Chapter Text
“I’m home!”
Valt shouted as he took off his shoes. The guitar slung sloppily behind his back moved along his steps. It was already 6:30PM and he knew that everyone should be in the kitchen for dinner by now.
However, to his surprise, only his mom was sitting at the table with another extra portion, which was probably for him. Valt slowly put the guitar bag on the wooden floor and entered the kitchen.
“Hi mom, where are Toko and Nika?”
“Did you forget? Those two are on a field trip with their class. They won’t be home until this Friday.”
“Oops… Sorry, guess I’m kinda all over the place lately.” Valt heaved a sigh, a rare sight from the energetic boy. He sat down, picking up the chopsticks and putting food in his mouth. Although his mom’s cooking was superb as always, he couldn’t care less about the flavor right now.
His mom started with a gentle voice, “Come on, catch me up. Is there something wrong?”
It took Valt a moment before the answer could come out of his mouth, “It’s just… overwhelming. I’ve been auditioning and rejected left and right by 4 companies already. Not to mention, I’m not used to the university environment yet.”
He didn’t want to admit it, but the harsh and competitive atmosphere there was on another level compared to high school. The only plus point so far was that he could pursue his dream: immersing himself in music everyday. Of course, seeing people more talented than him encouraged him to work harder, but it’d be lying if he said he didn’t feel lost a little bit.
“Oh right, your father and I want to give you something. Give me your hand.”
Cocking his head in confusion, Valt extended his hand instinctively. His mom wrapped something around his wrist, which he soon realized to be a bracelet. The circle charm was made of metal coated in gold, reflecting the warm light of the kitchen. A stylized letter V was engraved, after his name.
“This is a good-luck charm. Your father sent this to me by mail and it arrived this morning. We’re both rooting for you, Valt.”
Valt’s brown eyes widened for a split second, followed by an exaggerated gratitude, “Is that so?! I’ll definitely appreciate this gift, please tell dad I said thank you.”
“Sure thing. Now finish your dinner and go rest. It must’ve been a long day for you.”
When his back touched the soft bed, Valt immediately grabbed his phone as he saw a notification popping up. It was Shu, his best friend.
> Shu: Hi, I’ll be performing at XXX concert this weekend. Would you like to come?
> Valt: Of course, I’m all up for it! I’ll definitely cheer for you. What’s the time?
> Shu: Sunday evening, 5PM. It’s free to watch so don’t worry
Come to think of it, Valt’s fingers stopped half-way, Shu really became famous before me even though I was the one who started a music career first.
Valt could clearly recall the day Shu showed him his first guitar. In no way was it flashy or modern, but the usually calm boy couldn’t even hide his enthusiasm while strumming a few times. How could he forget Shu’s soothing voice echoing in the small bedroom that was layered with passion and determination at that time?
It started off with several covers and occasional self-written songs as Shu steadily built his fanbase and brand as a “prodigy”, who was born to do this. Of course, Valt knew there was more to it; countless hours of practice, sleepless nights with an incomplete melody stuck inside one’s mind. Soon, the admiration Valt held for his friend grew, becoming almost palpable.
It was only a matter of time before a huge company laid their eyes on such a rising talent like Shu. Immediately after signing the contract, Shu made sure to notify Valt about the deal. He really made it this far, Valt commented mentally. Before long, the red-eyed boy’s name was plastered all over the internet, making headlines every week. He couldn’t believe that his childhood friend was almost a celebrity at this point. The fortunate thing was that it didn’t change the one thing that both of them held dear - their friendship.
> Valt: I’ll see you then. Good luck!
Despite being more than 50 metres away, Valt could still feel the booming sound blasting from the concert. From what he read, this was a concert held once a year in autumn, with a variety of well-known musicians and bands in their line-up. The name “Harfest” came from “harvest”, symbolizing fall, and “festival”. It wasn’t exactly a stage for newbies, since the line-up was often chosen based on the musicians’ fame and fanbase. You could say that being able to perform here more than once, like Shu, was somewhat a compliment.
His best friend was supposed to perform at 5PM, so his arrival at 4:30PM indicated that his goal was something more than cheering for Shu, even though he himself didn’t fully grasp why. Maybe fate had something in store for him here, at this moment.
The crowd was settling down with their drinks and seats to prepare for the show. After failing to resist the temptation, Valt quickly sat down at a spot not too far away from the stage with a scrumptious hot dog in one hand. One of the best things about the music fest (to him) was the food.
A woman in her twenties casually walked on the stage from the right wing, whom he guessed was the MC. Her cheerful voice blasted by the mic pierced through the murmurs of everyone else, “Yo-ho! Do you know what time it is? I say ‘har’ you say ‘fest’, got it? Now, har!”
“Fest!”
“I can’t hear you~ A little louder would’cha? Har!”
“FEST!” This time, the volume was turned up three folds and Valt could feel the adrenaline rush started to get to him.
“That’s the spirit. My name is Miko and I’ll be your MC for today. Now let’s see who’s the lucky one to kick off our festival this year,” a moment of silence took place and added spice to the suspension.
“Oh, look what we have here. People call him a star but he is the sun. His charisma is one-of-a-kind and no one can rival his brightness. Please welcome him with round applause, Zac the Sunrise!”
From the left wing, a young man with dazzling yellow hair jogged out with an unmistakable confidence. He blew a kiss at the audience and sure enough, a large portion of people was riled up. It’d be weird if Valt didn’t know Zac, considering he was the ambassador of many famous brands and his face could be seen anywhere on the street. Now that Valt had the chance to observe up close, he could feel the appealing aura of an idol in real life. He couldn’t avert his eyes an inch.
“Thank you for the splendid introduction, Miko. Thank you my dear audience for being here today, I shan’t let you down!”
With only a finger snap, a group of backdancers appeared and the energetic prelude could be heard. It was a flashy stage, befitting an idol like Zac. However, Valt was in awe of how he commanded the crowd, how he captured everyone’s attention flawlessly despite looking so small on a humongous stage. It was undeniable that Zac had the skill to kill it, his singing and dancing was absolutely top notch, but compared to his dazzling existence, those things were merely accessories.
Before he could realize it, Zac’s performance slowly came to an end, as each performer only had 15 minutes to show what they had. The adrenaline rush inside Valt hadn’t died down yet; it even craved for more. He could say the same for everyone.
“Where there is dawn, there shall be dusk. How unfortunate it is that we have to part ways now. But don’t you worry, ‘cause the sun will not be gone for eternity, just like I’m always here with you. Bye-bye.”
With a snap, Zac and his crew disappeared after a curtain of smoke, decorated with velvet rose petals fluttering. Miko professionally walked out from the wing and continued her cheerful speech to keep the show going.
“Geez, Zac sure knows how to set the standards! However high it may be, the next guest will definitely be able to satiate your hunger. People call him the “crimson moon”, since his talent is as rare as the phenomenon itself. He’s also known by a more familiar name, Shu Kurenai!”
Seeing Shu nonchalantly appear on the stage with his dear guitar, Valt’s heart was overwhelmed by a sudden surge of pride. He followed his best friend all the way from the beginning, when the white-haired boy was struggling to play a 3-minute song, up until the moment Shu was shining on stage like today. Admiration filled Valt’s brown eyes. I wish I were up there, too. Maybe alongside Shu as well.
“Hi everyone, thank you for taking your time to gather here. As a token of gratitude, I’ll give you a sneak peek of my upcoming EP.”
Ending his sentence elegantly with a smile, Shu started strumming his somewhat worn-out guitar. The crowd immediately stopped murmuring and listened attentively; Valt couldn’t help but hold his breath as if a single sound would disturb this whole magical atmosphere. He squeezed the empty hot-dog stick with one hand, feeling its rough texture to bind himself to reality. He can command this many people with just a few words, so awesome!
The gentle melody felt like an intimate invitation into the world that Shu had poured his soul into. As one found themself lost in the unfamiliar place, Shu’s voice became the guiding light, helping them travel safely while absorbing the emotions overflowing in that space. The journey was unique to each individual even though they were listening to the same song sung by the same singer. Some might find themselves wandering in a forest during autumn, others were inhaling the salty air of the vast ocean.
For Valt, he was bathed in the warm sunlight of sunset, staring at the blood red sun at the horizon. Every self-doubt from before vanished without a trace. So what if he got rejected multiple times? He could still make it if he devoted himself to music, just like his friend. Suddenly, his small cozy room filled with music sheets became irresistibly charming, pulling him with a magnetic force. He wanted to hold a pencil and started scribbling out whatever was on his mind. He wanted to share them with the world like Shu.
The end of the song was approaching, but Valt refused to leave the musical world that he was led into. The rest of the concert became a blur in his memory and before he knew it, he was lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling. There was something pounding on the door of his mind, begging to be released but he just couldn’t find the key to unlock. It’s so close, I can feel it! Just a little more…
The obnoxious ringtone from his phone knocked Valt out of his thoughts. He scrambled to sit up and grabbed the buzzing device, hastily accepted the incoming call without reading the name on the screen.
“Hi, Valt Aoi is listening.”
“Hello Valt,” the backstage was still flooded with staff cleaning up after the concert so Shu had to raise his voice a bit, “did you see the concert tonight? I forgot to tell you to meet me backstage, sorry about that.”
“Of course I did. You totally rocked it! It was just… wow, I can’t describe it! And don’t worry, we can meet up anytime later on.”
“Glad to hear you like it. I’d experimented a lot with the upcoming EP so any comment is appreciated. Wait a minute,” Shu pulled up his digital planner and scanned it, “how about this Saturday? We can see each other at our usual spot.”
“I have class in the morning, but after that, I’m free, so sure thing.”
“It’s settled then. I won’t disturb you any longer, it’s kinda late now.”
“Sweet, good night Shu!”
—
“Yo, up for practice?” On his way to class, Valt ran into Rantaro Kiyama. He still wore his coat loosely around his shoulder like when they were in high school.
“Sorry, I have plans already.”
“What? Are my ears deceiving me? My friend found the blossom of love so he doesn’t wanna hang out with me anymore huh?”
Valt yelled, “It’s not like that! I already have a plan with Shu.”
“You mean, the legendary Shu Kurenai, the so-called crimson moon of the music industry?” Rantaro was one of a few people who knew that Valt and Shu were best friends. It wasn’t that Valt wanted to keep it a secret, but Shu insisted that it was necessary so that Valt wouldn’t be bothered much by his fans.
“Shh! What if somebody’s gonna hear you, Kumicho?”
“I’m not an idiot like you. I checked our surroundings before saying it aloud. Damn, you sure have a knack for finding friends, even the famous drummer Xander is also your childhood friend. Gimme some luck dude.”
“They’re so awesome, am I right?! Every time I watch them on stage, I get goosebumps all over.”
Rantaro heaved a sigh, “Yeah sure. If I were you though, I might not say such things so carefree.” Crack. The sour filling of the lollipop spread in his mouth, but he was too used to it to even wince.
Seeing Valt tilting his head in confusion, Rantaro felt the urge to knock some senses into that little spiky head. He shook his head in defeat, voice softening, “Don’t you feel… left behind? Like your friends are thriving and you’re still here, struggling to sing a song properly?”
“That’s…” He trailed off; obviously the feeling had crept into his naive mind not once. However, he quickly subdued it and waved it off. “But still, it doesn’t affect the fact that I’ll be rooting for them as my friends. Or sometimes, I’d like to call them ‘rivals’. Y’know, we can compete and still be friends!”
“Rivals, huh? You sure have a unique reasoning behind stuff,” and that’s what I like about you, but that part was non-verbal and exclusive only to Rantaro. “Don’t you have a class to attend? Go on, I’ve finished mine so I’m going home.”
“Oh yeah! Bye bye, Kumicho. I’ll definitely practice with you tomorrow!” The blue-haired boy ran off like a little squirrel while waving his hand at Rantaro.
“Sorry sorry, I’m super duper late! The professor insisted on finishing the lesson today.” Valt clasped his hands together as he sat down in the opposite seat, bowing his head earnestly.
“It’s fine,” Shu took a sip from his cappuccino. The drink was still fairly warm. “Have you ordered anything?”
“Yeah, orange juice,” Valt put his backpack next to him, enjoying the warm sunlight from behind since they were sitting at the corner of the coffee shop.
Their “usual spot” was a small shop in their neighborhood, the owner of which had known both of them since they were in elementary school. Whenever they notified her about their visit, she always tactfully reserved a quiet corner for them so that they wouldn’t be pestered by people knowing them, Shu’s fans to be precise. Valt always shuddered at the memories of their first outing. They were hiding constantly and running around just to find a place to sit and talk.
“So… what’s with that crazy song at Harfest, Shu? Tell me all about it!”
“Sure. Although I performed it live, I haven’t decided the official name for it yet. It’s undoubtedly the highlight of my new EP, because its origin is somewhat special to me,” Shu’s smile became softer, as if he wasn’t only discussing a song but a part of himself.
“Do you remember the evening I told you about getting my first record deal?” An out-of-the-blue question, but Valt nodded as a yes.
It happened around autumn, when the wind became more biting and the leaves were changing color. After the announcement, Valt congratulated his friend and they stared at the sunset in silence. He even said that the sun looked like a huge egg and felt hungry.
“Sometimes, the scene from that day comes to my mind. Until around a month ago, when I was struggling to find new ideas, it just appeared and guided my hand on the music sheets. During the process, I feel like I’m getting a bit closer to who I truly am, through that song.”
The owner brought the orange juice glass to their table and left in a hurry, worrying that she might interrupt them. Valt stirred the liquid inside with the colorful straw, observing the ice cubes like they were something enticing. As both of them grew older, the silence became more apparent but neither of them hated it. It was empty yet so full.
After a while, Shu decided to change the topic, “I can tell you that much about it. How about you, Valt?”
There it was. The constant banging on his mind since yesterday, it returned. His backpack contained not only his notebooks but also stacks of music sheets with scrambled notes that only he understood. They yearned for an audience, and Valt had yet to find a path to give them the spotlight they deserved.
“It’s… okay, I guess. I’m still practicing with Kumicho to improve my singing.”
Of course Shu didn’t miss the hesitation in Valt’s speech, it was clear to him like an off-key note. “What’s wrong? Tell me,” he glanced at Valt’s fidgeting fingers.
“I… Honestly, I’m not sure,” the orange juice’s sour taste lingered in his mouth longer than it was supposed to, “after watching you and Zac performing at Harfest, I felt… something weird inside me. Like a song stuck in my head but I can’t recall its name nor the lyrics. Just a little push and it’ll come to me.”
Shu tapped his index finger on the table, following a rhythm to organize his thoughts. He visualized his best friend standing on stage, enjoying every moment and singing to his heart content. It was a brilliant scenery, no different from a star but something felt off to him. It wasn’t enough. He needed to find a missing puzzle piece. Only one.
Click.
Found it.
“Say, have you ever thought about forming a band, Valt?”
“A… band?” The word wasn’t new to him. He had listened to dozens of songs from various bands, but forming one certainly wasn’t on his bucket list.
Shu nodded, “Yes, I think it’ll benefit you a lot. Trust me on this one.”
The banging had stopped, as abruptly as when it came. Valt stared at the droplets forming on his glass, he felt more grounded than ever before.
Maybe Shu has a point. Maybe I should give it a try!