I Really Don't Want a Girlfriend Anymore

Chapter 628: Bring This Miraculous Happiness I Once Had to Her

The morning light illuminated the black piano cover, like a large obsidian reflecting dim light.

In the quiet music room, there was only a pair of man and woman sitting side by side before the piano. Not too familiar, not awkward either. They were like strangers who happened to meet there and happened to want to play the same piano. Their attention wasn't directed at each other, but at the keys and score before them.

"Ready?"

"Anytime."

Without needing discussion, both understood the primary and secondary positions of this song.

With Kanade as the main melody, and Yuu responsible for the chord section, the girl placed her hands on the keys. Meanwhile the boy just casually raised his left hand. His long, slender, and clean fingers with clear knuckles floated slightly without a bit of trembling.

The girl took a soft breath. Her small childish and cute face was full of maturity and focus.

She slowly closed her eyes that emitted a bit of flashback. Her entire self seemed suddenly empty. Her slender body swayed unstably, but when she shook her head, her pink fingertips pressed the black and white keys with determination.

Thus, a breeze spun from somewhere. The piano sound beautiful as an angel spreading its wings, dispelling the stagnant air in the room.

"This..."

Like scattered white feathers, the angel suddenly played music alone in the horizon.

Yuu was stunned. He stared at the girl's pure white and flawless side profile for several moments before finally coming to his senses from that illusion-like scene. He hurriedly dropped his fingertips, letting the somewhat unrhythmic chords follow the girl's playing.

Kanade also didn't mind Yuu's half-beat delay. She just shook her head following the gradually accelerating rhythm, the corners of her lips curving into a gentle arc.

As if her entire self had completely merged with the melody, although her eyes were closed, the smoothly flowing and cheerful music still flowed out from her fingertips without pause. Through the window, through the breeze, the music spread happily throughout the campus under the clear sky.

Beside her, Yuu worked hard not to sink into this beautiful and gentle piano sound. While remembering the notes on the score, he followed the chords with the most perfect technique.

However, only after playing a few seconds, he suddenly realized this wasn't enough yet.

With this level, he was completely unworthy of being her accompanist—it would only ruin this song.

This song wasn't difficult. Expert-level playing technique was already quite good, and perfect level was just icing on the cake, especially the chord section.

The technique Kanade used also didn't reach perfect level, yet she could use relatively simple finger techniques to interpret this song to the most perfect degree...

After thinking around it, Yuu immediately found the core of the problem: emotion.

It had nothing to do with technique. He had to infuse emotion no less than Kanade's into the song. Only then could he follow the girl's melody, instead of feeling excessive like now, where the main melody and his chords were separated like oil and water.

(But, can I do it?)

It was rare for Yuu to hesitate.

This was a song he and Kanade wrote together. It was natural for him to put deep feelings into it—but he wasn't himself who died at the system's hands. Forget the various memories he experienced with Kanade then, he'd only heard this melody for the first time. How could he infuse emotion equivalent to hers?

But if he didn't do it, just playing the chords on the score in a standard way like a machine, Yuu felt something was wrong, very uncomfortable...

As if something that should be perfect became flawed because of him.

Things that could be done, things already promised, must be done as well as possible—he always demanded this of himself.

"...I'll do it."

Yuu slowly sighed and finally made a decision. He let his fingers continue playing the accompaniment he'd memorized, while emptying his mind, focusing entirely on the gentle melody beside him that meandered like flowing water, letting himself sink completely.

Not to avoid influence, but deliberately letting himself be influenced.

If he couldn't infuse emotion when playing this song, then he would accompany the emotion she conveyed, playing accompaniment centered on her.

This was Yuu's first time dueting with someone.

But the moment his sound followed, he seemed pulled into a new world. He unconsciously closed both eyes, letting his body sway gently following the melody.

The black and white keys created ripples. Memories floated on the water surface.

Whether clear or vague, every beat was like rowing a boat vigorously, pushing that small boat forward into the distance.

He saw happy memories.

Every minute and second of the girl and boy's togetherness always had warmth and happiness that invited smiles. He who once wasn't good at expressing feelings gradually learned how to convey his heart's contents.

He saw sad memories.

The girl witnessed with her own eyes how the boy became depressed after her death. Helplessness and self-blame enveloped him. Although she created miracles to save this ending, she still couldn't become the one who saved him.

He saw hopeful memories.

The girl accompanied the boy day after day, year after year. Although she couldn't see him, although he never remembered her existence, although she had to keep walking alone, she never gave up on the future she hoped for. Every small change that appeared could make her happy from the bottom of her heart.

He saw disappointing memories.

After hundreds of failures, the girl understood she had become a stumbling block on the road to the boy's happiness. Although reluctant, although her heart was full of apologies, although she wanted to pretend nothing happened and keep trying for him, she still decisively annihilated her existence, entrusting her hope to a trusted friend to continue.

At first, on this road there was only herself.

Then, she worked hard to grasp her friend's hand, but released it because of her selfishness, and returned to facing countless results alone.

Finally, she chose to let go of her hand, letting her friend become the next her, walking alone on the road with no visible end.

It should have ended here. No one should have remembered her.

But at the very last end, fate gave her a chance to look back.

So, she looked back hesitantly and suddenly realized her beloved and best friend were by her side. They smiled and extended their hands to her, illuminating the road she thought had no light at all.

Although everything had changed.

Although the end was already before her eyes.

—That was the most precious treasure to her.

"Yuu, I'm very glad to have known you."

The piano sound suddenly slowed. No longer cheerful, no longer undulating, no longer struggling. It just narrated parting and regret bit by bit, like a poet singing a sad song.

Kanade still closed her eyes, focusing entirely on her playing. However, Yuu seemed to hear her heart's voice, flowing into his heart together with the piano notes.

That might not be an illusion.

Kanade smiled calmly and gently. Although not facing him, she still spoke to someone, an emotion-filled voice echoing in his mind.

"You taught me many things and accompanied me facing many difficulties."

"You told me many secrets and made us each other's support."

"My meeting with you always felt like a dream. Fortunate and happy yet unreal."

"So, I wanted that dream to continue. I didn't want you to disappear."

Slowly opening her eyes, Kanade tilted her head slightly, gazing at Yuu calmly. Their eyes met.

Although piano sound surrounded them both, although she didn't speak, she still murmured as if saying goodbye to someone, "Not for you, not for Sora, but for myself."

"A one-in-eight-billion chance made me have you in my short life—for me, this is treasure more important than any miracle."

Four minutes passed. The girl's fingers gradually slowed. The chords had reached the end, only the main melody reluctantly ended bit by bit.

"Yuu, I love you."

A clear and gentle voice sounded softly. Kanade gazed at him and said:

"Perhaps just to say this sentence to you again, I could miraculously duet with you like now, right?"

"Thank you for accompanying me moving forward all this time."

"Thank you for loving me so much."

"Thank you, the time I spent with you made me the happiest girl in this world."

"The choice I made because of you, I've never regretted!"

Kanade smiled sincerely. A bright small smile, like sunflowers blooming filling the entire flower field.

Such a smile, if called beautiful, still had a bit of childishness and cuteness. If called cute, it was hard to hide the elegance and calmness behind it.

Even so, they didn't conflict at all. On the contrary, they merged in harmonious gentleness.

If one really had to find the right word to describe it, it could perhaps only be called...

An Angel's Smile.

"...Should I say you're welcome?"

After being stunned for several moments, Yuu came to his senses. He released his hands from the piano and said to her with a bitter smile.

Kanade shook her head. The piano melody reached the end, but she still lightly pressed the black and white keys, giving some additional improvisation to the song that should have finished.

"These are words from my past self, for your past self. You don't need to think about it."

"I see." Yuu felt relieved for some reason.

He paused, then said, "And, I just now learned why Sora bothered to give me this score."

Yuu looked confused, "Wasn't it to give you a parting you wouldn't regret at the end?"

"That's also one of the reasons, perhaps? But most importantly, is the Light Orb power attached to this score."

The last note echoed crisply in the music room, spinning for a long time.

Kanade stopped playing. After sighing slowly, she extended her hand to take the score from the rack.

Somehow, that stack of yellow paper suddenly transformed into a clear blue light orb. The orb lay quietly in her palm, like a light bulb that had run out of power, appearing not to have much energy left.

"This is Sora's Light Orb... It's something Sora made an imitation of by combining her own existence and system energy, so as not to lose to me."

Kanade handed that light orb to him. Her eyes were gentle as if helpless, "If not for this, I wouldn't have been able to survive through the previous cycle, and wouldn't have been able to meet you here."

"And wouldn't have been able to say goodbye to you while smiling, right?"

Yuu raised his gaze from the Light Orb. He heard the hidden meaning in her words and waited calmly until she finished speaking.

Kanade half-turned. Her pair of pale golden eyes gazed at him sincerely and seriously.

"Yuu, I must return."

"My past self must find your past self."

"This isn't disappearing... but going home."

Yuu was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses.

"I won't forget your existence?"

"Mm. Thanks to Sora." Kanade nodded. Seeing him store that Light Orb in his pocket as if it were precious treasure, the corners of her lips curved faintly. She whispered, "Although only you and Sora will remember me... but for a ghost who's been dead for hundreds of years, there's no more satisfying ending than this."

Although she felt regret for not being able to witness his final happy ending, she didn't feel any longing or obsession at all.

Because Kanade believed, this time's world, this time's Yuu... could surely do things his past self couldn't do.

She had already confirmed this from the piano sound in the duet just now.

At the end, it was Yuu who was more immersed in playing chords, completely dissolved in the song, willing to open his heart to accompany her song.

This was something the arrogant and stubborn past Yuu could never do.

...Such a change, perhaps doesn't represent anything, right?

Even so, Kanade looked up slightly, observing his familiar yet slightly strange face. When she thought about everything regarding the future, no anxiety emerged in her heart.

She was just like having completed her mission, handing the last relay baton to the last and strongest runner. With relief and full of hope, she gazed at his back rushing toward that glorious finish line.

Anyway, he had just yesterday promised to fulfill her wish, and Yuu had never broken his promises.

"Yuu, I want to ask one thing of you."

While calming the warm emotions burning in her chest, Kanade suddenly spoke up.

"What is it?"

The silver-haired girl signaled to him. Because of his trust in her, Yuu approached with a confused face.

Just as he lowered his head slightly, he was immediately hugged and pulled into her embrace with both hands.

"!?"

His body tensed. Kanade reflexively wanted to straighten her body and break free from his hands, but after hesitating for a moment, she sighed helplessly. She slowly relaxed her body, no longer resisting.

...For the Savior who would soon disappear, Yuu didn't intend to think too much. He would just follow her for now.

Fortunately, Kanade also didn't intend to do anything excessive. She just hugged his head, leaning it against that ordinary chest, and stopped moving.

Although there was body temperature, her heartbeat couldn't be heard.

While thinking about this with a strange expression, Yuu felt the girl's simple and cute softness. His heart unconsciously recalled his grown-up little sister.

Although they were best friends, their body sizes turned out to be increasingly different with age.

A fresh and fragrant aroma entered his nose. Yuu slowly dismissed the distracting thoughts, waiting for her who was acting arbitrarily toward him to explain something.

He was sure there was a reason behind this action, not just wanting a farewell embrace with him.

"After you complete this trial, meet the me in the real world... although she probably doesn't know anything."

Silver hair covered Yuu's view. Kanade bowed her head slightly, whispering in his ear:

"If the me now still loves you."

"Please face her feelings, listen to her heartbeat seriously."

"Then, bring this miraculous happiness I once had to her."