Sᴘʟᴀsʜᴇs & Sᴛʀɪᴋᴇs | Nagi Seishiro √

11. 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

Nagi Seishiro initially presumed it was a cassette playing, an unusual occurrence in the typically silent Mikage household. His gaze locked onto the purple-haired girl effortlessly playing the piano, her eyes focused on the musical notes. He observed her for a while, unaware until that moment that she had this talent.

"That's nice," Nagi blurted out, startling Rea, causing her fingers to abruptly hit the wrong note and halt. "Sorry for scaring you."

It was their first conversation since their previous interaction. Whenever Nagi Seishiro was present, Rea tended to avoid him, but now she felt uncomfortable conversing with him casually without blushing.

"No, no, it's alright," Rea stammered, averting her gaze as Nagi approached her. He stood next to her, pressing a key on the piano, causing the girl to startle again. "Do you play?"

"I'm not really into these things," Nagi admitted. "I prefer playing games over musical instruments."

"It's not that hard, let me show you," Rea offered, sliding away on the cushioned stool she occupied and patting the spot next to her. "It might be easier for you since you have long fingers."

"Do I?" Nagi furrowed his brows, inspecting his hand. "I never noticed. So, can you play the piano because you have long fingers?"

"I'm not sure, maybe. But my hands are shorter compared to yours," Rea replied, extending her palm as Nagi sat beside her. Suddenly, Nagi placed his hand over hers, causing Rea's cheeks to flush. What was he doing?

He compared the size of her hand to his, bending down to examine it. "Yours are shorter than mine, and slender."

"Yeah, you're more muscular than me," Rea nervously chuckled, attempting to conceal her flushed face.

"And softer too," Nagi remarked, intertwining his hand with hers. Rea blinked several times, trying to comprehend his sudden interest. He was examining her hand as if he found it fascinating. She wanted to keep holding his hand, yet at the same time, she felt the urge to pull away, her cheeks burning. How could this boy act so nonchalantly, knowing how she felt and how he responded to it?

"How does this work?" Nagi gently withdrew his hand from hers, and unexpectedly, both of them suddenly missed the warmth of each other's hands.

"You see these notes..." Rea explained the basics of playing the piano, from keys to melodies, and how to read the notes. Nagi grasped it all at once, though he wasn't entirely sure if he was truly invested in it. Rea then turned a page in her notebook, revealing the notes for the Do-Re-Mi song. Guiding Nagi's fingers to press the keys, she explained the melody. As they played, there were moments of jumbled notes that produced strange noises, prompting Rea to burst into laughter.

Nagi didn't display much expression, but a faint smile flickered on his lips as he enjoyed the interaction. He never anticipated that spending time with Rea could be this enjoyable. In the past, their interactions revolved around her snarky comments and his occasional bored responses. But here, he saw a different side of Rea.

At first, he was amazed by her smooth swimming, akin to a dolphin as Bachira described. And now, she was creating music that soothed his mind. After spending nearly an hour and a half playing with Nagi, he requested the song she had been playing before his arrival.

Rea agreed and began to play the piece. Nagi watched her slender fingers gracefully dance across the white keys, producing the serene melody. His gaze met the girl's face; she was focused on the notes, occasionally shifting her gaze towards the keys, sometimes closing her eyes, smiling to herself. Nagi never expected to be captivated by this girl.

Yet, he wasn't certain about the strange feeling building inside him. It wasn't entirely new; it had been present for some time, but he couldn't recall when it began. Was it the day he met her? It couldn't be, as he didn't know who she was back then. But when he noticed the distinct purple hair in the back row of the soccer audience, he remembered each time he searched for her amidst the crowd. He pondered why he silently watched her brother. Moreover, Nagi recalled her joyful smile and excitement whenever Reo scored a goal and their team won.