Today was the last day of summer vacation, so Aki convinced me to do something other than reading for once. She said she had wanted to hear me play every bit of music I have on the piano, however Asuka would be resuming her lessons today so I didn't see any chance of that happening. Instead we went for a walk around the city, and had just stopped to get some ice cream.
"This stuff is really good" Aki said happily, chocolate all over her face. "It's big though. I don't think I can finish it"
"Well they don't exactly make chara-sized cones" I said, almost finished with my own chocolate ice cream. "If you can't finish it, I guess I'll just have to"
"No way, I'll definitely finish it! Just you see!". She had a determined look on her face, and added together with the chocolate all over it I found it hard to contain my laughter. I burst, and Aki stopped to stare at me in confusion. "What, why are you laughing?"
"Here, you really need a napkin" I said, calming myself down and handing her a small napkin. She took it, finally understanding why I had given it to her.
"I have chocolate all over my face, don't I?" she questioned, answering it on her own after wiping her cheeks. "I guess I look pretty funny, huh?"
"Yeah, in fact pretty much everything you do makes me want to laugh"
"Well that's good, after all its what I was born to do" Aki stated, continuing once more on her ice cream. "I'm supposed to be representing your desire to be free, and that includes being free to show your emotions"
"Ah, I see" I said, sitting back on the park bench we were staying at. "So you're supposed to be a klutzy clown". She looked at me angrily, trying to punch me in the arm to no avail.
After Aki finally finished her ice cream, we decided it was time to head back home and out of this heat. Just standing outside the front door I was able to here the piano, and I could tell by the skillful way it was being played that my mom was the one playing. It was late in the afternoon, so Asuka was most likely inside listening. Even though it was a beginner's piece, my mom still managed to make it sound like much more. I suppose that's her 'special skill'. I opened the door quietly so as not to disturb them, and could hear mom talking as she played.
"You have to gently flow into each note, so it sounds smooth and connected" she said, giving a quick demonstration. Asuka tried it next, nice and slow, but she played the notes to the melody short instead of long. Mom pointed this out, and she stopped. "It's alright, just try again"
"I wish she was that tolerant when I make a mistake" I muttered to myself, peaking in through the doorway. She kept trying, messing up sometimes and getting it perfect the next. They were both getting frustrated, and the longer they remained that way the more Asuka would mess up.
"How about we take a break". Mom sat up off of the bench, walking past me in the doorway. "Ayano, would you mind taking Asuka out for a little while? She needs some cool-down time"
"Not at all, I'll take her outside right now" I said, shaking my head. "We'll go to the park". Mom smiled, heading upstairs. Looking back into the music room, I saw Asuka sitting on the bench with her head down. I walked over to her, patting her on the shoulder. "Do you want to go to the park with me?" I asked, a bright smile on my face. She smiled back, giving a quick nod.
"Thanks for doing this with me, Ayano" Asuka said, skipping next to me as we passed through the park.
"You're welcome, it's nice to get away from work so this is perfect for you" I said. Aki hummed an upbeat tune, sitting on my shoulder. I didn't think I had anything to worry about with Asuka around, in fact I didn't think she could even see her.
