The Air-headed Genius

After a few hours of rest, I awoke groggily and fumbled for my phone to check the time.

7 PM...

I shot up from my makeshift nap spot, suddenly wide awake. "It's 7 PM!?"

"7 PM," a calm voice confirmed. I turned to see Hanazono-san, who had apparently come to retrieve me. She looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Dinner?"

"E-Eh? Dinner? Y-Yeah," I stammered, feeling a bit disoriented after my unexpected nap. 

It seemed I had lost track of time while working on the song.

My body felt a bit stiff from the uncomfortable nap, but the thought of dinner was more than enough to motivate me. I got up from the chair and stretched my arms.

I followed Hanazono-san out of the beach house

"So... What's for dinner tonight?" 

She didn't reply.

A bit perplexed by her lack of response. Did she seem lost in thought or perhaps just not in the mood for conversation? Let me try again.

"Hanazono-san,  What's for dinner tonight?" 

After a moment of silence, she finally replied, "It's a surprise. You'll find out when we get there."

Her cryptic response only deepened my curiosity, but I decided not to press further and simply followed her lead, eager to see what awaited us for dinner.

Under the evening sun, we walked together in silence, and I couldn't help but appreciate the serene atmosphere of the beach. Eventually, we arrived at a cozy beachside restaurant that seemed to be a local favorite.

As we settled into our seats, Hanazono,  ever the relaxed soul, glanced around and remarked, "This place has a good vibe, like a well-tuned guitar."

I nodded looking around then checked the menu on the table.

The menu was filled with various seafood dishes and other local specialties. I found myself eager to try the regional flavors, and I wasn't alone in my excitement.

"Hello Everyone!~"  Kasumi, who sat down beside me, practically squealed with delight. "Wow, this all looks amazing! I want to try everything!"

"You can't have all you know? We don't have much money, Plus we're leaving soon and we haven't completed our song."

Amid the silence that followed, I decided to break it. "I'll have the grilled fish."

Kasumi, with her ever-enthusiastic nature, raised her hand and exclaimed, "Bluefin Tuna Sushi!"

"I'll have what Nakasone-san's having," Saaya added, opting for the grilled fish.

Arisa, in her characteristic pragmatic manner, sighed and stated, "I want Bluefin Tuna Sushi as well."

Hanazono chimed in with a smile, "Then, I'll also have Nakasone-kun's choice."

Rimi, typically more reserved, softly muttered, "M-Me too."

As we fell into another bout of silence, Hanazono was the one to shatter it this time.

"By the way, Nakasone-san," she began, her voice calm and casual.

"Yes? Hanazono-san?" I replied, turning my attention to her.

"You did this tempo wrong," she said, her finger pointing at the laptop screen she held in her hands.

I looked at the screen, and she continued, "The BPM here is quite low, and there's a tempo transition issue in this part."

I nodded,  "Ahh... Thank you, Hanazono-san," I said with a smile.

She returned the smile. "No worries."

...

...

"By the way... How did you get your hands on my laptop?"

"Hm? It's from the table where you fell asleep."

"I know that!"

The whole Poppin'Party just laughed at Tae's comment.

"Nakasone-san, that's just how O'Tae is!" Kasumi said cheerfully.

"Yeah, but she's surprisingly observant," Saaya added.

"Kind of air-headed, though," Arisa remarked, her voice slightly lower.

"Hehe... But that's one of O'Tae's charms too," Rimi chimed in, smiling sweetly.

Uwah... Seriously? Can someone describe me Hanazono-san's personality?

Hanazono rested her head on the table, saying simply, "Hungry."

"Now, now, I'm sure it'll be cooked soon," I reassured her.

And right on cue, the food was served. We enjoyed our meal and had some light conversation, although nothing too noteworthy came up.

After dinner, I returned to the beach house, opened my laptop, and got back to the audio editing.

I wonder if Hanazono-san had any knowledge of DJing or similar skills.

I should pack my things up since we're done for tonight...

As I began organizing my belongings, I noticed that Hanazono-san was doing the same.

I decided it was time to pack my things since we were done for the night. As I began organizing my belongings, I noticed that Hanazono-san was doing the same.

"Oh, umm..."

"We seem to be on the same page," she said, looking directly at me.

"Yeah..."

Returning to my bag, I started to put things in haphazardly, but Hanazono-san stopped me by grabbing my arm.

I turned to her, puzzled. "What's wrong?"

Hanazono-san interrupted me, shaking her head firmly. "You need to put the laptop first and then the clothes. The other side can be for your hygiene items." 

I blinked in surprise, not expecting such meticulous packing instructions. "But... It's just-"

"No," she interrupted, not letting me finish my sentence.

I decided to go with her advice, moving my laptop carefully to the other side of my bag, rearranging my clothes, and then organizing my hygiene items as she had suggested. It was surprising how efficient her method turned out to be.

"Thanks, Hanazono-san," I said, genuinely grateful for the tip.

She nodded with a faint smile. "You're welcome. It helps to be organized."

As we continued packing, I couldn't help but admire her attention to detail. It seemed she had more hidden talents than I initially thought.

As we packed our things, Hanazono-san gazed at me with an intrigued expression.

"What's on your mind?" I asked.

"...You're surprisingly obedient," she commented.

I furrowed my brow. "What's that supposed to mean?" I inquired, my expression remaining neutral.

"Nothing," she replied with a smile, finishing up her packing.

I turned to her and extended my hand. "Let me handle that," I offered.

Her eyes lit up. "Really!?"

"Yeah."

She then handed me her bag, which turned out to be surprisingly light. However, as I turned around, I noticed she was carrying four more bags.

"...Are you okay?" 

"No problem," she said with a thumbs-up.

I sighed. "Just let them carry it."

"Alright."

She stood there for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, and didn't move to drop her bags.

"You know you can just drop the bag, right? You're just making it harder for yourself," I pointed out.

"Oh," she responded, finally realizing, and placed the bags on the chairs.

I sighed and turned back to her, shaking my head. 

An idiot... No... An air-headed genius.

"By the way, Nakasone-san," she began.

I faced her again. "Yes?"

"Do you make music?" She looked at me with genuine curiosity in her eyes.

"Yeah, I do, I mainly play guitar, but I dabble in composing and arranging as well."

I also work for games as a video game composer

"That's interesting. Have you composed anything recently?"

I leaned against the table, thinking. "I have, but I've been working on a few ideas."

Her eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Can I hear some of your music then?"

As Kasumi and the others entered the beach house, they noticed that we had finished packing.

"Oh? Done with packing? Thank you, O'Tae!~" Kasumi chirped with her usual enthusiasm.

"Thanks to you too, Nakasone-san," Saaya added with a warm smile. "Even though we didn't make a slight progress with the song today, I'm glad that I had fun with you and everyone, of course."

Rimi chimed in, her shyness still evident in her voice, "Well... We still have time left, so I'm sure..."

She trailed off, her gaze moving to the window and the night sky beyond.