Amidst The Dissonance

Ideas and Melodies

"Hey Shuichi, can I ask you something?" Kaede asked. She looked up from her phone and stowed it in her pocket.

The detective nodded, his eyes darting between the GPS and the paved roadway. "Yeah, of course."

Her eyes observed the interior of the car. Everything was so clean and nicely placed; even the boxes and books in the backseat were neatly stacked on top of each other. It was a nicer change of pace from Miu's car, which typically had food crumbs, noticeable stains, and old CD's spread throughout the entire vehicle. Kaede wasn't really a neat-freak of sorts, but she would gladly take spotless over run-down any day. Still, she was curious as to how he kept his car so clean, and the answer of "I just take good care of it" wasn't satisfying enough.

In the midst of her thoughts, she almost forgot about her question. She cleared her throat and smoothed out her magenta skirt. "What music do you prefer to listen to?"

"In general or on the radio?" he questioned.

"I was leaning more towards the radio, but eh. Let's go with the former."

"Hmm, well..." He leaned to the right slightly as he turned into an intersection. "I'll admit, I don't listen to music too often. But when I do, I tune into relaxing songs. Jazz and classical are nice, and sometimes I'll go for electro-swing. That's more so my uncle's thing, but I still enjoy listening to it..."

"Oooh!"Kaede complimented. "Simple but calm! I like it! Maybe I could turn on some jazz while we work on the project!"

Shuichi blushed, his fingers nearly slipping off the steering wheel. "T-thanks."

"Ooh, ooh! What about low-fi beats? Do you like those?"

"Low-fi?"

"Yeah!" Kaede piqued. "What's your opinion on it?"

"Ah, um, I'm not familiar with the genre." he answered nervously. "Though I've heard it's usually just a bunch of calm melodies mixed together. Sometimes even remixes of original songs. It probably sounds great, but overall it's not something I'd willingly listen to."

"Aww, that's a shame." she pouted. "Low-fi is one of the best genres." Her expression then brightened as an idea popped into her head. "Ooh! I'll work on a collaboration and make a low-fi song for you!"

"Huh?" his eyes glanced at her for a brief second before focusing on the road again. "W-why?"

She beamed. "Think of it as a gift! I'll compose the piano instrumental, get some friends to add the soothing beats, and then boom! You'll fall in love with the genre."

"Wait, you write music?"

She nodded eagerly. "Sometimes! I typically write songs for my entertainment though, not for other people." Her tone suddenly became quiet. "But I'll gladly make an exception for you."

Heat rushed to the detective's cheeks. "You're spoiling me too much."

"Eh?" Kaede cocked her head to the side. "How so? All I'm doing is writing you a song."

"Yeah. You're spoiling me by doing that."

"Really?" she scoffed. "Then you must've grown up incredibly humble. Yes, a song is a nice gift, but I wouldn't feel spoiled if I received one."

"Well, as a person who can't write or play music, I think that a song is the most anyone can give to spoil me."

"Pfft. Now you're just exaggerating."

He glanced at the GPS and shook his head, preparing to make a left turn. "No, I'm not."

"Yes you are!" Kaede argued. "Besides, I'm only doing this to make you succumb to the soothing beats of low-fi!"