Bittersweet Melodies in a Coffee Cup

For a brief moment, our eyes widened in surprise as we stared at each other in silence. Did I really said her name correctly? It was so different from the names I was used to that I couldn’t even guess its spelling. I really hoped she wasn’t looking at me like that because I got it wrong…

“What a coincidence! What are you doing here?” she asked, a small smile forming on her face, still looking surprised.

Alright, I must have pronounced it correctly, thank god.

“Well, my friend Ray—uh, I mean, Rei—has a birthday coming up, so I was looking for a gift for him.”

Seriously, calling him Ray all the time made his real name feel weird to me. Also, considering that I was standing right in front of a tuning hammer, she might have assumed that this was the gift I had in mind. That would make me look totally uninspired…

“When’s his birthday?”

“Tomorrow.”

“That’s too soon!” she said, glancing back at the tuning hammer.

No, please, don’t think that’s what I’m getting him…

“A-and what about you? What are you doing here?” I asked, trying to shift the focus.

“My tuning hammer broke, so I came to buy a new one.” Lyra picked up the tool and examined it in her hand.

“It broke?”

“Yeah. See this spring in the middle? It popped out.” She pointed at the spring with her finger.

“Do you usually play the piano?” I asked curiously. If she was using a tuning hammer, that meant she had a grand piano, right? And if she was buying this, that meant she knew how to tune a piano? The precision and delicate work involved in tuning—did she actually do that herself?!

“Yes.” She answered in a neutral tone.

“Wow, that’s impressive,” I said.

“Thanks, and do you play any instruments?” she asked curiously. There was something oddly natural about how she spoke to me—so familiar, so confident. Even just from her tone, I could tell she was a warm and self-assured person.

“No, it’s not really in my skill set,” I admitted. Meanwhile, my eyes darted between the products on the shelves as we talked. Staring into her eyes the whole time would’ve felt kind of awkward.

“But you analyze music so well?” she said, sounding surprised.

“That’s just because I listen to a lot of music.”

Like most people, she probably thought that recognizing musical details was directly linked to playing an instrument. I mean, they weren’t exactly wrong, but I personally thought analyzing music quality was its own skill. Anyway…

After talking about my lack of musical ability for a while, the topic finally changed.

“So, what instrument does Rei play?” Lyra asked while casually glancing around.

“Electric guitar.”

I wondered what she would think if I told her that Yasu played the drums too.

“Wow, I wouldn’t have guessed. Did you manage to find anything?”

“Uhh… not really,” I admitted. My disappointment and frustration were obvious in my voice.

“What did you find, and where have you looked?” Her voice was gentle, almost like how a nurse might comfort a child who had fallen and scraped their knee. 

What the hell was happening? Why was I being treated with such kindness?

I briefly explained what I had considered and where I had searched.

“Hmm... I think I might have an idea.” She put a finger to her cheek, deep in thought.

“What?”

I hadn’t even asked for help. Why was she helping me?

“Come, follow me. I have an idea.”

Without another word, she turned around and walked toward the upper floor’s staircase.

I hesitated for a moment but then followed after her. She walked ahead of me confidently, as if she knew exactly where she was going. Since I was right behind her, I found myself caught in the subtle scent of her soft, vanilla-like perfume.

Finally, she led me back to the electric guitars...

No, please—don’t tell me to buy a guitar. Don’t be that rich and easygoing…

“It’s inside that box, on the right,” she said, pointing.

“Huh?”

I turned toward the corner of the section, where a small crate sat off to the side. As I walked over, I noticed several things rolled up inside—almost like neckties.

Wait… were these—?

“They’re guitar straps. They let guitarists carry their guitars on their shoulders and play for longer periods,” she explained with a confident and easygoing smile.

Of course, I knew what they were. But I hadn’t realized they were sold here, nor had I ever considered them as a gift.

“This… is a brilliant idea!” I said excitedly.

There were so many different styles and colors of guitar straps. 

It is perfect for a gift!

I rummaged through the selection, and as I did, Lyra crouched down beside me, looking through them as well.

“This one looks nice,” she said, pointing at one.

“Yeah, it is, but…”

“But what?”

“It’s not exactly Ray’s style.”

“Ray?”

“Y-you know, Rei. We usually call him Ray…”

“So that’s why you seemed like you were messing up his name,” she said with a playful smile.

“…Yeah.”

Damn, she noticed. I totally messed that up.

As I continued searching, my hands landed on a strap with dark green and red embroidered patterns. Ray’s guitar was deep red.

“The colors match pretty well…” I muttered under my breath.

“What did you say?” Lyra turned toward me, curious.

“This one suits Ray’s style really well,” I said excitedly.

I had finally found what I was looking for!

“I'm happy to hear that.” she said with a smile.

We headed to the register to pay. I started feeling guilty. She had been so kind—she had helped me search, waited patiently while I picked one, and hadn’t been weirded out when I accidentally touched her hand.

“…I can’t thank you enough for today,” I said as we stood in line.

Lyra looked at me and smiled.

“Don’t mention it,” she replied warmly. Then, after a pause, she added, “I really didn’t expect to run into you here, though.”

“Yeah, same,” I said.

There was a small line at the register, so we waited. But something felt off—I felt incomplete.

Just saying thank you didn’t seem like enough. I needed to show some form of gratitude.

“…Lyra.” I hesitated.

“Yes?”

“As a way of thanking you for your help today… would you let me pay for yours as well?” I glanced at her hands, signaling what I meant.

Lyra clearly wasn’t expecting that. She looked down at the item in her hands.

“Oh, no, no, no, that’s really not necessary!” She waved her hands slightly, dismissing the idea. Her voice wasn’t rejecting—it was more… shy.

“Please, at least let me do this,” I insisted. I would seriously feel guilty otherwise. And for some reason, I really wanted to do something for her.

Lyra simply smiled.

“Do you remember that day at the store? When I interrupted you so rudely, but you still gave me honest feedback on Lyola’s songs?”

“Y-yeah?”

“Then… let’s just say we’re even.”

Her voice was gentle—like she genuinely didn’t want anything more. I couldn’t push her further, nor did I want to seem like one of those guys who kept trying to force a gesture of kindness.

“…Alright then. If that’s what you want,” I said, slightly uneasy.

A brief silence followed.

“So, what did you think about the concert the other day?” Lyra suddenly broke the awkward tension, looking at me curiously.

“W-well… She managed to fix almost everything I pointed out. And to improve that much in just one concert cycle… how should I put it… it’s incredible.”

I was caught off guard, and before I knew it, I had blurted out pure praise.

“So… it was good?” she asked eagerly.

She was way more excited about this than I expected. She was looking at me the same way Ray did when he begged me for my homework.

“Well, yeah, I think it was amazing. But we’re talking about Lyola. It shouldn’t be surprising,” I said.

Suddenly, Lyra turned away.

“L-Lyra?” I looked at her in confusion.

She took a deep breath.

Then, she suddenly turned back to me.

“Hey, Yuta.”

Her pale cheeks were slightly flushed. Her eyes sparkled. Her face was unreadable.

“Y-yeah?”

“How about grabbing a coffee with me after this?”

“…What?”