Ueda was lost in a time and a place far away from the present. To a small inn in Nachikatsuura, that had no place in the world of fancy hospitals and large bills. The ever present warmth radiating from within no matter the coldest winter nights, the smell of his mothers kushikatsu dancing through the air romancing the noses of all that were within. The sound of laughter and absent minded chatter as people gathered in to starve off the cold of the winter nights or to gather in the warmth of the summer evenings. His father’s voice that seemed so deep and powerful when he was younger as it took up the entire room with its presence as he sang old love songs that got everyone to sing along as he played on the piano. And for a moment if only just a moment Ueda was not some strungout addict who was perfectly content on destroying himself slowly a process that still seemed easier than just waiting around to die. No, he was instead just a small little kid again before the hospitals before it all went seemingly downhill too quickly and he was happy and if he could he would have froze that moment forever and be perfectly content sitting in that small forgotten room, playing on a forgotten beauty. But he did not have that choice. 

As Ueda continued to play he eventually heard the door open behind him quietly. He figured that it was some sort of teacher or a janitor that had heard him and had come to kick him out of the room. So he did what any reasonable person would do he completely ignored them and progressed. His father had told him the secret about Jazz was that it was all a matter of doing not thinking. It was looser and less structured then if you were playing Chopin or Handel, giving it the unpredictable quality that resonated so deeply with some people for it breathed life and movement. To play with one’s brain was to fail immediately it had to be felt with the heart. And so that was how Ueda played it was not as technical as some and sure there were faults to it at times the tempo jumped about, his finger work was a bit rusty as well as the movement in his own hands had been slowed do the axiata so that his brain wanted his hands to go faster than they could manage anymore. But of course those thoughts of the perfectionist within Ueda would always find something wrong with his own playing even if he did it perfectly. Finishing with a flourish he took a deep breath and found that a small sweat had formed, he having pushed his body farther than he imagined to perform as he did. Wiping his face with his arm, still facing away from his guest is when he heard a familiar voice.

It had an ethereal almost regal quality to it of somebody that had more wisdom than she was letting on. A quality that belonged to only one voice he could remember in recent memory and so he turned his head with a small shake of his head and the smallest of grins as he turned to face his one person audience. And there she was the second year that he had met on the first day.. what was her name? Oh yes Tomo Mizukimura the blind girl that had a strange calling for debating philosophy with strange older men. Her appearance alone dressed in a simple yukata with the grace seemingly the personification of a Yamato nadeshiko made him almost chuckle to himself. [I]Like a princess... Princess yeah that describes her rather well.[/i] Ueda mused to himself as he grabbed his own cane which he laid down on the bench next to him and pushed himself up feeling his muscles protest and sharp pains running up and down his body. Blocking them out as he gritted his teeth as he straightened himself up and even though with her being blind it still seemed like the proper thing to do give her a slight bow with his head.

“Ah Mizukimura-san, I was not aware that I would have an audience today. I would have dressed up in one of my suits that I don’t own .” He explained with a grin as he stood by the piano and listened, to the tapping of her cane against the chair and the floors as she approached, mixing with the sounds of the insects outside and the sounds of voices somewhere in the distance as students crossed the campus grounds. “But I thank you for your kind words. And how have the hallowed halls of Yamaku and the plethora of interesting characters treated you on your journey so far?”