Chapter 4 Of Sour Droplets!

Chapter 4 of Sour Droplets!

[Chapter 4 - Mirror-Image]

As An listened to the song, it seemed to grip her very heart. 

The gentle piano was accompanied by a sweet music box, and the guitar that Kanade added seemed to play a sentiment that shook her very soul. There was no lyrics added yet, but it was already a touching song, even if An didn’t really listen to this type of music. It was so impactful that of felt like she was right next to Kanade, listening to the song right there.

Soon though, Kanade clicked on her mouse again, pausing the song. She turned to look at An, her eyes full of concern.

“Are you alright An?”

With that question An snapped out of her trance and realized that, without paying attention, tears pricked at the corner of her eyes. And every time she blinked to get rid of them, two more teardrops would appear in their place. Was she… crying? Why?

An knew that if she said anything, there was no doubt she’d break down in tears. So she did one thing.

“Aunt Nagi…!” She wailed, not entirely sure why. She began sobbing, using what meager energy she had left to squeeze tears out of her eyes. 

Kanade’s eyes widen in surprise but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she walked over and silently put her hand on An’s back. She wasn’t trying to get An to shush, or interrupt her crying. It was her way of showing An that she was here, even though she was crying in front of someone she had just met today.

It took a while for the sorrow that eclipsed An’s body to leave, but when it did she allowed herself to slump onto the bed, her eyes red. Kanade just stayed silent until she smiled softly, the corners or her lips perking upwards.

“I think I know what to add to my song now.” Kanade said, breaking the silence and snapping An out of her trance that her misery put her in. Yet the sentence only served to confuse her, causing her eyebrows to furrow.

“You.. you do?” An asked, the emotional thorn in her mind reminding her of Nagi seemingly a little duller now. “But I.. I.. I didn’t even help you.”

 Kanade just continued to smile with a tinge of sadness in her eyes, and An’s heart broke. For her to act so mature like this… like she knew what to do… she must’ve been through this kind of pain a lot.

Kanade shook her head, clearly disagreeing. “You actually helped me a lot An. It was through you that I was able to feel your pain, and reach deep in the depths to make my melody.”

Feel my pain? An silently repeated to herself, pondering the meaning. But meanwhile, Kanade continued.

“I can tell you’ve got a lot of pain on your shoulders, and if I can ever ease the ache you’re free to come over.” Kanade promised, her words bearing a silent weight to them. “But right now you should rest. With the state your fragile body is in you could be vulnerable to getting a cold. We can talk more when you wake up.”

As if flipping a switch that sentence made An realize how tired she was. She had cried and talked until her eyelids felt unimaginabley heavy. 

So as a yawn battled its way up her throat she just nodded to Kanade, who smiled in response and sat in her chair by the computer. It was clear Kanade was going to compose more music as An slept, and she wondered if she’d ever hear a song such as emotion-stirring as that one again. 

Speaking of “that one”, did that song even have a name…?

An wanted to ask, but the murky fog that held her brain captive was making her unbelievably sleepy. So she made a mental note to ask, before laying down and closing her eyes as her head rested on the pillow. And it wasn’t long before sleep took her, painting her vision an abyss-black.

Chapter 6 of Sour Droplets!

[Chapter 6 - Coming To Terms]

“Huh?” An asked, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Kanade just smiled softly in reply, however this time with a twinge of pain on her face. “My mom died from an illness when I was young, and my dad is still in care at the hospital, slowly recovering from his memory problems.” 

An’s eyes dilated in surprise as she listened, not quite believing what she was hearing. How could a girl that looked like she was 17 go through so much pain? An couldn’t imagine being in her shoes and going through all that pain, even if she had all of her supports she did now.

“But what matters is the fact you can go beyond.”

“Go.. beyond?” An echoed, confused.

“Even though they’re not here right now, you can still carry on their dream.” Kanade stated, smiling softly even though the pain in her eyes were more visible now. “To carry on their will and go to places that would make them proud.”

Despite the darkness in the room, the feelings being conveyed were crisp and clear. Slicing into An’s feelings like a sharp knife. And before she knew, tears were falling from here eyes once again.

“Sometimes when I think about my parents, I feel a sharp pain stabbing my heart. Like someone’s ringing out a soggy cloth.” Kanade continued as An’s tears continued to make trails down her cheek as one after the other continued to fall. “And it makes me want to break down and cry. To hide under the covers and never climb out again, but that’s ok. It’s ok to feel these emotions and to express them to people you know. For the only way to grow with pain is to experience it, or to go through it, growing with it as it grows with you.”

This advice was none like An had ever heard before. Sure if you googled “how to come to terms with death” you’d get something like “Accept it and live knowing that it's coming and there is absolutely NOTHING you can do to stop it.” Which was a piece of advice that could help some people, but wasn’t what An wanted to hear. Yet the maturity reflected in Kanade’s voice… the honesty… It seemed to envelop An’s heart in a warm blanket, despite the aching topic they were talking about.

Despite the subtle throb of An’s heart, she managed a weak smile as she let her tears drip down her face. “Thank you Kanade.”

“No there’s no need to thank me Mrs. An.” Kanade responded, making An laugh inside at how quickly she returned to formalities. “You’ve braved through the pain and came to a decision yourself, I played no part in that.”

An just continued to smile, knowing that if she continued to be kind that Kanade would just deflect somehow, and give An more credit than due. So instead, An tried a different approach.

“Hey Kanade.”

“Hm?”

“What’s your phone number?”

Here’s the MEIKO sprite for my two star card! I don’t have a very good photo editor, so a bit of the green screen remains, but this is the best I could get. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Sour Droplets event logo!

Unexpected Kindness

Here is the four star An card for the event! This is when Kanade hands her Ramen to eat, and I’m honestly excited to unveil the outfits and upgraded versions! But anyway, here’s the skill:

For every Vivid Bad Squad character added it gives the card +10, when activated this hard gives a 90% (max) score boost for 5 seconds.

Chapter 7 of Sour Droplets!

[Chapter 7 - Uniting Consequences]

An waved bye to Kanade who was standing by the door of her house. The birds continued to chirp over head, flying under the clouds that dotted the sky as the sun shined down on An. It was a beautiful day despite it being August 28, marking her official fourth, and last day away from home.

Kanade and An exchanged phone numbers, a testimony to the bond they had made over the meager three days they had. Instead of giving Kanade An’s original phone number, she gave her her dad’s, since her phone was broken and she also needed a way to get ahold of her father to tell her she was ok.

So after An was done listing off the numbers of her dads phone number, Kanade sent him a message to which he instantly responded, glad that he knew where An was. They explained everything that happened (except the emotional parts) and An’s dad offered to come get her, but after An tried to stand and found that she could, she knew she wanted to make the journey home herself.

So after she headed into the kitchen and refused Kanade’s offer for breakfast, they said their goodbyes and An headed out the door. However Kanade still waved goodbye with her trademark gentle smile on her face, making An’s heart swell with warmth. They both had connected on a deeper level despite the awkward way they had met, and An knew that Kanade now held a spot close to her heart. 

So as An walked home, she wondered how she could show her appreciation to her new friend. Should she buy her a gift? No… Kanade likely wouldn’t accept it, and feel bad that An spent money on her. Should she pick some flowers for her? No.. it didn’t seem like Kanade would have time to take care of them. 

And so An’s back and forth in her brain continued, her feet taking her home as her brain continued to debate on ideas. Before she knew it though, she was in front of her dads cafe, and pushing the door open. The bell attached to the door rang as she stepped into the air conditioned atmosphere of the building. The place was empty except for the four people at the counter and of course, her dad, behind the counter.

However it was easy to tell who everyone was at that counter. For the girl near the door had a shade of sandy blonde hair that An had practically memorized, and it was easy to tell who the other were from their short orange hair and the split light and dark blue hair. Kohane, Akito, and Toya were all here, waiting for her.

Despite how worried they all must be, An couldn’t help but smile, their concern touching her heart. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how her disappearance had impacted all of them, especially since she had stayed out of touch with them for four days. Yet they still came to her dads cafe and waited for her return, clearly anxious in the silence that echoed around the room. 

An felt like she had to apologize, but before the word could come out of her mouth Kohane was the first to turn her head, her light brown eyes looking at An wide with concern.

“An-Chan!” She yelled, causing everyone else to look her way.

Akito’s face clearly possessed several wrinkles that had imprinted on his skin from all the worrying he had done, but Toya just smiled gently, his gray eyes shining under the fluorescent lights.

“Welcome back Shirashi.” He greeted, his sharp eyes conveying a sense of warmth.

“Oi oi Shirashi where were you? You made us worry.” Akito said, his tsundere demeanor showing through. Though An had to hold in a laugh when she saw Toya elbow him, causing Akito’s face to melt into a smile. “-Urk! But we’re glad you’re here An.”

An’s lips turned upwards into a grin. Just as quickly as the silence had settled, her partners had broke it, which was quite characteristic for them. They never were ones to be quiet, but the relief on their faces said enough for them.

“An…! I’m so glad you’re safe.” Looking upwards, An could see her dad frozen in place and staring at her while he held a glass and cloth in hand.

Instantly a smile of relief and despair broke out across An’s face. She may not have Nagi anymore, but she had her dad. And god had she missed him.

Instantly An put one foot in front of the other, rushing forward. One of the things she loved about her dad was the warmth he provided, the bond they shared. And she had certainly missed that.

But as she ran behind the counter and wrapped her arms around him I’m a tight hug, she let out a contented sigh. As her dad wrapped her arms around she let herself smile, the corners of her lips curling upwards as she let herself be embraced by that familiar warmth again. For now she was home, in the place closest to her heart.