Fujimi Academy was quite a large school, even featuring student dorm buildings for boarding, which most of the hundreds of students did. Fully kitted with a good quality of any school's infrastructure, it served as the #2 model high school academy for the city.
From the encroaching clamour and commotion, Dion could tell that he had made it here during lunchtime, or just as it was coming to an end. His steps hastened slightly as he walked along the cherry blossom-lined car road leading towards the school buildings.
It would be a short-lived return, that was for sure, but he was looking forward to being back in school after so long.
\[T]/ \[T]/ \[T]/
Within the halls of this school, midway through class time before the lunch break and before Dion had even arrived, two students met. Draped in the staple male attire of their academy, a black jacket with black pants.
All the school windows were closed and the ACS throughout were belting out cool air, allowing them sanctuary from the outdoors blistering heat.
"Yo, Komuro. You skipping class again?"
A young man with short blond hair spiked at its middle and green eyes grinned, speaking to the yawning young man ahead of him.
The dark-haired, brown eyed young man scratched at the back of his head.
"Morita. You too? I didn't get much sleep last night. And class is such a bore." Komuro said.
Takashi Komuro stood at an above-average height of 176cm. While Morita stood a tiny little taller.
"And, cos' you got dumped, right? Rumour has it..." Morita's hand pointed towards hi,m and he chuckled briefly as he continued:
"Your childhood girlfriend ended up in your class when she stayed back a year and is going out with Igou - your best friend now, right?"
Takashi frowned, his eyes averting from Morita's gaze, a diffident plaster to his visage.
"Hisashi...is what Rei chose," He said with a bitter remise. He turned to the window, approaching it to look out and away.
"Besides, that stuff's a hassle," He continued:
"And I mean, Igou's a good guy. He's not half bad-looking, and he's smart. And an athlete. It makes sense."
With a disbelieving curiosity in his gaze, Morita had a visible awkwardness to his expression.
"Right...Well...uhh, I'm gonna head to my clubroom," Morita said as he began walking away, and he continued, "See ya 'round."
"I'm heading to the roof to catch some zzz's. See ya."
"Go ahead and sweat ur skin off alone."
Sometime later, a little while after the lunchtime bell rang and a buzz of gossip began to sift through the school's girl groups - about a tall, caramel brown, handsome young man who was walking through their school.
The low hum of the school filled the air as Dion walked through the main building, his footsteps echoing faintly against the concrete underfoot.
The buzzing, chaotic environment was so distantly familiar and nostalgic. He found himself dragged into its pleasantry without much consent or deliberation.
He moved with an extra skip to his step, a faint, cheeky smile and a nostalgic gleam to his gaze. It had been so long since he was last here. Being amongst students laughing, gossiping, and the occasional scuff of a shoe against tile.
The closer he got to the music club room, the little bit stronger his pulse grew, quickening with a familiar excitement. That room was the centre of a part of his most precious memories of this place, and being no father than two dozen meters away from its door, here on the fourth floor, he almost relived them. They were fresh, alive as ever.
The club room door creaked open as he gently pushed it, and the scene inside greeted him like a favourite song starting up again after a long pause. A few of the instruments were scattered around - a guitar resting on its stand, a drum set untouched in the corner, and, at the centre of it all, the electric keyboard. Dion smiled, his heart swelling with nostalgia.
"...."
"..."
His gaze had veered to meet those of the people who were currently in the club room. They had all frozen in the throes of an awkward, curious silence as he stepped in.
"Hey," He strained a little through a chuckle.
A boisterous laughter echoed.
"Look who decided to show up! Long time no see, Golden boy!"
A familiar voice called out from behind the drums. It was Ogasawara Yuto, the club's percussion junkie, grinning with a mischievous glint in his eye as he twirled a drumstick between his fingers. His messy brown hair fell over his eyes as he stood up to the full height of his 175cm, giving Dion a mock salute.
Next to him, Yamasato Asami was leaning against the wall, standing at 163cm with a head of long black hair and caramel eyes, her bass guitar strapped over her shoulder. She nodded in greeting, a quiet smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
"Tsubakihara-kun," She said softly. "What a surprise. I didn't think you'd come back. After a whole year, no less,"
Dion shrugged with a bit of a chuckle, walking closer to meet Yut, who had come to dap him up and hug him. Feeling the weight of the moment. "Thought I'd see if you guys still remember how to play."
Yuto snorted, sitting back down on his stool. "Do I smell underestimation, Rika?"
"I can't imagine where he got his new attitude from," She shook her head.
Dion chuckled, stepping forward and pulling out the chair in front of the keyboard. His hands hovered over the keys for a moment, feeling the cool plastic beneath his fingertips. It felt just like slipping into an old skin, comfortable, familiar.
"Alright then," he said, his voice low but eager. "Let's see if I'm wrong then."
The two friends, Yuto and Rika, glanced at each other and then faintly smiled.
The first note rang out, pure and strong, as Dion's fingers danced over the keys, instinctively finding the melody of one of their old favourites. Yuto's drums joined in almost immediately, a steady heartbeat pulsing through the room, while Rika's bass filled the gaps with its low, resonant hum. The music washed over them, building layer by layer, pulling them back into the rhythm they had shared so many times before. Each beat, each chord felt like a long overdue conversation.
For a while, there was only the music.
Everyone sported a wide grin as they often glanced between themselves mid song.
The song eventually slowed, fading into silence. Dion exhaled through a toothy smile, wiping the light sheen of sweat from his forehead as the last note hung in the air. His fingers tingled with the lingering sensation of pressing the keys.
"That… that was perfect," Yuto panted, leaning back and grinning like a fool. "This asshole still plays to the nines,"
"Just this one time, I'll admit I was wrong," Dion murmured, "You're both better than I remember."
Rika was silent, but the look in her eyes said everything. There was a peace there, a comfort that only music could bring. Dion stood from the chair, looking at his friends, the lingering warmth of the moment still with him.
But something else tugged at him, pulling his thoughts away from the euphoria of it all.
He had come here for a purpose.
An important one, and he could not stay long. There was one other old club of his that he had to visit.
He cleared his throat, feeling a knot form in his chest. This was the part he wasn't looking forward to after all, it's not like he could tell them the complete whys of his purpose. It would do them no good, only endanger them
"Hey… guys," he started, his voice softer now. "I wanted to ask you something."
Yuto raised an eyebrow, tossing his drumsticks onto the kit. "What's up?"
Dion shifted awkwardly on his feet, glancing away for a moment. "I was thinking… maybe you two could skip school for the next few days. Hang out with me. Back at my place."
Rika's brow furrowed, and Yuto blinked, as if trying to process what Dion had just said.
"Skip school?" Rika repeated, her voice curious yet disbelieving.
Yuto snorted, though there was a hint of uncertainty in his grin now. "Man, you serious? We're in the middle of exam season"
Dion scratched the back of his neck, his caramel skin catching the sunlight filtering through the window. He knew it was a strange request - hell, a nonsensical one coming from him who was no longer a student.
"Yeah, I know. I heard people talking about it on my way here," Dion said, forcing a smile. "But…it's just for a few days. S, we catch up on everything"
He held some hope because they all used to skip classes together. He had decided that if he could not convince them today, then he would try again tomorrow.
He wasn't ready yet to display his oddities for the sake of convincing them. So, the normal way it was, and if that failed, then he would hurry the process of exposing them to what was to come. It was far from the optimal thing to do, however, it was not as if he could drag them out of school. That option would only be his last resort – if, during the coming week, they didn't want to hear him out and essentially blindly place their trust in him, then he would do what was necessary