Shoko Komi's Ultimate Challenge
by Ulquiorra9000
Communication 12: fancy fingers
"Shoko, dear, could you tell your brother that dinner's ready?" Shuko Komi said cheerfully on Monday evening as she finished setting the dining room table. Shoko, who was lounging on the couch watching TV, got up and made her way upstairs to do as her mother asked, idly wondering what was for dinner today. Just in time, too; she was getting pretty hungry. She knocked on Shosuke's door before entering.
Don't mind me, Shosuke thought awkwardly when he set down the acoustic guitar he had been quietly strumming. He went pink.
Shoko stopped. I haven't seen that guitar before, she thought, cocking her head. Then again, Shosuke was a pretty secretive person.
Shosuke, who stood in the middle of his room with the guitar held behind his back, glanced away. I don't know what you're talking about, big sis.
It's okay. I won't laugh, Shoko assured him, making a kind expression. So, you bought a guitar? That's so cool.
Shosuke finally met his sister's eyes. My classmate's big brother gave it to him, but my classmate didn't want it, so he let me have it for free.
That's so nice of him, Shoko thought happily, imaginary sparkles and flowers all around her. So you've been practicing?
Just a little. It's kinda hard, Shosuke admitted. I might just give it back.
No! Keep it, Shoko urged him. An idea popped into her head. Let's practice together, Shosuke. It'll be a fun challenge! Let's see how good we can get in a week.
Shosuke hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
Shoko did a happy little dance until she gasped; she forgot about dinner! She motioned to Shosuke, and the two of them went downstairs to eat. But Shoko's mind was no longer on food.
*o*o*o*o*
Right after dinner, Shoko hurried back to her brother's room to get her hands on that fancy acoustic guitar and make some music. Shosuke handed it over, and Shoko tested the weight of this shiny wooden instrument in her hands. It was lighter than she expected, she thought as she toyed with the six strings. She made a tiny smile at the clear, gorgeous sound of the plucked metal strings, and noticed how the sound gently faded away.
This guitar is a Fender CD-60 V3 Dreadnaught, with 80/20 bronze strings, Shosuke explained as his sister got a feel for this lovely instrument. I've got a few picks, too. Here. He held out a few plastic guitar picks, and Shoko picked a bright blue one and held it in her fingers. She had seen people play guitars on TV and in music videos, so she imitated what she had seen and played some notes with the pick, like a true rock star.
Kind of.
Now to actually learn proper notes!
Shosuke looked up some basic tutorials on his laptop, and Shoko sat on the edge of Shosuke's bed and held the guitar on her lap, feeling super cool and totally silly at the same time. She wasn't exactly Char or Akira Takasaki, but this would do for now. Once Shosuke set down the laptop where Shoko could see it, she studied the on-screen instructions, then got her fingers into the correct positions. It was tricky, having her hands each do different things, but she'd get the hang of it, right? Her right hand would strum while her left was on the fretboard, nice and easy. Shoko pressed down the E string at the right spot and strummed it, and she produced the correct note. Hooray!
Not bad, big sis, Shosuke thought, and he actually made a modest grin.
Shoko felt her gut squirm in excitement as she moved on to the next note, then another, and another. She would have to memorize the names of these strings and how to get the right notes, but with a free online tutorial, it shouldn't be too hard. Shoko played every note once, then all of them again, and she felt her heart soar as she filled Shosuke's room with beautiful music. Why hadn't she done something like this sooner?
Then she noticed that her left hand's fingertips were aching.
My fingers hurt, Shoko complained, showing Shosuke her irritated and sore fingertips. Pressing on those strings for ten minutes straight hurt more than she expected!
I'll take a turn, Shosuke offered, and Shoko got up and handed over the guitar. She stood there, hands clasped behind her back, watching happily as Shosuke repeated the same lesson Shoko went through, playing one note after another to get a feel for this thing. Maybe Shosuke didn't realize it, but Shosuke was clearly overjoyed to have this guitar, with a certain bright light in his eyes Shoko rarely saw there.
You're right, my fingers kinda hurt, Shosuke admitted when he was done and set the guitar down. And it's tricky to coordinate my hands. If I focus on one hand, I can't look at what the other is doing.
I'm sure we'll get the hang of this, Shoko thought kindly. I'll take another turn.
Shoko tried her best, but after an hour and a half, she was only comfortable doing some basic chords, and she couldn't make more than two or three notes in a row without taking the time to check where all her fingers were, and that would make her too slow while actually playing a song. Maybe after enough practice, Shoko would eventually get a feel for that and memorize where all the correct positions were, like muscle memory or something. That sounded really difficult!
But Shoko the Olympian was ready for any challenge.
*o*o*o*o*
"Huh? What's that, Komi?" Hitohito asked quietly in math class, when he glanced over and saw Shoko's notes.
Shoko flinched and covered her paper with her hands. She shook her head.
Hitohito made a sympathetic noise. "Sorry. I won't pry." The teacher, meanwhile, didn't hear a thing as he kept lecturing at the blackboard.
No way could Shoko just show Hitohito her special notes before she was ready! Well... then again, she caught a glimpse of Hitohito's kind, innocent expression, then decided she could trust him, and only him, with this. She went pink and slowly removed her hands to show Hitohito her diagrams of guitar finger positions and other charts.
"Hey, is this guitar stuff?" Hitohito asked. "My cousin plays a bit of guitar, y'know."
Shoko timidly nodded and passed a note: I just started practicing yesterday. I have to hurry and memorize a bunch of stuff before I can play a song.
"Really? That's awesome, Komi!" Hitohito whispered happily. "Keep practicing hard!"
Shoko nodded again and put away her diagram. She could study this on the walk home from school.
Later that evening, it was time to practice once again. Shoko visited Shosuke's room, sat on the edge of the bed, and strummed that Fender for all it was worth. She had to get this right, no matter what! Shoko kept strumming the chords and strained herself to memorize the finger positions, but it wasn't esay, and she missed at least half the notes and sometimes plucked the wrong string by accident. She even dropped her guitar pick at some point.
I've never seen you this focused before, Shosuke thought, hands in his pockets as he casually watched his sister play. You're really getting into this, big sis.
Shoko blinked and looked up into Shosuke's cool, dark eyes. I am?
Yeah.
Shoko strummed the E string and got a perfect note. I'm... uh...
What?
Don't tell anyone... but I want to impress my friend Tadano with a song. Shoko blushed.
Oh yeah, you've mentioned that Tadano guy before.
Please don't tell anybody!
Who would I even tell that to?
Shoko felt silly as she glanced back down and pushed herself once again to get these notes right. She had to get at least ten correct in a row! She frowned and narrowed her eyes, summoning all her concentration on the musical instrument in her hands, not caring that her fingers were getting really sore, the strings biting into her soft fingertips.
She made it to eight.
Well, that was good enough for now. Shoko got up and handed the Fender to Shosuke, who sat down and managed to play fifteen correct notes in a row until his fingers eventually slipped.
Shoko clapped softly. That was wonderful!
I think I'm getting the hang of it, Shosuke said, and then he strummed a whole sequence of notes in a rising pattern, which sent chills down Shoko's spine. How was Shosuke so good? Very impressive!
They both jumped when someone knocked on the door.
"Shoko, Shosuke! Are you in there?" came Shuko's voice.
Shoko jumped and hurried to the door, opening it to her smiling mother.
"You weren't in your room," Shuko commented. "How come you're in Shosuke's room? Are you doing something fun?"
Shoko blushed again and frantically motioned with her hands, praying that Shosuke had already hidden the guitar. Her mom would pester them with a million questions if she saw it!
Shuko looked a bit confused before adding, "At any rate, please come down for dinner. It'll get cold."
Shoko nodded and joined her family downstairs, her mind on anything but her mom's idle chatter as she mentally reviewed all the guitar finger positions on the fretboard. There was no time to waste!
*o*o*o*o*
Finally, after a week of practice, Shoko was ready. More than ready. Totally pumped!
And also totally nervous. Be calm, Shoko. Breathe...
Shoko stood in the middle of Shosuke's room with the Fender guitar, the strap adjusted for the perfect height, the strings perfectly tuned for today's little concert, especially the tricky G string. Meanwhile, Shosuke held Shoko's phone with a video call to Hitohito, and on the screen, Shoko could see her best friend watching her with anticipation. "I'm ready when you are," Hitohito's voice said.
Shoko took a deep breath and began.
Timidly, slowly, Shoko strummed a few notes any rock 'n roll fan would instantly know and love, and she slowly upped the tempo as she began to play the Rolling Stones' "I Can't Get No Satisfaction." She strummed out an easy beginner version of the song, but even then, she made sure to infuse each note with joy and love, and she let her musical heart soar free. Shoko actually nodded her head to the rhythm and watched in amazement as her fingers danced across the fretboard to make the music come alive. She reached the chorus and started strumming harder, letting the Fender sing with its clear metal notes, and she actually felt herself smiling.
Shoko had planned on just playing the first verse and chorus, but now she was getting into it, and she didn't dare stop! She almost slipped once or twice, but she persisted and kept that music flowing until she strummed the final note with a flourish, panting for breath, her forehead beaded with sweat. What would Hitohito think? He was just staring at her...
Then Hitohito whooped and clapped. "Amazing, Komi!" he cheered. "You're a real rock star now! Oh man, that's the coolest thing I ever saw. Great work!"
Shoko sighed with relief and put a hand to her racing heart. She managed a quiet "thank you" before motioning for Shosuke to end the call, and the trembling Shoko sat on the bed before she collapsed. This was tiring work!
That was great, Shosuke thought as Shoko handed him the guitar. Everyone loves the Stones. And for us beginners, that was especially good.
Shoko went ahead and lay flat on Shosuke's bed, arms spread wide as she stared at the ceiling. Thanks, Shosuke.
And it helped you had someone to play for, right? Tadano, I mean.
Shoko sat up and gawked at her brother. Since when did Shosuke care so much about that? Oh my... it's getting warm in here!
Let's practice again tomorrow night! Shoko thought before she bolted out of the room, hands clapped over her burning-hot face, her heart racing once again. Maybe one concert was enough for now! But all the same...
Challenge complete!
