It was midnight. The facility was quiet—eerily so—and nearly everyone had drifted into sleep, swallowed by the stillness of the hour.
Adam was among the first to succumb. He snored lightly, like a child, limbs sprawled with one leg oddly raised toward the ceiling, his face peaceful and slack with exhaustion.
At the nearby desk, Yoku sat slouched over, head drooping and eyelids fluttering between wakefulness and dreams. A pen rested loosely between his fingers, its tip barely grazing the surface of the table as if caught mid-thought. He had dozed off with his eyes half-open—a strange, unsettling sight for anyone watching.
Yuri, on the other hand, was still "charging"—a robotic presence flickering between wake and sleep. There was no one for her to talk to for the next eight or nine hours. It was hell, in her own quiet way.
Suddenly, in the silence of the room, a soft rustle.
Kineki sat up in bed, pushing himself upright. He glanced over. "Hey... psst!"
Across the room, Mino turned toward him, her eyes shining faintly in the moonlight. "...?"
"You awake?"
">-< Of course I am," she whispered back with a small laugh, the kind that you try and swallow so no one hears. She tried hopping off the bed, but in doing so, accidentally landed on something soft.
"Mrrrow."
It was Berto, the cat, who had been nestled beneath the blanket. The small meow was more like a squeak. They both froze.
Thankfully, no one stirred. No lights turned on. No groggy voices complained. Mino exhaled, relieved. Phew... she thought to herself.
Kineki gestured toward the door. "Come on."
The door creaked open with a reluctant groan. They slipped through and darted into the hallway like mischievous shadows.
"Finally!" Kineki grinned.
Mino kept pace beside him. "What kind of place is this going to be, I wonder..."
Yawning, Kineki led the way as they wandered deeper into the facility. The air was cool and still. They passed a series of unlabeled doors, their curiosity growing with each silent step.
Then Mino coughed. "Wait…"
Kineki stopped mid-stride, alert. "What? You okay?"
She gave a thumbs-up, breathing a little heavy. "Yeah… Let's go."
They continued. Eventually, they came upon a room unlike the others. It had musical notes painted in looping lines along the walls, and faded sheet music scattered across a long table like forgotten stories. A dusty piano sat in the corner, and nearby, a guitar leaned lazily against a chair.
Kineki stepped forward and brushed his fingers over the guitar strings. The soft vibration made a sound—gentle, mysterious.
"What kind of equipment is this?" he muttered.
Mino was already pressing buttons on a panel. One of them emitted a sharp tone.
"What the—!" she yelped in surprise.
"Psst!" Kineki rushed over and tapped her head lightly. "Quiet! We're going to wake someone up!"
"Don't hit me!" she hissed back, smacking him playfully. "I didn't know it'd make noise!"
She shuffled through the notes, laughing now, playing random keys and triggering strange sounds that echoed in colorful disarray.
"This is so cool!" she exclaimed. "Every piece makes a different sound."
Kineki wandered around the room, eyes scanning the assortment of instruments. Drums, metal pans, even bizarre contraptions he couldn't name. He frowned. What was the point of all this? You couldn't eat it. You couldn't survive off it.
It all felt... useless.
Then came a voice—smooth, slightly raspy, and startling in the silence.
"You kids... wait a minute, aren't you from that other group?" A woman stepped out from the shadows, her long, messy green hair tumbling over her shoulders. Her eyes sparkled with tired amusement. "Hah... finally, someone else who appreciates music."
Mino and Kineki jumped in fright.
"Please don't tell anyone!" Mino blurted.
The woman yawned and smiled, unfazed. She wore a white coat over a wildly painted shirt and shorts, as if she'd rolled through a box of crayons.
"And stop someone else from discovering music? No thanks."
She walked past them and sat at the table, tapping the keys lightly.
"These are music panels," she said casually, "each named after a note—C, D, E, F, G, A, B—and then it repeats. They each vibrate at a different frequency."
Kineki blinked. "-_- What the heck are frequencies?"
The woman smirked. "Imagine hitting a piece of metal. Sometimes the sound is dull, sometimes it's sharp. That difference? That's frequency. When you mix the right ones together—"
She played a bright series of notes.
"—you get something beautiful."
Mino's eyes lit up. The sounds tickled her ears in a way she hadn't expected.
"That's fun…"
The woman—who introduced herself as Mya—spent the next hour teaching them the basics: major and minor scales, sharps, flats, dominant chords, and even suspended harmonies.
Then came the countdown.
"Three… two… one… Go!"
Kineki started on the drums, tapping out rhythms on pans and metal lids in four-beat patterns. His hands moved in a fluid cycle, guided by instinct and joy.
Mino followed with the piano, her fingers replaying the simple patterns Mya had shown her. The room began to fill with sound—raw, imperfect, yet mesmerizing.
Then Mya sang. Her voice carried passion, warmth, and just a hint of grit.
1, 2, 3!Living in the world is funPopa popa... tarata! taWill it be today? That I can see the world a bit better...Oh, my curiosity, just doesn't go awayBut why do I still fear?
Kineki smiled, swaying to the beat. Mya waved at them. "Come on, join in!"
They did.
Kineki:"Oh, what adventure will I find today?"
Mino:"I don't know... but I'll try to live a little better."
Kineki:"Maybe I'll discover a city no one's seen—Climb massive towers, be rich for once!Move from island to island, taste all the different cans of food and bread!"
Mino:"Sorry, Kineki... but meat is better."
Do doo do doo do... do do do...
When the music finally faded, the three of them sat there—sweaty, smiling, hearts beating with something deeper than adrenaline.
Mya handed Mino a bottle of water. The girl drank and then paused, staring at the ceiling.
"Why do we even want to create music… or people, for that matter?"
Mya leaned back, exhausted but content. "Because it's fun. And because it helps you express something. It lets others feel what you feel."
Kineki glanced at her. "Like writing?"
She nodded. "Yeah. Like that."
He watched her for a moment, curious. "Who are you, miss?"
Mya smiled and gave a small salute. "I'm Mya. And I'm a musician."
She points to the two... "And for you its time to go to sleep!"