As we made our way to her studio upstairs, I walked in trepidation up each step up. Visions of a past repeat overlapped with each step taken. Carefully stepping up each stair to get to that closet.
"Here we are~! My studio!"
Mrs. Yuki opened the door to reveal her studio where she recorded her music.
Drums, a guitar, soundproofing panels, a computer setup, and that closet. The world become that closet for a second. It was cracked open just a bit, and maybe for a bit I imagined myself looking back at me through the crack.
I was reminded of who Mrs. Yuki could be, and that possibility scared me. However, I resigned myself to whatever fate awaited me. I could just start everything over again with another repeat.
'Did anything really matter? Anything I do is of no consequence, since when a restart happens everything gets washed away. It becomes a clean slate.'
Mrs. Yuki grabbed my hand again
"Jeez, you sure like to think a lot! Come in already!"
Mrs. Yuki dragged me in and started talking about her assortment of instruments. She was proud of everything in this room, she started recounting how hard it was for her to install the soundproofing panels.
"First it was like 'uwahhh! I placed them upside down!'. So, I removed it then placed it right side up, but it was the same way up or down! Hey, are you even listening?!"
Broken out of my stupor, I was caught off guard.
"I-erm, you said something about 'upside down'?"
"…"
An awkward silence ensued
"Y-yeah! It was the sound paneling! Anyways the drums were a dream of mine since I was younger because my father played the drums-"
Mrs. Yuki seemingly found no fault in my statement, but what could that have meant? She didn't want the atmosphere to sour, regardless of whether I was listening or not. Why did she do that?
Mrs. Yuki once again noticed I wasn't listening and became quiet.
"Sorry, it must seem like I'm rambling on about useless and silly stuff.
I looked at her. Her brown eyes looked a little somber, but she had a smile as if to she wanted to continue trying to please me.
I made up my mind. This isn't the same Taitai Yuki from the past. This one is different, more human. Or maybe this is just a side of her I never got to see while I was observing Satoru.
"Sorry Yuki-san, I am just a little preoccupied with some thoughts. Please, continue."
Her eyes lit up and she came closer to me
'Is she going to hug me?'
Thinking that I unconsciously took a step back, she noticed this but didn't stop and moved her face closer to mine and cheerfully said,
"Thanks~!"
'Huh?'
How long has she wanted to share her passion with other people? Too long it seems.
"Yuki-san, I have a question: why were you drinking in your office?"
Mrs. Yuki's face turned red in an instant.
"Well… You see! What h-happened was… uhm… I felt like it… To relax!"
"Hmm"
Mrs. Yuki starts fidgeting and trying to make excuses
"hahahahaha~"
I laugh heartily in response to Mrs. Yuki's cute responses.
"Can you play the guitar for me?"
"Hmm? Sure~! What do 'ya want me to play?"
"Play whatever you want."
She picks up the guitar and turns on the amp. She takes looks at me for a second and starts to get nervous.
"Y-you wouldn't mind if I mess up or-r anything, right?"
"Why would I?"
Mrs. Yuki plays with her fingers for a bit before relaxing her nerves. Finally, after a minute of contemplation, she begins to strum the guitar.
'Her voice, the way she strums the guitar, her demeanor. It's perfect.'
Why hadn't she said anything about this before, and why is she a teacher?
More questions pop into my head but I disregard them as I enjoy the music.
After finishing her piece, I started clapping.
"I didn't know you where so good at music Yuki-san."
"Oh, he he… it isn't much but I'm very glad you enjoyed it~."
"No, I meant it Mrs. Yuki! It was perfect! I don't know why you aren't a rockstar."
Mrs. Yuki pause for a second after hearing the word 'rockstar'.
She seemed like she didn't want to talk about it. Noticing that I tried to change the topic, but she interrupted me,
"I used to be a rockstar until my father died. But to support my mother, I needed to get a real job. So, I went back to college to become a teacher. Yet, when I finished college, she died…"
She started sobbing and held the guitar closer to her chest
"S-so, I wanted to continue being a rockstar anyways… but I couldn't have both. In the end I became a teacher. Here I am now."
I was speechless, I couldn't respond to her heartfelt emotions.
I pat her on her head.
She looked up at me with a bittersweet smile, she rubbed her eyes and said,
"Thank you"
Ding! The clothes were done in the washing machine, so Mrs. Yuki ran downstairs quickly to avoid any more embarrassment.
My heart was beating.
'What the hell did I do!? Why did I pet Mrs. Yuki!?'
My inner mind was in turmoil. But all was fine, after all I wasn't dead nor did a restart happen.
Little did I know that this peacefulness was about to change when someone started plotting for Satoru's life.