Chapter 4 – The Sound Beneath the Silence
The rain hadn't stopped since that afternoon.
It was as if the sky itself was trying to sing along with the music Kai left unfinished on the piano.
Ren sat by the window of the dorm's practice hall, earbuds in, but no song playing. He was only listening to the rhythm of the rain, imagining each drop as a note falling on an invisible staff.
It was peaceful… and painful.
Kai hadn't come back since the confrontation at the rehearsal room.
Everyone kept asking Ren what happened, but all he could answer was a shrug and a quiet, "He just needed space."
But deep down, he knew that space meant distance — and distance had a way of turning people into memories.
---
Later that night, Ren returned to the grand piano.
It still carried the warmth of Kai's last melody.
He traced the keys with his fingertips, remembering the way Kai used to hum softly before playing — that strange mix of confidence and chaos that made Ren's heart skip.
Then he found it.
A small folded paper tucked between the music sheets.
He opened it. Kai's handwriting — uneven, hurried, emotional.
> "Don't fix what's broken in me, Ren. Just listen.
If one day the music stops, promise you'll keep playing."
Ren froze. The words were simple, but they echoed louder than any melody he'd ever played.
For the first time, Ren realized something terrifying:
He didn't just want to play music with Kai.
He wanted to understand him — to be the reason he never stopped playing.
---
The next morning, he made a decision.
He stood in front of the student board and signed up for the Duet Competition — the one Kai had sworn he'd never join again.
And under the "Partner" section, Ren wrote just one name.
Kai Ishida.
People whispered, some laughed, others looked shocked.
But Ren didn't care.
Because for him, it wasn't about the trophy or the spotlight anymore.
It was about the promise hidden in that note.
And if Kai wouldn't come back to the music…
Then Ren would bring the music back to him.