Eternal Melody

When Tsueno Mamoru passed away, he did not think much of it. After all, he and that man were not close. He was just somebody his friends knew, that was all. But when Jun saw how everybody around him was so badly affected, he had to get involved.

"The whispers of the wind bring a smile to my face.

I pray that these feelings will reach you someday.

Shaking a tiny bud in the morning sun

I closed my eyes and made a wish softly.

The emotions I cannot voice pain me.

Is it okay if I showed you my true self?

If only I could sing with the wind, and fly together with it for always,

How nice it would be. The sky's beautiful.

The whispers of the wind bring a smile to my face.

I pray that these feelings will reach you someday." Sumire sang.

Her voice is really good. It's on a completely different level than there's. He listened to it, her one shot CD debut. The cover didn't have her face but her back facing the ocean. It gave off a mysterious feeling to him.

That last line, feelings reaching someone, huh?

That feeling during the last election, an overwhelming feeling he didn't know existed in him, emerged. Yes, he was sure everyone in the hall heard it too. People who heard her performance there, people who were there, will surely have felt that sensation. Ever since then, something has changed within him.

He still observed people and collected data about them, but something has changed.

"You asked Terashima to say that beforehand. Why did you do that?" Jun asked.

"Aha, you caught me." She laughed lightly.

Jun nods. "I knew about it from the very beginning."

"As expected. But Jun-kun, you didn't ask me till now? That's different."

Indeed, normally he would directly confront her. "You're different now," Jun muttered. "You seem freer."

Sumire laughed. "I wondered why you were giving me that odd look. Mm, I suppose something has changed. My mind feels a lot more calmer these days, and I no longer have as many nightmares as before. I am sure the reason why things are like this now is because of Yuhi."

"They haven't disappeared completely?"

"It seems I am cursed."

"That is not a good joke."

The girl only laughed as a reply. So she still has those horrible nightmares? How does she cope with that pain? It must be suffocating.

"When Yuhi goes on tour again, I will be lonely."

Jun looked up at this and glanced at the girl back. He could not see her expression but sensed her uncertainty.

"It was normal for me to be alone back then. I often said say it before that friendships do not last and we shouldn't count on it, since if we depend on it too much, we will fall apart. I did not want something superficial. However, after I met everyone that changed, that's why maybe I will be okay now."

'Maybe' isn't reassuring at all! Jun wanted to shout out, but he kept it to himself, knowing how out of character it was for him.

Even if she says it like that, she is most-likely uncertain. Jun wanted to say it, but the words wouldn't leave his lips.

"Did you decide properly?"

"Huh...maybe."

Alright, now he was very worried.

"Maybe isn't a proper answer, remember?"

"Oh." Sumire trailed off. "Right, it's a placeholder. Thanks for spotting it."

Here she is having her fun again. Will she really be okay?

Jun sighed. "You know people like you end up ruining themselves."

He didn't want to say it in that sense, but he said this for her own good. After all, if she is not certain,, maybe she shouldn't have chosen the venue quickly. There is still some time left after all. Is she really okay with it? He wished he could see the expression on her face right now.

He pauses in mid-thought. If he could see it, would he be able to tell? No, he knew that even if he could see her current expression, it would make no difference.

"Ruin myself, huh? I like that. It sounds dramatic."

Of course, she takes it in this manner. This girl it is hard to tell what she is thinking.

"You should take this more seriously." Jun paused when the brunette stopped and turned her attention to the left side.

On that side, there was nothing but tall buildings in the far distance and a mid-length river.

The buildings blocked it.

The buildings blocked the sky on purpose. As if trying to ensure that nobody gets lost and caught up in their thoughts.

"Then if I do that, will I end up at the end of the world and meet the person I want to meet."

Jun's eyes widened, just now when she said it. It seemed like he could see it. Even if it wasn't clear, all the colors blending into one like a single color. Sumire perhaps what she is looking for is... His thoughts broke off when he saw her look over at him.

"Hmm perhaps, but you know what kind of person I am full well. I can't exactly say my parents 'raised' me well since they were always busy most of the time. Ah, it's not like I blame them. I get it that they had responsibilities dealing with the people and that I couldn't be selfish about it. I understood that well. In the end, I am a pragmatic person, my brother raised me, and even then, he's not exactly the best role model, you know?"

Sumire's brother, huh? Jun had only met him once, only once. But that was enough for him to figure it out, figure out how much he cared for her. It was something he never got round to mentioning to Sumire. While they're on the topic now, now would be a good time to say it. This may be the only opportunity he will get to say this. But for some reason, he is hesitating.