Chapter 34
"I introduced this song as a practice theme, and well this happened." he slightly laughed.
"That's because you keep asking me to learn singing this piece!, it's good though." Maki said while looking away while twirling her hair.
"There you have it, and it's title is called 'Grandfather Clock!'." he chuckled seeing Maki's gestures..
"Grandfather's clock? What's that?" Honoka asked in confusion.
"You want to hear it right?" he playfully said..
"We want! We want!" Honoka excitingly said
"We want to hear Hiroto-kun and Maki-chan perform together" Kotori happily said.
"Yes, it's the performance of the composer that created our song, this is a rare chance for us." Umi followed up and smiled.
"What do you think Maki-chan?" he looked at Maki who was looking on the side feeling shy.
All of them looked at her excitedly.
Maki could only sigh, "Okay but don't expect that I am a good singer!."
"Yay!" Honoka jumped in joy.
"Don't worry even if you hide it, we know that you're a good singer." Umi said the truth, while Maki wanted to rebuke but seeing Hiroto preparing for his part, she followed suit.
Hiroto arranged the sofa like a stage performer and the trio were the audience sitting parallel to them with expectant expressions. He placed the electric piano in front of them. While Maki was beside him.
Maki looked at Hiroto waiting for his signal as she held a microphone. He nodded and started playing the piano. The melody dance in the air like flowing wind. Maki and with that cue, she started to sing.
(AN: Nekopara https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guJWro5LuhU)
[My grandfather's clock was too large for the shelf
So it stood 90 years on the floor.
It was taller by half than the old man himself,
Though it weighed not a pennyweight more.]
Hearing her sing was amazing to them, as it consisted of all english words. They were shocked hearing her sing a foreign song they never heard before, even then, there were tears pouring out of there eyes. They could see the she was putting all her feelings. The trio felt the lyrics and the piano, it was a perfect match and it made something so beautiful.
Hiroto's piano performance led them to the meaning of the song while Maki tell them about a story. Someone that experienced everything in life, from the moment he was born until his final breath, the story of kindness and hardship of a person who had experienced the joy of life; a happy family, and had given life to his offspring as he saw them grew up and he who grew old. Meanwhile, they felt the joy and sadness from the song, associating the life of the clock to the old man.
[Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock...
But it stopped short, never to go again
When… the old man.. died.]
After Hiroto and Maki's performance, they bowed their heads. Umi and the co. was still overwhelmed by the song it takes a full minute before they finally come to their senses. They clapped their hands with a happy expression on their faces. After the performance ended the trio raised from their seat and clap heavily.
"Amazing! Amazing!" Honoka said as she clapped.
"Yes, It was really emotional, I can almost feel the intention of this song" Umi nodded feeling a bit mesmerized.
"You guys should perform during the freshmen welcoming event, it will benefit and maybe shock the school." Kotori said while wiping the tears in her eyes.
"Thank you, but we don't want to perform that day, Maki-chan think so well." Hiroto looked at Maki.
"Why would we need to perform for the students and you're going to perform already right? we don't need to make more ruckus." Maki thought since if they play they might gather the attention and they didn't want that.
"It's your group's debut! so you guys need to be the limelight of the day!" Hiroto nodded and affirmed her conclusion.
"Since were finished with that, how about we play a game, I have cards here." he suggested
"That's a good idea…" Kotori said
"What should we play?" Umi asked.
"What about old maid game?" he suggested.
"Ah! we often play that game whenever we overnight sleep" Honoka beamed.
"Hehe, Umi always loses in this kind of game." Kotori said while awkwardly laughing.
"What do you mean lose, there's some sort of mistake in this also I haven't given up yet!"
Umi retorted as she waved her hand denying her loss.
"Mah, I kinda know that card game since my family often play that card game during vacation" Maki said
"I don't know the rules, I haven't played in the past but I heard that it was fun.." he said.
"Don't sweat!, it's really fun." Honoka said.
They explained how the game works. The goal is to form and discard pairs of cards, and not to be left with the odd card (a queen) at the end.
He got the pack of cards from his room afterwards as they formed a circle.
Hiroto removes one queen of clover and place it beside him. Then, distributed the cards one by one.
"Hehe, I am really good at playing this game." Honoka said proudly.
Sequentially, they remove pair of cards by drawing from the person on their left and placing it at the center.
Starting from Umi she would draw to Kotori, while Kotori to Honoka, Honoka to Maki, Maki to Hiroto and him to Umi as the cycle would go on.
"Is that true Kotori-senpai?" Hiroto look at Kotori.
"Un, she can finish the game always at first, her cards would always have so much luck..." Kotori smiled.
"I see, then let's begin!" Hiroto pick a card from Umi.
'This would be easy. I should look at their reaction and if I pick a card from their hands and they would have at least some sort of reaction in them.' Hiroto analyzed.
"This time, I will be the winner!" Umi exclaimed.
Umi draw a queen card from Kotori's hand. Umi cutely smile and look at her last two cards. Though, she was surprised that it's not her winning card.
So she began to show a slight frustrated expression as she pouted a little. Kotori found Umi's face laughable, so she tried hard not to laugh at her reaction every time she chose a wrong card.
Kotori draw a card from Honoka and she was the first one to clear. Umi had a flabbergasted face
"Yata! I am the first! " Kotori raised from her seat and posed a victory sign.
"Eh?! It seems luck was on your side even then, I will be the second!" Honoka raised her hand and draw a card from Maki's and like she predicted her card position, she matched the last pair.
"Yayy! Second hehe!" Honoka excitedly said.
Now that it was Maki's turn halted her hand on above Hiroto's hand and look at him. She saw Hiroto was only smiling and not making any expressions whenever she switched her hand to pick the other card. Maki didn't mind and just randomly picked a card.
Out of her expectation she got the right card. And she smiled as if she won for the first time on Hiroto. But she didn't let anyone see her current emotion. [AN2: watta goof ball.]
"I am cleared" Holding out of her excitement and place the 2 similar number over the pile of cards.
"It seems like only Hiroto and Umi! Who do you two think will win?" Honoka act like a commentator and asked Kotori and Maki.
"I think it will be Hiroto-kun " Kotori said.
"I don't know but I vote for Umi-senpai, it's only a 50-50 percent chance for both of them." Maki said
Hiroto was kind of a little bit sad after hearing Maki was voting for Umi.
He looked at Umi who is still pouting. He secretly shook his head.
"Umi-senpai, Prepare yourself!" Hiroto also halted his hand above Umi's cards her expression is kind of happy when he switched to the other one she was put a funny facial expression.
Hiroto now finally understood why she always lose this simple card game. 'Should I pretended to lose. Let her taste the small victory for once' Hiroto only smiled and picked the queen card.
"This time…! This time I will win!" Umi said with an excited expression.
Hiroto only shuffled the cards twice and let Umi pick. Of course Umi memorize where is the queen and where is the right card for her lonely card in her hands. Umi picked the right card.
"Yata! I finally won!" Umi formed threw a pair of cards in the air while happily jumping.
"Ehhh?! Umi actually won?!" Honoka said
"How could it be!" Kotori said in surprise.
"Kuuhhh! I was tricked by that facade how embarrassing!" Hiroto act like he was defeated on a battle
"It's okay Hiroto-chan! You just played it for the first time." Honoka said.while patting his back.
"It seems, beginner's luck sure so odd. Thank you very much, Honoka-senpai" Hiroto only sighed and smile
They played for awhile and after an hour he suggested that they visit the shrine to pray for their success. Everyone agreed to the suggestion and went to the shrine nearby this block, where Nozomi was helping as a miko.
While on the way to the shrine "Since I lost the game, I should buy us some refreshments!" he suggested.
"Eh, but isn't that troubling to you." Umi said.
"No, worries just treat this as my thanks for making the day fun."
"Then, Hiroto-kun, I want an orange juice" Kotori smiled.
"Mine is apple juice drink!" Honoka said out loud.
"Then I want a Oi Ocha Tea" Umi said
"Mine is tomato juice drink" Maki said.
"Come with me Maki-chan" Hiroto said with puppy eyed.
"Hmph, you suggested it so go on already.." Maki talk to the trio, it seems that she had warmed up and was able to talk normally to them.
Hiroto accepted and gestures before he went to the vending machines.
When he reached the vending machine, he saw a girl with long blonde hair with pigtail and in tracksuit uniform. She was a beauty like a princess and her skin tone feel like albeit he thought she was a shut-in princess because of her bearing. She had a look of anger and helplessness as she kicked the vending machine but didn't do anything.
'I wonder what she's doing?' Hiroto thought.
He went close and asked, " What are you doing?"
"Uwahh!" the twin tailed was surprised and looked at Hiroto
"It's none of your business!" She said and distanced herself.
He looked at the vending machine that the twin tailed was looking. He looked at her again 'Ah!, she's thirsty or she forgot or lost her wallet in the end..'
HIiroto put coins to the vending hole and choose the drinks that Maki and co. requested. He added one drink as he threw that extra orange juice to the girl. The girl unconsciously caught the bottle.
"For you, you want one right?" Hiroto said
"Why, how did you, I don't need th..." she was interrupted
"You drink it, you seem to be in dire straits..see you" Hiroto said and cooly walked away.
The twin tailed was flabbergasted but before she could call out to him, he was already far away.
'Indeed I become thirsty but that's not the point why am I here. I was just visualizing the next scene for the scene to draw.` the twin tailed blonde haired girl sighed and opened the orange juice bottle and drank.
"Puhaaaa!" 'thank you kind looking stranger! now I am fired up again!'
"Here's everyone share!"
"Thank you, Hiroto-chan/kun." everyone thanked him as they sipped the drink while heading to the shrine place.
-
"If we had a bask of good luck then it would be the best!" Honoka said enthusiastically.
It was already afternoon when they went to the shrine, they saw Nozomi swiping the grounds with her broom.
"Oya, everyone is here today, you guys want to pray for luck?" Nozomi sweep the ground with her broom.
"Tomorrow was their concert so we have to visit the shrine to give thanks for the blessings and pray for success." he said.
Nozomi look at them before nodding "Good luck to your live, with Hiroto and other support, you must show them the best of the best." Nozomi smile as to encourage them.
"Yes! we will definitely make this live successful! Kotori-chan and Umi-chan also worked hard, Hitoro-chan and Maki-chan did their best to make a song for us." Honoka said while full of energy.
"Specially Hiroto, he always motivated us and help us to keep fighting"
'He's an annoying guy that can stop being involved in other people's lives, it might be his good and bad points and...' Maki looked at him slightly annoyed but that was just him, since he always explain why he would do something like that or this to her.
'Because I'm s-special to him….' Maki felt shy and he saw that and ask her why was she getting embarrassed but was pinch in the waist as a result.
'It's Hiroto doing the work behind to make the concert go well..'
"Honoka-chan, Kotori-chan and Umi-chan should just do their b-best tomorrow.." Maki said explaining to them while glaring at Hiroto. After a moment she saw the look of the others that was smiling.
"So you're worried about the performance.." Honoka joked and Maki looked at he cutely angered.
"Of course, I help out after all, expecting a result is a given." Maki looked sideways though she had a blushing cheeks.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Sakura_Miko
Sakura_Miko ColeSly, NaiRui.
We need support, we don't have a job and is looking for one.
We can increase the word count and time put to this novel. And maybe achieve 2 chap per day.
We normally release 2000+ word every chap.
Thanks for understanding.
p@ypal.me/ColeSlyX
www.p@treon.com/ColeSlyX
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