Chapter Text
Da capo al fine - an Italian musical term to indicate repeating the music from the beginning to the end.
It was 9pm on a Tuesday night. 28-year-old Kasaki Nozomi was taking the train home from her office, after a long day of work.
She got off at the station nearest to her apartment, and headed into the adjacent convenience store to grab a pre-packed meal for dinner. She usually preferred to prepare a simple, home-cooked meal for herself after work as it was both healthier and more economical, but on the days when she ended up working overtime, she opted for convenience store dinners or a meal at the small restaurants near her office as it was quick and easy.
Nozomi finally reached home - a 1LDK apartment she rented on her own which was closer to the city centre, slightly small but sufficient for her nonetheless. With trained efficiency, she laid her bags down, popped the meal in the microwave and started to run a bath.
Her dinner was ready in no time and she began to tuck in. Midway through her meal, her phone buzzed several times - someone was texting her. She glanced at the messages that popped up and scowled. It was her ex-boyfriend whom she had broken up with just one month ago.
“I’m sorry”
“Please stop ignoring me”
“Can we talk?”
Shaking her head, Nozomi picked up the phone and typed her message, brief yet curt.
“Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame on you.”
After contemplating for a moment, she decided to send another message, this time in the form of a voice memo.
“Asshole.”
Nozomi finished her dinner, and her bath was also ready.
She let out an audible sigh as she sank into her bathtub, letting the tiredness from the work day and the anger from the earlier text messages melt away into the warm water.
By the time Nozomi was done with her bath and drying her hair, it was almost 11pm. She had a bit more time to scroll through her social media before resting for the night, so she opened up Instagram on her phone.
As she was scrolling through her feed, she chanced upon a sponsored post - it was for an upcoming concert in town performed by a philharmonic orchestra whose name sounded vaguely familiar to her. Out of curiosity, she clicked into the advertisement to check out the details of the concert from their website. In their setlist, one of the pieces listed was Mozart’s Oboe concerto in C major.
Nozomi saw the name of the principal oboist and her jaw dropped.
Yoroizuka Mizore.
“Mizore…” Nozomi gasped. That was a name she hadn’t heard in a while.
It all began during their last few months in high school. While Nozomi was going to a regular university along with Natsuki and Yuuko, Mizore applied for and was accepted into a music college in Tokyo. She deserved it after all - she worked so hard playing the oboe and was extremely talented, leagues above Nozomi and most of the members in the Kitauji concert band.
As she and Mizore went on their separate paths in university, they kept in touch regularly at first. They would text each other almost everyday about the most trivial things, and even got onto voice calls once in a while. Meet ups every semester break was also a given, along with the rest of her Kitauji friends.
Eventually, they graduated university and began the next chapter of their lives as working adults. Nozomi accepted a job offer in a graduate program for a multinational company based in Osaka, whereas Mizore remained in Tokyo, becoming a full-time performing musician in a philharmonic orchestra.
Work life proved to be incredibly busy, and whatever remaining time outside of work was spent hanging out with colleagues or running errands. Eventually, they began contacting each other less frequently. They wouldn’t text as often, and meeting up even just once a year was difficult due to work commitments and conflicting schedules. As time passed, the meet-ups stopped happening and the texts died down - they went from monthly conversations, to quarterly check-ins, to greetings only on special holidays and birthdays, and eventually they stopped texting altogether for the past three years.
Nozomi didn’t forget about Mizore, of course - how could she forget about one of her closest friends from middle school through high school? It was just that every time Nozomi thought about texting Mizore again, she’d suddenly be caught up with work or some other commitments, and completely forget till months later. And the longer the gap between their last conversation, the harder it was to restart.
At the same time, Mizore never really texted her back. Perhaps she’s busy , Nozomi thought. After all, she’s out there performing on huge stages across the world, and here was Nozomi, stuck in the 9 to 5 routine as a regular salaried employee.
It also didn’t help that Mizore was terrible at updating social media. Despite not keeping in close contact with them for a long while, Nozomi was still able to keep up with the lives of her middle school, high school and university friends through their Instagram posts and stories. However, Mizore never really bothered about such things despite ostensibly having the most interesting daily life out of all them as a full-time musician. In fact, her last post was some pictures of fish at an aquarium from 5 years ago.
So when Nozomi saw that concert advertisement with Mizore’s name on it, she was genuinely surprised. Being the principal oboist performing one of the most famous classical oboe concertos at the age of 28 was impressive, and Nozomi had a chance to witness her performance as the orchestra was putting on a performance in Osaka. She checked the date and time against her schedule - it was on a Saturday evening, and she was available.
The next thing on her mind was deciding whether to first text Mizore about it, or show up on the concert day unannounced and say hi to her. After some internal debate, she finally decided on the best option - she would send a message into the now-dormant group chat with herself, Mizore, Natsuki and Yuuko.
<Attached link>
“Hey friends, long time no see! I randomly saw this ad and realised Mizore will be performing in Osaka at the end of this month! Shall we go together?”
What ensued was a flurry of replies, mostly from Yuuko and a few from Natsuki, and the three of them ended up agreeing to go for the concert together. However, Mizore was nowhere to be seen.
The next morning, Mizore finally replied.
“Thanks for the support. See you all on the 26th.”
It was the day of the concert. Nozomi, Natsuki and Yuuko met for dinner beforehand, and caught up on many years of conversations and stories about their work and personal lives.
“Actually, I was quite surprised when you mentioned you heard about this concert through an ad. I thought Mizore would’ve told you about it.” Natsuki mentioned.
“Yeah…” Nozomi sighed wistfully. “The truth is, Mizore and I haven’t been in contact for a long time, we just sort of drifted apart after we got busy with our own careers. It doesn’t help that she’s incredibly private on social media as well, I haven’t got a clue about what she has been up to for a long time.”
“That girl…” Yuuko quipped. “I also honestly thought the both of you were still frequently texting each other and meeting up, since she was practically inseparable from you for most of high school. But I guess that’s to be expected, it’s hard to maintain old friendships when we’re far apart and busy with our own lives.”
After dinner, the three ladies walked to the concert hall, found their assigned seats, and waited for the concert to start.
The oboe concerto was the first piece in the repertoire. The lights dimmed as the musicians and conductor walked on stage, and when the lights went back on again, they were greeted with rapturous applause from the audience.
Nozomi could immediately spot Mizore as she was the only musician that remained standing. She looked elegant in her flowing, black concert gown and her hair done up in a bun. Most importantly, gone was the shy and timid teenager that always hid in Nozomi’s shadow - in her place was a confident, young musician who had found her own voice.
Mizore performed beautifully, and the three of them couldn’t have been more proud of her (Nozomi thought she saw Yuuko tearing up as well). She was already an impressive oboist back in high school, but 10 years of perfecting her craft brought her performance to the next level.
The concert came to an end, and the audience applauded as the musicians stood up and received their applause.
“Let’s go say hi to Mizore!” Yuuko nudged Nozomi and Natsuki.
“Calm down, they still have to take photos and head backstage,” Natsuki patted Yuuko’s arm.
Nozomi didn’t say anything, observing only Mizore on stage as she shook the hands of her conductor and the other musicians, and smiled coyly for the camera. While she carried herself with poise onstage, the moment the lights were off, her usual aloof, awkward self started to show through again.
“Okay, let me text her in the group!” Yuuko replied.
“Hey Mizore! Let us know when you’re ready to meet us, we’ll wait outside at the lobby.”
Mizore didn’t reply for a while, so the three friends slowly made their way to the lobby first. Yuuko and Natsuki continued their lively conversations from dinner, while Nozomi ambled around by herself, observing the posters and decor of the lobby, playing out the would-be scene of her reunion with Mizore after several years in her head. She started to feel a little self-conscious and underdressed - Mizore looked stunning in her concert gown, whereas Nozomi was merely wearing dress pants with a simple off-white camisole blouse, topped with an old denim jacket she pulled out from her closet at the last minute.
Just then, their phones buzzed. “Sorry for the late reply, I just finished changing and packing up. Will be there in 5 minutes.”
Nozomi was in the washroom when Mizore first arrived, so by the time Nozomi came out, Yuuko and Natsuki had already enveloped Mizore with hugs and handed her the bouquet of flowers they bought together.
Mizore locked eyes with Nozomi face-to-face for the first time in four years. She was dressed in casual clothes and let down her hair, oboe case in one hand and her concert gown in the other.
“Mizore.” Nozomi stuck out her arms and smiled - the same warm, cheerful smile that Mizore saw first thing in the morning while in high school, as she rounded the corner from the school gates.
Mizore dropped her items and fell into Nozomi’s arms, embracing her.
“Long time no see, Mizore.”
“I missed you, Nozomi.”
The four high school mates headed to the nearby bar for a round of drinks and catching up, just like the good old days before they drifted apart. They took turns to compliment Mizore for her amazing performance and chided her for not telling them that she was performing in town, then finally proceeded to fill her in on their life updates.
“I promise I’ll let y’all know the next time I’m coming back to Osaka, Kyoto or performing nearby,” Mizore said.
“You better… Or the next time drinks are on you!” Yuuko replied emphatically.
The conversations flowed and so did the drinks, till Yuuko started sobbing inexplicably - she was already intoxicated and a crying drunk.
“The both of us will make a move first,” Natsuki sighed as she glanced at her bumbling friend. “I’ve already called a cab and it’ll arrive in a few minutes.”
“You were so beautiful on stage Mizore…..” Yuuko blubbered and trailed off into the distance as Natsuki helped her out of the bar.
“Well, I guess I’ll also make a move soon. We have another concert tomorrow and I want to get some rest,” Mizore quipped.
“Let’s catch up again some time,” Nozomi suggested. “When will you be leaving Osaka?”
“I’ll be around till next week, staying with my parents back in Uji for a while and catching up with relatives and friends. I’ll be taking the bullet train home next Sunday.”
“Oh, that’s great! How about coming to my apartment next Saturday? I’ll cook something for us, either lunch or dinner is fine with me.”
“Sure, let’s meet for dinner.”
The week came and went, and it was soon Saturday evening. Mizore showed up to Nozomi’s apartment in a simple light blue sweater.
“Come on in!” Nozomi greeted her warmly. “Sorry if my place is a bit tiny, I moved out here on my own as it’s closer to my office.”
“It’s alright,” Mizore placed her shoes by the door. “My Tokyo apartment is pretty small as well.”
Nozomi had prepared a simple meal of Hamburg steaks and salad for the both of them. Over dinner, they started to catch up on conversation again, this time focusing on just the both of them without Natsuki and Yuuko around.
“Why didn’t you text me after all these years, Nozomi? I thought you were mad at me or somehow forgot about me…”
Nozomi sighed. “Nope, nothing of that sort. It’s just… after all these years, the longer the gap between texts, the harder it became for me to initiate a conversation again.”
“Why not?” Mizore gripped her fork tightly. “Weren’t we best friends in high school?”
Nozomi carelessly picked at her salad. “You gotta understand, Mizore - in my mind, we belong to two vastly different worlds. You’re an outstanding young musician well-respected by your peers and music enthusiasts, and I’m just an ordinary corporate slave working a 9 to 5, and recently ended a failed relationship because I was silly enough to think that guy wouldn’t cheat on me twice.”
Mizore shook her head vehemently. “Don’t think of yourself this way! Have you forgotten what I told you back in high school? Everything about you is special to me. Even if you think you’re just an ordinary woman right now, I wouldn’t be where I am today because of you!”
“Thank you,” Nozomi smiled and placed her hand on top of Mizore’s. “Thank you, Mizore. I guess I should stop giving myself excuses about being busy with work, and try to keep in contact with old friends more often. The past week has been one of the happiest for me in a while because of reconnecting with you all.”
They were soon done with dinner, but the evening was still early. Nozomi suggested they should head over to the sofa and watch some television over some beers, and Mizore agreed. Though, the both of them weren’t in the mood for seriously watching a movie or drama, so they put on a nature documentary as they continued to chat.
One of the documentary scenes featured a few beautiful bluebirds, and that triggered a memory in Nozomi’s mind.
“I’ll let you in on something, Mizore,” Nozomi suddenly changed the topic of their conversation. “Time to time when I’m feeling nostalgic, I would rewatch our competition performance of Liz and the Bluebird . Of all the pieces I’ve performed in concert band, Liz is my favourite.”
“Agreed, it’s one of my favourites as well.”
“You know, I’ve even watched recordings of the same piece by other bands, but when it comes to the third movement, I feel that nobody performed the oboe and flute duet better than the both of us.”
Mizore smiled. “I’ve performed many oboe solos in my music career, but the Liz solo is truly special to me.”
Nozomi shifted her gaze from the television directly to Mizore. “I will never forget that day from 10 years ago. When you played that solo so freely for the first time, and I broke down in the practice room, and our entire conversation after that.”
Mizore said nothing, her enigmatic maroon eyes glistening as she gazed back at Nozomi.
Then she leaned forward and kissed Nozomi firmly on her lips.
Nozomi didn’t expect the kiss, but she was pleasantly surprised by the sensation of Mizore’s soft lips against hers and her warm breath against her cheeks.
Mizore quickly pulled back and noticed Nozomi’s widened eyes.
“Sorry, I was just acting on impulse, I shouldn’t have-”
Before Mizore could continue, she was interrupted by another kiss from Nozomi. This time, it was a longer, more passionate kiss, as Nozomi ran her fingers through Mizore’s hair and pulled her even closer.
“Nozomi,” Mizore gasped as they broke apart. “To tell you the truth… over the past few years, there were several times when I almost wanted to contact you again… but I decided not to in the end.”
“Then why did you stop?”
“I was afraid… Afraid of ending the fairytale in my mind that was our relationship in high school. All these years you were doing all these things like a proper adult - climbing the corporate ladder, dating and having a boyfriend, while I remained in my own safe bubble, single mindedly pursuing music and only music alone. I was afraid to find out how far apart we’ve drifted and how insignificant I’ve become in your life.”
Hot tears started to stream down Mizore’s face as she continued.
“That was why when my orchestra was scheduled to perform here, I didn’t want to invite you at first. What if you told me that you were busy and couldn’t make it? Or you had to spend time with your boyfriend? Or you no longer have time for trivial things like music? The thought of rejection scared me.”
“Mizore…”
“But then you found out about the performance anyway, and reached out to me again. I was so happy, I almost wanted to cry…”
“Silly girl,” Nozomi gently pushed away locks of Mizore’s hair from her tear streaked face. “I admit life has gotten the better of us, but I will never forget the memories we shared.”
Nozomi continued to plant kisses, this time along Mizore’s jawline and down her neck, proceeding to tenderly suck on the base of her neck, eliciting a soft whimper from Mizore. Her hands started riding up Mizore’s light blue sweater, exposing her back and belly.
It was then when Nozomi stopped in her tracks.
“Mizore…are you okay with this?”
“Yes, please continue…” Mizore looked back with begging eyes, her face slightly flushed.
“Even if we won’t know if we would ever be intimate like this again?”
“Even if it was just for tonight, I am willing.”
The both of them moved over to the bedroom, and carefully undressed each other piece by piece. Nozomi straddled Mizore between both of her thighs, drawing herself close to Mizore, bare skin against bare skin.
“It’s kinda embarrassing to have Nozomi see me like this for the first time-” Mizore’s breath hitched as Nozomi caressed her naked body, her trailing fingers against her back felt almost electrifying.
“You’re incredibly beautiful, Mizore,” Nozomi whispered, her warm breath gently tickling Mizore’s ear. “When I saw you on stage playing the oboe so boldly in that black gown, I couldn’t focus on anyone else but you.”
“Nozo- ah-” Mizore's lips were locked with Nozomi's in a hot and heavy kiss, just as Nozomi carefully slid her hands between Mizore's thighs. Mizore let out a soft moan.
Nozomi eased Mizore into a climax, an incredible sensation that sent waves of pleasure through her body.
Thereafter, Mizore took the lead and Nozomi also came, letting out a guttural moan as she buried her face into Mizore's shoulder.
"You're unfair Mizore…" Nozomi gasped, her lower abdomen still throbbing. "This is the first time you're hearing me make such weird noises..."
Mizore kissed Nozomi once again. "It's only fair since you've taken my first time."
Nozomi and Mizore continued to make love for a while more, then laid and rested in bed, as they played with each other's hair and listened to the sound of each other's breathing.
"Well, I guess I better get going now." Mizore eventually slid out of bed. "It's getting late."
"Can't you stay a bit longer?" Nozomi muttered.
Mizore bent down and picked up her clothes that were strewn on the floor. "I can't, I still have some things to pack at home and an early train to catch tomorrow."
Nozomi didn't say anything, wordlessly watching as Mizore put on her undergarments, jeans and slipped her light blue sweater back on again.
After Nozomi had dressed, she followed Mizore to the living room, where she was gathering up her things and getting ready to leave.
Nozomi walked Mizore to the door.
"Thank you for everything today, Nozomi." Mizore smiled, her eyes creasing into two lines. "I'll cherish these memories for the days to come." Then she slipped on her shoes and reached for the door.
"Wait!"
Mizore spun around. There were tears welling up in Nozomi's eyes.
"Please stay by my side forever!"
That same line Liz said to the Bluebird in the fairytale.
Mizore gave Nozomi a final kiss. "We'll meet again someday."
And just like the bluebird, Mizore turned and left, leaving Nozomi alone in her apartment.
That night, Nozomi's tiny apartment felt incredibly empty.