♪♪♪
SEPTEMBER rolled around again, starting the new quarter at school.
Miss Ayumi wasn’t returning to Japan until the end of September. October marked Seio’s fall break when Kon and Kou had plans to vacation in Europe. Maestro Noboru was scheduled to leave in September too. Things were going to get lonely over the next few months.
The sun was still hot during the day, but the cool winds blowing in the evening informed all around that fall was coming, stimulating my sentimentality along with the fleeting dusk sky.
It was during this time of emotional weakness that seeing Tomoi during class or when he showed up to school in the morning became the center of my enjoyment.
I wanted to share in this giddiness with someone, but I just couldn’t find anyone who was a fan. Rei obviously didn’t see his charms, and the one time I’d brought it up with Eri and the girls, they flat-out declared, “Mr. Matsuda isn’t even worth a look!”
Boo, he absolutely is worth it!
Now that I had made myself busy mastering piano, German, Italian, and French, I began thinking it was high time to start cutting back on my school studies. The whole reason I even started my hardcore study plan was for the impure motive of matching Kou’s preference for smart girls. I made full use of TV and radio lectures, but learning three languages at once overloaded my brain.
But see, the problem I faced now was that I wanted Tomoi to compliment my intelligence and grades. How could I give up studying? My behavior was laughable; I hadn’t learned my lesson from the first time around.
When all was said and done, every day of my life was packed with a crazy busy schedule that made my elementary school days look like a walk in the park.
As for Hanaka, she was finally going to be a university senior next year.
She was going to receive her kindergarten teacher license the same time she earned her diploma, but she groaned about the lack of practical training and hands-on experience. A teacher’s employability greatly changed based on how much or how little experience they actually had working with children. She was working hard to fill in the gaps left by her college education through volunteer work and side jobs at preschools and private kindergartens. Being able to play the piano to some degree was a part of her job requirements, so I offered to teach her, but she formally turned me down.
“Why not? I could probably teach you Bayer.”
“No way. Impossible. Not happening. Please spare me!” Hanaka begged, becoming teary-eyed toward the end of the conversation. I had to wonder what kind of torture she imagined me putting her through.
Oh, come on. Not even I would expect someone else to follow the same training regimen as me…I think.
The days flowed by faster than a coursing river and Midori left for her school in England. She was going to drop by Germany on the way to taunt Sou about her time with me. She took an insane number of pictures with me before she left.
“Hmm, guess that’ll do. All that’s left is…oh right, I want you to record your voice on my tablet. I want to use your voice for an alarm, Mashiro.”
“Wh-What?! It’s too embarrassing. I don’t want to do that.”
“Come on! Please!”
It was impossible to say “NO” to a beautiful girl with puppy-dog eyes, begging me to do something for her. It was a feat beyond me. I mean, she was just too cute! In the end, I whispered the lines Midori prepared for me with my face flushed bright-red.
“Good morning.”
“It’s morning now.”
“Hurry and wake up.”
“Have a great day today!”
Midori demanded countless retakes like a sound director. “Say it cuter!”
“Say it like you’re blowing kisses!”
Her absurd demands utterly stumped and embarrassed me.
“Okay, this should do it. Thanks, Mashiro. I’ll make him completely in my debt for this. Mwahaha!”
Bothered by her disturbing remark, I confirmed, “You’re going to be the one who uses those, right, Midori?”
“Of course I’m going to use them! You’re such a meanie, doubting me like that!” She looked at me with misty eyes any good actress knew how to employ.
Dang it! Beautiful girls who know how to use their charm as a weapon are the worst type of all!
✦ ✦ ✦
♪♪♪
MISS Ayumi finally returned to Japan on the last Sunday of September. She said she’d be present for our last lesson with Maestro Noboru, which made both Kon and I nervous.
Kanako had accomplished her dream of being accepted into the Paris Conservatory and had already left to study there. Aoi was a second year at Seio Music University. They’d both graduated from Miss Ayumi’s lessons, leaving Kon, Rinko, and me as her only students now. She didn’t plan on accepting any more students for the time being.
“I want to focus my full attention on both of you girls right now. You are at the time and age a pianist grows the most.”
I don’t want to disappoint Miss Ayumi after she put so much faith in us, I thought, convinced once more to do my best.
“So, how was it? Are you glad you took Noboru’s lessons?” Miss Ayumi asked from the driver’s seat as she drove us to Maestro Noboru’s house.
“I’m extremely glad I took it!”
“It was a great experience.”
Kon and I gave similar answers at the exact same time.
Thanks to Maestro Noboru, I became more capable of considering how the listener might perceive my performance from an objective point of view, while Kon’s piano music had taken on a clearly different sound. Explaining the change in words wasn’t easy, but her music had a great deal more color and brightness to it than ever before.
As we were chatting about our experiences with Maestro Noboru, we eventually arrived in front of his house.
Miss Ayumi was so surprised by how well-stocked his house had become that she thought we might have the wrong house, yet she didn’t seem too impressed by the drastic change in his appearance.
“Good to see you again, Noboru. Thank you very much for what you did these past few months.”
“It was my pleasure… By the way, um…do you notice anything different about me?” Maestro Noboru fidgeted in anticipation of Miss Ayumi’s compliments.
“What? Hmm… Oh, now that you mention it, you cut your hair.”
“I did! I also set aside my glasses for contacts and started shaving my beard. What do you think?”
“I bet you feel cleaner and more refreshed this way. I’m glad you’ll be able to see the sheet music better now.”
…It’s no use. He’s not getting through to her at all.
Maestro Noboru’s excitement withered like spinach under boiling hot water.
“He looks like Kou,” Kon murmured.
What part of him is like Kou?! Isn’t it being super rude to compare the sincere and innocent Maestro Noboru to the oresama, narcissist host Kou?!
“Okay,” Miss Ayumi put an end to that conversation and turned toward us. “What will you play for me today?”
The gentleness about her vanished into thin air. I swallowed hard when I noticed Miss Ayumi’s piano switch had clicked on.
“Can I play first today?” Kon requested.
I agreed without hesitation. She had let me start first last time.
“I’m going to play Liszt’s ‘La Campanella.’”
“I see. Go ahead then.” Miss Ayumi sat in a nearby chair.
Maestro Noboru slowly walked to the back wall and leaned against it, seemingly declaring he wasn’t going to say anything today.