"Oh... even the piano player's gotten bored..."

...

The, admittedly lackadaisical, pianist's fingers finally slowed to a complete stop when he heard the off handed comment. And after a moment, he finally looked up and saw the speaker.

Leaning on the stair railing above the piano, and gazing down at him with eyes that reflected the warm lights of the room rather brilliantly, was a pink-haired boy, who seemed like he was lost in his own thoughts at the moment.

He looked... gloomy. He lay limply on the railing as if there was a heavy weight pulling him down and he didn't even have the energy to pull away...

...

Once he finally realized he grabbed the other's attention, his eyes lit up... and then his brow furrowed and he looked away. He'd must not have meant for the pianist to actually hear him.

"Oh, sorry. It's just that... you've been playing that exact same song over and over now."

...

For a moment, Shindou just stared at the other, not really believing he was actually speaking to him for some reason...

Maybe he was just too used to having to admire him from across the room.

Piano playing was mindlessly easy for him, and no matter what type of unrehearsed melody happened to come from his fingers, it was always enough to entertain the company. So he had to find something else to occupy his thoughts.

But nothing had ever captured his attention the way this particular patron did. Even with the dim lighting of the room, and the crowd of extravagantly dressed dinner-goers surrounding him, from the moment he walked in, the pink haired boy still somehow managed to be the center of his attention.

For the life of him, Shindou didn't know why. He simply found himself always craning his neck to stare at the brand new customer.

He was sitting at a table with two others, a boy who looked around the same age, and an older man who seemed to be practically giving a speech to the both of them, all three finely dressed. The older man had visited many times before, and seemed to always have a new set of guests with him. Only now did one ever truly pique Shindou's interest...

When he turned around, he could see all three of them talking, the monologue apparently over. Shindou's new favorite guest was smiling, just a little, and for some reason that made him feel pleased as well.

Later when he turned again, it seemed to be the other, red-headed boy's turn to monologue, and he beamed the entire time. The older man really seemed to be enjoying it as well, the room filled up with, well, even more cigarette smoke whenever he laughed. Shindou's favorite was still smiling, listening patiently, but for some reason, that smile seemed dimmer than before.

When he turned again... the same boy's monologue still continued, as it had been for quite some time now. And that smile Shindou had grown fond of, was gone now. Well not completely, it would nervously reappear whenever his company would remember to include him in the conversation, but just as quickly fade way again...

...

Shindou slowly turned his attention back to the piano keys, before the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach grew even more. He had no idea who any of those people were anyway, there was no use getting invested in what they were doing. Might as well just forget about it, he had a job to do anyway...

...

Shindou turned again. Maybe just to get one last look. But the other was gone, apparently having excused himself from the table. He wondered if his company even noticed his absence...

Shindou certainly did... though he would never admit it. He spent the rest of his time staring down at his piano keys with a serious expression that would dampen any party's atmosphere. He couldn't help it, his mind was swarming with questions and theories.

What... were they talking about? What could cause that dejected expression on his face...? Why couldn't those two stop talking for two seconds to notice?

He couldn't have left entirely, could he?

...Maybe he was misunderstanding the entire thing. It wasn't any of his business anyway.

It was just that...

He'd never seen anyone, any boy anyway, with long pink pigtails like that, but they seemed to suit him perfectly.

He was... very pleasing to look at.

He wondered if he would ever see him again...

It was then Shindou heard the voice and looked up, seeing dejected blue eyes and a pout to go with it that he'd been searching for, that his question was answered.

...

He... had been playing the same, simple tune over and over hadn't he? He must have been so lost in thought, his hands were practically on autopilot. And dreary repetitive music wouldn't make the night much better would it?

That could be why the other looked so tired... his eyes drooped as he stared hopelessly at the pianist, as if waiting for him to repeat the song yet again, and as if he would release the biggest sigh once he did.

...

But, he wasn't bored. He wasn't bored at all!

He was enjoying himself! Really! And he wanted the other to enjoy himself too...

Without a moment's hesitation, Shindou's hands hit the keys once again, and a perky melody began to fill up the room. A light upbeat song that contrasted completely with the dark parlor, but was welcomed nonetheless.

Just by glancing around the room, it was obvious the guests began feeling uplifted, some humming, toes tapping, it was a melody one couldn't help but smile at.

Shindou even found himself softly smiling as he stared down at the keys, as if the song melted the negative feelings inside him away, at least just a little...

But...

Fingers still moving, Shindou looked up at the pink-haired boy, straight into his bright blue eyes.

The other gasped a little, blinking in disbelief, before leaning on the stair railing once more, but this time, wearing a soft little smile.

He looked like he was ready to stay there and listen to this perky little melody forever.

...

He really was beautiful...

But still, there was a little bit of sadness left in his expression... just a tiny bit...

...

♫!

The piano vibrated with intensity, the tempo rose dramatically, and the smiles around the room grew. It was as fast a melody, one couldn't help but get up and dance to. The deep hums of low notes shaking the entire room, the sharp, cheerful sounds of the high notes, all blending together to create a harmony so rich!

The entire atmosphere changed, the room brightened!

Shindou couldn't help but grin from ear to ear, and when he looked up, his company reflected the exact same bright smile.

His eyes were wide with wonder as they followed every move his hands made, marveling at every time his finger would hit a key, another delightful note would come out, how all the little notes came together to form the amazing symphony he was hearing. He sat up, leaning over the railing now, so much Shindou wondered for a moment if he would fall.

But clearly the only thing that mattered was watching his performance, how fast his hands moved, how calculated and accurate the movements were despite that...!

...

Shindou felt something welling inside him...

There was just something about it...

Something about seeing that smile, and knowing it was because his song...

It was so--

"Hey, Kirino."

...

The melody slowed... and the notes became softer...

"There you are!" It was the red headed boy from earlier... the one who wouldn't stop talking. "We were waiting for you." He placed a hand on Kirino's shoulder, smiling warmly. "Come, on. We'd better make the most of this while we can. And I think Mr. Saito's taking a liking to you."

"Oh, save it, Taiyou, he's not worried about me." A dark, incredulous expression took over. "It's obvious he's pretty much already decided to give you the internship anyway."

"..."

"I want to stay here..." He leaned on the railing again, staring down at Shindou. "and listen to the music."

The redhead's brow furrowed, but after a little bit of coaxing, decided to head back to the table on his own.

"That's all I wanna do..."

Kirino let out a heavy sigh, and his eyes drooped as they lazily followed the movement of Shindou's fingers. The smile remained... but it looked...

It looked....

...

Why did he suddenly feel... so awful?

...

It was a flurry, an absolute whirlwind of notes. Coming one after the other at lightning speed.

It wasn't a upbeat, perky song anymore. Shindou's hands flew up and down the entire piano, making use of every single note at his disposal. His fingers rapidly alternated between the keys, sharply pounding each one, making sure every sound was heard and appreciated.

The rhythm, the complexity, the air of the entire piece... it was less of a song, but more as if it was composed entirely to make sure everyone who heard it absolutely respected the work and the player himself.

It didn't go unnoticed, as many heads turned, curious about the newfound passion that seemed to be erupting from their young pianist, even Kirino's forgotten company couldn't help but watch. The relaxing atmosphere he was intended to provide was completely forgotten about, thrown all away, the guests' heads had to have been spinning from the hundreds of notes being thrown at them all at once.

It was exactly what Shindou had intended. He sped up the tempo, livened up the melody, every note was louder, every crescendo exaggerated, the entire piece made fuller, as if he was trying to get his listeners to truly believe they were listening to an entire orchestra.

He didn't even understand why he was worried so much about it, but it was almost as if his hands were moving on their own.

See, he wasn't bored! The piano player wasn't bored at all!

...

It was just the only thing he could think to do... to cheer him up.

Tch... It would be better if he hadn't been making mistakes...

An F instead of an F♯... a G instead of an A...

Shit...

This was an incredibly complicated piece, Shindou hadn't practiced it nearly enough for a performance. But he was going to play it.

He was going to play it.

Wait... how did the next section start again...?

Did the melody start from C3 or C4? Or was it D3... or D4?

Did it repeat again, or was it time for the bridge?

Not to mention the damper pedals...

...

Fuck it.

To be honest, Shindou didn't really care about what song he was playing anymore. A spontaneous urge for an impromptu performance, he would claim later, but it didn't matter. He was more preoccupied with imagining the look on Kirino's face.

Would his blue eyes be wide in awe? As if he'd never seen anything so amazing?

Shindou frowned as he concentrated on the keys... He wanted to look up so badly... just to see if he made even the smallest difference in Kirino's mood...

Or would he be wearing the brightest smile, as if all of his birthdays came at once?

...!

Vivacissimo!

Maybe Shindou had accidentally grown a little too fond of the new customer after all...

Allegro vivace!

Because he just couldn't stop playing...

As if he was determined to make sure it was the most extraordinary performance anyone had ever seen.

Presto!

And he'd just found the perfect muse to do just that.

Prestissim--

"Alright, alright! I get it! You're incredible--"

"No, you're incredible!!"

...

...

The entire song came to a complete stop. The parlor became dark and calm again... The chatter of the company slowly began to flow back into his ears. And the hundreds of notes that were planned out in his head, disappeared into nothing.

But...

The expression Kirino was wearing... as he held Shindou's left hand as if to stop him from playing one more note, was one of laughter...

One of absolute delight...

Shindou just couldn't help but shout out exactly what he was thinking.

And judging by the surprised look Kirino was giving him now, Shindou had his complete attention.

...

He... didn't mean to say that.

...

But he'd might as well continue.

Shindou didn't know a single thing about why Kirino had arrived in that lounge that day, or anything about what he had been talking about with his company, or even have the slightest idea of how much heartache he could really be hiding deep within him right now...

Maybe it was none of his business anyway...

But somehow, and Shindou didn't even know how himself, but he knew:

"You're incredible..."

He had to say it. It was important, anyway.

"Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Kirino simply stared back into the other's eyes... as if going over the entire event in his mind over again. Even the way he tilted his head in thought, the way his pink hair flowed over his shoulders, was charming...

"Ok?" Shindou asked, his face lighting up with hope.

Even if it dissolved into a bit of a cacophony near the end...

His piano playing helped a little...

Right...?

...

Kirino sighed again, but this time, a shy... yet warm smile came with it... and Shindou had no doubt he understood who his performance was for.

"...Ok."