"Thank you for coming! See you at Friday!" Yelda spoke and waved her hand to the club members as they left their room. Akuji on the other hand was just leaving because she was bombarded with too many questions by the other members as to her hair if it was natural, as to her eyes, as to her covering her own face with her hair. Needless to say, she was annoyed and wanted to quit immediately to stop hearing their stories.
"Goodbye Aku-chan!" Yelda said and locked the room.
[Who gave you the permission to give me a nickname?]
Akuji just left and went straight to the stairs since she found an interesting room on the fourth floor of their school building. She looked around and listened to know if someone was tailing her- and to her relief, there wasn't a single sound [and soul] since it has already been an hour since the classes ended. She climbed up the stairs and reached the old room [which had the sign- MUSIC ROOM] and looked at the lonely piano through the dirty glass- and her eyes was suddenly filled with tears and appreciation for the white piano that seemed to have the yearning to be played. She then opened the creaky door and approached the piano- then touched it. Surge of emotions filled her as she looked at the cabinet where the music sheets were kept. A certain sheet got her attention and she took it, removed the dust- then sat down on the piano seat. Opening her bag, she took out a straight wig that can extend up to her waist and wore it. She removed the dusty cover that they wrapped onto the piano and blew on the keys [due to the dust and cobwebs.
It was a dirty room but not a dim one because there was a huge window that showed the sun as it was setting. The curtain that was supposed to have been hung there was removed and it was on the floor, too dirty that taking it would've meant instant sneeze. The sunshine doesn't reach the piano and the player- which was good- and it had the atmosphere of a vintage attic- with the smell of old papers.
Akuji flipped the page, tied her hair in a bun which showed her face- then placed a straight hair wig - and started playing. It was her favorite song (after Saturn) - the music she had been listening to- Nuvole Bianche.
The sounds she made reverberated in the room with a mysterious, melancholic, and yearning sound- and all the notes she implanted on the keys sounded lonely- but her eyes were happy for having been able to play music on the piano.
She closed her eyes and let herself be engulfed by the music she was creating. Suddenly, colors started emerging form the keys which she pressed- and they all surrounded the abandoned room, making it look colorful. Akuji just watched the circle-shaped colors and smiled as she appreciated their beauty. She even failed to notice the tears that had been streaming her cheeks as she played because she was too concentrated on pouring her all in her playing. She closed her eyes and tried to understand what she was feeling- if she was happy or sad---
---But it's just a simple reunion of herself and something she abandoned which made her more in love with the music she was creating, and the colors the notes produced.
However, every music has an ending- and hers was a beautiful one. Just as she played the last note, she opened her eyes and smiled at herself- then at the beautiful piano to which she mentioned- [You are beautiful] . She stood up and approached the cabinet to return the sheet but-
-a clapping interrupted her peace----
"Incredible. Out-of-tune piano has a beautiful charm on it. Don't you think?"
Akuji flinched and dropped the sheet on the floor, trembling because of the nerve-racking clapping she just received.
[I-I w-was sure that… that… no one f-followed m-me.]
"Sorry about the intrusion." The person said and approached Akuji, handing her the sheet from the floor. She just stood there, eyes widened and shaking to her core- wondering what she should have done, wondering why she failed to hear the person. "I just heard the playing of the piano from the music room downstairs."
-----It's okay… it's okay. I'm wearing my wig. I'll be fine. The person doesn't know who I am. Calm… down… he won't see me…. He won't look at me with disgust.--------
"Yes. The piano is very charming, and sad." Akuji replied and she reached her name plate- and she remembered that she already removed it before coming to her club.
"I wouldn't call it sad though- well, before, it was, but now, with you there playing it, it's happy now." The person said and Akuji faced the piano and went there, leaving the person standing. "I suppose you don't know who I am, but I'm from the Prevail High. I'm Kuu, by the way."
Akuji watched as he sat down at the chair in front of the piano opposite to her. "So, stranger playing the piano, care to tell me your name?"
Akuji stared at him for the first time, and a pair of emerald eyes stared right back at her that despite having been able to read other people's minds through their actions, the person in front of her seemed to be unreadable- unfathomable.
"I am- Anonymous..." Akuji answered and averted her eyes from him, afraid of having the conversation last longer, wanting Kuu to leave her alone as soon as possible because social interactions were killing her, makes her want to throw up.
"What an interesting name." Kuu said, eyeing her expressionless face- nay- figure against the sun. "Nice to meet you, Anonymous. I'm Unknown [=>_<=]"
"You just told me that your name was Kuu. And by the way, does the sound here really reaches the second floor [where the new music room was located]?" Akuji [Anonymous] answered with still an expressionless face.
"Amazing. Your eyes are scary. So cold [huhu]" Kuu said and hugged himself as Akuji [Anonymous] eyed him. "LOL. No it isn't but we were on break and I was supposed to go to the toilet when I heard a frail tune. I was lucky because I went out- because if I didn't get out from the music room downstairs on time, I wouldn't have been able to listen to your playing---- ^___^ kyaaaaa your sound is- nah, never mind."
"Ah," was what Akuji just said because she was astounded to his loquaciousness. To her surprise, Kuu leapt to her side, which made her back-off, and he started playing what Akuji just played.
"You were playing Ludovico Enaudi's Nuvole, right?" Kuu said and played. "Your sound- the way you played it was wonderfully sad I almost shed a tear."
"Don't just go commenting about other people's sounds." Akuji whispered and started taking her bag from the side to leave- however, Kuu prevented her from doing so by holding the end of the sleeve of her uniform.
"You really are leaving now?" Kuu said while pouting. He eventually let go of her sleeve as he saw the look Akuji had on her face. She was expressionless. Again. "By the way, are you planning to audition for the band?"
Akuji looked at him in an instant and smiled in a disturbing way, making Kuu flinch a bit. "What makes you think that I am a musician?"
"Who knows. But based on your talking voice, somehow, I just know... And I've watched you as you played and you are so beautiful and you looked like you enjoyed- no- more like you missed it." Kuu answered and played the piano while Akuji left the room, running for her life. He wanted to make her stay so she could listen, but sooner or later, she was already out of the building, and Kuu could only stare at her as left- while she was seen from the window, going home. "Ha. Incredible."
Kuu closed the lid of the piano and left the room with a smile on his face. A certain image of someone flooded his thoughts as he came back on the new music room.
"Where'd you gone to?" Satori asked him as he hit his shoulders lightly.
"Pissed off." Kuu just smiled and went to his electric guitar. "Ahhh! I'm super looking forward to the audition on Monday!"
Everyone on that room looked at him- as they all were looking forward to having new club members they can spar against. They all continued their practice with nasty grins on their faces.