Blossoms of The Forgotten Day Chapter 4: Chapter 4

Read chapter 4 of Blossoms of The Forgotten Day by Simply No One on NovelPedia.

I stayed in the chair, swinging slowly, holding the lyrics sheet. My earphones were in again but this time I was humming something different. Lost somewhere between the song in my ears and the words on the page, still trying to find the right beat for both. The door opened. I did not notice. "Hey, Sae. It is already five. Come on." The sheet slipped from my hand and fluttered down to Asahi's feet. He picked it up and he and Haruki started reading. "So you are into this," Asahi said. "Well, you have not gotten rusty. That much is clear just from reading it." "It is not mine. It is Haruka's." He took another look. "Damn. You and her have similar tastes." I put my earbuds in their case, grabbed my bag, and we stepped out into the corridor. I asked Asahi, "How is practice going? You have a match coming up soon, right?" "Yeah. It is going. Not perfect, but we will make the finals I think. After all, it is our last high school game. Going to make it count." "Our last high school year," I said. "After this we will all be going different ways." Asahi nodded. "Different colleges. Different cities, maybe." Haruki walked alongside me. "Time sure moves fast. Feels like yesterday when we started." A quiet settled over the three of us as the dawnlight came through the corridor windows. Haruki rushed ahead, then spun back toward us. "Now, now. No need to go all moody and sentimental. We are neighbors. We can meet whenever we want." The golden light of the setting sun sat behind her. Asahi followed. "For once, this football-head said something sensible." Haruki's face went deep red and she kicked his shin. We all laughed. Outside, Asahi turned right toward his house. Haruki and I went left. She lived closer to my place. "How is your prep going for the final match?" I asked her. "Really well. The whole team is putting everything in. I think we might actually win this year." By the time I reached my gate, the sun had already gone down. The sky looked heavy and low. My ears had turned red from the cold. I noticed Haruki's face was the same, her breath coming out in small white clouds as she talked. Without thinking, I unwrapped the muffler from my neck and draped it around hers. "Wait, my house is close. I do not need it." "Your house is still a ten-minute walk from here. And from the look of that sky, it is going to snow. Take it. You can give it back tomorrow." I turned toward my gate and opened it through the cold metallic knob. Inside, I found my mother rushing around, packing a bag. I removed my shoes at the entrance and lined them up. She saw me and immediately started talking. "Oh honey, you are back. I have to leave, I have a business meeting and I will be gone a few days. I have asked Mrs. Koharu to check in. She will be here next week." She softened a little. "Your food is in the kitchen. Eat before it gets cold." She moved to go. I went to the couch by the table, picked up a muffler, and held it out to her. "It is cloudy. Might snow. Take this." She looked at me for a moment, then smiled. She wore it, hugged me tight, patted my head once, said love you son, and left. I stood at the door until the sound of her footsteps faded completely. I changed my clothes, put a song on the DAC, and took out the food. Rice and curry. I ate at the dining table, washed the dishes after, listened to the sound the hot water made against the cold sink. Then I went into my room, climbed up on a chair, and pulled the suitcase down from the top shelf. Inside was my guitar. It was covered in a thin layer of dust. I cleaned it carefully, pressed the cold metallic strings one by one, and started tuning the loose wires. I tried playing Perfect by Ed Sheeran. My body remembered. My hand flowed through the chords like water, my lips humming the melody like something automatic. But as I got closer to the middle, my left hand started shaking. I could not press the strings anymore. I tried again. I pressed harder. Again and again. My body knew how to play but my fin