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In a busy side of town, nestled in a little corner, is Toya's workplace. Typically, one would imagine the owner of a bar to be intimidating, or maybe sleazy, but Akito is nothing like that at all, in Toya's opinion.
Sure, he's a little hard-headed and rough around the edges. So maybe he is a bit intimidating, in that regard, but he's a good guy and overtime has become a good friend. Akito trusts Toya to perform well, and Toya gives his best to not let him or his customers down. But he is only one person after all, and having the same performer on stage for weeks must get tiring for the patrons at some point. Therefore it doesn't really surprise him when Akito pulls him aside one day with a serious expression on his face.
"You're okay with that, right? Since you can't fill all the slots anyway?" Akito is busy writing something on the clipboard in his hand as he speaks, only glancing up at him momentarily to gauge his reaction to the news.
The atmosphere around them is bustling, with waiters shuffling to and fro to serve dishes and drinks in various colours, and customers locked in conversations and laughter that flowed as easily as the peaceful jazz from the speakers and the beer from the taps.
Toya nods. "It's no problem," he replies, watching as Akito's lips break into a satisfied grin.
"It's settled then." He clicks his pen and taps it twice against the board. "She'll perform on Tuesdays and Thursdays, basically the days you aren't here. You should stop by to catch her sometime, you might like her style."
Toya smiles a little, though he has trouble imagining anything since he knows little to nothing about this new girl. He can't deny though — his interest is piqued.
"I'll try."
•••
On Thursday, Toya enters the bar at 8:30PM sharp. He swings the door open right as the mic on stage peaks, the speakers booming to life as the girl yells out to the crowd.
"Hello everyone! Are we ready to get pumped?!"
Some of the regulars seem perplexed, wondering who the energetic newbie is. But it isn't long before their expressions twist to ones of awe, wonder and excitement as the music begins to play and she begins to sing.
Immediately, Toya understands Akito's almost out-of-character, easy willingness to get her on the stage. Her energy is intoxicating, vocals bouncing off the walls in every which way and sending pulses straight to his head and chest.
Her voice is almost rough with how hard she pushes it, but it carries a unique and melodic quality to it that kind of reminds Toya of Akito. She shares a similar vibe to him, and Toya has to admit he's impressed.
The crowd cheers and sings along, led by her powerful voice, and the energy in the bar is so lively that Toya can't help but bob his head and sing along too.
When the girl is done with a few songs and announces that she's taking a break, the crowd instantly dissolves into smaller conversations, each still lively and full of energy as they discuss their favourite parts of the performances so far.
Toya stands and walks over to Akito to order himself a drink, when—
"That was amazing, An-chan!" A sweet voice chirps, and a short girl with blonde hair tied up in pigtails bounces to the front of the room. The performer, who he now knows is named An, grabs onto her hands, jumping lightly in excitement with her.
"Thank you, Kohane! You know, you should totally sing with me up there one day!"
At that, An's friend — Kohane, it seems — flusters greatly. Her shoulders are hiked up to her ears now, lips pulled into a shaky smile. "I couldn't—"
"You definitely could!"
Toya admits, An's enthusiasm was hard to match, bright enough to light up the dimly lit room.
He wonders, as the taste of pineapple coats his tongue, what her powerful voice would sound like singing a lullaby.
•••
The first time Toya actually talks to An is, ironically, on a night where he's the one performing.
He steps off the stage, gratefully accepting a napkin from one of the nearby staff with a polite bow and wiping the sweat off his forehead.
The bar is a little quieter than usual today, filled mostly with regulars who sip idly at their drinks. Toya's throat is a little scratchy from one of his songs, so he beelines towards the counter to order himself a nice rewarding cocktail.
To his surprise, however, An of all people is there, talking to Akito with a teasing smile on her face. The lights are falling on her just right, highlighting the little star-shaped hairpins she has scattered around her midnight blue locks that he hadn't really noticed before. It's a cute detail about her, an accessory he's never quite seen on anyone before; not even Saki with all her love for dressing up or Tsukasa with his obsession with stardom.
When Akito notices him, he shoots him a grin and wave, which catches An's attention. She turns and flashes him the brightest smile in the room. Momentarily he feels blinded, caught off guard by the immense joy someone can appear to have just from his presence. It's a little strange to him, but decidedly not bad, so he walks closer.
"Aoyagi Toya, right? I've been meaning to talk to you!" An exclaims merrily before Akito even has a chance to get a word in. His irritated 'oi!' is barely acknowledged as Toya's arm is grabbed, and he's abruptly dragged away from Akito and towards a further corner of the counter.
He registers An's voice ordering him a drink through the fog of shock in his brain, and he blinks. "Ah, I can pay for my own drink— um—"
"Shiraishi An. And it's no big deal!" Her mood seriously cannot be dampened. "Consider it a treat for letting me borrow you for a while~"
The nod he gives in response is a little stiff. He hopes she doesn't notice.
An plops herself down on a stool and sighs contentedly before looking up at him and patting the cushion of the one beside her. Without anything better to do — and frankly, not much of a choice — Toya gets comfortable. An gives him about 5 seconds to brace himself before words begin spouting out of her mouth at a rate with which he can barely keep up.
"So what's it like performing on stage for you? You're super awesome, by the way. Your piano skills are amazing, your singing too! We should totally duet sometime or something!"
Luckily for him, years of being friends with the Tenma siblings have somewhat prepared him for people like this. And, also luckily, he discovers that An is an extremely warm presence. Perhaps it is this that allows her and Kohane to get along so well despite their seemingly contrasting personalities.
He answers her questions and humbly dismisses her praises with shy waves of his hands, but she only bounces back and compliments him more.
Toya also discovers that An is a very fun person to be around, and barely notices when Akito drops off his drink with a silent smirk.
•••
She catches him alone one night, when the bar has closed. Akito had given him full permission before — and his own set of keys, for this exact reason — that he's allowed to stay back after hours so long as he ensures his own and the bar's safety.
Toya isn't quite sure how An knows he's here, playing a sad little tune on the piano, but when the song ends she claps and that's how he realises she's hidden in the shadows.
"Shiraishi-san?" He squints, barely making out her form in the darkness. But then she grins, and he knows he's right.
She steps out into the light, eyes soft and gaze tender, her fingers laced together.
"Hi, Toya. I thought I'd stay back a little tonight to test some of my set list, but Akito told me you'd lock up instead," An explains. Toya tries to pay full attention to her words and not be distracted by the way her lipgloss reflects the stage lights overhead.
He clears his throat at the prolonged silence, "Right, sure. That's fine with me."
She thanks him and skips off to the other side of the stage, where the speakers and mics are. But right as she reaches for a mic, she pauses.
There's a smug look on her face when she turns and meets his eyes.
"Hey, Toya," An begins, and Toya instinctively braces himself. "Wanna switch equipment for a sec?"
"What?" He blurts out, confused, before An plops herself right down onto the bench beside him. Out of respect, he tries to suppress his jolt of surprise.
Eagerly, she presses her gentle fingers lightly onto the keyboard. She seems to delight in the sound from the way she perks up, and the next thing he knows, she's swaying and playing away.
It's not the best — it's clear that she has little experience. She's pressing whatever key feels right and the melody is wacky and disjointed, but she's giggling along so happily that the song sounds beautiful anyway.
"Hey, hey, Toya, teach me!" An cries out, choking a little on her laughter. "This sounds horrible."
Toya chuckles, slowly moving his hands to rest atop hers and guide her fingers to press keys along a simple melody he learned when he was five.
The little sounds of astonishment and excitement that she lets out blend into the music perfectly, and Toya thinks that An herself is made of music. From her laugh to her heart to her pretty face.
Toya really loves music. Something in him beats to the rhythm of a dance track and sings the melody of a ballad.
•••
One day, he steps off stage to see An and Kohane chatting happily at the bar.
An has been showing up to his performances pretty much every day now, and he has showed up to hers. Toya hadn't thought much of it, but it seems their friendship has grown quite a bit. It makes him smile.
As he's making his way to the girls, he sees Akito amble up to them on the other side of the bar, resting his arms crossed on the counter. He smiles a little at something Kohane says, before An cuts in with a cackle and he snaps his head over to her with a glare.
"Having fun without me, I see," Toya says as he reaches them, crossing his arms and smiling at the trio.
"Toya!" An exclaims excitedly, sitting up straighter in her seat.
"Amazing performance as always, Aoyagi-kun," Kohane praises warmly, as she wont to do. As a result of An showing up each night, Kohane's appearances increased as well, most likely to accompany her friend. Her presence was most welcome, of course.
He takes a seat beside An, and Akito takes it as his cue to turn around and begin mixing Toya's favourite drink.
"Nice one up there tonight, partner. You're livelier than you used to be," Akito smirks at him, "Not a bad thing, though. You've got a crazy solid belting voice."
Toya chuckles to hide the shyness creeping up his neck. He hadn't expected so many compliments. "Speak for yourself."
Kohane looks at Akito, eyes wide in surprise. "You sing too, Shinonome-kun?"
Akito flusters, ducking his head with a pout and a glare towards Toya. "Haven't in a while, but yeah."
The glare isn't at all threatening though, because of the fact his cheeks are pink.
"Don't just go saying that, dude."
"Technically he didn't say anything, right, Toya?" An nudges him with her elbow, grinning widely. She's looking up at him through her lashes. A small heat grows in his chest.
He nods, growing smug, "She's right, I didn't."
Ignoring all this, Kohane chips in, "I'd love to hear you sing, Shinonome-kun."
"Yeah, yeah!" An cheers, leaning forward on the counter by her arms, "I wonder what you sound like~ a croaky old penguin, maybe?"
Akito half-heartedly slams Toya's drink on the counter, shooting daggers at An with his eyes. "Oi, quit jokin'. I could sound better than you."
"Hah! Better prove it then, Bar Boy!"
"An-chan," Kohane reprimands gently, placing a hand on An's arm, "Don't pressure him too much. He doesn't have to sing if he doesn't want to."
Akito looks over at Kohane, his eyes betraying his inner conflict. Toya smiles, because he can see the exact moment Akito caves. The ginger's shoulders slump like he's lost a giant battle — to Kohane's sweet belief in him.
"Fine, after the bar closes. I'll blow you away."
He sure keeps the first half of that promise, because the second it hits 1 A.M. Toya is helping to escort people out the door. An is waving cheerily at the patrons who smile and wave back, making their way across the street in all different directions to return to their daily lives.
Before he knows it, the bar is quiet. Only the sound of their footsteps remain, near silent in the night, before being sharply cut by the squeak of the sound system as it jolts back to life.
Akito's grip on the microphone is white and he's staring at it like it's personally harmed him. Toya frowns. Maybe pressuring him to sing really was the wrong move. It's truly been a long time since Akito sang, would his skill even have remained up to par?
He still remembers the incident like it was yesterday — the day Akito gave up on singing. It had stung, but no doubt had stung Akito worse. Giving up his dreams was the last thing a person like Akito would ever wish for themselves.
But Toya also clearly remembers Akito's voice. A strong, powerful timbre, yet carrying a myriad of emotions and capable of conveying a great softness. Shamefully, he feels quite excited to hear Akito sing again. He glances over at the two girls beside him, noticing that Kohane has her hands nervously clasped in her lap. She's tapping her foot up and down, biting her lip, staring at Akito like she's picking him apart.
An throws a concerned glance Kohane's way, but doesn't mention it. Then the music starts, and Kohane's spine straightens so fast he could practically hear it click into place.
Akito starts singing, and Toya is thrown all the way back to the years ago they met, when they were just teenagers full of energy chasing after something to be proud of. Though Akito probably hasn't practised seriously in years, it's clear he still sings in his free time, likely at home with no other witnesses; his voice is near just as incredible as before. A little shaky from nerves, a bit scratchy from misuse, but overall still beautiful.
Kohane looks enchanted. She's swaying along to the beat and gazing at Akito with glittery eyes.
Toya watches as they make eye contact, and he watches as Akito glows up there on the stage, like he was always meant to be there.
He grins. It seems that his good friend has found an extra bonus in inviting An to perform — one that has suspiciously not much to do with An herself, his business or his job.
•••
Pebbles scatter along the pavement as he paces back and forth, the tapping of his dress shoes disturbing the peace of the quiet night.
Well, that and his low, frustrated voice.
"Father, please, I'm still playing the piano, what's different?"
His father's voice rings through the speakers and into his ears, displeased, disapproving.
The call ends, not by Toya's own doing.
He heaves a sigh, running a hand through his hair as he grits his teeth. Quickly, he shuts off his phone and tucks it into his pocket, out of sight, out of mind.
"Toya?" He hears from behind him, and startled he turns around to see An standing in the doorway. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop..."
"No, it's alright," he replies, trying to force a little smile for her. Normally he'd hate for anyone to see him like this, but An isn't just anyone, she's a good friend.
She steps a little closer. "I sort of heard what you were talking about... Was that your dad on the phone?"
Toya blinks, surprised. "You caught on quite easily."
"It's hard not to," she grimaces a little though she laughs, "Your name was familiar when we met, I just couldn't place it."
"Ah," he says simply, in lieu of a response. She moves to stand beside him and lean her back against the fence.
An hums, "I don't quite know what it's like to have my dad be against my dreams—" she looks up at the starry sky— "But I do know what it's like to live in my dad's shadow. It can be rough. I'm sorry."
And that brings a little smile to Toya's face. He shifts to match her pose against the fence and watches the moon peek out from behind a large cloud.
"You've never told me about your dad."
She grins, a prideful one, despite what she'd said.
"His name is Ken. Shiraishi Ken, y'know? Super popular street musician. He's even made albums of his own."
"That sounds impressive," Toya appraises. "Composing is no easy task."
"Right?" An laughs, "I tried once in middle school. Never tried again since."
"Maybe you should let me have a listen to it sometime."
"Pfft," she seems to fluster a little at his suggestion, jolting like she was shocked by electricity. Her eyes move here and there, never quite making contact with his, and one of her hands begins to gesture for him to wave off the notion. "It's so bad, I'm serious. You could probably do way better, Mr. Classical-music-prodigy."
Toya cracks a smile, because it's hard not to when An is involved. "That doesn't mean I don't want to hear it. Music is a window to one's soul, you know. I wonder what middle school An was like."
At that, she lets out a loud 'Hah!' and slaps the railing. "She was a bit of a loser, Toya, I'm warning you."
"Can't be much more of a loser than me."
"Nah, you're definitely much cooler."
Toya disagrees, because he honestly can't think of many people he'd consider cooler than An. But he doesn't really feel like arguing with her at the moment, so he stays silent, and she doesn't push further.
•••
Another one of those nights rolls around. His father's been ignoring him for days. It's not really anything new, his father has gone on petty silences before, but he just doesn't have the energy to be positive about it tonight.
So he stays at the bar, scribbling away at an empty music sheet.
Toya grits his teeth as the strange harmony hits his ears. Another wrong chord, he's got to choose another. He readjusts his fingers, tries again, fails again.
Frustrated, he slams the pencil in his hand onto the stand and plays a rough chord, jamming his fingers forcefully into the keys. The sound is so loud, filling his head and his brain, overwhelming but oddly just what he needs, and he doesn't hear the footsteps hurrying toward him.
Toya doesn't recognise An's presence until her hand lands on his shoulder, touch gentle, her voice even more so.
"Hey, hey," she calls out to him. It feels like water pours out of his ears as his lungs fill with air.
He takes a deep breath. Then he looks up at her. An waits patiently, and he breathes again.
"Hey," he finally replies.
She moves to sit down beside him, and he scoots over in the piano chair. Her shoulder is pressed against his; she's leaning against him and it's grounding.
"Why don't you take a break? Gather some more inspiration?" An smiles.
It's quite a pretty thing, that smile. Toya thinks it's quite powerful too.
He nods, "Yes, I think a break is necessary. I'm not getting anywhere like this."
She hums, "I know just the thing!"
The speaker nearby sings a short positive tune as it successfully connects to her phone's Bluetooth, and she messes with the volume knob as a jazz melody begins filling the space around them.
An turns back to him and holds her hands out with a cheeky smile. The coloured lights overhead bear down on her, bathing her in a soft glow of blue and pink.
Slowly, tentatively, he reaches out, his own hands hovering close to hers, but too shy still to touch. Her smile widens then, and she closes the distance by clasping his hands in hers. She tugs him closer to her and his lips part a little in surprise, and before he knows it, she's spinning them around and he's following her steps — right, left, a twirl.
She's singing. An is singing a soft little melody as she leads them to the tune, head bobbing to the rhythm and elation written clearly all over her face.
It's like the bar is all theirs. But not Ken's daughter and Harumichi's son's — An and Toya's.
He learns one thing, then. One very important thing. That there is indeed music in between classical and street; and Toya thinks he wants to live in it forever.