Eternal Melody

There was a time where he thought the same. He thought that the girl did not want anything to do with them. He thought the teachers forced her to be their composer. The teachers and the agency put a lot of effort into firing their previous composers. So when Ibuki Sumire became Quatro Lights composer, it was clear that they went through all that effort for her.

"Tetsuo-san? Are you okay?"

Tetsuo snaps back to reality and found Sumire looking at him worriedly.

"Yeah..." He managed to say.

"You seemed like you were thinking too seriously," Sumire pointed out. "You were making a strange face too."

"It's nothing." Tetsuo said, trying to brush off the conversation.

"You're lying. You look really pale."

"This is only normal. Anyway, I am tired from practicing. You don't have to mind me." Tetsuo said.

He immediately understood she was upset with his behavior since she grabbed his collar.

"Ow! What are you--" Tetsuo trails off when Sumire laid his head on her lap. "Sleep! You haven't slept enough from practicing too much. I will sing you a lullaby. So relax and sleep."

"Idiot!" Tetsuo muttered. He felt his cheeks grow hot.

Is this not what people call a lap pillow? Tetsuo felt very embarrassed, and he did not think he would end up doing something like this with anyone.

With a gentle look on her face, Sumire starts singing Ave Maria.

Now that he thought about it, she often sang this last year. A church song when he first heard her sing this, he thought it was odd. It's not like she is religious, and yet she sang it so frequently. It took him quite some time to understand why she sang it, and the lyrics suit her very well.

"Ave Maria! Ave Maria! Maiden mild!

Listen to a maiden's prayer!

Thou canst hear though from the wild,

Thou canst save amid despair.

Safe may we sleep beneath thy care,

Though banish'd, outcast and reviled -Maiden! Hear a maiden's prayer; Mother, hear a suppliant child! Ave Maria!

Ave Maria! Undefiled!

The flinty couch we now must share

Shall seem this down of eider piled,

If thy protection hover there.

The murky cavern's heavy air shall breathe of balm if thou hast smiled; Then, Maiden! Hear a maiden's prayer;

Mother, list a suppliant child! Ave Maria!

"Ave Maria! Stainless styled!

Foul demons of the earth and air

From this, their wonted haunt exiled.

Shall flee before thy presence fair.

We bow us to our lot of care

Beneath thy guidance reconciled

Hear for a maid a maiden's prayer

and for a father hear a child! Ave Maria." Sumire sang softly.

"Hey…" Tetsuo said.

"Hmm?"

"Never stop singing, okay?"

Tetsuo does not understand why he said such words. But after what happened after Tsueno's death, he realized how much he missed hearing her singing.

She often sang in the middle of lessons, even if it was limited to simple melodies.

"I don't know what's going on, but okay if you say so," Sumire said happily. Someone that was kind-hearted, someone who played the music that calmed his heart, would only have to be her. Yet as he turned to look at the brunette, he noted her gaze diminish ever so slightly.

Tetsuo pretended not to notice. It would be best if he does not comment on it. There is nothing he can do for her after all. Unlike the other three, there is nothing he can do for this person.

….

Tetsuo felt restless throughout the night, and even when he woke up at his usual time, he still felt odd. It did not help how Ran was making a ruckus causing his already bad headache to increase.

Ever since Ibuki Sumire became Quatro Light's composure, many compared the songs she wrote for those guys and the ones she wrote for them.

Those guys were her first group and their kohai in the agency Nanairo feather.

The buzz around the news of the duo project as well as the tree that appeared in the center of the park is all you can hear of these days. The latter is expected; it truly is a 'sensation'. However, the former is generating more and more buzz amongst the public than they originally expected it would.

"What the hell is this duo project?" Ran said, slamming his foot on the table. "Even though the president does not create such stuff for us.."

Tetsuo sat down on the stool by the counter, Kou on the couch beside Ran, stood by the window, and looked down at the city.

"Don't worry about it." Tetsuo spoke up.

'I can't take his random anger anymore.' He was an early riser, but so was Ran. So unlike the other two, he has heard this anger fit for more than three hours already.

"What's that?" Ran turned to him.

"Nothing will affect our superiority. Do you lack confidence?" Tetsuo challenged.

"What? Of course not."

At that comment, Tetsuo laughed. He sensed the man's hesitation. Ran stood up, clenching his fist. "Bastard!"

Kou also stood up. "Wait, wait. Guys --"

Jun casually intervenes. "At the previous concert, our group Quatro Light was rated higher than Nanairo Feather. But when people complete. It's not just ability that determines the outcome."

Indeed if it were a matter of skills, then those guys would lose. After all, they only have two professional members; their center member is good but is the emotional type. That guy, however, is the closest to Ibuki Sumire, and that is the reason why they were all cautious of the group. Being close to Sumire means creating greater music.

"Our solo songs project isn't enough?" Ran muttered.

"It isn't. I think what the public wants to see now is a group performance; in other words, we should take the president's plan seriously." Kou said with a serious gaze in his eyes.

The president's plan was to get Terashima Yuhi to join their group. When the president proposed it to the idol association board, those people surprisingly agreed. Then again, he knew there were many people dissatisfied with how Terashima went solo with everything and his methods. Terashima prioritizes making people happy with his singing and satisfying the audience. He does not care about the money. Even when he receives a large sum of money, he donates it.

That man is an unusual one, and yet his actions resemble a certain somebody. Tetsuo thought of Sumire, and her gentle expression as she sang appeared in his head. He could not shake off this odd feeling since then.

It is unlike him to get so affected by her.