Curious, Izumi Himawari picked up the guitar and inspected it closely. "The strings are pretty worn. This guy's no amateur. Sayoko, didn't you say he's in game development?"
In the open-style restaurant, Sayoko was frying bacon, not even looking up as she chuckled. "It's normal to have a hobby, right? Besides, with Tetsu-kun's brain, picking up the guitar isn't exactly a challenge."
"...Don't underestimate the guitar!" Izumi huffed, setting it down and dropping the topic.
The guitar wasn't easy to master, but it was accessible enough. A smart person could grab a beginner's book and strum a few simple tunes. So, Izumi wasn't that shocked Fuyukawa could play.
"Learning the guitar's one thing, but writing music? That's tough," she muttered, pulling out her own guitar and placing a sheet of staff paper on the coffee table. Propping her chin in her hand, she frowned, stuck.
Just then, her phone lit up.
"Risami? Messaging me this early?" Izumi raised an eyebrow, grabbing her phone.
[Risami-chan: Koi! Did you check the forum this morning?!]
[Mini: What's up?]
[Risami-chan: Beyond dropped a new song last night! OMG, it's SO good! It's called Lover. Go download it NOW!]
Beyond released another song?!
Izumi's eyes sparkled with excitement.
Beyond, a mysterious music creator, had popped up on the XSX forum last week. XSX was the biggest Japanese music forum, packed with users, but Beyond's songs were in . Normally, that'd be a tough sell without heavy promotion, but their track Glory Days had taken the forum by storm. Since it was copyright-free, it spread to , too, blowing up the music scene there instantly.
The song was incredible, but what made Izumi fangirl even harder was that Beyond shared their music for free. Anyone could download or cover it. It felt like a gift to the world, not some cash-grab transaction.
Artists often have a streak of idealism, and Izumi was hooked on Beyond. Nobody knew who they were—not even a profile picture, just the default avatar. After Glory Days, their account went silent. And now, out of nowhere, they'd dropped a new song last night!
Too excited to reply, Izumi opened the forum app. Sure enough, the top post screamed: [Who are you? Super mysterious Beyond drops new song Lover!]
The post already had over a million views.
[SanbanchoOguriShun: OMG! Seriously?! Is this really written by a artist?! I thought they only covered our songs!]
[HokkaidoFishKing: Is it fate, is it love, is it innocence, or just chance? is a 5,000-year-old language, and the vibes are unreal. You guys who didn't study can't even get it.]
[YamazakiHikozo: Come back to , legend! The music scene needs you!]
[NakamoriNanako: Teacher, I wanna learn !]
[IchibanSuper: This song's insane! I've looped it for five hours straight! Is this the charm of Cantonese music?]
['Famous Critic' SerizawaTetsuo: Decent composition, but the singer's technique is weak. It's all emotion, no skill.]
[KuroiRyuki: "Decent"? How dare you! You couldn't write a song this good if your ancestors' graves started smoking! Didn't your dad teach you to be honest, you disgusting Tokyoite?!]
"Serizawa Tetsuo? That idiot. His own songs are trash, and he's got the nerve to critique?" Izumi grumbled, downloading the song and dissing the critic as she rubbed her thigh in excitement.
Soon, a ding signaled the download was complete.
"Here we go!" Izumi pulled up the translated lyrics and hit play.
[Hoping you haven't shed tears for me in secret again…
Is it fate, is it love, is it innocence, or just chance?]
The melancholic male voice hit her ears, and the first line sent a shiver down her spine, her cheeks flushing unnaturally.
"So good! I need to meet this guy!" Izumi was lost in the music.
Meanwhile, Fuyukawa Tetsu, fresh from a shower, stepped out in a clean white T-shirt and gray joggers. "Food ready yet?"
"Almost, just a sec!" Sayoko called from the kitchen.
Fuyukawa sat at the table, toweling off his hair. He didn't like hairdryers, but some water droplets flicked onto Izumi, interrupting her song.
"Hey, hey, hey! Dry your hair somewhere else!" she snapped, mid-song.
Fuyukawa rolled his eyes. "Please, this is my house. If you're annoyed, there's the door."
"You—! Ugh, what a lousy guy! I'm gonna tell Sayoko to steer clear of you!" Izumi huffed.
"Kids always think they're so powerful," Fuyukawa teased.
"…" Outmatched and eager to keep listening, Izumi flipped him off expressionlessly, grabbed her phone, and flopped onto the couch.
"What's up?" Sayoko asked, setting an omelette rice plate on the table, glancing curiously between them.
Fuyukawa shrugged. "No idea. She thinks I'm disturbing her."
"Sorry, Tetsu-kun. She's still a kid, so please bear with her," Sayoko said apologetically.
Fuyukawa grinned, giving her a playful pat on the hip of her floral skirt. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna argue with a high schooler."
"Tetsu-kun! Geez, Koi's right there," Sayoko said, blushing. Her eyes sparkled with sweetness and shyness, no trace of panic.
Yesterday in the car, they hadn't crossed any major lines, but emotionally, they'd let their guards down. Fuyukawa was about to tease the gorgeous woman further when a sizzle came from the stove.
"The eggs are gonna burn! Koi, time to eat!" Sayoko called, dodging Fuyukawa's hand and scurrying back to the kitchen.
On the couch, Izumi stayed cross-legged, lost in her music. Though she wore black shorts today, her casual pose was bold, drawing Fuyukawa's gaze for a moment.
How does such a shy woman raise such a forward daughter?
The contrast between the two intrigued him. He stood to hang his towel by the bathroom door, but as he passed Izumi, he caught her softly singing along: [nannanan nn annna…]
"Lover?" Fuyukawa's brow twitched. "She's listening to my song?"