It's Friday once again, and Borealis is here!

I hope you're all excited for the weekend!  To kickstart it with some Venus: Improbable Dream fun, I've written the third and final short story, although I can always write more if you like them a lot!  This time, it's about Kudo-sensei and his thoughts about meeting Kakeru.  It also contains a little flashback to his own childhood, which you never hear about in-game!  Please enjoy!

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With a flick of his conductor’s baton, Kudo ushers the group into the final section of the piece.  It may be almost five minutes long, but those minutes practically whizz by once you’re in the thick of it, absorbed by concentration and enjoyment.

It’s another Summer day.  Though many students are out enjoying the heat, now that the school day is over, the music club is working diligently.  Instead of ball games in the sun, it’s treble clefs and semiquavers, calloused fingers on smooth strings.  Kudo wouldn’t have it any other way; for him, there’s nowhere quite like the practise room – well, other than the stage, of course, but before he’ll get another opportunity to stand on one, he’s got to help hone the young musicians before him into confident, capable performers.  A task he’s all too willing to carry out.

The end of the piece draws near, and Kudo brandishes his baton with even more fervour, excitement and relish coursing through him.  Caught up in the moment, he can’t help but call aloud over the sound of the music, voicing his wishes to the group.

“Dynamics!”

Though it’s only a single word, the club members understand his instruction, focusing on putting more emotion into their playing.  When the volume swells, a shock of delicious joy crackles in Kudo’s stomach – that’s it!  Louder!  Give it some vigour!  Passion!  The violins, the oboe – such harmonious textures, all working in unison!  Marvellous!

His enthusiasm continues to rise until the group reaches the final notes of the piece, and as their instruments cry out in a dramatic crescendo, so does his heart, fizzing with elation – what a great ending.

“Very good, everyone!  You still need to tighten up that timing in the middle section, but other than that, you’re coming on in leaps and bounds.”

Catching himself, he swivels to check the clock, having almost completely lost all semblance of the time.

“Let’s break for free practise now, and I’d suggest you use it to sort out that timing issue – join up with others who are having trouble, if you like, and work through it together.  I’ll come around and check in with you all before the session’s done.  Off you go.”

Upon his instruction, a sense of organised chaos explodes throughout the room, everyone partnering up for their practises.  Kudo surveys the sub-groups that appear, nodding to himself as he ponders who to help out first.  As his eyes sweep the faces, he finds himself pausing at the sight of something still relatively unfamiliar, something aloof and out of place.

Akane Kakeru.  He sits with his back to the majority of the room, his posture rigid and visibly uncomfortable.  His hands work over the piano’s keys, but even from this distance, there’s a tangible sense of worry about his movements, his whole being emanating an air of mild panic.

Kudo sighs as he watches, flecks of concern peppering his mood.  It’s only been a few days since Kakeru joined the music club, but thanks to his circumstances, Kudo hasn’t quite figured him out yet.  Matsumoto had warned him about Kakeru’s somewhat people-phobic nature, but when he’d arrived for his first club session, it had been more severe than he’d anticipated.  Though Kudo has tried to implement a gentle approach so far, he still feels unsure about where to go from here.

Wanting to provide Kakeru with the support he needs, Kudo strides steadily towards him, readying the patience that he knows will be needed for this conversation.  The second he approaches the piano’s glistening edge, Kakeru stops playing jumpily, bowing his head to evade eye contact.  Undeterred, Kudo greets him, cheerfully but quietly.

“How are you doing, Akane?  How are you feeling about this piece?”

Kakeru squirms slightly in his seat, his closed jaws flexing in a sort of chewing motion, as though he’s trying to say something, but failing to pluck up the nerve to actually voice it.  Goodness, what a sorry state of affairs he’s in…  but it’s not his fault.  His chest full of sympathy, Kudo rewords his question, hoping to help him relax a little.

“You weren’t bad overall, in the group session, but I’m sure we can find a way to get you playing more confidently.  Do you understand all of the notes and performance directions?”

A ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question.  Kakeru answers these more easily, due to the fact that he doesn’t have to actually speak.  Ah, there it is.  A timid nod.

“Well, that’s a great foundation, then!  All you need to do is build up that muscle memory and grow more familiar with the piece.  If you work on that, and exaggerating the dynamics a little more, you’ll be well on the way to success.”

A tentative pause, and then another nod.  For a moment, Kudo’s chest clenches with a strong sense of compassion as he looks at him, pitying the boy greatly, though he tries not to show it outwardly.  He’s wound up so tightly…  what could Kudo do to help him feel comfortable here?  There’s nothing he wants more than to encourage Kakeru to let go of his inhibitions and flourish here in the music club, where he can learn his passions and let them grow.  Is that possible for a boy like Kakeru, or is he too closed off to be able to let his inner musician be seen?

Realising that he’s been silent for a beat too long, Kudo straightens up, smiling warmly at Kakeru in what he hopes is a reassuring way.

“Alright then.  You do your best with it, and in the next session, we’ll have a look at your progress, okay?”

Nod.  Sensing that further conversation isn’t really going to help things right now, Kudo flashes him one last smile, before stepping away and heading back to the front of the room.  As he glances back over his shoulder, he sees Kakeru’s shoulders sag slightly in relief that he’s alone again, and then he slowly goes back to his tetchy, underconfident playing.  As Kudo comes to a halt, turning to face the boy’s back once more, he finds himself swathed in several emotions at once.

He doesn’t know what it’s like to have something like a visibly obvious birth defect, so he wouldn’t pretend to understand what Kakeru has gone through.  However, he really does feel sad for him.  Whatever’s gone on in that kid’s head to make him so fearful must have been pretty monumental for him.  Casting his mind back to his own teenage years, Kudo compares his own experience.

School had been a breeze for Kudo.  He’d always been a vibrant young thing, confident in his own way, and with a passion for music that knew no end.  Every day felt like an opportunity to learn and grow in the area that he excelled in, and he seized each one with vigour.  When he started playing on stages, his lust for life only increased, giving him a greater feeling of stability within himself.

It didn’t matter when people teased him for being a ‘classical music nerd’, for his unusual dress sense, or his often flamboyant and effeminate mannerisms.  He knew who he was, and that was enough.  If anything, it made him want to gesticulate even more grandly, and wink even more fruitily, just to annoy them.

Akane Kakeru seems to have absolutely none of that, and it pains Kudo to see him so perpetually scared of everything.  A cage of your own making, built by your own lack of self-esteem, must be very hard to unlock.  Still, Kudo finds himself hoping earnestly that over time, Kakeru will find a way to lose his inhibitions, even if just enough to let him enjoy what’s left of his youth.  Kudo vows to himself to guide him as much as he possibly can, and who knows?  Perhaps it’ll work out.

After all, Kakeru’s not the first terrified musician that Kudo’s encountered in this club…

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There you go!  I hope this little look into Kudo-sensei's thoughts and character was interesting.  I'm also happy to report that, though things have taken a little longer than I'd hoped for, the game's final release is well on the way, and I should have some big news to share in next week's devlog!  Get excited, people!

Bye for now!

Borealis