"Let's hear it." She took the electric guitar, palm angled slightly down, and held it to her chest. She went back to the sofa and plopped down, her calves bouncing up before settling. Once she was seated comfortably, she unzipped the case, revealing a green guitar.
Chihaya Kaiser sat down beside her. "You have to tell me why you suddenly wanted the guitar back. You never usually practice on your own."
"Well~ about that."
Chihaya Anon looked at the brand-new strings, the perfectly set octave intonation, and the new pickups. It seemed her brother had taken better care of the guitar she'd only played once than she ever did.
She puffed out her chest, gripped the neck, and tried to form a C chord. When she looked for a pick, a hand next to her offered one with a little turtle drawn on it.
"It's simple. I'm starting a band!"
"...." Chihaya Kaiser met her gaze, confirming his sister was serious, and immediately fell silent.
Although he was just feigning ignorance, he decided to probe for more information, to see if there was a chance to intervene.
Anon was his sister. He couldn't just stand by and watch her suffer through all that messy business.
He'd actually been in a band, and it had broken up in the end. There were just too many awful people and terrible situations; just thinking about it was unpleasant.
So, he asked casually.
"Playing house?"
"No way! Bands are easy, aren't they? You just strum a little, change a few chords, and that's it. The important part is singing well."
She leaned over, using his thigh as a pillow, and rested the guitar on her stomach. She strummed wildly in an attempt to look cool, completely off-beat.
Chihaya Kaiser stroked her hair. "What you're describing is acoustic folk singing. That's completely different from an electric guitar. If you want to start a band, you need to practice for a while first. I was one of the weaker members in my old band, and you really shouldn't join one if you can't play at all."
"I can't help it! I already promised them. The young lady from Tsukinomori I met today was so sweet, I'd feel bad telling her I'm quitting."
Her cutesy, high-pitched voice was as sweet as honey. The guitar wasn't plugged into an amp, so its faint sound didn't interrupt their conversation.
*Our family can afford to send you to Tsukinomori, you know. You just didn't want to go back then.*
After calming himself down a bit, he started teaching Anon the guitar, plugging it into an amp and turning on a metronome.
It was a bit of a shame that it didn't trigger a system quest.
Half an hour later, he left Anon to her own devices, telling her to keep the metronome on and practice "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."
He went downstairs, grabbed two cold colas from the fridge, and hid one behind his back. Returning upstairs, he sat on a small round stool by the window and pushed it open a few notches. The scent of spring drifted into the room. The twilight sun hit his cheek; as twins, they looked alike, but when he was quiet, the slanted light gave him a somewhat somber air.
He sipped his cola, strands of his hair brushing past his eyes. This caught the girl's attention. Her playing stopped as she stared at the red can in his hand.
"Huh? Kaiser, you only brought one cola? That's so sly! Get me one too, come on."
"Go get it yourself."
"But I'm practicing guitar."
"Say 'big brother.'"
"Big Brother Dearest!" Chihaya Anon chirped without hesitation, her voice dripping with that sickeningly sweet cutesiness.
"Here." He simply took the cola hidden behind his back and placed it on the coffee table, pushing it toward her.
He watched her open it, take a sip, and let out a happy little laugh. She set the cola down in front of her and started practicing again.
Her playing was halting, like raindrops trickling from the eaves. Occasionally, her fingers wouldn't press the strings down hard enough, creating a messy, discordant noise like thunder on a rainy day.
The guitar suddenly went quiet. Anon's gaze fell upon the boy. The pick slid across all the strings at once, making a faint sound before slipping from her fingers.
"Ah?! Sorry."
Anon tried to pick up the pick, but flustered, she failed several times.
He walked over and picked it up for her. "What's on your mind? You suddenly zoned out."
"Well, I was just wondering why you quit your band, Kaiser. Were you unhappy?" she asked, taking the pick.
"Not exactly. We had creative differences that led to a conflict. It's as simple as that," he said with a smile, speaking of the band's breakup with surprising ease.
"Will you ever start another band?" She averted her gaze, staring at the narrow space where her fingers hovered over the strings, noticing the fine dust on the pickups.
"Maybe. Depends," Chihaya Kaiser said hesitantly. He seemed to recall something, an angry face flashing through his mind.
"That's good. If you ever run into trouble, your big sister's arms are always waiting for you~"
Anon's smile was picture-perfect, like the warm sun. She opened her arms wide and pulled him into a hug.
The guitar was still between them, so it was just a token gesture before she let go.
"Hmm... but where did your 'Big Brother Dearest' go?"
He sat down again. "Didn't we agree that for these three months, I'm the older brother?"
"Hurry up and teach me the next part! I can play 'Twinkle, Twinkle' now." Anon changed the subject, demonstrating her still-stumbling rendition of the song.
Suddenly, a line of text appeared before his eyes.
[Quest Initiated]
[Please fulfill Chihaya Anon's wish]
[Reward: 0.1 Freely Assignable Points]
Chihaya Kaiser had thought quests couldn't be triggered between siblings. He froze for a few seconds, and by the time he snapped out of it, Anon had finished playing "Twinkle, Twinkle." She puffed out her chest, a proud look on her face, clearly waiting for his praise.
He reached out and plugged in the amp. "Let me show you again. Try not to make any extra noise. With an electric guitar, you need to mute the other strings. And make sure you follow the metronome."
"Eh? Was my playing bad?" Chihaya Anon seemed genuinely surprised, her lips slightly parted as she covered her face with her hand.
"It's no good."
After demonstrating once more, he handed the guitar back to her. Anon had no choice but to keep practicing while he listened to her "Twinkle, Twinkle" and played on his phone.
Thinking about the quest from earlier, he waited until her practice reached a point where she could barely play through without stopping. Then, a silly laugh drowned out the sound of the guitar.
"Hehe, I've got it down now."
"Mm, that's enough for today." He looked up from his phone, his eyes following her as she put the guitar away, tossed the pick into the front pocket of the case, and stored the amp in the cabinet.
"Anon, do you have any wishes?"
"A wish?" She let out a long "hmmm," her gaze drifting upward and to the side. She waggled her index finger back and forth, the tip occasionally brushing her cheek.
"I want to eat ice cream?"
Her tone was uncertain. She looked at Chihaya Kaiser, tilted her head, and sat down next to him.
"Why are you suddenly asking me this?"
"No reason." He leaned back, looking at his sister. "Want to go get some ice cream?"
"Hmm? Isn't it almost time for dinner? Mom will be upset if we go out for ice cream now," Anon said, sitting back down on the sofa and resting her head on his shoulder.
"Then... how about after dinner?" He was desperate to complete the quest.
"Oh? Your treat?" She rested an arm on his shoulder, cupping her chin in her palm, a teasing look in her eyes.
"You're not planning on making me pay, are you, Big Brother Dearest~?"
"Alright, alright, it's my treat." He tilted his head slightly and could see the girl's bright, gentle eyes.
He wondered if a single serving of ice cream would be enough to fulfill Anon's wish.
As the last ray of the setting sun sank below the horizon, their mother's knock broke the room's silence.
______
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