[Short Story] Everything ~In the Time of Passing Each Other~

#ShortStory #InTheTimeOfPassingEachOther #Everything #LoveSong #PianoBar #Novel #Fiction #Ai_Ninomiya

Since the 1st of every month is Novel Day,
I would like to write a short story this month as well.
Recently,
as I have been writing with my favorite music as a motif,
the stories have started to connect.
This time, too, somehow,
it ended up being a continuation of the last one.

Now, here is the theme song for this time.

Riko, who was drawn to Joy's piano.
And so, their life together began on the second floor of the piano bar in the back alley...
I wonder what kind of story it will be this time...

This time, too, I wrote it with the feeling of pasting my favorite photos into a scrapbook.
The first episode is here

The second episode is here...

This is also a story of about 3000 characters.
Please read it when you have time.

Everything ~In the Time of Passing Each Other~

"Just be quiet for a second."
Riko couldn't help but raise her voice.
Joy was just trying to take care of various things while Riko was getting ready for work,
but Riko didn't like it.
Why was Riko herself feeling so irritated?

She didn't even understand it herself.
Was it the emotional ups and downs peculiar to women?
Was it a physical issue?
She was feeling a sensation she had never felt before.
Riko did not return to the piano bar in the back alley that night.

♪

Riko had been taking a break from work for about a week.
During that time, there was no contact from Joy,
and Riko herself did not reach out either.

Riko started cleaning up her apartment.
It was also a way to clear her muddled feelings.
She thought it might be good to change her mood and move.
She started organizing her belongings as if to put her feelings in order.

She sent her furniture and appliances to a recycle shop.
She took her clothes to a second-hand clothing store.

As she did so,
nothing was left in Riko's 1DK rental apartment.
From the gaps between the few hardcover books she had left,

two photos came out.
One was of her previous boyfriend who was prone to cheating.
While feeling a bit shaken by the memories of her boyfriend,
Riko tore it up and shoved it into a trash bag.
The other was a photo taken with Joy.
A photographer who came for a magazine feature on bars

took several photos of them singing together and talking in front of the piano.
It was one of those photos.
Joy's smile was captured very beautifully.

Riko felt her chest tighten.
<I want to see you> <I want to see you right now>
She realized her honest feelings.
Environment, nationality, and age don't matter.
The most important thing is how she feels right now.
Who does she miss, and who does she want to love?
Having realized those feelings, Riko headed toward the piano bar with quick steps.

♪

When Riko opened the heavy door of the piano bar in the back alley,
Joy was supposed to be there.
However, Joy was not in front of the piano.

"Hey, Riko."
The master called out to her.
He gestured toward the counter with his eyes.
Riko sat at the counter and looked at the master.
"Isn't Joy here?"
To Riko's slightly raised voice,
the master shook his head.
"Joy is in America."
Saying that, he handed an envelope to Riko.
Inside was the key to the room on the second floor.
It was a well-worn key.

Is Joy coming back or not?
Why did he give this key to Riko?
Riko's mind went blank.
She was attacked by the anxiety of losing something important again.
The master silently

placed a gin and tonic in front of Riko.
Riko remained unable to move,
staring at the key.

♪

Riko was in Joy's room,
clutching the key.
Riko's clothes and cosmetics, which had increased little by little,
were still there.

Riko cried from the bottom of her heart.
And she realized that she loved Joy deeply.
Riko realized that even the trivial arguments were the flip side of affection.
She realized that the person she truly needed
was Joy.

Riko buried her face in the bed where they always slept together
and cried.
She cried in the bed that still held Joy's scent.
Before she knew it, Riko had fallen asleep in Joy's bed.
Like a child who cries until they fall asleep.

♪

"Hey Riko, are you awake?"
When Riko woke up in Joy's bed,
Joy's usual smile was in front of her.
Riko hugged Joy
and they kissed over and over again.
"I'm sorry, I was so lonely,
I was so anxious. When I thought you were gone,
my chest hurt so much I couldn't breathe."
Saying that, Riko covered Joy's lips again.

"Riko, I understand, so can you let me sleep a little?
I came back to this room,
and I've been watching you sleep the whole time.
I want to fix my jet lag, so let me sleep.
Let's sing together on stage tonight."
Saying that, Joy crawled in next to Riko.
Riko silently rested her head on Joy's chest
and fell asleep.

♪

The piano bar in the back alley
was full of customers.
It was as if they knew
that Joy would be performing tonight.
Riko also helped out at the bar.
She couldn't make cocktails, of course, but
she could at least help by carrying
beers and snacks to the tables.

Before long, Joy began to play.
The customers, while sipping their drinks,
listened intently to Joy's performance.

♪

“Well, this is the last song for tonight.”
As he said that, the applause grew even louder.
“Riko, won't you sing with me?”
The master signaled to Riko with his eyes that it was okay.
With an expression that was half-happy and half-anxious,
Riko stood beside Joy's piano and took the microphone.
“Everything”
From the piano intro to humming, and then to the song.
He began to sing as if harmonizing with Riko.

..In the time we pass each other by..
.................................
..My Everything..

The sound of the piano in the ending quietly faded away.
Joy stood up and knelt before Riko.
“Riko, will you marry me?”
What he held out as he said that
was a blue topaz ring.
Riko didn't know what was happening
and just stared at Joy.
But from Riko's large eyes,
large tears were spilling over.
Riko took Joy's hand
and kissed him instead of saying yes.

Cheers erupted from the customers,
and one after another, they brought bouquets
and came to Joy and Riko,
“Congratulations”and“You two are a perfect match”were the words they left
before returning to their seats.
The area around the piano became filled with bouquets.

Joy said,
“Thank you everyone, today is the best anniversary.”
As he said that, Joy placed the
blue topaz ring on Riko's left ring finger.
“This is a keepsake from my mother,
I went to America to get this,
will you accept it?”
Riko nodded silently.
Joy hugged Riko with the biggest smile.
Applause erupted from the venue once more.
Riko looked straight at Joy.
“Thank you”she said with just those words.
In Riko's voice,
one could feel deep emotion and a strong will.
<Thank you>also seemed to be saying that she would no longer hesitate.

The master popped a bottle of champagne.
<Pop>A loud sound
echoed through the back-alley piano bar.
It sounded like a signal for departure to celebrate the two's new beginning.

The End

Editor's Note

There is a reason why I became interested in MISIA's Everything this time.
It was my first karaoke in three years, after the COVID restrictions were lifted.
Drinking in the lounge were
my group and two doctors from the hospital,
two groups in total.
One of the doctors took the microphone.
From his stout body,
he produced an indescribable voice.
He sang with such a sweet, high-pitched voice
that I wanted to keep listening forever,
and his singing style was so relaxed.

What that doctor sang was“Everything”
I couldn't forget this song,
and it repeated in my head over and over again.
When I was thinking about the motif for this story,
this“Everything”felt like it fit perfectly,
so I wrote it.

Love is blind.
There are times when we pass each other by or have misunderstandings, but
when you think you want something,
you might have already missed the timing.
However, at the very end,
I do think there is always
a thread of fate that connects us.

I feel that this is true not only for romance,
but also for various connections in life.
I hope you all don't miss your thread of fate,
and grab hold of it properly.
It must surely be connected to a bell named hope.

Thank you for reading this long text to the end today as well.
I am grateful to you all.