[Do you like it? My outfit today.]
The next day, Tuesday, Taki Shiina ran into that girl at the Brass Band Club again.
Today's outfit was different from yesterday's -- she had made a few small adjustments to her uniform. The crew socks, for instance, had been swapped for thigh-highs, and the pair of dewy, gleaming thighs on display in front of Taki were nothing short of spectacular.
Taki, who had spent five or six hours practicing sign language after going home the night before, didn't reach for the notebook this time.
She shaped the words in the air, clumsily:
[I like it. Very cute.]
Half a day of study and she'd picked up this many words already... but it still wasn't nearly enough to hold a real conversation with Chiose.
Chiose looked like a startled rabbit, her expression flipping from surprise to delight in the space of a breath.
Her own hands began to move, fluent and quick:
[That's amazing. Did you already know how?]
[No. I learned it for you. Is it passable?]
"Eh!" Chiose let out a small squeak.
[It's wonderful. Really.]
[So, can I hear your piano today? I really want to listen.]
For reasons she couldn't explain, whenever Taki thought back to Chiose's piece from yesterday, what came to mind was a surging, overflowing kind of life.
Once the sound of a piece fades from memory, all that remains is the impression it left. Taki's impression of yesterday's piece was ivy clinging to an outer wall, fighting to stay alive.
[You want to hear it? Really?]
[Really.]
Chiose bent forward and sprawled across the piano, shooting Taki a few teasing glances. Her hands twitched, ready to sign -- then she remembered that Taki's sign language was still far from fluent, her vocabulary far from complete, and in the end she wrote what she wanted to say on the sketch paper instead.
[Then, after school today, will you take me out again? I really like having someone with me.]
Hm? That was the whole request?
Taki nodded before she'd thought about it.
The moment she realized what she'd just agreed to, Chiose was already at the keys, playing -- as if terrified Taki might change her mind.
"So cute..." The corners of Taki's mouth lifted.
Standing right where she was, she felt it all over again: the flood of music washing straight through her.
She really did love Chiose's music.
She had no idea whether the pieces were original compositions, but Shiina Taki couldn't deny one thing -- in every single one of Chiose's songs, she felt something buried, something unsaid.
[I think I feel myself in Chiose's music.]
That afternoon they wandered around Kagurazaka and breathed in the aroma of food at a soba noodles shop on the street.
There was a selfish motive behind that, honestly. Soba noodles were one of Taki's favorite foods, and yet, in all her life, she'd almost never eaten soba noodles with a friend.
She'd wanted to eat them with Chiose, just once. Taki couldn't have said why.
"Thaaank... you... for the... meal."
The closing words came out wobbling and unsteady. Chiose pressed her palms together and bowed to the food.
[Was it good?]
That was a sign Taki had looked up online and learned on the spot.
[It was delicious. Thank you for treating me, Taki.]
[It's a fair trade, not a treat. Little Chiose treated me to music, after all.]
It really had to be said: Noshiro Chiose loved the piano.
Only today did Shiina Taki learn that on every lunch break, when the club room stood empty, Chiose would sneak in and play for a while.
And once she started, she couldn't stop. Today was no exception -- class had been in session a full ten minutes before Taki finally managed to drag her away.
Noshiro Chiose was the most musically gifted girl Shiina Taki had ever met. Even her own big sister, Maki Shiina... might not measure up.
[After we eat, let me walk you home, okay?]
Taki swore she was absolutely not fishing for Chiose's address! Absolutely not!
"Eh? Isn't that... a lot of trouble?"
[Not one bit.]
That was the end of the sign language -- Taki had now used every word she knew, and one more would have left her stranded.
She took the girl's soft little hand and pulled a reluctant Chiose into a taxi, Chiose muttering "it's too expensive" under her breath the entire time.
How else was Taki supposed to explain it?
[I told you, I get way too much allowance and I don't have any expensive hobbies, so I've got plenty saved up. You really don't need to worry about it.]
In the back seat of the taxi, Taki composed the message and hit send -- though the gesture was fairly pointless, given that Chiose was leaning on her shoulder watching her type the whole time.
Chiose reached over and tapped out a message on Taki's phone:
[Loser.]
"Ha? I'm not a loser."
Honestly. Don't just do whatever you want because you can't hear me -- that's low.
While Chiose was typing, Taki caught sight of the marks on her wrist again.
The wounds had long since healed, but they had left behind countless scars.
[Should I be asking about this?]
Taki wondered.
Still, the marks looked old. As long as none of them were fresh, it was fine...
A few traffic lights later, Chiose arrived at her own front gate, and Taki stood on the street watching her best friend walk toward the door.
At the last moment, Chiose signed something simple:
[Want to come in and sit for a bit?]
Yes. I would love to come in and sit for a bit.
But...
[Never mind. I should head home.]
They hadn't known each other long enough. Taki was afraid of showing too much eagerness and scaring Chiose off.
She swore that if she set foot inside Chiose's house, she would blurt out something like [Can I stay the night here?] before her brain caught up.
She really did treasure Noshiro Chiose as a friend.
"Then! Taki... see you tomorrow!"
[See you tomorrow. The piano room, at noon. I'll be waiting.]
From then on, Taki spent every single lunch break at the Brass Band Club.
She got the feeling that she and Chiose -- two people who weren't even members -- were probably the ones who showed up there most.
On Wednesday, Taki took Chiose to Yanaka Ginza in Taito Ward, where both sides of the narrow street were lined with Showa-flavored sundry shops, dango stalls and galleries. Chiose had a wonderful time, and at the witching hour they even caught the romance of the Yuyake Dandan steps at sunset.
On Thursday they went to Ueno Park for the cherry blossoms -- if you didn't go while the season was still early, you'd be waiting until next year.
From Monday to Thursday, four days straight, Taki and Chiose roamed the whole city together after school.
It wasn't until Friday at noon that Taki finally asked the question she'd been carrying around.
[Little Chiose, do you really like going out?]
Chiose's fingertips, drifting slowly across the keys, stalled. Then she began to sign.
[That's because walking around gives me endless inspiration. And besides, I really like going out with Taki. Taki is my only friend.]
Heavy words -- and yet, unexpectedly, they set her at ease.
Noshiro Chiose went on:
[So will you come over to my house after school today? I've never had a friend over before. Do you want to hear my new piece? I wrote it for you.]
"Eh?"
"You wrote it... for me?"
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