heck are you girls doing?"

"Are you interested in joining us, Comrade Schnee?"

Senpai directed her gaze beyond my shoulders. I turned back in surprise.

A small slit appeared at the door, and a pair of blue eyes were peeking into the room. Senpai walked past me and Chiaki towards the door, grabbed Weiss by her wrist and pulled her in.

"Ah, don't…"

Weiss's tiny body was enveloped by Senpai's arms in a flash.

"Since the four of us are here, let us have another toast."

Weiss broke herself free from Senpai's arms and retreated to the side of the wall. She then removed the guitar off her body. The four of us exchanged gazes for a brief moment, but we broke our eye contact immediately.

In the end, there was no change in our relationships.

I suddenly noticed Chiaki glaring at me fiercely. What, did I do something wrong?

Chiaki turned her head away unhappily and pulled the table to the middle of the room.

"Toasting with barley tea is of no importance! Let's begin with our battle plans!"

"Right, it's about time we think about the songs that we will be playing during the actual performance."

Weiss nodded her head silently and sat on one of the stools.

"What should the theme of our next performance be? We should take the opportunity to coordinate our clothes as well."

"Since it's Christmas eve, how about all of us show up in a Santa mini-skirt?"

"No, that does not suit me."

"All the mini-skirt Santa in the world will be out of job if Weiss is incompatible with that costume."

"Young man, how about you wear a normal mini-skirt as well? Or perhaps you should dress up as a reindeer? What a painful decision to make."

"Kyouko, that's not normal at all."

"I'll design the new set of clothes."

The girls began their discussion. I leaned against the wall and listened. Before I realized it, I was already staring at Weiss's right hand. There were so many things that require my attention, but I could not even move an inch.

However, Weiss did not come for the practice after school, and that was because she received a call right after the lessons were over. She dashed out of the classroom when her phone rang, but I remembered that ringtone. It was Jacques.

"Sorry, I am not too sure what is going on, but Papa wants me to head home right now." Said Weiss to Chiaki and I apologetically.

I was shocked. Mom should have informed Jacques via Klein about my baseless doubts. Is that the reason for this? I mean, Jacques's a worrywart when it comes to things concerning Weiss.

Actually, it might be things related to the record company or the producers or something.

Doesn't that make me the same as Jacques as well? That kind of hurts.

"You're about to release your CD soon, right? Weiss will be getting busier and busier."

"M-Mmm… the album is scheduled to release some time early next year."

"Your concert too?"

"I guess it will be somewhere later. But…" Weiss gripped Chiaki tightly by her hands. "I'll definitely continue practicing with the band. I'll not cause any inconveniences to anyone of you."

"Mmm, I understand." Chiaki patted Weiss hard on her head. "But don't force yourself. Weiss is always reckless in the things you do."

"Mm…" Weiss's face went red. She walked out of the classroom after shooting a brief glance at me.

"How's that!" Chiaki puffed her chest as if to emphasize something.

"… What?"

"What a mature adult I am. I'll put on a smile regardless of the pain I am feeling; I'll cheer my enemy on even if my heart is bleeding."

"Sorry, I don't quite understand what—"

Stars appeared before my eyes all of the sudden—Chiaki had sunk her knee deep into my stomach. She gave me no time to catch my breath. The second and third strike followed right after.

"Wait! Don't… stop! Chiaki, it hurts! What the hell are you doing!?"

"Nothing! Alright, let's head to the practice room! Naruto you idiot!" After she was close to knocking me out, Chiaki dragged me by my hands along the corridor.

"It's Christmas soon, so there're lots of things to be done!"

That was right. Therefore, I should settle everything before Christmas arrives. The things related to Senpai. Or those related to Weiss. And the band, of course.

I began running on the corridor to Chiaki's lead. Through the windows, I could see the small silhouette and the yellow hair cutting across the parade square before the gates, about to make her way out of school.

Back then, there was nothing more than just a fleeting unease in my heart. Little did I know that the audition would turn out to be the swan song of feketerigó.

(◕ω◕✿)

Asto called on Weiss's second day of absence from school. It was lunch break then. I jumped up from my seat when I saw the name of the caller that appeared on my phone, which attracted stares from my classmates. I dashed out of the room into the corridor.

"Ruto? Umm, right now—"

"—Asto? Is that you? Thank god, I finally got in touch with you. Umm, it's about Weiss. Do you know what happened to Weiss? She missed school, she did not pick up any of my calls, and when I went over to her house, I was turned away by —"

"—Calm down, Ruto. There's something I have to tell you in regards to this. I went to France due to some matters, so I did not receive your calls. Sorry for that. Also…"

Asto's voice felt really heavy, and that caused the uneasiness to spread wider and wider within me.

"Do you know where Weiss is? Where is she?"

"Well, I'll fill you up when we meet. Hey, calm down. There's nothing to worry about."

"Why are you…"

"Are you free in the evening? Or at night? I can wait for you till really late."

"Of course I am. Where are you right now? Can I go over to your side?"

"Sorry, I am in Tokyo right now. Umm…"

Asto told me about a practice room used by the orchestra, which is very well known in Japan. Mom brought me to the place once before, so I should be able to find the place with the aid of my cellphone.

"I'll head there right now."

"Eh? But your classes…"

I disconnected the call. I turned my head around. Chiaki was standing next to the door with her arm leaning against it, her eyes filled with unease.

"Did you contact Weiss?"

I nodded my head hazily. Well, I did not really come into contact with the real Weiss.

Damn it, why is everyone not clear and straightforward about this? After leaving school early, Weiss never showed up ever since. She did send me two short messages though.

"I am on leave due to work."

"Sorry, I am currently in Tokyo. I'll explain when I return."

And that was all. She refused to take my calls. Chiaki and I did pay a visit to the Schnee household, but Klein said, "Lady Weiss is not around as she is currently in Tokyo to meet Maestro Jacques. I do not know the reason for her doing so."

She prevented us from entering the house. Was she going to disappear without saying anything yet again? I felt a shiver in my spine. That won't happen—that was what I wanted to believe. That will never happen again. Was she together with Asto right now? Did something happen?

"In any case, I'll head over to find out."

Chiaki's eyes widened.

"W-Where are you going? We still have classes in the afternoon!"

"I don't care!"

"—Naruto!"

My wrists were restrained just as I was about to run out of the room. I was about to fling my arms in reflex, but I froze on the spot when I saw Chiaki with her teary eyes.

"… Ah."

A murky voice escaped from Chiaki's trembling lips. The grip of her fingers loosened and slipped away weakly off my wrist.

"… I'm sorry, it must be because… it's Weiss. Naruto's giving his all because it's about Weiss."

"Chiaki…?"

"It's nothing," Chiaki gave me a kick in the ass. "Get going!"

But you're the one who grabbed me, no? However, upon seeing Chiaki trying her hardest to hold her tears back, I swallowed the words back into my throat and turned away in silence.

I rushed onto the train in my uniform and transferred onto the fast line that led to Zushi at the terminal. It took me about an hour to reach Shinagawa. I noticed the gaze from the passengers only when I was panting while grabbing onto the handles.

What was going on? I took a brief scan around me and realized everyone was in warm winter attires. I rushed out of school without my coat on, and yet I did not notice the freezing temperature around me. I loosened my tie and slipped it into my chest pocket. I took out my cellphone and opened up Weiss's messages which I had read for countless number of times. The messages did not look out of the ordinary. What exactly happened? Did it really have to do with her right hand?

As I flipped the phone shut, I could feel the pain as I gritted my teeth. I counted the sounds of the train rumbling on the railway in order to calm myself down. I almost missed the Shinagawa station as I was deep in thought with my eyes closed, so I slipped my body past the closing doors and got myself off the train.

Calm down. It would be incredibly silly of me if I were to get myself lost or encounter some sort of mishap right now. I confirmed the position of the practice room via the navigation system of my cellphone and walked out of the ticketing gates.

As the winds howled past my ears and my neck, I was finally hit with regret over the decision of not bring my coat along with me. I began running past the passer-bys with their faces hidden in the shadows.

The practice room was located in a residential area where there were not many high-rise buildings around. It was a pretty modern-looking cubic structure, very easy to spot. Should I just go to the information counter and mention Asto's name? Or should I give Asto another call? Would he be able to receive my call in the music studio—these doubts vanished immediately the moment I walked into the lobby.

The pink-haired silhouette which was all huddled up in the sofa next to the elevator sprang up right away the instant he saw me.

"—Ruto!"

Asto rushed towards me with his eyes all puffy. It was obvious he was crying not too long ago.

"Y-You really came right away. Sorry, umm, Maestro Jacques is not here yet."

"Jacques? You're meeting Jacques here? So Jacques's the one who wants to speak with me? Is Weiss together with him? Hey, what on earth…"

"Ruto, it hurts. Let go… of me."

I snapped back to reality and saw my fingers digging hard into Asto's frail shoulders.

"I-I'm sorry, but Weiss…"

"Let's get inside. It's not convenient here."

Asto scanned the lobby with his teary eyes. The lady at the information counter was approaching us in shock, but Asto waved his hand to show that he was alright. He then grabbed my hands and pulled me away. My brain had finally cooled down a little. What the hell was I doing in the lobby?

We went up two stories and walked into what looked like a reception room. In it was a glass table, two short sofas, a very plain bookshelf and some other simple furnitures. Photos of the past conductors were hanging neatly on the walls, staring down at us.

Asto sighed and stood behind the sofa as rested himself by pressing his hands against it. He was in his male attire today—a simple wool sweater and long pants, which further emphasized how slim he was.

"Sorry for frightening you…"

I started off with an apology. Thinking back, my attitude was kind of scary ever since I received Asto's call. However, Asto wiped the bottom of his eyes with the back of his hand and forced a smile on his face.

"I should be the one apologizing to Ruto instead."

"Why…" Was it related to Weiss?

"Umm…" Asto's sight landed on my fingertips. "It's not too appropriate for me to explain, and Maestro Jacques should be here soon."

"Has the condition of Weiss's right hand… deteriorated?"

I looked straight into Asto's eyes, which were crystal clear due to his tears. I knew my premonition was correct long before he nodded his head.

"Ruto's the only person who noticed. I-I am such a failure. I did not notice anything despite the multiple practices and rehearsals with her. It's all my fault."

Asto's fingers, which he was using to lean against the back of the sofa, was trembling slightly.

"Why? It's not Asto's fault—"

"They were checking her up for the past two days. I am not quite sure about the details, but her wrist… the joint of her wrist was injured. Because she had been using the force of her wrist to cover up for her lack of strength in her fingers."

I was not the least bit surprised, and I did find that to be really intriguing.

Perhaps it was because I had already guessed it. I had prepared myself mentally before he blew the news to me. From the time when I ran from the school to the train station, and while I was on the train… no wait, perhaps I noticed it when Weiss stopped coming to school… or did I predict all this ever since I noticed something was wrong with the sample tape?

Asto's words were reverberating in the canals of my ears. Using the force of her wrist to cover up for her lack of strength in her fingers. That was not the piano. There was no way she could play the piano with such a technique. But—she could if we're talking about the guitar. That was possible.

"… Should this continue, there is a possibility that her right hand will never be able to move."

Asto covered his face with his hands and continued.

"It's all because I… I did not teach her the correct way of playing the guitar."

It felt like his voice was gradually sinking into a mire.

"Weiss might have been playing the guitar like she used to even after her fingers were fully healed… and since she has begun with her piano practices once more…"

An irritating metallic sound came from my back—the opening of the door. However, I forced myself not to turn around.

"—So you are already here."

With that said, his footsteps began to close in towards me. I turned my head stiffly around, and there stood Jacques with a heavy coat on his body. He was looking at Asto and me sternly. I wanted to greet him, but it felt like I was having difficulty controlling my head.

"You should have heard it from Asto."

I planned to reply with a "Yes", but the voice which seeped out of my throat sounded more like a screech caused by the blackboard duster scraping past the strings of the violin.

"Why are both of you standing? Take a seat."

Asto and I could not move despite his invitation. Jacques heaved a sigh.

"She went for a second check this morning. I am forbidding her from touching a guitar ever again."

My feet moved on reflex as I walked towards Jacques. However, when I saw him pursing his lips painfully as he shifted his gaze away, the words that were flowing up my throat had all changed into nothing more than a helpless sigh.

"I'll send her to America as quickly as possible. We can't have her losing the piano as well."

A certain uneasy feeling was gushing up within me. I dug my fingers deep into my arm in order to hold myself back. What about the Christmas? Everyone's going onto the stage, no? Chiaki and Kagurazaka Senpai had worked hard to have the best Christmas eve ever, and even Weiss as well—I swallowed my words. It was pointless telling Jacques stuff like that.

"I understand your feelings."

Jacques's voice were dry as usual, but I could feel his warmth.

"The band has made it through the auditions, didn't it? That girl told me all about it. She must have been elated for her to be telling me that without me asking."

I didn't want to hear that from him. It might have been selfish of me, but that sweet memory should have been kept to her father himself.

"However, I hope you understand."

"… I … do understand." I spat the words out after much difficulty.

It felt like I was a criminal who had his sentence announced to him. All the practices which would put a strain on her hand will be stopped immediately. She will be heading to America for her treatment and rehabilitation. That will be the best for Weiss.

Even if it meant that she'll never be able to play the guitar ever again.

"The doctors said it shouldn't take long for her rehabilitation. One month. She should be able to resume her studies if we time it to the winter holidays. However, for the guitar…"

Why must you say those things with an apologetic face? An indescribable anger was surging up within me. You should be speaking to me in an unreasonable manner. Who should I direct my hatred to if you're speaking with reason?

I clenched my fist hard, to the point where my nails were almost cutting the skin of my palms. I waited silently for my unreasonable anger to subside.

"I am really sorry for causing you to make this trip down. Weiss's being all willful, saying she does not want you to know about it, but how can that be possible? I wanted to tell you personally at the Namikaze's residence, but I have a discussion with Weiss's records company coming up after this."

"Where's… Weiss? Where is she… right now?"

"She's waiting in the car."

My heart ache as if there were nails flowing into it.

Weiss came. The desire to meet her and thoughts of what I should say to her after we met were all mixed up within my veins, causing my vision to darken. I almost knelt down.

"I am sorry, but I think it's for the best that you two do not meet for today."

I nodded my head in agreement to what Jacques had said. Just then, a flurry of footsteps could be heard from the corridor. The door opened all of the sudden.

"Papa, I heard Ruto's here—"

Weiss froze right as her eyes came into contact with mine. The only that was moving was Weiss's trembling lips. For some reason, her deep blue dress looked very much like a mourning dress. A portion of my brain was actually observing Weiss calmly in an unnatural way.

"W-Why?"

Weiss's voice was like the final leaf left hanging from the tree branches in winter.

"Why is Ruto here?"

"I asked him to come here."

Asto, who had been sitting silently on the sofa all these while, finally spoke.

"Asto told him everything."

Jacques added with a painful voice. Weiss's face turned white in a flash.

"Why!? I told you not to tell Ruto, didn't I? Asto's an idiot! Dummy!"

Weiss bent her body and screamed as she gripped onto the handle of the opened door. Even though my eyes were fixed onto her, for some reason, I knew Asto's face was contorting in sorrow despite him standing behind me.

"Weiss, there's no point in blaming Asto."

Weiss swung her hair about as she rejected her father's words.

"I'll be participating in the performance regardless of what Papa says! Everyone… everyone has been practising hard, so how can I put it all to waste!? Definitely not!"

In my mind was the sound of Earth fissuring up. Jacques's face turned red in anger as he gave a roar, probably something along the lines of "What are you talking about, you idiot?", but I could no longer process the sounds naturally. The only thing I could see was Weiss's lips trembling from the remnants of her pained voice, as well as her blue eyes which vision were blurred due to her tears.

"Ruto! You must not say it!"

Her voice stabbed into my heart once more.

"You must not tell Chiaki and Kyouko. Please. I'll play the guitar properly, I'll definitely last through the whole performance."

"What… are you talking about?"

It felt as though I was tossed into a shattered world. I was not even certain if I was speaking right.

"It's your hand we are talking about, you know? You may never be able to play the guitar ever again, much less a live performance."

"I c-can still move it, it does not hurt at all. It's okay, it's just that my hand tires easily."

"Weiss!" I could finally hear Jacques's voice.

"Did you not hear what the doctor said? It's even more dangerous because there are no obvious signs and symptoms! Stop being willful!"

"I must get on the stage! I've decided already!"

With that said, Weiss retreated and slammed the door hard. I could hear the sounds of her distancing footsteps coming from the other side of the wall.

"Do not follow us. You should head home for now." Jacques yelled and stopped me just as I was about to run towards the door, dashing out of the room right after.

The footsteps of them both were once again blocked off by the door. My hands, which were reaching out for the door, slumped down weakly by my sides. Was there nothing I could do? Even if I caught up to her, was there nothing I can say to Weiss?

A sob came from behind me. I turned around and saw a tearful Asto pressing against the back of the sofa. He stood up after much difficulty.

"… It's all… my fault." The painful words flowed along with his tears.

No, it was not Asto's fault, Asto was not in the wrong here. I could not tell him these falsified words of consolation—because the person who gave Weiss her guitar was none other than Asto. So the only thing I could do was to walk to his side and support his body before he collapsed onto the floor.

"Sorry, Ruto. I'm sorry…"

The young violinist buried his face into my chest and cried. I buried my hand between his pink hair and hugged him tightly. If I did not do that, I would probably have knelt on the floor, covered up my ears and sank myself into darkness as well.

(◕ω◕✿)

Burying my body into the seat of the train, I traveled two loops around the Yamanote line which I had taken by mistake. I then finally transferred to the correct line and returned home.

As I walked out of the station, I grabbed my cellphone to look at the time. Five in the afternoon; no wonder it was so dark already. As for my missed calls, six of them were from Chiaki and one was from Senpai. The hazy and unreal stress, which I was feeling behind my ears all this while, suddenly pressed itself onto my shoulders.

Just as I was about to slip the phone into my pocket, it rang.

"Geez! You finally picked it up! Are you back? Did you see Weiss?"

"Eh? Yeah…"

Chiaki's ear-piercing voice made me feel at ease. I was no longer sure where my heart was.

"I saw her. I went to the orchestra's practice room. Asto, Jacques and Weiss were all there."

"… Did something happen? You—" Chiaki's voice shriveled all of the sudden.

I recalled the painful cries of Weiss. I can't tell Chiaki and Senpai. Therefore, I switched my cellphone to my left hand, took a gulp and sat down on the stairs of the station, where there were not too many people.

"It's nothing huge. Well, you know, Weiss was chased about by reporters some time ago, right? It looks like the paparazzi are on her tail yet again."

I said it as slowly as I could to prevent my voice from splitting or rising in pitch.

"They chased her to her house, so she is currently hiding in a hotel in Tokyo. I think they wanted some help from Mom, but they could not contact her, so they asked Asto to give me a call." Incredible, I am lying through my teeth without even thinking.

As I spoke to Chiaki, my voice and heartbeat began to steady themselves. I never thought I had a talent as useless as this. I'm the worst.

"I misunderstood things and went all the way to Shinagawa. What an idiot I was."

"Is that… so? Thank goodness…"

When I heard Chiaki's warm and gentle voice, my chest hurt as though it were pierced by a drill. She believed me, she actually believed me. I guess so, since I was the only person who had felt something was wrong with her right hand when I heard the violin concerto—but I guess that was to be expected.

"Why didn't she give me a call? That's so mean! Senpai is worried too!"

"Y-Yeah."

I tried to conjure up an excuse as if I was wringing the towel dry.

"Because it seemed like the reporters were checking up on the band as well. Weiss said she doesn't want to trouble you. And if you knew where she was, you might have forced your way to her place to meet up with her."

"Naruto's the only idiot who will do stuff like that!"

You're right. I'm the only idiot who will do that.

"And so? Will she be coming back tomorrow?"

"Eh? Ah, umm, I'm not too sure. It probably won't be long."

What now? How long is Weiss planning to keep this a secret? It's quite impossible to do so forever. Why am I lying as she had asked me to?

"Let's work on our outfits then, alright? I've got a really interesting idea, so I'll bring along the sample tomorrow."

"Mmm, I got it. Umm, can you explain everything to Kagurazaka Senpai for me?"

"Naruto, you should tell her yourself—"

"Nah, she'll scold me silly if I'm the one telling her."

Chiaki gave a giggle.

"Okay, I got it. I'll pass the message for you. Will you be coming back to school later?"

"Ah…" Right, I left my coat and my bag at school. "Mmm, I'll be there later."

I hung up the call and slid the phone into my pocket. As of now, it felt like my hands were coming into contact with some sort of stinking oil or something.

The reason I asked Chiaki to pass the message was because Senpai would see through my lies in an instant. Then again, I had to make the trip back to school. It felt really horrible. I couldn't even stand up. Then again, if I were to head straight home, Chiaki would definitely deliver my stuff to me, and that would make things awkward.

I sat myself in a corner of the stairs and buried my head between my legs for a good ten minutes till the cold seeped through my body. It was difficult to stand up even with the aid of the handlebar.

The next day, Weiss did not show up for the morning practice as well.

"Weiss's not coming today as well? But I made a new T-shirt already." Said Chiaki unenthusiastically as she adjusted the bass drum's pedal after the three of us were done with tuning.

"Hmm, I'm not too sure either." I made a few calls yesterday night, but she never picked up any of them.

After tuning her instrument carefully, Kagurazaka Senpai spoke. "Young man, you have something to say to me, right? If you want, we can head to a place where we will be by ourselves."

A shiver ran down my spine. Senpai said that in a half-jokingly manner, but there was no hint of mischief in her eyes.

Does Senpai know something? It's her we're talking about. It's possible that she found the whereabouts of Weiss and what happened to her right hand during the two days I was moping.

No, there's no way she would remain silent if she knew. Because— feketerigó can never fly again.

"Senpai's avoiding my words regardless of what I have to say, right? I have given up already." I continued my lie and even put on a smile.

Why is this so? I'm not too sure myself. There was no way I could look into Senpai's eyes; a pair of eyes which could see through everything. Therefore, I heaved a sigh of relief when she directed her attention towards Chiaki.

"It's unlikely we'll agree with your suggestion, but let's just see the clothes you've come up with this time, Comrade Aihara."

"That's just mean, Senpai! I'm planning to give Weiss a huge surprise, so I shall keep things a secret for a little while longer."

I listened to their reassuring conversation from afar and pretended to spend the bulk of my time tuning my bass. The bells rang soon enough. Weiss was not in class as well. She did not show up even after we were done with our homeroom or after our lessons had started. It's already the fourth day, and I was bombarded with questions like "Our Princess is not in school today as well, does Naruto know why?" from my classmates, including Nibutani.

What's going on? Is she still undergoing checks? Or did Jacques lock her up in their house? That is highly possible, judging from what she had said yesterday before we parted. She said she will definitely participate in the live Christmas concert. What the heck was she thinking? There's the possibility of her not being able to move her right hand.

She wouldn't fly to America without informing us, would she? No, Jacques should be busy with preparations for his performance of Beethoven's ninth. It should be okay for her to attend school, right? I wanted to see Weiss so badly. I wanted to see her.

The rest of my morning lessons were spent on gripping hard onto my desk and enduring the uneasy thoughts I had within me. I had no appetite during lunch break, so I passed my lunch box to Chiaki. I then headed towards the office to pick up the keys to our practice room.

"Oh, Naruto. Good timing."

I was caught by someone at the entrance to the office. It was Hiratsuka Sensei, the music teacher and advisor of the Folk Music club. She looked visibly tired. It was quite a waste of her young and beautiful face, which was perfectly suited to tricking the male students in school.

"Weiss's here at the music preparatory room." She whispered.

I jumped in surprise and looked at Hiratsuka Sensei's face.

"I heard the details from Maestro Jacques. You should head over for now. I have to make a trip to the administration office."

I nodded my head stiffly.

"You said nothing to Kagurazaka or Aihara about Weiss's right hand, right?" asked Hiratsuka Sensei in a hushed tone.

"… Yeah, Weiss said not to tell them."

"Even so, it's not possible to keep it a secret forever."

Hiratsuka Sensei's right, but the only thing I could do is to keep my lips tight.

"Think about what you can do."

As she gave me a slap on the back, I dashed in the direction of the stairs.

(◕ω◕✿)

Located at the fourth story of the school building to the right of the music room's metal door is a sliding door—that's the music preparatory room. A place no student will enter under normal circumstances. Hiratsuka Sensei's territory, to be exact.

As I opened the door, my eyes were greeted by rays of the sun amidst the winter noon due to the opened curtains. The snow colored hair was waiting on the other side of the piano, which had taken up half the space of the cramped room.

Weiss stood up before the backlighting. She opened her eyes wide and shifted her chair backwards. Her hair was fluttering, the scores in her hand dropped onto the floor. I was expecting her to hit me with some harsh words, but all Weiss did was to lower her eyes and sit back onto the chair.

I stepped into the room, closed the door and leaned against the wall on the left in order to avoid the rays from the window. Both of us remained silent for quite a while. I could almost hear the sun inching across the sky.

"… Sorry." Weiss finally spoke. "For what happened yesterday."

I shook my head. She apologized first, and that caused me to be filled with guilt.

"Asto… he's not… angry, right?"

"He wasn't, but he cried."

Back then, Asto refused my offer to send him back home. He dashed out of the reception room. I then collapsed onto the sofa helplessly, unable to move for a while.

"Asto… he's not in the wrong." Weiss shifted her gaze to her opened right hand and murmured. "This is not Asto's fault. I'll come up with something."

"You'll come up with something?"

"I just have to hold past the live Christmas performance."

"You're still saying stupid things like that?" I moved towards the piano subconsciously.

"Now's not the time to be thinking about the concert, is it? You might not even be able to play the piano ever again!"

"Why does the piano matter…" Weiss said that subconsciously and reflexively gripped onto her arm with her right hand. She swallowed her words. "I-I do know it's really silly of me to be thinking this way, but…"

"If that's the case, then…"

"But I want to take part in the concert! I don't want to be unable to play the guitar!"

"That's why I am telling you not to push yourself. What if you really break that hand of yours?"

"It doesn't matter even if I break it!"

My heart was pierced by Weiss's words.

With her right hand pressing on the area above her heart and her eyes filled with tears, Weiss continued.

"Because, I am doing it all for Ruto…"

"For me…?"

"That applies to the piano, and it's the same for the guitar. I am playing them for Ruto's sake. My hand's as good as broken if I cannot perform on the same stage as you. I cannot accept the fact that Chiaki and Kyouko can perform together with you, but not me."

I stumbled against the icy cold wall.

"Why… are you willing to go through such lengths?"

What the hell was I asking? Am I an idiot? It felt as though there was a calm persona in my mind that was giving me a hard kick to the skull. Weiss's face looked as if it was melting.

"Why? You're asking me why? Do you not have the slightest idea at all?"

That was enough to shatter me, who was already filled with cracks all over.

"Wait, Weiss. I'm sorry—"

"Say no more!" Weiss covered her ears and screamed. "I do not need your concern! I do not want to hear that from you!"

"Then what should I do?"

"I don't know! I don't know!" Weiss hugged her head and slumped onto the piano's chair once more. Her shoulders were trembling violently.

The world felt light all of the sudden. The walls, bookshelves, piano and chair were all flying around me. What's happening? I looked around in bewilderment before realizing that I had collapsed onto the floor. I leaned against the wall and straightened my legs.

It felt like every ounce of my strength was sapped away by the icy floor.

Why have things turned out this way?

Is it because of my inability to express myself properly? Does Weiss know about Kagurazaka Senpai's confession as well as my inability to reject her decisively, and how I have been pushing the conclusion further back all the time?

Even if she did not know about it, Weiss still celebrated her birthday with me despite the uneasiness within her from all my excuses for not moving forward. She was trying her hardest to stand on the same stage with me on Christmas. I'm the worst.

There's nothing I can say now which will be of help to Weiss's right hand. Our Christmas is totally wreaked already. There's no salvaging it. Still, I straightened my knees and stood myself up. I supported myself against the edge of the piano's cover.

"Weiss."

Her frail shoulder flinched.

"Your…"

The words following that were stuck on the edge of my mouth, not knowing where they should be going. They then arrived at a freezing place.

"Your body is way more important. The Christmas concert will be there every year, but your right hand is irreplaceable. You have to get it treated."

What the hell was that? I wasn't planning to nag at her. There should be something else that I wanted to say. Weiss's swayed her silver hair.

"I know that. Please do not say the same things as Papa did."

I could not even touch her shoulders despite the close distance within us. I froze on the spot.

"I know that. Of course I do. But Ruto may not be around for the next Christmas."

"How can that be…" I swallowed my words.

I am the cause of the unreasonable unease within her, isn't that so? I was at a loss for words as Weiss hugged her shoulders and huddled herself up. There was a long period of silence between us for god knows how long. When Weiss stood up, the sun was still lurking somewhere around the roof of the sports complex. It did not move an inch.

"Where… are you going?"

I was forced to pop the question when I saw Weiss squeezing past the narrow gap between the piano and the wall and making her way towards the door.

"To the practice room."

A cold answer.

"But… you can't play the guitar, right?"

With her hand pressed against the door, Weiss nodded with her back still facing me.

"Papa has confiscated my Stratocaster."

"Then what are you planning to do? How long are you planning to keep it hidden from Senpai and Chiaki—"

"—I know that!"

Weiss walked out of the room. I chased after her footsteps in a hurry.

Kagurazaka Senpai was there at the Folk Music room already. When we walked inside, she tossed the scores onto the synthesizer, stood up and gave Weiss a sudden, tight hug.

"Mmmmmm…—"

Weiss swung her arms about painfully as her face was forcefully buried into Senpai's coat.

"Whoaa… S-Senpai!"

I tried to break them up, but Senpai hugged Weiss and dodged my attempt.

"You can't have Comrade Schnee all to yourself, young man."

"What do you mean by that!?"

"It… hurts, please let me go, Kyouko."

"I will not be able to make up for the loneliness I've suffered for the past three days if I don't do this."

Weiss, who was planning to shove Kyouko away, dropped her arms weakly by her side.

"There's no need for words right now. I just need a confirmation." Senpai whispered into Weiss's ears.

Ahh, she knew something was going on—that's what I noticed. I retreated into a corner, sat down on the floor and watched on like an idiot as the two girls continued to hug each other.

"… I'm sorry." Weiss murmured with the tip of her nose buried into Senpai's bosom.

Senpai stroked her hair quietly before finally letting her go and allowed Weiss to take a seat.

"You did not bring your guitar along, did you?"

Senpai's question caused Weiss's shoulders to flinch. It was a silent confirmation.

"I see."

It seemed like Senpai was at a loss for words as well. Surprising, since she is an expert with words. There was a creaking sound, followed by the flowing of cold air into the room. The three of us looked towards the direction of the door at the same time.

"Weiss! You should have gone to the classroom if you were in school! I was so worried about you!"

Chiaki pounced towards Weiss and hooked her arms around Weiss's neck.

"M-Mmm…"

A disturbed expression appeared on Weiss's face. She pressed her cheek against Chiaki's arm. Chiaki then noticed the heavy atmosphere within the room. She took a glance at Senpai before shifting her gaze towards me as if she had just noticed my presence in the room.

"… Did something happen?"

Finally, Chiaki looked in the direction of Weiss. Weiss shook her head.

"Nothing. Everyone's waiting for Comrade Aihara to heat things up!" Lied Senpai with a stiff smile on her face.

There was no way Chiaki could not tell that something was amiss, but she tilted her head and said, "Well then"—she then pulled out a paper bag from the bottom of the table. She's probably planning to do just what Senpai had said.

"And this, is feketerigó's new T-shirt! Well, there's only one sample since it takes quite a bit of effort to make."

Chiaki took out a bright yellowish-green long sleeved T-shirt from the paper bag and spread it out on display. The rings at the neck and sleeves were red.

"Mmm, rejected. I guess we can sell it as fan merchandise," Senpai's reply was instantaneous.

"That's mean! It took me a great deal of effort to make this! Here, this is the badge for Lonely Hearts Club Band. I've included the armband too."

Weiss and I were shocked by that incredibly flashy shirt. It's true. There's the badge on the chest, and printed on the sleeve was a V-shaped red and yellow armband.

"This is scanned from the cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band which Naruto gave to me. Same size as that on the record. Beautiful, isn't it?"

"… Naruto… gave it to you?" Weiss's voice was trembling. "… The Beatles?"

Chiaki's expressions darkened as she nodded her head. I could hear something cracking up behind Weiss. When she turned around, her gaze was drained of any warmth in them.

"… Why? You gave it to Chiaki too?"

My mind went blank. When I nodded my head, I could feel my dry throat spasm in pain. I did not stop Weiss as she kicked her chair and prepared to leave.

"W-Wait, Weiss? W-What's wrong?"

Chiaki went over and grabbed Weiss by her shoulder. Weiss turned around and swatted her hand away. She leaned her back against the wall, her face so ghastly white it looked almost transparent.

"D-Do you hate this shirt that much? U-Umm, you don't have to wear if on stage if you don't want to."

Weiss shut her eyes tight and shook her silver hair with all her might.

"I won't be going on stage ever again anyway."

"… Huh?"

"I can no longer play the guitar. For the past two days, I have been undergoing body checks in the hospital. The doctor said my wrist will not be able to withstand the stress should I continue to play the guitar the way I did. And so!"

Stop. I wanted to yell. But the air in my throat leaked away, and I could not make any sound. I was unable to stand up as well. There… there should be a better way to resolve the situation, but it was me who pushed Weiss into a corner. It was me.

"Weiss!"

Weiss dashed out of the room just as Chiaki was about to get close to her. She probably kicked the door open, because the building was trembling slightly as the cold air entered the practice room once more and blew away the last remaining warmth that was enveloping my body.

I stood up. I have to chase after Weiss. However, Chiaki grabbed me by my collar.

"W-What? What was that just now? Hey, what did Weiss mean when she said 'You gave it to Chiaki too'?"

The dizziness from standing up all of the sudden and my guilt were mixing into a blackish-red patch in my mind. I wanted to puke. But I endured the nauseousness by pinching against my side and replied.

"… It's Weiss's… birthday present… which I gave her. The vinyl record of Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band." The same present as the one I gave Chiaki.

I am an idiot. A fucking hopeless one. Smack! My neck was twisted around by a strong force as stinging pain spread through my cheeks. Chiaki slapped me.

"You idiot! D-Don't chase after us! I'll go instead!"

Chiaki dashed out of the room, and the door of the practice room closed once more. The wind pressure caused me to fall backwards, but I was supported by something soft behind me. Thanks to that, I did not drop onto the floor.

Looking up above me, I could see the emotionless face of Kagurazaka Senpai. She was supporting me with her arms beneath my armpits.

"… S-Sorry."

I wanted to stand up and move away from Senpai, but she refused to let me go. She clasped her hands before my chest. Body heat was leaving me. As if all the blood within me was flowing out of my ears.

Chiaki and Weiss never returned, even after the preparatory bell which signalled the end of our lunch break rung. I was sitting silently on a chair as I continued to hug in my chest the shirt Chiaki made. As for Kagurazaka Senpai, she was facing the desk with the guitar resting on her thighs, scribbling notes continuously onto the staves. From the occasional phrases which she strummed, I could tell she was rearranging the piece to make it so that a single guitar can play it.

At the same time the bell chimed, Senpai closed the notebook shut and put her guitar back into its case.

"— Young man."

The silence was finally broken.

"… Yes?"

"You know, I did something really despicable. Do you know why I chose to confess to you at a time like that?" Why?

Was there a reason for it?

"It was a curse."

I was stunned. My eyes were staring blankly at Senpai.

"Confessing to you meant I would destroy the balance between our inter-human relationship. And I refused to know your answer too. Young man, that was to prevent you from doing to Weiss what I did to you. A curse."

"Wha—"

"Because I wanted to have you so badly. Even if there was a ninety-nine percent chance of me failing; even if I had to run away; even if I was forced to inch forward by crawling… I still wished to stake everything on that last possibility. I am not ashamed of the despicable stuff which I have done. However…"

Senpai snapped up the spring buckle of the guitar case and leaned it against the wall.

"As someone who failed to see an ending like this, I find myself to be the worst. I'm disgusted with myself."

What is she talking about? Senpai's not the one who's wrong. Everything is my fault.

Just as I was about to sink deep into a dark mire, Senpai pulled me up forcibly without much consideration for my feelings.

"Young man, I'll never smile before you ever again."

"… Eh…?"

"I've lost my interest in a battle with no enemies. It's not even worth me using all of my despicable tricks. My love for you shall be frozen as of now on."

As she stepped out of the room, she did not even turn her head around to look at me.

"The next time I show you my smile will be the day when Comrade Schnee returns."

The door was shut. I slid down the wall and curled myself up. Alone by myself in a room filled with dust, I could hear the second bell chiming.

(◕ω◕✿)

That night, I heard a tapping sound on the other side of the drawn curtain while sitting by myself on my bed in the dark, hugging my knees. Someone was knocking on the window.

"… Chiaki?"

I curled myself up. For a brief moment, I had thought it was Weiss. However, I could tell it was Chiaki from how the knocks sounded. Or perhaps I came to that conclusion because I did not want to be disappointed by my expectations.

The strong, rapid knocks forced me to respond.

"Come in, the window's unlatched."

I was too lazy to get off my bed. First came the sound of the window opening, then the sound of the curtains being drawn.

Chiaki was standing right there with the aluminium window frame and the night sky as her backdrop. She had climbed through the second floor window via the tree in the garden. Her slightly brown hair was untied and fluttering in the cold winds of the winter night, slapping against her checks. She was still in her uniform though.

She rested her right hand against the frame, but she did not step in. With my eyes being accustomed to the darkness, I could see her staring fiercely at me with something in her left hand.

I gulped saliva down my parched throat and got off my bed. I then realized I was still wearing my uniform as well.

"… What… happened to Weiss? Did you find her?"

They did not return for the afternoon lessons.

Basking in the night light, Chiaki muttered with a voice that could be blown apart by the winds, "All Naruto thinks of is Weiss."

I took a deep breath.

"… Sorry, it's nothing… I didn't catch up to Weiss. I lost her. I did go over to her home to check, but they said she wasn't around and chased me away. I skipped school since it was way too troublesome."

"Chiaki, umm…"

"So what about the live performance?"

What are you still standing there for? It's really dangerous, you know? I thought to myself.

"… Well, Senpai probably…"

"I'm not asking about Senpai!" Chiaki gave a sudden roar. "I'm asking what Naruto has in mind!"

W-Who, me? There was nothing left in me to think about the band or the performance anymore. Even now, it's taking a great deal of effort just to stand up using the leg of the bed.

"I—"

My voice brushed past Chiaki's ears and disappeared into the darkness on the other side of the window. There was nothing to block it.

"… Whatever, I get it."

Chiaki smiled for the first time. She then slightly changed the angle of her face. The street-lights outside the window shone on Chiaki's cheeks, and I noticed there were visible traces of moisture on her face. Upon noticing there was something off with the expression on my face, Chiaki hurriedly brushed her cheeks with the back of her hands.

"Here, I'm returning this to you."

Chiaki stretched her left hand through the window. What she was holding was a flat and large squarish—it was a red record jacket. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. There was no way I could stretch my hands out to take it. All I had to do was to move about two meters forward and reach out for it. But I could not even leave the side of my bed.

"Take it quickly! Stupid Naruto!"

She tossed it over. The jacket hit my knee and dropped onto the floor like a dead moth. I picked it up slowly. It was then that I realized how strangely light it was.

"… Just the jacket? What about the disk?"

Actually, it doesn't really matter. It's okay for her not to return it to me…

"Just the jacket. Because I'll think of Weiss's tearful expression whenever I see it, and that pisses me off. I kept the record though."

"Why…?"

"What do you mean by 'why'!?" Screamed Chiaki as she gripped onto the window frame.

"How can I possibly return the content? That's my treasure, you know!? You should at least understand that much, you idiot!"

Chiaki slammed the window shut with great force, as if trying to break it apart.

"I've had enough for today! You should just die, Naruto!"

Came her voice through the glass. Chiaki's body then disappeared from my sight in a flash. There was the sound of footsteps on my roof, followed by the rustling of the branches and the twigs brushing against the walls of the building. All these sounds were swallowed up by the night in an instant.

Hugging the empty record jacket, I sat onto my bed once more. Her treasure.

My phone rang in the middle of the night. The ring tone, Blackbird, caused me to fall off my bed onto the floor. I checked and rechecked the vibrating screen multiple times. It was Weiss. It really was Weiss.

"Weiss? Is this Weiss?"

I popped that stupid question the moment I picked up the call. For a while, nothing came out from the receiver. My chest was stirring with unease.

"… Sorry for the call despite the late hour."

It was Weiss's voice. But she spoke as if she was speaking to a stranger—that made me depressed.

"U-U-Umm, with regards to the record incident today, well…"

What now? How should I go on with my apology? Should I even be apologizing? What for? My thoughts came to a standstill and were rumbling about within my eyeballs. I felt like puking.

"It does not matter anymore."

"It does! Well, I—"

"It does not. I've had a proper talk with Papa today. I have decided to go to America. There are really professional doctors there."

The bubbling breaths were stirring up my chest.

"Since I will be staying there, I will not be going to school anymore."

I shut my eyes tight in an attempt to locate any hint of emotion in Weiss's voice. I found nothing. Weiss go to America? She will not be coming to school anymore? Bit by bit, just like a transparent liquid spreading outwards, the meaning to her words was finally conveyed into my consciousness.

"… But… your father said you only go for one month …"

"I have already made up my mind. I asked Papa to change the plan."

Weiss's voice, soft but unshaken, severed my trembling voice.

"Papa is already making preparations. He will be bringing me there as quickly as possible, even if it is very demanding of me. We will be heading off soonest by early next year. Perhaps we can even make it by the end of this year. Therefore—"

Therefore? Therefore, what? However, Weiss and I said nothing after that. I was not even sure when the call was disconnected.

I threw the phone onto my bed, covered my trembling body with a blanket and curled myself in bed once more. I had no idea what time it was then, but I was not the least bit sleepy. I tried to refrain from thinking any deeper, but my consciousness was having ideas of its own. Plenty of failures, lots of meaningless propositions—if only I had said that; what if I did not mention this… stuff like that. All these things were taking heat away from my body bit by bit.

I finally realized the reason for my sleeplessness was not because I did not shut my eyes. There was something going on in my mind. Furthermore, my eyeballs would roll about whenever I shut them, resulting in pain.

I kicked away the blanket and sat up. The chilling temperature turned into thousands of needles and pricked my body. The light from the living room below was filtering through the slit of the door. I could hear the faint sound of music.

"… Oh, so you're still up? It's already two. Get to bed after you're done peeing."

Said Mom without turning her head as she continued to tap onto the laptop while lying on the sofa. As for me, my dull mind was trying to figure out the familiar melody that was swirling around my ears.

The cassette player, located in the middle of the sound system, was whirling. It was a violin concerto. The one Weiss gave to me.

"Ahh, sorry. I played it without asking. It seemed like things are getting serious."

Mom's nonchalant speech was a sort of consolation to my battered heart. I knelt before the boom box. Thank god it was Spring. I would have frozen on the spot if it were Kreutzer playing. Asto's warm timbre was fluttering above Weiss's slow footsteps like a swarm of butterflies.

I pressed the stop button to retrieve the tape from the player. The plastic object was lying flat on my palm.

With both my hands grabbing onto the cassette tape, I began injecting force into my thumb. It was almost a subconscious effort. It's all its fault. If only I had not listened to it. If only I did not notice it.

If I did not notice it… will things still turn out like this? It may have been way worse than how things are right now. But that is of no importance to me. I no longer wish to hear Weiss's piano. It will be great if everything's broken.

The transparent plastic surface was turning murky white. Kra, kra. It was an unpleasant sensation. However, my fingers were drained of their strength in an instant. Pa. The sound came from the tape. A tear had fallen onto the surface. It was a tear which had finally forced its way out of my eyes. There was still a faint trace of heat left in the tape. Even if it was heat caused by the spinning of the machine, the fact that it was heat was undeniable.

The present Weiss gave to me.

There was no way I could desert it, much less destroy it. Because it is my treasure. No matter what happens and no matter where Weiss goes, the fact that I loved Weiss will never change. It's the same as how I can't abandon these feelings of mine.

"Ah… A-Ah…" A choking voice was flowing from my throat.

I hugged the tape tightly before my chest, as if I were trying to force it through my ribs. Treasure. The word Chiaki mentioned earlier. The record which I gave her. The streak of tears which I saw due to the street-lights. How can it be? But… I… see. Why…

I curled myself up before the boom box which was giving off some background noise. The skin on my neck felt like it was about to tear apart. I actually realized something at the worst possible moment. No way, it has to be my imagination. I must have gotten it wrong somewhere. I was trying my hardest to convince myself deep in my mind. However, at a depth way deeper than that was the confirmation which came from my soul.

With the tape still nested in my hand, I dashed out of the living room and climbed up the stairs to my room to pick up my cellphone. Just as I was searching for Chiaki's number, my fingers stopped. What's the point in calling her now? Is there anything I could say to her? What I did to Chiaki was just as bad as what I did to Weiss… no, it was way worse.

I dropped myself onto bed. My body was an ironic existence as well—it actually felt like passing out at a time like this. And so, with the cassette tape and the cellphone in my hands, I was forcefully dragged off to sleep.

(◕ω◕✿)

"Have you ever listened to Weiss's tape in its entirety? From the beginning to the end?" Mom ask me suddenly during breakfast.

"… Eh?" Of course I did. All the way till the tarantella of Kreutzer Sonata. That was the point where I noticed the invisible injury to Weiss's right hand. Why is she bringing that up all of the sudden?

"In any case, it's best you listened to it all the way till the end."

What does she mean by that? I don't understand her. And it's not like I want to listen to that tape again—it's just way too painful.

I shook my head to stop my thoughts and decided to take a shower.

I returned back to the living room as I dried my hair with a towel. Despite the fantastic weather outside, I felt cold even after putting on a wool cardigan over my thick sweatshirt.

I fished out the tape which had dropped beneath my bed and brought it back to the living room on the first floor as if I was holding an egg. After pressing the play button, I turned the volume down and curled myself on the sofa.

What came flowing to me was the beautiful melody of the violin sonata Spring. Beethoven's an inconceivable composer. It was a scenic view, but he did not express it simply with just a beautiful phrase. There are specific places where it will stab you deep into your heart, inflicting more and more sorrow as the piece progresses.

I shouldn't be listening to this. I did not want to imagine Weiss hammering on the keys with her delicate, blood-stained fingers. However, I remained curled up motionlessly on the sofa, listening to Kreutzer Sonata even after it had started. It felt like Asto's violin was severing my head off my neck, while Weiss's piano was inflicting wounds to each and every bone in my body—however, the pain was actually pretty comfortable to me.

Weiss's about to leave my side. But even so, there's still the possibility of hearing her piano in the future. Having abandoned the guitar, Weiss will definitely return back to that world after she's done with her rehabilitation in America.

Is this okay? I am okay with this?

The strength in my arms that were circling my knees was increased. I huddled my body to dodge the intense dance and the violent clashes between Weiss and Asto; to escaped the sparks, heat and pain released by the tarantella of the final movement. Kreutzer was finally over. The remaining reverberations were sucked dry by the silence of the winter noon. All that was left was the sound of the tape rotating.

Feketerigó was already broken. If that is what Weiss wants, then nothing I think or do matters anymore. Should Weiss seek help, I will be there to bring her back somehow. But this time's different. Weiss is heading across the oceans by her own accord. With that, the ones left behind are us three—Pa. I lifted my head. It came from the sound system. The cassette player had spun to the end of the A-side, so it was changing sides automatically.

There was a suffocating white noise for a brief moment. And then, flowing from the bottom were the pure and clean sounds of the Stratocaster. Each and every note was as clear as the silver strands of rain before they merged into a seamless harmony which flowed into my ears. It was a brilliant arpeggio.

It wasn't any song in particular. Just a phrase which Weiss strums as warm-up every time she plays the guitar. The upward-spiralling air bubbles of the semitone; the flock of birds weaving between the clouds and the ground. Sounds, sounds and more sounds, arranged together in perfect geometry and distance away from each other, all injected into my veins.

So there were such recordings on the B-side, huh. I totally didn't realize that. Is this what Mom was referring to?

I imagined the dirty walls, amplifiers, synthesizers and chairs arranged all around the floors of our practice room. There's Weiss, with her head lowered as she strums her guitar. Chiaki, all warmed-up, smashes onto the hi-hat as she barges into the rhythm. Kagurazaka Senpai will then flick on the switch of the microphone with a smile, causing a minute noise to streak through the air. That is how we would usually start. A scene which will no longer return.

I shut my eyes to savour the sweet hallucination. The tape came to a sudden halt. I was thrown back to an empty living room once more. What was left in the rocking practice room was my heart.

If I could just hug onto my knees, plug up my ears and just live through numerous nights and mornings, then things would be settled with me forgetting everything cleanly. Left alone, a broken object will just break down even further. That's normal, and it's also easier for me. I understood that much. Therefore, I stood up from the sofa.

When I returned back to my room, I began packing my tool box. I then opened up the storage cabinet located downstairs—there was a plastic drawer filled with all sorts of junk that I had collected till now. I do maintain them minimally, but it still took me quite a bit of time to locate the stuff that I need.

I made my way towards Chiaki's home when night arrived. It was only a five-minute trip between our houses.

I thought about giving her a call prior to my visit, but I had no idea what I should say to her. Also, it will be troublesome if she forbids me from going. Therefore, I was left with no other option but to pay her a sudden visit at night.

"Oh my, it's Naruto. Chiaki? She's in. Come on in. Have you had your dinner already? Chiaki~ Naruto's here—"

It had been a while since I visited the Aihara household, but Chiaki's mom was the same as usual. She yelled in the direction of Chiaki's room, which was located on the second floor, and pulled me through the door without saying anything else.

"U-Umm, well…" A flurry of footsteps came scuttering down the stairs just as I was about to speak.

Chiaki was wearing a pair of hot-pants and a t-shirt—it was so skimpy it hardly felt like it's a winter night. Her half-opened jaws were staggering for a good five seconds or so, and her face was all red.

"W-W-What are you doing here!? You idiot! How dare you come here!?"

"S-Sorry!"

I reflexively shielded my head with my toolbox. Thankfully, there was nothing in Chiaki's hands which she could use to throw at me. Also, that was the only time where I was especially grateful for the tough stance displayed by Chiaki's mom.

"Now, no quarrelling at the entrance. You two should get upstairs right now."

With that, she pushed Chiaki and me up the stairs. And there we were in Chiaki's messy room, surrounded by stacks and stacks of magazines as well as an air of silence. Just then, Chiaki's mom came in with a tray of drinks and snacks.

"… Umm, alcohol's a little…" I waved my hands frantically when I saw the bottle of alcohol on the tray.

"Oh, but Chiaki's drinking already."

She's right! Lying on the floor were three mini Shaoxing wine flasks.

"Sheesh, you've done this several times already. You should know Naruto doesn't drink." Chiaki snatched the plate of snacks over and pushed her mom out of the room, along with the tray as well.

However, the room turned silent once more when we were left by ourselves in the room. Chiaki grabbed a handful of kaki-pi and dumped them into her mouth in frustration.

What should I do? I couldn't look her straight in the eyes at all. After clearing the snacks and the wine, Chiaki heaved a long sigh and hugged a huge dolphin plushie before her chest.

"… Weiss called." Said Chiaki softly.

I lifted my head in shock. With the dolphin plushie covering her face, I could not see her expressions clearly. However, it felt like her eyes were a little wet.

"She said she's heading to America. She won't be coming back to school again…"

I nodded.

"And she actually said sorry. That's so unfair of her. There's nothing I could say if she apologized, is there?"

Her words stabbed deeply into me. I was wondering if I should apologize to Chiaki. But that was a wrong thought. "Sorry" is a cold, despicable curse used to end all forms of contact between people. I gripped hard onto the tool in my hand.

"Oh right, what are you here for, Naruto? I'm currently… umm, really drunk, and my mind's in a mess right now. I may just punch you or cry right in front of you, you know?"

I shifted my eyes onto the tool box once more, before exchanging gazes with Chiaki.

"… I'm here to fix the record player."

The dolphin plushie slipped off from Chiaki's thighs.

"… Eh?"

"Your gramophone's broken, isn't it? Think about it. Isn't it silly if you can't listen to a rare present which you've received from me?"

Chiaki looked towards the wall, tongue-tied. Nailed onto the wall with a thumb-tack was a vinyl record. It's 's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

"E-E-Ehhhh?"

It was only then that Chiaki noticed the toolbox next to me.

"Where's it? In the cupboard?"

"A-Ah, well, umm…!"

Chiaki scooted onto her feet and dashed towards the cupboard with unsteady steps.

"You're not to look into the cupboard! Turn around!"

She was fine with me coming into such a messy room, so I had no idea why she was banning me from looking into her cupboard. But I turned my head around anyway. I opened up my toolbox as I faced the dusty old machine. First, I took out a plastic bag filled with replacement parts. I then wiped the machine clean with a wet towel.

It was tough working under the scrutiny of Chiaki's unwavering gaze, but my fingers were soon in the mood of fiddling with the machines. I replaced the gramophone's needle, adjusted the slanted turntable and located the short-circuits with a multimeter.

Easy. It's just a machine after all. All I had to do was to repair it if it's broken. There are lots of things in this world that are irreparable should they be broken. After checking the spinning turntable with a flick of the switch, I looked in the direction of Chiaki.

"I wish to check if the sound's alright. May I?"

Chiaki shot a glance at the record on the wall. Her nod was so faint, it was barely detectable by the naked eyes.

I borrowed the audio cables from the sound system and connected it to the gramophone. I then placed the record on the turntable. There was a fuzzy feeling in my chest the moment I lowered the needle. There was a sweet noise. Cheers flowed out from the boombox. Followed by an irritating guitar phrase. Then the brass instruments which overpowered the harmony of Paul, John and George.

I turned my head towards Chiaki, perhaps with a hint of smugness on my face. As for Chiaki, she was hugging onto a dolphin and a beaver plushie, curling herself up as if she were trying to hide from something. Her eyes were bearing into me—and the spinning turntable as well.

"… Ah, s-sorry. U-Umm, I'm done."

Just as I was stretching my hands out to stop the record from spinning.

"Don't switch it off!"

I turned my head around. Chiaki's eyes were visibly filled with tears.

"It's okay. Let it run. I want to listen to it."

Chiaki then tossed a cushion in my direction, which knocked into my leg and dropped next to her. We sat together and listened carefully to The Beatles amid the noise. The illusory concert created by stuffing the dreams of four into a nonsensical joke.

They did hold an actual concert years after the album was produced. It was held on the roof of a building—they did not publicize it, nor did they obtain any permits for it. They were then disbanded the following year.

I suddenly remembered a line Senpai said some time ago. It's very easy for someone to disappear one day, never to come back again. She's right. Weiss has disappeared. All because of my stupidity. Even so, Chiaki is still here by my side. Staying beside me.

Why? Because she love me and I'm the idiot who never notice her feeling.

"… Why me? … Are there no better guys out there?"

There was a strange atmosphere all of the sudden. Music that was flowing out of the boombox sounded as if it were produced by some cheap speakers instead. Chiaki sprang up in a really imposing manner. I then realized what I had said.

"W-W-Wha…"

Chiaki's trembling voice came from above me. I lifted my head timidly and saw Chiaki's blushing face between the dolphin and beaver plushies.

"W-What!? What did you just say!?"

"Umm, no, that's not what I meant… no actually, I did mean it that way, but, u-umm…"

The beaver and dolphin plushies came smashing towards me.

"Idiot! Why must you say that at a time like this… d-do you even know how much I…!"

I shielded my head with my arms with all my might. Aside from the furious attack of the plushies were the flying kicks of Chiaki as well. I could see from the slits of my arms that Chiaki was really crying.

That further confirmed my suspicions. I had done some really horrible things to Chiaki. She was always behind me, supporting me; she's there to knock on my tightly shut windows; she's always by my side, to the point where I took her body warmth for granted. But even so…

The word "sorry" is a really despicable word—which was why I said nothing. Because I was in love with Weiss. Even though she was no longer around, I was still so deeply in love with her…

"M-My…"

Pa. pa. The plushies were finally released from Chiaki's hands. Her knees collapse weakly onto the floor. She then gripped onto my shoulders and pulled her face over. My clothes were doused by her warmth.

"My feelings for Naruto…"

Her words were swallowed up by her tears.

Just then, the music that was flowing out of the boombox was the banters of the oboe. It's When I'm Sixty-Four. Paul McCartney's feigned youthful voice was causing Chiaki's shoulders to tremble.

::::::

Will you still need me, When I'm sixty-four?

And if you say the word, I could stay with you.

I could be handy mending a fuse, when your lights have gone.

::::::

Into the second verse, and Chiaki's shoulders were trembling even harder, and her hands which were gripping onto my shoulders were starting to twitch. She finally lifted her head when Paul reached the part about scrimping and saving and having grandchildren.

"—Ahahahahahahaha!"

Chiaki laid on the floor, laughing wildly as she faced the ceiling. She did not even notice the fact that she was squashing onto her plushies.

"A-Ahaha, w-what's this? W-Why did it play this song at a time like this? T-This is too much of a coincidence!" Chiaki was rolling on the floor and laughing maniacally with her curled body. All I could do was look at her speechlessly.

It was indeed… a coincidence.

In the end, Chiaki laughed all the way till the end of the song. When she sat up, her eyes were still red and puffy from her tears, but the gloominess which was shrouding her was all gone.

"Ahh~ sheesh, this is terrible. How did I manage to laugh at a time like this? I don't get it." With that said, she wiped the tears away from the corner of her eyes with her fingertip.

"Chiaki—"

"Say no more."

Chiaki's words forced my own words back into my throat. There was nothing I could say. We humans can look so much more depressed when we are smiling. So that's actually true.

"It's okay. I understand."

She understood. So Chiaki knew there was nothing I could do. That sentence hurts way more than the attack of the plushies and the kicks on my sides.

We then sat down side by side and listened to the rest of's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Neither of us said a word. However, from the remnant body heat on my shoulders as well as the slight pain carved onto my skin, I could tell that Chiaki had already moved forward, to a place that's out of my reach.

Despite the fact that we were sitting together side by side as usual, the nameless, illusionary warmth which had existed between us all this time was destroyed on that very night. Therefore, the only thing I could rely on were the songs spewed out by the record.

The end to the live performance was approaching. Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band's words of farewell were swallowed up by the cloud-piercing roars of the crowds. It felt as though Weiss's footsteps were gradually approaching me.

The piano prelude in A Day in the Life made me shed tears. Even without turning my head, I knew Chiaki was crying once again.

Each and every news article sang by John.

The usual busy morning, woven together by Paul.

We had lived through it thousands of times already, and I am sure we will continue to weave it thousands times more. Ordinary but irreplaceable; the cruel everyday life.

"Let's perform live."

I said when the record was done, and the remnants of the piano were buzzing faintly around us.

"Even if Weiss's no longer around, the three of us will have to get on stage. Let's do our best performance together."

With her teary eyes fixed onto the boombox, Chiaki slowly nodded her head.

And then, the dog whistle—an almost inaudible shrill rang from the other side far away.

.

.

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