Part 1 – First Day, First Sound
April 11th. Monday morning.
The air in the school courtyard shimmered with spring sunlight. Students buzzed with rumors — not about midterms or club elections, but about the new teacher.
> "She's young."
"I heard she graduated from a conservatory in Vienna."
"She's too pretty to be a teacher. She's like a pianist from a drama."
"They say she rejected three guys on her first day."
"I hope she takes over the music club…"
Reina barely listened. She was focused on Alex, as always.
He looked tired today.
Not outwardly — he was still smiling, still joking. But his eyelids were heavier. His posture a little slouched. He hadn't touched the juice box she saw him tuck into his bag that morning.
> Something's off.
She followed him into the morning assembly.
That's when she saw her for the first time.
---
The new faculty introductions took place at the end of the school-wide meeting.
Principal Ishiguro cleared his throat and stepped aside.
> "Everyone, please welcome our new part-time instructor in piano performance and composition: Ms. Airi Tsukishima."
She walked onto the stage with quiet grace.
Young. Maybe twenty-three. Pale beige blouse tucked neatly into a navy skirt, heels that didn't make a sound, ash-blonde hair tied into a soft low bun. Her face was calm, unreadable — like she belonged in a quiet gallery, not a high school.
She gave a slight bow. "Nice to meet you."
Her voice was clear, composed. Not too sweet. Not too cold.
Something about her drew attention without trying.
Even Reina couldn't look away.
And beside her, Alex…
Didn't move.
Didn't blink.
But his gaze was locked on Airi Tsukishima.
---
Part 2 – A Music Room Not So Empty
The old piano room again. April 12th.
Reina had slipped away after school again, trailing Alex's movements from afar. She was careful, always pretending to linger near the vending machines or duck into a side hall until he passed.
Just like before, he headed to the disused music wing.
But this time, the door was already open.
Reina followed after a few minutes. Quiet footsteps.
She peeked inside —
And froze.
Alex was seated at the piano, posture tense, mid-scale.
Standing beside him… was Airi Tsukishima.
She wasn't speaking.
Just listening.
Her arms were crossed lightly, her expression unreadable. Not judgmental. Not impressed. Just... watching him like an unsolved equation.
Alex's fingers paused on the keys.
"You're playing with restraint," Airi said. Calm. Observant. "Like someone's watching you, even when no one is."
Alex looked startled. "…I didn't know anyone used this room."
"I didn't know students still played like that."
He looked away.
Airi stepped closer.
"That wasn't beginner technique. But your hands are too tense. Your sound wants to escape, but your fingers are holding it hostage."
"…That's dramatic."
"Music is dramatic."
A beat.
"Play again," she said.
He hesitated. "I'm not in the music club."
"I didn't ask that."
Alex looked down at the keys.
And started to play.
Reina recognized the song — a melancholic nocturne with delicate runs. He'd played it before. But this time, his rhythm faltered halfway. He stopped abruptly.
"I messed up."
"No," Airi said. "You panicked. There's a difference."
He looked up at her. Cautious. Wary.
But something in her eyes wasn't pity.
It wasn't pressure.
It was invitation.
"Come to the piano club," she said. "Just once."
He didn't answer.
But he didn't say no.
---
From the hallway, Reina's heart beat faster.
> A new player has entered.
Part 3 – The Distance Between Genius and Ordinary
April 13th.
Reina found herself watching Airi Tsukishima more than she expected.
It wasn't just her elegance — the way she walked through the halls with the composure of someone untouchable. It wasn't her soft, firm voice or her poised expressions.
It was the way Alex watched her.
He didn't smile at her the way he did with other people. He didn't joke or tease or pretend.
He was quiet. Focused. Cautious.
But curious.
And that terrified Reina more than anything else.
---
In the cafeteria, Sota and Hiro were joking about Airi again — something about how she'd turned down a PE teacher and hadn't even blinked.
"Bet she's dating a concert violinist or something," Hiro said.
"Or she's secretly married," Sota added. "Those calm types are always hiding chaos."
Reina didn't join in.
She sat beside Alex, picking at her rice, trying not to glance when he got a message on his phone and smiled faintly at it.
> Was it her?
She didn't ask.
But she saw the look in his eyes.
Not happiness.
Intrigue.
That was worse.
---
Later that evening, Reina walked past the old music wing.
She wasn't trying to spy, not exactly. But her feet led her there anyway.
The door was cracked open.
Inside, Alex was alone — this time.
Playing again.
But something was different.
His hands moved more confidently now. Still guarded, but freer. Like someone had told him: It's okay to breathe.
She didn't interrupt.
She just watched.
And it hit her all at once:
> I'm not the only one trying to save him.
Airi had touched a part of him Reina had never reached — the musician, the prodigy, the boy who once bled for a perfect performance.
Reina didn't know that version of him.
Not yet.
And the distance between them suddenly felt enormous.
---
That night, she wrote in her notebook:
> Rule #4: If you want to stay beside him — learn to walk into the parts of him that scare you.
Even the ones filled with music.