Eclipsed: Echoes of a Forgotten Melody

Chapter Three: Beneath the Sakura Tree

Professor Kitamura's office was dimly lit, the scent of old books and sheet music filling the small room. Ishikawa stood at the doorway, his hands trembling as he clutched the strap of his backpack. He had never liked speaking to authority figures, especially those who seemed to carry an air of mystery themselves. Kitamura was kind, but there was something distant in her eyes, something guarded.

He had barely slept the night before, the dreams growing more vivid, more disorienting. Each time he awoke, he could still hear the echo of the piano keys, the ghost of a melody lingering in his mind. The haunting presence of Seito was becoming impossible to ignore. If anyone could give him answers, it was Professor Kitamura.

"Come in," her voice broke through his hesitation, and Ishikawa stepped inside, closing the door softly behind him.

The professor looked up from her desk, her sharp eyes studying him with quiet curiosity. "What can I help you with, Ishikawa?"

He took a deep breath, his heart pounding in his chest. How was he supposed to explain this? How could he put into words the inexplicable connection he felt to Seito, the way the music seemed to possess him when he touched the piano beneath the Sakura tree?

"I... I wanted to ask you about Seito," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Professor Kitamura's expression didn't change, but the room seemed to grow colder in the silence that followed. She leaned back in her chair, folding her hands in her lap as she regarded him carefully.

"Seito," she repeated, her tone neutral. "What about him?"

Ishikawa swallowed hard, feeling the weight of her gaze. "I... I've been having dreams about him. Ever since I played the piano under the Sakura tree, it's like... like he's trying to tell me something. I don't know what it is, but I think it has something to do with his death."

Kitamura's eyes narrowed slightly, and for a moment, Ishikawa thought she might dismiss him, tell him that it was all in his head. But then she sighed, her posture softening, and gestured for him to sit.

"Seito was a brilliant musician," she began, her voice quieter now, tinged with a sadness that hadn't been there before. "He had a gift, something that can't be taught. But he was also troubled. There were things in his life that he couldn't control, and it wore him down."

Ishikawa listened intently, his pulse quickening. This was the first time anyone had spoken about Seito in such personal terms.

"What happened to him?" he asked, leaning forward in his chair.

Kitamura hesitated, her fingers tapping lightly against her desk. "There are rumors, of course. The official story is that he died of a heart attack during a performance. But... some of us believe there's more to it than that."

A chill ran down Ishikawa's spine. "What do you mean?"

She looked away, her eyes distant as if she was seeing something far away, something from the past. "Seito was involved with someone... someone he shouldn't have been. There was a scandal, though it was never made public. He was under a lot of pressure-both professionally and personally. Some say that's what killed him, the stress of it all."

Ishikawa's mind raced. Could this forbidden relationship have something to do with why Seito's spirit was still lingering? Was there some unresolved pain or guilt that was keeping him tied to the piano?

"What about the piano?" he asked, his voice barely steady. "Why does it feel like it's connected to him?"

Kitamura's expression darkened. "The piano was Seito's most prized possession. He spent hours playing it, sometimes well into the night. After he died, no one touched it. It's as if it became a symbol of his unfinished life. That's why the students say it's haunted. But I never believed those stories... until now."

The weight of her words hung in the air, and Ishikawa felt the pull of the mystery deepen. There was more to Seito's story than anyone knew, and somehow, Ishikawa was at the center of it. But the question remained: why him?

The conversation with Professor Kitamura lingered in Ishikawa's mind as he left her office. His steps were slow, his thoughts heavy. The idea that Seito had died with unfinished business, with a secret love that had weighed on him so deeply, sent shivers through Ishikawa. It explained so much about the sorrow that seemed to cling to Seito's presence, the way the music that flowed from the piano felt both beautiful and tragic.

But there was still so much Ishikawa didn't understand. Who had Seito been in love with? Why had it been forbidden? And what did it all have to do with the haunting dreams that plagued Ishikawa's nights?

As he walked through the campus, lost in thought, he nearly ran into Mai, who was hurrying in the opposite direction.

"Ishikawa!" she exclaimed, her face lighting up with a smile. "I've been looking for you! Takumi and the others are going out tonight. You should come with us!"

For a moment, the idea of joining his friends, of being part of something normal and carefree, was tempting. But the weight of Seito's story, the haunting mystery that had taken root in Ishikawa's soul, made it impossible for him to focus on anything else.

"I... I can't," he said, his voice strained. "I need to figure this out."

Mai's smile faded, her brow furrowing in concern. "Figure what out? You've been acting strange lately. Is everything okay?"

Ishikawa hesitated. He hadn't told her about the conversation with Kitamura, about the forbidden love or the deeper mystery surrounding Seito's death. But part of him wanted to. Mai had been his anchor in all of this, the one person who made him feel grounded when everything else seemed to be spinning out of control.

"Mai, I..." he began, but the words stuck in his throat. How could he explain something he barely understood himself?

Instead, he shook his head, forcing a weak smile. "It's nothing. I just... I need some time to think."

Mai didn't look convinced, but she didn't press him. "Alright," she said softly. "But if you need to talk, you know I'm here for you, right?"

Ishikawa nodded, grateful for her understanding. But as she walked away, a sinking feeling settled in his chest. He was pushing her away, just as the mystery of Seito was pulling him deeper into a world he didn't fully comprehend. And he had a feeling that the further he went down this path, the harder it would be to return to the life he once knew.