The cool guitarist

Chapter 4

The cool guitarist

***

In a dark room where the dim desk lamp barely pushed back the darkness, scattered music sheets lay across the floor; some crumpled, some neatly stacked, like remnants of abandoned thoughts and ideas

Naru Harune sat cross-legged on her bed, her black electric guitar resting against her

Her fingers glided over the strings ,ready to picked and press them with precision

She exhaled slowly

Then played

The melody started smooth, flowing naturally, until her hands locked up when the guitar solo part came up, a note cracked, the rhythm faltered, and the sound collapsed into a discordant mess

A sharp, ugly noise filled the room

Naru flinched, she gritted her teeth and her grip on the guitar tightened

{Why?? Why can't I get over this?}

She squeezed her eyes shut as memories the past came rushing in

Middle school, the school festival concert

The stage lights were blinding, infront of the crowd of students, a sea of nameless faces of people her own age

Her band had practiced for months and this was their moment, they stated they concert well, living their moment of fun as they reaped the fruits of their hard work, it was their moment, and when it came, her solo

She raised her pick, struck the strings and when she was reaching the climax of her solo

She missed the bote

It was mistake, she realized and immediately attempted to recover but to her dismay she made another mistake

And then she froze her , causing her entire bandmates to lose focus and their rhythm as well

Witnessing such a scene on stage wispers began to spread

"What kind of solo was that?"

"Pretty big mess of a live performance"

"Well… I'm sure she'll improve, everyone messes up sometimes "

"It was a huge mess though, haha"

"Hahaha!"

"Ahahahaha!"

Laughter, mocking

Negative words from sucha big crowd, subjected to such a thing Naru felt her stomach twisting, the atmosphere, it suffocated her

And so, she ran

Ran from the stage, ran from her band, before the solo finished

And her band ,they never recovered

Neither did she

Self-blame clung to her like a scar that refused to fade, even now, years later, the memory still pulled her back whenever she tried to play with all her heart

***

Naru let out a slow breath.

{Maybe... maybe it's time to quit}

"This sucks"

{What is even point of trying anymore?}

She reached for her guitar case, ready to put it away, maybe forever; maybe she really was done

She couldn't play with her heart anymore anyway

But before she could close the case, her phone buzzed

Startled, she grabbed it and checked the screen

[Ayaka-chan ★★★]

Naru blinked

{Ayaka?}

She picked up

"Hello?"

"Hello!"

Ayaka's voice was as bright as ever

"Naru? Am I bothering you?"

Naru sighed, running a hand through her hair

"Well, I was about to make a life-changing decision, but sure, what's up?"

"Life-changing, huh?"

Ayaka giggled

"I hope it's nothing too dramatic, anyway, I had a question "

There was a short pause

"You still play guitar, right?"

Naru frowned, she remained silent for a few seconds before replying

"...Yeah?"

A few seconds later—

"Cool, I got a friend looking for a guitarist for a serious project, you in?"

Her fingers froze

Her first instinct was to say no

But then she looked at her guitar, the strings still hummed faintly from her last attempt

She swallowed

Then, before she could think too much—

" What kind of project? "

A reply came instantly

" A cover of Michael Jackson's song 'JAM' "

Naru blinked

" Michael Jackson? "

{ The late King of pop?? }

That wasn't some casual gig, if it was a serious project with that name involved. Whoever this friend was… they weren't aiming small

Her pulse quickened

" Who's your friend? "

" Hirato Yamashita, remember, my childhood Otaku friend that I used to talk about? "

Hirato, she'd heard the name before, some guy obsessed with waifus and ani-songs from Ayaka's description, but they'd never met before

And now he wanted her to play for him in a musical cover, of Michael Jackson's song no less

This was risky

…But also an opportunity

Her hands twitched.

Maybe she was still afraid, maybe she was still scarred.

But something inside her; the part that still wanted to play, stirred

She inhaled

[Naru: …Alright. I'll listen to what he has in mind]

A reply came immediately

[Ayaka: Nice! I'll introduce you tomorrow. Be ready]

Tomorrow

Naru stared at her guitar, and brought it back out of the case with a sigh as she sat back down

" Let's see, Jam huh... "

{A way to escape the world through enjoying music}

A small smile crept up her face unknowingly

" Let's look it up first "

***

On the next day

The weekend arrived with a crisp morning breeze, the kind that carried the hum of a city slowly waking up, near the train station, Ayaka stood with her phone in hand, glancing at the time, she had put a little extra effort into her outfit, a casual white turtleneck, paired with a black skirt and knee-high boots, a cream-colored handbag hung over her shoulder, she looked up just in time to spot Naru approaching

Dressed in an oversized black hoodie with a white graphic print on the back, dark ripped jeans, and combat boots, Naru had an effortless cool about her, her guitar case was strapped securely to her back, the breeze tousled her shoulder-length black hair, which she had let loose today instead of tying it back like usual, a pair of silver earrings glinted faintly against the sunlight

Ayaka grinned

"Look at you, all dressed up like some underground rockstar"

Naru snorted

"Well...you said we're meeting someone for a 'serious project,' right? Gotta at least look the part"

Ayaka laughed

"Fair enough, let's get going then Naru"

The two boarded a train a few moments later, finding seats near the window as the city blurred past, ayaka tapped at her phone while Naru adjusted the strap of her guitar case, watching the scenery

"So"

Naru began

"Let me get this straight, your childhood Otaku friend, who, according to you Ayaka san, used to spend hours debating which anime waifu was best, is suddenly serious about covering a Michael Jackson song?"

Ayaka chuckled

"I get why it sounds weird, but Hirato's always been into music, too even if they're mainly ani-songs, he just… never really showed that side much in public"

Naru raised an eyebrow

"And now he wants to cover JAM? That's not exactly beginner-friendly"

"Tell me about it"

Ayaka sighed

"Honestly, I was surprised when he told me about it, he's been into dance and performance for a while now, 2 months? And now I guess he finally decided to do something big "

Naru leaned back

"Huh, and he's the one who specifically asked for a guitarist?"

"Yep"

Ayaka confirmed

"Said he wanted 'someone who can actually bring the energy the song needs.' "

Naru smiled lightly

"No pressure, huh?"

Ayaka grinned

"I told him I'd find the best person for the job, and I did"

Naru rolled her eyes, but she was undoubtedly happy, she just didn't want to give her friend a big hug in public

As they continued their ride, Ayaka filled in more details about Hirato, his dedication to his passions, his recent perfectionist streak, and how he often got bullied before and how he always got berated by others

"He always brushed it off "

Ayaka said

" The guy never cares about what others think and, honestly that part makes him so intresting to me"

Naru listened, tapping her fingers lightly against her knee, she wasn't sure what kind of person she was expecting before, but now this Hirato guy was starting to sound… interesting

After a while, the train slowed to a stop at their destination; the two stepped out onto the platform, and as they made their way down the quiet residential streets, Ayaka kept the conversation light, occasionally teasing Naru about how serious she looked Naru, on the other hand, was still processing the fact that she was actually going through with this

A few hours ago, she was on the verge of quitting music altogether, and now? She was about to meet some guy who was supposedly aiming big with a Michael Jackson cover, life sure had a way of flipping things around

They turned a corner, and a woman stepped through with a younger girl following behind

"Ayaka-chan?"

The woman called out, beaming

Ayaka perked up immediately

"Ah! Hirato's mom!"

The two exchanged warm greetings while the younger girl, Hirato's sister immediately latched onto Ayaka's arm

"Ayaka-neesan! It's been forever! Did you come to see my lame brother?"

Ayaka laughed

"Yeah, something like that, he's home, right?"

The mother nodded

"Yes, but I warn you, he's been locked in his room practicing like a maniac recently, and it's honestly gotten a little scary how serious my boy has gotten lately"

Naru, who had been standing awkwardly to the side, nodded politely but kept quiet, she wasn't great at dealing with new people, and being introduced to someone's family right away only made her feel more out of place

"Well, we'll be going ahead, then"

Ayaka said, waving as Hirato's mother and sister walked off towards the shopping district

Naru exhaled in relief

"Didn't expect a whole family introduction before even meeting the guy"

Ayaka grinned

"What, nervous already?"

"Shut up"

They stepped up to the door, and Ayaka rang the bell, moments later, the door creaked open

Standing before them was Hirato Yamashita, though he was almost unrecognizable from how Ayaka had last seen him due her being busy with her other friends recently

Sweat clung to his skin, his black t-shirt damp from what was clearly an intense workout, his hair, which Ayaka remembered as being a little too long and messy, was now neatly trimmed, giving him a much sharper look. His once slightly gaunt face and dark circles from his obsessive music track practice streak had some color back on them, and now he stood with a confidence that had never been there on his face before

Ayaka blinked

"Whoa...Hirato what happened to you?"

Hirato wiped his forehead with a towel, his breath still a little heavy

" Oh this , I was practicing so I'm a bit in presentable right now, I forgot you were gonna get here early morning ahaha "

Ayaka blinked

" That's.... Whatever (sighed) "

Meanwhile, Naru, who had been standing slightly behind Ayaka, felt her brain short-circuit

She was not good at dealing with men, and now she was face-to-face with a sweaty, athletic-looking guy who actually had an intense presence, she had braced herself for some skinny, glasses-wearing otaku, not… this

Her face immediately turned beet red

Ayaka, ever perceptive, noticed and asked

"Oh? Naru-chan, you good?"

"I... I'm good "

Naru mumbled quickly, looking away

Hirato raised an eyebrow

"Huh?"

"Nothing!"

Naru snapped, her voice cracking slightly

Ayaka snorted

"Well, anyway, we're here, you said you needed a guitarist, right? I brought you the best one I know, her name is Naru Harune"

Hirato's gaze shifted to Naru, finally taking her in, he didn't comment on her earlier reaction and instead gave a simple nod

"Nice to meet you, I am Hirato Yamashita, Ayaka's childhood friend, I hope you're as good as she says Harune-san "

Naru, who had barely recovered from her embarrassment, stiffened at the blunt introduction and statement

"I… I am"

"Good"

Hirato said, stepping aside

"Come in"

As the two girls entered, Naru took a deep breath, but before she calmed down they made their way to Hirato's room, this was already turning out to be more intense than she expected

{What have I gotten myself into????}

She asked herself in panick

End of chapter