▃▃▃▃▃ "ya sound like shit!"

     "shut the fuck up atsumu! I didn't ask for your honest opinion!", etsuko huffed, to which the blonde had snorted meanwhile osamu and suna just sighed.

"kita, why don't ya help him?", osamu questioned, to which the boy had looked up from his book.

surprisingly, the dual-haired boy was able to keep his sanity and concentration meanwhile etsuko tried her hardest to make a sound on the flute.

     the girl ended up being successful, however, the sounds were like a mixture of dying seals and suffocating whales.

     it was downright devastating.

     "I'm a bit occupied with my own practicing", kita stated.

"eh? what are ya playing for the show?", atsumu asked.

"the koto. I'm the only one playing it, so I need to perform exceedingly well. I don't have time to teach others", the boy coldly said, to which etsuko had slightly pouted.

'how mean~'

"you can always ask the people from shiratorizawa. I heard most of them are trying out for instruments too since they're not too keen on acting", suna informed.

     "shira—who?", etsuko asked, furrowing her brows as she somewhat remembered takeda-sensei mentioning them at the entrance exam.

     "shiratorizawa", osamu sighed. "I heard that they're pretty up there in terms of status and skills".

"but not better than us", atsumu scoffed, to which etsuko could care less about the social hierarchy of the rich.

"so who's from shira-toy-ziwa?", etsuko asked.

"it's SHIRATORIZAWA!"

"mm...semi eita. he's the one that has messy ash blonde hair with dark tips, kind of like mine. shirabu kenjirō, probably the smartest out of their group, has uneven bangs and copper-colored hair. and finally goshiki tsutomu, has dark hair and a bowl-cut", kita chimed in.

"how do ya know everything, kita?!"

"unlike ya, kita actually pays attention to his surroundings!", osamu teased, to which atsumu was about to yell again before etsuko had spoke.

"ehh?? I know bowl-cut boy got a role as one of the many suitors...so which one's playing the shakuhachi again?"

     "I'm not sure", kita stated, to which etsuko had just shrugged.

     "which room do you guys reside in?", the girl asked the three, who were sitting with etsuko at the tea table, eating some onigiri that osamu had made.

     "we're in room seven", osamu informed.

     "I'm in room eight with kozume", said suna.

     "ohhhh, right right!! if bokuto-san's with sugawara-san in room two, and akaashi-san and sawamura-san are in room one...then that leaves rooms three, four, nine, and ten", etsuko deduced.

     "I would not go to room three. tsukishima and yamaguchi reside there", suna chimed in.

"good call! I'll go to room four first then, since it's closest. see you all later!", etsuko smiled as she left her and kita's shared dorm.

"do ya think he'll be alright?", osamu asked.

"he'll be fine. etsuko's got a way with people", suna assured.

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     "may I help you?", a boy with dark, spiked-up hair and dark brown eyes, asked.

     not only were his brows slightly furrowed, but his serious expression had seemed to intimidate etsuko quite a bit.

"u-umm...I'm haru etsuko!"

     the male stared at etsuko for a moment, making her shiver under his harsh gaze.

     "iwaizumi hajime", the boy introduced, seeming to relax his facial expressions a bit, according to etsuko at least.

     "ah...nice to meet you, iwaizumi-san! I'm sorry to bother, but I was wondering if shirabu-san was here?"

"SHIRABU! SOMEONE'S ASKING FOR YOU!", iwaizumi suddenly yelled, making etsuko quietly clear her throat as she wanted to make sure her voice didn't crack when she met this other boy.

     the girl witnessed iwaizumi leave as a skinnier boy arrived at the door, his brown eyes staring into etsuko's very own ones.

"you're that one bold kid that made a bet with daishō...haru etsuko was it?"

"mhm!! that's me! nice to meet you, shirabu-san!"

"I'm not really one for formalities, but anyways, why did you want to see me?", the boy asked with a bored tone.

     "I heard that you were going to tryout for the school band for the play and I was wondering if you could help me with the flute", etsuko smiled, whipping out the wooden instrument from behind her back.

     "umm..."

     "I promise to treat you to some onigiris! osamu makes really good ones", etsuko tried to persuade.

     "and I promise to learn diligently and not bother you ever again!! ....please?", the girl slightly pouted, lookimg into shirabu's eyes as his left brow twitched.

      'ugh...he reminds me of that bowl-cut brat!'

     "fine. come in", shirabu sighed, inviting the girl inside as shirabu and iwaizumi's room was just the same as her and kita's.

"thank you, thank you, thank you!!"

"what's he doing here?", iwaizumi asked.

"practicing flute. now show me what you've got", shirabu demanded.

iwaizumi took a sip of tea as he opened his book, meanwhile etsuko correctly placed her fingers above the holes as she started blowing across the hole.

as soon as the girl started playing, iwaizumi spat out his tea as he sprayed it all over the tea table, making shirabu grimace at both the mess and the girl's horrendous playing.

"stop it right now. are you pranking me or is this really how you play?"

etsuko tilted her head to the side, confused. "why would I be pranking you?"

iwaizumi stifled a snort as he grabbed a towel to clean up the spit.

shirabu's face was of pure shock as he was snapped out of his trance when etsuko waved her hand in front of him, making him clear his throat as he finally found his voice once more.

"okay...at least your hands and lips are positioned correctly. let's talk about your air. you need to keep it consistent and engage your core", the copper-haired male instructed.

     etsuko nodded as she started blowing again, nearly squeaking as she felt shirabu's finger poke her stomach, making her stumble back a step or two.

     "w-what are you—"

     "I'm checking to see if you're engaging your core. also, make sure your lips are frowning a bit. and let's finger the note c", shirabu said as he helped adjust etsuko's fingers.

     taking a deep breath in, the girl calmly yet sternly blew across the hole, fingering the note as a wonderful low c was heard.

     "GOODNESS!! SHIRABU, WE DID IT!! YOU'RE GOOD AT THIS!", etsuko laughed, to which the male gave the girl a weird expression of proudness mixed with confusion.

     "don't get too excited. you only played one note and you still need to play different octaves. by the way, can you even read music?", the brown-eyed boy asked.

     etsuko froze.

     "r-read what now?"

     "music? you know, like music sheets? notes on a paper?"

     etsuko's brain had deactivated for a moment before she had recomputed.

     "um...well..."

     shirabu sighed. "come by after class tomorrow. we have about two days before the audition. I heard they're only taking one koto, one shamisen, one taiko, and two shakuhachis".

"r-really?!"

"do I look like someone who would bluff for no reason?", shirabu questioned, to which etsuko wasn't sure if he actually wanted an honest answer or not.

"I'll just see you tomorrow", etsuko awkwardly chuckled as she shuffled out the room, waving goodbye to shirabu and iwaizumi as she returned to her room to show off her new learned note.

"you're really going to help him? aren't you just creating more competition for yourself?", iwaizumi questioned.

shirabu just stared at the door, where etsuko had exited.

"he's already at a disadvantage with us being skilled with nearly every instrument since young. if I help him, maybe he'll stand a chance.

plus, it's only a school play. nothing too serious".

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セレンディピティ
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