章節 79: I Want To Thank Her And Say Goodbye
The live performance ended amidst great success.
The audience erupted in thunderous applause and cheers, with some
even playfully demanding an encore. As Alisa stood at the forefront, she
found herself captivated by a strange sensation.
Was there ever a time in her life where so many people directed their
smiles towards her? Was there ever a time where she had been sought
after by so many?
(Ah, so this is......)
Was this what it truly felt like to be "rewarded?"
For so long, Alisa had been diligently working without receiving any
praise. She believed that as long as she herself acknowledged her own
efforts, it was sufficient enough. However...
(When I gather the courage to step forward... I realize there are
many people who would recognize me.)
Suddenly, Alisa felt something warm welling up from deep within her
chest once again. She tightened her eye muscles, as if to suppress it, and
deeply lowered her head.
And amidst the growing applause, Alisa made eye contact with her
four bandmates before leaving the stage.
"Woah, that was amazing!"
As soon as he stepped offstage, Takeishi's body trembled as he
donned a bright smile, finding himself unable to contain his excitement. The
other four members nodded, their energy slightly heightened.
"Yeah, yeah... It was truly fantastic! This isn't flattery coming from me
either, but that was the best performance we've ever done!"
"Yes... I feel the same way."
"Oh? Sayacchi, are you on the verge of tears?"
"N-No! That's not.... true."
"Oh, really? Are you suuure~?"
"Come on! Nonochan, you're so persistent! Ahh──"
Inadvertently using an informal nickname, Sayaka showed an
awkward expression. Alisa deepened her smile and once again lowered her
head.
"Thank you, everyone."
For recognizing me as a leader. For showing me such a wonderful
world view.
The other band members returned her words of gratitude with smiles.
"That line goes for me too! The live show was so amazing because
Alya-san's singing voice was incredible! Oh, of course, Sayaka-san on the
bass and Nonoa-san's keyboard performance were also really good!"
"I can't help but feel like you're just being polite... Well, yes, it was a
performance we created together with everyone's collaboration. There's no
need for gratitude."
"No, seriously, I'm not just saying that──"
"Well, anyway, leaving Takeshi aside, I had fun too. Thank you,
Alisa."
"Thank you too, Alya-san. Thank you for taking up the role of the
vocalist and leading everyone as the bandleader. You were truly reliable."
"...With this atmosphere, I have no ground to stand on after saying
gratitude is unnecessary, do I?"
"Well, if you put it that way, I don't have the position to either... Ah,
Kano~! Did you see your nii-chan's impressive performance?"
Alisa watched Takeshi with a mix of amusement and exasperation as
he immediately ran towards his younger brother after spotting him within the
crowd. At that moment, the audience noticed Alisa and the other band
members and hurriedly approached them.
"Kujou-san! You were seriously cool!"
"Nonoa-sama! That was amazing!"
"Kiyomiya-kun! Look this way!"
The crowd surged forward, shouting in excitement. Hikaru
instinctively stepped forward to protect the female band members, but even
he attracted intense gazes from the female fans, causing his face to contort
with embarrassment.
"Oh man, this is embarrassing.... Well, Alisa, shall we repel them with
some fan service?"
"Fan service? Uh, repel?"
Alisa blinked at the unfamiliar abbreviation and the ominoussounding word. Then, Nonoa casually said,
"Like this."
With a gesture as if it was nothing, she suddenly donned on a
dazzling idol-like smile and gave a twinkling wink.
"Thank you, everyone~☆ But sorry? If we stay here like this, it'll
cause another commotion. Could you please make way for us?"
Immediately after being captivated by perfect fan service, they were
promptly asked to move aside. In an instant, various members of the
audience themselves started calling out to the people behind them to move,
dispersing the crowd.
"See, like that, you know?"
"Well, um? Uh, sorry, I can't... do that."
Feeling unsure about being able to do the same thing, Alisa
awkwardly laughed.
"But speaking of which, where did Masachika go...? Is he still busy
with the organizing committee?"
At that moment, Alisa also began to look around after hearing the
words unexpectedly uttered by Hikaru.
That's right, she wanted to share this excitement and emotion in her
heart with him. The world he took her to. The friends he introduced her to.
The stage he prepared for her. She wanted to convey these emotions she
had obtained there to him right now.
(Masachika-kun...!)
As she held her restless feelings and let her gaze wander, suddenly,
one voice jumped into Alisa's ears.
"Huh, really!? A showdown!?"
Involuntarily drawn to such attention-grabbing words, Alisa reflexively
turned towards them. There, she saw a male student talking excitedly to a
girl next to him, holding a smartphone in his hand.
"Hey! They're having a showdown in the auditorium! A piano duel!"
"Huh, who?"
"Kiryuin and Kuze! It's already started!"
What reached her ears was the name of the boy she had been
searching for. Along with the torrent of information that rushed in, Alisa
became dumbfounded.
(Masachika-kun...? A showdown? A piano duel... Why? What does it
mean?)
She let her gaze wander as if seeking answers from someone.... and
suddenly noticed that Hikaru, right in front of her, was frozen, fixated on one
spot.
"Hikaru-kun? What's wr─"
Following his gaze, Alisa spotted three people standing with complex
expressions. She had an intuition that they were the former band members
of Hikaru and Takeshi.
"Hikaru-k─"
"Go, Alisa."
"Huh?"
Alisa turned around at the voice from behind and saw Nonoa looking
back at her with lazy half-opened eyes.
"You're worried about Kuzecchi, aren't you? We're fine here, so go."
"Alright, then... Kurazawa-senpai! Can I ask for your help?"
Upon Sayaka's call, Kurazawa Shiu, the girl in glasses dressed as a
knight, a member of the Disciplinary Committee, appeared sharply. With her
glasses pushed up, she spoke.
"Alisa Kujou's bodyguard, right? I can do that."
"Thank you very much."
"Well then, let's clear the way."
Following that nonchalant voice, Nonoa exploded with her fan service
and made more requests to clear the way. Like the crossing of the Red
Sea[1], the crowd split, creating a narrow path. Alisa followed behind Shiu,
running
(Masachika-kun.... Why?)
Questions swirled in her mind. Alongside them, an indescribable
sense of uneasiness and impatience welled up, making it hard for Alisa to
bring her thoughts together. It felt as if Masachika had gone to a distant
place... Such an ominous premonition lingered in the back of her mind. In
order to dispel it, she ran. She believed that this restlessness was just her
imagination, and once she saw him, all her anxiety would vanish. With that
belief, Alisa ran.
With Shiu's guidance, Alisa smoothly arrived at the auditorium and
took a moment to catch her breath in front of the door before bowing her
head to Shiu.
"Thank you, Kurazawa-senpai."
"No problem. Well then, I'll go back to the stage."
"Okay."
Parting ways with Shiu, Alisa turned towards the doors of the
auditorium once again.
"...Alright."
Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the large double doors and
stepped inside.
What awaited her was... silence. Amidst the silence, the sound of a
piano echoed. That was all.
(This is....)
The melody that met her ears was like moonlight illuminating the
surface of the lake. A tranquil space where even the slightest sound felt
hesitant to make a noise.
Walking slowly through that space... Alisa caught sight of the boy
who was creating this atmosphere.
(Masachika, you...)
He was the boy Alisa had been searching for; and yet, he wasn't. He
was a Masachika she did not know at all.
The Masachika she knew never once revealed his true feelings like
this. He would always hide his true emotions behind silly jokes and his usual
playful demeanor. He never once revealed his true self with his music,
exposing everything in the process.
(Stop......)
Alisa realized it too. This song was a love song dedicated to one, and
only one, person.
His dancing fingers instructed the piano to create such resounding
tones, as if it was his whole being playing the music, and his intense
feelings of longing and sorrows he kept hidden were conveyed.
Alisa felt intense jealousy towards the person to whom it was
directed.
(No! No!!)
A childish voice exploded inside her chest. She wanted to cover her
ears and close her eyes at that moment. She didn't want anyone else to see
the true self he was showing.
She didn't want him to show that. Not to anyone else.
(I was supposed to be his partner... I was supposed to be the
closest to him. I should have been the one who knew Masachika the most!)
Unruly emotions overwhelmed her, and she couldn't contain the
overflowing feelings. Without fully understanding herself, Alisa felt the urge
to cry, to scream, as she tightly clenched her fists.
He felt distant. The farthest he had ever been. Even though she
thought she could stand by his side. Even though she thought she was
getting closer to his true self. Once again, he... flew away on his own, far
away.
[My Wizard...]
Alisa's small, small mummer was drowned out by the sound of the
piano.
◇
The feeling of accomplishment was something I never quite
understood. It was true that I would be happy if my grandfather
acknowledged me, if my mother praised me, or if my sister was delighted. I
understood that much. But I don't understand the feeling of accomplishment
itself. Maybe because...
Somewhere in my heart, I always felt a sense of emptiness. And
since leaving the Suou family, that emptiness was all that remained within
me.
I spent my days carrying that emptiness in my free and mundane
paternal grandparents' house. One day, while casually watching a children's
anime on TV, I realized the cause of this emptiness.
「I have a dream! No matter how big the obstacles are, I will never
give up!」
In the TV show, the talentless protagonist was desperately striving
towards his dream.
Even those who initially sneered at his earnestness were eventually
drawn to his unwavering determination and began to support him. He faced
trials and tribulations, sometimes experiencing setbacks, but through his
strong passion and unwavering efforts, he achieved resounding success.
He truly was the protagonist. Everyone supported him, celebrating
his victory of hard work. And he, while being blessed by everyone, reached
the happiest of endings together with the heroine who had supported him all
along.
...Struggles, setbacks, passion, effort. None of them were familiar
to me.
What I had was an excessive and wasted talent, and going through
effortless processes reminiscent of leveling up in a game. Even if I easily
achieved success through such means, there could be no sense of
accomplishment. Who would support someone like me? Who would
celebrate my success? Surely, my success was something no one would
ever wish for...
As the emptiness grew inside my chest, I became indifferent towards
everything. It was during that time... when I had lost all hope and was
consumed by apathy... that she gave me hope.
She appeared like a miracle, my heroine. If she could support me, if
she could celebrate me, I couldn't care less about what others think.
Her smile was my hope. Her smile alone filled my emptiness. The
memories I had once sealed deep within my heart as something unpleasant,
they turned out to be untrue. Now that years, and years, of
misunderstanding have been cleared... I feel nothing but gratitude towards
her.
(So......)
That's why I will fulfill this promise and finally bring it all to an end. In
order to settle the past love and move forward without lingering regrets. I will
convey the words I couldn't say that day, with a smile to that girl. Our
meeting was a miracle, and it was never an unfortunate thing. With heartfelt
gratitude and love...
[Thank you for everything.... Goodbye....]
Whispering so, as he released his hands from the keys, Masachika
closed his eyes for a moment. Behind his eyelids, he saw her, wearing the
same innocent smile as before... Masachika couldn't help but smile wryly
at his own convenience.
And feeling a little refreshed by the fact that he was able to smile, he
stood up after the lingering resonance of the music had completely faded
away. He bowed to the silent audience as if natural and left the stage.
◇
After Masachika disappeared backstage, applause erupted, albeit
belatedly. Amidst the applause, Ayano continued to gently stroke Yumi's
back without clapping.
"Madam......"
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry......"
With her face buried in a handkerchief, Yumi repeated her apologies
while sobbing, as if crushed with regret.
In the far back, where they were unnoticed by Masachika, a group of
people lined up and applauded.
"...Who is he? He doesn't seem like an unknown pianist."
One man raised his voice, but no one else answered. Some of them
glanced at Gensei with inquisitive eyes, but seeing him maintain his silence,
everyone fell silent.
"However, it's a shame."
In response to another woman's voice, they all agreed one after
another.
"Yes, truly a shame."
"But he can't win against something like this, there's no help for it."
Nodding gravely to those words, the oldest man pronounced in a cold
voice.
"We'll acknowledge his courage and ambition to cause such a
commotion... But falling short during the final stretch renders it
meaningless."
Having said that, he turned on his heel and called out to Touya, who
had come as a guide.
"Shall we go back?"
"Huh, is it alright if we don't see the result?"
"No need to see it."
"...Understood. Then this way, please."
And so, they left the auditorium following Touya's lead.
◇
"So, how did I end up winning?"
As he went through the stage exit, Masachika grumbled.
After finishing the performance, they immediately moved on to the
voting by a raise of hands... but the result was completely unexpected for
Masachika. After all, it was quite clear that Masachika had won. It wasn't
even a close contest. The teachers and staff, who were trying to count the
votes, exchanged glances as if to say, "Wait, isn't it obvious just by looking
at this?"
"...Masha-san, did you do something behind the scenes?"
Masachika asked Maria, who had come along, about one-third
seriously, and Maria pouted her cheeks.
"I didn't do anything, you know? How rude."
"Well, I mean... you know?"
While smiling wryly with a playful attitude, Masachika could feel his
heart gradually growing colder.
He had won. The fact that he won only amplified the emptiness inside
Masachika.
(Haaah, life is such a rigged game......)
With a victory that he despised, Masachika smiled emptily. And then,
Maria suddenly showed a gentle expression and embraced Masachika
head-on.
"O-Oh?"
"Thank you for keeping your promise... It was a wonderful
performance, I almost felt like crying."
"...I see, I'm glad to hear that"
With Maria's words, Masachika felt a little bit of the emptiness being
filled. Although he still lacked a sense of achievement from such an unfair
victory, Maria's praise... just like before, comforted Masachika's heart.
With nostalgia, he slowly let go of himself and entrusted himself to
Maria with a calm feeling.
(No... Wait, this is getting too long.)
Her embrace was long. Or rather, it was getting more and more
passionate. It felt like she was even tiptoeing and rubbing her cheeks
against his!
(Uh-oh, this is a bit dangerous. It's different from before! The softness
and everything, it's just different!)
As Masachika was about to pull himself away from Maria, having his
sense of crisis reaching its peak, Maria suddenly released the embrace on
her own.
And then, looking at Masachika, who seemed relieved but also a little
disappointed, Maria innocently smiled.
"Saa-kun, you're so cute ♡"
"Ah, well......"
"Hehehe, I still like Kuze-kun after all."
"Ah─"
Casually and without any falsehoods, such words reached
Masachika, who reflexively frowned. Seeing that expression, Maria mixed a
slightly sad smile with her smile.
"I'm sorry. I just wanted to say it. I didn't mean to trouble you."
"No, it's......"
Masachika faltered, unable to continue saying, "I'm happy," as such
words got stuck in his throat.
(I like Masha-san as a person, but... as I thought she's just different
from that girl, you know?)
Masachika couldn't direct the same feelings he had for Maa-chan
towards the Maria in front of him now. However,
(But I've settled my feelings for that girl... maybe, someday......)
With these thoughts, Masachika gazed at Maria as complicated
emotions lingered deep within him. In response, Maria furrowed her brows
even more, looking increasingly melancholic, as she said,
"Well, if......"
She was about to say something when suddenly,
"Masachika-kun!!"
A sharp voice called out from the side.
"Eh... Alya?"
Surprised, Masachika turned around to see Alisa, dressed in her live
performance outfit, with a very urgent expression on her face.
"What's wrong....? Did something happen?"
Concerned by her unusual behavior, Masachika asked with a worried
voice, but Alisa clenched her teeth and swallowed her words.
"Um, could you.... go over there with me?"
"Huh, what....?"
"It's okay. Just come."
With a gentle tap on his shoulder and a smile, Masachika was urged
by Alisa, and he lightly nodded before heading towards her.
As Masachika left with her, occasionally glancing behind him, Maria
waved with a smile. Then, she murmured quietly with a slightly sorrowful
tone,
[If only we had made a proper promise to meet again at that time~
But that would have been a bit excessive, wouldn't it? ]
◇
"Using manipulation and deceit, only to be completely defeated in
your area of expertise... How disgraceful,"
Sumire mummered, as she stood next to the tidied grand piano
backstage in the auditorium, having looked at the contents of the envelope
handed to her by Masachika. Without really listening to her, Yusho silently
placed his hands on the piano, continuing to gaze at the keys.
"So, what about it? Why do you have such a composed expression?"
Yusho responded after a moment to Sumire's somewhat solemn
question.
"Sumire-neesan... I still love the piano, after all."
"Oh, you finally realized that now?"
It was quite a significant confession from his perspective, but Yusho
chuckled as Sumire responded so casually.
(Truly, I can't compare to Sumire-neesan...)
He had been deceiving himself all this time.
He pretended that playing piano was just a hobby, convincing himself
that it wasn't something to be taken seriously. He ran away from facing his
true feelings by seeking something to replace playing the piano... He
convinced himself that inheriting his father's legacy was his goal in life. But
he couldn't lie anymore.
For the first time in a while, he faced the piano head-on, giving it his
all, and ultimately ending in defeat... He couldn't help but acknowledge the
overwhelming passion he had for the piano.
Masachika's performance was different from anything he had heard
before. It was a completely different level of playing, as if it wasn't the same
as his. Masachika's piano was crying. It was screaming. Technically
speaking, Yusho didn't feel like he had lost. However, he couldn't help but
feel like being defeated was a natural course of events. There was
something in Masachika's performance that made him feel that way.
He didn't know what it was yet, but he believed he should search for
it. For now, he could only regret not being able to truly confront Masachika
when he was at his full strength.
(I'm sorry, I've been facing you with half-hearted feelings all along)
As an apology, he lightly touched the piano keys. From now on, he
decided to face it more earnestly. He didn't know if he would have another
confrontation with Masachika in the future. But if it happened, he wouldn't
have any regrets the next time.
"Sumire-neesan."
"Yes?"
"I... I'm thinking of aiming for a music college."
"That's fine, isn't it?"
"Huh?"
Yusho turned around when Sumire replied just as casually. Then,
Sumire looked back at him with a truly exasperated expression.
"I have long since seen through the fact that you didn't really truly
desire to inherit the Kiryuin Group. Don't worry, leave it to me, I'll proudly
inherit it."
"Ahahaha......"
Yusho let out a dry laugh in response to Sumire's confident
statement.
"I see, you saw through everything, huh......"
"Yes. Especially your habit of trying to distract yourself with
something else when you can't have what you truly desire. It's quite
obvious."
"Is that so...?"
"Yes. Since you were young, when the swings were occupied, you
would artificially become lively in the sandbox, or whenever chocolate ice
cream was sold out, you would pile up other flavors..."
"Uh......"
"And it's still the same now. Just because the girl you really like
doesn't pay any attention to you, you surround yourself with girls you don't
even like."
"Huh?"
Yusho was speechless at Sumire's words. Cold sweat suddenly ran
down his back. He never expected her to see through him to that extent...
"I don't know who the lucky girl is, but even if you surround yourself
with other girls as a provocation, she won't turn her attention to you."
"...Ah, yeah."
Yusho nodded earnestly with a serious expression as Sumire shook
her head with a mix of exasperation and disappointment. A mixture of relief
and regret overwhelmed him, but he took a deep breath to change his
mood.
"Well, even if I say I want to aim for a music college... it's not
something I can decide right away."
"That's true. First..."
"Yeah, first I'll consult with my father... Though he might not easily
approve."
"...That's not the case."
"Huh?"
When Yusho raised his head in response to the unexpected denial,
Sumire waved the paper she held in the envelope, fluttering it gently.
"First, you have to shave your head, right?"
"...Huh?"
"You've done something mischievous again, haven't you? If you've
done something bad, you should start by shaving your head and then
performing a dogeza."
Upon hearing those words and seeing the sentence written on the
paper that Sumire held─"Regarding the incident that occurred at today's
school festival, Kiryuin Yusho will confess what he did in front of all the
students" ─Yusho's cheek twitched.
"T-That's... in front of all the students?"
"Of course. You lost, after all."
"But... shaving my head and bowing weren't part of the conditions─"
"As a Japanese man......"
Interrupting Yusho's words, Sumire pointed her index finger squarely
at his chest. Then, she knocked on his chest one by one, as if piercing it
with each tap.
"Shave─Your─Head─And─Per─form─A─Do─ge─za. Desuwa."
Confronted by words from his cousin that he couldn't possibly accept,
Yusho furrowed his brow defiantly...
"De─su─wa?"
"...Fine."
Confronted with Sumire's gaze, Yusho obediently nodded. In many
ways, Sumire was his greatest weakness.
◇
"O-oi, Alya? What's wrong?"
Despite asking the silver-haired Alisa, who steadily walked ahead,
she only returned his question with silence and continued tugging his hand
along. It had been like this since earlier. Masachika couldn't tell if she was
angry or anxious, and he couldn't quite grasp the reason as to why she was
like this in the first place... Although he had some guesses as to why, he
didn't truly know if that was truly the case.
"Hey, where are we going? Did the live performance go well?"
Masachika attempted to start a conversation, but Alisa remained
silent as ever. Before he realized it, they had arrived at the back of the club
building, an entirely deserted area. Finally, Alisa stopped and turned
around.
Then, as soon as she turned around, she glared at him in silence,
causing Masachika's cheeks to twitch.
"So, you're mad after all? Was it because I couldn't come to see the
live performance? Or was it because I went off and had a showdown
against an opposing candidate on my own? Well, sorry, I know I'm just
making excuses, but was there a proper reason?"
As the distance between them closed, Masachika reflexively took half
a step back. However, before he could retreat any further, the distance
between the two became zero.
"Oh, eh?"
Alisa suddenly hugged him from the front, embracing him tightly...
Masachika inadvertently let out a silly voice.
"A-Alya? Seriously, what's wrong?"
Completely perplexed and unable to understand the situation,
Masachika asked while Alisa remained silent. Without saying a word, she
tightens her grip on his back, exerting force in the arms wrapped around
him, squeezing tightly.
(Huh, what does this mean? What kind of emotion is this?)
First of all, being embraced by Alisa was an entirely new experience.
Well, rather than being embraced, it might be more appropriate to say that
she was clinging on to him....?
(Wh-Why is she silent? She feels incredibly soft and I can smell a
pleasant scent, but there's also a sense of strength. Is this really Alya?
Could her inner self have changed somehow? Like, what if I let my guard
down and get all lovey-dovey with her and then she would suddenly open
her mouth wide and bite me─)
Just as he was thinking that...
"!? Ouch!? Ow ow ow!?"
He was genuinely bitten on the neck, causing Masachika to scream
in pain.
"What on earth is going on? Some kind of parasite? Has someone
taken over your body? Or are you now a zombie? Did you get infected by
some zombie virus?"
Even as his confused mind shouted that far, the feeling of teeth
sinking into his neck disappeared. In its place, a soft sensation pressed
against him, and before he knew it, his face was buried in her shoulder.
"...Alya?"
"......"
(Hmm, what is this? Why is she like a sulking child clinging to their
parent with a pouty face...?)
Even though he didn't understand the situation, Masachika tried to
calm her down by gently patting her back. Then, he faintly heard a few
words spoken in Russian.
[You are my partner, right....?]
Whispering those words, Alisa tightened her grip on his arm once
more.
After that, Alisa's embrace continued until she was called by Touya
on her phone.
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票