Broken Strings (Len x reader)

Chapter 4

(Y/n)'s POV

The time passed slowly. Every second felt like an hour. We had a small pop quiz, but I finished earlier than the others...and there was still half an hour left.

I wanted to do some other work, but obviously that wasn't possible. All I could do was stare at the clock hanging above the board.

"(Y/n)," Len whispered.

I glanced at him. He pointed to his paper. I simply smiled and gave him a small nod. This was like a little routine we did whenever we had tests or quizzes that didn't go towards our marks.

When the teacher looked away, we swapped our papers and began editing each other's work. Obviously we wouldn't do this for a real test, but it was fun to do this for the minor ones. After all, we usually finished earlier than everyone else.

As usual, Len had no mistakes in his work. I sometimes do wonder why he asked me to check it. Well, not that I could actually help him with the knowledge that much so I usually just checked for simple grammar and punctuation mistakes.

We swapped back. I looked through my test. He hadn't marked anything except for the last question. He had circled one of my sentences lightly with pencil. I smiled to myself. Geez, he could always make the time pass faster.

~Lunch~

"Keii, slow down!"

He turned around and smiled softly. I couldn't help but pull him into a tight hug. I always found him quite cute, like a younger brother.

"Shall we go to the rooftop today?" he asked.
"Yeah, that sounds good."

When we arrived at the rooftop, it was already 'occupied'. *sigh* Just when I wanted to get some fresh air...

"Shimizu, (L/n), is that you?" asked Hino.
"Yeah, sorry for interrupting your practise."
"No, it's fine. You can practise here if you want, I was just about to leave."
"Are you sure? Hey, want me to help you with the violin?"

Keii tugged at my sleeve, telling me that he was going to leave. I suddenly felt guilty. We were supposed to practise together...but he simply squeezed my hand reassuringly.

"Really? Can you really help me?" Hino asked.
"Yeah."
"Thank you so much!"

I got out my violin and looked at the music sheets. So she was playing Ave Maria...that was one of the pieces I had learnt a few years ago.

She noticed me staring at the sheets and smiled.

"I love that piece. I think it's beautiful," she exclaimed happily.
"Same here."
"The first time I heard this was when I accidentally saw Len in the practise rooms."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah, his playing is amazing! Yours is too!"
"Thanks."
"(L/n), can you play any other instruments?"
"Yeah, the piano. And just call me (Y/n)."
"Okay."
"Then shall we start?"

I watched as she played, pointing out some of the things she needed to fix and helping with her posture. It was really fun, to be honest.

I laughed as the sheets blew all over the place. She just pouted and began collecting them. I bent down to help her. It was pretty peaceful up here. I wonder why I rarely practised up here...

"Hey (Y/n), are you really okay with teaching me?" Hino asked.
"Yeah, why do you ask?"
"Well, we're going to be competing against each other in the concours...is it really okay for you to be helping your rival?"
"I don't mind. It's been really fun."
"Then if you're fine with it-"
"Let's discuss this another time. Lunch is almost over."

~Some time later~

I made my way to the practise room after school. Luckily there was an empty one. Haku-nii had told me to practise for a while longer today. He cut me off every time I tried to protest, saying that my practise time was always cut short because I had to rush home.

As I entered the practise rooms, I noticed something shiny in the corner of the room. What was that? I walked over and picked it up, only to drop it straight after.

This necklace...I had the exact same one. It was a present from my mum, before she had passed away. It was when I was in middle school.

But I lost it...when a bunch of bullies were cornering me in the playground. I suddenly couldn't breathe as I remembered the events of that horrible day.

I lost the only thing to remind me of my mum...it felt as if my vision was becoming blurry. I felt light-headed...I tried to fight it but it was futile. In the end, I blacked out.

No one's POV

"Oh? Isn't that (Y/n)? I can't seem to remember her last name though..."

Hihara went into the room, only to find her unconscious on the floor. He immediately rushed over to her, and tried to wake her up.

It was no use. She seemed like a corpse. Her breathing was shallow and sweat had formed on her forehead.

"Is anyone out there?!" Hihara yelled.

He noticed something beside her hand.

"Huh? A necklace?...wait, didn't Hino wear this the other day?..."

He shoved it into his pocket and tried calling out for someone again. No one seemed to hear his desperate yells.

That was, until Tsukimori ran into the room. He looked worried, despite his cold expression. He quickly knelt down beside Hihara and pulled (Y/n) onto his lap.

"What happened?" he asked.
"I don't know. I just found her here like this," Hihara replied.
"Take her things and follow me."
"W-what? Where are we going? Shouldn't we call the ambulance?-"
"Just do as I say."

So together, with Tsukimori carrying (Y/n), they headed outside.