Music for the Silence

Band Audition

It was finally time for Guren and Shizuka to take their break. With it was time for Hitomi's audition as a drummer. Before their break, the pair conversed about how the audition will be done. Well, it was more of Guren suggesting the ideas, while Shizuka gave her opinion on each in a simple 'yes' or 'no' gestures.

"Okay. I booked us this studio to use for a while. I'll set up the drums for you to use," Guren told Hitomi.

"Okay, but... I'm telling you, this is not a good idea..." the blind said.

"That's for us to decide. Hmm... Senpai, do I have the drums set up right?"

At the question, Shizuka went to help Guren with the drums. As the two worked on the setup, Hitomi turned to Miu.

"You really should've told me about this," she whispered.

"If I did, you would've said 'no'," she reasoned.

"Of course I will! A blind in a band? There is no such thing."

"So you say, and yet they seem to be all for it. And they're serious about the band, too."

Hitomi could not argue with that. From what she was able to hear, the two girls were setting up the drums as carefully as possible, with the sound of a chair being set down, most likely by the drums where they should be.

"Okay. This should do it," Guren said. "You need help to the drums?"

"I-I'm good..." Hitomi answered, taking out a folding blind cane from her person, and carefully made her way to the drums. Once she arrived and found the chair, she took her seat. Upon hearing a pair of drumsticks getting tapped together, she turned to the source and held out her hand. Upon feeling the sticks getting placed in it, she gripped them and got into position as best as she instinctively could.

Hitomi heard something else getting set up. Before she could ask what that sound was, Guren asked, "So, what song are you more proficient in playing?"

"Huh?"

"I'm asking you what song are you especially good at playing. There's not much I can understand by just you hitting some beats. I'll play the melody portion of the song."

This surprised Hitomi even more. Guren was going to play along with her? "I-it's okay, really. I can play on my own," the blind insisted.

"I'm not going out of my way in doing this; I just want to play," Guren said.

While she could not see the expression on Guren's face, Hitomi could tell from her tone that she was serious, and could only nod. "Well... I've played Traumerei..." A song that required a lot of drumming... If Hitomi plays a song like that, she would prove that she had become a bad drummer, and her twin and these girls would see that it was ridiculous to think a blind would ever have a chance in a band.

"'Traumerei'... Give me a bit." Guren took out her phone and searched up the song. As soon as she found it, she plugged her headphones in her phone and gave it a listen. "Hmm... okay, I got it."

"Can I play, too?" Shizuka wrote for Guren.

"Hm? You know the song?" the keyboardist asked back, to the blind drummer's confusion.

"Then, may I as well?" Miu asked, surprising Hitomi.

"I thought you don't play an instrument?" Guren asked.

"I don't... But I am well versed with koto. And from what I understand, a bass has a similar function to it. And I've heard Hitomi play the song plenty of times before," the disabled said.

While skeptical about Miu's skill, Guren looked into her eyes and saw how serious she was about wanting to play along with their session. She did not know much about instruments outside pianos or keyboards, but she did know koto and bass couldn't be similar in any way. Still, the girl seemed quite confident enough; it wouldn't hurt to at least let her try out.