After a bumpy train ride home from [STARRY], Aoki Kei returned to his small rented apartment.
It wasn't even 5 PM yet.
He stepped inside, set his guitar down by the door, and without hesitation, focused his attention on the system embedded in his mind—[Love Obstruction Simulation Game].
A familiar soft blue interface flickered to life before his eyes.
Having just completed a choice and received the system's reward, the top-right corner now showed a balance of exactly 600 points.
Ignoring the point balance for now, Aoki Kei used a thought-command to open the [Heroine Panel].
Ever since he briefly glanced at it on the train the other day, he hadn't bothered opening it again.
So, naturally, he was a bit curious now.
The translucent screen shifted. After a short delay, a new panel popped up in front of him.
————————————————————————
[Currently Available Heroines]: Ijichi Nijika, Yamada Ryo, Gotoh Hitori, Hiratsuka Shizuka
[Unlocked CGs]: (None)] (Note: Unlock CGs by fulfilling certain conditions. Unlocking CGs will grant rewards)
[Achievements Unlocked: (None)]
[Endings Reached: (None)]
————————————————————————
Other than the addition of a few more heroines, the panel hadn't changed much.
Still, what caught Aoki Kei off guard was that Hiratsuka Shizuka had been added to the "Available Heroines" list.
The image of that ramen-loving, battle-shounen-reading older woman popped into his mind.
A slight twitch appeared at the corner of his mouth.
This dating sim was definitely a bit off.
Probably best to avoid opening the heroine panel too often...
Seeing nothing worth investigating further, Aoki Kei closed the panel and opened the Point Store instead.
A rather barebones shop interface floated in his vision.
He glanced at his 600-point balance in the corner, hesitating slightly.
He considered his own singing ability decent—not top-tier, but good enough to be called a skilled amateur.
Since acoustic performances didn't demand elite vocals, he figured he could hold off on spending points to improve his singing—for now.
Instead, he opted to spend 100 points to purchase a complete sheet music and lyrics pack.
With that decision made, he began browsing the store's music selection.
This first upload was crucial—if he wanted to make money with his music down the line, this had to make a good impression.
So he took his time, combing through the options with care.
He needed something popular to get noticed, so niche tracks were quickly ruled out.
At the same time, songs that were too complex would be difficult to reproduce alone with just a guitar.
So, those were also scratched off the list.
And then… his eyes froze on the bottom left of the menu.
A song titled "Lemon" caught his attention.
The album art featured a single lemon. Strange name, simple cover.
But then it hit him—"Lemon". A masterpiece by Kenshi Yonezu, a renowned musician from his previous life.
The song had swept numerous awards: Best Theme Song at the Tokyo International Drama Festival, Song of the Year at the Space Shower Music Awards, and more.
Its gentle melody and lyrical depth made it perfect for acoustic performance—without question, a gem among pop songs.
Using Lemon as the debut song for his new channel... actually seemed like a great idea.
After a moment of thought, weighing all the factors, Aoki Kei made the call. Without hesitation, he tapped Purchase.
A sharp but fleeting jolt shot through his mind.
When it passed, he could instantly recall a new memory embedded in his brain—the full lyrics and guitar chords of "Lemon."
No need to memorize the lyrics or practice the chords.
For that brief sting, it was more than worth it.
With everything ready, Aoki Kei double-checked the melody and lyrics in his head, then moved swiftly into action.
He propped up his well-used secondhand phone on the table, adjusted the angle, and opened the camera app.
Picking up his guitar, he tapped the Record button.
Even though the lyrics and chords were now imprinted in his mind, Aoki Kei's singing still wasn't flawless.
In order to record a version he was completely satisfied with, he ended up doing several takes.
Thankfully, before his phone ran out of storage, he managed to complete a final version.
The video was a little pixelated, and the audio quality wasn't the best—but overall, it was good enough.
After clearing out the failed takes from his gallery, he opened the YouTube app he had installed earlier.
Using its built-in editing tools, he trimmed the video, selected tags, and wrote a description.
Moving with practiced ease, Aoki Kei completed the upload.
To build his image and match the tone of Lemon, he even wrote a deliberately poetic caption for the video:
"All the emotions I never had the chance to express—
In sorrow, a gentle warmth lingers.
Take the bitterness life gives you, like a lemon,
and turn it into something sweet,
like the sparkling taste of lemon soda."
After making sure everything was ready, Aoki Kei uploaded his first video using an account under the nickname "suki-san."
The title: [Original Acoustic Song: "Lemon"].
Even though he had confidence in Lemon, Aoki Kei knew better than to expect it to go viral overnight.
So, after uploading the video, he didn't bother checking the view count.
It wasn't too late yet.
For the first time in a while, he skipped the usual cheap convenience store bento and went out to a ramen shop for dinner while the sky was still light.
Back at his cramped apartment, he spent some time doing math problems.
Around 9 p.m., after brushing his teeth, he lay down on his bed.
Determined not to stay up too late, Aoki Kei closed his eyes.
————————————————————————
Meanwhile, around 10 p.m.
—When most young people were still awake, in a small apartment in Shimokitazawa, Ijichi Nijika was lying on her stomach, bored, scrolling through her phone.
She yawned, wiping away the tear that welled up from the corner of her eye.
Sleepiness was starting to settle in, and she was about to put her phone away for the night.
That's when something caught her eye: a music video with surprisingly poor stats.
["Lemon"].
Curious, and just a little intrigued, Nijika tapped on the video.
The moment the video started, the drowsiness in her eyes faded slightly, replaced by confusion.
'A student from the same school as Aoki-senpai?'
The performer in the video didn't show his face.
The camera only captured the upper body from the neck down.
But the school uniform looked familiar—Nijika had just seen it earlier that afternoon.
Still puzzled, she kept watching.
Then it began.
The performer plucked the guitar strings, and soft acoustic notes flowed out from her phone.
A gentle melody, paired with a voice that Nijika instantly recognized.
"Original song Lemon. Thank you for listening."
The moment she heard the voice clearly, her eyes widened, and her lips parted in surprise.
"W-Wait… Aoki-senpai?!"
Now fully awake, Nijika's eyes locked onto the screen, watching with far more focus than before.
The figure on-screen kept strumming, unfazed, as if the camera didn't exist.
Then, with the melody guiding him, the singing began—clear and crisp.
————————————————————————
"How I wish it were only a dream"
(夢ならばどれほどよかったでしょう)
"Even now I still dream of you"
(未だにあなたのことを夢にみる)
"I brush the dust off from old memories"
(忘れた物を取りに帰るように)
"Like returning home to retrieve a forgotten item"
(古びた思い出の埃を払う)
————————————————————————
It was beautiful.
The melody was perfect. The lyrics were powerful.
To Nijika, it was the best song she'd heard in years.
That was her first impression.
But as she paid closer attention to the lyrics, she realized—
Despite the gentle melody, this wasn't some sweet, feel-good ballad.
No, this was no "healing song."
Beneath the poetic lines was a deep, aching metaphor—one of sorrow, of someone grieving the loss of someone important.
The video continued.
Aoki Kei's playing didn't falter for even a moment.
His clear voice rang out, calm yet full of emotion.
The guitar carried the gentle melody forward until the first half of Lemon ended.
Then—
The tempo suddenly picked up, and Aoki Kei's voice rose with it, bursting into the chorus.
The gentle rhythm was gone, replaced by something faster—louder.
It was as if he were shouting, baring his soul.
————————————————————————
"Even the sadness from that day, even the pain from that day"
(あの日の悲しみさえ あの日の苦しみさえ)
"I loved it all, together with you"
(そのすべてを愛してた あなたとともに)
"The bitter scent of lemons remains embedded in my heart"
(胸に残り離れない 苦いレモンの匂い)
"Can't make my way home 'til the rain lets up"
(雨が降り止むまでは帰れない)
"Like a piece of sliced fruit"
(切り分けた果実の片方の様に)
"Even now you remain my light…."
(今でもあなたはわたしの光)
————————————————————————
The sudden change in tempo.
The raw, almost desperate vocals.
The sorrowful lyrics.
All of it blended together in perfect harmony.
Nijika stared at the screen, completely stunned.
"Aoki-senpai… is amazing…" she whispered, almost breathlessly.
Lemon kept looping softly in her ears.
Even after the song ended, she still holding her phone, Nijika wasn't even really looking at the screen anymore.
Her thoughts had drifted far.
Music reflects the creator's state of mind—the emotions they bury deep inside.
Ever since forming her own band, she had come to believe that completely.
At first, when she listened to Lemon, she thought it was just a song about sadness.
But when she exited fullscreen, her eyes landed on the video's description.
And that's when it hit her—this song wasn't just about sadness.
"All the emotions left unspoken—gentle warmth hidden in sorrow.
Please take the bitterness life gives you, like a lemon,
and turn it into something sweet, like the taste of lemon soda."
It wasn't a cheerful message.
And yet, it carried a quiet strength.
Reading those words, and then revisiting the lyrics again with that in mind… Nijika suddenly understood the meaning behind the title "Lemon."
How strong must someone's will be… to turn such deep sorrow into something that pushes them forward?
Her mind flashed back to when she met Aoki Kei for the first time, just two days ago.
Even though they were strangers, he had walked up and asked if she needed help.
'Take the bitterness life gives you, like a lemon, and turn it into something sweet, like lemon soda...'
'What exactly has Aoki-senpai been through…?'
Still listening to Lemon again and again, Nijika sat there staring at her phone in silence.
Deep in her heart, a quiet curiosity had begun to grow.