New Acquaintance

“Here you go. You probably don’t have all day for this, unlike me, and I really want to hear the whole piece played.”

To say Nami was confused was an understatement. Leaning against the wall was a young man of average height. His appearance was unusual: his deep blue eyes hid behind black-framed round glasses, and atop his head were angelic blonde curls. Only upon closer inspection could one notice the barely visible freckles adorning his cheeks and nose.

“I-I’m sorry… What..?” was all the pianist could stammer, taken aback.

“Oh, no, losing your hearing at such a young age? That’s not good, especially not for a musician,” the man teased, showing no intention of introducing or explaining himself, which only increased Nami’s frustration.

“No, I heard you, it’s just…” she replied, knowing he was merely toying with her, “Who are you, and what are you doing here? This is a private space. Only those with proper passes can access the practice rooms, and you’re not staff. I know them all, so I’d recognize you.”

“What if I were a new employee?” he challenged.

“Nice try, but they always inform us beforehand. Besides, we haven’t had any open positions recently.”

“Darn, and here I thought I’d get you with that one,” he chuckled, adjusting his glasses slightly. “Still, it’s a bit rude of you, don’t you think? After all, you personally gave me this address in case I wanted to file a complaint.”

“What are you—”

Only then did Nami realize. The person she’d bumped into! It made so much sense. She should have connected the dots sooner. Who else would have her missing music sheet but the person who’d been at the scene of her “crash” as she rushed to work?

Sure, there was always a chance she’d left the sheet at home, but the man in front of her clearly had it, and while he had been annoying for the past few minutes, she doubted that he’d broken into her and Tsukasa’s apartment to steal a note sheet only to return it to her. That would be ridiculous anyways.

No matter how irritating the man was, Nami had been in the wrong. He only wanted to return her belongings, yet here she was, being unfriendly and suspicious.

“You’re the person I bumped into earlier,” she said, seeking some kind of confirmation, though she already knew the answer.

The blonde-haired man nodded cheerfully. “Bingo!”

“Look, I’m sorry for bumping into you earlier, and for snapping at you just now.” Nami bowed slightly in apology, feeling genuinely ashamed. “I had a rough start to the day, but that doesn’t excuse my rudeness. Can I do anything to make it up to you, um…”

“You can call me Atsushi.”

No last name?

Before Nami could ask for his full name, he added, “And I actually have a request that would be a perfect apology.”

She hoped he wouldn’t ask for money. It wasn’t as though Nami was struggling financially, but her recent move with Tsukasa had drained her savings, so she was trying to avoid unnecessary expenses for a while.

“Play the entire piece for me, and we’ll be even,” the blond-haired man smiled, waving the sheet of music he’d been holding the whole time.

Nami hadn’t noticed it before, but as she focused on his arm, she realized he wasn’t wearing a Soullet. She wasn’t sure why this detail caught her attention—maybe because she’d just recently received her own, and it had made her subconsciously check for others’ Soullets and what colors they glowed. Just like earlier today, she’d noticed that Nobuo didn’t have his yet. She wondered if Atsushi didn’t wear his because he felt uncomfortable with it or, like their receptionist, hadn’t yet turned 22. Perhaps he was even embarrassed if his glowed white? She heard about people hiding theirs to not get the looks of pity from passersby.

She shook her head, bringing her focus back to the current conversation.

“I’m sorry, but I’m still working on this melody and need to make some corrections. I could play something else. Do you have a favorite composer? I’m sure I know at least one piece by the more popular ones.”

“Oh, but you definitely know a piece by my favorite composer.”

“Great! Who’s that?” Nami felt relieved, certain she wouldn’t have to play an unfinished piece for a stranger.

“You.”

“Me?” she asked, puzzled, especially as she looked straight into the young man’s eyes. He didn’t seem to be joking; for the first time during their conversation, he looked serious. “But I’m no composer. I’m just a simple pianist!”

“And yet here I am, holding a piece of your original work, isn’t that right?” he smiled, then continued, “You don’t have to be embarrassed that it’s not perfect. Perfection is overrated anyway.”

“But I—” Before Nami could find a way to talk him out of his request, the director of the Chopin Hall practically burst into the room, heedless of any interruption he might cause.

“Miss Hayashi! Good to see you here a bit early,” he exclaimed excitedly.

For an older man, Nakatani Wataru was still full of vigor. Some would say he was the most energetic of all the Chopin Hall staff. His excitement over even the smallest things was like that of a child receiving candy. A charming man, really but sometimes way too obnoxious.

“I have good news! Amazing news!” The older man placed his hands on Nami’s shoulders. “We got sponsorship to host an entire concert with your original piece as the main attraction! Oh I so hoped for you to be there to hear those news together with everyone in the morning but what can you do, sleeping in is so tempting from time to time.”

“I- huh- wha—” The day was only getting more bewildering for Nami. She hadn’t yet resolved the situation with this Atsushi guy, and now she was receiving huge news out of nowhere.

“I know, exciting!” Nakatani’s grin grew even wider. “And the sponsor is—” He stopped mid-sentence, only now noticing the other person in the room. “Oh, so you’ve already met him!”

“Met who?”

“Mr. Atsushi! Our main sponsor for the concert!”

The blonde-haired man grinned sheepishly as though he’d been caught doing something mischievous. “Hi!” He waved.

Great. Things couldn’t get any more awkward…