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There's an intruder in the brass bands clubroom!
And I, for one, won't stand for it! I've already reported it to our club adviser, but she just brushed me off with a ' As long as they don't make a mess out of the room and leave on time... '
Preposterous! Preposterous, I say! The orchestra room is a sacred place for music, and such uncouth trespassing must not be tolerated!
The rest of the club treats it as this romantic open secret, and even seem to enjoy it! I simply can't!
(I take a big swig of my water bottle as if I'm drinking alcohol. )
It all started on that day. I heard the sound of Haneoka's beautiful piano during lunch and thought— was I missing practice?! I dropped everything I was doing and ran up to the clubroom only to find a lone, blue-haired girl! She bamboozled me, I say!
That was only the start. Just when I thought it stopped, the same incident happened again, except there was another girl with her, with equally long pink hair!
Twice was far too embarrassing! The worst part is, I couldn't even get mad. The girl was better than our pianist, and she didn't need sheet music!
I mean seriously, just join the club so it's not this weird thing, Ms. Intruder.
Anyway! It stops now , for I'm putting a stop to all this. O-ho-ho-ho! No more, you discount Jesse and James!
There it is, that warm sound. The type you'd feel in your bones not because it's loud, but because it pierces you.
(I place my hand on the door and look at them through the glass.)
What are they doing...? Oh, the pink-haired girl's sitting with her now? She's not just watching anymore? Wait, can our chair even handle that? Gah! I swear if they break anything…
(I stop turning the handle when the pink one laughs.)
Do they know I'm here? No… my entrance must be perfect.
The blue one seems to... sing? No, she's pucking her lips while the pink thing's just watching? Wait, the pink one's leaning closer!
P-Preposterous! And yet... I cannot look away! B-But why must I? Yes, I am simply... collecting evidence.
The blue one's tapping her lips?!
Nay! Nay, I say! In this sacred land of music, our clubroom?! I- I must…
The pink one's leaning in?!
I- I have to watch! Yet, I can't! Such a forbidden act...! Utter blasphemy, and I...!
(I run away crying; my religion challenged.)
Anon doesn’t lay down on the floor like a lovesick idiot this time, and Sakiko is less surprised.
“You’re late!”
“...My apologies.” She says, trying and failing to hide her smile.
Anon lifts her chair and places it closer to the piano. “Come on, come on!”
When Sakiko sat down on the throne, she eyed Anon curiously who was sticking close. “Do you… want me to teach you?”
The guitarist grimaced at that. “No way. Guitar’s plenty. But if I have front row seats, might as well, right?”
Sakiko started her ritual. Greeting the piano by brushing her hand over the cover. Slowly, she lifts it up. Middle C. Octaves. Chords. Scales. And then, she ends it with the lick. “A request, Anon-san?”
“Say, Sakiko-chan… you do vocals for Ave Mujica too, right? And you compose.”
The girl tilted her head. “That’s right.”
“I’ve been struggling with this one part Rikki wrote…”
“Do show me. Perhaps I can help.”
Sakiko inched to the side, sharing the seat with Anon. The girl placed her phone on the music rack (Anon is proud of remembering its name), letting Sakiko gauge the composition.
The girl read it for a moment, playing the song with her right hand and looking at the ceiling. "I see... it would be a little tough to switch from these chords all while trying to harmonize... "
"Right, right?! I swear, Rikki's bullying me." The guitarist pouted.
"Or perhaps she knows you'd rise to the occasion." Sakiko offered.
Anon paused at that. "I seriously doubt she thought that far ahead.”
"You believe the person who plans your rehearsals and lives doesn't plan ahead?"
Was Taki... helping her get better? Did Taki place expectations on Anon? That's... impossible, and after all: "No way. Not with how many all-nighters she pulls."
Sakiko's eyes widen. "A-All nighters? Please tell her to take care of herself..."
Anon could only laugh at that. Sakiko runs through the chord progression, and checks if she’s on beat. When she looks at Anon, she faces her.
“It’s on the piano of course, but it should sound like this.”
Anon listens carefully, tries to memorize the full sound, mentally making cues for herself… but she can’t help but be entranced by Sakiko’s voice.
“ Tomorrow is far, far away, and I've been chased out of yesterday. In the space in between, I hug my knees. Ah, make sure to exaggerate your mouth shape here, or else the vowels’ll get lost in the sound.” She chattered.
Anon really, really tried to listen. But she was distracted by… the exact girl she was trying to listen to? She’s very confused. She tries to listen… better…?
She’s snapped out of her thoughts when she hears the clubroom door slam paired with running.
She looks to the door, finding no one, and then back to Sakiko whose face was inches away. They looked into each other, unmoving.
“Anon-san…?”
“Oh, sorry. Can you do it again? I got distracted.”
Sakiko was far jumpier that session, although Anon couldn’t figure out why. She did, at least, get a footing on their new song.
Mine has been a life of much shame. I can't even guess myself what it must be to live the life of a human being. I must atone. Though that holy place may turn me away, I shall face God, and repent.
(I could hear the piano from a building away and I have nothing better to do.)
I mean, really! Doing… that in the clubroom you’re not even part of? Preposterous! Preposterous, I say! This whole time they weren’t making a mess of the clubroom, but of each other?!
(I shiver.)
When I start walking again, I hear a voice, a faint Saki-chan. I don’t recognize it, although in truth I’ve never heard any of their voices at all. Was it the blue one, or the pink one?
(I don’t make the mistake of opening the door prematurely this time. I watch, lest its holiness burns me so.)
Bluey’s on the piano as usual, pink one’s… watching from the side and smiling? Wait, is that a– another person in the clubroom?!
Grey hair…? I guess that completes the trio. Welcome, bargain bin Meowth. She’s… scrounging for something in her bag.
(I try to tiptoe to get a better look but got scared when the pink one and I almost made eye contact.)
I peek my head through the glass– the grey one’s on her knees and putting something on the blue one’s fingers?!
No, no, no! This cannot be! Were they…? Well, this is a holy place after all. Such a thing as m-m-marri-
(I muffle my own scream.)
Yes, yes… it’s a better alternative to… p-p-premarital k-ki-kissi–
(I squirm around, trying to contain myself.)
This whole time… the pink one was but an envoy! That dastardly pink thing, whittling down bluey’s defenses… wait.
The grey one’s holding both of their hands… wait, they’re—
They’re recruiting a third?!
I’m dizzy. All are one under music but polyrhythm’s a little… new, even to me. Wait, they’re hugging?! Just like that? But after spending so long with her, even the envoy must have her own feelings about…
She’s just watching?!
Perverts! Absolutely deprived! How can you be grinning at such a display?! And yet, I belong to a deeper circle of hell, watching without their knowledge. Ah… I’m burning up again… I must repent, and yet…
(I wipe the sweat off my forehead and bolt.)
Sakiko was dismissed early, finishing the assigned task faster than everyone else. Truth be told, she was excited to play the piano. She’d done her ritual already, but… she hesitated to play with no one around.
It felt weird. She knew she didn’t play for an audience when she came yet here she was looking for the one. She felt silly, really.
When she heard the clubroom door open though, she couldn’t help the lilting tone in her voice. “My, aren’t you late?”
“Saki-chan.”
She gasps. The only person who’d call her that in this school would be: “Tomori!” She flushed, embarrassed for assuming wrong, but also because it was Tomori.
Looking closer, she wasn’t entirely mistaken. Anon was right behind her with a soft smile on her face. “Hey Sakiko-chan~.” She waved.
Tomori… the girl had given her solace once, and yet she hurt her. The circumstances may have forced her hand, but the scar was there all the same. If she were to choose, she would’ve never been in Tomori’s sight again.
But she’s frozen in her seat, because more than anything…
Tomori walks up to her, as Anon takes a faraway seat. “We don’t have to be a band, but…” She bows. “Can I sing with you?”
She’s taken back to that rainy day again, because more than anything she wants to be forgiven. Just how many times will this girl extend a hand to her?
Singing … is it her that Tomori should be asking? Sakiko turns to Anon, searching for an answer. She schools her face, imploring.
Anon only winks. Winks!
Sakiko had no time to collect herself, as Tomori spoke again. “Please…!”
“Tomori, please raise your head!” She replied, frantic. “I’ll play!”
When the girl finally looked up, she was beaming. Her eyes went back to Sakiko’s hands after a second, though.
“Your fingers…!”
She looks down and there’s a scar. A bite mark? A stray knife? She doesn’t know anymore. It’s deserved, if nothing else. Still, Tomori runs to her bag with the hurriedness of a first responder. After procuring a bandaid, she gets on her knees, and wraps it around the old wound.
When Tomori’s finished, she stands, looks at her bandmate, and beckons her close. “Anon-chan.”
Anon hums inquisitively as she walks up. “What’s up?”
Tomori held her hand and asked: “Sing with me, too.”
The girl’s eyes widen, and she looks at Sakiko. They share a look, before Anon’s eyes go back to her bandmate. Then, she laughs. “You’re so greedy, Tomorin!” She definitely considered just seeing Tomori off, and yet.
“U-Uhm…” Was the only thing she could muster. Does she know she hasn’t let go of Sakiko?
“Well, I’m glad we weren’t the only ones being dragged around by Tomorin.” She snickered, let go of Tomori, and ran around to Sakiko’s left. “Come on! It’ll be a tight fit though!”
Tomori nodded enthusiastically and squeezed Sakiko in between them.
“B-Both of you! This is a little…” Sakiko protested but did nothing to stop the two. Accepting that she wanted it too, she sighed and placed her hands on the piano keys. “...What’ll it be today?” She said to no one in particular.
Tomori’s gaze could’ve pierced Anon as she declared: “ Hekitenbansou .”
Anon is taken back again, speechless.
Sakiko looks between them. “...Might you have the sheet music?”
MyGO’s vocalist gasps. She clearly has not thought that far ahead. Anon laughs as she pulls out her phone. “Here you go~!”
MyGO had no practice today, and yet Anon Chihaya brought a guitar to school.
Note the word choice! ‘ A guitar ’? Ask her about it! Please ask her about it!
Drum roll, please! Anon closed her eyes, imagining it. She frowned a little, after picturing Taki being the one doing it.
Taa-daa! Anon Chihaya bought an acoustic guitar! Round of applause everybody! Woo! It cost her about 4 months of her allowance, and frankly, her room was really running out of space and it was really hard finding a guitar that matched her aesthetic but! But! It was worth it for this moment!
The jamming session she specifically scheduled during their lunch break!
Tomori eyed her curiously. It was the first time she brought anything aside from herself to the orchestra room. Tomori brought a few notebooks to Sakiko sometimes, but Anon wasn’t there to know what went down between them.
Anyway! She kept the purchase a secret even from the band, so it should serve as a fun surprise.
When they reached the clubroom, they could see Sakiko was fidgeting in her seat. She seemed to be grooming herself excessively.
Was she self-conscious? Anon hid a smile. She pushed the doors open with a gusto. “Sakiko-chan~!”
The girl straightened up and turned. “Anon-san. Tomori. What is it about today…?” Upon spotting the guitar on her back, she paused, and then smiled.
Tomori looked between them. Anon decided this was the moment.
She put it down and started unpacking it. “I bought an acoustic guitar so we can jam!” Specifically, a dark brown, concert style guitar. Of course, she could’ve bought a mini amp for her existing electric, but a decent one was heavy; not to mention useless if and when they get to RiNG anyway. Headphone amps were out of the question if she was to play with other people, too.
Tomori inspected the guitar as she put on a strap. She ran her fingers through the strings and checked the tuning. It was ill-advised, but she brought it to school tuned and ready to go.
Sakiko played the notes on the piano too, to check against. Alas, it was still in tune. Tomori, seemingly done with the inspection, pumped her fist and hopped in place. “Let’s sing!”
“Tomori-chan, you’ll sing. Now, I can play along.”
“Yeah!”
Anon shared a look with Sakiko. She grabbed a chair and placed it adjacent to the piano. Tomori went straight to sharing the seat with Sakiko, who gave her space wordlessly.
They both looked at Tomori at the same time, who herself nodded to no one in particular and declared: “Bookmark. ”
Sakiko nodded to Anon after the girl placed her phone on the music rack.
It felt weird to be the one giving the cue to start, but that’s what Anon did this time. She taps her guitar four times, softer each blow, and Tomori’s voice comes in like the rising sun; revitalizing, like it’s inviting you to try again. It’s slower than how MyGO usually plays it, but they all adjust seamlessly, Sakiko improvising her own accents to the song.
Then, the first verse ends, the guitar slows, and comes Sakiko’s voice, ooh- ing and aah- ing like it’s cradling you throughout the second verse. Then she finally uses both hands for the piano, giving the song some much needed bass, thickening the sound. At the end of the bridge, she plays a little frill, overlapping it with Anon’s guitar.
( Ah, what a difficult world we live in
Even so, even so )
Their chorus comes in strong, firm. They sing of how their ugliness is part of them, how on rainy days, they have each other. Sakiko complements Anon’s melody, letting the piano ring out as Tomori takes them higher and higher still. The instrumentalists share a look of resignation, but they smile. They sing, too, Tomori is not alone as she finds where she wants to be.
( We still have a long road ahead
Even if we take a little rest
No one's gonna scold us )
Not all who wander are lost. Tomori clings to the two by her side as they float in the air. Another chorus comes. A bridge. The song runs by them, and slowly, the ballad starts to sound like a defiance.
( In this one and only lifetime of mine
It's up to me whether I choose to love
If I do, I'll give it my all )
The song ends, and though they weren’t belting, they gasped for air. Tomori was crying. Anon teared up upon seeing it, and Sakiko followed.
Anon put down her guitar and wiped her face. “Hey, what the hell?!” Her voice cracked. “That was so good?! Did you guys practice beforehand?”
“No…”
“Definitely not…”
She walks up to them, clumsily pulling them into a hug while she stands.
Tomori is sobbing, but she tries. “Anon-chan, I’m so glad…”
She scoffs. “That again? I told you already…”
“You have my thanks as well.”
“Sakiko-chan…”
They spend a few moments like that, enveloped in each other’s warmth, crying, sniffling, basking in the afterglow.
It’s cut short when no less than three students seem to spill out of the room’s only door with a loud thud. Anon, being the one standing, breaks away and rushes over. One student was doubled over another who was on the floor, while the third one was farther back seemingly watching in horror.
The student on the ground spoke. “M-Mine lips! You’ve–!”
The second student only laid a finger on their own mouth.
The third student made eye contact with Anon and hit the bricks.
Ground type spoke. “Y-You dare?! Get back here!” They stood up, grabbed the frozen student, and ran after the third.
Anon blinked. One for every random student who just ran away. She looked back at Tomori and Sakiko who had an incredulous look on their face, and waved dismissively.