His breath hitched, and his eyes dilated, locked on the figures in front of him. The harmony of the trio filled his ears as he closed his eyes to just listen. His heart pounded against his chest as he heard his brother's euphonic voice sing out the lyrics.

He let himself be lulled into the music before it shifted into loud drumming with stings of distortion and reverb accompanied by his brother's voice. Despite the sudden shift in tone, he still found himself nodding his head along with the rhythm that echoed the small studio.

It still lit the fire of passion in him nonetheless.

A passion that withered out so long ago yet somehow still refused to die.

Ais, with his pounding, aching heart, stared at the promotional poster plastered on the board. The large bold, cartoonish words of "Talent Competition" blaring him, seemingly mockingly, in the face as the chatter of his peers around muffled into the background.

Tearing his eyes away, Ais pushed through the crowd of students in an attempt to get away from the poster. Today must be his "lucky" day because his attempt to escape triumph easily by the force of several students pushing forward and consequently pushing him back.

By the sounds of girls squealing and guys cheering, Ais had a pretty good guess on who were responsible for the increased excitement that destroyed his only way of leaving now that he was stuck in the middle of this mess. Emphasis on the "were" because there were only two people in the entire school that could cause this much ruckus.

And as if on cue, here came the first one.

Holding his black rectangular, hard bass guitar case on one hand and his other stuffed into his pocket, this red-eyed teen stalked over towards the promotional poster on the school board, the other students parting away from him as he stopped to examine the poster. After a moment, he glanced at the table beside it that held pamphlets of the promotional poster before taking one to go then turned his heels to leave.

Murmurs and chatter quickly erupted, adding to Ais' growing headache, as Ais tried to keep his breath steady. Attempting his escape again, Ais carefully made his way through the crowd, but unfortunately for him, the second one came in with a barrage of guys and girls. And back in the middle of it all was a tired Ais.

Strutting over, the silver-eyed spectacled teen stopped right in front of the leaving red-eyed teen, making him halt. "Halilintar." "Solar." The two teens said each other's names as a tense silence filled the air. The once boisterous crowd now speechless as they stared at two teens glaring at each other.

With his arms crossed, Solar looked at the other teen up and down, his gaze lingering on the pamphlet in Halilintar's hands before glancing at the promotional poster on the board. "A talent competition, huh? You really expect to win with an instrument you haven't played in years?" Solar mocked, jeering at the other, with a smug smirk on his face.

Halilintar scoffed. "And you think you can do better? What are you gonna do? Teach the teacher-judges calculus?" Halilintar returned the smug smirk as Solar's fell and was replaced with a scowl.

Keeping his composure, Solar walked a few steps past Halilintar and stopped right in front of the table with the pamphlets. With furrowed eyebrows, Halilintar watched Solar take a pamphlet. Examining it for a moment, Solar looked over his shoulder to meet Halilintar's gaze once again.

"You think you're the only musically inclined one here? I'll show you who's the real one when I win this competition," Solar declared, waving the pamphlet tauntingly.

Taking a step closer, Halilintar glared daggers at Solar. "You really think so?" Halilintar questioned in a challenging tone.

"I know so," Solar stated confidently.

Groaning internally, Ais couldn't care less of these two rivals' drama, it was the last thing he wanted to be involved in. Attempting his escape once again, Ais gently pushed his face through the crowd. But alas, Lady Luck truly wasn't on his side today as the news of two rivals' competition sparked an uproar among the students.

People started to push and shove, and Ais found himself being thrusted towards the centre of the attention. Feeling himself get propelled backwards, Ais braced himself as he crashed into the table with the pamphlets. His collusion caused the table to fall and the pamphlets to scatter across the floor.

Gasps could be heard as Ais, feeling his peers' stares burn holes in his skin, kept his gaze down and ignored their whispers and murmurs. His heart and breathing quickened, suddenly it was hard to breathe, and he couldn't stop his body from trembling. Shutting his eyes close, he tried to calm himself.

Ais was so out of it that he didn't even hear his best friend call out to him. "AIS!" Blaze shouted, his voice snapping him back to the present. "Hey, Ais... Breathe for me, buddy..." It was easier said than done. Ais felt like he was suffocating, barely even recognizing his best friend's voice among the crowd's noise. He heard Blaze shout something inaudible to him but soon realised the crowd was decreasing.

"Hey, hey, follow my breathing..." Blaze's voice firm as Ais hesitantly opens his eyes, but his gaze is still down. Instead, Ais listened to Blaze's steady breathing, copying it as best as he could, as he held onto his best friend's arms.

Blocking out the noise, Ais focused on his best friend's reassuring voice. "You're doing great, Ais," Blaze whispered softly, "keep it up, bud..." It almost made Ais chuckle at his best friend's tender side.

Feeling a hand be placed on his shoulder, Ais flinched as his gaze followed the hand to find his eyes meeting its owner's momentarily. "Ais, do you need to go to the nurse's office?" Familiar golden eyes looked at him with gentleness as Ais finally registered the emptiness of the hallway.

The appearance of the student council president—Gempa—immediately dispersed the crowd of students upon arriving, leaving the three of them alone in the, now, empty hallway. Ais glanced around, examining his surroundings, as he slowly evened out his breathing. Looking back at Gempa, Ais shook his head, answering the student council president's previous question.

Gempa offers a comforting smile as he and Blaze help Ais up from the ground. Once he knew Ais was stable enough to stand alone, Blaze crouched down to help Gempa pick up the scattered pamphlets, organising the table and papers back in its original place. "Thanks," Gempa expressed as Blaze saluted him. "No problem, Prez," Blaze responded with a playful grin that earned a soft snicker from Gempa.

"Well, anyway, you two better head to class then. The second bell is about to ring," Gempa said as Blaze's eyes shot wide open. "Oh sh—! Ais, let's go!" Blaze hooked his arm around his Ais', dragging his best friend along with him.

Watching the duo race to their respective classroom, Gempa shook his head fondly. His eye flickers over to the poster on board, the one he had put up, and can't help the throbbing in his chest as he looks at it. Recalling his brief glance at Halilintar before the latter left, Gempa let out a sigh.

The memories were beautifully painful.

❅ ╤╤ 「 ⇄ ◁ || ▷ ↻ 」 ╤╤ ❅

The incident spread like wildfire.

Except the rumours that circulated were outrageous false truths to add to the two rivals' drama. No one ignorant nor stupid would fall for those rumors, however, some unknowing one did fall victim to their lies.

"Y'know Ais from Class 4-A. I heard that he challenged Halilintar and Solar to a talent competition," someone whispered, receiving gasps from their circle of friends.

Another murmured in shock, "the one being held next month? No way! What does that guy think he is?"

"Talent? What talent? He's as talented as a pebble!" And another exclaimed, inciting laughter from the group.

Blaze glared at the gossip loving clique, a growl erupting his mouth, as they passed them. "Don't listen to them, Ais. They don't know what they're talking about," Blaze reassured his best friend, but Ais could hardly care about what they said behind his back, the thing he didn't like was the unnecessary drama that he got dragged into.

"Though I'm a bit curious about this talent competition. I think I might join just for fun!" Blaze said, feeling a bit giddy at the idea of trolling the judges and audience. Ais hid his chuckle behind his sleeve, nodding at Blaze's scheme, as he imagined the numerous ways his best friend would mess with the competition.

Their lighthearted conversation was unfortunately interrupted by a certain spectacled teen, who just a few hours ago, challenged the school's resident bad boy—Halilintar. Solar sneered at Blaze, "it's a talent competition, Blaze, not a circus." The way he said talent and Blaze irked the mentioned teen the wrong way. Blaze did not take kindly to Solar's jeers.

"I can't have fun? Not everyone is uptight as you are, Solar," Blaze responded, glaring at the spectacled teen. Solar scoffed, "Instead of wasting everyone's time by getting criticised by the judges, why not do something productive?" Blaze didn't like the tone of voice Solar used.

"What do you mean by that, huh?" Blaze questioned, stepping closer to the other, as Solar just laughed. "I'm just saying, seeing as you're already behind, maybe you should focus on your studies first," Solar stated, his mockingly smirk grinding the gears in Blaze's head.

"Why you little—" Blaze cuts himself off when he feels a light tug on his jacket. He glances to his side and finds Ais clinging onto him, uncomfortable at the attention on them. A pang of guilt hit Blaze. He quickly ignored Solar as he and Ais made their way out of the cafeteria.

Before they could leave, Solar leaned towards Ais. "If I were you, I'd stay away from Repeat unless you want a bad rep, too," Solar whispered, his closeness making Ais freeze up. Blaze immediately got in between them as Ais huddled behind him. "Leave him alone, Solar."

Solar just shrugged as his eyes stayed on Ais for a moment, his gaze intense and seemingly filled with contempt. "Just warning him," Solar smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. Blaze recognized that look anywhere and seeing it on Solar's smug face, it only made Blaze dislike the guy even more.

Looking between his best friend and the spectacled teen, Ais couldn't help but feel ashamed for not being able to help Blaze. He stared down at his hands, flexing his fingers, before looking back at Solar. Feeling a hand grip his tightly, Blaze glanced at Ais, eyes widening as he watched the quiet teen lift his hand to sign.

Blaze practically burst out in laughter the moment Ais signed to Solar. People stared at them strangely, but Blaze didn't care, too busy laughing. Wiping a tear from his eye, Blaze patted Ais back. "Good one, Ais!"

"Let's head out now," Blaze said, tugging Ais along, as they left the cafeteria filled with stunned students. With his face flushed red, Solar was left in the middle of this whole interaction as he watched the duo chipperly exited.

❅ ╤╤ 「 ⇄ ◁ || ▷ ↻ 」 ╤╤ ❅

By the time they get to their usual spot outside the school building, beneath the shade of the school's single sakura tree, Blaze is still calming down from laughing so hard. "You think he understood what you said?" Smiling at his friend's antics, Ais signed in response, "if his red face was an indicator, then definitely."

"Guess it would be expected from Mr. Always Perfectly Right Solar." Blaze said mockingly, earning a disapproval look from Ais. "What? He's a jerk! And he's not any better." Ais sighed, signing to him, "a jerk who was your friend."

Blaze scoffed, picking up his sandwich and taking a bite from it. "Yeah, emphasise on the "was". That "friendship" died off years ago," Blaze mumbled, avoiding his best friend's gaze. Ais doesn't ask anymore, already knowing the story.

The duo remained silent while they ate. Blaze wasn't in the mood to talk and Ais feels guilty for bringing up the spectacled teen.

"S-So... rry..." Ais forced the word out, cringing at the sound of his groggy, strained voice, and it immediately fired off alarm bells in Blaze's mind. "Hey, hey! Don't force yourself, Ais," Blaze frantically tells him, rubbing circles on his friend's back. "I'm pissed at Solar, not you."

Ais simply nodded in response, massaging his throat for a moment, as he and Blaze fell into their usual small conversations. Even though he preferred the quiet, it was nice to fill the silence with noise—no, not noise. More like sounds, pleasant sounds—sometimes.

"Who do you think would win?" Ais signed as Blaze, placing a finger on his chin, thought about it for a moment. A smirk grew across his face as Blaze glanced at Ais. "You," he answers, making Ais punch him on the shoulder.

"Kidding! Kidding!" Blaze laughs as he puts his hands up as if to surrender. "Though you probably would if I were honest." Ais punched him again, his face red, embarrassed upon hearing Blaze's words and laughter. He had no talent. Zero . . . Not anymore at least.

After Blaze calms down again, Ais tries to change the topic by asking, "what instrument does Solar play?" Blaze's expression suddenly changes, a blank look, as he leans back and stares off into the sky. "He plays the piano, but he hasn't played in years so I don't know why he'd challenge Emo Pikachu to a musical battle," he answered, letting a broken chuckle escape his mouth, and Ais doesn't ask about the sudden tone shift.

Instead, Ais signed with an amused manner, "it's more surprising that Halilintar agreed." Blaze snorted, his laugh a lot more genuine than the last, as he leaned back a bit. "Yeah. Thought he stopped playing after his band disbanded."

Ais flinched as Blaze instantly sat straight. "Oh gosh, Ais! I'm sorry!" Ais shakes his head, signing how it was okay. "This makes use even," Ais adds, earning a scoff from his best friend, as Blaze rolls his eyes before sighing.

Today was a mess. Everything keeps going up and down, and it wasn't something Ais knew how to handle. At least he had moments of blissful peace. But how long will those last now that he's gotten caught up in this mess? He just hopes it dies down soon.

Amidst their conversations, both spot a familiar figure in the distance. "Well speak of the devil," Blaze mumbled, getting a disgusted look from his best friend, as Ais signed him to not eat with his mouth full. Blaze just shrugged before looking back at the nearing figure.

Halilintar, with his earphones in, glances up and meets eyes with Ais. Recognizing him, Halilintar approached the duo.

"Hey."

"Hey."

Halilintar and Ais greeted each other respectively while Halilintar nodded towards Blaze as the latter returned the gesture in acknowledgement. Focusing his attention on Ais, Halilintar sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry about what happened earlier," he said, momentarily confusing Ais before he remembered what happened earlier in the school hallway.

"It's not your fault besides it's not a big deal," Ais signed nonchalantly, however, Halilintar was still unconvinced. He didn't agree on the notion that it wasn't a 'big deal', especially with the rumours roaming around, but let it slide this time. "All right, but if anyone bothers you, tell me, and I'll handle it."

Ais responded affirmatively and Halilintar nodded, satisfied. The former was about ready to leave when Blaze suddenly shot him a question. "Are you really gonna start playing again?" Ais and Halilintar flinched at the query, both staring at him.

Halilintar didn't say anything for a while, only having this silent stare off with Blaze who had an unreadable expression on. Ais wasn't the biggest fan of this situation. He hated the tense silence.

"I need to move on." Halilintar finally said, tilting his head up slightly, solemnly staring at the sky. Blaze nodded. "Good for you, man." Ais relaxes a bit, but there's a lingering feeling of envy and guilt bubbling inside his chest.

"I need to go now. See you two around." Halilintar excused himself, leaving the duo to their devices. Ais nodded in acknowledgment as Blaze gave him a salute.

As they watch Halilintar disappear in the distance, Blaze gently nudged his friend. "You okay, Ais?" He asked. It was a rhetorical question thinking about it further, but that wasn't the point. Ais silently nodded his head, his expression crestfallen, as he signed, "I just wish I could do that to..."

Blaze remained silent, his eyes focused on his downcasted friend. Of course, he wished Ais could move on, too, but it doesn't work that way. Disliking the tense atmosphere, Blaze abruptly stood up, making Ais look at him curiously.

"I just remembered there was a new cafe opening near our school today! Do you wanna stop by there after school." Blaze suggested. The mention of a cafe brightening Ais' move instantly as he nodded eagerly. Blaze chuckled at his friend's expected reaction, the two spending the rest of their lunchtime period planning as they walked their way to their next class.

❅ ╤╤ 「 ⇄ ◁ || ▷ ↻ 」 ╤╤ ❅

"I'm so sorry, Ais!" Blaze apologised, bowing to his friend, who just rolled his eyes. "It's fine, Blaze," Ais signed in reassurance as Blaze sighed.

"I forgot I had football practice today! Are you alright with waiting for me?" Ais rose an eyebrow at Blaze. "I've always waited for you, haven't I?" Ais reminded, making Blaze chuckle shyly. "Thanks, Ais! It's my treat today, okay?" The said teen perked up at free food and Blaze let out a laugh.

The two soon bid their farewells as they separated. Blaze running off as Ais let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding. He should've expected Blaze to forget something important, but it was fine. Ais was used to staying behind at school for a while. Walking through the now barely filled halls, Ais let his legs carry him to wherever it wanted to.

But he already knew where he'd end up at . . . the rooftop.

The air here was nice and cool, it was peaceful with no one around, and it was quiet. As he approached the rooftop's railings, he let his bag drop down beside him, leaning against the railings whilst his eyes were shut. He felt the chill breeze brush against his face, the feeling of his hair waving along the wind. His ears picked up muffled voices, shouts and laughter, that even from high above he could still hear.

He wondered if he could see him from all the way up here.

Then, his breath suddenly came uneven, his grip on the railings tightening, as he attempted to calm himself. Breathe. Count. Breath. Count. He tried to tell himself, it was going to be fine. He was going to be fine. He will be fine.

"You don't have to give up because of me, Ais."

His voice echoed in his mind. The voices below, suddenly, became deafeningly loud as the noise drowned his senses. Silence! Quiet! Shut up! He wanted to scream out. He staggered around, his feet toppling his bag down and causing its contents to spill out. His eyes snapped open, and his gaze fell onto his headphones, a glint of hope crossing his face, as he scrambled to get it.

Crouched, he took his headphones and placed them comfortable onto his ears. A breath of relief escaped his mouth as he stayed, sitting down for a little longer. His gaze flickered over to his phone to which his headphones were still attached to. He reached out and grabbed it, his hands trembling as he scrolled through the list of songs saved on his playlist.

His finger stopped, hovering on the song that he used to play endlessly back then, but now left a bad taste in his mouth. He pressed play nonetheless. The instrumental of the song's intro was nostalgic, but his chest ached as it continued on. As the first verse came closer and closer, he found himself clearing his throat, running his tongue over his chapped lips.

And as the first verse came . . . he sang along.

It was groggy and strained. They were right. He was talentless, he had no talent whatsoever. That wasn't a voice of someone with talent. And yet . . . his heart soared with every time he sang.

Then, something fell. He looked down on his phone and saw a wet droplet of water on its screen. Did it start raining? He thought, but then another droplet fell and fell again. Only on his phone, however. Reaching up to touch his face, he felt something wet on his face. Oh. Had he been crying this entire time and not notice? He wondered.

The song reached the bridge of the song, and he finally steadied himself to stand. Softly singing along as his voice becomes less groggy and strained. He grabbed onto the railings once again, staring out to the horizon. With his gaze falling down, he finished singing the song as his eyes landed on the familiar dark blue cap of his older brother.

Ais watched his brother walk home, his figure disappearing in the distance.

"I don't want to give up, too, Abang..." He whispered into the air, closing his eyes once more.

His moment of peace doesn't last long as his ears perked up at the sudden sound of noise of several items dropping onto the floor. He flinches, feeling the ground vibrate at the force of their footsteps. Yes, footsteps. There were more than one person, he could tell.

"You!" "Ais!" Two voices called out to him as Ais looked over his shoulder, a look of terror engraved on his face when he recognises the two figure standing in front of him.

His eyes flickered to the silver-eyed, spectacled Solar, who was looking at him with an expression of bewilderment, as his binder's contents—piano pieces, he recognises—spread across the ground, fallen.

Then, his eyes flickered to the red-eyed, black-capped Halilintar, who was looking at him in awe as his mouth was agape, while his bass guitar case laid on the ground.

Their gazes bore into him as they took a step forward, and he took a step back.

"Sing with me!"