Songs in the Void: A Multiversal Score

Hub World, Earth, Japan, Tokyo. 

After his little run in with Harima Kenji, Tatsuo decided to call it a day. The school day would be ending soon, anyway. But instead of heading back home, he took a trip to his school. Since she always seemed to be worried about him, Tatsuo decided that he would let Yakumo know that he was back. 

*Ding!* *Dong!* *Dong!* *Ding!* 

The final bell rang at the middle school Tatsuo, Yakumo, and Chiho attended. With that, the day of classes came to an end, and everyone could be seen getting ready to leave for the day. 

"Hey, Yakumo-Chan!" Chiho called out enthusiastically as she carried her bag over to Yakumo's desk. "Tatsuo-Kun should be back tomorrow, right?" 

"Yes." Yakumo replied in her normal, calm, soft-spoken tone. 

"I wonder how his trip to learn the ins and outs of music recording went." Chiho wondered aloud while Yakumo carefully packed her books and other items into her school bag. "I wonder if he'd let us watch him while he recorded a song sometime." 

"Knowing Tatsuo-Kun, he probably wouldn't mind as long as we did not get in the way." Yakumo replied as she put the last of her books into her bag. "But I still have to wonder, was this the best time for him to take this trip? I mean, Finals are coming up in less than a month." 

"That's true." Chiho said while placing her right index finger on her chin and raising her eyes to look up at the ceiling. "But I think he'll be fine. I mean, he's smart. Like, really smart. Plus, remember what he told us about the time he was missing? He already learned everything he needed to know to finish even University." 

"*Sigh* I guess you're right." Yakumo said as she closed her bag and stood up from her seat. "Still, I worry about him." 

"Aww~~~! Do you have a little crush on Tatsuo-Kun, Yakumo-Chan?" Chiho asked with the light of gossip sparkling in her eyes. 

In response, Yakumo shook her head. Though, she did not verbally respond to Chiho's question. Honestly, she did not know if what she felt was a crush. She was not exactly versed in the feelings of love, after all. Knowing what everyone around you was thinking stunted her growth in that aspect. 

Seeing that she would not get an answer to her question, Chiho could only give up. Even so, she did not lose her cheerful demeanor. Instead, she stepped forward and wrapped an arm around Yakumo's free arm and started pulling her to the classrooms' door. 

"Anyway, let's go." Chiho said cheerfully. "I have to work today, but there's a sale at MgR's. And we can still hang out for a little bit if that's okay with you." 

"I don't' mind." Yakumo said while letting herself be pulled along. "I can have a snack at your job. I should still have time to get back and make dinner for Nee-San." 

Hearing that, Chiho's cheerful smile widened. Then, she sped up while continuing to pull Yakumo along. However, when they reached the shoe lockers, the two young ladies noticed that there were quite a few students gathered around the front gate. 

"Hey, what's going on out there?" Chiho asked in a curious toen while looking out the school's front doors as she changed into her outdoor shoes. 

"I'm not sure." Yakumo replied while doing the same. 

"Well, let's go see." Chiho said as she hurried to put her shoes on. 

Yakumo nodded her head, a little curious about what was going on, as well. So, it only took another moment before Yakumo and Chiho had left the school, now wearing theri outdoor shoes. When they did, Yakumo started hearing the inner thoughts of quite a few of the people gathered around the gate. 

["He's finally back~~~~~!"] One girl squealed mentally. 

["Ah! The days felt so empty while you were gone.."] Another girl mused internally. 

["The dark days will finally be filled with light again now that the prince has returned!"] A third girl said inwardly in a longing tone. 

["Damn it! All the girls are going to be hanging off that guys nuts again!"] A boy shouted internally, lamenting about the unfairness of life. 

["I need to find out what school that guy is going to for high school!"] A second boy shouted in his mind. ["That way, there's no way I'll go to the same school as him!"] 

["Why didn't that handsome bastard go and explode while he was gone?"} A third boy said to himself in a jealous tone. 

Hearing the people's thoughts, Yakumo's usual stoic expression morphed into a slight smile. Meanwhile, Chiho, who was curious to know what was going on at the gate, happened to look over at Yakumo just in time to see it. 

"Yakumo-Chan, did something good happen?" Chiho asked curiously. 

"He's back.'" Yakumo said, a hint of happiness leaking into her tone as she picked up the pace. 

At first, Chiho was slightly confused by Yakumo's words. However, when she thought back to the unanswered question she posed in the classroom, Chiho could not help smiling as she, too, picked up the pace to keep up with Yakumo. 

'By now, she doesn't even have to answer my question.' Chiho thought to herself while giggling at her friend. 'She definitely has a crush on Tatsu-Chan. But I don't think she realizes it yet. Ooh~~~~! Yakumo-Chan is so cute.' 

It did not take long for Yakumo and Chiho to navigate through the crowd. When they got to the front of the crowd, they finally saw what everyone else had already seen. 

Leaning against the wall, just to the left of the gate, Tatsuo was standing there, looking down at his smartphone while casually responding to anyone who spoke to him. Yet, when the two girls finally got close, Tatsuo raised his head and made eye contact with his classmates. 

Seeing that, both Yakumo and Chiho quickly approached their absent friend. However, while Yakumo wasted no time reaching Tatsuo's side, Chiho froze for a moment. The way Tatsuo was smiling at her made her feel a bit uneasy. 

'Why's Tatsu-Chan looking at me like that?' Chiho thought to herself. 

As soon as she had that thought, Tatsuo's smile, that did not reach his eyes, got a little wider. 

'Ah! I see.' Chiho thought to herself. 'But how could he possibly know what I was thinking?' 

Chiho was right. For some reason, unbeknownst to her, Tatsuo seemed to be able to understand that she was calling him "Tatsu-Chan" in her head. And considering that he had already told her that he did not like that nickname, she could understand why he was smiling at her like that. However, how he figured out that she was calling him that was causing her no small amount of confusion. 

"Welcome back, Tatsuo-Kun." Yakumo said softly as she reached Tatsuo and subconsciously put herself between him and Chiho to break his line of sight. "How was your trip?" 

Taking back his strange smile, Tatsuo put on a more genuine smile as he replied to Yakumo. 

"It was good." Tatsuo replied. "I learned a lot while I was gone." 

With Tatsuo's gaze finally taken off of her, Chiho breathed a small sigh of relief while she also approached Tatsuo. 

"Thaht's cool." Chiho said, as cheerful as ever. "Why don't you tell us about your trip? Yakumo and I were going to MgR's to hang out a little before I have to start my shift. So, you can come with us." 

"Sure." Tatsuo replied. "I actually went past there earlier today to see if Maou-San was working. But I didn't see him." 

"Ah! Maou-San is working in the afternoon and evening today." Chiho explained. "So, it's no wonder that you didn't see him." 

"That makes sense." Tatsuo replied with a nod as he and the girls left the school. 

Like that, the trio talked about what they had been up to while Tatsuo was gone. Though, Tatsuo's story was completely made up, as he had not gone anywhere near his mother's record company during the week he was gone. Still, he knew enough about the record industry to make up a believable story. 

Eventually, the three reached the MgRonald's and Tatsuo opened the door for Yakumo and Chiho like a gentleman. 

"So, because I didn't want to just sit in the house all day today, I decided to go out for a walk." Tatsuo said, talking about what he did today. "And while I was out, you'll never guess what I saw." 

The smile on Tatsu's face was so wide that it made Yakumo and Chiho quite curious to know what happened. 

"Hello and welcome!" 

However, before Tatsuo could continue, a familiar voice spoke from behind the counter. 

"Maou-San! Good afternoon!" Chiho said happily, her face lighting up at the sight of her co-worker/the guy she had a crush on. 

"Oh! Hey, Chi-chan." Sadao said, dropping his professional tone. "And you brought Tsukamoto-San and... Soramoto-San... with... you..." 

'What the hell?' Sadao thought to himself while looking at Tatsuo. 'Why is he overflowing with magic? That should be impossible! I mean, there's no magic in this world from what Ashiya and I have been able to gather since we got here a few months ago.' 

'Oh shit...' Tatsuo thought to himself when he heard Sadao trailing off. 'I should have thought twice before coming here. I'm still having a little trouble completely suppressing my [Energy] after it increased to A-. And I should have known that Maou-San would see through the leakage. I just hope I don't run into Yusa-San, too.' 

Luckily, despite tempting Murphy, Emi did not happen to walk by the MgRonald's at that moment. Even so, Tatsuo knew that he needed to calm down Sadao so that he didn't start to make a fuss. 

"Anyway, why don't you ladies tell me what you want?" Tatsuo said with a smile. "I'll place the order. And today will be on me. You know, since I was MIA for the last week." 

"If you say so..." Chiho replied with a smile. 

Yakumo, on the other hand, did not answer immediately. Instead, she only stared at Tatsuo for a moment before shifting her gaze to Sadao, who still looked a bit nervous. But in the end, she eventually nodded her head and accepted Tatsuo's offer. 

"You'll tell us the rest of the story when you come and sit down, won't you?" Yakumo asked in her usual soft-spoken tone. 

"Of course." Tatsuo replied with a smile. "Especially since this story kind of affects you, Yakumo-chan." 

Hearing that, Yakumo tilted her head cutely, the smallest hint of confusion sparkling in her eyes. Yet, she did not linger, as she and Chiho went to take a seat at a booth after telling Tatsuo what they wanted to order. Meanwhile, Tatsuo made his way over to the counter. And with every step, he could see that Sadao was getting more and more nervous. He could even feel the Devil starting to mobilize the little bit of magic he could use at the moment. 

"Whoa! Take it easy Maou-San." Tatsuo said quietly, as to not draw any attention to himself and Sadao. "I know what you're thinking, and I'm not here to cause any trouble." 

"Just who are you?" Sadao asked in a guarded tone. 

"I'm exactly who I've always been." Tatsuo said while smiling awkwardly. "I've just gone through some changes lately. But this isn't the place to talk about it." 

Understanding that Tatsuo was right, Sadao nodded his head. Though, he still wore a pensive expression. 

"How about this." Tatsuo said after noticing that Sadao had not lowered his guard. "We can talk about what's going on when you have some time. You can even pick the place where we talk. That work for you?" 

"Sure." Sadao said while wearing a serious expression. "You wouldn't mind if I brought someone with me for this talk, would you?" 

"Nope, not at all." Tatsuo replied. "Anything that will make you more comfortable. I'm really not here to hurt you or anyone." 

Once again, Sadao nodded his head. And from what Tatsuo could see, some of his apprehension had been assuaged. Still, Sadao had not completely calmed down. Especially because he hadn no idea about Tatsuo's origins. 

'I really hope he's not someone from Ente Isla.' Sadao thought to himself. 'With the state Ashiya and I are in, we have no hope of fighting off someone as strong as he is. At least I can't sense any hostility from him. So, there's still a chance that I'm just overthinking. Still, I need to talk to Ashiya when I get back to the current Devil's Castle.' 

"I understand." Sadao said before taking a deep breath. He then exhaled slowly before putting his professional smile back on as he continued. "So, what can I get for you today? Today, we're having a sale on the Double Mig Combo." 

With that, Tatsuo placed the orders he received from Yakumo and Chiho before placing his own order. He then paid for their meals and made his way over to the booth where the two ladies were sitting. 

"Is everything okay?" Chiho asked in a worried tone. "Maou-San looked really tense for some reason." 

"There's nothing to worry about." Tatsuo replied while waving dismissively. "Just a little misunderstanding. But we worked it out for now." 

"Phew!" That's good." Chiho replied while patting her rather ample chest. "Anyway, what were you talking about before? Something to do with Yakumo-chan." 

Meanwhile, Yakumo just stared at Tatsuo with her usual, almost, blank expression. Yet, she did not question him. However, when Tatsuo started telling his story about when he ran into the delinquents during his walk, more specifically about Harima, who seemed to be in love with her sister, her expression changed the most that either Tatsuo or Chiho had seen ever since they met her. And by changed, Yakumo's eyes widened much further than either of them had ever seen. 

"A boy is in love with Nee-San?" Yakumo asked herself in a somewhat confused tone. "I didn't expect that." 

"I know what you mean." Tatsuo replied with a grin. "I mean, Tenma-San is nice. Like, really, nice and cheerful. But she's not the most feminine person I've ever met." 

"Yeah, but she's fun to be around." Chiho said cheerfully. 

"That's true." Tatsuo replied with a nod. "Still, it's a little weird to think about someone having a crush on her." 

Both Yakumo and Chiho nodded in agreement. However, they did not dwell on the topic for too long. Instead, they just chatted about everything and nothing as they usually did when they gathered together. Tatsuo even offered to treat them to a meal at Restaurant Yukihira. However, both ladies vehemently refused while blushing slightly, which made Tatsuo laugh. 

Eventually, Sadao came over with their meals and Tatsuo teased Chiho about not having to save his food from falling to the floor for once, which made Chiho pout a little. Even so, they enjoyed their meals before Chiho had to start her shift. 

With Chiho starting her shift, Tatsuo and Yakumo bid her and Sadao goodbye before leaving. 

"How about I walk you home, Yakumo-Chan?" Tatsuo asked as the two left the MgRonald's. "I mean, it's already dark. And it's not safe for a girl to walk home alone like this." 

Though she felt that she would be fine, Yakumo eventually accepted Tatsuo's offer after a little thought. So, the two made their way towards Yakumo's house while continuing to chat. 

"By the way, Tatsuo-Kun." Yakumo said, sounding uncharacteristically hesitant. 

"What's up?" Tatsuo asked curiously while matching Yakumo's pace. 

"Do you think...?" Yakumo said, sounding as if she was unsure how to ask her question. 

Instead of rushing Yakumo, Tatsuo only waited patiently while the two continued to walk. 

It took a while for Yakumo to get her thoughts together. By the time she did, they had reached the walkway leading to her front door. 

"You said you were going to start a career in music, right?" Yakumo asked as she turned to look at Tatsuo directly. 

"Yeah, that's the plan. Tatsuo replied as he made eye contact with Yakumo. 

"Then.... Is there anything I could do to help you?" Yakumo asked, nervousness clear in her tone. 

Hearing that, Tatsuo smiled gently. And this was the kind of smile that Yakumo had never seen on him. So, she was caught a bit off guard while her cheeks reddened slightly. 

"Of course there is." Tatsuo replied. "There are a lot of things you could do, actually. Did you have anything in mind?" 

"Well..." Yakumo said while opening her school bag. She then continued while pulling out a book whose title read "How to Edit Audio for Beginners." "I was thinking that I could help edit the music after you record it." 

Hearing Yakumo's proposal and seeing the book in her hands, Tatsuo's smile widened. Hadn't he just been talking to his mother about finding a friend to work with him earlier in the day? And now, one of them basically walked up and offered to do just that. 

"Sure, that sounds good to me." Tatsuo replied. He then took on a much more serious tone. "But there will be a lot of work to do if you really do intend to help me. Not that I'm saying you can't stop once you start. But you should know that it won't be easy to learn everything you need to know." 

"I know." Yakumo replied with a nod of her head. "But I'm ready to learn." 

"Well, if that's what you want, I don't have a problem with it." Tatsuo replied with a shrug. "Still, you should probably talk to your family about it. If you really do decide to do this, it will take up a lot of your time. Probably not as much time as my career will take from me, but you'll have a lot less free time after school and on the weekends." 

"I understand." Yakumo replied. 

"Well then, if your family is okay with it, I don't mind taking the time to teach you what you need to know." Tatsuo said, his smile coming back. "And as it just so happens, Mom built a recording studio for me in our apartment. So, I'll be able to work with you without having to go too far away." 

Hearing that, another small smile made its way onto Yakumo's face. 

"Then, I'll talk to my family about it." Yakumo said as she put the book back into her bag. "I'll let you know if they give me permission at school tomorrow." 

"Sounds good." Tatsuo replied as he walked Yakumo to her front door. "Then, I'll see you tomorrow at school. We should probably start thinking about getting another study group together for the finals, too." 

"Yes." Yakumo replied. "I'm sure Nee-San and her friends would like your help again, too." 

"I don't mind helping them again." Tatsuo said with a chuckle. "It feels weird that I'm helping high school students, though. In manga, isn't it usually the other way around?" 

Yakumo smiled once again before turning to put her key in the door. 

"Thank you, Tatsuo-Kun." Yakumo said softly. "For letting me help you." 

"It should be me thanking you, shouldn't it?" Tatsuo said in a gentle tone. "So, thank you for trying so hard for me, Yakumo-Chan." 

With that, the two's gazes lingered on each other for a while. And although Tatsuo's instincts from his draconic bloodline were telling him to push further, he also knew instinctively that Yakumo was not ready for another step forward. So, after a few moments, Tatsuo turned around and started walking home. 

"I'll see you at school tomorrow, Yakumo-chan." Tatsuo said while waving back over his shoulder. 

"See you tomorrow." Yakumo replied softly, though her voice carried to Tatsuo. 

After that, Yakumo watched Tatsuo leave for a few moments before heading into her house to start cooking dinner for her sister. She also took the time to structure her request to work with Tatsuo when he started recording music for his debut when she got the chance to talk about it with her family.