4: Spark

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A spark in an instant

Can start a fire

Burning bright,

Through the night

"Nozomu! You have a visitor!" Mom's voice called from downstairs. What? A visitor? I quickly got dressed, running downstairs.

"Who is it?" I called, approaching the doorway.

"Some chick," Dad replied, grinning. Wow, you really got some game, son!"

"If that's your girlfriend, Nozomu, you're in big trouble!"

I opened the door to reveal Sayori, standing there with a grin on her face.

"Mom, it's the girl from next door! What are you talking about?"

"Goooood morning, Nozomu-kun!"

"Hey Sayori! What are you doing here?"

"Ah, well…" Sayori tapped her fingers together, a nervous expression on her face. "It's the weekend, and I was wondering if… you were free…"

"E-ehhhh? Of course, of course I'm free!"

"Yay! That's great! Did you finish your homework yet?"

"Ummm, no… but it's okay. Don't worry about it!"

"Hahah me too! Why don't you come over for a while? My parents just left for work!"

"Really? Sure! Mom, Dad, see you later!"

"Where are you going?"

"I'm just going to study with my friends! Don't worry about it!"

I quickly left the house, closing the door behind me. The blue sky greeted me with sounds of chirping birds and a light, sweet breeze.

"It's such a beautiful morning, isn't it?" Sayori remarked, motioning for me to follow her.

"Yeah, the weather is really nice." We walked to her door and entered, revealing a house much like my own.

"Did you eat breakfast yet?" Sayori asked, eyeing me fondly.

"Nope!"

"Yay! I can eat with you! Hold on, let's go to my room first. I need to change out of my pjs." Sayori's room? Waaaaat? We walked up the stairs and into her small room. Her bed with pink sheets sat in the corner, and numerous drawers were spaced around. A desk stood with stacks of papers and pictures on top.

"Sorry, I'll get changed real quick. Stay here!" Sayori grabbed some clothes and ran out the door. I sat alone, glancing about the room. Woah. This is where Sayori sleeps… I walked over to her wooden desk. What? I looked at one of the pictures. Sayori was wearing a small white dress, standing upon a sunny beach. Her hair was long, trailing down her arms. A beautiful, calming smile adorned her face, and next to her was a boy.

A boy? He looked pretty average, donning an awkward grin and an arm around Sayori.

"S-Sayori…" she had a guy before? Could he be… the guy who used to live in my house? I mean, she seemed pretty fond of him… but wow, Sayori does look really pretty in this picture. I wonder why she cut her hair... Hold on. A thought suddenly popped into my mind, and I suddenly ran to one of her drawers. What if the events in the game will become reality? Please, don't have a rope in here! Please! I nervously pulled open the drawer.

Inside was a collection of underwear.

Um. Errr…. wait, what if there's a rope buried underneath this pile? I slowly reached forward with my hand, trembling. My eyes were glued upon the pink, white, and purple pieces of cloth before me. What am I doing? No, I have to make sure! I rammed by hand into the pile, exploring its depths with my fingers. Ahh, there's probably nothing in here… but still….

"Nozomu-kun! What are you doing?!" Sayori screamed, standing in the doorway.

"AHHHH!" I yelled, falling upon the floor. "S-Sayori! I'm not doing anything! You don't understand!"

Sayori strode over to her drawer, digging through it.

"What did you take?!" Sayori turned on me, fury gleaming in her eyes. She was dressed in short shorts, which exposed the length of her legs, and a white and red ringer tee.

"Nothing, I swear!"

Sayori pushed me to the floor, pouncing on me. She pinned my arms down.

"Show me your hands!"

"Here! There's nothing!"

Sayori stuffed her hands into my pockets, feeling every corner.

"Ah- ah- S-Sayori!" The girl moved about on top of me, patting my body down. When she was satisfied, she brought her face to meet mine. I could feel her fair fall and tickle my face.

"I never knew you were such a pervert," Sayori whispered breathily, grinning slyly. I realized how awkward the position we were in was, and I instantly began to blush. Her eyes transfixed me, and her smile took my breath away.

"I'm… not a pervert…" I muttered helplessly.

Sayori giggled. "Don't worry, Nozomu-kun. Your secret's safe with me." She got off of me, brushing the hair from her face.

"No, seriously… you know, you hang yourself in the game and all, so I was just checking to see if you had a rope… I thought it would be in the drawer…"

"I whaat?!" Sayori emoted, hands on her hips.

"Well, it's just a game…"

Sayori sighed. "Nozomu, you really need to get out more… and anyway, even if you were looking for a rope, what was with that face when you were digging through my junk?"

"Wh-what face!?"

Sayori mimicked a perverted grin, raising her eyebrows and making perverted laughing sounds.

"I didn't do that!"

"You should see yourself…"

"Anyways, what happened to breakfast?"

"Ah, I was thinking of going out. We can go to the western-style diner out downtown. Come on! We gotta catch the train!"

"Seriously? I'm going to be broke," I remarked, following Sayori out of the room.

We walked for about twenty minutes to the nearby station. It was small, with a wooden waiting platform. The overhang was broken in places, and the railroad crossing poles were rusting white. A large amount of old posters and announcements were pinned onto the wall, and a lone vending machine stood next to the bench. A few other people were there, waiting for the train. About fifteen feet away, I noticed a familiar figure standing, hands behind her back. It was Yuri!

"Hey, Sayori-san, Yuri-san is here!"

"Shhh! I know, I saw her!" Sayori hushed, putting a finger to her mouth.

"What? Why are you trying to hide? Hey! Yuri-san!" I walked over to Yuri, waving.

"No!" Sayori shouted, then covered her mouth. "I mean, hi Yuri-chan!" Sayori came following me.

Yuri turned to see us, her long hair spilling over her shoulders as she did so.

"Ah, Nozomu-kun, Sayori-chan! Morning!" She called, in a voice as crisp as the morning air.

"H-hi, Yuri," I replied, my eyes instantly scanning her outfit. She was wearing a white shirt with a purple cardigan, and a tiny pink skirt. Her thin white socks climbed up to her knees. A purple bow adorned her neatly combed, straight hair. A small amount of pink lipstick adorned her lips, and her cheeks were slightly blushed. I gulped. Wow, Yuri really is beautiful.

Yuri probably noticed me checking her out, because she began to blush and fingered the edge of her skirt nervously.

"Ah… Nozomu-san…" She said awkwardly.

"Um, Nozomu? Are you going to like stop staring at Yuri-chan's body already?" Sayori blurted, waving a hand across my vision.

"Sayori! What? When did I ever do that?"

"Um, your eyes were like double their normal size, especially when you saw her legs."

"Hey! Don't tell lies like that! I was just… admiring her outfit!"

"Yuri-chan," Sayori said, "You shouldn't let yourself be so easily violated by men like that! Do something! Like, slap Nozomu in the face!"

"Bu-but… I don't want to slap him... he's nice…" Yuri replied.

"Yuri, just so you know, I wasn't doing anything weird, okay?" I stated.

"Mm. I know," she answered, even though we both knew the truth.

Just then, the train arrived, and we got on. I sat between the two girls, attracting the envious glances of a nearby group of boys.

"Wait, why are you here, Yuri?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah! I was going to go downtown to the bookstore. I'm looking for books that we can all read!"

"Wow! Thanks, Yuri! We were going to eat breakfast," Sayori said.

"Erm, eating out again? But we just ate so much last night… Wait, why are you two just going by yourselves?" Yuri asked suspiciously.

Sayori looked at me with a half-smile. "Ahhah… well… we were… having a new neighbor outing? I dunno."

"Um, yeah! Uh huh! But, I would be really, really happy if you came with us, Yuri," I said kindly, tilting my head at Yuri beside me. "OW!"

Sayori elbowed me hard in the side, and the commotion attracted the eyes of everyone in the train.

"Sayori! Why'd you do that!?"

"Ahah, sorry! Nevermind! Yuri… but you ate so much last night! You don't want to gain weight, do you?" Sayori said mischievously, bending over me and poking Yuri in the belly.

"Iyaahh!" Yuri squealed. "Well… no…"

"No, no, stop it Sayori! Yuri-san, I would be really happy if you came. Please." I looked at her in the eye. Sayori, looking defeated, sighed and slumped in her seat.

"Okay," Yuri decided. "But I won't eat that much."

"Yay! I'll go with you to the bookstore after, too!" I said happily.

After around thirty minutes, we arrived downtown. There was a bustle of people at the station, and we emerged into a large crossing surrounded by high-rise buildings. Overpasses crossed the streets, and electronic advertisements flashed upon glass walls.

We entered a restaurant in the second floor of one of the buildings. It was packed, and filled with booths and tables. The windows offered a view of the busy streets. We picked a seat, and I ordered bacon and eggs.

"Mmm, this is good," I said, my mouth full. I looked over at Yuri, who nibbled on a singular piece of toast. "You want some of mine? You look hungry," I offered.

"Umm…" Yuri stared down my bacon, and her stomach growled. "A little, please…"

"There we go! I knew you wanted it," I said happily, forking a piece of bacon over.

"Wow… this is really good…" Yuri remarked, munching blissfully. Suddenly, my eyes trained on the back of a man's newspaper, sitting at the table behind us. The newspaper showed a picture of a high school girl, standing on a stage with a guitar. She was singing into a mic, and behind her were other members of a band. The headline read: NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL ROCK BAND COMPETITION: APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN! BANDS ARE JUDGED BASED ON: MUSICAL PERFORMANCE AND LYRICAL ART.

"A band competition, huh," Sayori said. "Huh. If only we had a band. That would be fun! But the thing is, only Monika and I know how to play instruments."

"Wait, you play an instrument, Sayori?" I asked, surprised.

"Huh? Yeah, I play the drums," she replied. She twirled her fork between her fingers, and air drummed a quick beat.

"Dang! I never knew that! That's so cool!" I remarked. "I wish I could be like that!"

"Eh, it gets boring when you're just playing by yourself. I'm thinking of selling my drum set before I go to college."

"No! Don't do that… I mean, you could get Monika to play with you!"

"Yeah, but she usually just likes to play solo piano. So, I'll just leave her be…"

"Ehe, guys, can we go check out the bookstore now? I really want to find this book," Yuri interrupted. "Sorry."

"Okay, let's go, guys," I said, rising. We left the restaurant, and crossed the street to the bookstore. It was a pretty large bookstore, and we split up after we entered.

Hmm, I'll go check out some manga… I went over to the manga section, and began to browse the selections. A worker came over to me, smiling.

"Do you need help looking for anything?" She asked. Wow, she was a looker! Aww, man… I can't tell her what section I'm looking for! She'll be creeped out by me…

"Uh, no! I'm fine, thank you!" Okay. The worker gone, I began to pry through the manga. Suddenly, a picture of a scantily clad female caught my eye. Hmm… this one looks nice….

"Ah, ah, yaaaaa…" I heard a girl's voice, sounding as if she was struggling. Huh? I noticed it was from the shelf on the other side of mine, so I walked around. Standing there, upon a stool, was Natsuki. She was reaching up, for a book on the top shelf. In her efforts, her belly was exposed from under her red sweater, and her pink skirt was showing an indecent amount of skin. What the heck is Natsuki doing here? Anyway, I- WOAH! I had a perfect view of her white panties, peeking out from her skirt. Man…. Okay, should I just go help Natsuki get the book, or should I just… wait for a little while… Hm…She would probably get scared out of her mind if I suddenly grabbed the book for her out of nowhere, so I'll just… wait here….

"AHHH, forget it!" Natsuki pouted, giving up and turning around. She hopped off the stool, about to leave- when she bumped into me.

"E-ehh?! Nozomu-kun? What are you doing here?!"

"Ah, Natsuki! I see you're looking for manga."

"Um, yeah! Can't you see I need help here? Wanna help get that book? Or are you…" Natsuki's voice trailed off as she slowly slid a hand over her behind. "You were… looking… at me... NOZOMU!" Natsuki slapped me in the face.

"Ahhh! Sorry, sorry! I couldn't help it, you know! I'm a pure guy! Trust me!" I said frantically, ducking away from any more blows. "Here, I'll get the book for you!"

"No, no, it's okay!" Natsuki objected, suddenly embarrassed. I climbed up on the stool and easily grabbed the book. "I said it was okay!" Natsuki leaped up and tried to snatch the book from my hands, but I held it up high, out of her reach.

"Woah, woah, what's this? The Lovers of the Night. Eighteen plus."

"Nooooo! Nozomu-kun! Stawwwp! Wahhhhhh!" Natsuki whined, grabbing my leg.

"Hahah! Natsuki, you hypocrite! Here, have fun!" I handed the book to her, grinning.

"Eck, never mind! Put it back, I don't want it anymore." Natsuki crossed her arms, making a pouty face.

"Aww, Natsuki… you're so funny…"

"I am not! You should apologize… you just saw my underwear!"

"Natsuki? What are you doing here?" Yuri asked, appearing with Sayori. She was carrying a bag of books.

"You just what?" Sayori said.

"Nothing happened, guys!" I announced, trying to ignore Natsuki's remarks. "So, Yuri, did you find good books?"

"Yes, I did! They were on sale, too! This one's called Purpose. There's four volumes. It's about this guy who doesn't know what to do with his life, so he tries to fill the void. And he basically gets involved with different women. Yeah, not the most original, but you know… The four different volumes are all different versions of the story- they all tell the romance of the main character with a different girl. Like one has him with this beautiful shy maiden, another with an airheaded childhood friend, another with some immature tsundere girl, and one with a kind smart girl. You know, it has some pretty interesting character and relationship development. I think it'll be fun reading and analyzing! I mean, we could discuss how we felt about each scene, and how it contributed to the relationship between the characters!" Yuri was breathless, an excited smile on her face.

"Wow, that sounds awesome," I remarked.

"Seems legit. Kinda like my manga," Natsuki added.

"Except yours is eighte-"

"SHHHHH!" Natsuki hushed loudly, whacking my back.

"Yeoww! Natsuki, calm your- um, wait you don't have them… uh, nevermind! Hey, wanna come along with us, since you're here?"

"Yeah, sure."

We decide to take a walk around town, until I spotted a music store.

"Hey, let's go there!"

"A music store? What are you going to look at?" Natsuki asked.

"I dunno. Let's just check it out!" We entered the store, a complex maze of speakers, keyboards, drum sets, and guitars lining the walls. A cacophony of sounds accosted us, drums banging, guitar riffs raging.

"Hey guys! Check this big guitar out!" Natsuki said, reaching up to a guitar on the wall.

"Hold on, Natsuki! I'll help you with it!" I went over to Natsuki, and began to reach for it.

"I can get it myself!"

"Okay, okay! Want me to help carry you?" I began to wrap my arms around her waist, but she smacked them away.

"Eww, eww, keep your hands away!" Natsuki leaped up and snatched the guitar, stumbling backwards after she did so.

"Be careful," I said, making sure she didn't fall.

"I am! Anyway, this thing is cool! It only has four strings."

"It's called a bass guitar," Yuri said, plucking at one of the strings. It made a dull, low sound. "You have to hook it up to make an actual sound."

"Wow, how do you know all this?" Sayori wondered.

"Well, it's basic knowledge…" Yuri replied shyly. "Right, Nozomu?"

"Y-yeah! Of course! Duh, you plug it into an amp."

"Mm hm!" Yuri smiled happily, and Natsuki began to fiddle around with the bass.

"Hold on, guys! Do you hear that?" Sayori said. We listened, and heard a joyful, melancholy melody emanating from a nearby room. "That's some great playing."

We approached the source of the music, and found Monika, sitting at one of the keyboards, moving expressively as she played. As she finished her final chord, we burst into applause.

"Whoo! Monika!"

She turned around, surprised.

"Wow, how did you guys end up here?" She asked.

"It was a complete coincidence! Sayori and I were going out for breakfast when we met Yuri, then Natsuki, then you!" I explained.

"Man, that must be some coincidence!" Monika remarked, rising from her seat. "Why are you guys in the music store anyway? Sayori, when was the last time you played the drums?"

"Uh, quite a while, why?"

"Check that out." Monika pointed over to a large poster on the wall.

NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL ROCK BAND COMPETITION!

The same picture was on it, of a teen girl singing into a mic and strumming a guitar. Her face expressed emotions of hope and angst, her eyebrows creased.

"That's the band Raisins," Monika explained. "They were the national champions last year."

"Raisins? What type of name is that?" Natsuki blurted.

"I dunno. They probably came up with it when they were eating raisins or something. Either way, they're probably going to win this year too."

"Yeah, probably. So what were you suggesting about my drumming?"

"Oh, I don't know, it just made me imagine. Like, what if we made a band, and shone for the world! That would be amazing!"

"Hah. If only that were possible," Sayori replied. We spent a few more hours chilling together, and soon we took the train back home.

"See ya guys! I gotta start my homework," I called, waving goodbye.

As I sat doing homework, a thought popped into my mind. It was yet another amazing day. But still, something felt different. I felt time moving forward, toward an uncertain point in time. I felt that I was on the edge of something big, something that would change my life forever. But I couldn't place my finger on what.

That night, before I went to bed, something caught my eye. One of my boxes was still packed, and sat in the corner. I didn't know what to do with it, and was planning to maybe sell its contents for some cash I could use to buy a new computer. But... I don't know why, but I gingerly opened it, revealing a long, black object. I had received this from my grandpa years ago, before he passed away. I unzipped the case, and took out a guitar.

A spark in an instant

Can start a fire

Burning bright,

Through the night