Chapter 2:
Finally, after the walk of about 50 minutes from our school to The Rock Oasis, I tried to understand where the entrance to the top of the café was located that, allegedly, was behind the café.
After a light analysis of the place, I was able to realize that some stairs gave access to the upper part of the café, so it could only be there that Aisaka lived. I tried to knock on the door and wait for someone to open it, however, no success.
After waiting for about 5 minutes in front of the door, I realized that they were not going to open me for some specific reason. Either no one was home, or they had no intention of opening the door, or I was given the wrong adress.
To confirm which of the options would be the right one, I took the option of climbing the wall near the café and taking off my famous long-range monocle to try to observe some movement inside the house.
It didn't take long for me to realize that there was no movement inside the rooms, which indicated that, in fact, there was no one walking around the house, however, since Aisaka was sick, she could be in bed, in a room that my monocle would not have an angle to see.
I thought about asking her parents for permission as they could be in the café, however, I didn't want to be wasting time and decided to enter the house myself.
I approached the door and broke open the door with a Lock Pick that I always carried with me, in order to prevent situations like these, however, I made sure that I only opened it and did not damage it, in order not to harm the Aisaka family property.
I entered the house with a certain care, still with the fear of having entered the wrong house, however, as soon as I entered one of the rooms, there was Aisaka, sleeping, with an angelic look, looking even more like an angel when she was sleeping than when she was awake, which I honestly thought was impossible.
I didn't want to wake her up. I sat quietly in her bedroom chair for a while to wait for her to wake up naturally. I sat down to read my usual pocket book while I waited.
It didn't even take 3 minutes for Aisaka to wake up and, of course, to get a big scare for having someone in her room. I was very close to being punched until she suddenly realized it was me.
"What are you doing here??"
"You didn't come to school, I thought something could have happened to you. Is everything okay?"
Her expression softened quite a bit, as she sat on her bed to continue talking.
"Yes, I'm fine, I'm fine. I'm just having a little fever, it's nothing special. Wait a second. How long have you been here?"
"Only about 3 minutes why?"
At this moment Aisaka blushed and started punching me in the arm:
"You were watching me sleep, you great pervert!"
"Not really, I was reading until you woke up. But I can tell you that you're still cuter to sleep than awake."
At this moment, Aisaka was really completely reddened, both from anger and embarrassment, and I took a big punch in the stomach that I honestly was already expecting to get:
"WERE YOU WATCHING ME SLEEPING?? YOU GREAT PERVERT!"
To save my life, I saw no other option but to apologize on my knees.
"In my defense, I was only worried about you. I only noticed when I went in to see if you were sick or something. I apologize immensely for my actions and promise that they will not be repeated.
Apologizing in this unusual way, she remained blushing, however, she laughed out loud and added:
"You really have no remedy Nakamura. Stand up there, I forgive you."
"Thank you very much. So, are you always ready to make our new music or would you rather rest for today and we'll take care of it another day?"
Aisaka put her hands to her head as if in a state of surprise:
"OUR SONG? I didn't even remember that today we were going to compose our first song. I've been so excited about it all week that I think that's what made me sick. Of course we will, even if I was dying, we would still compose. I don't go back with my promises."
"I'm very happy that you are like me about this. Promises are something that should not be broken under any circumstances. However, are you sure it won't affect your wellbeing»"
She looked deep into my eyes with determination and said:
"I promise I'll be fine."
"In that case, let's go downstairs and get to work."
While I waited in the room for Aisaka to get dressed, I continued to read the pocket book I was carrying with me until she was ready, and when she introduced herself in the room, we would make our way down there until Aisaka asked me a question that I was not prepared to answer.
"Speaking of, Nakamura. How did you get in here. Did my parents open the door for you?"
"Ahhh... Not really."
"Sooo, how did you get in??"
"Ahhh... There is this hypothetical situation that I pick the lock, but relax, I putted it ba..."
"DID YOU PICK MY HOUSE'S LOCK??"
I got back on my knees to avoid another punch, I don't know if I could withstand any more punches from Aisaka who, despite being small and cute, had a devastating right hook.
"Calm down, Aisaka, let me explain. I knocked on the door and no one opened it for me, and since I already suspected that you were ill and was very worried, I saw no other choice but to pick the lock. Plus, it's brand new, I can assure you." ´
She blushed again a little and put up her nose:
"Well, since it was all done out of concern for me, I'll forgive you. But keep my mobile number to avoid these inconveniences."
"Yes, your number. I've been meaning to ask you that since we met, but I'm always so distracted that I end up forgetting."
"That's no problem at all silly. Here you go. Now let us go too see if we can start making our first song."
"Let's go."
We quickly went down to the café, however, before we could get there we were interrupted by Aisaka's father while we were on our way to the elevator that would take us to Heaven.
"Why are you out of bed my girl?"
"I'm already feeling better dad. Besides, I had promised Nakamura that I would write a song with him today."
Her father looked me up and down surprised and, after this visual analysis, ask me enthusiastically:
"What's your name again boy?"
"Nakamura sir. Akira Nakamura."
"A Nakamura? Like, son of Noboru Nakamura"
"Yes sir. The one and only."
After learning who I was, he immediately ran to hug me
"I thought you were still out on business. Is everything fine with you, my boy?"
"My parents are still there, I'm the one who stayed here to keep an eye on Japan. Do you know my parents?"
"Not only do I know them, but I am very grateful to them. A few years ago, I was broke, my wife and I had no money for anything, neither for a house nor for food. We were so desperate that we thought in letting our daughter live with her uncle in Hokaido. No institution helped us and, when we had sadly made up our minds, we were walking to the train station when we crossed paths with your father. I don't know why, but he could see on our faces that we were not well and asked what was going on. After we explained the situation to him, he was very touched and asked us to follow him. After that, he gave us 1 million and a half yen and even offered us a business that he had at the time. The Rock Oasis."
I was astonished to hear all of this information. My father was a good man, but I never imagine he would do such an act. In fact, he never told me about it:
"I had no idea this had happened. I'm shocked. I have never seen any documents about The Rock Oasis in my house. I'm very happy that my father helped you, otherwise I might never have met Aisaka."
"So, are you two dating?"
We both answered in a unanimous tone:
"No, not anything like that. We're just friends."
"And then what are the two going to do. Are you going to go down there?"
"Yes Dad, we're thinking of composing our first song together."
"Seriously, this is very good. I can have the honour of hearing it as soon as it's ready."
"Of course you can, Lord Aisaka."
"Then I will stay up here waiting for your creation."
Aisaka and I went down the elevator and finally arrived at The Heaven, however, it was the first time we were going to compose a song, so we were both quite confused and wasted a bit of time trying to discuss details.
"Do you think I should make a higher or lower voice?"
"I don't know. And do I think I should play higher or lower chords?"
After the discussion of treble and bass, which went nowhere, we started to worry about even more stupid things.
"Do you think I sing better sitting or standing?"
"I don't know. And do you think I play better sitting or standing?"
We stayed in these little details for a long time until I realized what were the only problems we were facing.
"Aisaka, I already know what we're doing wrong and why we can't even start. First, each of us is only concerned with ourselves and, being playing as a duo, we must be equally concerned with each other. And, besides, we can't stop at the details without first touching anything. So we won't even start making the song and we'll only have details discussed. To be able to do something we will have to work as a team and keep trying, not arguing, until the harmony we wanted comes out."
She was amazed by my answer and added.
"You're absolutely right Nakamura. So much discussion with details that I even forgot that the most important thing for a song to come out well is the love we put into it and the teamwork we present in it. So, let's start trying in earnest."
Both Aisaka and I took a deep breath and looked at each other. Then she counted to three and we started playing our first song together again in a divine way, where I seemed to hear more clearly the melody and happiness of my existence on this planet. We stayed for three minutes playing, which seemed like an eternity. I wish I could freeze this moment forever, but if I did, it would no longer be a moment, and it would lose all its beauty.
After we finished the song, both Aisaka and I went crazy in our own way. She started crying and hugging a Kurt Cobain stuffed animal, while I started screaming and rolling on the floor. We had both completed a work of art that very day.
While we were having this crisis after a well-completed work, Aisaka's father entered The Heaven and found this scenario that, for someone without context, was strange to say the least.
"What has gotten into you kids?"
We both returned to our normal selves, and I said quite firmly.
"We have just produced a work of art. This is not just a song, it's the anthem of a generation."
Aisaka's father seemed a little doubtful at first, however, I offered to answer his questions.
"Would you like to have the honours of being our first spectator?"
"Well, but for sure. I had already asked for it and now I really want to see this work of art that you are talking about."
Aisaka and I pulled ourselves together and went back to our instruments. With the same naturalness as the first time, we both looked at each other and simply let our fingers run along the strings and our voice run through the microphone. To be honest, I don't even know if I played my chords and in the same order I played them the first time. The only thing I know is that, as soon as we finished playing, the music had sounded even better than the first time and both I, Aisaka, and her father were completely shocked by the quality of the music.
Aisaka's father looked at us shocked and, in a very serious tone of voice, told us the following.
"Next week, this very Thursday, a band will come to play at The Rock Oasis. I want you to play the first song, as an opening to the show."
"What? Are you crazy, dad? You know perfectly well that I'm very embarrassed to sing in public."
"Come on, Aisaka, this is an opportunity that we may not have again. We cannot waste opportunities like these."
"So, what about my shame, how do I solve this? Without it resolved I will simply be ashamed."
"Don't worry about it. Here's what we do, we're going to solve it in the same way we solved your social shame and, as you saw, it was quite easy. First, you'll pass Saito and Fujimoto, and when you're no longer shy about singing for them, we'll start expanding our horizons more. Does it sound good to you?"
She blushed slightly.
"Okay, it could work."
I took out my cell phone and again requested the presence of Saito and Fujimoto at the site. Since they already knew Aisaka now, it wasn't going to be the fuss like it was last time, but at least they would come here to help her with her shame.
They would appear much later than usual, at least Saito, who was a late at first and, even though Fujimoto being punctual as he is, even he is able to arrive a little out of the clock sometimes.
While we were waiting for them to arrive, we started to catch up, although we were already a little more electric than usual, due to the beauty of the music we ended up producing. I couldn't contain my happiness in words and gave a big hug to Aisaka:
"WE DO MAGIC TOGETHER!"
She blushed as usual, and in a soft but determined tone of voice replied:
"Together, we will revive music. This was just the first step."
At this point even I blushed a little, sketching a brief smile from the corner of my mouth.
We stared into each other's eyes for a while, observing not only another but also the beauty of the product we had just made, when suddenly, Fujimoto arrives in The Heaven, looking at us with a strange face:
"What are you doing. You called us here to witness the love declaration, is it?"
Aisaka and I immediately let go
"No, nothing like that. How many times do I have to repeat that we are only friends. I called you here to help Aisaka with the problem of singing in public and to see the music we made, that's all."
"Um. Suspicious. You see, for m..."
I didn't even let him finish; he was immediately punched in the stomach:
"Shut that filthy mouth. Something like that comes out of that mouth and you're going to have to clean your lunch off the floor, understood?"
She got up with the agonizing pain getting out in his voice.
"Okay, okay understood. You're just friends and we don't talk about it anymore."
"I'm glad we've come to an agreement. By the way, where is the late friend of ours Saito?"
"I have no idea. How long ago did you call him?"
"It's been about twenty minutes now."
"Then I'm sure he's still taking a shower."
"That guy, for real, I've seen objects with a greater sense of responsibility."
"That goes without saying, remember that it's not just with us, it's with everyone. He arrived late to all his dates and reunions, it's just impressive. I think that by this time he already does it on purpose as to not kill the habit."
"Fortunately, this comes in handy for a reason. Whenever we want him to arrive on time it's not too difficult, we just have to call him earlier."
"There you are right. But now ignore Saito's delay and show me your music that I want to hear too.
After saying these words, Aisaka hid behind the drums, and remained there until we went to talk to her.
"So Aisaka, what's wrong? You don't need to be ashamed to sing for me. You know very well that if you go out of tune or something like that, neither Nakamura nor I will make fun of you or anything like that."
"I know I don't, but I have a feeling of shame that I can't really explain. I think the only reason I was able to sing in front of Nakamura was because he's playing too, now, as you'll just see, it's a little harder for me to get the courage to sing. I can't explain to you why, my body just refuses to do it."
"You have to at least try. Think of all the effort Nakamura made to make a song with not even a week of guitar practice. He didn't go out with us during all this time just to have time to learn everything properly. All his days during the week circled around this. Saito and I were about to go to his house to beat the crap out of him because he explained on the phone that it was what he wanted to do and that he didn't want to let you down, refusing to go out with us for all these three days. So, Aisaka, do me a favour and, at least for Nakamura, try."
Aisaka realized at that moment that, although she was the voice, she was singing silently. Fujimoto's words made her realize that shame and shyness led nowhere but lack of opportunities and loneliness, and it was more of an act of selfishness than anything else.
After realizing this, Aisaka stood up with her eyes and body completely focused and turned to the microphone. She stood before him and, in a very serious voice, said facing Fujimoto.
"Remain in front of us, please."
Fujimoto stood in front of her, and we started counting down to start the synchronized music, but as soon as Aisaka started playing, the noise of the elevator opening completely ruined the music and we had to stop there. It was Saito who had arrived.
"Good morning citizens of the world."
Everyone, especially me and Aisaka, started beating him as he curled up on the floor.
"Calm down, calm down. I just arrived."
"You don't know how to be on time, big moron. You interrupted our performance."
"I apologize deeply from my deep heart. In my defence, I was killing my habit out there so I wouldn't start showing withdrawal symptoms here. It was all thinking about you."
"WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER 30 MINUTES YOU TOOK?"
"Taking a shower, putting on shorts, seeing if I had tobacco three times, the usual. I swear it wasn't on purpose."
We all got off him and I helped him up:
"My God, what an aggressive guy. You have to learn to relax."
"The next time you say that after 30 minutes of delay, you're going to get beaten up more than you were today."
Saito symbolized with his hands the gesture of closing his mouth and did not open it again for a while, showing that he was not inclined to speak again.
After his silence, they both sat down in front of us, and we returned to our instruments. It was time to start our performance again and see if Aisaka could play shamelessly in front of both of them.
She gained the courage and, when she felt ready, she asked me to start the countdown, which I started and, after that, we started playing our song.
We could all realize that it was really only in Aisaka's head her fear of singing in public because, although it may be an impression in my head, I have the impression that she still sang better in front of Saito and Fujimoto than in front of her father, something that even I didn't expect since whenever the song entered the chorus they started pulling each other's hair and twerking on the ground, something that would make it difficult for me to concentrate.
As soon as we finished playing, both Saito and Fujimoto were tired of rolling on the floor during the chorus and feeling the lyrics so much. From the moment I made the song I knew it would be something good, but I never thought it would be something on this level, to the point of reaching the heart in such a good way that we had already been offered to start a band and everyone who heard the music was immediately in love.
"I can't believe in how good this song came out. After listening to this song, I'm not going to pick up my cell phone anymore. The lyrics are really perfect, they serve both to reflect and to laugh. You both did an excellent job."
"I agree with Saito entirely. But don't just focus on the lyrics, this is simply a perfect mix. Both the lyrics, Aisaka's voice and Nakamura's guitar riff... everything seems to be in harmony with the universe and the meaning behind the lyrics."
Aisaka blushed before she could say anything, but I couldn't help but thank them:
"Thank you very much for your support, can you make any criticisms for us to improve?"
"I think the only criticism we can make is the fact that they are playing for so few people. Other than that, the performance was incredible."
Aisaka managed to unfreeze and talk to them:
"Now that I've played for you, I feel like I can sing for a lot more people without any problems. You are very nice, thank you very much for doing this to help me. And, Fujimoto, thank you for the speech you made to me a moment ago. I really needed to hear that."
"No problem. I know I may have sounded a little rude in my words, but my goal was just to make you see things from a perspective where shame wasn't an issue, and it turned out to be perfect."
"Yes, it worked. Thank you very much."
We were all quite happy with the progress we were showing, especially me. A few days ago, I was just a person without any purpose in life, still searching for a meaning. I based my life on eating and sleeping, with just a few glances of learning that I thought interesting. Now, I had well-defined life goal, that turned everything so much more colourful to me. To the songs I now had on my playlist, to the usual friendship with Saito and Fujimoto, to my new aspiration in life and, above all, due to Aisaka. A random friendship with a person who in such a short time became such a special friend.
After the performance was over, Saito and Fujimoto started to leave and I, to enjoy the company, said goodbye to Aisaka and went with them, but without first telling her the following.
"Aisaka, talk to your father. In addition to opening the concert of that band, you can let him know that soon we will have enough songs for us to do a concert."
"What do you mean?? What do you mean by that?"
"I want to say that in the next few months I'm going to work like crazy and I'm going to try to write enough music and lyrics for us to be able to do a concert, even if it's small. We have too much talent to be wasted and, besides, what I don't lack is the insanity and free time to do it."
"You're crazy Nakamura. You won't be able to do so much in such a short time, it's humanly impossible."
"Nothing is impossible. I'm going to do my best to write and compose all the songs in the least amount of time possible, without forgetting the quality obviously. I want to start playing live."
Aisaka looked at me with a serious face and asked me.
"Are you sure you can do it?"
"Absolute."
"So be it, I'm going to talk to my father and we'll have our concert scheduled for about a month from today. I'm trusting you to take care of the production process."
I gave him a little kiss on the hand as usual and added:
"You can trust me. I won't rest until I've done everything."
After this crazy decision on my part, I walked home with Saito and Fujimoto, taking the opportunity to talk to them about what I haven't talked about in the past few days and what I wouldn't say in the month that followed.
"So, my beautiful friends, how is your life going. Any news worth sharing?"
"I'm still the same Fujimoto as always, however, Saito is getting closer and closer to conquering Akemi Suzuki. He applied his charm and made her approach him, now we just have to wait for his spell to be complete and they both get together, like Saito always does."
He smiled as he listened to this information dumped by Fujimoto
"How can this guy do this. Has this spell of yours never gone wrong with you?"
"No, it's extremely simple. Just as you have your power of manipulation, I have my power of love. We complete each other precisely because we both have different almost supernatural powers, which makes us unstoppable."
"Yes, I know that. But imagine, my power is based on logic, it has a relatively low chance of failure, now emotions? You know perfectly well that this is quite volatile. How do you never fail?"
"Friend, the manipulations you make are based on predictions of emotions and feelings that are as easy to read as love. Everything revolves around emotions."
"You're right, but love? This is anything but predictable, especially nowadays."
"Nakamura, we all know what happened to you, however, this is rare to happen. Believe me, love is something worth fighting for."
"I'm not saying the opposite, however, I think the importance you give it is quite high, that's all."
"It's the way I like to live."
"I know, I know. And as for you Fujimoto, there's really nothing you need to tell me?"
"No bro. Honestly, lately I haven't been doing much except being with you and Saito, and for me it's more than enough."
"And, speaking of powers, have you used yours?"
"I don't bro, nor have I needed help with anything, and no one has needed help either."
"You're really a liar, bro. Just a while ago you used it with Aisaka."
"You're right! I had completely forgotten about it. You know that for me it is an automatic act to use my power of inspiration. I just do what I think is right to encourage someone and it tends to work."
"It is still your power anyway. Of course, none of our powers are supernatural, it's simply something we do that acts like a spell on people's minds, however, it's not because it's not supernatural that it ceases to be effective or relevant."
"Exactly. We all make the perfect trio because we both have powers over people that involve messing with their psychology, although it is in different ways:"
"And we like each other a lot too."
"Of course. Our friendship will last forever and ever."
We both gave a big hug before we went to our own house and I got ready to start preparing songs for the concert I had promised Aisaka. This time, as I had already asked for her number, I could already show her some ideas more easily.
My bedtime was approaching, and yet the urge to do something was something that kept in my head. As soon as I got home, I immediately tried to start doing something with the chords I already knew and, for two long hours at night, I couldn't get literally anywhere, not a single part of a song could be made like that. Although I went to bed at 21, it was already 23 and I still had no plans to go to bed until I could do something. There I realized some things that my old man had always told me when he came to Japan that, although they were rare and I was mostly without him around, I had a respect and love for him like any other son would have for his father, especially after discovering that he also played guitar and was responsible for helping Aisaka's father. He always told me that following my dreams was the greatest joy and the greatest torment I would feel in life. I never quite understood what he meant by that sentence until this moment. I loved making and playing music, however, sometimes it became frustrating not to have ideas. But that didn't diminish the love I had for it in the slightest. As soon as I remembered my father, I immediately thought that maybe it was time to call him to ask for news and to ask him to help me. I picked up the phone at home and called him:
"Hi old man, how are you?"
"Everything cool kiddo. With you as well?"
"With me as well, father, is the place you're staying now cool?"
"Yes, yes, I can't complain. We came to see how the metallurgical company was doing here in Esmoriz and we took the opportunity to stay a little bit here in the area. The business is going very well son, get ready to inherit a bunch of money from us."
My father always liked to use our fortune as a reason for jokes, but he was quite charitable, whenever he had a lot of money in his account, he always donated either to friends or to people in need. He was indeed a man he was proud to call father.
"I'm glad old man, I'm glad."
"Shouldn't you be sleeping at this time already? You always tend to go to bed early."
"Yes I should, but I need your help for one thing."
"Whatever you want, son. Tell me what's going on"
"I started playing guitar and, since I found one in your office, I would like you to give me some tips."
As soon as I uttered these words, my father went completely crazy. The only one I could hear on the other end of the line was him breaking everything around him and screaming breathlessly.
"What's going on, old man? Are you having a stroke or something?"
"I can't believe you finally picked up my guitar. I always left her at the office with the hope that you would find her and fall in love with music one day."
"Explain something old man to me. WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU JUST SAY WHERE IT WAS? You know perfectly well that I don't go into the office when you're not at home, I happened to be lucky to go there to clean it one day and it was standing right in front of me."
"Hahahaha. Honestly, I don't even know. I think I wanted to give it a tone of mystery to the discovery, just like in the movies. Although it's not very normal what I did, at least the story of how you found the guitar will be something funny for you to tell your children."
"In that I'll have to agree with you. It was indeed quite comical."
"But come on, son, tell me what you need my help with."
"It's the following daddy. I wrote a song today that was so good that I committed to a café owner to do a concert there in about a month. The first one I was able to compose with a certain ease, but now I can't even do a lyric, much less the melody."
"We all go through that phase son, you don't need to worry. The first thing you should do is have the lyrics, to help you in the creative process. Therefore, I advise you to travel around your city, school, cafes or even read the news and find things that you like or dislike a lot. It is important to be strong emotions to create an emotionally strong lyric. Once you have the lyrics done, the guitar composition comes out almost automatically as you try to sing and play it at the same time. The composition of the guitar will only be affected by how much you know how to do it, apart from that, something beautiful will always come out of it as long as the lyrics are well written and are based on a strong emotion."
"Thank you very much for your tips old man, what would my life be without you?"
"Calm down, before you leave, I just need to leave you a very important tip. Don't try to compose songs endlessly until you have no more ideas. You won't get anything. So, go to sleep for today and tomorrow you'll do what is necessary for your compositions, otherwise you won't be able to do anything good."
"Okay, okay old man. I will believe your advice. Thank you."
"Hold on son. You told me you played to a café owner. What was the café you played at?
"One I'm sure you're familiar with. The Rock Oasis."
My father let a sweet breath came out and, although I couldn't see him, I'm positive that he was smiling after what I said:
"You met Haruto Aisaka, didn't you? That angel of a man was the person I had most pride helping in my life."
"Why didn't you tell me nothing about it father. And how were you able to give so much money to a man you didn't knew?"
"Junior, when you gather a fortune like my own, you start to have the ability to see through people quite easily. When I looked into Aisaka's eyes, I saw the purest pain and sadness a man can have in his life. The inability to provide to his own family. I spoke with him to understand the situation and after hearing his story, the only thing I wish was to give him ever more money. Shame I couldn't give more at that time."
"But why not tell me?"
"I never told anyone son. Only your mother, to explain why the money left the account. Another tip of your father to your life son. Never share a good act. The impact in just the people involved will make the world a better place, and not a validation-seeking place."
"Thanks for all your wisdom old man. Send mom a kiss, would you?
"Yes, I'll send it, son. Whenever you need something, just call me again, no matter the time."
It was impossible in my life to ask for better parents. People talk about the rich as if they were soulless people just because they have more money than others, who are therefore somehow impure or inhuman. However, my parents are the most amazing people I know. Kind, giving, and selfless both with me and with the people around you. I couldn't ask for better people to be responsible for my education. Without them I wouldn't be half the man I am today.
I then decided to do what my father had asked me. Although I had classes the next day and could only work in the afternoon, my father certainly understood this better than he did, so I lay down to sleep and prepare a new musical day.
What was strange was that, even though I went to bed later than usual, I woke up at the same time I used to wake up every day. At five in the morning, I was on foot without the slightest trace of fatigue. Therefore, there was still time to try to write an inspiring lyric before going to school.
However, the problem was generated around one thing. Where would I come up with interesting and impactful themes to write at five in the morning? The world was sleeping, the shops were closed. I couldn't feel inspired to make an impactful song like that.
The only thing I did after breakfast was to simply go to my garden, and, with only the company of myself, observe the stars I had in the sky, and start having philosophical theories that made no sense.
"Are the stars the memories of people who have died?"
This was probably the one that made the least sense, especially for someone logical like me who knows perfectly how stars work and why they exist, however, this idea stayed in my head and made my heart race at an absurd pace thinking that all the people in the world would end up becoming stars and light up the night of those who stayed here. I couldn't think of a better idea for a song.
However, even with a well-defined theme, writing it was a bit complicated due to the theme being a little more abstract than the previous one, despite having a much more charged emotional value.
After a few comes and goes to the dictionary, an intensive internet search for stars and a little emotional thinking on paper, I was finally able to form the lyrics.
This one had an even more serious tone. It was based on the premise that all human beings have a very finite life and that, even when we die, we must die being proud of what we have done, so that we can be reborn as stars and light the way for other people who have remained on earth.
I was really excited to be able to compose the guitar melody for this work of art, however, as soon as I was picking it up to get started, my school alarm went off, which meant I had to start going there.
"RIGHT NOW. For god's sake. I was just getting started. Well, so be it, I'll have to go."
I confess that for a while there I let myself be a little carried away by my emotions. It must have been the effect of having just written such beautiful lyrics.
I regained control of myself and started walking to school again with the notebook in my hand instead of the book. I had to start working seriously to do the concert. We needed at least seven songs to give a short time concert. One was already made, one other with the lyrics done. So we still had five to go.
As soon as I got to school, I was eager to share the new idea with Aisaka and my trio. It was the only thing useful to do in that environment. As soon as I got there, Saito and Fujimoto came running towards me:
"Finally!!Yesterday we had coffee and no Nakamura showed up there."
"I had to work bro, it really had to be done. I had to write new lyrics for the concert with Aisaka. A man has to follow his dreams."
"Just see if you don't die working you insane bastard. You have to take a break every now and then."
"I know Saito, I know. But I seriously need to start practicing seriously. Remember that I'm going to give a concert with less than two months of guitar practice with all original songs. I don't even have the option to rest, for now."
"Okay, okay. But remember that we have to celebrate as soon as you have that sorted out, and especially we have to start going out more often."
"No problem, Fujimoto. It is hereby promised that as soon as this concert is over, I will continue to hang out with you as in the past, despite the practices. But right now, I really need more time than usual to get used to the idea of giving a concert. More than half of the songs are not yet composed, much less rehearsed. I need that time."
"We understand you. By the way, when the concert is ready, both you and Aisaka can come and have a coffee. Of course, sometimes we will need our moments just for bros, but she is also more than invited, she can come whenever she wants. Such a cool girl deserves a place on our reunions."
"Thank you for your trust. Speaking of her, I have to tell her the news."
"Go there my good man. We'll talk later."
I started running down the corridor to see if I could find her somewhere, until I found her through the window, she was still entering the school. Finding this, I ran out of the inner school grounds and stopped right in front of her:
"Good mornings Aisaka."
Needless to say, she got scared and her "I'm surprised" punch sent me to the ground right away:
"I ALREADY TOLD YOU NOT TO SCARE ME."
"Sorry, sorry, but I'm quite happy again."
"What's wrong with you, my dear friend?"
"I wrote another beautiful lyric"
"Already?? How did you do it so fast?"
"To be honest with you, I don't even know very well. I asked my father for some tips about lyrics, and he gave me exactly the same tip as you except those emotions had to be strong, no matter if they are positive or negative, if they make sense or not or any other external variable. The important thing is to be a strong emotion."
"So, what was the inspiration for writing this?
"I just woke up early as usual, where stars still hovered in the sky, and I began to think that the stars were people who had already died and that their duty after dying was to illuminate the lives of people who still lived during the night. I know that in theory it doesn't make much sense, but..."
I couldn't finish the sentence because, looking at Aisaka, I realized that she had her usual face, however, with tears flowing from her eyes. I immediately held her in my arms to ask him what was going on.
"What's going on Aisaka? Is everything okay with you?"
"It's not just okay Nakamura. Everything is perfect. This is perhaps going to be the most beautiful, original and beautiful idea I've ever seen in my life."
"Really?"
"I'm sure. Therefore, I have a favour to ask you. I want this to be the last song you write on guitar and the last song we will play at the concert. I'm absolutely sure that it will be an extraordinary hit, I didn't even need to see the lyrics to get emotional. So, compose the others just as clear, but I want this one to get special attention if you don't mind."
"Su..sure sweetheart, no problem. But is everything okay with you? Do you want to go and wipe your face or something?"
"No, no. I'm fine, don't you worry."
After saying these words, Aisaka said goodbye to me with a strong hug and hurriedly left for what seemed to be the bathroom. It was hard for me to believe that someone would be as moved by a song as she was with this one, however, my sources and spies had never pointed anything out to me in this regard and it wasn't something I wanted to pry either. If this had any relation to her life in general, she would tell me in her time.
I spent the rest of the classes with a certain tranquillity and, almost abnormally, two weeks had passed. All the songs were composed about the most recurring themes that I found in my daily life and in the news. One that talked about the excessive use of mobile phones, another about the free time that school takes away from us, followed by one that indicates the lack of love present in humanity. Then, I also wrote one about not enjoying life well, not valuing the people around us and about the constant lies that plague the mouths of people today. Finally, now, two weeks later, with a week left for the concert, I was only missing the probably most important step for my career as a musician at the moment. Composing the song that compiled all the others into one lyric, using an analogy with the stars to demonstrate our insignificance and how much it can still mean a lot if we want to.
All the songs before this one I made them all in just one day, except for the first one of all. I would wake up early in the morning, read the news or remember some event that had happened at school some time ago and I wrote a lyric with a strong emotion about it that, as soon as I got home from school, was transmitted to my guitar which, with its symbiosis, formed the harmony for the music. However, this song, which was, in numerical order, the second one I wrote, needed a greater depth. After the first week where I finished all the other songs, in the second, I just had to practice all the chord shapes, combinations and ways of playing I could. Arpeggios, loose strings, chords with bar. I had a whole week perfecting the most differentiated and complicated acoustic guitar tactics to now, at this moment, be able to make my masterpiece. It was time to compose "Shinning lives".
I felt a nervousness on my skin like never before. If with the simple lyrics and melody of the first song he composed they already made us be offered to a concert and made Saito and Fujimoto start rolling on the floor like two mentally ill people, the melody for this lyric would have to be perfect, being a perfect mix of the knowledge I had of guitar with the extremely strong emotion that the music poured. It was something that, after some time, I came to the conclusion that it was too great a job to be done without help. Saito, Fujimoto and Aisaka had to be present for the situation.
As soon as I had the opportunity, I called the three of them, urgently asking them to come to my house for an important matter and, of course, Aisaka, who lives the furthest from my house. was the one who arrived first at my house.
"Good afternoon Nakamura"
"Good afternoon to you sweetie, how are you?"
She blushed slightly at the word sweetie, but this time she didn't protest
"I'm fine, I'm fine. Why did you call me here?"
"I will compose my masterpiece, in the last place as I had promised you. However, I think that leaving this perfection only in my hands is a huge responsibility, I need your help both in creation and simply to support me in its creation."
"But of course I'll help you! Did you also call Saito and Fujimoto?"
"I did. I did. But those late morons are so used to being late that even despite being my neighbours you managed to get here before them."
"How late those two are! And then, what do we do until they arrive?"
"I don't know, I'll let you decide. The house is big, there's a lot to choose from."
"Do you happen to have a swimming pool?"
"I have, I have an outdoor pool. You want to enjoy the day that is very hot just before they arrive. I'm sure it will still take about half an hour to get Fujimoto here and another fifteen minutes of that half hour for Saito, if we're lucky."
"Of course, we can enjoy ourselves until they came back. There is only one problem. I didn't bring a bikini."
"There is no problem at all. I must have some of my mother lost here in my house. She's also tiny, so it must fit!"
I took a pinch in the arm of some strength:
"Let it be the last time my height is mentioned in this pejorative tone. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"
"AAAA... Yes Aisaka. Very understandable. Here it is. Go change yourself and I'll wait for you in the pool."
While Aisaka was changing, I also took the opportunity to put on some shorts and spread the towels on the sun loungers so that everything would be ready when she and even they arrived.
When Aisaka arrived at the garden, I was completely open mouthed. Despite being tiny, she had a well composed body and a suffocating beauty that was only amplified by the sun that hit her soft face. I had great difficulty stop staring and she, as always, was able to see through me, covering her body with a blushed face:
"Stop looking at me pervert."
"I'm sorry Aisaka, but I have to tell you that you're really pulling of that bikini. How can a girl as beautiful and well-educated as you be embarrassed as you use to be?"
For a few moments she looked at me as if she was going to give me an answer, however, she simply told me:
"No specific reason, I just don't really like talking to strangers because I'm afraid of what they might think of me."
"I can't understand why. You're beautiful, I deduce by your behaviour that you're smart, you have a well composed body and all that. What are you afraid of in general?"
"Actually, I don't think I even know very well, I just can't trust people very much, that's all, so I don't usually open up to anyone. With you was an exception because you genuinely seemed like a good person to me, something I can now confirm. However, now, although you helped me with that and I can already speak and sing with a certain serenity, I still don't trust people very much."
I was very curious to know why all this happened. I wanted to get to the bottom of it, however, I noticed that Aisaka's eyes were a little brighter than usual, which meant that this was a sensitive topic that could mentally destabilize her if she continued. I then decided to change the theme to avoid causing any sadness. Here a slightly more fun act was needed to get her back to her normal state and spirit.
"Shall we get a wet Aisaka?"
"I need to get in slowly..."
Before she even answered, I grabbed her and jumped, what made us both fall right into the pool almost at the same time.
I could see expressions of both anger and happiness while we were both in the water, thus causing the previous feelings of sadness to be literally drowned, which was my initial plan.
As soon as we took our heads out of the water, as expected, she started complaining to me and sending me water.
"You're really stupid Nakamura. A complete moron."
Nevertheless. She was saying this with a full smile on her face, which indicated that she wasn't that upset. The smile of happiness she had on her face showed me that she was having fun and that was all that mattered to me.
As I was also very happy, I grabbed her head and started rubbing her head to see if it made her angry, however, she just laughed and we were both in that beautiful moment of friendship in the pool. Until suddenly, Fujimoto appears in front of us.
"May I know what are you two doing?"
We got a death fright, because we were completely distracted:
"What a big scare, Fujimoto. I've already asked you not to do this you moron."
"You two are very close, you see for m..."
I didn't even let him finish the sentence. I threw the pool to the edge and pulled him inside, with clothes and glasses.
"Did our last conversation was not interiorized enough? I hope this time it was understood for good."
"Broo. That was unnecessary, I just took a shower."
"Nobody told you to push your luck"
"Okay, I'm sorry, but I'm going to take a shower at your house."
"No sweat. You have showers where you already know, my house is as much mine as yours, you know that well."
"You two are really cute friends, how long have you known each other anyway?"
"If you want me to be honest with you, Aisaka, I don't even remember well. It's been about 7 years, if my memory serves me correctly. I feel proud to have known this beautiful human being named Akira Nakamura for so long."
"C'mon. Now I'm the one who'll get shy Fujimoto."
"You're so gayyy"
"What did you call me?"
And that's how Fujimoto and I often started fighting. Something that started with a compliment ended in a fight between friends who, although we never got seriously hurt, was something strange to see for those who weren't used to it. Even Aisaka took a while to realize that it wasn't serious and, when she did, her laughter infected us and the three of us laughed for an indefinite time that seemed to have lasted forever. Until he was interrupted by the noise of Saito jumping the wall of my house running.
"I've arrived!!"
Again, as usual, he took a load of beatings from everyone.
"STOP RUINING THE MOMENTS"
"Sorry guys, sorry. In my defence, this time I really have an excuse for being late."
"Tell me. If it's tattered, I'll go get the belt"
"Calm down, calm down. There is no need to get excited, and I am sure you will allow this one. I was on the phone for a while with Suzuki and believe if you want to. Tomorrow, I have a date with her."
"Okay, apologies more than accepted. Fujimoto, opinion?"
"I will accept it without a doubt, Aisaka?"
"Do I also have a vote in the matter?"
"Of course you have, you're also present."
"Then I also accept your apology, Saito."
"Get up bro. You are forgiven."
"Thank you all. I'll tell you all the details tomorrow. In the meantime, weren't we supposed to make a song?"
"That's right! We were so distracted that I didn't even remember it. Do you want to go work on it Nakamura?"
"Calm down guys, I had an idea. Since Saito was late and we ended up coming to the pool and since the day will be so beautiful, what about having dinner here at home and then we see the music when we finish dinner? That way we can enjoy the day to the fullest."
"It seems like an excellent idea. You can count me in."
"Count me in as well, but don't forget that tomorrow I have a date!"
"With me too. My parents love you for sure they'll give me permission."
"Wonderful. In that case, let's enjoy this beautiful day that is today, and I'll take care of dinner later."
"Sounds great to me"
Accidentally, an afternoon that was just going to be spent trying to finish a song, ended up turning into an afternoon of fun with the people I love the most. Sometimes I wonder what would become of my life if they didn't exist. A simple afternoon in a pool, with the right people, can become a life experience as memorable as climbing Everest or going around the world. Every genuine smile that these human beings give in front of me gives me a reason to continue living and working. There have been philosophers who have spent their entire lives trying to understand the concept of happiness and love. Clearly, they didn't have friends or, if they did, they didn't have friends like mine, where every moment I look into their eyes I see hope in a world where one day I didn't see it, I see love that one day I thought no longer existed and I see happiness, that one day I thought I wouldn't recover. It is for these moments that people were made to experience. Just like I had said in my songs. The cell phone, the hate. There are so many things in this life that don't matter, however, sometimes you need people to unconsciously show us that.
The day was starting to get dark and the weather outside was also starting to get colder, so it was time to start the dinner we had talked about so much.
"My darlings, it's starting to get dark. Let's go all inside to take a bath?"
"Calm bro. Are there showers for everyone?"
"Well thought Fujimoto. No, there are only two and there are four of us."
"So how do we do it?"
"It's like this, we have two options. Either we take a shower two at a time, or we take two showers at the same time in the shower."
As soon as she said this, Aisaka blushed completely red
"Nakamura, I think you're forgetting the little detail that we have a girl here. How do you intend for one of us to bathe with her?"
"Simple bro, take a shower each one with the bathing suit on. That is, of course, if Aisaka agrees that it is the right approach. Otherwise, dinner will be delayed for a few time and I believe everyone here is starving."
Aisaka was thoughtful for a few moments, but when she looked at Saito's face of despair when she looked at the clock and realized that it was already late, she said, a little blushing:
"OK, I'll do it. I don't want Saito to be late for tomorrow's date. But don't you dare giving me a perverted look Nakamura!"
"I won't do it, I promise."
Hearing these words, Saito knelt and began to thank her:
"Thank you very much Aisaka. Thanks to you I will still have time to arrive tomorrow, thank you very much."
She smiled:
"No problem, Saito."
"Well, let's go then to the shower so I can start making dinner. Fujimoto and Saito you stay in the bathroom upstairs and me and Aisaka stay in the downstairs, so I'm closer to the kitchen. Move."
While they ran upstairs, I led Aisaka to the bathroom right next to the kitchen. I left the door closed and put the water running. I was able to notice that Aisaka was quite blushing, however, in order to keep my promise, I refrained from making any comments that might make her feel uncomfortable. I just prepared the shower for us.
"Okay, you can come in Aisaka now. We will try to be quick so as not to delay Saito's date tomorrow."
"Oo.. ok"
Aisaka entered and we started to shower together. Even though we are both dressed , the atmosphere of two opposite gender friends bathing together was indeed a bit of a strange experience. However, all I wanted least was to make Aisaka uncomfortable, mainly because of me, so I made an effort to try to make conversation in that environment to make it, in a way, more normal:
"So Aisaka, what are you thinking of the day so far?"
"I'm lov…loving it. You.. It has been a di... Incredible day."
"Why are you gaggling? Is the water too cold?"
"N... No."
"So, what's going on?"
"It's just... just the fact that... never having done this before, I think."
"Sweetheart, if you feel uncomfortable, you just need to let me know."
After stopping for a while to think and recover from the stutter, she said
"No, in reality it is the opposite of that. A few weeks ago I wasn't even at school because I couldn't make friends at all due to my shyness and, right now, I'm taking a shower with my best friend. I love the direction my life is taking but it just made me nervous that it's been such a rapid change, that's all."
"So are you okay?"
She smiled back to me:
"Better than ok Nakamura. I couldn't be better."
I wanted to give her a kiss on the forehead, but it wouldn't be if it would become cute or weird, but honestly, at that point, I wasn't going back. That moment would not be repeated and so I did.
"I'm also proud to have you as a friend Aisaka."
She blushed to an inexplicable level, and I saw her hand raise. I had a beautiful notion of what was going to happen to me however, at the last second, she stopped her hand, smiled and at me.
"Just because you were so nice today, I'll apologize this time. BUT DON'T ABUSE IT."
"Very understandable madam."
"Let's get ready or in a little while you won't have time to make dinner and Saito will be late for his date tomorrow."
"Surely, you are completely right."
We shower as quickly as we can. The shower was too big enough for us both to be able to wash without a break and, therefore, we did our best to get out of there quickly.
Honestly, I thought we had a quick shower, however, as soon as Aisaka and I entered the kitchen, Saito and Fujimoto came in anger to beat me up.
"How did it take you 30 MINUTES to take a shower, you bastard"
"30 minutes? Impossible."
"30 MINUTES. Saito and I count the time. We're crazy hunger. Cook something fast or we'll start chewing on you."
"CALM DOWN, CALM DOWN. There is no need for extremism here. I'm going to make our favourite tuna pasta here from the guys, with the sauce that Saito and I invented. In about fifteen minutes it should be ready. In the meantime, set the table."
"This is not traditional here in Japan, this tuna pasta Nakamura. I at least don't think I've ever tasted it."
"Yes, it is quite uncommon Aisaka. It's quite common in Europe and, as my parents spend a lot of time there, they brought some of their cuisine home whenever they could. This pasta in general the sauce was me and Saito who invented; however, the cooking method was all taken from pasta already known in Europe."
"It looks delicious. I can't wait to prove it. Did you give it a name?"
When she asked this, Saito and I answered in harmony.
"JOLLINI"
"Jollini? Does this have any meaning that I don't know?"
"Some actually. First it ends in "ini" because many words in Italian end up like this and it is in Italy that you have the best pasta in the world. Next, the word "Jola" which is a slang term in Portugal for beer and, finally, the combination of the two makes the beginning look like the word "Jolie" which is beautiful in French."
"Yes gentlemen. I'm impressed. I hope the taste is as good as the origin of the name."
"We love it, I hope you do too."
"I will definitely go."
While cooking, I was quite happy to notice that Aisaka was talking to Saito and Fujimoto with great confidence. It was a huge evolution considering that, a few weeks ago, she was extremely ashamed of social interactions of this type. It was very good to see the progress of things and the influence weight I had for them to happen.
I prepared the food with my usual mastery. Putting the ingredients in the order that was invented for the first time with the greatest calmness in the world and always in the correct proportions, despite measuring them only with my precise eye. While the pasta was cooking and the sauce reached its perfect temperature point, I took the opportunity to join the conversation that, due to the noise of the exhaust fan working, I had not been able to understand a single word.
As soon as I approached the table, suddenly the smiles were disguised and the conversation stopped abruptly. I soon realized that they were telling a story about me that would probably embarrass me in Aisaka's eyes.
"If you say which history was, no one will take a belt in the back, you have my word"
"But we weren't..."
I was going to get the belt until Saito gave in to the pressure and said
"Okay, okay I'll tell you."
"Soo?"
"Hmm... The one in the urinal."
I started running to hit him but he screamed something and made me stop
"YOU PROMISED NAKAMURA."
"You are right, yes, sir. But why did you go and tell a girl that?"
"Aisaka, I'm so sorry for me and Saito that you had to learn about such disgusting story."
She laughed again:
"Don't you worry Nakamura. The story was quite funny, although Saito doesn't know why you did it. I know a lot of girls would see it that way, but you know I'm not quite like the others."
I wiped the sweat from my forehead in relief when I heard these words.
"Thank God, thank God. I avoid telling my stories of challenges because some are extremely weird like this one in particular."
"Don't have any problems with me, seriously. Nothing will change the respect and love I have for you. By the way, can you tell me the story with the reason included and what happened next? Please!!"
I confess that I blushed a little when I heard these words from Aisaka and, therefore, I feel coerced to tell her the full story.
"Okay, so be it. The story of the urinal told by the main protagonist. A few years ago, the discipline of Philosophy was introduced in our school. I, like any other subject so far, was able to realize in class what it took to get good grades on the test without the need to study. I had always been told that philosophy was going to be very confusing, however, I didn't find the discipline that very complicated. However, when the day of the test came, I understood what they meant by complicated. The test consisted of ten multiple-choice questions that had slightly different answer options. To me, the options either seemed all right or all wrong, so the majority of the answers were given more by luck than by certainty. Therefore, I left the test with a bit of fear of getting my first bad score.
A few days later, just before we received the test, the rumour arose in our class that there would be only three good scores and, doing the mathematics of the students in the class, I realized that I would not be among those three. Although I didn't like school very much now, at the time it was something that mattered a lot to me so I didn't want to get a bad score, especially knowing that this would be my first one ever. So, I made a promise to the heavens. If I had a good score, I would poo in the school urinal.
I entered the room with that last hope that everyone has, although I was very sure that it would be the first time I would get a bad grade in a test.
However, as soon as the teacher put the test on my desk, I found that not only was it a good score, but it was one of the highest scores, which made me jump out of my chair and swear to keep my promise.
As soon as the class was over, together with Fujimoto, I went to the bathroom that was neither the farthest nor the farthest from our room, so as not to arouse suspicion, I sent a turd in the urinal with Fujimoto as a witness and then we both went home."
"AHAHAHAAHA. I can't believe it really happened."
"Aisaka, I tell you. If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I wouldn't even believe something as ridiculous as this, in fact, if it weren't for people talking about it the next day Saito wouldn't believe it either."
"Of course not. You know I trust you with my life, but you come to my side saying that Nakamura had put a turd in the urinal, without being able to control your laughter. He really looked like he was kidding. I always knew this guy was a bit of a fool, but at this point I confess I wasn't expecting it."
"This is very good to hear. Please don't hide any more stories like this. Even though I'm a girl, this story still made my day more perfect than what it already was."
"Come on. Now whenever I remember one, it doesn't matter if it's appropriate or not I'm going to tell it, so get ready."
"I'll be prepared. But tell me what, you weren't caught or at least you didn't have any problems with it in the future?"
"No, I didn't have any problems. In the following days there was a witch hunt at the school to find out who had done it, however, I knew that no one would accuse me despite much of the school knowing that I was the culprit except, of course, the staff and the administration. The blame fell on the group that was closer to the bathroom for a while, however, as they could not blame a group for that, no one was blamed."
"Ahahaha. You really are a criminal mastermind Nakamura. How did you pull that one?"
"To be honest with you, I don't even know."
We all laughed a little until suddenly Saito says the following
"Ahh, just to confirm Nakamura, you're paying attention to the food right?"
"NO BRO. I COMPLETELY FORGOT."
I quickly ran to the pan but, fortunately, nothing had burned yet and everything was ready to be eaten.
"You warned me just in time It's just a little more cooked than usual, but nothing is burned. Let's eat."
I added the sauce to the pasta and served the food at the table prepared by both Fujimoto and Saito, who already knew all the corners of the house and already knew perfectly where the plates and cutlery were. It was finally time to eat and Aisaka to try the famous "Jollini".
Just the smell of that sauce made the world seem like a smelly place and, although that excellent sauce always smelled wonderful, enjoying "Jollini" with friends was always an experience that enriched its flavour.
After we were all seated, I, as a good host, served the food on each one's plate and as was tradition, we always chose someone to be the first to take a bite of that delicious pasta. Since Aisaka had never tasted it, we thought it should be her.
"Guys, why are we all standing still. And why are everyone looking at me."
"I'll explain it to you Aisaka. When we created this pasta, we made the tradition that there would always have to be a person at the table to take the first bite and only then could the others eat. Therefore, as you have never tasted, we thought it would be good for you to take the first bite."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolute. Go ahead because we are also very hungry."
Aisaka then brought the fork to her mouth and, after the dough had gone down her throat, I had never seen such a happy expression on someone's face. It was a mixture of smiles with tears with pieces of dough entering the mouth. It was a real culinary pandemonium.
"THIS FOOD IS AMAZING."
"Calm down Aisaka. Don't eat too fast because the pasta is spicy, you can still get sick."
"I can't control myself. It's really good."
While the three of us were still in the middle of the meal, Aisaka had already finished everything and still ate the leftovers that were on the plate and, while we were just getting to the end she started licking the plate.
"Aisaka, you really liked the mea…"
"IT WAS THE BEST THING I'VE EATEN IN MY LIFE!"
"Do you want my leftover sweetheart? If you want, I'm already full."
"Are you serious?"
"I am. Here you have sweetie, eat the rest that I've already seen that you love."
Aisaka got up before eating and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
"Thank you very much Nakamura. You're the best."
I blushed when I heard these words, but I didn't even try to disguise it either. I just smiled with my face as red as it has become since a long time.
"You're welcome, Aisaka. Eat it before it cools."
As soon as everyone has finished eating, we stare at each other thinking
"Weren't we coming here to do something?"
"Just like Saito, what were we coming here to do?"
As soon as we heard this, both Aisaka and I said unanimously:
"THE LAST SONG."
"Exactly. It seemed to me that we were forgetting something"
"Saito, my beautiful friend, can you still stay?"
"Of course I can. Suzuki is very beautiful and all that, but you are my best friend who needs my help at an important moment. I'll only leave when we're done here."
Hearing these words, I hugged Saito:
"Thank you, brother. We'll be forever together. Until one of us dies, we will always live our lives together."
"Ohhh. Clowns. I'm here too."
"Yes and you too Fujimoto, my beautiful man. I love you too brother."
"OHHH. You insensible men, I'm here too."
"Come here for the collective hug too, Aisaka. We love you too."
And after just a while, Aisaka had infiltrated our group as if she were one of us. In fact, she was a special person. But it was not the time to be sentimental towards others. We had a song to finish. Some music that could change history.