The next words, however, brought unexpected joy to the fans.
Could it be... there's still hope!?
Although it was just a line from a script, the fact that she said, "Would you die with me?" was enough to reveal the girl's emotional turmoil.
Simple pain and despair couldn't begin to describe it.
But when she started dreaming, when her imagination took over, it perfectly expressed how her feelings had shifted!
Anyone could see that the once hopeless girl had found a new attachment and hope through this performance.
Her gray days were suddenly filled with color again!
The fans' spirits soared as well.
They were so caught up in the moment that they subconsciously overlooked why, instead of playing the violin, she was now just playing a simple mouth organ with the kids on the rooftop.
The fans, who had initially feared the worst for her, were reignited with hope!
And when they saw her in a wheelchair, firmly stating, "I want to undergo the surgery," their hearts were filled with a surge of optimism.
Despite the doctor's clear warning that the risks were high, those were just risks.
Compared to having no hope at all, this was a far better situation!
The developments that followed only made the fans happier and more invigorated.
How could such a positive turn of events in the dialogue not indicate a flicker of hope?
If there truly was no hope, the author wouldn't have spent so much effort on describing it!
"This must be healing!!"
Two people redeeming each other, giving each other strength, and continuing forward.
And so the Winter Competition, the music competition, began!
The music contest and their story—two seemingly unrelated lines, yet so tightly connected!
It was the power of music that brought these two originally separate lives together, intertwining their destinies and changing each other.
And the side stories of others connected by music were another charm of this manga!
Everyone in the story was growing, moving forward!
Watching the competition unfold, smiles naturally appeared on the faces of the fans.
The first round was passed with no surprises.
Sweet and sour, the love story also made the fans almost forget the illness haunting the girl, naturally bringing out warm smiles.
"And you... can only fall in love with me."
Tsubaki, too, had her stagnant timeline start moving at this moment.
Even though deep down the girl knew that this confession might not lead anywhere, she couldn't help but feel something bursting inside her, emotions she couldn't deceive herself about any longer.
Arima also confronted his feelings, understanding that his heart for the girl was the kind of love one might feel for their love one.
Everything seemed to be moving in a good direction—until the next scene left the fans stunned.
"We're now trying to save Park-chan!!"
That line cast a thick shadow over the joy that had filled their hearts.
On the way home, Arima saw a black cat lying in the middle of the road, close to death.
He rushed it to the animal hospital, only to receive the grim news of its passing.
That moment seemed to silently foreshadow something.
It was hard for the fans not to make the connection, especially since not long ago, Arima had described the girl as a cat, silently approaching him, manipulating him from an unexpected angle.
Tears streamed down Arima's face as he cried by the sink in the park, amplifying the darkening shadow over everything.
Fans had lost all hope after finishing Volume 8, but by the end of Volume 9, a glimmer of hope had once again appeared.
This up-and-down rhythm, like a roller coaster, left the fans confused and at a loss.
But...
"No matter what, the answer lies in this final volume!"
Would she survive?
She had to survive, didn't she?
With that thought in mind, the fans opened the last volume.
No surprises.
As they saw the girl being pushed into the ICU, Arima, who had just taken a step forward, was struck with yet another heavy blow.
"I can't play anymore."
"I really can't play anymore."
Fans could imagine how Arima must have sounded when he said those words—probably with an eerie calm.
It must have been... utterly tranquil. Like his heart had died, not even a ripple of emotion stirred by anything.
What was the reason Arima first played the piano?
It was just to help his mother get better.
But in the end, his mother was taken by illness.
And now, when Arima was starting to regain his confidence, thanks to the one person he loved... was she also going to leave him forever?
The cold sensation of her fading warmth still lingered in his hands.
"I can't do this anymore."
In the face of Arima's desperate declaration, even Aunt Hiroko didn't know how to revive his spirit.
She could only watch the boy she saw as a child, her face filled with sorrow.
Then, something changed.
The girl, who had been rushed into the ICU, was brought back by the doctors.
She was returned to her regular hospital room.
Arima, carrying the girl on his back, took her to the rooftop.
Snowflakes gently fell from the sky, one by one.
"Are you still playing the piano?" Miyazono Kaori asked gently.
Arima, without hesitation, replied, "I'm not playing anymore."
Music keeps taking away the people I love.
I, in the end, will be all alone.
That thought naturally surfaced in his mind.
But under the falling snow, the girl smiled softly.
"I'm still here."
"I'm having surgery on February 18th."
That's the day of the piano competition's final round!
"I'll fight with everything I've got."
"I'll keep struggling, keep struggling, fighting with everything I have."
"Like a naughty child demanding a toy, I'll make my illness beg for mercy, then chase it away with its tail between its legs."
Despite how painful, how hopeless it all felt, she said it with a smile.
She even seemed to be joking.
'It's all your fault.'
'It's all your fault.'
It's your fault for making me struggle like this. Your fault for making me cling to life.
Your fault for making me...
Fall in love with the time I've spent with you.
With that thought, the girl spoke again, "Aren't you going to struggle a little?"
"Aren't we the best at struggling?"
With the girl's encouragement, Arima's mind and heart were a mess.
"But I haven't touched the piano in a week."
There's no way I can play well in this state.
"If I could still play well under these conditions, it'd be a miracle."
The boy, head lowered, spoke.
"You're looking down again."
The girl, barefoot, stood up in the snow.
Even without the violin, her graceful figure was as dazzling and beautiful as the first time she stood on stage.
"See? Miracles can happen anytime."
The girl stood barefoot in the snow, spreading her arms with a beautiful smile.
But the next moment, she trembled, unable to hold herself up, and was about to fall.
And this was no longer a lie.
Arima was no longer just "Friend A." The girl, with no more hesitation, spoke her confession, and in that moment, it slowly emerged within Arima's embrace.
"In my heart, you exist too, Arima Kousei."
"You love egg sandwiches, you enjoy drinking Moo Moo brand milk... what else do you like?"
"What insects do you prefer? What have you collected? What kind of anime do you like?"
"There's so much I still don't know about you. I really envy Tsubaki for knowing everything about you."
"I want to know more about you."
"—I'm scared."
"I'm so scared."
"Please don't leave me alone."
Tears streamed down the girl's face in the snow.
In the snow, you—are just as beautiful.
Then, the scene changed.
The final round of the piano competition was in full swing, while across town, the surgery for the girl was taking place!
Fans eagerly flipped to the next page.
The surgery had begun.
At the competition, two performers, who had once looked up to Arima and now strived to surpass him, gave impressive performances.
Meanwhile, Arima had made it to the competition, keeping his promise to the girl to play the piano.
However, his face was pale, and he appeared visibly unwell.
'I have to play.'
'I must play!'
'I must play!!'
The thought kept repeating in his mind.
But when Arima lowered his head, memories of the night he held a black cat, its body covered in blood, resurfaced in front of him.
He painfully covered his face.
And in that moment, the girl's face appeared before him.
And that sentence—"You're looking down again."
At that moment, the boy was once again saved by the girl.
His hands fell onto the piano keys, and his performance began.
Music expresses the self.
Arima Kousei's emotions, laid bare for the audience, played through the piano.
Heavy.
How could his heart not feel heavy when the girl, whom he cared for, was fighting in the operating room?
Dark.
Just thinking about it made his mind spiral, drifting into the darkest thoughts—how could his mood be anything but dark?
Emotive.
The music was filled with everything he was feeling!
The emotions were so complex, constantly churning in his heart.
How could he possibly remain calm?
'Because I've never been good with words.'
'Because I am a pianist.'
'Because I, like you, am a performer—'
'So.'
'All the words I want to say to you, all the gratitude, the longing, my love... all of it is in my music!'
At that moment, the audience was left stunned.
The music was like a whisper, like a petulant plea.
At times intense, at times gentle.
Filled with sorrow—
Chopin's Nocturne echoed in the hall, and it felt as though everyone in the audience was listening to the changes in his heart.
The music sang—
It was because of all the people around him that life had become so vibrant and colorful.
That's why his piano was colored with such beautiful shades!
The notes left by his mother.
The notes he understood with A-chan's help.
The notes Tsubaki had noticed for him.
The notes born from his competition with Takeshi and Igawa.
The notes he created with Takeshi.
The notes helped by Miss Hiroko's memories.
And that girl—who, since that spring they met, he had always wanted to convey something to her, something he wanted to express with his music!
In the eyes of the audience, the music was rendered in vibrant colors, perfectly expressing everything Arima Kousei was feeling!
———————————————————————
Fans were overwhelmed with emotion, praying.
Surely, she would get better, right?
They would get to play together again, wouldn't they?!
These thoughts naturally emerged in their hearts.
They prayed they would come true.
But then—
———————————————————————
The background turned pitch black.
"Kousei's performance was rendered in vibrant colors."
"Rendered in—such sadness."
Memories with the girl flashed in his mind.
The next moment.
It was as if the girl appeared before him.
Though she should have been in the operating room, it seemed as though she was on the stage, wearing the white dress from their first duet, playing passionately alongside him.
The scene shifted.
Piano, violin, the curve of their heartbeat, the girl lying on the operating table.
At the venue, Arima continued to play.
Perhaps it was his imagination, or something else, but the image of the girl appeared before him, casting a longing look back at him.
Her smile was just as beautiful as it had been.
He closed his eyes—this was the final duet.
The brilliant cherry blossoms surrounded the girl as she played.
The duet reached its final notes.
'Wait—don't leave me.'
'I want to argue with you again, to hear you say you want to eat a Kurori, to call you to pass the time.'
'Even if you only see me as "Friend A," it doesn't matter.'
'Don't go.'
'Don't leave me.'
'Don't leave me alone—'
Tears welled up in the boy's eyes.
The music slowly came to an end.
The girl who had played alongside him stopped her performance as well.
With a wistful, reluctant glance, tears slid down her face.
Then, the girl seemed to turn into cherry blossoms and disappeared before his eyes.
In the black background, the silent story was told: without you, the starry sky is dim.
The applause and cheers erupted in the hall as the performance came to an end.
The boy, as the performer, stood before the audience.
'Did you hear it?'
'This music... did you hear it?'
"I acknowledge Friend A as my performer."
Miyazono Kaori, holding a black cat under the cherry blossoms in April, smiled brightly.
Arima's expression, his tears that couldn't be stopped, and the brilliant lights made the scene feel like a shining starry sky.
'—Goodbye!'
Though the outcome of the surgery was not shown on the screen, in that moment, the fans understood the final conclusion.
Tears fell from many of their faces without warning.
Some fans, holding back their tears, fought to maintain composure.
Shaking fingers, they turned the page to the final chapter.
———————————————————————
'Dear Arima Kousei, a letter to you.'
A white envelope bore the name of the boy.
'It feels weird to be writing a letter to someone who was just with me a moment ago'
'You're an awful person.'
'Laggrad, slowpoke, dummy.'
'The first time I ever saw you was when I was five.'
'It was during the recital for the piano school I was going to back then.'
'The boy who appeared so awkwardly drove the audience to laughter, when he bumped his behind on the stool.'
'He sat before the piano that was too big for him, and the moment he played that first nore.'
'He became the object of my admiration.'
'Playing notes as colorful as a 24-color palette, that the melody began to dance.'
'And yet, you going to quit playing the piano.'
'You, who shook my live the way you did, have given it up yourself. How awful is that?.'
———————————————————————
"Kaori, I don't want to play the piano anymore. I want to play the violin!"
"Why the sudden desire to play the violin?"
"Because I want Arima Kousei to play with me!"
Such naive words, but the reader felt so warm.
———————————————————————
And then the story of what happened to the girl.
'I, who had been sick since childhood, I saw my parents crying one night.'
'That moment, I started to run!'
'Knowing my time was short, I took my first step and did many things I had once been afraid to do.'
'And then—'
'I told a lie.'
'I lied and said that Miyazono Kaori liked Wataru Ryouta.'
'That lie brought you, Arima Kousei, to me.'
———————————————————————
That lie, all the fans knew.
Or rather, everyone in the story knew, except for Arima Kousei.
But.
Even knowing this lie, as fans read the girl's words, the tears that they had previously held back now fell freely.
For those fans crying, the pain was even deeper.
This love, that was never meant to be conveyed, made them weep uncontrollably.