After jolting along on the tram from [STARRY] back to the rented apartment, it was still not yet five o'clock when Aoki got home.
He opened the door, set the guitar from his back to the side, and—without hesitating—focused his attention on the [Love-Obstruction Simulation Game] in his mind.
A pale blue panel that wasn't exactly unfamiliar flashed before his eyes.
He had just completed a choice and collected the system's reward; the points display in the upper right now showed a clean balance of 600.
Ignoring the remaining points for the moment, Aoki used a thought to open the [Heroines Panel].
Since he had only glanced at the heroines panel once on the tram last time, he hadn't opened it again. So he was at least a little curious now—
The faint blue light screen shifted, and a new panel popped up an instant later.
[Currently selectable heroines: Ijichi Nijika, Yamada Ryo, Gotoh Hitori, Hiratsuka Shizuka]
[CGs unlocked: (None) (Note: Unlock by meeting certain conditions; unlocking CGs grants rewards)]
[Achievements: (None)]
[Endings reached: (None)]
Aside from a few more heroines being listed, the [Heroines Panel] wasn't much different from before.
What did surprise Aoki a little, though, was that Hiratsuka Shizuka had actually been filed under "selectable heroines."
The image of that older woman who loved ramen and hot-blooded manga flashed through his mind, and Aoki's brow twitched.
This love-obstruction sim is a little weird… I'd better open the heroines panel as little as possible…
There wasn't much worth studying, so he closed the [Heroines Panel] and switched to the Points Shop.
A rather bare-bones shop appeared on his retina. Glancing at the 600 points in the top right, he hesitated a little.
Aoki considered his own singing not bad. Not necessarily top-tier, but at least strong among amateurs.
Acoustic covers don't demand the absolute best vocals from a performer, so after thinking it over, and wanting to test the waters, he decided not to redeem any singing upgrades for now, and instead spend 100 points on a complete score and lyrics.
Decision made, he started searching the shop's catalog of song sheets.
Because the first song on his account would determine whether he could earn money by singing and playing, he took the selection very seriously.
He needed to make a name for himself, so pop music came first; a number of niche tracks could be ruled out right away.
And with just one person and one guitar, overly complex songs wouldn't reveal their essence in performance, so most complicated pieces could be set aside for now.
What remained…
Aoki scrolled and thought in tandem, the simple points shop sliding downward. He browsed for quite a while—until his gaze stopped in the lower left.
There in the shop was a piece titled "Lemon."
Looking at the oddly named track with a lemon on the album cover, Aoki hesitated a moment.
"Lemon," a signature work by the great musician Kenshi Yonezu in his previous life. This song had won the Tokyo International Drama Festival's Best Theme Song award, the Space Shower Music Award's Song of the Year, and more.
The melody was gentle, the style suited to voice-and-guitar, and as a pop song it was unquestionably top-tier.
Choosing it as the first upload on the account felt… appropriate.
After a brief consideration, Aoki made up his mind and tapped Purchase.
A slight prickling pain swept through his mind, and in the next instant he clearly sensed a new set of memories appear in his head.
The score and lyrics of "Lemon" had been imprinted there.
With the steps of memorizing lyrics and internalizing the guitar part saved, that brief twinge felt worth it.
With everything ready, and after confirming the lyrics and tune once more in his head, Aoki didn't dawdle.
He propped his long-used second-hand phone on the desk, adjusted the angle and opened the camera. Picking up his guitar, he tapped the Record button on the screen.
…
Although he now remembered every lyric and note of "Lemon," his vocals weren't elite. To get a take he was fully satisfied with, Aoki still recorded multiple times.
Fortunately, before his phone storage filled completely, he managed to finish a final version.
The image was a bit grainy and the sound quality not great, but it was serviceable.
After clearing the dud takes from his gallery, he opened the YouTube app that had long been installed.
Using the app's built-in editor, he made a few trims, then chose tags and wrote a description—all in one go—and hit Publish.
Considering branding and the feel of "Lemon," he also crafted a deliberately artsy blurb:
"All the feelings that never had time to be spoken—melancholy that reveals a glimmer of warmth. Please turn the lemon-sharp sourness life gives you into the sweetness of lemon soda. Original song 'Lemon.'"
All set, Aoki posted a video titled [Original Song—"Lemon" (Acoustic)] on the account under the nickname "suki-san."
…
Though he had confidence in "Lemon," Aoki knew a video couldn't go viral in the blink of an eye. After posting, he didn't watch the numbers.
It wasn't too late yet. For dinner—rarely—he skipped the cheap convenience-store bento and, while it was still light out, went alone to a ramen shop.
Back at the apartment, he worked through some math problems in the cramped space. Around nine, he washed up and got into bed.
Aiming not to stay up late, Aoki closed his eyes.
…
Around ten—when most young people were still awake—
In an apartment in Shimokitazawa, Ijichi Nijika lay on her pillow, bored, scrolling her phone.
After a while she yawned, wiped the tear that had leaked from the yawn, and drowsiness washed over her. She prepared to sleep.
But before turning off the screen, a video caught her eye—music-related, with pathetically low stats.
[Original Song—"Lemon" (Acoustic)].
Curious, she tapped it.
When she saw the content, the sleepiness in her eyes gave way to a flicker of puzzlement.
A student from the same school as Aoki-senpai?
It was a voice-and-guitar video. The performer's face wasn't shown—only from the neck down—wearing a school uniform that seemed familiar. Nijika had just seen it that afternoon.
Curious, she kept watching.
Until—
The performer brushed the strings, and guitar notes came through the phone.
A gentle melody began, paired with a voice that Nijika knew.
["Original song 'Lemon.' Thank you for listening."]
Hearing the voice, her drowsiness vanished. Her mouth fell open, and she couldn't help blurting:
"A–Aoki-senpai?!"
Now surprised, Nijika watched with full attention.
The performer continued to strum without pause.
Then, over the accompaniment, a clear voice poured from the phone.
[If only all this were just a dream]
[I could still find your silhouette there]
[Like going back to fetch something forgotten]
[I brush the dust off an old memory]
Beautiful—perfect melody, excellent lyrics—the best song she'd heard in a long time.
That was her first reaction.
But savoring the words more closely, Nijika realized—
Though the tune was gentle, this wasn't really a "healing" song to soothe the heart.
Beneath the excellent lyrics lay a clear metaphor for grief over losing someone important.
The video played on. Aoki didn't falter.
The clear voice continued.
The relaxed guitar lasted through the first half of "Lemon."
Then the tempo surged, and Aoki's cool voice suddenly grew in volume.
The gentle prelude ended. The chorus began.
[Even that day's sorrow]
[Even that day's pain]
[Everything—together with the you I loved so deeply—]
[Has become an indelible imprint]
[The scent of bitter lemon]
[I cannot go back until after the rain clears]
The quickened strum, the almost-cried-out vocal, the sorrowful words—
In the instant the chorus hit, the three fused perfectly.
Staring at the screen, Nijika was stunned.
"Aoki-senpai… is amazing…" she whispered.
…
"Lemon" kept looping in her ears.
Holding the phone but no longer really looking at it, Ijichi Nijika's mind wandered.
Music reflects the creator's state of mind and the feelings buried within. Ever since she started a band, she'd believed that deeply.
Hearing Aoki-senpai's "Lemon" and reading the lyrics, she'd thought it was simply a song pouring out sadness.
But after leaving full-screen, she happened to notice the video description—and realized "Lemon" wasn't just about grief—
[All the feelings that never had time to be spoken—melancholy that reveals a glimmer of warmth. Please turn the lemon-sharp sourness life gives you into the sweetness of lemon soda.]
Reading the blurb that wasn't exactly "motivational" yet brimmed with strength, and rereading the lyrics, she suddenly understood the "lemon" in the title.
How strong must one's conviction be to turn all the sorrow in one's heart into the power to move forward?
Her mind flashed back to two days ago, when she first met Aoki. Even though they were strangers, he had stepped up to ask if she needed help.
Turn the lemon-sourness life gives you into the sweetness of lemon soda…
What exactly has Aoki-senpai been through?
She stared at the screen with "Lemon" playing and drifted off a little.
In her heart, a quiet curiosity took root.
-------
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