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“I heard that Tempest won another band competition at Abyss University.”
“Really? That’s awesome! They’re really winning everywhere; as expected of Venti and his vocals.”
“Hashtag Tempest sweep?”
“Venti’s vocals are extraordinary, but I think it’s Aether and Kazuha’s guitar tunes that make their performance really pleasant to be watched and heard.”
“Xiao and Heizou play extraordinarily too! Especially when Xiao got to play a solo bass intro… I think I teared up a little when he does. He's so so cool!”
Tempest was once again a hot topic spreading across the students of Teyvat High. With Venti as the vocalist, Aether and Kazuha respectively playing the main and rhythm guitar, Xiao with the bass, and Heizou as the drummer, the band has received several accolades and achievements from various band competitions. Not only for occasionally writing and composing their own songs other than doing covers, but their performance was also superb—their passion for music says it all.
The strums of guitars and the other instruments finally stopped playing. Xiao removed his bass and leaned the instrument against the studio wall, his hand reaching out to take a bottle of water.
“Great job for today, guys! Don’t forget to stay hydrated and have a good rest!” Aether beamed, placing back his guitar into the case.
“Aww, I don’t think we had enough practice today. I still want to sing…” Venti pouted, taking his jacket from the hanger.
“You always want to sing, Venti,” Heizou added, spinning his drumsticks.
“…well, fair point.”
“Come on, guys. Venti, your voice needs some rest too so we can give our best performance.” Kazuha gently tapped the vocalist’s shoulder, his other hand forming a thumbs-up.
“Since it’s Kazumom who said it… fine, I’ll comply~”
Aether stepped closer to Xiao who was still busy scribbling in his notebook, seemingly so focused. “How’s the new songwriting going?” he asked, taking a peek at the page of Xiao’s book.
“Pretty great,” he responded nonchalantly, closing back his book; earning a disappointed groan from Aether.
“Boo. I wanted to see the song too, you know.”
“The surprise won’t be there if you see it before it’s finished.” Xiao chugged his water once again, placing his back into the case and slung it onto his shoulders. “I’ll try to finish the lyrics by tomorrow.”
Aether’s eyes widened, seemingly reminded of something. “Oh, right—guys, can we have a day off tomorrow? I… well, my sister will come to visit me after a while, so I wanted to spend a day with her,” he said sheepishly, one hand rubbing the back of his neck.
“Ooh! Lumine’s back? Can I come too?”
“Sorry, it’s for siblings only, Venti.”
“Boo. You’re so lame.”
“Of course you can, Aether. We will meet again the day after tomorrow, then… at the usual time. Is that fine?” Kazuha looked at his wristwatch, then at his bandmates.
“Aye, Leader!”
The five of them were done tidying up the studio and were ready to go home. “You have a sister?” Heizou asked, closing the studio door once they were all outside.
“Um, yeah. I have not told you, have I? I have a twin sister—we were neighbors with Venti when we were kids. She… well, went to a different university than mine—ours, so she’s not always home.” Aether walked in the direction of the stairs; there he heard a familiar voice calling for his name…
“Aeth!” Another crown of blonde peeked from the stairs; revealing a petite girl whose face was almost identical to Aether. “So there you are.”
“Lu!” Aether trotted to the girl—his sister, giving her a bear hug. “Why haven’t you told me that you’ve arrived? You also could just wait back home!”
Lumine laughed, punching her brother’s shoulder gently. “It’s called a surprise visit, Silly. Besides, I want to see my brother’s famous band in person.”
“Lumine~!” Venti jumped from behind Aether, basically glomping the blonde girl before him, his cheeks nuzzled into hers. “It’s been sooo long! I really miss hanging out with you!”
“Venti!” Lumine returned the hug, “I missed you too! How are you? I’m really happy to know that you’re in the same band as Aether.
“Oh—right. Talking about band… let me introduce my bandmates to you. This is Kazuha, our rhythm guitarist. This one’s Heizou, our drummer, and this is our bassist Xiao—Xiao? A-are you okay?”
Xiao froze; amber chromes met golden. He could feel his tongue stiffen, his mind went blank, and his heart began to race. She’s… she’s so… pretty. Uh-oh—what should he say? Did he look at least presentable? “I—I…” What is happening? Xiao had never felt like this before; should he be concerned?
“Hello, nice to meet you all! I’ve heard many praises about Tempest... it’s truly a pleasure to be able to meet you here. I hope my brother never got you into trouble.” As Aether shouted a protest, Lumine shook their hand one by one, Xiao’s was last; prompting a stutter from the moss-haired bassist.
Her hands are so soft, he thought. “Y… yeah. It’s nice to meet you too.” Xiao pulled back his hands and shoved them into his pockets, head turned to his side. What was that? That was a lame answer—and why his heart couldn’t stop beating so fast? This is ridiculous—there is something so… intriguing about this girl.
“Well then, we’ll be going first! Take care on your way home!” And with that, Aether, Lumine, and Venti went down the stairs, leaving the three others behind.
“Wow. What an interesting new acquaintance that we just made… don’t you think so, Xiao?” Kazuha elbowed his bandmate, his lips forming a thin smile.
“Huh? W-well… I guess so. She… really looks like Aether.”
“Oh…?” Heizou raised one eyebrow, index finger and thumb were put beneath his chin. “What is it, what is it? Looks like our bassist caught an interest in someone.”
Red flush bloomed on Xiao’s cheeks, his one hand moved to punch Heizou’s arm. “I did not,” he denied, making his way down the stairs. No, of course not—he’s definitely not ‘crushing on someone’ like Heizou said… furthermore, on his friend’s particular sister.
…right?
…but it seemed like he was wrong. Xiao couldn’t seem to take his mind off her the next day, even when he had to finish writing a song. Her blonde hair, golden eyes, petite stature… and did he mention that she looked so cute with that flower hairpin on her hair? Xiao pulled the hood of his jacket to cover his face with a muffled breath.
Bad, this is bad. Deep within his heart, he desired to meet her again—to talk longer. It was such a pity he only got to talk with her for only a minute, though even if he had the chance, he might not know what should he say to her. Xiao sighed deeply. As much as he hated to admit it, perhaps he did have a crush on Lumine after all.
( Group Chat )
TEMPEST WORLD DOMINATION SOON!
Kazumom:
Don’t forget that we have practice today at 5 pm. (´◡`)
Ventee:
Roger that 🫡
Heizouu:
Will yeet myself to the studio after I finished my class ASAP!!! 💨
Xiaocat:
got it.
Aeth:
Guys, can I bring Lumine w me? She said she wanted to watch us practicing, so
Xiaocat:
WHAT?
Heizouu:
👀👀👀
Aeth:
? Xiao why u seem so surprised
Ventee:
YES YES YES PLS INVITE HER !!!!! I WANNA HANG OUT 💃
Kazumom:
Sure! It will be a pleasure. (´∀`)
Aeth:
K then! See u at 5 pm
“Hello, everyone! Thank you for allowing me to join you. I hope I’m not disturbing your practice!”
Xiao’s heart flutters as he saw Lumine standing by the studio door beside Aether. So Lumine really does come… she looks radiant as usual (he thinks of it as if he’s been meeting her for a long time) that he almost couldn’t take his eyes off her, not until he realized he had to set up his bass before practice. His face felt heated up again—he quickly tried to hide it before the other boys see the redness of his cheeks.
“No worries, Lumine. You’re always welcome to watch us… let’s just say you have a free pass for it.” Kazuha beamed, slinging his guitar on his shoulder. “By the way, where do you go to college?”
“I go to Inazuma Art Institute,” Lumine replied, pulling a seat (which was strategically placed) near Xiao’s position, prompting the jade-haired young man to stutter. “How do you got to form a band, anyway?”
“It was all thanks to Venti. He was the one who, let’s say, recruited us,” Heizou added from his seat by the drums, grinning. “He posted an announcement looking for bandmates on the campus’ bulletin board; and from that day on, we were united as a band. Honestly, I joined because I thought it would be fun—but I guess I’ve truly found my passion now.”
Lumine’s eyes glistened as she listened to Heizou’s story, amazed. She locked eyes with Xiao for a second, although the latter quickly broke them when he was ready with the bass slung over his shoulder. “It’s time to start practicing,” he prompted the others to cut the dilly-dally and immediately go to their agenda today… mainly because he couldn’t muster the courage to also converse with her.
“Oh, right.” Everyone had already stood by their position, ready to start the band practice. Venti was testing the microphone by humming several tunes, and once he gave the cue, instruments started playing and he started singing.
Xiao and Lumine’s gazes once again brushed each other. He saw her smiling and giving him a thumb-up, which almost made him distracted from playing. She’s watching Aether and Venti now, yet Xiao’s attention has yet to leave her.
“We’ll get going to buy some food, then!” Aether and Kazuha walked out of the studio to order some takeaways for their dinner. Inside the studio, Venti and Heizou could be seen chatting with each other, while Xiao sat leaning on the wall, writing in his notebook. “Are you writing a song right now?”
Lumine’s voice almost made Xiao jump from his seat. God, why did she surprise him that much? “Yeah,” he responded, trying hard to ignore the fact that Lumine now sat beside him, almost a little too close from how much his heart could take. Oh God, it’s beating so hard—
“Aether said you are Tempest’s songwriter,” she opened another conversation, both hands resting on top of her folded knees.
“Mhm. Just occasionally, though.” Did he sound normal and had no awkwardness when talking to her? What topic he should bring more? Xiao unknowingly squeezed his notebook, his head couldn’t think straight. “I started to write and compose when I was in high school.”
Lumine tilted her head in curiosity. “Really? That’s amazing, I’ve always admired someone who can make their own music.”
“It’s… nothing special, really.”
Lumine smiled as the two of them were back into silence; she was focusing on her phone, while Xiao was back into writing. There was a slight regret in him—he wished he could talk to her more, yet upholding a conversation was never his forte. Ah, how delightful it would be to be an outgoing person like Venti, Aether or Heizou.
Aether and Kazuha were back with food not so long after and they ate dinner before continuing their band practice until it was finally time to get home. Xiao was the last one to go out of the studio room, with Lumine walking only several steps from him. Fist clenched, he took a deep breath. It would be nice to ask her to hang out together outside the band practice—though it's not like he would really ask her to do so, anyway. At the end of the day, it will only be a little reverie of his.
Lumine often visits the band from that day on, bringing coffee, snacks, or desserts for them to consume at break time. Xiao has gotten used to her presence in the studio, though he still could not take the initiative to talk to her first; and they ended up only exchanging glances at each other. Everyone often left her with Xiao too for various reasons, whether it was to buy dinner or to chat with the studio’s caretaker outside… suspiciously.
“You play guitar too, Xiao?” Lumine asked one time, taking a seat before the jade-haired young man who was sitting on the studio room ground with an acoustic guitar within his hold.
Xiao nodded, “I do, usually when I have to make the base melodies of our song.” No words were spoken as he went back into playing, finding a fitting tune for the song, until he added, “I have finished the first half of the song. Do you… want to hear it?”
Lumine smiled. “I would like to.”
Xiao sighed in relief. There was a sense of delight knowing that Lumine complied; he began to play the guitar and sing. Singing was not something he does in front of another person confidently, yet Xiao doesn’t seem to mind this fact today. He felt rather relaxed, too, unlike the other days when he was left with her—music really helped him to be his usual self, where he doesn’t need to worry about others’ impression of him.
When he finished playing, Xiao can see Lumine’s golden eyes gazing right at him, her jaw slightly dropped as if she’s seen the best performance of her lifetime. “That… was beautiful, Xiao. I think you should sing more, you have a really soothing voice.”
Xiao quickly turned his head away, his one hand pulling the hood of his jacket closer to his forehead. “Venti’s vocals are better than mine,” he retorted.
“Yours is just fine too! I like hearing your singing voice. You should do it more often.”
Xiao’s heart raced once more as his hand squeezed his chest. “…I’ll try to think about it,” he exclaimed, earning a cheerful grin from the blonde. He took a glance at the clock, wondering when his bandmates will be back here. They are surely taking too much of their time…
“Can you teach me how to play?” She leaned a little closer to Xiao, prompting the latter to pull back his head to create some distance from her.
“T—the guitar? Yeah, sure…” He handed the acoustic guitar to her, whilst grabbing an electric one for him. “Here, use this one. Electric guitars’ strings might be a little sharp for you,” he said, slotting the said guitar into his fingers. “Let’s do the C chord for starters.” Xiao positioned his left fingers to play the C chord, his right hand picked the guitar strings; prompting Lumine to follow his instructions.
“Like this?” Lumine placed her fingers mimicking the bassist’s, making one swift movement to strum the strings. It doesn’t sound as smooth as Xiao did, but she still made a sound. “Does it sound good enough?”
“Yes, you’re doing it correctly. Now we’re moving into the G chord.” Xiao repeated the steps; him placing his fingers on the frets and plucking the strings while Lumine followed his instructions, making sounds on her own. The way her eyes sparked up in excitement as she succeeded in creating a tune, how she smiled afterward… those little gestures couldn’t help but make Xiao’s lips curl up into a smile. This girl really captivated his heart just like that, huh.
“Then the F chord.” Xiao covered the fret with his left index finger, placing his other fingers below, once again picking the strings.
Lumine tried to do the same, yet nothing came out when she strummed the string. “Uh… this one’s a little difficult,” she huffed, trying to fix her fingers' position but it was still the same. Where did she go wrong?
“Here.” Xiao’s hand reached out to touch her fingertips, guiding where she was supposed to position them on the frets correctly, “now, pick the strings.” It took a minute to Xiao finally realize what he had done—something he wouldn’t have done when he was not in his ‘musician mode.’
Red flushes slowly spread across his countenance as his heart once again raced. Did… did he just… did he just take her fingers like that!? What was he even doing? “S—sorry, I did not mean to…” Just as he looked up to face her, Xiao swore that he saw the familiar tinge of pink on Lumine’s cheeks. “Try to pick them now,” he implored, trying to brush off the awkwardness.
Lumine followed as he said, finally making a sound. “Ah, so that’s how you do it.” A soft laugh echoed like bells, Lumine rested her arms on top of the guitar’s body. “Thank you for teaching me, Xiao. You’re really a good teacher.” Oh, there is it again—the sheepish smile that made his heart skip a beat. “Looks like the path of mastering guitar is still far away from me.”
“You can always ask me to teach you again sometime. I had fun spending time with you.” The words blurted out of his mouth just like that, without thinking. He became aware of it a few seconds later, yet decided to just go along with it. “…or if you want to hang out, maybe. Uh, if—you want to, of course. No pressure.” Xiao leaned the electric guitar back into the stand, walking up to pick up his water bottle.
“Xiao!” It wasn’t until he heard his name being called that Xiao stopped walking, turning his head back to face his caller; none other than Lumine. “I would certainly love to,” she said, fingers fiddled with each other with a tinge of shyness in her voice. “Let’s go grab some coffee tomorrow. I think Aether said you don’t have practice tomorrow, right? Do you have class tomorrow?”
“No, we don’t. And only morning and afternoon class, it ended at 12 pm.”
“And then… we can continue the guitar lesson here if you don’t mind.”
“O… of course I won’t mind. That sounded like a great idea.”
Lumine laughed endearingly once again, slotting a few strands of hair behind her ears. Amber meets with Golden, locking gaze and drowning in each other—this time, Xiao did not break away. “So… pick me up at 3 pm?”
Xiao couldn’t hide his happiness away, he could feel the corners of his lips voluntarily curl into a smile. He felt like flying to the highest sky; and this time, he won’t be alone. “Sure. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow.”
Tomorrow will be a great day, indeed.
Outside the studio room…
Kazuha, Venti, and Heizou let out a sigh of relief in unison. They’ve been watching the two lovebirds-to-be from when they left them for today—no, they’ve been watching from the very first day Aether brought Lumine to the studio.
“Finally! Xiao asked her out after we strategically left the two of them every day.” Venti placed both of his hands on his chest, acting as if he were a proud mother.
Kazuha nodded in agreement. “Our efforts didn’t go to waste at last. He just needed a little courage…”
“Hey everyone, I’m back! I was trapped in traffic… a good thing I made it before 9 pm—wait, why are you three standing outside the studio? What are you doing?” Aether was finally back from getting dinner takeaway for them, watching the three men in confusion. “Is Xiao and Lumine inside?”
Just before Aether got to open the door, Heizou stopped his hand and pushed him away. “Let’s eat upstairs on the rooftop, shall we? We’ll leave Xiao and Lumine’s food on the doorknob.”
“Why? What are they doing, anyway?” Aether was baffled, stretching his neck up to peek a glimpse inside the studio from the small window on the door; seeing his sister and his band’s bassist giggling together, in the manner of some lovesick couple. “I-is… is he flirting with my sister!?”
“Come on now, Big Bro.” Heizou and Venti grabbed Aether and pulled him from the studio door, ignoring the fact that he was struggling to release himself from their grasp. “Let’s not disturb them now, alright? You wouldn’t want to break a couple with budding love for each other, right?”
“But my sister!”
The three of them dragged Aether away while Kazuha hung the plastic bag of food takeaways on the doorknob, texting Xiao.
Text from: Kazuha
Dinner is in front of the door! Goodluck with your date tomorrow. (*^‿^*)