91 Days

Written by: Rizka Nafiah

Yasue Rin was an ordinary high school student who had a cheerful look on her face with bright round eyes, rosy cheeks, and brown hair that was cut very short under her ears. Her fine body showed an active person who was able to move flexibly wherever she wanted. Yasue’s favourite wear in school was her sport uniform used for playing baseball on the school yard with her friends.

The fact that she was a baseball team player who was always surrounded by a lot of people on the field, made her become a sociable person, who was easily close to others, yet not as close as her friendship with a guy named Akio, known as “the violinist” among the students in her school.

It was April 21st when he first came to the school. Her good friend, the violinist Akio Hideki, brought his violin to school almost every day and played it at the music room anytime he was free. He wore his white formal uniform more often than his sport skirt. Akio indicated a good calm figure with no interest in sweating his body—unless by playing violin. He was not an orchestra violinist, yet more likely keeping a mysterious thing behind his violin unknown by anyone including Yasue.

Akio was known for his generosity that sincerely managed to help others whenever he could. He didn’t show his smile so often, yet this what made him looked attractive in his own way. Another Yasue’s good friend, Saki-chan—that’s how Yasue called her, once told Yasue that she admired Akio’s figure as a musician like herself, yet she was an introverted girl and wasn’t brave enough to even make an eye contact with him. However, as promised, Yasue had kept this as a secret for a long time and never told Akio about this.

“Do you not bring your sport uniform again?” Yasue came to see Akio in the classroom.
“I’m not feeling well.”
“If you don’t feel well, then take a rest. It’s time to go home though. Let’s go!”

That afternoon, Yasue and Akio walked home together just as usual. To tell the truth, one simple reason why Yasue and Akio got along very well was because their way home was at the same direction. They walked and shared many things in every steps they took on their way home, became closer as the time passed.

“By the way, Akio, you play violin more often recently… Do you have any musical competition soon, or something?”
Akio didn’t respond fast. “I just need to work harder for it. The song I learn is not as easy as I thought.”
Yasue was about to ask the song he was learning.
“Have you ever heard ‘Kirameki’ composed by Yohei Hashiguchi? The song was once showed on TV sung by Wacci. Since the violin version of the song is only played as the back-sound, I have to arrange the melody in full version by myself because I am playing solo. I need to be faster because I don’t have much time.”
“I know Wacci,” Yasue answered and gave a little smile. “Though I’ve neither listened to that song nor watched it on TV.”
“Oh, right. Your favourite channel must be all about sports.”
“What? No, I watch movies too! A romance movie. Look! You’re laughing out loud. You are completely alright! You didn’t bring your sport uniform on purpose and told Mr. Takada that you were sick, did you? You were playing violin at the music room. I saw you!”

It’s true that Akio had been playing violin in the music room when the other were on the school field doing sports activities. Yasue had a good sight and saw him from distance playing his violin near the music room window. Of course she realized that it was her good friend, Akio.

The breeze was blowing through the air, and these two high school students were still walking on their way home. There has been no conversation for about the last 3 minutes. Looked like one of them was thinking about something else that has not been told to another before.

“Rin, I’ve been wondering about something.”
Hearing this, Yasue was a bit surprised, “Did you just call me with my surname?”
“Why not? We’ve known each other for more than two months.”
“Well, I don’t mind since we’re close friends… Though it’s a bit awkward. What are you wondering anyway?”
Akio slackened his steps. “Have you ever thought about dating someone?”
“What’s with that sudden topic?” She was almost speechless. “You know with whom you are talking. I’m not interested in it at all. Dating someone will just take my freedom away.”
“I know. I was just asking though. I’ve never been thinking about dating anyone too before, yet… Hiding my own feeling to someone I like was not an easy thing. Moreover, when the girl I like is my own friend.”
Those words were somehow shocked her, yet she was still trying to be positive.
“Who is she?” That plain question finally came out from her mouth.
“You’ll be sorry to hear it,” Akio stopped his steps. “I like you, Rin.”

Her feet trembled. Yasue was suddenly feeling terrible. She knew this would be happened. Being close to a boy she called ‘a friend’, would sooner or later end like this. Akio was not more than a good friend whom she enjoyed being with, and a person who she supported and helped with all she had. She couldn’t imagine if Akio had to be her lover. Having a crush on a friend means you didn’t consider them as a truly friend anymore. Her head was full of confusion. That awkward moment was just made her uneasy. That exact moment, Yasue didn’t say anything and suddenly just ran and left him alone. No matter how hard Akio tried to run and chase on her, he’d never beat a home-runner.

That night, Yasue was looking outside a window with the two of her amber eyes, contemplating, with her head laying on her hands. On a desk, her cell-phone was ringing with a name of someone she knew very well on the display. It was her pal, Saki-chan.

“Hello? Rin, about the song you told me just now, I know it very well. My mother used to play ‘Kirameki’ when she was bored. I’ve never played it before, yet since I have the partitura score’s piano of the song, it’s not too difficult for me to just read and play it.”
 “Great! I need to record it tomorrow at nine in music room.”
“What are you planning, Rin? You aren’t usually interested in music.”
“If I say the recording will be used by Akio to help him play a violin back-sound, you won’t mind it, right?”
“W-what—”
“See you tomorrow, Saki-chan!”

Of course Yasue didn’t tell the truth. This was her plan and how it actually worked. Saki-chan came as promised, in time at ten to nine, in the music room. However, as usual, Yasue had not come and never been in time. So, while waiting for Yasue bringing the cell-phone to record, Saki-chan tried the school’s grand piano out and started to play ‘Kirameki’.

By the time she was playing, someone opened the door behind her, yet Saki-chan kept playing the song, expecting to show how late Yasue was. That person neither said anything nor even disturbed her. A moment later, Saki-chan finished her song and turned around. How surprised she was, knowing the person who had been listening to her playing piano was not Yasue. She should have realized that nine o’clock was Akio Hideki’s regular time to play his violin in the music room.

“I-I thought you were…”
“Please. I need you to play the piano of that song. It’ll be a big help for me to arrange the solo version of the violin. Why didn’t you tell me that you’re a musician? Saki-chan, right? You are one of Rin’s good friends. Nice to meet you, I’m Akio Hideki.”
This was how their first conversation started. Yasue considered her plan was a complete success, without realizing its further implication.

One simple conversation can build a relationship between them. Since then, Akio and Saki-chan went to the music room more often, had a musical duet there. Even then, Saki-chan joined Akio and Yasue, walking home together, talked about merry things on their way home—not exactly merry for the three of them. For Yasue who didn’t know any special things about music, the conversation became vapid.

It wasn’t a feeling of jealousy. Yasue had a lot of friends to be with, activities to do, yet there was more likely a part of puzzle missing from herself. There was a friend that wasn’t like others, activities that can’t be done with anyone, only Akio Hideki.

It was July 18th. The situation had been going for almost a week from the day he confessed, when Yasue walked home alone one afternoon, after joining an extra activity in her school. Akio and Saki-chan must had gone home first without her, she thought. She heard her cell-phone in her pocket ringing while she was still daydreaming on the road. She noticed it as a person she knew very well, and picked it up.

“Saki-chan…”
The conversation went so intense. As Yasue was carefully hearing Saki-chan speaking on the phone, a few second later, a shocked look on her face appeared. She ran in a rush without even replied Saki-chan. It was about Akio and his study plan, moving from the school and going abroad the next morning. She went to a river bank, where Akio used to play violin after school.

“It’s not fair…” Yasue was standing behind Akio who was playing his violin on a green grass in the river bank. “We’ve been friends for three months, but you told Saki-chan, who was recently close to you for the last a week, first, that you want to go abroad, and have her told me about it. You became talkative when Saki-chan was there, talked about something I didn’t understand. You said…” she sobbed, “You liked me, yet… you and Saki-chan were more likely a fine couple. I unbelievably felt lonely this whole time, and now you’re going to leave me.”

Her eyes were tear-filled.
“I told you, right? I don’t have much time,” Akio stopped playing his violin and stood in front of her, face to face. “Rin, do you believe in time traveling? If I say that I’m from the future, will you believe me?”
“What are you trying to say?”
“I know this sounds illogical… but I really am not a person from this time. I came to the past for one purpose. Do you still remember a song composed by Yohei Hashiguchi that I told you before? In the future, the song is arranged to a very different one to play, and the original arrangement has been destroyed. I came to this year and set my time for 91 days starting from April 18th at 4 p.m. until July 18th at 4 p.m. to learn the song and have a little time studying in a school from this year. Look. This violin is my time machine, there is a number of the days left. It shows 001 now.”
Looking at him with piercing eyes, Yasue tried to answer, “Then use that time machine to come back to the past someday.”
“Yeah, I’ll make sure to come back to the past one day… but not a past from this year. We only have seven times traveling, and I’ve been traveling for four times. The three left will be my treasures,” he smiled. “About you and Saki-chan, of course it’s not fair. I only tell about this time traveling to a person I spent my precious time with.” (Fin)