2 Chapter 1: Investigation

- The next day -

"Have you heard?"

"Heard what?"

"She's participating in the competition again!"

"Wow, really?!"

The girls chatting in front of the room couldn't stop talking about this event that gain so much popularity as of late. It's not that I hate small conversations, but this particular one tried my patience. The students soon saw my facial reaction and decided to talk somewhere else.

"What a creep..." they said as they moved to the desk nearest to the door. They continued chatting.

"I heard that Shousuke confessed to that cute girl from the other class."

"No way! Really?!"

"He was rejected though."

"Oh, that must've been embarrassing!"

This is why I avoid chatty places. Most people hate to sit in front of the class, but for me, it was something I was already used to. Not only could I focus on the lectures, but I could also avoid looking at other students. It would just be me and the board. And as I was spacing out, someone blocked my view of the board.

"Hey!"

"What?"

"Well, aren't you cranky today."

Here she was again, the most annoying student in class: Mamiya Marika. Normally, any boy would be glad that someone of the opposite gender would approach him. But Marika was a special case. While she looks attractive with her ponytail and all, her personality is something no human could catch up with.

"So I found something interesting today."

"What?"

"Apparently, people have been hearing music coming from the music room after clubs."

"And so?"

"Let's investigate!"

There she goes, finding a hobby faster than any Tchaikovsky piece. I swear, this girl will find any hobby she thinks is interesting and take it seriously... until she finds another hobby and temporarily takes interest in that.

"So you wanna solve cases now?"

"What did I just say?!"

The thing with Marika is that she's so passionate with whatever hobby she learns that it's very easy to turn her down. Very few people have taken her seriously ever since the first day. And because of her constant change in hobbies, no one bothers to stick around with her. Well, no one but me.

"We're in middle school now. Don't you think ghost stories are just a thing of the past?"

"Come on! It'll be fun!" she replied, "It will be like a stakeout. We'd be like Conan solving a mystery. We'd find what caused the sounds and put the culprit behind bars!"

Ah, now I see why she's suddenly into mysteries...

"So, are you in or out?" she asked.

Coincidentally, I was looking for a reason to go home late. The choir club only had 30 minutes of practice every Monday, so I couldn't use that as an excuse. Maybe I could tell my piano instructor that I was practicing in the music room. It wouldn't be a lie, since I'd technically be in the music room as we stake out where the strange music was coming from.

"Sure."

"Yes! I knew I could count on you!"

Who else would she count on? Everyone ignores her anyway. Besides, I might get to see the velvet-haired girl again.

And so after club, Marika and I went inside the music room (and as always, it wasn't locked) and hid behind one of the desks.

"And now, we wait..." she said.

"...Are you sure this will work?"

"Have I ever let you down before?"

Multiple times, actually.

And so we waited... and waited... and waited... until the sun had begun to set. At that point, I began to doubt that anyone would come in so late. And as we were waiting, Marika tugged on my coat and said:

"I-I need to go to the bathroom..."

"S-seriously?!"

"I was so excited with the stake out that I've been holding it all day!"

"Think of your health first, why don't ya!"

And so she ran out of the room and left to go comfort herself, but not before saying:

"Tell me if the culprit comes in!"

"How would I do that?!"

Before I could receive a reply, however, she had already turned to the other hallway. So I was stuck hiding behind the desk, waiting for the red-haired girl to appear, if I was even lucky enough to see her enter the room. To pass the time, I played a song on my head and moved my fingers to the position of the keys. Again, it was the song I heard yesterday. It sounded so joyful and light, the complete opposite of what my piano instructor made me play.

*tap tap tap*

I was so engulfed with the song that I forgot that I was alone in the music room, playing an air piano, acting like a buffoon. And just when I was about to play the chorus, the door suddenly opened. And so I stopped playing and minimized movement. I could hear footsteps. It was coming from the direction of the piano. Then the stepping stopped. The chair made a squeaking sound. The cover of the piano as lifted. And at once, music started playing.

It was a piece from Mozart. So gracefully did the person play every note. Her rests were on point, and it didn't feel out of place. Every note meshed in harmony, creating this beautiful yet melancholic sound. And from that playing, I knew: it as her.

I turned my head quietly to see if the person playing really was the girl from before. Then-

*bam!*

I hit my head. The piano stopped. And when I turned to check, there she was, looking at me with a surprised face.

"Y-you're-"

"Wait! It's not what you think!-"

And again, she ran away. I figured she would leave again, so I blocked her way and asked:

"I-I love your playing!"

"M-my playing?"

I was in an awkward position, spreading my arms, preventing this obviously scared girl from leaving the room while commenting on her piano piece.

"T-that was Mozart, wasn't it?"

"Y-yes, number 11."

"I-I see..."

The awkward atmosphere got even worse. Thankfully, Marika entered the room and broke the atmosphere.

"What did I miss?!"

Then both me and the red-haired girl looked at her, relieved.

"Huh? Did I miss something?"

We decided to leave school together, all 3 of us, mainly because the security guard heard us making a fuss and demanded that we go home already.

"Case closed!" Marika concluded.

"It was hardly even a case."

"All in a day's work by detective Marika!"

"What did I just say?"

Then I turned to the red-haired girl and apologized (mostly on Marika's behalf)

"Sorry you got dragged into this."

"N-no, it's completely fine."

She looked so prim and proper that it as hard to see her not garnering the attention of the whole school. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she turned out to be from a rich family.

When we reached the gate, the three of us went our separate ways.

"See you tomorrow!" Marika said. We waved back.

Before I walked the other way, I asked the girl:

"What's your name?"

Then, realizing how improper it might have been to ask someone's name before stating my own, I retracted.

"O-oh, I'm Kou. Saginomiya Kou."

"Rea. Sakurai Rea."

We both smiled and said, "It's nice to meet you."

And as the sun completely set, so too did my mood. When I entered the house, my grandfather stood in front of the entrance. Almost immediately, I knew what was about to come.

"Why were you late? The instructor already went home, you know?"

"I was practicing in the music room."

"Hmph, you expect me to believe that?"

"I don't expect you to."

"Is that how you talk to your grandfather?!"

"N-no..."

Then he pointed to the inside of the house and told me to practice until dinner was ready. And so I did. I practiced, but I didn't play. It was just me hitting the keys, not making music. It was the song I've heard over and over but always forget. It was a different sensation from when I was in the school's music room. Here, it's gray, and bleak. This was no music room...