Untold Part 1: The Strength Within

Chapter 5: Hang Out

The sounds of clanking silverware and a boiling kettle arise in the air. A scent of Chamomile awakens Mabaru. He sees a blurry sight of Iteijyu preparing tea for himself.

"Mornin'." Iteijyu stirs his cup with a spoon.

"Ah, hey." Mabaru's vision blurs. He focuses on him.

"I made some toast and eggs."

"Thank you, Iteijyu. I'm coming." He slowly gets off his bed and fixes his sheets.

It is a quiet morning for the two. Mabaru eats his breakfast while Iteijyu drinks tea and watches outside of the window. Something to note between the two is their excessive silence—and awkwardness. After what they both talked about yesterday, they wonder if one of them should apologize. Mabaru scrolls through different posts from his phone but the thought still remains in him. It is clear he is the one to blame after what he asked. Iteijyu, on the other hand, wants to forget about it and move on. But, he is dealing with the same issue as Mabaru. He wants to talk about it before it settles. Iteijyu sighs and puts his tea down on the counter.

"You know-" Both of them speak at the same time.

"No, you first." Iteijyu awkwardly smiles.

"Oh come on, you go."

"No, I insist!" Iteijyu chuckles.

"Well, I already said sorry a lot. I don't want to say it again."

"Haha, you're right. We shouldn't worry about it. I'm glad you're awake early because I have something to ask. I need your thoughts on this." Iteijyu puts down his tea and walks to a blue and black electric guitar.

"I've been trying to nail a part in this song but I can't get it right. I think I got it down." Iteijyu connects the cord to the small amplifier. The crackling sound rumbles through the room as he adjusts the correct tone. He gestures to Mabaru to look and performs his song.

Iteijyu's fingers figits as he prepares his fingers on the fretboard. He readies his guitar pick and waits until he's ready. He hums the pre-rehearsed melody from the song and performs the solo section. His eyes focus on the strings, glancing at each dotted fret as he slides his fingers on the guitar neck.

Throughout the midpoint of the song, he stumbles on the strings. His ring finger jags between two frets and plays a buzzing sound. He recovers by performing slowly but he forgot what notes to play again. He mumbles to himself and plays the last note before catching up on the melody. He ends his solo and waits for Mabaru's reaction. The room rises in an awkward silence. Iteijyu's head begins to flush with a heavy burden of agony. He knows he didn't perform as well as he expected.

"Amazing! You can move your fingers pretty well." Mabaru compliments.

"Don't bullshit me. I'm not the best y'know."

"Oh come on. You're getting good overtime! I don't care if you make mistakes."

"Aw man, I can't be too hard on myself every time."

"Exactly."

"Thanks for hearing me out. We have some chores to do before we hang out with them."

"Like what?"

"Vacuuming, dishes, the bathroom, deep cleaning. We gotta leave on a good note!"

"Okay okay. Just let me finish my breakfast."

A doorbell rings in the apartment. Mabaru walks to the front door and opens it. It's Fusae, the neighboring nurse. She is wearing a crop-top and cargos .