Short: "Colored Notes" - Song Story Submission. (2852 characters)

I can see sound.

Like tadpoles swimming through the air, musical notes fly around everywhere in the world I see.

Within my world of black and white...

I first felt that I was different from others when I was a small child, desperately trying to grab musical notes with my hands. Musical notes flew around the world I saw, just like the text inside speech bubbles in a comic book. The sharp gazes of those around me pierced through me as I desperately tried to catch with my hands the notes that swam through the air from the places where sounds were ringing. Born into a world without color, I saw sounds instead of colors, and as I held a crayon, I placed small musical symbols onto my drawing paper.

Clink.

When coins spilled from my pocket, a multitude of musical notes rose from the ground all at once and drifted past me on the wind. I stared intently at where they were going. Lately, no melodies have been coming to me.

Even though musical notes overflow, none of them resonate within me. As a musician who walks through life seeing sound, I am not even noticed by the tadpoles drifting on the wind.

Then, I was tapped on the shoulder, and when I turned around, a small woman with a bob cut was smiling at me. When she opened her small palm, the coins I had dropped were resting there.

"Oh!! I'm sorry. Thank you."

As I reached out my hand, she dropped the coins into my palm, producing a clinking sound like musical notes.

"I'm truly sorry for making you pick them up," I said, bowing, and she smiled broadly and nodded.

That was the moment.

In that moment, for the first time in my life, I saw color.

A pale purple felt ball flew out from her smile. The fluffy ball drifted slowly in the same direction as my musical notes.
A color I had seen for the first time... It flowed fluffily like a flower drifting through my black-and-white world, gently dissolving into the air.

Is this a dream?

Just now, I saw a color. I saw a color clearly.

I instinctively grabbed the arm of the girl who was passing by me and trying to move ahead.
From her, as she turned around in surprise, a blue ball floated up this time.

Uh... oh?

My black-and-white palette begins to thirst.

"Um!! If you have time, would you like to have some tea?!"

I had invited her without even thinking. Every time I tried to justify the invitation by saying I wasn't suspicious or trying to pick her up, the space around us filled with musical notes. Just as I thought she was dumbfounded by me, she held up one hand to stop me. She took a notebook out of her crossbody bag, flipped through it, and thrust it at me. Words written in a large black pen.

"I am deaf."

You... can't hear?

She gently placed her hand on her ear, smiled, and gave a small bow.
A slightly dull yellow ball floated up from around her ear.
I hurriedly took her notebook while gesturing, "Do you mind?" I rummaged through my pocket and found a small pencil.

"If you'd like, would you like to have some tea?"

As I hurriedly wrote it and showed it to her, a familiar gray ball like a rain cloud danced. I panicked and started writing again.

"I'm not supposed to be able to see colors, but I can see colors from you!"

After showing it to her, I realized she would think I was a weirdo... I thought I had to find a way to put my feelings into words.
But when she saw my scribbles, she covered her mouth and released an orange ball. My palette was being colored one after another.
The words she wrote using my pencil... words written in slightly trembling letters...

"Can you see the color balls too?"

When I looked at her face, her eyes were wide open.

I nodded my head vigorously with a smile.

The fact that my world is black and white. The fact that I can see musical notes.
The fact that her world has no sound. The fact that colored orbs pop out.
And, the one thing we have in common:
The fact that neither of us has ever met someone who can see both musical notes and colored orbs.

She couldn't see my musical notes. However, she said I was the first person to ever recognize her colored orbs. We were both filled with surprise and joy at the same time.
The fact that I am a musician, and she is a freelance writer.
The fact that I am stuck in my music. The fact that she is about to be crushed by words. We wrote and talked about many things.

In the meantime, various colors flowed out. Before I knew it, my black-and-white world was colored with various hues, and flowers... flowers were blooming endlessly everywhere.

"There is something I want you to hear."

When I wrote that down, she tilted her head.

I took her hand and we hurried out of the cafe.
Our hurried walking turned into a fast pace, and before we knew it, we were running together.
Musical notes danced rhythmically from the ground with every step we took.

When I pushed open the heavy black door, my studio, the place where I create, spread out before us.
When her colored orb popped up in the darkness and illuminated the area, we both chuckled.
I turned on the table lamp and cranked the amplifier volume to the max.
With the bass turned all the way up, I stood in front of the keyboard.

Seeing me like that, she gave a slight, bitter smile.

I took a deep breath.

With my right finger, I struck a single key.

As the tone burst from the speakers as a large musical note,
the floor we were standing on shook with the sound.

I felt it. I felt the sound.

A larger pink orb than ever before popped out from her, illuminating the dimly lit room.

The musical notes and colored orbs dancing in the air overlapped.

Ah!!!

I did not miss the sound that escaped from her lips.

A large musical note merged with a large colored orb to become a pink musical note.

And it was clearly reflected in her eyes as well.

Her mouth trembled, yet she whispered clearly.

I... can... see it.

The "pink" musical note that I can see too.

(Theme Song Start)

With the flowing musical notes in my heart, I played my sound with all my might. I turned the heart I feel now into sound with all my might. The timbre became a vibration, traveling through the floor and the air to reach her. To her heart and her ears.

Shedding tears, while covering both ears

I... can... hear... it!!!

The colored orbs flowing out from her as she said that mixed with my musical notes one after another, and the room became filled with colorful musical notes.

I looked up high with all my might, and she raised both arms and spun around.

Blue and green, yellow and purple, crimson and indigo, peach and cherry blossom, brown and ink black... I can see it!! I can see it too!!

The timbre is conveyed, visible... and then, felt. I can hear it!! I can hear it too!!

With music, musical notes, colors, and timbres... We drenched ourselves in the rain of sound pouring down around us, and danced like planets passing through a meteor shower.

As I lift my fingers from the final keys, the musical notes slowly rain down.

Pushing through the notes that fall like unseasonal snow,

what gently piled up on the hand I reached out to her

was endlessly... simply, earnestly overflowing without pause

her color orbs.

"Well, the moment you've all been waiting for, this week's number one!!"

"They've done it again, another consecutive win!"

"How many weeks has it been since they first grabbed everyone's hearts?"

"A mysterious masked artist duo known only as a UNIT... I don't think there's anyone left who doesn't know this name, is there?"

"So, this week's number one. The hit song currently capturing hearts all over the world!"

"Colored Notes" with "Endless"

Here you go!!"

♪♬♬♫♩♩♬♪...

*******************End*******************

I would like to participate in this project.

This is for the Song Story project hosted by PJ and Studio J.
This time, I wrote this based on Chiyo Ohashi's "Tomedonaku" (Endlessly).

In applying for this project, I wanted to make music the theme. I wanted to create a story about crafting music :)
Lately, my creative lightbulb has only been flickering dimly, so I've been taking things easy for now. I'm not sure if I was able to create a story worthy of Chiyo-san's wonderful song, but I tried to put into words what I felt through her music :) I would be happy if you liked it :)

PJ... I wrote it!!!! (lol)

The deadline is March 14th. This project has a ton of wonderful assigned songs. For those like me who have the brakes on their creativity, or for those who need some kind of spark, please go and listen to at least the assigned songs :) I'm sure there is something that will open up when you touch the music :)

PJ, thank you for the wonderful project, and Ohashi-san, thank you for the wonderful song!!!

Naeko Shichida