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Chapter Two of Sour Droplets!

[Chapter 2 - A Helpful Friend?]

When An woke up, she wasn’t laying sprawled out on the cold hard sidewalk like she thought she would be. Instead, she was laying on top of a blanket that was covering the mattress under her. Her head was delicately placed on a pillow near the back of the bed, and the room she was in was immersed in darkness. 

However two sounds continually rang through the room. The click of a mouse and the clack-clack of a keyboard.  

An craned her kneck upwards to look towards the sound, her eyes straining through the darkness. There, in front of her, was a girl with blueish-white hair that went a bit past of her waist, seemingly composing a song at her computer.

The bright screen reflected in her blue eyes, and her fringe was tucked to both sides, save for a long section in the middle. However a few seconds after An caught a glimpse of the anonymous girl, she turned to face An, her blue eyes softening.

“Ah, you’re awake.” She said, her soft and sweet voice flowing together like honey. “How are you feeling?”

The girls voice was full of concern, but An couldn’t help but feel embarrassed that a completely stranger had found her in one of her most vulnerable moments, even if she was unconscious.

“Yeah I’m fine.” An rushed, wanting to leave as soon as possible. “Sorry for troubling you, I’ll just-.” An stood up off the bed and found herself crumpling to the ground in pain, causing the girl to quickly jump out of her seat and rush over, helping An into the bed again.

“Are you alright?” The girl asked again, the worry evident in her eyes. “When I found you, you looked like you were in a lot of pain, so you should probably take it easy.” The girl stood up after An was back to laying on the sheets. “I’m going to go grab you a glass of water, I’ll be back in a second.”

An just watched her go, unable to move herself as she hugged her legs to her chest and buried her face in her knees. Now that she was awake thanks to her fall to the floor, she could roughly feel the pain she was in. Of course she was still feeling sleepy and a bit disoriented from waking up in a new place after passing out, so that was likely numbing some of the pain as a result. 

Speaking of passing out, how long did she really sleep? The curtains in the room were closed, ensuring that no light would get in, which An was thankful for. She felt like she wanted to cry as her throat became scratchy and raw with tears pricking at her eyes. After all, she was in so much mental pain, why’d she have to suffer phyiscal pain too? She was a good person, it wasn’t fair!

And she hated being a burden to others. Having people pick up her slack like the anonymous girl that was taking care of her just wasnt something she wanted others to do. She wanted to get good on her own, and it wasn’t fair to make others deal with her excess.

She hugged her legs closer to her, her heart aching.

It was a marvel that the girl had heard An move at all. After all, An had only moved her head slightly and somehow the girl had heard her, which took An by surprise. To have your ears be that sensitive to sound… An just couldn’t fathom it. And the girl seemed to gracefully move throughout her room like she memorized the layout, which likely meant she spent most of her time in her room.

The thought alone made An shiver. She couldn’t imagine sitting in her room alone for that along in the dark, much less the strain on her eyes. At this point An couldn’t tell if she was amazed by the girls situation, or if she was scared of her stay-in-her-room talents.

Soon though, the girl re-appeared, a glass of cold water in her hands. An couldn’t lie, the cup looked enticing. After all, she had sweated most of the fluid out of her body by sweating on her aimless run, and it was clear her body was demanding to be replenished.

“Here, take this.” The girl handed An the clear glass of water which she accepted greatfully. “You lost a lot of fluid while you were asleep, and I wasn’t able to replenish any of it. So I thought I’d hydrate you while you’re awake.”

An just nodded, wanting to ask so many questions. Where was she? How long had she slept? But all she could manage from her parched chapped lips and dry scratchy throat was…

“What’s your name?”

The girl smiled as An drank the cold water, the liquid sliding down her grateful throat.

“I’m Kanade.”

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 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.

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?”

Chapter 9 of Sour Droplets! [LAST CHAPTER]

[Chapter 9 - Delicate Strings] POV SWITCH - Kanade Yosikai

Getting an invitation to an event to a concert was not what Kanade had expected. But she had been composing a lot of songs in her house, and maybe the song she was stuck on when she met An took up more space in her head than she thought.

Speaking of An, Kanade and her still kept in touch. At least, kept in touch enough for her to know that after a lot of texting Kanade from her dads phone, An got a brand new phone. She said the case was dark blue with yellow stars on the bottom, a representation of her hair. She also mentioned that it wasn’t her who bought the phone, but her dad, which made Kanade smile in response.

After a while a month had passed, marking a milestone in Kanade and An’s friendship. And then it became another month. Well, a third of the month.

It was the end of the third week of September while Kanade was sitting in her desk chair, composing notes as usual. She had her left hand on her keyboard, and her right hand holding a pencil. It was usual for her to play notes one at the time and then write whatever composure sounded good to her. But right when Kanade started to focus, her pocket shifted, indicating that her phone vibrated.

Kanade blinked, wondering if she should ignore it or not. But she just sighed and pulled out her phone, the case pressing against her palm. She could always come script more of her music later if she had to step away for a second, and she wasn’t really that focused anyway.

As she powered the screen on, a faint smile broke onto Kanade’s lip. It was an invitation from An to one of her concerts for three day from now. As the phone screen continued to glow, she used her fingers to type out a message to her.

“I’ll be there, I promise.”

After sending the message Kanade exited the app and dutifully marked the date in her calendar before stuffing her phone back into her pocket. She was lucky that that day ended up being free for her, and she knew that she had to attend. After all A was her friend, so she’d be there to support her no matter what.

It didn’t take long for the date to roll around and Kanade’s phone to alert her of the incoming event. So when the starting time got closer and closer, she put her favorite sweatshirt on, her comfiest sneakers, and headed out the door. 

The initial light was blinding as the wind whipped her hair around, but eventually her eyes adjusted to the brightness, revealing the crisp blue sky and puffy white clouds. Kanade inhaled, savoring the fresh pure air. She had already visited her dad a bit earlier in the week, so she hadn’t been out in a while. But to be honest, Kanade enjoyed the nice change of pace very rarely. So with the fabric of her sweatshirt clinging to her skin, she made her way to the event, the cool air coating the inside of her nostrils.

When Kanade arrived, she made her way to the front of the large crowd. Of course she never had watched the event RAD WEEKEND hosted ,(even though she planned to since An was interested in it), but even so she was surprised that a group of people this big didn’t overshadow RAD WEEKEND already. Still, meeting their goal or not, this meant that their popularity was growing, causing them to get even closer to the result of hosting the biggest street event in history.

All of a sudden though, the lights dimmed and the crowd shushed. The spotlights turned on, illuminating An in the fluorescents.

“~~🎶!” An’s voiced blared through the mic, rocking the stadium. “How good would it have been if it were a dream?

Another spotlight illuminated a second figure behind her, highlighting her sand blonde pigtails. “I still dream about you, like going home to get something you forgot.”

Kanade knew that that person was someone named Kohane. An had introduced all of her partners to Kanade over the phone, so as the spotlight illuminated another person with blue hair, she easily identified them as Toya. By the order of the spotlights turning on that easily meant that Akito would be next, but Toya wasn’t going to let himself be out-shined by the last person that hadn’t been revealed yet.

“Dust off old memories, that there is happiness that will never return.” His fiery grey eyes conveyed a sense of determination, but Kanade was smiling the whole time. They were singing the song that she decided to give them. The one An helped out with when they first met.

“Finally you told me, the dark past that I hid without being able to talk about it.” Akito’s passion-infused voice rang around the stadium and the crowd went wild, cheering. 

Yet even though Kanade was silent, she could feel a warmth in her heart. She had helped An through a tough moment, and helped save her with a song. With composing songs for Mafuyuu, making things to touch people’s hearts seemed kind of hopeless at some points. But she had helped lessen the weight on someone’s shoulders, getting them to stand on their own two legs. She hoped that they learned they weren’t alone in this world, even in their darkest moments. And as for Kanade? Maybe the world really was full of hope.

[END]

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