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Past ten already. I must have been really absorbed in my playing, not to notice how late it was for so long, Kousei thought.
The whole school had been dark and empty by the time he had finally left to go home. Dark and empty, but also peaceful. As if the building tried to make up for the noisy, hectic and stress-soaked atmosphere of the day.
A shooting star flew across the sky, just at the edge of his vision. He tilted his head back, trying to get a proper look at it before it faded away. It was a perfect night for star-gazing. Not a single cloud in sight. If only the street lights weren't so bright.
What's that sound? Kousei stopped. He looked around, but couldn't see anyone. There was nothing to indicate that he wasn't alone and he wasn't near any houses either. Still, he could have sworn he had heard someone hum an all too familiar song.
"Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", he muttered to himself.
After another quick glance at the street behind him he looked back up at the sky and continued walking. The quiet scenery and the starry sky brought back memories.
Memories of Watari. His best friend and never-ending source of pick-up lines, who was always there when he needed a pick-me-up or just something to distract him, no matter the distance separating the two of them.
Memories of Tsubaki, who had worked so hard to get into a high school closer to his, only for him to end up going overseas after all. Tsubaki, who was still looking out for him, trying to make sure he ate and slept enough, even though she was miles away now.
And memories of Kaori.
Those were the memories that he treasured most, but also the ones that hurt more than any others. Memories that were completely ordinary and trivial, yet so unique and irreplaceable.
Kousei looked down when he suddenly felt the ground beneath his feet change. Instead of the hard asphalt he had been walking on so far, he was now standing ankle-deep in white sand. He had been so lost in thought that he hadn't realised that his legs hadn't taken him to his apartment, but to the place where he always went when he felt homesick.
The beach.
He walked a bit further away from the street and lay down in the sand. His mentor would be furious if she knew that he was wasting time less than a week before his first international competition, but he didn't care. He needed some time for himself every now and again. Kaori would understand. She would scold him too, of course, for 'slacking off' and 'acting like he was too good to need practicing', but she would understand.
Absentmindedly, he started digging holes into the sand and form the slightly wet sand from the bottom of the holes into shapes. As a child, Tsubaki had always loved playing with mud and she had recently told him that Kaori had also come to the sand box from time to time. They hadn't known Kaori back then, but now that he knew, playing with sand still made him feel closer to both of them.
Kousei formed a few balls that looked more like giant eggs than anything else and built a small sand castle. He also tried to build a piano and a violin, but they ended up looking like a weird, striped lolly and a dented triangle with fringes on one side.
It was almost midnight when he checked his phone again. He let out a deep sigh and got to his feet. Painstakingly, he made his way through the deep sand along the beach. Before he stepped back onto the street, he turned around to soak in the sight of the ocean one more time, the rushing waves like music in his ears.
You asked me once, if I would ever be able to forget, Kaori, he thought. But the answer to that question doesn't matter. I don't want to forget. I will never want to forget. I will hold on to my memories as fast as I can and never let go.
With another deep breath, he stepped on the asphalt and began his walk home. The next few days before the competition would be exhausting, but he would do his best. He would fight and pour every bit of his emotions into the piano. He would pour his heart out. For his friends. For Kaori.
For Kaori.