1 Ch. 1: The Coincidence of Meeting You

The bell rang and Ms. A dismissed the class, reminding everyone of the essay due the next week. Tokino Sora roamed the long maze-like halls of Cover High. You might wonder how such a normal and unassuming girl managed to get into one of the world's most prestigious and large high schools.

Well, it's as they say. Money talks, and her parents happen to know it's language well.

As she walked down the corridors lined with lockers, she began fidgeting with her backpack, feeling its weight on her shoulders, and slowly muttering her schedule to herself.

"Okay… After this, I've got PE with Ms. Enma, math with Mr. Daidou, and then we're off the hook…" she grinned when she arrived at the door to the library. She opened its large doors to find two smiling girls waving at her, sitting at a small round table.

"Soraaa!" a blue-haired one cheered. Hoshimachi Suisei, a childhood friend and an extremely talented girl that Sora looked up to.

"Hi guys!" Sora said in a half-whisper. They were in a library, after all. She took off her backpack and pulled out a small bento she had packed the other day. Lifting the lid and taking in the delectable scent of the tonkatsu, she took twin chopsticks and began eating away, wolfing down the rice almost immediately.

"Jeez, Sora, what's got you so ravenous today?" a black-haired one asked. AZKi, a more recent addition to her circle of friends and a famous diva that's hoping to learn more during her time at Cover High.

"I'm nervous," she explained between bites, "My parents are staying home today for a little while."

"Wait, really?! They never do that!" Suisei almost dropped the pocky she was snacking on and stifled a bit of laughter.

"I know, that's why I'm so nervous," a chill ran down Sora's spine, "They said they have something to tell me."

"You have any idea what that 'something' could be?" AZKi inquired.

"Nope. You wanna see the message they sent me this morning about it?" Sora chuckled, grabbing her cell phone from her pocket and flicking through some contacts.

"Wait- message? They didn't even tell you in person?" AZKi's eyes widened. Before AZKi could question further, Sora shoved her phone into the diva's hands. It seemed to be a message from her father. It was the first one in three months.

Sora. I trust you are keeping up with your studies. Your mother and I have something to share with you. Please come home immediately after you come home from school. Thank you.

"Wow…" AZKi sat back in disbelief, her mouth ajaw.

"That's Sora's parents for ya," Suisei giggled, shaking her head, "You'll be fine, Sora. You haven't done anything wrong, and you've been doing really well in school."

Well, she wouldn't have said "really well", but she had definitely been trying her best. She smiled and picked up a small piece of tonkatsu with her chopsticks.

"I hope you're right."

...

Sora walked to her home, going up the stairs to the porch and using the key she had in her pocket. Any outsider would look at this place and gawk at it. It is the house of a successful businessman and a renowned singer, after all. But to her, it was just home. She opened the door and prepared herself to see her parents.

"Mom, dad, are you home?" she called out.

"Yes dear, we're in the living room," a feminine voice replied. She sighed, hung her backpack up on a coat rack near the door, and strutted to the living room. She sat down on the couch, noticing her mother and father, but also a young man in a black suit that Sora recognized from somewhere.

"Sora, I hope you're well," Sora's father said, "This youth here is Mochizuki Satoshi. He's among the most skilled pianists at Cover High."

"You flatter me, sir," the salmon-haired boy chuckled to himself, turning to greet Sora and putting out a hand for a shake, "Hello, Sora-san, it's good to formally meet you. We're in the same homeroom, Ms. A's."

"Oh, that's right, Satoshi-kun," she suddenly remembered seeing his face here and there while she was looking around the class, "Sora-chan will do fine."

"If that's what you wish," he smiled and nodded, grasping the girl's hand and shaking it.

"From now on, he will be your personal piano instructor," Sora's mother stated, "I hope you learn a lot with him."

"H-huh? Piano instructor?" Sora stammered.

"That is correct," Sora's father replied, straightening his glasses, "We want you to have a well-rounded childhood. As such, we've taken it upon ourselves to find you a suitable teacher to instruct you in the fine arts."

"H-hey, wait a minute-" Sora tried to object.

"Honey, the party is in ten minutes," Sora's mother interrupted the girl.

"I see," Sora's father sighed, "Well then, we must be off. Satoshi-kun, teach her well."

"Of course," Satoshi nodded and watched as the gaudily dressed couple exited the door. With the door closed, the room went into an awkward silence.

"...You know, if your heart's not in it, I could always cancel lessons," Satoshi informed, "It seemed like you weren't the most enthusiastic about all this."

Sora stopped and looked at his smiling face. He was quite spot on. But there had to be a reason as to why he was doing all this, right?

"Is there any particular reason you're doing this?" Sora asked, "Teaching lessons, I mean."

"Oh, I just need the money," Satoshi admitted, putting his hand on his neck, "My family's got some debts to pay off, and I'm talented, so why not help out a bit, right?"

Sora was quite surprised at the response, to say the least. She wasn't expecting an answer quite like that, but she found it… mildly admirable.

"You can continue being my teacher," Sora said, "On one condition."

"And what would that condition be, Sora-chan?" Satoshi questioned curiously.

"It's simple," Sora broke into a small grin, "You have to wear something else next time you come here. Suits are too formal, this is your home from now on too."

Satoshi laughed at the demand.

"You've got yourself a deal, Sora-chan," Satoshi laughed a bit, "Let's get started then, shall we?"

"Mhm!" Sora nodded eagerly. Piano… it was a beautiful instrument, one she always loved, but she never tried playing it. But all she needed was a little push, she supposed.

...

"Alright, you sure you've got your basic chords down?" Satoshi began picking up the sheet music and instruction booklets littered around the room and putting them into a small backpack.

"Yep!" Sora confirmed, her fingers a little sore from all the playing, "It was fun. I'm excited for next time."

"That's wonderful. I'm glad," Satoshi smiled warmly, "I'm looking forward to our next lesson as well."

Once Satoshi had gathered all his things, he bid his farewell with a small bow and a little grin and left through the door. When he finally departed, Sora grabbed a frozen meal from her freezer. Watching it spin in the microwave, she sighed.

"He's quiet, and a little awkward, I can tell… but at least he's nice…?"