Chapter 3: A New Threat

“I’m so bored…”

There’s almost nothing I wouldn’t be happy to receive from Ojou, but there is one single thing that I find troublesome.

And that is a day off.

I’ve never really wanted time for myself. If possible, I’d even prefer to be by Ojou’s side serving her at all times, but for some reason, Ojou herself insists on giving me regular days off.

I’m sure she’s taking into consideration that it’s difficult for the other servants to take time off if I don’t. I can’t say I don’t understand Ojou’s profound thinking, but the reality is that I tend to have too much time on my hands during my days off.

Since I’ll just end up working if I stay in the mansion, I was finally shoved into a car and thrown out into the city.

“Meow.”

As I was wandering aimlessly through the city, an adorable cry reached my ears.

Looking over, I saw a single cat curled up in a dim alleyway visible through a gap between buildings.

“What is it? You want some attention?”

“Mreow.”

The cat let out a yawn and then trotted off into the back of the alley.

…Seeing that sort of whimsical behavior reminds me of Ojou, somehow.

Well, I have no destination and nothing to do anyway. I think I’ll follow that cat.

“Nyan.”

“Ah.”

The cat ran off lightly and slipped its body through a narrow gap.

I guess I can’t follow it that far. What a pity.

“…So, where am I?”

It seems that in chasing the cat, I’ve wandered deep into the back alleys.

Oh well. If I just wander around aimlessly, I’m sure I’ll find my way out eventually.

“――――Hh…! Get out of the way…!”

“Eh?”

The voice came from directly above. A human-shaped silhouette was literally falling.

I, almost reflexively, held out my arms and caught the mysterious falling silhouette.

“Waffh…!”

For a moment, what crossed my mind was the recent ‘Game of Life (Provisional).’ The memory of when I princess-carried Ojou.

Just like that time, a surprisingly light girl was cradled in my arms.

She’s wearing a hat, so I can’t see her face… but from the looks of it, she seems to be about the same age as me.

“Easy there… Are you alright?”

For now, I lower the girl I was holding in my arms to the ground.

The girl, while swaying slightly, managed to stand on her own two feet.

“…I’m fine.”

After confirming the girl’s safety, I looked up and saw a rope dangling from the rooftop. She probably tied it to a railing or something and tried to climb down.

“…What about you, are you okay? Your arms…”

“Please don’t worry about it. I dispersed all of the impact into the ground.”

“…You can do that?”

“As one who serves Ojou, this much is a matter of course.”

“…”

If I had to describe the reaction of the girl in the hat before me, the word “puzzled” would be the most accurate.

“…Fufu.”

But she quickly let out a chuckle, and a slight laugh escaped her lips.

“…What’s that about? Fufu.”

“I don’t recall saying anything to be laughed at…”

“…Sorry. It was just a little… amusing.”

“Well, I don’t mind, but… by the way, who exactly are you?”

“…”

Before she could spin her words, a powerful gust of wind blew through. The sudden wind sent her hat fluttering into the air, and along with her spilling hair, the girl’s face was revealed.

Her long hair fell down to her back. Her white skin was reminiscent of fresh snow.

Her face, with its ephemeral and cool impression, and her slender body somehow reminded me of a snow flower.

And that face was a spitting image of the girl on the giant billboard visible beyond the soaring hat――――the one renowned as the ‘Diva.’ No, it was exactly the same.

“That face… If I remember correctly, your name is…”

“…Habataki Otoha.”

Her tone sounded somewhat resigned, and at the same time, it was proof that she was the real ‘Diva.’

“…A pleasure.”

“Ah… A pleasure to meet you.”

I found myself greeting her without thinking. In response, the girl… Habataki Otoha, the ‘Diva,’ picked up her fallen hat and put it back on, pulling it down low over her eyes.

“Habataki-san. Why did you fall from a rooftop like that?”

“…Because, right now, I’m on the run.”

I can’t quite get a clear picture. She probably escaped from a hotel or somewhere and is being chased by staff or someone… I suppose.

“I see. Well then, you should probably head back soon. Before you fall again.”

“…I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“…Because I’m running away from home.”

“Running away from home, you say.”

In that case, it’s all the more reason for her to go back.

“…Thank you for saving me.”

“Where are you going?”

“…I don’t know. Just… running away.”

Habataki Otoha then starts walking away briskly as if nothing had happened.

It would be easy to just watch her leave. But to escape, she was willing to climb down from a rooftop using such an unreliable rope… to put it bluntly, she’s the type of girl to do reckless things.

Seeing that, knowing that, and having met her.

To turn a blind eye while feeling worried and concerned… that wouldn’t be the proper conduct for one who serves Ojou.

For an abandoned child like me to be by Ojou’s side, I must, after all, act as a befitting human being.

“Please wait.”

“…What?”

“I’m worried, so please allow me to accompany you. Until you safely return home.”

“…You’re a strange one, aren’t you.”

“Not at all. I am simply trying to behave in a manner befitting one who serves Ojou.”

“…”

Habataki Otoha fell silent for a moment, then,

“…Alright. Fine.”

With a nod, she permitted me to accompany her on her runaway trip.

――――♪♪♪

A ringtone blared from the smartphone in my pocket.

Looking at the screen, it showed that the call was from Ojou, but,

“…No.”

As soon as Habataki Otoha snatched my phone, she immediately ended the call.

“Ah.”

“…It’s fine if you come with me, but you can’t contact anyone else.”

“You’re being quite cautious, aren’t you.”

“…I want to avoid any trouble.”

Did she think I would spill the beans? Or was she considering the people who might be chasing her? …It can’t be helped. I can’t just abandon this reckless ‘Diva-sama’ who tries to descend from rooftops with such a flimsy rope, so I’ll comply for now.

I’m sorry, Ojou. I’ll explain later.

Apologizing to Ojou in my heart, I turned off my phone and put it in my pocket.

“Will this do?”

“…Mm.”

Habataki Otoha, nodding with satisfaction, started walking with a steady gait to leave the alley, and I followed after her.

☆

“…Hey. Have you gotten in touch with Eito?”

“Nah, I tried callin’ him too, but no luck. Looks like his phone’s off.”

“Ughhh…! I have a really, really bad feeling about this…!”

“Your hunches are always spot-on, Tendou-san…”

Just this once, I want that hunch to be wrong.

But at the same time, I somehow know it’s right on the money.

“Agh, honestly! I wonder where Eito could be? I have to find him before it’s too late…!”

☆

Billboards, large video screens, Habataki Otoha’s face is everywhere in the city.

It’s a strange feeling to be walking next to that very Diva-sama right now.

“You really are the Diva, aren’t you.”

“…Were you doubting it?”

“Hahaha. My apologies. I just never expected a Diva-sama to fall from the sky.”

It’s not unheard of for me to catch a girl falling from the sky, but having a Diva fall on me was a first.

“By the way, Habataki-san, why did you run away from home?”

“…A rebellious phase?”

“Why the question mark…?”

“…Because I don’t know myself.”

Is that how it is? Since I was abandoned by my parents, I missed out on having a rebellious phase, so I don’t know much about it.

“I see. By the way, Habataki-san.”

“What?”

“Have you noticed that we’ve been walking in circles for a while now?”

“………”

Apparently, she hadn’t noticed.

This plaza with the fountain we’re in now, we just passed by it ten minutes ago.

“Could it be that you have no sense of direction?”

“…I don’t. My sense of direction is just a bit unique.”

“I see. So, you have no sense of direction.”

“…I don’t.”

It’s hard to tell because her expression barely changes, but she’s sulking.

And besides, this Diva-sama is fatally unsuited for running away from home.

“It might sound strange coming from me, but it was the right decision to accompany you. You’re so worryingly reckless I can’t possibly leave you alone. I can understand the hardships of the person looking after you.”

“…You’re surprisingly merciless, you know.”

“Do you think so?”

Perhaps it’s because Ojou is someone who speaks her mind so clearly that it rubbed off on me.

“If you wish for me to go easy on you, I shall do so.”

“…It’s fine. There aren’t many people who are direct with me. It’s a little refreshing.”

“Is that so?”

“…Yeah. Everyone is just trying to stay on my good side or read my mood because they’d be in trouble if I didn’t sing… though I hear just as much gossip behind my back. ‘I can’t tell what she’s thinking,’ or ‘She’s creepy ’cause she never smiles.’ Things like that.”

“What? That’s just because the people around you are dense.”

“Eh…?”

At my words, Habataki-san’s eyes widened under her hat.

“You certainly are a cool person on the surface, but you’re surprisingly easy to read, Habataki-san.”

…At least, far easier to read than Ojou was when she was little.

When Ojou was young, she may have seemed selfish and tomboyish, but she had a tendency to keep her true feelings locked deep inside. Even on her birthday, when Master and Mistress couldn’t come home due to sudden work, she acted fine around everyone else but would be crying her eyes out when she was alone.

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. You get surprised, you laugh, you sulk. From my perspective, you’re a very honest person.”

“…That’s the first time anyone’s ever told me that.”

“You must have been surrounded by some very dense people until now.”

“…Fufu. Maybe so.”

A faint smile graced her usually expressionless face.

“See, you’re smiling right now.”

“………Ah.”

As if surprised herself, Habataki-san shows a startled reaction.

“Strange… I usually can’t smile much… I wonder why?”

“In times like these, why not think about what’s different from usual?”

“What’s different from usual………”

For some reason, Habataki-san is staring intently into my eyes.

…Did I say something that offended her?

“…Come to think of it, what’s your name?”

“My apologies for the late introduction. My name is Yagiri Eito.”

“…Can I call you Eito?”

“I don’t mind.”

Apparently, I didn’t say anything offensive.

As I felt a sense of relief,

“You can call me Otoha, too.”

“Understood. Then, Otoha-san it is.”

“…Yeah. That’s fine.”

Otoha-san nodded, looking somewhat satisfied, and then grabbed my hand.

“…Let’s go. Eito. Let’s continue running away.”

“I’d appreciate it if we didn’t just keep going in circles again.”

“Then, you take me somewhere, Eito. That sounds more fun.”

“As someone who was at a loss for what to do with my holiday, I’m not confident I can entertain you… but I understand. I’ll do my best.”

“…I’m counting on you.”

☆

I’m driving around the city, but there’s no sign of Eito anywhere.

Thinking about it calmly, it’s obvious. It’s bound to be difficult to find a single person in this vast city just by searching recklessly.

I wish I had some kind of clue… but unfortunately, I don’t. His phone is either off or won’t connect.

…No. It’s too early to give up.

If there are no clues, I just have to form a hypothesis.

It’s rare for Eito to be unreachable. He always lets me know in advance when he’ll be out of contact for work related to the Tendou family.

If that’s the case, let’s assume he’s been caught up in some unforeseen trouble.

What kind of trouble?

The possibility of violence is low. I’ve glanced around the city, and there are no signs of it.

If so… and I’d rather not think about it, but the most likely possibility is that it involves a girl. It’s just a hunch, but my hunches are never wrong.

Since there are no clues, I have no choice but to rely on something as uncertain as a hunch.

Assuming it’s trouble involving a girl… it’s probably that Diva-sama. I didn’t want to think about it.

If I were to make a guess based on previous patterns and my hunch, it would be something like, ‘Eito caught Habataki Otoha as she fell from above, and they ended up acting together as a result.’

It’s happened several times before… Eito catching a girl who fell from above.

As I was nursing this bad feeling, a call came through on my phone. It was from Kazami.

“Yo. I used our contacts and Tendou’s to look into Habataki Otoha.”

“And what did you find?”

“Just between us, it seems she escaped from the hotel she was stayin’ at.”

“…And when did this happen?”

“This mornin’.”

“…………………”

I couldn’t help but hold my head in my hands.

“And from what I heard, there were signs she tried to climb down from the rooftop of a building she ran into with a rope…”

“That rope, it was old, wasn’t it? And it snapped midway, didn’t it?”

“Eh. How’d you know that?”

“…Just a feeling. I had a hunch. Call it experience.”

My hunch was right. Though just this once, I really wish it hadn’t been.

“Do you know where the building with the snapped rope is? I want to go to the scene first and follow the trail.”

“I do, but… aren’t you, like, in a huge rush?”

“Of course I am. As we speak, I’m sure a flag is being raised…!”

☆

Even though we’re “running away,” it’s not like we have a particular place to go, and I’m not much of one for hanging out.

“…This is my first time at an arcade.”

So for now, I decided to take her to a ‘place intended for fun.’

There are fewer people here compared to the main street, so I also wanted to lower the risk of Otoha-san being recognized. According to her, “if you act confident, people surprisingly don’t notice,” but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

“Do you come here often, Eito?”

“I haven’t been here much. A friend of mine invites me sometimes on my days off.”

As we entered the arcade, we were greeted by the lively, random blare of electronic sounds.

It seems some new games have been brought in, but overall, the lineup of machines hasn’t changed much since I came here with Yukimichi.

“Is there anything that interests you?”

“…That one. I want to try it.”

Otoha-san pointed to a game at the back of the arcade.

It was shaped like a conveyor belt, with a large monitor set up in front of it.

“A dance game? I don’t mind, but…”

Actually, when I decided on the arcade as our destination, it was the first thing that came to mind.

Why is she running away from home? I don’t know the details, but I thought if something unpleasant had happened, it might be good to move her body and break a sweat.

However, this Diva-sama is currently on hiatus.

It’s probably not for health reasons. She has enough stamina to escape from a hotel and try to climb down from a rooftop with a rope, and I’ve been observing her carefully, but she doesn’t seem to be in poor health, nor are there any signs she’s about to be. There’s nothing unnatural about the way she walks; in fact, I was impressed by how good her core strength was at a glance.

That’s why I’d been assuming it was for some mental reason… perhaps something related to music, so I was trying to avoid the dance game… I didn’t expect her to choose it herself.

“Are you sure?”

“About what?”

Otoha-san tilted her head, looking puzzled. She didn’t seem to be bothered by anything in particular.

“…No. It’s nothing. Shall we go?”

Fortunately, no one was playing that game right now.

“It seems you can choose the difficulty. Should we start with the easiest one?”

“I want the hardest one.”

What confidence. That part of her reminds me of Ojou, somehow.

“You play with me too, Eito?”

“Of course. It’s my first time playing this game too, so I’m not sure if I can keep up, but if you’re okay with that.”

It seems this game has a co-op mode.

Apparently, the two of us dance together, and our points are combined for a total score.

After inserting the credits and navigating the screen, we arrived at the song selection screen. …I think I’ll do a little searching.

“Oh. They have one of your songs, Otoha-san. Shall we choose this one?”

“Yeah. Okay.”

“Then, shall we begin?”

When we started the game, a familiar piece of music from commercials began to play, and marks appeared on the screen. The way to play this game is to step and jump in time with the flowing marks, but since it’s the hardest difficulty, the timing is fast.

“Whoa…”

Relying on my sense of rhythm and my own reflexes, I make my steps. The beginning part, I managed with no misses.

I’m getting the hang of the game, so it doesn’t seem like there will be any problems.

“――――Hh…”

I glanced over at Otoha-san next to me, and she was also getting no misses, executing fluid steps. Graceful, and cool. Even though it was the middle of a game, I almost found myself momentarily captivated.

I’m just barely managing with the leg strength and reflexes I’ve cultivated through sheer training; she’s fundamentally different.

Her steps are truly meant to accompany song and music. They had a power that spoke to the hearts of those watching.

And above all――――she looked like she was having fun.

She was dancing to the flowing music, looking truly happy.

There was a charm to it that made even the person watching feel happy.

Huh…?

But. Amidst that, there was a slight look of pain… no, this is sadness.

In her eyes, I could see a faint color of sadness.

Eventually, the music stopped… and the song ended.

While the machine was calculating the score, I was catching my breath, when,

“…Eito, you’re amazing.”

“You think so? If anything, I think you’re the amazing one, Otoha-san.”

“You kept up with me, even though it was our first time dancing together.”

“I’m just faking it with the leg strength and reflexes from my training.”

“That’s not true. Your sense of rhythm isn’t bad either… with a little practice, you could stand on stage with me.”

“Ahaha. I’m honored.”

Hmm… Otoha-san’s eyes seem to be sparkling…

“One more time. Let’s dance together one more time.”

“Alright.”

After that, we played the game one more time and got a high score, but a crowd started to gather and we were drawing attention, so we quickly left the arcade.

“Hah, hah… I’m sorry. That was careless of me. I didn’t expect that many people to gather.”

“No. I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings either.”

We caught our breath in a vast park with a large pond, which we had reached at a near run.

Since it’s a holiday, there are more people than usual… but well, not as many as on the main street or in the arcade. As long as we act normally, we probably won’t stand out.

“…Thanks. That was the most fun I’ve had in a while.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”

After that, we didn’t do anything in particular, just watched the large pond together.

In stark contrast to the arcade earlier, a peaceful and quiet time flowed by.

“…Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“…Eito, why did you come along with me when I ran away? You said you were worried about me… but I feel like that’s not the only reason.”

“It’s not a lie that I was worried about you, Otoha-san. It’s just… watching you reminds me of Ojou from long ago.”

“…Is that your master, Eito?”

“Yes. Ojou also tried to run away from home once. She wanted to get the attention of her parents, who were always busy with work… she wanted them to see her. That’s why I couldn’t just leave you alone, somehow.”

“………”

Otoha-san fell silent, as if deep in thought. The sound of the wind brushed past my ears, and a slight silence hung in the air.

“…Can I ask you something too? It might be a bit personal.”

“…Yeah.”

“Otoha-san, you’re currently on hiatus, right?”

Otoha-san didn’t say a word, but affirmed with a nod.

“Could it be that――――you can’t sing?”

At my guess, Otoha-san’s eyes widened in surprise.

“…How did you know?”

“Watching you today, Otoha-san, I could tell it wasn’t a physical issue. That leaves a mental problem. And a situation serious enough to force you to take a hiatus… made me think that might be it.”

“That’s amazing… Eito. Yeah. You’re right.”

Otoha-san gently placed a hand on her throat.

“I can talk normally. But when I try to sing… my voice just won’t come out.”

“…I see. I’m sorry for being so blunt.”

“No. I don’t mind.”

The faint sadness she showed during the dance game was probably because she can’t sing.

“Just as you think, Eito, the doctor also said it was psychological.”

“Do you have any idea what might have caused it?”

“…I don’t know. But, just before I became unable to sing… my father told me. ‘Don’t you sing anymore.’”

“To tell a Diva to ‘stop singing,’ your father is quite something.”

“…My father. He never looked very happy when I sang, even before.”

Otoha-san, with a vacant, somewhat hazy gait, began to walk along the edge of the pond.

“…My mother was a singer, too. But she passed away when I was little. My father was so depressed… so I started to sing. Because my father loved my mother’s songs.”

That must have been what a young child came up with to cheer up her father.

“…For me, singing is a means. A tool. Something to cheer my father up. Nothing more, nothing less. If my father says not to sing, it means it’s not needed anymore… so I think that’s why I can’t sing anymore. Because it’s something I don’t need anymore…”

“I think you’re wrong about that.”

I couldn’t help but interrupt Otoha-san’s attempt to conclude.

“…Why?”

“Because you love to sing, don’t you, Otoha-san?”

“Love… to sing? Me?”

Otoha-san is bewildered by my words. It seems she hadn’t realized it herself.

“…Why do you think so?”

“During the dance game earlier… you looked like you were having so much fun, Otoha-san. You were sparkling so brightly, I was almost captivated. But at the same time, you looked sad. …Because you love singing so much, the music is fun, and it’s sad that you can’t sing. That’s how it looked to me. And also…”

I close my eyes and slowly remember. The Diva’s singing voice flowing from commercials and the city’s large screens.

“…Your songs, I hear them in all sorts of places just living my normal life. And every time, I find myself thinking. ‘Ah, this person must truly love to sing from the bottom of their heart.’”

“That’s not…”

“Is that not true? Have you really never enjoyed it before?”

“………”

In response to my question, Otoha-san fell silent. This silence is surely a question to herself.

She’s questioning her own heart. Her feelings for singing.

“………I see. So I… loved to sing.”

“You’re only just realizing that now?”

“…Yeah. It seems so.”

A soft smile, as if a weight had been lifted from her, appeared on Otoha-san’s face.

“…Until now, singing has always been a means. I thought it was a tool. Something to cheer up my father, so I thought I wasn’t allowed to enjoy it. But… somewhere along the way, I fell in love with it.”

As if to confirm her own feelings, Otoha-san quietly spun her words.

“I think the reason you became unable to sing, Otoha-san, was the shock of having the song you love denied by the father you love.”

“…What should I do?”

“It’s simple. First, go home and talk to your father. And tell him. Tell him your feelings, Otoha-san.”

“But, my father… I think he hates my singing.”

“Do you think so? I don’t think so, though.”

“…Why do you think that?”

“Even I, who just met you today, could tell that you love to sing, Otoha-san. There’s no way a father wouldn’t know. …I’m sure your father has his own thoughts, and he intentionally said something to push you away.”

“…”

“First, go home and have a long talk with your father. I’m sure he’s worried.”

“…Okay. I’ll try… talking to my father.”

It seems she has made her own decision. Her hazy gait is already gone, and she is firmly planting both feet on the ground.

“Thank you… Eito. For helping me realize something important.”

“Please don’t mention it. I haven’t done anything significant.”

“No. To me, it was very important.”

Before I knew it, the sun was beginning to set.

A pleasant wind blew, gently stroking the Diva’s long hair as it flowed past.

The scene was somewhat fantastical and beautiful, as if praising her decision and her feelings.

“Well then, the runaway is over. I’ll see you home.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

Just as Otoha-san was about to head home, her steps came to a halt.

“…Eito. If… if I want to run away again… will you come for me then?”

“I’d prefer it if you’d stop running away, but… well. If you wish it, I’ll take you out again.”

“I see… Fufu. In that case, I’ll be counting on you.”

Otoha-san nods with satisfaction. The smile on her face is that of a girl her age, and I thought it was more charming than any of the ones on the ads or large screens.

“――――Eito!”

A voice I could never mistake made me turn around without thinking.

Rushing towards me was a girl with long, flowing golden hair――――

“Ojou!? Why are you here…!?”

“Hah… hah… What do you mean, why… I couldn’t get in touch with you at all, and I had a bad feeling, so I was looking for you. I heard about the commotion at the arcade, so in the end I deployed my people in a human-wave tactic to gather information… and then…”

Ojou was catching her breath, but her body froze like a stone when she saw Otoha-san standing beside me.

“Ah, my apologies for the late introduction. Ojou, this is…”

“…Habataki Otoha-san, right?”

“As expected, you know of her. She is a celebrity, after all.”

“Yes. That’s right. …Fufufu… I knew it… I thought it would be something like this… I can tell just by looking that it’s already too late…”

Even Ojou seems to be surprised by the sudden appearance of the Diva.

The fact that the light seems to have vanished from her eyes is surely just because she’s too surprised.

“I’m sorry to have worried you. I’m going to take Otoha-san home now, so…”

“There’s no need for that. We can just give her a ride in our car.”

“…It’s fine. I’ll walk home with Eito.”

“Oh my. You don’t have to be so reserved, you know? There’s plenty of space, and more importantly, the car will get you home much more promptly and swiftly. If you’d like, I could even walk home with Eito.”

“That’s true! I’m sure Otoha-san’s father is worried, so the sooner the better.”

That’s Ojou for you. She must have quickly grasped Otoha-san’s situation and made a judgment.

“…I understand. I’ll accept a ride in your car. But there’s no need to be considerate of me. The three of us can just ride together.”

“Oh my. How kind of you.”

With Otoha-san’s suggestion, the three of us got into the car.

Inside the car, the conversation between Ojou and Otoha-san was very lively, and I secretly thought that these two would surely become good friends.

☆

The image of my mother in my memories――――in Habataki Otoha’s memories, is actually quite small.

It’s because she passed away before we could make many memories, but even so, I still remember her beautiful singing voice, which could even soften the face of my stern, serious father… For me, my mother’s songs were magical songs.

However, that was only until my mother passed away, and I feel like my father was always crying back then.

The reason I sang was because I wanted to heal my father’s sadness.

Because I wanted to be able to sing magical songs like my mother.

Singing was only a means and a tool, nothing more and nothing less. The reason I came to be called a ‘Diva’ was just a coincidence that happened while I was pursuing magical songs like my mother’s. It’s not like I wished for it.

As long as my father got better, I didn’t care what happened to me.

“Honestly… that Diva-sama, I have no idea what she’s thinking. She should spare a thought for us who have to keep her happy…”

――――That’s why I was fine with whatever they said behind my back.

“She doesn’t even smile, she’s so creepy… like a singing robot.”

――――That’s why I was fine with being alone.

“Don’t you sing anymore.”

――――But my father denied my singing.

“I don’t want to hear your songs.”

My father, with his back turned to me, without ever meeting my eyes, denied and rejected my songs.

At that time, I didn’t think anything of it. No, I pretended not to think anything of it.

I went to work as usual, tried to sing as usual.

“――――Hh… ah…?”

I couldn’t sing anymore.

I can have conversations normally. I can speak. But when I try to sing, my voice won’t come out.

The doctor said it was psychological, but I couldn’t think of a cause.

But since I can’t sing, I had to go on hiatus.

Thinking about it now… I think I was in shock. I think I was so shocked that my father denied it.

Running away from home was impulsive at first, but now I know it’s because I wanted my father to see me. I wanted my father, who never met my eyes and always had his back to me, to properly look at me.

The one who saw through that and told me was… Eito.

He was a mysterious boy I met by chance.

He treats me not as the ‘Diva,’ but as ‘Habataki Otoha.’

He’s not reserved, he doesn’t try to get on my good side, and he made me realize the feelings inside of me. He gently gave shape to feelings I didn’t even know I had.

“…Father.”

The reason I was able to come back from running away and face my father like this… is thanks to Eito. The short time I spent with him gave me great courage.

“I… love to sing. I love singing. …So I want to keep singing. Not just for you, Father, but for myself, too.”

My father listened silently to my words after I returned from running away.

“…I thought the reason you sang was because you were trapped in the past. I thought that for you, singing was a symbol of the past.”

But.

“Because of my own inadequacy, I bound you to the past. I thought I had made you lonely… I wanted you to move on to the future, no longer bound by the ‘past’ that is ‘song’… or so I thought…”

This time, my father looked me straight in the eyes.

“…It seems I was the one trapped in the past. You had long since turned your eyes to the future… I’m sorry. I needlessly cornered you.”

“…It’s alright. I understand now. How you feel, Father.”

The reason he told me not to sing was a manifestation of his wish for me to move on to the future. The reason he turned his back on me at that time was surely… because it was painful for him too.

…Thank you. Eito.

In my heart, while picturing a certain boy’s figure.

I gently embraced the warm feeling that had been born in my chest.

☆

“Even though it’s the first day back after the break, I don’t feel like I’ve rested at all…”

The Diva-sama incident that erupted over the holiday was resolved safely, and we were able to welcome a weekday without issue.

But my heart feels more tired than it was before the break… or so I feel.

“Ojou. If you’re not feeling well, perhaps you should rest, even now… I can arrange for a car immediately.”

“I’m fine. It’s an affair of the heart, not a matter of my health.”

“?”

The person in question, Eito himself, doesn’t seem to understand my mental fatigue.

Eito often raises flags, but this one was quite a big one.

After all, his opponent is the famous ‘Diva,’ even if she is on hiatus.

The moment I rushed to Eito’s side, I saw that Diva-sama’s face and immediately understood.

The only feeling still swirling in my chest is, “I was too late…!” I even think I deserve praise for not collapsing to my knees right then and there.

…But, that Diva-sama has already gone home. She is certainly a powerful new thieving cat (rival), but for that very reason, once her problem is solved, we probably won’t meet again. It seems the problem she was facing has also been resolved.

“Anyway, I’m fine, so.”

“I see. …But please don’t overdo it.”

“I know. Thank you.”

The chime signaling the start of homeroom rang, and just as everyone was scrambling to their seats, the teacher entered the classroom.

“Alright, alright, everyone get to your seats. I’m going to introduce a transfer student today.”

At the teacher’s words, the classroom suddenly became lively.

A transfer student is a rare event in school life. It’s no wonder everyone’s getting excited… but I have a very bad feeling. And in my case, my premonitions tend to come true.

“You can come in.”

As if obeying the teacher’s call, the classroom door opened, and the entire class started buzzing loudly at the sight of the girl who entered.

Long, swaying silver hair. A cool profile reminiscent of a snow flower.

On TV, on social media, in advertisements, there isn’t a day that goes by without seeing her now.

“…I’m Habataki Otoha. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Are you serious!?

It goes without saying that I slammed my face onto my desk.