At a square of land I stand today, facing the pacific ocean, I can hear the sound of a strange familiar waves, not one or two, it’s just keep coming. It’s crushing at the cream-greyish colored sand along the beach of Sagami Bay. I am standing up straight, closing my eyes so I can listen more sounds coming through, more smells of the sea water swaying my hair.

And I thought, since when, this familiar waves can be so strage?

Back at the time, I can hear the sound of waves, wind chimney, train sounds, and your laugh by my side in this place. For years I never thought that it can be abrupted like a crushed breakwater, once the news of your body floating on the ocean arrived to my ears.

Ring-ring!

I opened my eyes and swayed to the side.

“I already guessed, it’s Senpai.” I saw a familiar figure talk to me with a little smile.

His hairs are dark with fringe along his forehead, he has a mole on a left side of his lips, and only one dimple on his right lips.

“Kuroto-kun, right?” I asked and he nods his head.

“Wanna go to school together?”

Once again, I can hear the strange familiar sound of sea waves.

“No.” I waked first.

“Eh, why?” I hear he rushed to get off from his bike and takes a small run to walk by my side.

“Why? Because, we are not even a friend.” I sighed.

“We don’t need, though, we are going to the same school anyway.”

What a strange way to thinking, I said it to myself. 

“I already retract my submission from the contest.” I walk faster while I said to him.

“It’s unfortunate,” he said.

“No regret for me, though.” This time I already 5 steps ahead then him.

“But, I will never back off.”

“Hm?” I stopped and looking at him.

“I will never stop to ask senpai to join my band.” He smiles.

Once again, a strange familiar sound of wave crashed the beach, while the ocean is sparkled with the lights from the sun. 

“Wh–”

“Back then,” he cut off my sentence, “I saw Amane senpai performed at the bar.”

Silence. “When is it?”

He smiled to me. “Well, many times. Until one day he bought a vocalist, I think with an anonymous back vocalist too. At that time, I haven’t practiced my keyboard for so long, but, after I saw they performed, my heart was pounding so fast.”

“So, you know The Breakwater?”

He nods.

“I also know Amane senpai, and while I never talked to Kaida senpai, I went to his funeral back then.”

I looked down at my toes, it moves a little to left and right. I feel unease. “Oh, so, that’s why ….”

“And I found the last piece of The Breakwater.”

“What?” I looked up, and I startled because I saw exactly to his eyes that full of determination.

“I will never let you go, Senpai, you are also the part of the sound that moves my heart back then.”

My pupils dilated, the sea waves once again strucked the beach, sending a strange familiar sound.

The bells for lunch break ringing through out the school. I rushed to go out from the classroom and climb up the stairs to a class I exactly know. I also don’t need to knock the classroom door, I just went inside casually and facing him.

“Amane senpai, I think we need to talk.”

He smiled. “Sure, here?”

I glanced at my left and right. “Um … actually, we need to talk, only just us.”

“Fine. Just make sure to not confess yourself to me.” He walked first.

“That certainly is not going to happen.” I walk behind him. 

Amane senpai turns out walk up stairs to the rooftop, good thing I guess. He pushed the steel door open and walking outside and standing under the short span concrete roof.

“What are we going to talk about?”

“This one.” I pulled a piece of paper, written on it is a band recruitment for a near school band competition. “What is this?!” I almost screamed out.

“As you can read. Are you interested?”

I lost my words. The school competition on this recruitment announcement is the TEENEAGERS’ competition. As far as I know, this is a competition under a famous record label, and of course their prize is not going to become such a small present box. A lucky candidate can be offered a debut album under the management, even as far as going to become an artist under medium-span contract. Well, it’s for the grand prize, but other candidate can even win to perform at a rookie stage during Fuji Rock which also such a tempting offer not to be refused. Many indie artists or even now-popular artists are born after they win a chance to perform during Fuji Rock, it becomes such a nothing to lose competition at this point.

“So you are the one behind this?” I asked.

“Not only me, though. Tsukishiro too.”

Why am I not surprised.

“But, actually, we have some sorts of candidates already. And that recruitment actually is to lure someone.”

“Lure someone?”

Amane senpai grinning at me. “Say, are you still do not want to sing your heart full again?”

“You know the answer.”

“It’s not a curse from him, Aoki Sorata.”

“It is … no one said it’s a curse anyway.”

“You will mad at me if I say that it’s not your fault, right?”

I bite my lower lips. 

“I can not force you to join at last, but I can remember clearly enough, our time we spend to siang as The Breakwater. Though you are not the official member, but everytime the crowd dissolved to our act, I always found your smile behind the stage.” Amane senpai walked back inside the school.

“And your sound at that time … as clear as the sea wave at the Sagami Bay. That’s enough as a proof for me,” he said as he walk by.

At a square of concrete floor where I stand right now, I do not closing my eyes. But, inside my head, I can hear a strange familiar noise of infinite sea waves. Beyond that, a familiar sound echoes through my ears.

“You have always liked to sing right?” said this familiar voice which I can not forgot.