The House With a Vinyl

The criteria for what determined a peer outing was quickly altered due to school – it was still a new system after all. They were no longer limited to only orphans and opened to outsiders joining the "fun" experience. Orphans could submit an entry about friends and it'll be accepted. I browsed the recent reports in the office and saw that Ringomori had submitted an outing I wasn't a part of.

Right, she texted me about that. She went to an ice cream parlor with a family, but she didn't tell me who. I'm glad to see her hangin' out with friends.

I was reminded of my talk with Daishi earlier that week, and decided to submit that as an outing because it was when I made my first school friend since the accident. We've been talking more since then.

The next day was Friday. I took the bus to school and arrived in time for homeroom. It was only the third week, but I had already been swamped with tests and study material. We were given the burden of having to think about which universities and careers we'd like to pursue – since we'll be doing entrance exams next semester. I didn't really care to think about it, but I remembered what Ringomori said about having to focus soon, since we'll be on our own after graduation.

Classes ended all the same and I left school from the front gate. I saw Daishi waiting with his eyes glued to his phone, him being there was out of the ordinary.

"Who're you waitin' for?" I asked.

"I was wait'n for you. Didn't think you'd take so long after the bell rang."
He pocketed his phone.

I tilted my head.
"Why me?"

He began walking away, I followed to hear his answer.
"Do I need a reason t'walk with my friend?"

Again, I accepted that as a valid reason, even if I didn't understand the motive well.

"Which direction do'ya live in?"

I pointed in the direction in front of us.
"The orphanage is that way. I take the bus to and from school."

"Is the bus stop Northeast 13?"
I confirmed his answer and he said, "I actually live nearby."

"Then it's a good thing we'll be goin' in the same direction."

We walked and talked about the school day. I was going to part with him once we arrived at the stop, but then he did something else out of the ordinary.

"Vieira-senpai, do'ya wanna come to my house? You don't have t'go, but there's something I wanna show you."

Stunned by his invitation, I thought about the alternative: Me studying in my room all day. It didn't take me long to come to an answer.
"Sure, I'll go."

I followed him to his residence. It was a modest two-story brick house with a two car garage and a gated fence. I didn't expect that from him, but he was full of surprises.

Upon entering the front door, I said, "P-Pardon my intrusion…" in a timid tone.

"Oh yeah I forgot," said Daishi. "Tadaima!"

We took off our shoes at the doormat, and then we were greeted by another resident of the home.

"Welcome back son–– Oh my, hello!"

It was Daishi's mom: Ms. Ashikaga. She wore a standard house dress with a dusting pan and sweeper in her hands.

"You brought home a friend! Isn't that rare for'ya, little Dai?"

"Ma, please don't embarrass me or yourself. I have a lot of friends, I just don't bring them here."

"You should, son. The house is empty all the time and could use some more liveliness."
She smiled bright enough for the three of us.

"Maybe one day. C'mon Vieira-senpai, my room's this way."
He started walking down the hall.

I turned to his mom, who was only a few centimeters shorter than me, and greeted with a wave.

"Welcome to our household, Vieira-kun. I must say, your family name is quite unique and lovely. Thank you for being friends with my boy, I hope you'll continue t'get along."
She bowed her head.

I returned the sentiment and thanked her for her hospitality, then caught up with Daishi and entered his room. My pupils dilated as I stood in awe to see a massive gaming setup with a big TV mounted to the wall and advanced-looking computers underneath it.

"How..did you…afford all…of this?"

"Work'n at CLARIS for months gave me the money, and you and your friend are probably the main contributors for most of the stuff. Really, you guys eat there a lot."

"Not our fault that the bakers know how to make good stuff."

"I'll give'ya a tour of the place one day. Anyways, wanna play a few games? We'll do co-op."

That's what we did for most of the day. He had an array of video games, spanning from the popular ones to the more indie and small-scale ones. We quickly discovered that we excelled at puzzle games and escape rooms, setting new records for each game we played.

At one point, Ms. Ashikaga entered the room with a tray of snacks.

"Thank you," I said, offering a slight bow of appreciation.

"Oh my, I wish my son could be as appreciative as you," she said with a giggle, which led me to believe it was a joke.

"You should adopt him if you like him so much, ma."

She giggled at her son's joke, not knowing the extent of truth behind it.

Only when she was closing the door to the room did Daishi say, "Thanks, ma."

"No problem, Dai!" she replied, shutting the door.

I turned to my underclassman, who was focused on the game.
"You should respect your mom more, Daishi-kun. The first two decades of your life is when you'll spend ninety-percent of your time with parents, and you're already down one. For some people, their time with both parents is cut even shorter."

He paused the game and turned towards me.
"I get'ya, senpai. But while I might not show it in the typical manner, I would extinguish hell and find the heavens to protect my ma, no matter what."
A level of seriousness I had never seen before was displayed, it was almost refreshing.
"She's delicate and vulnerable 'cause she still hasn't moved on from the pass'n of my sis, nor the trauma that my pa gave her. She misses take'n care of a child since her nieces and nephews are adults who work, so our dynamic of mischief son and careful ma keeps us close without go'n deep into the sorrow."

I replayed his words in my head to try and develop an understanding of it, but I couldn't. I told him about my accident that took my parents, which resulted in my memory loss too.
"Th-That's why I can't really sympathize with the feelin' of familial loss, since I-I don't have many memories of them. But I'm actually tryin' to get them back, s-so maybe one day I will."

"Heh, then I'll be look'n forward t'it."
He stood up and stretched his back and limbs, and I followed suit.
"The mood's kinda damp now, so let me show you why I invited'ya over."

"W-Wait, I'm confused," I said. "I thought the gamin' setup was the reason?"

"Nope, it's over here."
He headed to his closet door and opened it.
"I know you like RONDselia since you play it at school and CLARIS, so take a look at this."

He pulled out a vinyl player and set it down on his desk, then reached further back and pulled out a vinyl record. As soon as I laid my eyes on it, they became prominent in shock. I was staring at a RONDselia vinyl.

"Th-That's the…the vinyl that was only released once in the band's lifetime, so many years ago!"
The corners of my lips rose tremendously.

"My sis loved the band too, and I found this disc at a pawn shop. My ma and I pitched in to get it for her birthday."

"Th-That vinyl is super expensive! It's discontinued and has a specific song that isn't in the game or on any music services; it's specifically made for the vinyl."

"Have you ever heard the song?" he asked.

I shook my head. He smirked and then plugged the player into an outlet and loaded up the vinyl.

The special song was last, so we'd listen through every song. As soon as the special song began to play, I felt a small headache and winced. I ignored it for the sake of the song, but then realized that I was experiencing the headache because of it. Once the song reached its drop, the sounds pierced through my eardrums straight to my mind.

I had unlocked another memory.