Why did she have that sadness in her eyes, even when they were on the carousel?
L couldn't understand why. The day had seemed pleasant, with Meredith smiling throughout, until the final ride on the merry-go-round. As they got into Watari's car, she remained silent about it, and L chose not to ask what was troubling her. However, he found himself unable to comprehend why she was sad at the end of the day. No matter how he analyzed her from every angle, his attempts to understand her emotions were in vain, a recurring frustration he experienced whenever he tried to decipher her inner feelings.
She seemed fine now as they sat in her room, shoulder to shoulder and side by side on the piano bench, with her playing. L kept staring at her, but her focus remained on her music, and there was no sign of the melancholy he had seen at the amusement park.
"What do you think of this piece?"
"W-What?"
"I mean this piano piece," Meredith clarified, tapping the sheet music before her.
"Sorry, I was thinking about a case."
A small lie wouldn't hurt. He hadn't mustered the courage to ask her why she seemed melancholic yesterday. Usually, he would directly ask people when they showed signs of emotions he couldn't understand, like "Why are you hesitating to answer?" when interrogating suspects or questioning police.
But not now. Puzzlement was such an unfamiliar experience for him. It was so strange, as he hardly encountered it. Perhaps it was because Meredith rarely displayed strong emotions or expressions that puzzled him. That's why he now felt somewhat unsure about asking her directly why there was a hint of sadness in her eyes.
"A case that you need to handle the following week until your next return?"
"Um- yeah- what were you playing again?"
Meredith paused and didn't respond to his question. She seemed to be thinking about something, from how her gaze lowered. With a brief ponder, she asked, "In mid-September, will you be busy with cases?"
"Maybe. What?"
"It's our school's bunkasai (文化祭, cultural festival). I will be participating in a performance. Would you be willing to come? It's quite different from what I've done previously," Meredith said, turning to look at L. "But I wanted you and Watari to come and see, although you don't have to force yourself if you don't want to."
"Different from previous performances? What is it?"
He was well aware of her musical accomplishments, and although he had attended a few of her performances in the past, it was usually when he was in the right mood and had the time. Besides, watching her win every contest sometimes became boring, and in later years, he would rather just wait for the anticipated results that were relayed to him, while he focused on his tasks in his own room.
"Kei-on-bu (輕音部, light music club) needed a keyboard player for their performance, so they asked me if I could help out."
"It makes sense since you are the best pianist in the country," L responded quietly.
She didn't see that compliment coming, and a blush slowly appeared, but she continued to inform him, "It might be quite noisy and crowded. I don't want you to feel obliged to come just because I asked you."
Noisy and crowded, that seemed not a problem, after going to the amusement park with her, it became not a main concern. L couldn't quite explain why, but he found himself more drawn to the idea of attending the event with her. Perhaps with more observation of her outside Wammy's House would he have a deeper understanding of her world, and maybe, all his puzzlements would have an answer to them.
L paused, taking a moment to consider her offer.
"I'll go," he finally said, a small smile playing on his lips.
"If the ones in front don't sit down, I can't see anything," said L.
Watari glanced over at L. The young detective beside him sat in his usual position, crouched and hunched on the chair, with his hands resting on his knees. His intense gaze was fixed on the stage, even though he couldn't see the performance. Recently L seemed slightly more interested in attending activities other than cases as of late. While serving tea and desserts for L, Watari found that L was dealing with cases at an even faster pace than Watari could assign to him. Although L was known for his ability to work long hours without sleep, occasionally prompting Watari to remind him to take a break, this past week L appeared more reluctant to stop and rest. He pushed himself to complete tasks beyond his usual capacity, a behavior that concerned Watari.
It wasn't until L and Meredith mentioned the bunkasai music performance to him that Watari finally had a sense of what was going on. However, the nature of the performance was certainly different from what he was familiar with, despite Meredith's previous explanation that it would be unlike her usual performances. Watari found himself slightly surprised by L's willingness to attend, considering L's known aversion to loud and crowded places.
He followed L's gaze toward the stage. The light music club had taken the stage, and the auditorium was filled with the booming sound of loud music. Spotlights flashed and turned, switching to different colors, creating a thrilling atmosphere as the performers made their entrance. However, their view of the stage was obstructed by a group of excited audience members who stood up and cheered, forming a wall that prevented them from seeing the performance clearly.
It certainly wasn't the kind of performance that Meredith was accustomed to participating in. Her usual engagements revolved around serious competitions, invitations to perform, or recording sessions for composing original soundtracks for films or television commercials. The music was so loud that it vibrated Watari's glasses, creating a distorted visual effect. He adjusted his spectacles and glanced over at L, who seemed unfazed by the volume. L tilted his head side to side, trying to catch glimpses of Meredith on the stage through the gaps between the boys standing in front of him.
Watari had anticipated this and handed L a small pair of binoculars.
"Thanks, Watari," L said, taking the binoculars.
There she was, positioned on the left-hand side of the stage, seamlessly blending in with the rest of the band in her school uniform. Her face was adorned with body paint, featuring a white base with a black butterfly drawn over her right eye, covering almost half of her face. The makeup style reminded him of the American rock band "Kiss," which she had shown him before, indicating that their performance would adopt a similar appearance. Her features were obscured, almost to the point of being unrecognizable, but he knew it was her because she was the keyboardist.
Seeing her in that makeup brought a wide grin to his face, despite it being quite ridiculous.
The resounding noise of drums, loud vocals, and rock guitar drowned out her keyboard playing, making it challenging for him to discern specific notes or melodies. Yet, he found himself undisturbed by the cheers and clamor surrounding him and was immersed in observing her through the binoculars.
Before the light music club took the stage, there were other talent performances from various clubs, including the cheerleading team, drama club, and symphonic band. The auditorium was filled with liveliness and an infectious spirit. School life wasn't something that particularly interested L, but the vibrant atmosphere compelled him to remark to Watari, "Such youthfulness."
"You could experience school life if you want, L," replied Watari.
"No, perhaps later in life," L responded. For now, observing school life from a distance would suffice for him. He doubted he would ever have the opportunity to experience it firsthand.
Unless it was necessary for an investigation.
"Everybody, lend me your hands!" chanted the lead singer on stage.
L robotically raised his hands with a plain face and joined in with the crowd's enthusiastic waving.
After the light music club's performance ended, L commented, "There's no need to watch the rest of the performances since Meri has already finished her part." With that, Watari and L exited the auditorium. Meredith received L's text message and was waiting for them outside.
"Watari, thank you for coming!" She smiled and hugged Watari, although the man was slightly taken aback by her exaggerated makeup. Upon closer inspection, L noticed her white face with a large butterfly design covering her right eye, and black lips.
"My dear, you performed well," replied Watari.
"You should keep the makeup on when you return to Wammy's," L remarked, observing Meredith's face.
Meredith responded with a smile that L was familiar with, although not in this particular state. "It might scare others. I have makeup wipes with me." With a swift motion and a few quick wipes, she transformed back to her usual self.
"Too bad, I was expecting you to scare Roger," smirked L.
Meredith chuckled and shook her head, "As much as I would love to see his reaction, I don't think I want to give him a heart attack. Maybe next time."
She continued, "The school has set up numerous booths for each class and club to exhibit or sell things. Do you want to check them out?"
L noticed the familiar spark of sincerity in her eyes once again. It was something he hadn't witnessed while watching her perform on stage through the binoculars. As he was about to leave with Watari, a thought crossed his mind. If she didn't have any further plans at school, he could offer her a ride back to Wammy's House. Those sparks of sincerity had piqued L's interest once again, and he considered spending some more time at the festival. After all, he had already cleared his schedule to attend, so a little more time wouldn't bother him.
"Okay," agreed L, and they departed with Watari, promising to return to the parking lot two hours later.
The school grounds were transformed into a festive marketplace with numerous stalls and booths offering a variety of activities, games, and food. Most of the stalls were run by students, selling homemade crafts, traditional snacks, and organizing games for visitors to participate in. Some stalls were run by outside vendors who had received permission to enter the campus. The majority of students were adorned in their uniforms, while others showcased their talents through vibrant costumes for the performances.
Although the Japanese school in Winchester wasn't a large campus, on this day, it was bustling with people as if every Japanese person in England had gathered for the bunkasai. The atmosphere was so immersive that it felt like being in Japan, with everyone conversing in Japanese. This event was one of the rare occasions when the school opened its doors to the public, drawing numerous attendees eager to experience Japanese culture.
As they walked side by side, L noticed the gentle brushing of the back of their hands. It reminded him of the day they went to the amusement park when a similar occurrence had taken place. Normally, he would tuck his hands in his pockets to avoid any specific contact with others when he needed to be in public. But when it came to being with her, grabbing her hand was never an issue, and he never felt embarrassed about it, not even once. It was a simple gesture, like when he would drag her away from Takashi's hassling on the day he picked her up from school or when he took her hand and pulled her to the library to find answers to the subjects they were debating. Holding her hand was something normal to him.
On the day they went to the amusement park, however, the occasional brushing of their hands didn't bother him. In fact, he found himself expecting it and even lifted his hand out of his pocket to align with hers. But it felt strange to hold her hand that day, as there was no reason to do so.
Just like today.
"Stay close to me, L," Meredith turned around and took his hands, leading the way through the bustling crowd as if they were swimming in a sea. There were moments when L feared he might lose her in the crowd, and he held her hand tightly in return, struggling to keep up with her.
L glanced at the girl before him. She seemed completely natural in taking his hand, without any hesitation, just like when they were children. Contrary to his hesitation.
"Did your class exhibit anything?"
"I heard Tanaka mention they're doing a maid-themed café, with boys dressed in maid costumes and girls as butlers, but I didn't participate in the planning."
"So youthful," commented L once again.
"You're only 16, but you sound like an old man, L," Meredith chuckled. "If you want, you could enroll in high school. Watari could handle it for you."
"You're saying the same thing as Watari, and my answer to you is the same: No. Having you share high school life with me is enough."
"Maybe you will have other opportunities. High school might be too easy for you. University might suit you better."
"I doubt I'll ever have to participate in school life."
"Who knows? Perhaps there will come a time when you have to investigate a school or a suspect who is a student."
"We'll see about that."
At first, she walked ahead of him, their hands tightly clasped. Gradually, they shifted to walking side by side, taking in the sights of the various stalls and booths lining the lane. The enticing aroma of street food such as Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki filled the air, drawing the attention of passersby who wanted to experience a taste of Japanese flavors. Meredith bought some dango (sweet Japanese dumplings served on skewers) drizzled with red sugar syrup for L, and they shared a Taiyaki (a fish-shaped pastry filled with various fillings).
"There are some exhibitions in the classroom area. Would you like to check them out?" Meredith flipped through the bunkasai manual.
"Anything in particular that interests you?"
"The Ikebana club is displaying their flower arrangement works, and there's a handcraft club... Oh, and there's a chess club that's teaching outsiders how to play shogi today."
"You don't need that, you already know how to play."
"You can still give it a try."
"Nah, time is running out, and are they better than you?"
"Well, I did play with them once, just for fun, and the game ended relatively quickly. We still have time, so we can take a look from the corridor instead of entering the classroom. Besides, I wanted to check out our class's maid theme café," Meredith suggested.
L considered her proposal and nodded in agreement.
They continued perusing the manual, exploring the different exhibits and activities available. As they walked through the corridors, they marveled at the creativity and talent displayed by the students. The classrooms were transformed into mini galleries, showcasing a variety of artwork, crafts, and cultural displays. The vibrant colors, intricate details, and artistic expressions captivated their attention. They decided to observe the chess club's activities from outside the classroom, standing in the corridor where they had a clear view of the participants engaged in their games.
When they arrived at Meredith's class, Takashi, dressed in a maid suit, tried his best to maintain a composed expression while serving L and Meredith. His displeasure was evident in his subtle frown and narrowed eyes when he noticed L sitting in the classroom booth with Meredith. As he approached their table to serve L's coffee, he couldn't hide his annoyance entirely.
"Meri! And Asahi! Nice to see you here," Tanaka smiled and continued to greet new customers.
"Takashi-kun, you surprisingly suit well in the maid suit," L commented with his plain voice.
Takashi's irritation was evident as he replied curtly, "Shut up and drink your coffee, Asahi."
"Please add some more sugar to my coffee, Takashi-kun."
Takashi begrudgingly obliged, adding another sugar cube to L's cup.
"More."
Takashi added another cube.
"More."
Takashi's eyebrows twitched, but he still added another cube.
"More- "
"That's enough, Asahi-kun," Meredith intervened, stopping L before Takashi grew impatient and preventing him from using up all the sugar cubes that her class had prepared.
With the designated time agreed upon with Watari approaching, they made their way back to the ground floor of the campus, taking one last stroll past the remaining stalls and booths. The bunkasai was still in full swing, but they had already decided to leave before the crowds and traffic became too overwhelming.
One of the stalls caught her interest. It had a Nobori (幟), a long and narrow rectangular flag often used in festivals or events to display a message or symbol.
"Let's check that out!" Meredith pulled L and went up to the stall to take a closer look. It was a stall run by outside vendors, displaying numerous souvenirs and gadgets, mostly imported goods.
There were delicate patterned handkerchiefs, refined chopsticks, cute chopstick rests, Daruma Dolls (だるま), Sensu Fans (扇子), Omamori (お守り) and Ema (絵馬), a set of origami paper (折り紙), Lucky cats (Maneki-neko, 招き猫), Japanese sandals (草履), coin purses (小銭入れ), Japanese hair ornaments (Kanzashi, 簪), wind chimes (風鈴), Koinobori (鯉幟), and Teru teru bōzu (てるてる坊主).
There were various masks on display, including kitsune fox masks (狐), hannya masks (般若), Oni masks (鬼), Tengu masks (天狗), and Samurai masks (侍). They had noticed several people wearing these masks while strolling around the campus, which created an atmosphere reminiscent of a summer festival rather than a bunkasai. While she initially had an interest in the fox mask, her eyes were drawn to the Hyottoko mask(火男), and a playful grin formed on her face.
"You should try this," she suggested, taking the Hyottoko mask and placing it on L's face. The comical expression of the mask brought a smile to her lips as L watched her from behind its exaggerated features.
The contrasting comical expression of the Hyottoko mask against L's typically serious demeanor prompted her to comment, "It suits you." Retrieving a small mirror from her bag, she showed L his appearance. L couldn't help but notice that she seemed to enjoy seeing him in silly accessories, like the sunglasses before and now this mask. However, he didn't mind her playful gestures. He remained silent, simply observing her smile behind the mask. And slowly, without her knowing, he smiled in response.
He couldn't quite figure out whether he had grown fond of the silly Hyottoko mask or if it was her reaction to seeing him wear it and the smile she had on her face. But in that moment, it didn't matter. He simply watched her with contentment, wearing a smile of his own.
They ended up buying the mask before making their way back to the parking lot, where Watari was waiting for them, and they returned to Wammy's House together.
"Did you enjoy the performance?" Meredith asked as they were on their way back.
"I was blocked by a group of people in front of me, so I couldn't see much, to be honest," L replied. "But I didn't dislike it."
Meredith shrugged cheerfully. "No worries. The music they played was rubbish anyway."
Author's Note:
This chapter is inspired by the one-shot "L: One Day."
In the live-action movie, L wore a Hyottoko mask, so I thought it would be fun to provide an explanation of why he chose the mask in the first place.
Comments are always welcomed.