"Sore de mo todaenu uta ni hi wa sasazu to mo…" I sang the last part of the lyrics, signaling that the song had ended.
The sound of the guitar plucking gradually faded into the crowd, and eventually became silent.
But not a single clap was heard, and I doubt anyone was even watching.
Even though I performed in the middle of a busy street, that certainly didn't guarantee anyone would stop to watch.
On the contrary, people simply passed by and ignored me as if I were an insect.
"Tch…" I couldn't hold back the frustration when I saw that.
I packed my guitar back into its case, then decided to leave.
Passing through the crowd, I just kept walking with no real destination.
Since I also hadn't earned anything since this morning—of course I couldn't just go home; besides, it was still noon.
As for why I forgot to bring my phone—if I hadn't forgotten it, I would at least know what time it was.
I looked up at the dark-colored sky. I had a feeling it would rain.
Well, at least I wouldn't have to feel the scorching heat of the sun.
But still, I didn't have any money.
A sigh escaped my mouth. "Haa… seriously annoying."
…
And just as I predicted, after walking for a bit, the sky began to drop its first few droplets—yes, rain.
And the worst part was that it happened too suddenly, drenching me completely.
"Haa. What am I supposed to do now."
It was still daytime, I hadn't earned any money, and most importantly I was now soaking wet. If I went back now, he would laugh at me, seeing how pathetic this young man looked.
So, I decided to go back to the live house, or the place where I was staying. Well, the owner was pretty nice—after I told him some things about myself, he allowed me to stay there, with the condition that I help out whenever needed.
But even so, it would be a waste to rush back there immediately. Since I was already drenched, why not play around a bit more?
Oh, my age in this world is still 17. Yes, I'm still a teenager and should technically be going to school, but I decided to quit after graduating middle school.
And I did all that for the sake of pursuing the naïve dream I never reached in my previous life—becoming a musician.
It may sound stupid, but I don't care what others think. Besides, in this life my situation isn't hopeful either, but at least I'm trying.
…
Under the rain, I walked slowly, my footsteps splashing softly as they moved along the wet pavement.
And after walking for a while, I arrived at a park.
My steps stopped when I saw it. No—more accurately, when I saw someone sitting on the swing, right under the rain.
She was a girl, probably a student from a nearby school. I couldn't see her face because she was slightly bowed, but the atmosphere around her felt sad.
It felt like—one of those cliché boy-meets-girl moments in an anime.
So now what should I do?
Should I approach her and try to cheer her up like some "real gentleman"?
Or should I pretend I didn't see anything and retreat honorably because this isn't my scene?
But after looking more closely, she looked familiar—especially with her blonde hair.
She seemed like an anime character? Maybe, who knows.
After thinking about it again, I decided to cheer her up. Not because she was a girl, but because it was one of my goals as a musician: to make people feel better.
So, I walked toward her, stood right in front of her, and asked, "What are you doing?"
Yeah, I know that sounds kind of rude, but I'm not good at starting conversations anyway.
She looked up at me. "Who are you?" she asked.
Honestly, after seeing her face, I remembered an anime I'd watched in my previous life back when I was in vocational high school. If I'm not mistaken, the title had the word "angel" in it, but I forgot.
"Hiromu Arakawa," I said, introducing myself. "That's my name."
Then I stepped over to the swing next to her and sat down.
"So, Hiromu-san, do you need anything from me?" She asked why I approached her—well, that was reasonable, since I was a stranger.
I answered with a very plain response. "No, I just felt sorry for you, that's all."
I could see her expression change for a moment, but she quickly composed herself.
"Thank you for your concern, Hiromu-san. But you don't need to feel sorry for me," she said—but that was obviously a lie. Then she continued, "I'm here because I want to be."
Hearing that, I spoke with an unreadable expression. "Oh, I see. You don't have to lie though. It's obvious you're sad, but you're denying it."
When I said that, her face showed surprise—perhaps she didn't expect me to notice. Seriously, how foolish, thinking such a lie would fool an adult like me.
After that, she didn't say anything and just remained silent. Honestly, it was getting awkward.
So, I decided to break the silence. "Well, you know, everyone has their own problems—including me. It's not like I want to meddle or anything. I just want to cheer you up." I looked at her while saying it, even pretending to smile kindly.
"Why?" she asked. It was just one word, but I had already thought of my answer long before this.
"Because I want to become a musician. And the reason I want to be a musician is to cheer up people who feel sad, depressed, empty, angry, and all those emotions. I want to see people smile when they listen to the songs I sing." I said, with a genuine smile on my face.
Before she could respond, I spoke again. "So let me show you." I opened my guitar case and took out my guitar.
I got up from the swing, standing right in front of her so she could see me. "I have something that suits you."
"Todome wo sashite (finish it)."
Then under the drizzle, I began plucking the strings of my guitar.
The sound of the plucks was faint beneath the rainfall.
And I began singing the opening lyrics.
This song was a work from my favorite band—Amazarashi.
This wasn't just a normal song; it was a story about the escape of two broken people. Why was it perfect? Because some of its lyrics matched this situation very well.
….
(POV - ?)
She listened to the song the young man in front of her was singing. At the start, it didn't feel special at all—just another sad song, although its lyrics were more poetic.
But she didn't expect to cry when she heard him sing it.
"Nee nido to nakanai you ni kimi no odosu kimi ni todome wo sashite"
(Hey, so that you won't cry again. I'll deliver the final blow to the you who threatens yourself.)
"Boku to nigeyou chi no hate made otte wa kurayami asu naki toubou"
(Run away with me to the ends of the earth. The darkness chases us. A flight with no tomorrow.)
Hearing that, she didn't understand why, but tears began to fall from her face.
The song felt so fitting for the sadness she was going through.
The tears kept flowing, and eventually the lyrics he sang seemed to reach the climax of the song.
"Tachiyotta dainaa de kimi to boku no kaojashin shimei tehai no nyuusu. Jibun no kimochi wo satsugai shita to"
(At a diner we stopped by, the news shows pictures of you and me: wanted for killing our own feelings.)
"Sareru danjo futari ga keikakuteki toubou"
(A man and a woman planning their escape.)
"Fukusou wo kaenagara"
(Changing clothes.)
"Chijin no moto wo tenten to"
(Moving from acquaintance to acquaintance.)
"Nee kaa rajio no boryuumu wo agete"
(Hey, turn up the car radio.)
"Nee motto agete"
(Hey, louder.)
"Saikou na kibun nan da warai ga tomaranai"
(I feel amazing. I can't stop laughing.)
"Doko made mo ikesou da, doko made mo ikesou da"
(I feel like I can go anywhere, anywhere at all.)
"Nee nido to nakanai you ni kimi wo ijimeru kimi ni todome wo sashite"
(Hey, so that you won't cry again. I'll finish off the you who bullies yourself.)
"Boku to nigeyou inochi tsukiru made kono you ni ongi mo giri mo nai sa"
(Run away with me until our lives burn out. In this world, there is no debt or obligation.)
Hearing that, she felt like letting out everything—she wanted to scream.
Her crying grew louder along with the song, and even after the song ended, she was still sobbing.
With her small hands, she wiped the tears from her face.
And the young man who had just finished his song simply stood there with a relieved smile.
…
(POV - Hiromu)
Thank goodness, I thought, seeing the crying girl in front of me.
Maybe you think I'm cold, but I'm not.
I didn't stop her from crying because—sometimes, people need to let out all their emotions through tears.
So, I just stayed with her so she wouldn't feel alone.
Yes, this is how it should be.
…
After a while she finally stopped crying—and at the same time, the rain also ceased.
Was this a coincidence?
I looked at her and saw her face was red.
"So, finished crying?" I asked gently.
She didn't respond verbally and only nodded.
Haha, looks like she's too embarrassed to talk.
Unbelievable—this girl who seemed so arrogant earlier now looked so fragile.
Well, that's humans for you. They have two sides—one for the outside world, and one hidden for themselves.
"Haahh." I sighed before speaking. "How about I walk you home? You might get sick if you keep wearing those wet clothes." My voice was filled with concern.
She still didn't say anything, and simply nodded.
"Let's go," I said, then paused before adding, "Want me to carry you?"
She shook her head.
"I see."
We then began walking side by side.
…
As we walked, neither of us spoke a word—until she suddenly did.
While walking, she suddenly grabbed my hand and stopped, making me stop too. I turned to look at her.
"Hm? What is it?" I asked.
"N-no, I just wanted to say thank you." She sounded embarrassed when she said it.
I didn't know why she felt embarrassed over crying. Maybe because I saw her.
I smiled. "You're welcome. What's your name?" I didn't even know her name yet.
"Shiina Mahiru. That's my name." she said softly—it sounded more like a mumble, but fortunately I was close enough to hear it.
With that, we continued walking.
…
Not long after, we arrived at an apartment building. We entered, took the elevator, and reached her room.
She opened the door and stepped inside, but before going further, she turned and said, "What are you waiting for? Come in." It seemed she had regained a bit of confidence.
"Ah, right." I entered the room—more precisely, her apartment room.
Well, the inside looked bigger than the one I had in my previous life.
…
Right now I was inside a girl's bathroom, soaking in her bathtub.
And what about her? Well, for some reason she insisted I do this, so what else could I do?
And I didn't have spare clothes, so I had to wait for her to finish drying mine with an iron.
Haah. How did it feel? Well, I can only say I didn't mind it.
I decided to finish bathing, stepped out of the tub, grabbed the towel she lent me, wrapped it around my important parts.
Then I opened the bathroom door and walked out. "Hey, have you finished drying my clothes? If not, it's fine, I can wear them wet," I said, standing behind her.
"Ah!" She flinched, surprised—maybe she didn't realize I was behind her. "Hiromu-san." She turned around.
She looked at me and didn't say anything—only stared in silence.
I stared back and squinted. "What are you looking at?"
She averted her gaze. "N-no, it's nothing." Her face reddened.
Reluctantly, I said, "I see."
"So how are my clothes? If they're not dry yet, it's fine. I'm used to wearing wet clothes." Yes, that's true—I only owned a few clothes, maybe three full sets at most.
She handed me my clothes. "Here, wear this. I finished drying them."
I started putting on my shirt, and as soon as I did, she suddenly said, "C-can you put your clothes on in another room?" She sounded panicked, her face bright red.
Heh, such a shy girl.
"Alright." I returned to the bathroom to put the rest of my clothes on.
Then came back out and approached the girl again.
"Well, since everything is done, I think I should go now. Thank you for everything," I said.
But she suddenly stopped me at the door. "W-wait a moment. How about you eat here?"
I turned around and smiled. "Sure." Well, she clearly knew I hadn't eaten since morning—and it was already afternoon.
So while she cooked, I sat on the floor with a medium-sized table in front of me.
…
Not long after, the food was ready. I sat across from the girl.
She made curry for me—she truly was kind.
"Itadakimasu," we said.
She began eating, then asked, "What's wrong? Hiromu-san, please eat."
"Alright." I smiled and started eating.
It tasted good. Well, not exactly—my sense of taste was messed up; I'd eat anything even if it wasn't good.
So I guess what was more accurate was that the feeling of eating with someone else felt warm.
---