Chapter 19: Bad Day

The sun was already at its height, but the chilly winds have returned to remind them that it was still winter. Kousei felt he was about to catch a cold as he walked Kaori home, but it really seemed so right to just let her have his jacket. That smile of hers and that unyielding gaze, mercilessly pressed him to be reminded of the undeniable reality.

'She's beautiful, but I'm with someone else.. I think..', pondered Kousei before he replied to Kaori's previous question. "Oh no. That was my classmate.."

"Really? You seemed overly passionate while you talked with that classmate of yours..", she said while she stared at him with that funny look. He blushed at the thought of the real reason he was talking to Taka. And then, Kaori giggled. "What were you talking about? You seemed embarrassed about something.."

"He asked me to be his accompanist in a violin recital, that's why.."

Kaori's eyes widened. Suddenly, Kousei got nervous. 'Did I force something in her head? This is about to get bad. She's already having a bad day..'

But it all dissipated when she smiled up to her ear. "Wow! You have a violinist friend? When is it gonna be? Where? I wanna see! Can I come?..", she suddenly went a thousand meters per second. 

'That was a lot of questions..', thought Kousei as he smiled at how adorably clueless she was. She still did not remember anything.

"Of course you can come.. if it's near. I'm not so sure of the details. I'll let you know soon.."

"Oh, please, please, please. Thank you!!..", Kaori exclaimed in joy. And out of nowhere, another ridiculously swift mood swing engulfed her. She was down again, but still giving off an awkward smile. "I'm a violinist too, y'know.." 

'So she does remember. Or she probably knew all along. It could be related to why she's having a bad day..'

"Yeah.. I know.. but I didn't really know if I could ask something about that since it might force something unpleasant in you.."

"Since we're talking about it. Shoot!"

Kousei looked down for a while and hesitated. He needed to make something as simple as possible. However, he needed answers. "How come I haven't seen you play the violin yet?"

Kaori suddenly grabbed Kousei's hand and looked towards the direction of their bakery. He started to feel hot in the face.

"Nothing.. just really not in the mood for it.. Come! Let's hurry.. the canelés might get sold out..", she replied before they both ran towards the restaurant.

'That line was rehearsed. I'm sure of it. It isn't a feeling..', thought Kousei as he got dragged again. 'She's distracting herself with some sweets. Something is keeping her from playing her favorite instrument.'

"Otou-san!..", she called out her father the moment they entered the restaurant. Seeing that the head chef wasn't around, they both headed straight to the kitchen. For some reason, she did not let Kousei's hand go.

"Oi.. you can let go now..", pointed Kousei out, gesturing blankly towards their interlocked hands. Kaori stared at him with a demonically possessed face. He started to shiver and flush at the same time.

"Eh?! Why are you holding my hand, you pervert?!?..", she exclaimed as she hit Kousei with a roundhouse kick.

"You were the one who grabbed me..", Kousei muttered while he fell to the floor.

"Yes, Kaori? Oh.. why is Arima-kun on the floor?..", Yoshiyuki said as he appeared to meet his daughter.

"Karate practice!..", Kaori lied while she struck a crane pose. "Umm.. otou-san..", she mumbled.

"Canelé is it?..", Yoshiyuki replied. Suddenly, a smile slowly formed on Kaori's face. "Here.. specially made for you, my dear daughter..", he added while he handed over a bag full of the said pastry.

"Thank you, otou-san. You're the best!..", Kaori said as she hugged her dad. It was a beautiful thing to see. And then, she proceeded to go to her mother further inside the house.

"…", Kousei stared at her blankly as she walked out. Kaori completely forgot that he was still there. "Miyazono-san.. you reserve her some canelés everyday?"

"Only on bad days. It seems that she never forgot about her fondness of it.. I eventually made it as a house specialty..", Yoshiyuki answered with an awkward smile.

"I see.. it gave her such a big smile despite the circumstances."

"I believe some other memory may have been attached to it besides it being her favorite food.."

Kousei thought about those days he got her canelés. Through the many times he bought it, only once did she get a bite out of it. He always hesitated and always made excuses not to see her. 'Why did I ever buy that for a pastry chef's daughter? No that wasn't it. Because Watari was there too? It could be that, but he wasn't always there..'

Kousei was afraid to show her that he cared because he may let it all out. Nothing wrong with that, really. But still, he kept hesitating and making excuses. Because he didn't want to lose someone he loved again.

"Miyazono-san, I'll just be by the piano..", Kousei excused himself to Kaori's dad. And then, he proceeded towards the piano.

Taka was done with Kousei's favor from him. He listened to the different versions of the piece with his earphones connected to his cell. Apparently, there were guitar, violin, and bass versions. And it seemed a drum set was used for the percussion. 'I wonder how he pulled that off.'

Each one was a masterpiece, as expected from Okutsu High's strings specialist. There was only one thing left to do, actually, two more things. The piano and the vocals were the only ones missing.

Kousei was busy setting the Miyazonos' upright piano up when Kaori approached him. She gave him that confused look again. But knowing that she retained her mannerisms mostly, he thought she would probably observe first before bombarding him with questions. And so, he didn't mind her staring and continued.

"The hell are you planning to do with our piano, Yuujin A?..", that didn't last long. Kousei was wrong to assume that it would take longer for her to observe. 

'I guess she really is in a very bad mood today..', thought Kousei.

"Connecting the piano to my laptop and the amplifier..", Kousei replied while he continued setting up.

"Why?..", she asked.

The hesitation was still there. He thought about making excuses again. He also thought about all those failed attempts to bring her something to smile about when she was sick. 'I guess that was then.. I was afraid.. I was just a kid. Times are different now.'

"Um.. I got something for you..", Kousei said while glancing shyly towards her before looking away a little. He caught her smiling a bit. "But since you got canelés from your dad already, I need you to do something first.. you gotta earn it..", he added, resulting in her dissatisfaction. She frowned, which made him really reluctant.

Kaori stared at Kousei with that unyielding suspicious gaze while she crossed her arms. "If this is one of your perverted schemes.. I swear, I will have your head..", she said with a really low tone, which gave shivers all over his innards.

"You really think I'd do something like that in your house?"

"Get to the point.."

Kousei grabbed something from his bag that looked like a pin with some black foam covering. And then, he gave it to Kaori. She took it and looked at it on all sides like a curious child. 

"What is this?..", she asked.

"It's a wireless microphone. Clip it on your collar..", Kousei replied before she did as said. "And then.. I need you to sit down on the bench and play the song you were playing the other day in the music room.. What was it again?..", he asked, pretending not to remember the title.

"Orenji..", answered Kaori as she sat down. Her tone wasn't amused at all. 

'Am I forcing her too much?'

"Right, of course.. do you need a copy of the piece?"

"No. I know the song by heart..", she said as she looked at the keys. Then, she looked at Kousei with those grayish blue eyes. Something wasn't quite right. "I don't know about this. I'm not feeling it right now. It doesn't fit the mood, I guess.. Maybe I'm just tired.."

"You're making excuses..", Kousei coldly said to her. He instantly regretted it since she seemed to turn into this demonic being again.

"What the?! I'm not making excuses! I'll show you a performance you'll never forget. You'll see!!..", yelled Kaori. Seemed like that got her fired up. "This connected to that speaker?!..", she asked angrily as she gestured towards the amplifier.

"Yes..", Kousei replied as he sat down beside her with the piano behind him. He opened his laptop to see if things were ready.

"Good. Prepare yourself.. this is my best work ever, Yuujin A!..", Kaori took a deep breath and chanted something very familiar. It gave Kousei the shock of his life. "Elohim, Essaim, Elohim, Essaim.. I implore you.."

'She hasn't forgotten that too, after all..', pondered Kousei as he stared at Kaori in bewildered awe.

Kousei pressed something on his laptop to start the recording. Moments later, Kaori played the intro. As expected, her connection to the song gave off tones that were so rich it immediately enthralled everyone. It sent a pretty strong message to stop whatever they were doing and listen. She was definitely good at reaching others.

Halfway through the intro, Kousei pressed something again that added lines from a violin playing the same piece. Kaori stared at him wide eyed as she played. "Keep going..", he whispered. The rest of the intro finished flawlessly with a violin accompaniment.

"Chiisa na kata wo..", she sang the first line with that angelic voice of hers. All the customers sighed as if their hearts went heavier. Some were wide eyed, and some smiled. But she was more shocked when Kousei pressed something again on his laptop that put in a guitar line in unison with her vocal. She looked at him again with a little confused expression.

"Keep singing..", Kousei mouthed. And then, he continued to play with his laptop, putting all sorts of adjustments for the arrangement of the song. There were times that he would drop the violin, or the guitar, or both. He made sure the piano and the vocal should be the main focus of the song though.

"Kieru koto naku kagayaiteiru..", as Kaori sang the last lines before the chorus, Kousei put everything including the percussion. This was when she gave him that nervous look. It was all new to him. She suddenly looked vulnerable. She always looked strong on stage with her violin before. That resolve she had was something he followed, which got him to where he currently was.

Then, he realized something. She wasn't with a violin. Sure she played well with the piano, but she never played it while under pressure before. This feeling must've been very new to her. And Kousei guessed in her case, feelings were neither forgotten nor remembered. He just looked deep into her eyes and smirked. "We got this.. you have me..", said Kousei softly, hoping it did not get recorded.

"Ameagari no sora no you na..", the chorus blasted with the bass line through the entire place, along with her reemerged confidence. The people in the restaurant gasped as the power of the five instruments crushed their lungs. However, they seemed to take pleasure in it since her voice soothed their ears.

Everyone's eyes were also in for a treat as she seemed to dance in her chair with the strength of the melody pushing her around. She swayed elegantly while she travelled around the octaves of the keys. 'She won't fall though.. I'm sure. Because I'm here to catch her..

'I told you.. you have me..'

Kaori herself was enticed by her own music. She was beginning to get deep into it. She was in her zone.

Kousei was also being engulfed by her song especially that he added a heavier bass line for the second stanza. However, he needed to stay focused for the specifics of the arrangement.

"Kakegae no nai kazoku wo tsurete kono basho de aeru to ii na..", as Kaori sang the last lines of the second chorus, she looked at Kousei with a big smile before she winked. He couldn't help but flush at her awesome persona. It became a spectacle because she was enjoying herself.

Tears started to well up in Kousei's eyes. It was getting dangerously touching. He did not want to sob in front of her, but he still couldn't believe it. She was doing what she always loved again. Kaori was back and alive. But even if he let his guard down a little there, he needed to remain concentrated.

The end of the second chorus marked the beginning of the piano instrumental, the ad lib. Kousei added the drums, of course the bass, and then the violin, to give it a brawlish impression. 'Taka's skill with the violin could be compared to that of a virtuoso's. I hope Kaori can keep up..'

And she did. Well, at least Kousei made it look like she won the instrumental brawl with the complete shutdown of all the others, except for the piano and the vocals. Its purpose was for the beginning of the last chorus to be completely "stripped", meaning it was just Kaori and her playing the piano. She looked at him again with some reluctance before he just whispered, "go on, let's finish this.."

Kaori nodded. Then, she proceeded in singing the last chorus. By that time, people were already holding their chests as if their hearts sank to the bottom of the ocean. The lyrics that simply told about hoping to reunite with a childhood love was just the icing on the cake.

The rich tones of Kaori's voice and her piano projected an image of a child undeserving of great sadness. The power of the other instruments put an emphasis on the overwhelming emotions that made the song. And finally, the violin told of a sorrowful story of longing for something unattainable.

"Omoidashite egao ni naru..", Kousei blasted everything upon hearing Kaori sing the second half of the last chorus. He wanted the arrangement in this part to give an image of a person breaking down into tears as the last part's lyrics were about going separate ways.

And it did. Kousei actually saw Kaori's mom bursting into tears behind the counter. Yoshiyuki was there to console her, fortunately. Some of the customers were also shedding some tears. That was Miyazono Kaori's effect. Her ability to reach people's hearts was unmatched.

But what really broke Kousei's heart was when he saw Kaori herself crying and performing at the same time. It was so moving that he himself just let the arrangement go and let the recorded pieces do their thing. 

Every single part of the song was made out of her heart and soul. At first, she was vulnerable. Then, she mustered some confidence. After that, she was happy. In the end, she let it all out, finally ending it with loneliness.

'Watari was right..', Kousei recalled. 'The girl will let you know once you're there..'

Reality struck Kousei when the outro played over everything. It was a marvelous lead guitar line. 'That Taka's a complete show off, as always.. but it's really good. And the audience.. I mean customers.. are giving us a standing ovation..'

"So how was it? Did you like it?..", Kousei asked Kaori while he gave the people a little wave and a crumpled smile. He was facing them, so he was in a terribly awkward position.

"No..", Kaori replied, causing Kousei's heart to drop nine meters per second. She was still staring at the piano and gasping for air. "I loved it..", she added, and out of nowhere, she hugged him. 

But she immediately withdrew and looked the other way. They both flushed violently red at the thought of being in front of many people, including her parents. They both stood up and bowed as customers continued to give them a round of applause.

"Still having a bad day?..", asked Kousei.

"Are you kidding me?! How can I possibly have a bad day with all this?..", asked Kaori back, referring to all the people in the restaurant. She giggled sheepishly afterwards. "Arima Kousei-kun.. I'll never forget this. Thank you so much.."

'You're being selfish again.. I should be the one thanking you.. I finally got my answers. Now.. I can go back. I'm fine by you being so alive..', thought Kousei with a sincere smile before he spoke to Kaori again.

"Yeah, silly.. make sure you don't this time.."

Featured Music:

Orange - it's actually the ending credits song of the second half of the anime series, popularized by the J-pop/rock band 7!!. In this chapter however, the song is treated as the original composition of Miyazono Kaori. Some of the lines were also borrowed from the song to get a better picture of how Kousei is building up the arrangement.