Some books start but opt for a timeout before they're finished. This is an excerpt from one such book. - MM
Yumi adjusted the microphone.
Said something in Japanese.
A few people nodded.
Someone clapped once.
And then -
They began.
Daniel didn’t know the song.
Didn’t need to.
It wasn’t about recognition - it was about feel.
Something old. Maybe. Or something that just sounded old. There was space in it. Restraint. Notes that didn’t rush to be heard.
Vince leaned in.
“…okay,” he said quietly. “Yeah.”
Yumi’s voice carried without pushing.
Clear. Controlled. Effortless in a way that made effort feel unnecessary.
Daniel glanced at Hiroshi.
He wasn’t talking.
Wasn’t smiling.
Just watching.
By the second song, the room had settled into it completely.
Not applause-heavy.
Not loud.
Just -
Present.
“Good, yeah?” Hiroshi said quietly.
Daniel nodded.
“Yeah,” he said. “Very.”
Vince raised his glass slightly toward the stage.
“Okay, Hiroshi,” he said. “You didn’t mention this.”
Hiroshi shrugged.
“Normal,” he said.
The third song ended.
A little more applause this time.
Yumi smiled, bowed her head slightly, and said something into the mic.
There was a ripple through the room.
A few heads turned.
Toward -
Hiroshi.
Daniel saw it.
“…oh no,” he said.
Vince grinned.
“Oh yes.”
Hiroshi shook his head immediately.
“No, no,” he said, waving it off. “Long time. I am finished.”
The drummer said something from the stage.
Laughter.
The bassist added something else.
More laughter.
Yumi just smiled.
Patient.
Certain.
The room waited.
Not pushing.
But expecting.
Vince leaned in.
“…you gotta go up there.”
Daniel nodded.
“Yeah,” he said. “I think you do.”
Hiroshi looked at them.
Then back at the stage.
Then down at his drink.
He sighed.
A small one.
The kind a man makes when he’s already decided.
“Just one,” he said.
The guitar was handed to him like it had been waiting.
Not ceremoniously.
Not dramatically.
Just -
Naturally.
Hiroshi adjusted the strap.
Checked the tuning by ear.
A quick run of notes - nothing flashy, just enough to find where he was.
He said something into the mic.
The room laughed.
Daniel looked at Vince.
“…what’d he say?”
“No idea,” Vince said. “But I think we’re about to find out.”
They started.
It wasn’t loud.
It wasn’t fast.
It wasn’t trying to prove anything.
Hiroshi played like a man who had already done all of that.
The notes came easy.
Not perfect.
Not polished.
But right.
There was a looseness to it. A confidence that didn’t need attention.
The kind of playing that made space for everyone else in the room.
Yumi watched him closely.
Smiling.
Not impressed.
Not surprised.
Just -
Recognizing.
Daniel felt it before he understood it.
That shift.
The one that had been happening all night.
Now -
Clear.
“…he’s the real deal,” Vince said quietly.
Daniel nodded.
“Yeah,” he said.
“…he is.”
Hiroshi stepped forward slightly for a short lead.
Nothing long.
Nothing indulgent.
Just a few lines.
Clean.
Honest.
Then he stepped back again.
Like he knew exactly how much to take - and when to give it back.
The song ended.
Applause.
Real this time.
Still not loud.
But full.
Hiroshi bowed his head slightly.
Handed the guitar back.
Said something into the mic that made the room laugh again.
Then he stepped off the stage.
Just like that.
Back at the bar.
Back with them.
Vince stared at him.
“…you been holdin’ out on us, man.”
Hiroshi shook his head.
“No,” he said.
A small smile.
“Just… long time ago.”
copyright notice © 2026 Michael C. Metzger
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