A Stroke of Inspiration

Ring ring… ring ring… ring ring… ring ring… “Miyuki?”

“Jin!” She beamed with joy that her call had been answered. “How are you doing?”

“I’m doing fine. What’s up?”

“I met my partner for the first round today,” Miyuki said as she laid on her bed with her feet swinging above her. “And guess what? It’s Komi!”

“Who’s Komi again?” Jin asked, the name ringing a bell but not quite reaching the surface of his ocean of memories.

“She’s the girl with pink hair I brought with me when we went to the arcade. Remember her?”

“Oh yeah, her,” the memory finally came to him with Miyuki’s description. “She’s an idol, too?”

“Yes! I didn’t know it since she never talked about it and her idol name is different from her real name. I was so surprised!” She rolled over onto her back. “I’m so excited to perform with her!”

“You got lucky, being partnered with one of your friends.”

“I did. Oh, that reminds me… I won’t be able to make it to Tokyo this week. We’re supposed to stay at a huge mansion by the beach until the day of the performance.”

“They’re making you stay there for a week?”

“I think it’s so we can communicate with our partners easier. It would be hard for us performers to practice with our partners if we live on opposite sides of the country,” she said.

“That makes sense. What about the kittens you wanted to adopt?”

Miyuki shot up. “That’s right! I was going to adopt them this Saturday,” she sighed. “Can you go over and tell them I won’t make it? I hope they’re still there in a couple weeks…”

“I can do that. By the way, when is your performance?”

“It’s on Monday,” she said. “If you look it up in the next few days you should be able to find what time it’ll be.”

“Got it. I would like to watch it to support you.”

A wide smile grew on Miyuki. “That would be amazing, thank you! I’ll do my best!”

“You’ll do great,” he assured her. “I do have to go now, but I’ll talk to you another time.”

“Would it be alright if I called you on Saturday to talk for a bit?” Miyuki asked.

“That would be fine. Talk to you then.”

“Bye, Jin!” When the call ended, Miyuki sprawled out on her bed. “I’ll have to tell Nanami I won’t be at school for a few days,” she muttered to herself. She turned her phone back on and read the time. “I shouldn’t bother her this late. I’ll tell her in the morning,” she yawned.

Her eyes grew heavy and soon she drifted into a peaceful sleep, the last thought on her mind wondering what song she and Komi would come up with together.

—

“What kind of song should we perform?” Miyuki asked. The sun was high in the sky, and the sand warm underneath their feet. She was walking along the shoreline, the cool water lapping at the side of her feet. Komi was behind her, stepping in the footprints she left in the sand.

“Sticking with what we are used to would be best,” Komi replied, staring at the ground between her and Miyuki. “Maybe it can be about finding the one?”

Miyuki shook her head. “That sounds similar to the theme of the song I’ll be performing in the finale.”

“When did you figure that out?” Komi bent down to pick up a blue clam shell.

“It came to me recently,” she said. “Since it’s so close to the Idol Awards, I’ve been thinking a lot about the song that I’m going to perform for Jin.” She stopped, letting her feet get buried in the sand. Her eyes fixated on a ship that was about to disappear into the horizon, and an idea came to her mind. “What if it’s about the cherished time we spend with our special someone?”

Komi nodded as she stuffed the shell into her cherry blossom shoulder bag. “That could be good. Are you thinking it should be a fast or slow song?”

She thought about it for a minute before turning to her friend. “Slow.”

“You haven’t done many slow songs before, have you?” Komi asked.

“Only a few,” she admitted. “What about you?” A soft breeze blew toward the ocean, gifting Miyuki with the touch of a pleasant cool.

“None. I don’t mind doing it, but are you sure it’s safe to do something different than we normally do? Some people might think I’m a fake if that’s my first in person performance…”

“Then… how about the chorus is faster pace, while the rest of the song is slow? You can sing the faster portion of the song, and I’ll handle the rest,” Miyuki suggested with an understanding smile.

Komi turned toward the ocean and gazed out at the glistening water. “I sing the chorus, huh…? Yeah, I think that can work.”

“Yay!” Miyuki jumped, excited that they were making some progress. “Walking the beach was a great idea! I don’t think that inspiration would have hit me if we were anywhere else.”

“For sure,” Komi agreed, turning back to Miyuki. “Now that we’ve got our general idea down, should we head back to record some lyrics?”

“If you don’t mind, I think it might be better if we stay out here for a bit.”

“Okay. I suppose we can record our ideas on our phones.”

“Good idea,” Miyuki grinned. “By the way, Komi…” She took on a more serious tone. “Is there someone in your life you’re singing for?”

For a minute, only the soft hum of the wind followed. Komi cast her eyes from Miyuki to the sea and back, as if she was unsure where to look. “I just like singing,” she said. “Music has been a big part of my life since before I can remember. The passion driving my music was just that. Not a love for anyone else, but for the music itself.” She paused, lowering her gaze to the gentle waves that lapped the sand. “Though there is someone I could sing for…”

“Oh?” Miyuki leaned in, her curiosity piqued. “That’s great! Who is it?”

Komi put a finger to her lips and pulled out the line that she had often used with her before. “That’s a secret.”