7: Accord
We entered the music store, which was once again filled with commotion. There were guitars strumming and drums banging left and right, and above the din a melodic voice was singing.
"Wow, it sure is crazy in here," Natsuki remarked as we made our way through the store.
"So, what type of bass are you looking for?" Monika said, examining the wide array of instruments lined on the walls.
"I dunno! I mean, I am pretty small, so I guess I'll prefer a smaller one."
"Aww, you're so tiny!" Sayori piped, patting her on the head.
"Pfft. As if you're that much taller."
"Hey, what about this one?" Yuri suggested, taking down a soft pink, small-size bass. "It suits you very well!"
"This? Awww! It looks so cool!" Natsuki took it in her arms, and began to play around with it, her pink hair bobbing back and forth.
"You want it? Here, let's go!" Monika said, taking out her wallet.
"Are you serious about buying it for me? Come on," Natuski objected. "You don't need to!"
"I'm serious! Don't worry about it!" Monika went up to the cashier, motioning for Natsuki to follow. As the money was paid, Natsuki eyed the bass giddily, hopping up and down.
"Wow, you sure are excited," I remarked, smiling at her.
"So? I am! Thank you!" Natsuki thanked the cashier, greedily taking the bass up in her arms.
"N-Natsuki?"
We heard a familiar, honey-sweet voice behind us.
Natsue giggled, flipping her hair from her face. "Sis! What are you doing here?"
Natsuki was flustered, caught off guard.
"What are you doing here?" She shot back.
"I never thought you would be at the music store!" Natsue remarked. "I come here all the time! I like to sing for the customers. Some of the guys play the instruments for me! It's really fun! But you, sis, why are you here? And why are you holding that pink guitar?"
"Well, what does it look like I'm doing? I'm joining a band!" Natsuki pouted, grabbing my arm.
"Oh, my, it's…" Natsue turned to me, trying to recall my name.
"Nozomu," I supplied.
"Ah, Nozomu-kun! Hey! You having fun with my sis? Teehee! Are you guys forming a band? That sounds really fun."
"Yup! I'm playing the guitar, along with Yuri. Monika is on the piano, of course, and Sayori plays the drums. Natsuki here doesn't play anything, so we're getting a bass guitar for her," I explained.
"Ehh? But, it's expensive, Onee-chan!" Natsue said to her sister, in shock.
"No, Monika-chan is paying for it. It's all good," Sayori interjected.
"Anyway, Natsue," I said, "Wanna join our band? I heard that you sing in the Idol Club, and you always perform downtown at some music house. We could use another singer!"
"Woah, woah, woah!" Natsuki turned on me. "We never agreed to this."
"It'll be fine, trust me," I replied. "Natsue-san is so kind and sweet! What's wrong?"
"Aww, thanks, Nozomu-kun! You're such a sweet-mouth," Natsue thanked, quickly sliding a finger across my cheek, which made me tense up in an instant.
"Look, I don't wanna be with my sister! It'll be so awkward!" Natsuki complained.
"Bruh, are you like five?" Yuri said unexpectedly. We all turned in surprise.
"Hey! What do you know, Yuri? You've got a pretty nice package yourself! You don't understand!"
"Oh, okay, so you're jealous?" Sayori added.
"No, I-"
"Calm down, calm down, guys!" Monika interrupted. "Look, Natsue-san can join if she wants. We can't force her to leave or join."
"So, that means we couldn't have rejected that nerdy Hokuto guy, like what Nozomu did a while ago," Natsuki argued.
"That's… another case," Monika said, grinning awkwardly.
"It's fine, guys! You guys are really cute. Well, I'll be heading off! Don't come home too late, Natsuki!" Natsue said cheerily, skipping away. We all stood in silence.
"Wow, your sister feels older than you, somewhat…" I remarked.
"Shut up…"
"Anyway," Monika said, "Now that you've gotten your bass, we all have our instruments! Remember to practice a lot on your own time. We can't get good without practice, so make sure to find time every day! And we also have to work on our lyrics. We're going to be very busy!"
"Yeah!" We cheered in unison. We walked to the train station, where we rode back to our neighborhood.
"Hey, Nozomu," Yuri said, approaching me as we got off the train.
"Yes?"
Yuri grabbed my arm, pulling me to the side, hiding from the others in the crowd.
"Would you happen… to be free on Saturday?" She asked, smiling.
"What? Yeah, of course! Why?" I was elated. Is she asking me out?
"Well, I wondered if you wanted to practice guitar together. I mean, we don't have much time to during club, so I thought I could work one on one with you."
"ONE ON ONE?" I blurted, causing a few people nearby to stare.
"Yep. Are you- okay with that?" her eyes searched my face, hoping for approval.
"Of course! What about Natsuki? Who's going to teach her?"
"Oh, she can learn very fast… don't worry about it!" Yuri giggled. "Yay! So, you can come to my house? Here, I'll give you my address. Ah, hold on! I have to get your number first…" she realized what she had just said, and began to blush.
Wow.
"Oh, here!" I told her my number, and she inputted it into her phone. "You got it?" I asked kindly.
"Yep! Here, cheese!" Yuri held up her purple-cased phone to my face, which was caught completely off guard. She snapped a picture, giggling.
"Ahhh! I wasn't ready!" I whined.
"No, it's so cute!" Yuri insisted, showing me the picture of my surprised face. "I like this picture." She set it as my contact picture, and primly placed the phone back into her bag.
"Can I… have yours?"
"Well, you can just save it when I text you."
"Oh yeah. But… I want this." I flipped out my phone and snapped a picture of Yuri, who tried to block her face, too late.
"Iyyaaa! Nozomu-kun!" She tried to swipe at my phone, but I held it out of reach.
"Awww! You're so cute!" I mimicked, observing the picture of Yuri with her mouth slightly open in surprise, and her eyes wide.
"Ewww, no! It's such a bad picture!" Yuri whimpered.
"Oh, here's where you guys are," Monika appeared, along with the rest. "What were you guys doing? We searched for so long."
"Woah, woah!" Sayori laughed.
"What? I was just getting her number," I said nonchalantly.
"What? You what?" Natsuki shouted.
"Hey, there's nothing wrong with that! Now that I think about it, we don't have Nozomu-kun's number yet! Here!" Sayori said, giving me her number.
"Oh, yeah," Natuski said grudgingly, giving me hers. Monika followed suit.
"Heads up!" I called, rapidly snapping pictures of the three of them.
"Hey!" They shouted, returning fire with their own cameras.
"Hahaha!" We all laughed, "Well, we better get going."
"Yeah. See you guys!"
"Bye Yuri!
"Bye bye, Nozomu!" Yuri smiled, and leaned in close to me. "See you on Saturday," she whispered.
"Y-yeah!" I stuttered.
I went home, excitedly looking forward to Saturday. Yuri! Yuri just asked me out!
The week passed quickly, and we began to practice during club everyday. Natsuki was getting along well with the bass, and my skills were steadily improving. At long last, Saturday had arrived.
"Ohhhhhhhhhhh yeah!" I yelled the moment my eyes opened, hopping out of bed. It's finally time! I quickly got dressed in a green, long sleeved shirt and jeans. I put some gel into my hair, and quickly beat my way outside. Hmm… should I invite Sayori? Of course not! I ran to the bus stop, feeling the fresh breeze upon my face. I excitedly hopped into the bus, grinning sunnily at the other passengers, who looked back unamused. As the restaurant we had dined in came into sight, I exited the bus. Okay, now time to find Yuri's house…
I pulled out her address, and made my way through the neighborhood.
"N-Nozomu-kun?" I turned around as a rush of wind blew past me, carrying a faint scent of apples. Standing ten feet behind me was Yuri, dressed in a white shirt, which just revealed the soft skin of her belly. Her shorts were sky blue, and sported a couple layers of frills around them. Her long, shapely legs were exposed in the cool morning, and her hair was tied into two pigtails. Her face was one of surprise and satisfaction, as she waved me over.
"Yuri-san!" I called, running up to her. "You ready to practice?" I hefted my guitar up, grinning.
"Yeah!" Yuri led me into her quaint little house, which was adorned with brownish, warm colored furniture and a scent of cinnamon. "My parents aren't home, so don't be afraid do make yourself at home." Yuri whipped her hair around, closing the door behind us. "Hold on, I'll make some tea."
Yuri went to the kitchen, while telling me to take a seat in the living room. I sat down on the soft couch, admiring the artistic decorations around the residence. What? I'm in Yuri's house! Alone with her! A barrage of thoughts suddenly accosted me, and when Yuri came with the tea, my heart was beating rapid-fire.
"Nozomu-kun? What's wrong? You look so scared! Am I… scary to you?" Yuri blushed, pointing to herself.
"No, no! I'm perfectly fine. I was just thinking…"
"About…?"
"How, we're in the same house together, alone…" Wait. Why did I say that?
Yuri looked at me strangely, then a wave of realization overtook her face as she realized my implication.
"No! Never mind what I said! It doesn't matter!" I blurted, snatching the cup of tea and taking a swig. "Aaaaarghhhh!" I shrieked, choking on the tea. "Hooooooot!"
"Nozomu! Be careful!" Yuri quickly grabbed a tissue, and wiped my mouth. "Nozomu, you have to be more careful sometimes! I don't want you to hurt yourself."
"Mm. Thank you," I said, clearing my throat. "Yuri, why are you so nice to me?"
"Me? Nice?" Yuri replied, surprised. "Oh, no, it's nothing! I'm just following my manners, that's all!"
"Well, I like your manners."
"Ehe… thanks…"
"And also, Yuri, you're usually so quiet when we're with everyone else. But I feel like you talk to me a lot."
"Well…" Yuri gulped, nervously twirling her pigtails between her fingers. "Well, that's because… I… feel comfortable around you, I guess."
"R-really? Wow! No girl has ever said that to me! Yayyyy!" I cheered. Unnnnnghhhh. I'm so stupid….
"Uhhh…." she fingered the hem of her short shorts, brushing the frills back and forth. For some reason, that action made my face flush red. "Well… I guess… I'm pleased… to be your first?" she said tentatively.
"Th-thank you. Anyway, should we begin to practice?" I said, trying to change the topic while I fanned my face.
"Y-yeah! Let's do so! Hold on. I'll go grab my guitar from my room." Yuri made for her stairs, but stopped and turned back. "Actually, come up here with me. We can do it in my room."
"D-do it in your room? O-okay!" I stood up a little to rapidly, almost knocking over the teacups. "Sorry." I picked up my guitar and followed Yuri up the staircase. We entered her room, which had purple walls, and posters upon the walls. Her bed had white sheets, with red hearts adorning it.
"What are those posters about?" I asked, examining them.
"Oh, they're just from my favorite novels," Yuri explained. "I can recommend all of them to you."
"Oh, that's cool. Aww, I like your bedsheets. They're so pretty."
"Why, thank you... " Yuri eyed me suspiciously. "You're complimenting me so much today."
"Well, why wouldn't I? I'm just telling the truth."
"O- okay… here. I have two amps! Plug in your guitar." Yuri pulled out two guitar amps, plugging hers in. I followed suit.
"So, we should try playing something new," Yuri said. "Here. We'll do some improvisation. I like to this sometimes. We just play some random chords, and eventually we'll make a song. It's not that hard."
"Sounds like a plan," I replied, hefting up my guitar. Yuri began to strum, a fast, upbeat tone. Her head bobbed slightly to the music, her bangs swaying side to side.
"Join in," she called, and I found a harmonizing chord. Our combined sounds became one, and I felt a rush of feeling course through me. That strange, unexplainable feeling when more than one plays in accord. After a while, Yuri suddenly took a deep breath and sang, in her beautiful, clear voice which instantly whisked me away.
"Down by the stream
Where the lilies grow
I met you, I met you and all your friends
I laughed and cried when your eyes met mine
I knew that there was no time
For you and I …"
As she sang, I quickly came up with lyrics in my head, singing in my awkward voice.
"Because you
You were always one step ahead
I never knew how to keep up
I was always number two
And not for you"
Yuri pulled a riff, electrifying sounds of angst and joy emanating throughout the room. She finished the song:
"But I always hope
That one day
I'll be good enough for you
When that day comes
I'll be sure to stay true
Like I always do…" Yuri and I stopped strumming, and we let the sound fade out. After that last sound died, we let out our breaths, laughing.
"Nozomu-kun! That was fun!" Yuri said, out of breath. She reached over and patted my on the shoulder. "Right?"
"Yeah! Except I just made up some random lyrics. Monika would totally disapprove."
"No, no! It's totally okay! It doesn't matter if the lyrics are that special," Yuri said, standing and stretching, revealing her slim body beneath her shirt. "I mean, you're just saying it on the spot. And they're just words from your feelings. That's what I like to do. I just play random things and sing random things that I feel like singing. It's really refreshing and satisfying to be able to let out your stress and emotions like that."
"Yeah, I know right! It felt soooo good," I said. "Wanna go again?"
"Again? Okay!" Yuri said happily, taking up her guitar and sitting down again, this time right next to me. I could smell her sweet scent, and her soft thigh was pressed against mine. "You start this time," she said, leaning close.
"O-okay, s-s-sure!" I stuttered, extremely nervous. I began another tune, this time slow and romantic. Yuri accentuated it with minor chord transitions, giving it a melancholy, heart-yearning tone. We spent hours like that, playing and singing, and Yuri would help me whenever I had trouble with a new chord.
After a long time, I finally got up.
"Ah, I need to use the restroom," I said, placing the guitar down.
"Oh, sure," Yuri said, getting up as well. "Over here." She led me into the hallway, and into the bathroom. After she left, I realized the bath was still wet. She probably took a shower earlier, before I came… I gulped hard. Yuri… was here… taking… a shower… Ahhhh what am I thinking about? Suddenly, a white piece of cloth caught my eye, hanging near the shower.
It was a bra and a pair of panties.
My heart began beating overtime. No, no, no! I have to get out of here before something happens! I quickly did my business and ran out the door, not looking back.
"Kyyyyyaaaaaa!" I did not notice the Yuri standing right outside the door, and crashed straight into her. We toppled to the floor together, and I quickly tried to cushion her fall by wrapping my limbs around her body. I caught her head with my hands, and when we hit the floor, my face was inches from hers.
Our eyes looked right into each other's, and I could feel her sharp breath upon my cheeks.
"N-Nozomu…" Yuri whispered, blushing. I realized that my legs had straddled her torso, and my body was pressed up against hers. I could feel the curves and soft skin beneath me, her chest heaving up and down in nervousness. Her thin shorts felt nonexistent underneath my weight.
"U-uhhh…" We were both in shock, but did not move a muscle. The tenseness in my chest had reached a breaking point.
"Yuri! S-s-sorrryyyyyyy!" I quickly tried to get off of her, but she stopped me by holding my hips down. "W-what? Y-Yuri?!"
"Nozomyyy… That actually… feels… kinda good…" She said, dragging out her words, thick as honey.
"Good? It feels good?" I felt the blood pounding in my head, as my body was planted even more securely onto Yuri's.
"Well, yeah… I wouldn't… mind… if we stayed like this… a little longer…"
I had broken out into a sweat, and she had as well. What should I do? Does she… want….
Suddenly, Yuri started crying.
"Yuri!?" Tears began to bubble out of her eyes, and she sobbed. "What? Yuri!" I quickly got off of her, and helped her to sit up with her back against the wall. "Yuri! What's wrong?"
"I-I…" Yuri wiped her eyes, beginning to finger her wrist. "I don't… want… to remember…."
My eyes widened as I felt a heavy weight upon my heart. Why is she touching her wrist? No, no, no! What's going on?!
"Yuri!"