As the song ended, the lingering notes still trembled gently in the air.
Amaya Yuu drew back his hands with satisfaction, feeling quite proud of this impromptu performance, as if he had just finished preparing an exquisite dish.
His first audience member seemed deeply moved as well; her slightly trembling shoulders betrayed her inner turmoil.
“Togawa-san…” Amaya Yuu had just started to speak when he was interrupted by a tearful demand.
“Why?!” Standing at the doorway, Togawa Sakiko spun around, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.
“Why did you play ‘haruhikage’?!”
The pain in her voice stunned Amaya Yuu.
This was the first time he had seen Togawa Sakiko let herself go so completely; even during their argument that night in the dimly lit rental apartment, she had always tried her best to restrain her emotions.
“No, I…” He stammered, trying to explain.
“I just wanted to…”
“Enough!
I’m sick of this hero-saving-the-princess act of yours!” Sakiko threw these words at him, not sparing Amaya another glance, and pushed open the training room door to run out.
Leaving only a trail of glistening tears in the air.
“Wait—!”
“Oh no, oh no, I really overdid it this time!” Amaya Yuu cursed inwardly, and in the next second, he chased after her.
He had originally thought he could help Sakiko break free from the shadows of her past, just as he had guided Tomori, but he hadn’t expected her walls to be so deep-rooted.
Fortunately, class wasn’t officially over yet, so there was no one on campus.
Otherwise, if their disheveled state were seen by their classmates, it would certainly become the talk of the entire grade tomorrow.
Togawa Sakiko rushed out of the school gate without looking back, and by the time Amaya Yuu reached the gate, he was completely exhausted.
He forced himself to keep chasing, enduring the burning sensation in his lungs.
“Damn it, if only we hadn’t just finished P.E.
class…”
But he suddenly remembered they were in the same class; Sakiko had also just finished a P.E.
class, so he shut his mouth, stopped complaining, and continued to push forward.
On the road from the school gate to the train station, a girl with smooth, long green hair was walking quietly toward Haneoka Academy.
She carried a black guitar bag on her back, her small leather shoes making rhythmic sounds on the sidewalk.
Her indifferent expression was completely out of place with the hustle and bustle of the street.
Togawa Sakiko rushed past her like a gust of wind, not even noticing her.
The moment she passed by, a flicker of emotion finally flashed through the green-haired girl Wakaba Mutsumi’s typically calm eyes.
She tilted her head slightly, watching Sakiko’s retreating figure, and took a hesitant half-step forward.
Just then, Amaya Yuu chased after them, panting, muttering things like, “So what if her stamina is only two points higher?
How can she run so fast?!”
He braced his hands on his knees, nearly collapsing to the ground.
His heart was pounding wildly, as if it were about to burst through his chest the next second.
When he looked up, his gaze met Wakaba Mutsumi’s.
Although the high-intensity exercise (for him) had left his brain somewhat oxygen-deprived, he immediately recognized her as the green-haired, doll-like guitarist from the CRYCHIC rehearsal video.
Although he didn’t remember her name, at this moment Amaya Yuu couldn’t worry about that.
“S-sorry…” Amaya Yuu gasped for air, pointing in the direction Sakiko had disappeared.
“Could you…
please…
ha…”
He took a few deep breaths.
“Help me…
catch up to Sakiko?”
“I really…
can’t run anymore…”
He had deliberately used the nickname “Sakiko” again.
Wakaba Mutsumi looked at him with some confusion, her clear eyes filled with bewilderment.
But she didn’t ask why.
She simply glanced once more in the direction Sakiko had left, then, without hesitation, shoved the guitar bag she was carrying onto her back into Amaya Yuu’s arms.
“Guitar, please.”
Her voice was very pleasant, but unfortunately, she was a woman of few words.
After saying that, she turned and chased in the direction Sakiko had disappeared with light, swift steps, her long green hair carving a sharp trajectory behind her.
Amaya Yuu squatted down to rest.
He felt embarrassed to put the guitar bag directly on the ground and even worse to carry it on his back; he had just finished intense exercise and was covered in sweat.
It would be too much to soil the guitar bag he had been entrusted with after asking someone for a favor.
So, he could only rest his arms on his knees and hold the guitar bag above his head, squatting on the side of the road looking exactly like a beggar, causing passersby to cast looks at him.
“Not caring about the gaze of others is also a prerequisite for becoming a ‘superman.'” He closed his eyes and recited silently in his heart.
This was the only way Amaya Yuu could alleviate his embarrassment.
After a while, he finally caught his breath, stood up, and began walking slowly in the direction Wakaba Mutsumi had disappeared, carrying the guitar bag.
The two had long since run out of sight, but fortunately, they were striking in appearance.
Amaya Yuu asked along the way as he walked and actually managed to find clues.
“Ah, you mean those two particularly eye-catching girls?” A passerby pointed to the nearby street park.
“They went that way.” He couldn’t help but exclaim, “Honestly, I rarely see such beautiful girls in real life.”
“That is indeed true,” Amaya Yuu agreed with a wry smile.
“Thank you for your help.”
Just like that, he chased all the way into the park.
In the center of the lush garden, there was a fountain.
He spotted the two sitting on a bench by the fountain at a glance; their aura was simply too outstanding, as if they carried their own light amidst the crowd.
“Sakiko, he’s here.” Wakaba Mutsumi was the first to notice Amaya Yuu’s approach and softly reminded Togawa Sakiko, who was sitting beside her with her head bowed.
Upon hearing this, Sakiko instinctively wanted to stand up and flee, but a sharp soreness in her thighs and calves made her frown instantly, and she fell back onto the bench.
“Don’t push yourself.” Amaya Yuu’s voice arrived before he did.
“Sudden high-intensity running can easily lead to muscle strains.
If you don’t want to get injured further, it’s best not to run for now.”
Amaya Yuu walked up to the two and gently set the guitar bag in the empty space beside Wakaba Mutsumi.
Although his own legs were still aching, he had rested a bit longer, so he spoke with a bit more confidence.
“I am Togawa-san’s classmate sitting behind her, Amaya Yuu.” He introduced himself first.
Wakaba Mutsumi looked up, her gaze calmly sweeping over Amaya Yuu before turning back to Sakiko, as if waiting for something.
“…This is Wakaba Mutsumi; she is a student at Tsukinomori.” Sakiko understood, and although she felt a bit awkward at the moment, she habitually introduced her.
Hearing this, Wakaba Mutsumi stood up and performed a very standard bow to Amaya Yuu.
Her bowing posture was so respectful that it was almost overly formal.
It was truly a perfect bow, making Amaya Yuu feel that a real bow should look exactly like that.
He hurriedly returned the bow while quietly observing her.
Unlike what he saw in the video, in reality, Wakaba Mutsumi’s hair color was a refreshing pale green, her skin was fair to the point of being almost transparent, and her figure was slender.
The whole person felt like she had walked out of an aesthetic film into reality, carrying an unreal, ethereal quality.