Chapter 7 Of Sour Droplets!

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.

Red waterfalls [part 2] 🌸

Love is as sweet as candy…

After almost reaching sempai Ayano was teleported to a black room. She had no idea where she was. But she was still covered in blood with a knife. All of a sudden a black spider like demon floated toward her. A hole opened in what looked like her face and she started speaking. "I know what you did." She relaxed her shoulders, fingering the outline of a knife in her pocket. "And?” “I want to work with you." “Why?” “Because you helped create me.”

Create a spider demon? What? When? Did a sin of hers make a demon or someth-. Wait-. Is this the demon Oka summoned? That was the only explanation.

“How?” “I will make eliminating rivals easier. You only have to say a few words and there out of your hair. And if you ever need me, I’ll be behind a tree around the entrance in your school.”

Ayano couldn’t believe her ears. But she barely had any time to process because she was teleported to another Akademi high. That everyone must have also been teleported to. But since no one freaked out when they saw her, they must have had their minds erased but that demon. She walked in and the school was identical as the one in the other world she was in.

And so was the students. She still felt the same about sempai, and he was still the same. And after confirming that everything was the same the rival elimination was, in fact, surprisingly easy. And she ended up actually getting her sempai! But she knew that sooner or later blood would have to be spilled and waterfalls would have to turn easy.

But right now this era has no murder. Let’s call it….. the era of peace.

The end

Chapter 3 of Sour Droplets!

[Chapter 3 - A cold glass of water]

“Kanade huh? That’s a nice name.” An replied, her lips pursing into a smile.

“Thank you, my parents chose that name for me before I was born.” Kanade responded, giving her name a bit more context. “What’s yours?”

An realized that her name meant to “play music” or “preform”. It rose several more questions in her head, but she just settled on giving Kanade her name.

“I’m An. An Shirashi.” She replied, putting her cup on top of a canned cup of ramen sitting in an open cardboard box. “Thank you for bringing me here, I’m sorry you have to take care of me like this.”

Kanade shook her head, her hair swaying to both sides. “Please don’t apologize Mrs. An.” She replied, acting formal. “You were unconscious and injured on the ground, anyone would’ve done the same.”

An smiled faintly at her kindness, feeling her heart soothe from the warmth. However she couldn’t help but think about Kanade’s words. Would anyone else really have done the same?

“Well thank you anyway Mrs. Kanade.” An replied as the air conditioner buzzed in the background, chilling the room. It was obvious Kanade had it on constantly so she’d be at the right temperature, since she was also wearing sweats to counteract the chill.

“It’s my pleasure.” Kanade’s calm voice responded as if it was covered in silk. “But there’s no need to you such formalities with me, you can just call me Kanade.”

An felt it was interesting that Kanade was warming up to her so fast, but maybe she didn’t interact with others much, so she was just eager to make friends. However even though An had likely been awake and resting in this room for around 5 minutes, she knew nothing about it aside from the boxes of ramen in front of the bed. So feeling curious An let her eyes drift, observing the room. And it wasn’t long before her eyes landed in the keyboard set up infront of the closed curtains.

“…Hey Kanade, do you make music?” An couldn’t help but ask, catching Kanade off guard.

Soon though Kanade regained her composure and responded in that usual tranquil voice of hers. “Yes I do.” Kanade answered, even though An wouldn’t have believed her if she had said no. “However I’m stuck on the melody of one of my songs. Would you mind listening to it?”

An couldn’t help but feel her curiosity grow at the idea of one of Kanade’s tracks. She seemed so inexpressive and introverted that it gave off an aura that she worked under an alias.

“Sure I don’t mind, I work with music all the time. I’m sure I can help you figure something out.” An responded, feeling Deja-vue from when Toya wrote Hollow.

In response Kanade just softly smiled. “Oh you do? That’s great.” She said, moving over to her computer set-up pressed against her left bedroom wall. “I’ve been working on this song for a while now, but the melody always seems a bit off. I’ve tried refining the guitar and heightening the pitch but it always seems like something’s missing…” Kanade trailed off as if she didn’t know what to say, then clicked the play button with her mouse.

And as the graceful song flowed through Kanade’s attached speakers, An’s eyes widened.

This song!!!

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 5 of Sour Droplets!

[Chapter 5 - Unamed Melody X]

An wasn’t sure if she could classify her dream as a “dream”, or an unpleasant nightmare. She was awake enough to remember part of it, and even though it wasn’t Kanade’s song, her was still as emotion-stirring as the heart-gripping melody that made her cry. For An had dreamt of being hugged by Nagi in her sleep, something she really missed her doing.

And when An woke up she felt more rested than before, but her heart was throbbing with pain that seemed to be vying for her attention. However she ignored it, instead pulling out her phone to text her dad that she was alright, while the faint clicking of a mouse could be heard in the background. 

Yet as she glanced at the screen in her hand, she could see that it was riddled with cracks, making her inwardly curse at herself. It had probably gotten damaged when she fell, meaning that not only could she not text anyone, but that her dad would have to buy her a new phone. She felt her frustration boil inside of her. Why did she have to continue causing trouble for other people? 

An exhaled a deep breath out of her nose, her anger feeling like it was gripping her heart. 

However, this attracted Kanade’s attention, which was evident when she turned her head to look at An.

“Oh you’re awake again? How do you feel?” Kanade asked, the ends of her hair resting in the seat of her chair.

“Mmgh.. how long have I slept?” An asked, putting her phone away and rubbing her eyes.

“Well its August 27 2024…” Kanade started, her hands in her lap now.

“…!” An sucked in a breath. 

She had visited Aunt Nagis grave on the 25th before passing out, which likely means when she woke up again that it was the 26th. Then, she fell asleep again and woke up on the 27th, which meant she had been away from home for three days!

An opened her mouth, about to apologize and head home when her stomach spoke for her, letting out a growl that demanded sustenance. 

“I apologize An. I was so concerned about how you felt I didn’t get an opportunity to grab something for you to eat.” Kanade apologized, her gaze softening. “I don’t have much, but would you like to eat some minute ramen? I apologize I don’t have something else to offer you, but that’s all I have.”

An didn’t have ramen a lot, but the idea of eating something warm was too tempting to resist, even though she’d been sleeping on a warm bed for all this time.

“Yes please…” Was all An could manage and Kanade just grabbed one of her many unopened cups of ramen around the room and left, closing the door behind her as she went to heat up the ramen.

As bad as An felt for making Kanade do all of this, her heart warmed at the girls kindness. She knew that after this, she was definitely indebted to Kanade now, especially since An had cried infront of her. She new she had been a bother it Kanade, but she couldn’t help but find a part of her wanting to be friends with the introverted girl. She didn’t just want to leave someone who had done this much for her behind and forget about her, she wanted to keep in touch and somehow repay Kanade with the same generosity she showed her.

It didn’t take long for Kanade to come back in with the ramen, containing a shiny silver fork. She handed it to An who accepted it with a grateful smile before she sat down at her desk chair again, continuing to work on her song.

An was surprised that Kanade hadn’t asked about her mental breakdown, or why she seemed so mopey. But at the same time she was glad that Kanade hadn’t pushed it, as that would likely only have made things worse. Still, a part of An felt compelled to tell her. Even though she was basically a complete stranger An met barely three days ago. 

An wrapped her hands around the cup and stared into the murky water as it warmed her hands. Finally, after a moment, she had gained enough courage and broke the silence.

“Hey Kanade… can I tell you something?”

“Hm?”

And that was all it took for An to start confessing. She was surprised that a part of her had stirred her onwards to this moment. After all she had Kohane and everyone to support her right? So why did she feel so… so… so hopeless and alone?

But Kanade listened to her story quietly, managing eye contact with An the whole time to show that she was listening. 

“I think I understand the pain you’re going through.” Kanade said after An finished, surprising her.

A Cozy Sweater

Here is my two star MEIKO card for my event! She’s supposed to be the VBS MEIKO, but this is my first time making a custom project sekai card and drawing outfits on characters. So without further ado, here’s her ability:

40% score boost for 5 seconds