nip take#3--summer spam remix
cadence: n. the flow or rythm of events; a sequence of notes or chords that indicates the momentary or complete end of a composition
tonic
Recently there is something that catches Masuda Takahisa's attention--or perhaps, not so much something as someone. And that someone happens to be 3-A's class representative, Tegoshi Yuya. This is the first time Masuda has ever been placed in the same class as Tegoshi, actually, though he's heard quite a lot about the boy over the past two years. People call Tegoshi a genius, a veritable prodigy in the arts and academics and basically anything he's ever put even a semblance of a thought into trying.
It doesn't take too long for Masuda to learn that these rumors are very much grounded in fact. On the first day of class, Tegoshi is immediately--and near unanimously--voted class representative. Tegoshi, for his part, accepts the position forced upon him with the grace and humility of a saint. If that hadn't been proof enough for Masuda, the results posted outside the classroom after every exam would have done it. Or the repeated displays of talent during P.E, home economics, and the like. The number "one" and Tegoshi have become practically synonymous. And now that Masuda could form his own opinion of the boy from first hand experience, he thinks that honestly, Tegoshi is kind of perfect. Or as close to it as one could ever get. And, truth be told, kind of odd.
Because for all that everyone seems to know about Tegoshi's intelligence or accomplishments or whatever, no one really seems to know anything more about him. What's odder still, is the fact that though Tegoshi has just that much talent, he has declined every offer he has ever recieved from the many student run organizations at school. It's these strange paradoxes that has Masuda curious, has him watching out of the corner of his eyes. As often as Tegoshi is the center of attention during class or in conversations, he is just as often found alone during the school's free times. It's not that Tegoshi makes himself unavailiable, not exactly. He's always exceedingly polite and always willing to offer assistance when anyone asks it of him. But there's still some strange barrier between him and the rest of the world--and Masuda wonders who's to blame for it.
Perhaps, Masuda muses,Tegoshi is just too high above them all, unknowingly placed upon a pedestal that no one could ever hope to reach. They can't even come close, don't want to even try. They're content with basking in his perfection, because by doing that, they don't have to face their own inferiority in comparison. They admire him, because it's almost futile to envy him--but deep in their hearts they still probably want to be him. It's a strange, grudging dualism of respect and loathing in the competitive world of high school. And it makes sense, really. It might be nice to be envied and admired among all one's peers, Masuda thinks, it might even be nice to be good at everything.
But it seems like it would be awful lonely up there at the top.
capriccio
"So what? It's only school." Masuda says as soothingly as he can manage. Which isn't very, considering that Masuda is hardly an expert on the subject of school--except maybe lunch. It's the last day of the Spring term, which means that it's also the day the final exam results have been posted. Needless to say, Kato Shigeaki is less than pleased, bemoaning his "only adequate" test scores in comparison to, who else, but Tegoshi Yuya.
"Easy for you to say," Shige mutters sorely, stuffing his exam sheet into his messenger bag, "you're not planning on going to a university."
Masuda pouts but concedes this point with a shrug. Koyama Keiichiro, the last of Masuda's close friends, pops up from behind them as they make their way home.
"Don't take it out on Masuda, Shige. You'll never make it to college if you spend all your time taking it out on others and not studying." Koyama pipes in, ducking a sideswipe from the other boy.
"Your exam grades weren't so hot either, Koyama." Masuda clucks. Koyama sticks his tongue out at him.
"I don't want to hear that from someone who wasn't even in the top half of the rankings."
"Oi, oi, oi," Masuda frowns indignantly, "I'll have you know I could get top marksany time!"
There's a beat before all three of them burst out laughing.
"Like you'd ever want to."
"Hey, I might," Masuda shrugs, "maybe."
"The only thing you ever want to do is eat," Shige counters, pausing a bit, "and sing."
"True, but at he's got a good voice unlike some people we know." Koyama replies innocently.
"Oi, what is this? "Gang up on Shige" day?!"
Masuda and Koyama exchange quick glances before grinning cheekily and replying, in unison, "Everyday is "Gang up on Shige" day!"
Shige sighs and figures that, really, he just walked right into that one. Koyama snickers and thinks that, really, Shige just walked right into that one. Masuda grins and throws his arms around both of their shoulders, laughing.
Because in the end, this is the only thing that really matters to Masuda. He doesn't have much interest in academics or club activities or even student council. Tegoshi can continue being the perfect model student, because Masuda is perfectly happy just being with his friends in this moment--and being able to sing. And with that though, Masuda decides to burst into song right then and there, in the middle of the sidewalk. His grin only widens as Koyama and Shige chime in afterwards.
dissonance
Masuda actually forgets all about the boy named Tegoshi. After the summer holidays end, the assigned seats in class are changed--and really, Masuda tends to fall asleep during class anyway. It's only on a crisp Autumn night that Masuda is suddenly reminded of the boy's existance. He's been forced to stay late for detention after having been caught sleeping in class a few too many times--although he still maintains that it really isn't his fault his new seat is in the front row.
Given permission to leave, had bolted out of the classroom in a mad dash to make it on time for dinner when he had heard the strum of guitar strings in the school's music room. Curious, as he usually is, Masuda slows his pace and creeps up to the slightly ajar door. He sees Tegoshi, guitar on his lap, bent over many notebooks. Inbetween bouts of playing, Tegoshi would pause before scribbling furiously onto his notebooks.
Masuda frowns thoughtfully and took a step back. He he's already come to the conclusion that Tegoshi is a little odd--playing the guitar, alone, in the school on a Saturday night was just another thing to add to the list.
Masuda shrugs and is about to continue on his merry way when Tegoshi suddenly stops playing. Masuda freezes, feeling guilty for having intruded, and is about to apologize when Tegoshi opens his mouth--and sings. Masuda's eyes widen as he stumbled backwards, landing with a clamor on top of the cleaning supplies accidentally left out by some irresponsible students. The singing stops and he hears Tegoshi shift a little, walk over to the door--Masuda doesn't wait around. He swiftly rounds the corner of the hallway, heart hammering in his chest until he hears the door shut. He lets out a breath he didn't know he had been holding.
He couldn't even begin to describe the other boy's voice, it had been so--so beautiful, almost ethereal. Something had stirred inside of him when Tegoshi had started singing, and Masuda doesn't like what he was feeling.
For weeks afterwards, Masuda tries to pin a name to the feeling.
Because for the first time in his entire life, Masuda Takahisa is truly, utterly jealous. Of course, he's humble enough to admit that surely, there would be hundreds, if not thousands of people better at him than singing, but singing had been something that Masuda had loved since he could hardly remember. The fact that Tegoshi seemed to decide "Let's try singing" on a random whim--because as far as he's concerned, there had been no rumors of his amazing voice--and the fact that he's so obviously better at it than Masuda could ever hope to be, sends him off edge. Because suddenly it's personal. Suddenly, Masuda feels just as everyone else feels about Tegoshi the prodigy Yuya. And suddenly, Masuda wantsTegoshi to know just how awful it felt to be bested at something that is supposed to be his forte.
staccato
"Sorry, I'm going to go study for next week's exam." Masuda replies after Kusano Hironori, class 3-A's resident prankster, had suggested a game session at his house. Kusano, Koyama, and Shige pause in their usual chatter to stare wide-eyed at the boy.
"Uhm, what?" Masuda asks, unnerved by their unblinking eyes. He blows a bit of air to get them to blink.
Koyama is the first to recover, "You--study--I--what?!"--sort of.
Shige is a little more successful, "But you never study in advance! You usually say it's a waste of time, and that cramming the night before is enough!"
Kusano glares at him darkly, "Who are you and what have you done with the real Masuda Takahisa?"
Masuda laughs uneasily, they're right to be suspicious, "It's me, it's me. I just, I dunno, thought I'd try to do well for the test."
The other three exchange quizzical glances before whispering conspiratorially amongst themselves.
"You know, he has been awake more than usual these past few days."
"Think he's trying to impress someone?"
"Didn't Nana-chan say she liked really intelligent guys, a while back?"
"Eh? Really? But then if he liked Nana-chan, we'd have already known--heck, everyone would have known."
"But there has to be a reason he suddenly wants to--"
"Guys." Masuda cuts in, coughing loudly. Their voices had been escalating to the point that everyone left in the classroom, including a certain class president, had started glancing over at them curiously. "Sorry, this is just something I have to do." He says quickly, before he bolting from the classroom. This exchange would become a common occurrence for the next few days, as Masuda poured his heart and soul--he had even taken to studying during school breaks, despite the quizzical glances he continued to receive from his friends. And when the day of the exam had finally come, Masuda finds he's more than prepared for it.
coda
It's the days following the exam that are the hardest, Masuda had been mentally counting down the minutes to his victory, because surely he had to be victorious. On the morning of the fated day, Masuda's breath catches in his throat as he walks the corridor to his classroom, seeing the crowd of students in front of the bulliton board. He quickly scans the list:
Class 3-A
1. Masuda Takahisa
2. Tegoshi Yuya
Masuda exhales slowly, eyes widening in excitement. He's about to go boast to all his friends when he catches sight of Tegoshi, off to the side, scanning the board with an unreadable expression. Masuda grins, lips curving upwards in sweet triumph. Tegoshi blinks and turned to meet his gaze. Masuda stares back, raising an eyebrow challengingly. And then Tegoshi smiles, mouths "Congratulations" even, before turning and heading for class. Masuda feels his stomach drop sickeningly. He stands there dully, until the first bell rings and he's left alone in the corridor.
and finally came to the realization that he is not happy, not at all, not even one bit.
He decides to skip class and spends the rest of the day sprawled across the roof of the school, arms cradling the back of his head, staring vacantly up at the bright blue sky. He had won damnit, but why--why did he feel as if he hadn't really won anything at all?
interlude
Before Masuda is even aware he's sleeping, he awakens to a darkened sky and a slight chill in the air--the words da capo on his lips. He rubs the last vestiges of a strangely warm dream from his eyes and blinks, shifting into a sitting position. Masuda finds that he's come to two revelations. The first is that the academic track is still not for him, not in the least bit. The second is that he would very much like to sing with Tegoshi Yuya, one day. With this decided, Masuda gets up, slings his bag over his shoulder, and heads towards the exit. He hums a dreamy melody as he leaves, feeling lighter than he's felt in a very long time.
reprise
Lately there is something that has unwittingly caught Tegoshi Yuya's attention--and that something goes by the name of Masuda Takahisa. He isn't sure exactly when this had all started, but figures it must have been the first day of school, when they had still been seated next to each other. He had been sitting, idly twirling his pen and only half-listening as the homeroom teacher began the routine lecture of school conduct, when there was a sudden noise to his right. He, and the rest of the class, had turned to stare at the boy who was currently, blissfully asleep, snoring softly into his arm. The class had promptly burst out laughing as the teacher threw a chalkboard eraser at the offending boy's head. He had blinked drowsily and licked his lips, staring up at the angry teacher in front of him with confusion written all over his face. And then he had smiled. And something inside of Tegoshi had stirred.
Though he is typically average, there's a strange quality about the boy that seemed to draw people towards him, like moths to a flame.
He had dubbed him Massu in his mind, as if
cantabile
resonance
For days after the summer holidays have started, Tegoshi can think of nothing else but Massu's singing, Massu's smile when he's singing. He wonders what it's like to immerse yourself so entirely into something.
One day, when his father is at work and his mother is out to get groceries, Tegoshi locks the door of his bedroom, closes his shades, closes his eyes, opens his mouth and sings. Sings the words Massu sings, the words he's memorized forwards and backwards. When he's done, there's a strange bubbly feeling that fills his soul, the same feeling that comes whenever he sees Massu's smile.
He's overcome with the sudden urge to take out his guitar and start playing. It's in his closet, hidden behind the other things that he's grown tired of after he'd mastered them.
His entire summer is thus devoted to writing music, lyrics, filling pages and pages of notebooks with them. He nearly forgets about his summer assignment until his mother comments offhandedly that the guitar is all she ever hears from his room and how proud she is that he's already finished his work.
He devotes the next two days entirely to finishing his work and by the end of it, he finds that he misses the music so much that he ends up staying up til odd hours making up for lost time. Even after the summer holidays end, Tegoshi finds himself devoting less of his time ot his school work and more of his time staying late in the music room at school, practicing.
adagio
He's not sure when exactly it started, it seemed like it had been a gradual process, really. Somewhere during the Fall term,
Massu has stopped singing, stopped smiling.
Tegoshi finds he can't concentrate on anything anymore. The song remains unfinished.
It's only one day, when Massu and his friends are discussing something loudly that Tegoshi gets an answer.
Massu is trying his best. Tegoshi thinks that he should stop whining and try his best too.
legato
The day the final exam results are posted, Tegoshi checks the scores only out of habit. He's dropped to second place. The idea thrills him, somewhat, even though his parent's wouldn't share his sentiment. What thrills him even more, however, is that Massu has made it to first place, just like he wanted to be.
As if by coincidence, Tegoshi feels the pinpricks of someone staring at him. He turns his head and comes eye to eye with, who else but Massu himself. Tegoshi is surprised for a moment, before a smile spills over his face and he mouths "congratulations"--I knew you could do it. Tegoshi then quickly hurries back into the classroom. It's the first time he's ever had eye contact with Massu, and it fills him with an odd sense of embarassment.
impromptu
It is Valentine's Day and Tegoshi is that Tegoshi isn't particularly surprised by the mountain of chocolates waiting for him on his desk. It's become a ritual since middle school. watching Massu out of the corner of his eyes. There are two things that are out of the ordinary with this picture, however. The first thing is that Massu is alone and not surrounded by everyone. The second thing is that Massu is coming closer and closer to where Tegoshi is sitting, alone. Tegoshi's mouth opens a little in surprise as Massu walks straight up to him and extends a hand.
"I'm Masuda Takahisa," he says simply, and without any more exposition, "wanna sing together?"
It takes him a beat to find his voice and respond.
"Tegoshi Yuya." He says, and thinks he knows the perfect song.
cadence