“Suzume.”

“What is it?”

“Afterwards, do you have time to meet up? I have some important things to show you.”

“For recording your new song? Or something else?” That last phrase had a seductive tone. He felt slightly uncomfortable. I can tell since his ears turned hot and he’s blushed like crazy.

“N-No! Not that at all!”

He cover his face with the palms of his hands and let out muffled words.

“Please don’t look at me…”

He manage to utter out one sentence, but he’s still not pleased with my actions. My innocent laugh fills the surrounding area. Students also walking to the main campus building stop and look at us. Some look at us with confused looks, while others laugh at our playfulness. But despite all that, all eyes are on us.

“Oh come on! You’ve dealt with me saying worse things! Look. If it makes you feel any better, I can apologize, but I don’t see what I did wrong here.” I say while still laughing. My arms make a clueless gesture. I know I’m not actually clueless. I’m being sarcastic right now, and he doesn’t like it. Not one bit.

He puts his hands back down to his sides and takes a deep breath in.

Ok. Calm down.

He breathes in and out and start to speak normally again.

“It’s for the new track. I finally have the instrumental done. Took way too long, but I’m pleased with the end result.”

He pulls out his phone and find the instrumental recording, taking the headphones and placing them over my ears for me like the gracious person he is.

“Let’s see…” I whisper.

We continue walking with me holding my phone and her wearing my headphones. If someone were to come in between both of us, they could easily snatch the headphones as well as my phone from my hand. My head moves rhythmically to the beat, and I can tell she reached the emotional chorus based on her bittersweet smile.

After 4 minutes, when the song ended, I softly removes the headphones, swiftly wipes my eyes with my delicate fingers.

“How is it?” he asks, hoping that I wouldn’t reject it.

I mean, after a reaction like that, it shouldn’t be any surprise what my response would be.

“Yes. It’s really nice.” I softly answer.

“Really? Oh thank goodness!”

“It’s too nice.” I continue.

A small huh escapes his lips.

“I didn’t expect to tear up actually…”

“But you still like it, right?”

“Of course!” I nervously reconfirm, thinking that he was not satisfied with my response.

“I’m glad. Now all I need is your beautiful and angelic voice to accompany it.”

He purposely added a praising tone to that last sentence in hopes to make me feel embarrassed. As payback. Because payback is a wonderful thing. And it worked. In reaction, my cheeks turn as red as a ripe tomato. He can tell that I’m feeling uncomfortable now and that he succeeded with his first attempt. My hands are coupled onto my face, and I couldn’t help but let out a small yelp of embarrassment. Hell, he couldn’t even help but laugh.

“How does it feel?” he asks me.

“Shut up. Don’t look at me...”

“That line sounds oddly familiar. I wonders where I’d heard it before.” he say sarcastically, leaning my face closer towards hers.

“You meanie.” I whisper, puckering my lips, glaring at him.

I immediately bumps my head onto his in hopes of pushing him away.

“Gah! What was that for?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about.”

He let out a sigh.

Maybe I should surprise her…I have an idea that I’m willing to try out.

I immediately grab her waist and pull her closer to me. Our eyes locked together for what seemed like forever.

“Don’t worry about it. I deeply apologize for my actions.” he says in the most chivalric and elegant way possible.

I start to stutter.

“W-What are you do-”

Before I could finish my sentence. he start to move closer to my face. I couldn’t utter any words after this. Swiftly yet calmly, he takes the opportunity to kiss me right then and there.

The warmth of his mouth threw me off, sending a current through my body. I could feel the shivers that ran through his body run through me. My soft lips caressed his and we stood still for as long as we wanted. My heart was fluttering with nervousness. It definitely didn’t help the situation hearing the wooings in the background, but he still continued. To be honest, he has never been so open about this before.

What caused him to be like this? Why this change of heart? No. It doesn’t matter. This just shows how much he truly feel about cares for me. For the Suzume he knows.

My heart is racing, and only then does he decide to step back. He smiles at me, suddenly realizing his surroundings and stares at me in awe.

“Suzume. I love you. And despite everything that I say, everything that I do, I hope that you will still love me.”

His eyes looked down at the ground. A bright light shone through the translucent clouds down onto us, like we were the lead roles in a play, deserving the spotlight.

“Really? Do you truly love me? I mean you seem like such a sweet talker, it wouldn’t be any surprise if you seduce another girl and she falls for you, huh?” I asks, staring into his eyes.

I don’t even need to think about it. I already know his answer. In fact, I’ve known his answer since the first day I saw him.

“Yes. Definitely. I’ve always admired you. You have a personality that no other girl I’ve met could even compare to. You love anime. You love gaming. You love music. And your soprano voice is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard.”

Out of nowhere, he holds my hand tighter and raises it up to eye level.

“See this? Our hands held together? This is who we are. Connected. Our fingers interlocked just like our lives. We’ve dated for almost 3 years, and I feel like I want to do so much more with you. Go to more places. Do more things. Even...be together for the rest of our lives. Until the day we die.”

I finally say something.

“You really are the charmer. You really are. You know...you have this energy that I’m so attracted to. Like I’m inclined to help you with your life.”

All of a sudden, I don’t know what came over me. The emotions and feelings I had inside were bottled up, ready to explode. I lean in and whisper into his ear.

“And even then, we can-”

“Are you two lovebirds done with your little love fest?! I brought my own popcorn!” a voice says from in between us.

We suddenly turn around and see a student behind us, grinning and giggling. If Sanjiro hadn’t recognized him, he would have knocked him out cold.

“Whoa there! Calm down Sanjiro! No need to get so sensitive on the first day!” he chuckles.

“Can I kick you right now?” I threaten, rolling up my sleeves, expression as deadly as a predator stalking its prey.

“I think YOU are the one who needs to calm down.” Sanjiro reassures, holding my shoulders like armrests. But nonetheless, I keep flailing my arms around in frustration and annoyance. As a way to calm me down, Sanjiro pats the top of my head.

“There. There. You don’t need to act up again.”

I could only pucker my lips and look into his eyes, blushing at the same time. He sees the adorableness reflect from my glimmering pupils. I quickly looks back at the person standing before us. His smirk as annoying as his personality. The adorableness that Sanjiro saw in me in that split second rapidly fades away, and a face of annoyance emerges to face Yuta.

“Just because you know Sanjiro so well doesn’t give you an excuse to creep up behind us and interrupt us like that!” I say, slowly walking in front of him.

“Sorry, sorry. I didn’t expect you react like that. After all, you two really did...you know…have a moment.”

“Ok. Now I REALLY want to punch you.” I swiftly looks at Sanjiro again. “Can I punch him? I can punch him right?”

“I thought so.” Yuta says while backing away slowly, hands postured in a defensive position.

“He’s not worth it Suzume. Just let it be.”

“Yeah Suzume, I’m not worth...wait! What’s that supposed to mean, Sanjiro?!”

“Exactly what I said. Honestly, if you can’t read the situation, I worry for your future.”

“You smartass. I swear...” Yuta chokeholds me with one arm, swinging him around while I’m kicking him, hoping that he’d let go of him.

“This isn’t fair! You guys are a tag-team!”

“By the way, Yuta. This is perfect timing.”

He stops shaking him, but continues to put him into a chokehold.

“What do you mean?” he questions.

I stop kicking and enter the conversation. “Sanjiro’s synthesizer is finally fixed. We can meet after school today to work on the new song.”

Yuta releases Sanjiro from his surprisingly effective grip and exclaims his satisfaction. “It’s fixed now?! Honestly. I feel that the repair company has been slacking off recently. Wonder what took them this long. I mean, it’s been at least two weeks.”

“I’m pretty sure it was just that there were too many orders before us.”

“Maybe! Just maybe... it’s because they are in a conspiracy. They WANT us to wait so long so that they can plant a camera in it.”

Yuta subtly starts gesturing like a secret agent.

“What did I even see in you as a friend? You’re so weird. And so paranoid.”

“We have the same taste in music, obviously. Having the same taste in music automatically makes us friends.”

“Oh really, does it now?” I monotonously question with an unimpressed look on my face.

“But of course! Why, what else would make other people friends?!”

“Personality. Intelligence. Popularity. Other common interests. People that know how to socialize with others.” I list, extending a finger each time I name a new non-existant quality of Yuta.

“Wait a minute. Are you saying I don’t any of those qualities?”

“Wow! Little Yuta has comprehension skills! He’s grown up so much!” Sanjiro sarcastically replies, imitating a small child, clueless of his surroundings.

Sanjiro tugs my shirt sleeve. “Can you believe it? Yuta can understand basic conversation!”

“Stop referring to me like I’m a child.”

“But you are.” I monotonously reply instead.

A look of distraught and despair covers his entire face, and the body language he gives off became depressing, slumped like loose, baggy clothing.

“Sanjiro, I also got a new microphone. I really want to test it out.”

“But you sounded fine on the older one. Why do you need another new mic?”

“See, that’s the thing.”

I twiddle my fingers. An obvious action for someone who is nervous. Well, because I obviously am, and can’t control the feeling otherwise.

“Suzume.”

I jump a little. Another obvious action.

“Yeah…?”

“What did you do?”

I couldn’t lie to him any longer.

“I broke it.” I utter haphazardly.

“Of course.”

“But it was an accident! I didn’t mean to!”

“I highly doubt that.”

At that moment, he swings forth his book bag to his chest and unzips it. The book bag leaned forward due to the momentum of the weight within. As he reaches in, he pull out a bright, colorful magazine with large text bubbled all over it. "

“Of all the things that you could have accidently dropped at my place, it had to be the one that you didn’t want me to see the most.”

“I’m embarrassed.”

“It isn’t the first time.” Sanjiro says, rolling the magazine up, hitting her head with it. A slight crinkle sound as well as a small yelp from me comes as an effect.

“Don’t do that again.” Sanjiro sternly assures.

“Who knows? Maybe I will...Maybe with something even more expensive next time.

Another bong to my head, but this time it was a little harder.

“Ok…”

I couldn’t stay mad at him, especially after all that he said about me earlier. He unravels the magazine and hands it back to me.

“Just ask me if you need anything. I’ll see what I can do, ok?”

I look at the magazine in his hand, and glance back at him.

“If you say so...prepare to have your wallet ravaged then.”

Yuta interjects the conversation.

“See I told you Sanjiro!” Yuta yells, then quickly whispers the next second, “Women are only in it for the money. She’s a gold digger. Better watch out at night, Sanjiro. You never know when her slutty act-”

Without thought, I grab the magazine out of Sanjiro’s hand, firmly roll it back up again, and whack Yuta as hard as I can with it, whilst maintaining a straight face. The sound of the paper slap on Yuta’s cheek resonated in the surrounding area, turning a couple heads that were decently farther away. I then unravels it once more and places it back into Sanjiro’s hands, despite it being mine.

“Let’s go, Sanjiro. Don’t worry about this single loner of a person.” I start to walk faster and faster with a sadistic smile.

“And that’s why I love you so much.” Sanjiro confidently says.

“Okay, all the other names you call me were dull, but that one actually hurt in more ways than one!” Yuta exclaims, offended.

“What can I say, gotta listen to the woman. Never an excuse not to.” Sanjiro states, shrugging his shoulders in an act of innocence.

We reach a large tree that is growing in the middle of the main campus. It looms over the area as if it belongs inside a fantasy world. Light tan colored wooden benches surround the gargantuan tree in a ring shape. A black and gold plaque is attached to the arms of each bench, reading “In respect to the Angel of Unmei.” Its mint green lace of leaves protect the antler-like branches like a mother shielding its newborn child. Birds of all shapes and sizes leave and enter the tiny gaps between the branches like airplanes exiting and entering the airport.

History books state that the tree has been planted for at least 200 years, since the Taisho era dawned in the country of Japan. It has been rumored that an innocent, small angel was sent from the heavens to monitor the technological and environmental achievements us humans made. She was unhappy with how we lay waste to our home planet. So, she took a seed out of her pocket and planted it at this exact spot, insulting the human race at its oblivion towards nature. With the first sprout, it gave new life to our minds and our hearts. But as fantastical as this may have happened, the odds are extremely slim of its occurrence. But, nonetheless, to this day, we highly respect the Unmei tree as a reminder to not take our beautiful land for granted.

“Alright then. See you at the auditorium!” Yuta yells while walking away from us.

“Yeah, yeah. Just don’t let any girls ask you out while you’re there.” Sanjiro jests.

I don’t say anything else, but I wave my hand at him. He gets the message. We’ve done this exchange many times before.

Yuta is not the average person. He has an athletic build, yet he doesn’t do any sports. He constantly gets invited to parties, but always denies instantly. His long dirty blonde hair that reaches the top of his shoulders and his crimson eyes that gleam back at everyone are definitely something are part of his charm. Hell, if I hadn’t met Sanjiro before, and he was nicer and less idiotic, I would have actually considered dating him.

Sanjiro, however, has known him much longer than me. Yuta was originally his next door neighbor, but unfortunately moved far away for a couple years. They were pretty close as their fathers knew each other personally. He never really got a chance to say goodbye to him, and Yuta never said goodbye to him either. Sanjiro could only assume his parents were busy, and they found new work in a different city. That was in elementary school.

A couple years had passed, and he found out from his father that Yuta was originally from Australia. I heard that he moved there to spend a few years learning about his country and culture. Frankly, his blonde hair kind of gave it away. I knew it seemed odd for a child in Japan to have blonde hair, let alone dirty blonde, but I never paid too much attention to that type of speculation.

Then, in the last year of middle school, midway through the semester, Sanjiro’s class, Class 3B, got a transfer student. They had transfer students before, so no one took the effort and thought deeply about it.

The door opened. A guy walked in. His hair was relatively long. But that wasn’t the detail that stood out to Sanjiro the most. The hair was dirty blonde.

…………………….

Yuta’s silhouette shrinks as he moves farther and farther away from us. As we enter a gate dressed up in silver metal and luminescent turquoise lights flickering from every angle, buildings laced with brick and light grey stone stretch down the paved road. All of which appear to converge at one point. A large fountain structured itself right in the middle of the plaza, blocking the path on the other side. Other students walk alongside the front of every building, holding a phone in hand or talking to nearby friends.

The road in front inclines at a slight angle with stairs at the very end of it. Past that is where true beauty lies. Sanjiro and I absolutely love the view that lies ahead, especially him, but considering the time it took to even see the campus in the first place, we run at moderately quickly in order to get to our classes.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Your first class is to the left?” Sanjiro says to me, panting his breath between every other syllable.

“Yep. And yours is down the middle. Just like you said two days ago.” I reply.

“Wow, look at you paying attention to the small details.”

“Oh come on. It’s not that small. I remember every little detail about you.” he shrugs off.

“Stalker.” I jests at him.

We both stop running as soon as the incline ends. Past that point is another set of wide stairs. But these stairs lead downward instead of upward. It curves down to the right, leading to another set of brick buildings that also make up the gigantic campus. Behind those buildings is the ocean I saw as I left my house.

“I guess we part ways here. Well,” a slight pause. “I wish you the best of luck on your first day back!”

“You say that like you're one of my parents after a child leaves for elementary school.”

He chuckles and swiftly grabs my arm which forces my face closer to his.

“That’s right. I own you now.” he innocently remarks, but then lightens up. “I'll see you around. Hopefully we can eat lunch together.”

We converse so casually that it’s like our minds are constantly being read by each other, which ends up with snarky remarks and sudden personality twists. But in the end, the close relationship we have always shows up to say one last goodbye.

“Oh? You own me now? Well, we’ll see about that later...I’m definitely looking forward to it!” I playfully respond.

He quickly kisses me on the cheek, with a faintest tickle of his nose on my shining hair fluttering in the wind. I pushes down on his lips with my cheek softly in response. I could feel him close his eyes and smile before he turns away from me. It’s a smile that I must protect forever.

I say no words. But my facial expression says it all. The cheerful and playful look she has tells me that she is content. That she is determined and ready to tackle anything that stands in her way. Her legs do a little twist to face the other direction. She starts to walk away. Then she starts to move quicker. And then she starts to jog. That jog becomes a run. And in the midst of that run, she turns back this way. Her arm raised up at the sky waves back at me. That wave is wonderful. That wave is amazing. She doesn’t want to part ways. Not even after all the time we spent together over spring break. Passionate, yet familiar.

Curse my descriptive fantasies...Taking over my mind and thoughts...

As she runs around a brick building corner approximately 50 meters away, I then take my time to breathe and prepare myself for the long hard journey ahead of me. I know they are just stairs, but it spans approximately 90 meters in length and 10 meters in width. It’s definitely a staircase force to be reckoned with. I’ve already seen 3 people trip and fall all the way down, and I don’t feel like increasing that number. Then, in a flash of time, I start my trek down.

I keep a steady rhythm with one foot in front of the other. A tempo that mustn’t be rushed nor slowed down. A concentration that mustn’t break focus or dedication. I have my elbows bent at 90 degree angles as if I was running in track and field back in high school. My breathing is also at a steady, concise tempo. Two quick breaths in through the nose, and two quick exhales out the mouth. If anyone happens to listen in, all they would hear is odd pattern-like inhaling with unusual noises that sound like blowing out candles. I know that I must keep my breathing at a minimal volume. Otherwise, people will start to judge me.

And just like that, I reach the bottom. I break from my breathing pattern, and let out deep breaths of air, letting deeper ones back into my lungs. My social self takes on an awkward victory pose, swiftly looking in opposing directions as if cameras were snapping pics and recording videos of my useless triumph. I stare back up at the manmade summit of stone and concrete for one final pose, admiring the quest that I have just completed.

But something catches my eye at the top.

A girl. Her long and straight hair blocks a segment of the scenery behind her as the wind blows. I see something else too. Her attire. It’s peculiar. She’s wearing a jacket and a scarf, but has shorts on at the same time.

I don’t typically look at other girls this way, but something about her attire really throws me off in a bad and worried way. She suddenly grasps her scarf and takes it off, letting one end fall the pavement. Using her other hand, she forms a pointing gesture with her fingers. Her eyes and mouth look serious.

I turn around to see who she’s pointing at. Not a single person was standing behind me. She is pointing at me.

[...Your turn. The dice is yours. Go ahead and roll your fate…]

What is she talking about? Is anyone else seeing this?

I look to my left and my right two times each, hoping to see someone that could be a potential candidate for her staredown. No one is here. It’s just me and her.

Glaring back up, I see her staring down at me with negative vibes coming from every direction all around her. Especially from her pointing index finger. That gesture is the most intimidating.

Was it a look to kill? Was it a look of disappointment? I don’t know. I’ve never met this person before.

Maybe I HAVE met her before. But if that’s the case, then from where?

After what felt like 30 minutes of this staredown, she lowers her arm, while still maintaining the pointing gesture.

What’s with her?

Then she walks away. No sign of disparity. Her scarf, fluttering behind her, was the last thing I saw.

Mixed feelings fill my head. Honestly, the dog encounter earlier is nothing compared to what just happened. It’s not just unusual because of what I saw. It’s also unusual because I’ve never really noticed things that seemed out of place so easily.

Is it my head imagining things? Is it my restless mind? First came the dog, now this. What’s going on today? It’s all odd, but I feel that this could be normal at the same time. I’m overthinking things...

Once again, I have no time to ponder too much about this. I have the first day of my second year in college to think about now. The time has come. For me to tackle on another year of work that I will most likely end up hating in the future whilst knowing this will help me in the long run.

……………………….

I enter through large, looming sets of doors, decorated with a classy, traditional golden trim. My hand gently grasped around the glossy, wooden handle, pulls towards my body with a reasonable amount of force.

“Absolutely amazing…” I whisper.

My eyes couldn’t believe it. The auditorium hall stands gigantic. Despite the main reason for being here, I could respect the marvelous architecture and design that withstood itself before me. Countless rows of velvet chairs fill the space as they all face towards the shiny, black stage like soldiers saluting the commander. Arrays and groups of students, both sitting and standing, are scattered throughout. Scanning the room, I spotted Sanjiro chatting with several of his friends. He swiftly turns his head towards me, unintentionally. Our eyes meet once again, and we both smile. His friends also look over at me, then back at Sanjiro, lightly elbowing his arm.

Obviously they’re making fun of him.

We stand around for another 15 minutes before a man walks on stage. The sharp clacks of the heels of his dress shoes echo throughout the hall. Dark grey hair, and subtle moustache accompanied with a beard. He’s wearing a sleek suit topped off with a bright crimson red tie. Not one of those cheap clip-on ties. The real deal. Sophisticated and rich is what resonates off this person. He means serious business.

“Take your seats, everyone.”

The whole crowd settles down. Every person scurrying to find the nearest seat. Including me. I feel uneasy. This guy is scary. Intimidating almost.

He starts his introductory speech.

“Good morning everyone. Welcome to the prestigious and graceful Fuyu International University of Kyoto. As you most of you may recall, in the letters I sent out a few weeks ago, I am Professor Wilcoin. Also known as the president of the college.”

He has a stern voice that sends shivers down those who are unprepared. Like me. His voice pierces the hall like a knife. Everyone in the audience hasn’t said a single word since we sat down, but I’m pretty sure that no one wants to say anything at all anyway.

As the president continues his long and boring speech, I look down a couple rows and spot Sanjiro, sitting with her hands gently resting in her lap. His composure and posture are casual yet attentive.

I ponder for a while.

I’m so lucky. To have a wonderful person like Sanjiro as my boyfriend.

“…I hope to see the reputation and honor still withheld at this school. Many of you are destined to do great things. Others are…on their way. Hopefully.”

Scattered laughter comes from every direction. Even Sanjiro is slightly chuckling. I can’t hear it, but I can see it.

I start to ponder much more deeply. About something else. It’s worrying me. I’m thinking about life. No matter how cliché or overused that sounds, I really am thinking about life. My future. My fate.

What great things am I going to do? Am I one of those people that are “on their way?” Maybe? I don’t know.

When I first attended this college, I wanted to major in something that sounded professional. Something that would impress my friends and other people. I aspired to be a biochemist. I like math and science; the pay is six figures. So what’s stopping me?

Interest. That’s what is bothering me. Don’t get me wrong, math and science are both fun. But I have this inkling that I will get bored with doing it every day. I can’t just be happy about it for a month and then give up on it. After all, my whole life depends on my career choice.

That’s when I discovered my passion for music. Especially electronic music. I absolutely loved it. 95% of my songs on my phone are electronic based. It was nonstop fun for me. Not one week, not one month, not even one year. Nonstop fun.

I had an advantage though. I’ve learned the piano for almost 10 years, and I’m very well versed in music theory and structure. I recognize chords and I could come up with melodies that would paint a vivid picture in my mind. That’s when I thought to myself.

It’s time to stop being an admirer. Time to become a creator. Time to let others admire me. And let them become a creator themselves. And so on and so on.

The cycle never ends. It’s just I want to be a part of that circle. So does Sanjiro and Yuta. They eventually found out about my ambitions and decided to follow our dream together. Call it a collaborative effort. Then we formed the group known as Icesolate. Taking isolated relaxing music and bringing it to an ethereal level. The beginning of a new revolution of music that we hoped to be the founders of. But so far, nothing has really turned out well for us...

“See, I told you. Suzume can’t last more than 10 minutes listening to a speech.” a faint voice whispers within my deep thoughts.

I shake myself back to reality and notice that half the people in the room had already left. Some students were down at the stage talking with the professor. I rub my eyes, leaving my arms still resting at my sides.

Did I actually fall asleep again?

“Did you really think the speech was THAT boring?”

The faint voice becomes slightly more masculine, but still unclear.

I look next to me and see Yuta with Sanjiro standing behind him. My eyes try to focus, so I wipe them quickly with my sleeve.

“Suzume isn’t the type of person to stay awake through long things. Last time we went to a classical concert he fell asleep after 15 minutes and rested his head on my shoulder.”

“Hey! I was super tired that day and you know it! I didn’t get my daily coffee fix! Yawnnnn…”

“Sounds about right.” Sanjiro says with his right hand leveled underneath his left. His head resting on the knuckles.

“Speaking of which, I should probably go get some right now. You guys want anything?” I asked.

“Yeah, coffee would be fine. What about you, Yuta? Want some tea instead.”

“Nah, I’m good for today. After all, I did sleep in much longer than usual.” He grabs my shoulder. “You know what, you guys know me so well, it almost makes me wanna cry. I’m already tearing up!”

“If you wanna cry, do it on Sanjiro. He’s a walking tissue box for you, Yuta.” I say, sternly pushing his hand away.

Sanjiro’s ears perk up. “Yuta. I swear. If anything liquid from you ends up on me, I’m gonna go berserk.”

“Going back to coffee, I can get some for you. Of course, if you want it, obviously.”

“Don’t worry about it. I can get it myself.” Yuta says with a smile.

“...”

He spoke again. “I’ll see you all later.”

His tone sounded a little depressing. I could hear it in that last sentence. Yuta swiftly turned around and walked away with a blank expression across his face.

“Alright. Alright. Take your time.”

“Will do.”

He quickly turns around and runs back into the building.

“Never changes, huh?”

“Yeah. Definitely. Well at least, recently..”

“What do ya mean?” I ask.

“Just normal, but from what I can tell, he’s hiding something.”

“A person like Yuta? Hiding something? He’s an open book with us! There’s no possibility of him ever hiding something, let alone not want to talk to us about it.”

“I don’t know...he HAS been a little odd lately. Just a couple days ago did he start avoiding me because of personal reasons.”

“Then that answers your question! What are you even rambling on about then?”

“Nothing, nothing. It’s just odd, that’s all. Don’t worry about what I said. Anyway, so you wanna get some coffee before we record?”

“You know it!”

But I couldn’t help worrying about the abrupt conversation we just had. Not only Yuta is hiding something, but Sanjiro as well. I felt a little uneasy, but shrugged it off as friends having secrets to keep.

Maybe Yuta has something embarrassing and wants to keep it from the public ear. Yeah. That seems reasonable.

Walking out of the large auditorium, we realize there was no need to bring anything at all. The bags we brought were not relevant today and were totally useless. We start walking to the nearby shopping center for lunch and the occasional window shopping before we head back to Fuyu. Hands held together like always.

“Sanjiro?”

“Yeah Suzume?”

“I still can’t believe it.”

“Believe what?”

“Just everything that’s been going on lately.”

“You mean about our music? Or our relationship?”

I ponder for a small period of time.

“I-It’s actually a bit of both.”

I chuckle and swing our arms highly forward and backward in a pendulum motion.

“Ever since we started doing music together a few months ago, I’ve always had this optimism about becoming someone that others could recognize just by a simple word.”

“You’re talking about Icesolate, right?”

“Yeah, also us as a couple.” I couldn’t help but look down at the ground.

All of a sudden, Sanjiro exhales a larger sigh than normal, for the sake of getting my attention. I was actually a little worried about him and the fact that he might have been actually more tired than me.

“Honestly, it’s insane! Over a million plays in just over two weeks. That’s awesome for our first track...” Sanjiro says in an attempt to change the conversation topic. His expression quickly fades into seriousness.

“...But I still don’t feel too good about it.”

“Why not?” I question.

“I mean, a lot of people were commenting that it sounds good, but generic.”

“What’s wrong with that? Generic can still be good.”

Generic. A word that I absolutely hate. All forms of media want to jump on a bandwagon that leads them to fame. That’s the easy way. I have morals. Morals that want me to succeed the right way. Just like the legends before me. Not the legends living right now. After all, they’ll be forgotten in a couple years. But it's hard to come up with something innovative and new while appealing to the simple-minded public. It’s saddening, but realistic nonetheless, and I’ve learned to embrace that unfortunate mindset.

“Yeah I know that. But don’t you wanna be something greater? Something bigger and better? Personally, if you ask me, I think we’re much better than that. Like LOADS better than that.” Sanjiro states.

“So, are you saying that we need to be unique?” I question. My voice had a hint of satisfaction, but I don’t know why. “If that’s the case, then that could be highly subjective!”

“I want people to know our names. Yours, mine, and Yuta’s. I want people to know our sound. They hear one of our songs and immediately think, ‘Those guys are Icesolate! That’s their style!’ I want to have people recognize us as artists who stand out from the crowd.”

“You’re expecting great things from us even after a couple of months. Don’t you think that’s a little out of reach at the moment?”

“What are you even talking about? It’s the fact that it’s out of reach that gives me motivation to be the best. Having a drive to be the greatest is something everyone wishes for. Even if you don’t succeed, at least your mind was already there, seeing the greener side. Honestly, with all the TV dramas you watch with me, I thought you learned SOMETHING out of it.”

“Well, I think the whole optimism deal with this leads only to false hope. I’d like to think in the present where things can be controlled by me. I can choose my own decisions when I want it. And anything that happens, well, happens.”

“Whatever you’re cool with, babe.” he casually shrugs again, swinging our arms at an even higher momentum.

I chuckle and run out front of him, lightly shifting my hand away from his and grasps my other one behind my back.

“Well, if you REALLY think we can do it, I think that we are on our way to fame already!”

I smile.

He looks at me with a surprised facial expression. The face that glows up when something special happens. Yeah. That face.

The sun shines down between us and the horizon in the distance, leaving only silhouettes of our bodies on the sidewalk underneath us.

“It’s pretty isn’t it?” I ask him.

He turns his head away from the beautiful scenery and looks at me, smile as bright as the sun.

“It sure is.”

As subtle as he may have tried to be, I could obviously determine a double meaning behind those words. All I could do was look joyful and feel loved for the emotion behind his answer.

“Let’s keep walking. Don’t wanna waste too much time before we go back to the college for the rest of orientation stuff.” I advise Sanjiro.

“Yeah-yeah-yeah.”

I rush back to his side and continue to hold his hand.

“Your palms are sweaty.” he says.

Taking my hand, I curl it into a fist and slug him in the shoulder firmly.

“Don’t say that to a girl."

“Sorry, sorry. I just felt like saying a famous lyric. That’s all.”

“What are you even talking about?” I laugh.

We end up walking through a park, where little children are running and playing, the elderly are walking and doing non-extraneous exercise, and the typical middle-aged person is freaking about a job interview. Tall, skinny trees populate the area like mythical nature creatures in still motion. In the distance, leaves of green and flower buds of pink and red splatter the ground with vibrant color.

“...and that’s why we are the way we are today.” Sanjiro ends a conversation with.

I couldn’t help but look bored and tired.

“So...what do you think? Of my amazing speech?”

“It was a speech, alright.”

“You didn’t like it?”

“No! No! It’s not that I don’t like it. I mean, I just wasn’t expecting something so boring to come out of your mouth. I also never thought it was possible to fall asleep while you walk.”

“Right, right. You don’t take speeches that well.”

“It’s just people talking over and over again. Just be blunt about it. Don’t dress it up with random words and witty phrases. Just, ya know, say it?”

“Hey, that’s who I am. You gotta admit, even with my boring conversations, I’m still an all-around interesting guy to date though, right?”

Sighh...

“That’s why I fell in love with you.”

A long pause burrows its way into our conversation.

“Hey Sanjiro.”

“Yeah?”

“The sun reminds me of you, ya know?”

“How so?”

“It’s warm and inviting. It’s bright and lovely.”

“That’s pretty standard to say.” he playfully scoffs.

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” I question in a provoking manner.

“You can do so much better than that! So generic.” he face lights up with a mischievous persona surrounding him.

There’s that word again. This kid, I swear.

I could feel the anger rise up within me. He knows what he’s doing. He’s doing it on purpose on top of that!

“Alright, you got me. Lemme think about it some more.” I say, gesturing as if I had to deeply wonder a more convincing compliment for him.

“The sun is the biggest celestial body in our solar system. Yet, it doesn’t amount to the size of love I have for you. How about that?”

“Ok, now you’re starting to become cheesy with your compliments.”

“It’s better than what you can come up with!”

“Is that a challenge? I DO write the lyrics cause yours are, how should I say, subpar.”

A twitch of anger manifests into my head.

“Go ahead, see if you could do any better!”

“Alrighty then. Let’s see…”

“You’re like the moon. See what I did there? You have thi-”

And then.

Just like that.

Something out of the ordinary occurs.

Still frames. Lifeless images. Flickering. Dancing in the inner mechanisms of my complex mind.

What are these images? Memories? Visions?

Like flash photography?

I asked myself these questions with no answers in the proximity of my mind to grasp. Then, the wind that was blowing around me stopped. Not a single sound can be heard anymore. That light breeze suddenly paused.

What peculiar weather.

I stand still and take a closer look at my surroundings. The birds are still flying above me, and the leaves on the trees are still swaying consistently in one direction.

No. That’s not it.

I try to say a phrase. In fact, any word will do. Just something to make sure I’m not crazy. Something to make sure I’m not completely insane right now. Hopefully Sanjiro understands what’s going on.

“Hey Sanjir-”

I pause and look down at the ground in shock. I couldn’t believe it.

I can’t hear myself anymore.

“What the-”

I push down on my ear like pushing on a headset.

Am I deaf? Is this something that happens often?

I can’t hear him anymore. He is inaudible to me. No sound enters my ears, yet his mouth is still enunciating words, carrying on the conversation. He is still paying attention and looking at me, smiling at me as he talks. However, I don’t know if I can do the same back to him. I stare back with looks of remorse and panic. My heart pounds more than normal, and I start to breathe quickly and at an uneven rate.

“This-This feeling...exactly like this morning... What the hell’s going o-”

I clench my chest intensely and fall to my knees. I couldn’t hear my body against the pavement either. Sharp pains resonate from the upper left side of my chest. My entire arm shaking violently. I can’t stop. If I try to stay still, my brain will automatically force my arm to continue jerking around in an unstable manner.

Despite all that’s happening to my feeble body right now, I somehow muster the strength to look up at Sanjiro.

He’s still paying attention and looking at me. But the smile he had painted on his face was gone. It disappeared. It was replaced by a harsh, worrisome look.

He asks something with a shaky voice.

He quickly runs over to my side and touches my forehead, thinking that I have a cold. Her hands feel soft and smooth as they press against the surface.

“I’m not sick...The pain is coming from here…” I stutter, hoping that the words could reach his ear.

He starts to point at my chest while yelling something. I can only see him point at my chest.

Something about my chest, huh?

I take my hand over my chest and look at it. The sight is unnerving. Purple and red liquid drip down from my palm and fingers to the concrete.

“What is this stu-”

I cough up dark red blood unevenly mixed in with multiple shades of purple. Gross, unnerving shades that make me spit even more out. I couldn’t stop. I had only short break intervals in which I could breathe, but that still doesn’t help the situation. My breath was shaky. The odor that lingered in my mouth was absolutely unbearable. Just as unbearable as the liquid that flows on the ground. The red and purple eventually mixed at a certain point on the concrete. A dark maroon color appeared as if two different cans of paint splattered into each other.

“Please...call...an ambulance.” I muster the strength to say those four yearning words.

I look up and see him with a phone already in hand, worriedly talking into it. The face of sadness and fear fills his pupils and body.

This sensation.

Could only make me stay perfectly still. I didn’t want to move. And then, with that thought,

My own mind betrayed me.

Like a traitor.

I stood up.

I walked.

And walked.

Sanjiro pulling on me trying to bring me back and sit me back down. Even if I couldn’t hear him, I could sense the urgency in his silent voice.

I wanted to.

But I couldn’t.

I couldn’t understand why.

What’s going on?

Then I reach an intersection.

A four way intersection with stoplights and zooming cars.

I couldn’t control anything.

What even is control?

Mindlessly, I kept reaching for something in the distance. It looked like a young woman. In her early thirties. Maybe late twenties?

Mom?...Help me…

I had no idea why I uttered those words. Nightmarish and confused.

A bright light shined down onto my face once more. But it wasn’t inviting like before. It was scorching and burning. Like a sunburn.

The sun, it burns...

And then at that moment, limping like a mindless, undead creature, I saw an even brighter light coming in from my left side. Two of them actually.

These lights, much better…

And even with deaf ears and minimal understanding of what’s going on, I could hear a humming sound, slowly getting louder and louder.

Am I getting my hearing back?

It was like a convertible, driving by with the top down, music blasting out the sound system. It’s funny how the last thing I could hear was music.

But it’s even funnier realizing something.

I was right.

It was a convertible with the top down.

And this time, I didn’t opened my eyes again. And it wasn’t calm and gentle. Full of disturbances. No tranquility.