"Bang!"
"Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump!"
Youko, who had picked up yoga again after a long time and was reacquainting herself with the movements she had learned before, suddenly heard the loud slam of the front door from the entryway.
Immediately after, hurried footsteps rushed upstairs.
Getting up from her yoga mat, she walked to her daughter's room on the second floor. The door was locked from the inside.
What's going on? She had finally managed to talk her into going out, but now she's already back?
"Knock, knock."
She knocked on the door just in case.
"Kazusa, what's wrong? Did you forget something?"
After a moment, a response came from inside.
"…No, I don't feel well. I'm staying home to rest."
As a professional pianist, having exceptional technique was a given, but beyond that, Youko also had an incredibly sharp sense of hearing.
She could clearly pick up the nasal tone in her daughter's voice—the one she was desperately trying to hide but couldn't fully suppress.
Jeez, crying again?
Youko shook her head helplessly outside the door, feeling both exasperated and amused.
If only her daughter had inherited even half of her carefree personality, she wouldn't be agonizing over something like this.
Back when she was in high school, she had her fair share of emotional entanglements with various boys, but piano had always been her top priority.
Never once had she lost control over her emotions like this.
To her, the situation was a simple choice—either tolerate it or fight for it. Locking herself in her room and crying like Kazusa was doing was the most pointless thing she could imagine.
But at the same time, Youko understood that the reason she could be so nonchalant about it was because of her own rich experiences in love and the fact that she was merely a bystander.
She wasn't the one personally involved, so she couldn't fully grasp the depth of heartbreak. She had no idea how strong the emotional bond between them was.
Still, seeing her beloved daughter in such a state, she couldn't help but feel uneasy.
She had originally planned to let Kazusa and Chisato resolve this on their own, only stepping in to provide support when necessary.
For instance, if Kazusa wanted to fight for her love, she had considered slipping a few small square packages into her wallet before a date as a subtle form of encouragement.
But judging from the current situation, for some unknown reason, her daughter had completely collapsed, unable to stand back up, let alone move forward.
Interfering in a younger generation's love life was something Youko had always found somewhat disgraceful. But now, she had no choice.
"I see. Then rest well. I'll call your teacher and let them know. Do you want anything for lunch?"
"No, just let me sleep for a while."
"Got it. Rest well."
Youko didn't say anything more. She returned to the living room, sat back down on her yoga mat, and resumed the routine she had paused earlier while deep in thought.
She hadn't practiced in years. Normally, her body should have stiffened from sitting for so long, but strangely enough, she felt even more flexible than before.
Movements that she had struggled with in the past, like a full split, were now effortless.
How odd… Could this change in her body be related to the medicine Chisato had given her?
"Ugh, of all people, my daughter's boyfriend had to be the one who saved my life. This is such a headache…"
"Guess I'll put that aside for now. I had told Miyoko that I'd be back to work next week, but it looks like I'll have to extend my break a little longer. I just can't leave Kazusa alone in this state."
…
At School.
Chisato glanced at the empty seat beside him.
Ever since that day, Kazusa had been completely absent from his sight for nearly a week.
In this modern age of communication, he hadn't been able to contact her at all during this time. His messages disappeared into the void, and his calls went unanswered.
If not for the occasional updates from Youko every two or three days, he wouldn't have been able to remain this calm.
But according to Youko-san, Kazusa had at least started eating properly again in the past few days.
That meant if he waited just a little longer, she might finally stop avoiding him, and they could have the conversation they needed to have.
Yet today was no different from the days before. Lunchtime arrived, and still, Kazusa did not appear.
At this rate, she likely wouldn't come at all today.
Just like usual, Chisato headed toward the music room.
And as always, Hitori was by his side.
After lunch, she would sit in a chair and practice her guitar skills for the upcoming Shibuya concert.
She also made sure to set aside some time for Chisato to rest his head on her lap while she gave him a head massage.
She had noticed that he seemed troubled lately.
Considering that Kazusa hadn't been to school for days, it wasn't hard to guess that Chisato's gloominess was somewhat related to her.
However, even though she was aware of it, since Chisato didn't seem inclined to talk about it, she refrained from asking too many questions.
Simply staying by his side and sharing a small part of his worries in whatever way she could was enough to make her feel content.
Midway through, Chisato's phone chimed with a notification.
Ah—if it's not a message from Isshiki, then it's probably that again…
He lazily picked up his phone to check. As expected, it was a notification from the bank—another deposit of several million yen into his account.
Youko hadn't been joking when she mentioned repaying his kindness back at the hospital. Over the past few days, he had been receiving similar transfers continuously.
Roughly estimating, the total had already surpassed seventy million yen. In a few more days, it would likely stop.
By then, he would officially be a billionaire. If he managed his finances well, he could afford to live a laid-back life without worries.
But that wasn't what Chisato wanted.
More than money, he wished for Kazusa's forgiveness. And if he could push his luck a little further, he wanted her to stay by his side.
Two more days—he would give Kazusa until this Saturday. If she still chose to avoid him, then he wouldn't just sit idly and wait anymore.
No matter what response she gave him, it didn't matter. This slow, drawn-out agony was simply unbearable.
After school, Chisato's routine remained the same as usual.
Although Kazusa's avoidance had put him in a low mood, he still had to move forward along his usual path.
Leaving the school gate with Hitori, he didn't rush to Starry right away.
Instead, he accompanied her to a record store to buy the albums she liked. After that, the two of them tried out a well-reviewed yakiniku restaurant.
By the time they finished dinner, it was six o'clock—just the right time to report in at the shop.
Incidentally, despite the fact that Hitori had previously told the members of the Kesshoku Band that she was a third party in someone else's relationship, their attitude toward Chisato hadn't changed much.
Aside from a bit of awkwardness the first time they met again, things quickly returned to normal.
Ikuyo still greeted him with her usual bright smile.
Nijika often invited him to listen to their ensemble and asked for his feedback.
Ryo, as always, rummaged through his bag from time to time in search of snacks and casually reached out to borrow money.
Their friendship mattered to them, and they didn't want the "truth" they had learned from Hitori to affect their relationship.
So, for now, there was nothing to worry about regarding the Kesshoku Band.
Besides Kazusa, the only other people worth noting were Iroha and Utaha.
Iroha had no idea what Chisato had been going through lately.
Since he hadn't paid much attention to her these past few days, she had started overthinking things, which only led her to message him more frequently.
However, all she received in return were short, perfunctory replies, which frustrated her even more.
In this state of mind, she furiously decided to invite Hayama Hayato out, using the excuse that she needed his recommendations for supplementary study materials as her upperclassman.
Since they were in the same club and interacted often, Hayama naturally didn't refuse.
After picking out the textbooks, they went to a dessert shop, where she deliberately acted cute and asked Hayato to take a few "intimate" selfies with her.
Of course, "intimate" was a bit of an exaggeration—it was just the two of them facing the camera and making peace signs.
But after some editing, adding pink heart decorations to the photos, she hesitated for a long time before finally sending them to Chisato, feeling a mix of nervousness, anticipation, and anxiety.
Several hours later, all she received in response was a single word:
"Congratulations."
That response made Iroha inexplicably furious.
As for Utaha, perhaps because she had already crossed that line completely, she had mentally let go of all reservations.
Every couple of nights, she would slip into his bed, despite Chisato's repeated resistance, telling her he wasn't in the mood.
But rather than being discouraged, she seemed to find it even more exciting.
Then, without waiting for his consent, she would take the lead, her rising enthusiasm gradually pulling Chisato, who had initially insisted he wasn't in the mood, into the same fervent state as her.
It continued until she had to bite her lip hard or bury her face into a pillow to stifle the sounds escaping her.
There was no helping it.
Dreams might feel real, but no matter how vivid, they couldn't compare to reality.
After experiencing it for herself, Utaha found it impossible to keep such thoughts out of her mind for long.
It wasn't the best analogy, but in some ways, it was like an addiction. Once you had a taste, if too much time passed without indulging again, an inexplicable irritation would creep in.
No matter what you did, it wouldn't go away until you satisfied the craving once more…
"Eh…"
"What's wrong, Chisato-kun?"
On the train, Hitori cautiously asked after noticing Chisato staring out the window with a sigh.
She wanted to help ease his worries.
"If something is troubling you, Chisato-kun, maybe… maybe I can help."
Let Hitori help?
Chisato let his thoughts drift, picturing her stammering awkwardly in front of Kazusa, pleading for her to forgive him.
…Yeah, that would probably be asking too much.
"Don't worry, I can handle it myself."
Chisato smiled and patted her head.
He wasn't just putting on a brave front—ever since he decided on the path of "I want it all," he had anticipated that things would reach this point sooner or later.
This wasn't something anyone else could help him with. He had to face it and resolve it on his own.
After getting off the train, the two exited the station through their usual route, just like always.
But a few sharp caws from crows caught Chisato's attention.
He turned his head and met the gaze of a black-winged figure perched on a distant power pole.
Following its line of sight, he saw three crows standing on the wall of a tall building.
Two were close together, hopping forward at an even pace. The third followed at a slight distance, moving closer and farther intermittently.
A rather abstract message—but after spending so much time with this particular crow, their mutual understanding had long since reached perfection.
Chisato instantly got the hint.
He turned to Hitori and said,
"Let's take a little detour today."
Hitori nodded without hesitation, assuming he wanted to buy something.
Midway through, they veered off the main road into a small alley.
The man who had been following them from a short distance hesitated for a moment before slowly trailing after them.
Peeking around the corner, he saw the pink-haired girl standing at the alley's exit, speaking to someone obscured by the wall.
He waited patiently, planning to follow once they started moving again.
During the idle moment, he lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled in satisfaction.
Just then, someone tapped him lightly on the shoulder from behind.
_______
50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
_______
If any of you noticed an error, please point it out in comments!