Eternal Saṃsāra: The Wanderer of Worlds

[145] Dance in the Night Sky

– Ting... 🎶

Yura blinked at the sound.

Lost in her reverie, she almost missed the gentle strumming of a guitar. The melody was soft, a whisper in the stillness of the night, yet it tugged at her heart with an inexplicable pull. It made her tilt her head, as she turned from the moon towards the interior of the house.

Intrigued and seeking a distraction from her somber thoughts, she followed the sound. Each note seemed to light the way, guiding her through the silent house until she found herself standing before a room.

The door was slightly open, and the hum of Señorita weaved out of it.

Well, that was a bad song to play right now. The lyrics hit her in the head like a drum. [You say we're just friends, But friends don't know the way you taste, la-la-la...]

The door was parted slightly, casting a sliver of light into the dark hallway. Yura peered inside, her gaze drawn to the figure sitting on the floor with his back against the bed.

"Ah."

Aqua sat there, expression blank as he stared at the empty air, his fingers moving deftly over the strings of the guitar, coaxing out a melody that filled the room with an ethereal warmth. Yura's head imagined the face of Miki-san a moment earlier, but in a moment it changed. A shiver went down her spine, and she stared at the man playing a romantic song with the expression of a heartbroken old man. The sound when coupled with the sight was a hauntingly beautiful experience, touching strings in her heart she hadn't realized were there.

It was a side of Aqua she hadn't seen—a depth and sensitivity that added layers to his identity. Transfixed, she leaned against the doorframe, her earlier thoughts fading into the background. He must have noticed her, she wasn't hiding, but he didn't meet eyes with her and continued.

The melody lingered in the air, a tender echo that seemed to wrap around her, offering comfort and a strange sense of peace. She wanted to close her eyes and enjoy the sound, but she didn't want to miss the sight.

As the last note faded into silence, Yura realized something had changed in her view of Aqua. A child couldn't wear such an expression, they couldn't put such emotion in a song. She stared at him in silence, wondering how it just took a single song to change a person's vibe.

"...You play the guitar well," she broke the silence while he put the guitar away.

"Ah, yes. My fingers are quite skilled," he said in a soft voice, and she didn't miss the double meaning hidden underneath. Just from that, the room's heavy atmosphere vanished and she giggled.

"Why the sad face though? You look like you got heartbroken by a dozen girls," she said as she stepped into the room, walking to the bed, crawling on top of it, and then sitting behind him. He was on the floor, and she above the bed, putting her legs over his shoulders, her hands running through his hair. "Wanna talk to big sis about it?"

"Nah, why will I talk about other women in your presence?" He put his arms around her dangling legs and said. "You shouldn't come into a man's room this late at night though, it's very unsafe."

"Uh-huh, surely. What will you do to me? Pin me down on the bed~?" She asked and he laughed. "See, that's what I thought."

"Wanna go out for a walk?"

"Not that's concerning," Yura raised an eyebrow while running her hand through his hair. "Why're you inviting a woman for a walk this late at night?"

"Fine, the streets can be dangerous." He gently put her legs off his shoulder and stood up. She blinked as his feet began to rise, he began to float.