On the screen, the golden afternoon light of the recital hall began to fade, but the energy between the two leads was electric.
After her unconventional, world-shaking performance, Chloe Summers' Kaori Miyazono, still clutching a bouquet of colorful flowers, ran toward Leo Vance's Arima Kousei. Her eyes were bright with an adrenaline-fueled joy as she asked, "How do you think it was? I was... really amazing, right?"
"It was alright..."
Kousei tried to brush her off with his usual introverted distance, but as he looked down and saw the girl's right hand trembling, a subtle, heartbreaking detail Chloe acted with terrifying realism his expression softened.
"This is the first time I've seen someone receive flowers at a preliminary round performance," Kousei said seriously. He looked at the two small children standing shyly behind them. "Besides, you don't even know those kids, do you? They didn't come here prepared with flowers. For them to listen to your music and immediately rush out to buy them... it means your performance was unforgettable. That's the kind of musician you are."
"Hehe... I really am amazing!" Kaori skipped joyfully toward the exit, her golden hair swaying like a field of wheat in the wind.
Kousei watched her retreating figure, his gaze lingering. Her approach to music, free, chaotic, and full of life was the polar opposite of the rigid, mechanical demands his mother had once placed on him. In that moment, the audience could see the first crack in the ice surrounding Kousei's heart.
The plot moved forward. Due to the overwhelming affection of the audience, Kaori successfully advanced to the next round. Over the next two days, her image became a permanent fixture in Kousei's mind. But he denied himself any hope, believing that a "monochrome" boy like him could never be a match for a girl made of light and sound.
UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.
"Arima is too timid! If it were me, I'd just confess and get it over with!"
Chloe Vance threw a popcorn kernel at the screen, her straightforward personality clashing with the slow-burn romance. Because of her bluntness, Lauren remained the only single member of her immediate friend group.
"Chloe, this is why you're still single," Ava said, looking at her friend with an amused, speechlessness. "I once read that the difference between boys and girls is that boys always wait until everything is 'ready.' They say, 'I'm not successful enough,' or 'I'm not rich enough.' They find excuses to wait for a perfect future. Meanwhile, the girls get tired of waiting and run off with someone else."
"Master of Theory! I'm impressed!" Chloe grinned, mock-bowing. Since her identity as a Vance had been exposed, she had become even more lively and genuine on campus. She leaned in, a mischievous glint in her eye. "But wait... aren't you single too? Do you have a secret crush? Like a 'Friend A' of your own?"
Ava's face suddenly flushed a deep shade of crimson. She looked away, her thoughts drifting to a certain "Strongest" director who had saved her career with a single phone call.
"Oh, oh, oh!" Chloe teased, noticing the reaction. "It wouldn't be my brother, would it? Hahaha! Just kidding!"
"Go to hell!" Ava shouted, her face burning. She reached out and gave Chloe's thigh a sharp pinch, making her yelp in pain.
On the Screen: The Cherry Blossom Reunion.
"I want to see her... yet I don't want to..."
Just as Kousei's internal monologue reached its peak of indecision, a figure appeared beneath a blooming cherry blossom tree ahead of him.
"Friend A!"
Kaori smiled and waved, the falling petals framing her like a dream. The audience in the theater and at UCLA collectively sighed; it was a scene of such pure, crystalline beauty that it felt surreal.
"You're wearing our school uniform? Are you actually from our school?" Kousei asked, looking her up and down in surprise.
"What are you looking at? Are you trying to secretly take pictures again? Pervert!" Kaori shrieked, mock-hiding behind a tree.
"I wasn't!" Kousei defended himself, adjusted his thick glasses.
"Liar! You want to upload them, don't you?" Kaori said conceitedly. "But never mind. It'll only make me more famous anyway."
Seeing her smug, "Little Devil" expression, the audience couldn't help but find her adorable. They knew she wasn't boasting, with that face and talent, she would have crushed any influencer in minutes.
Kaori eventually explained she was waiting for Watari, but Kousei helped her realize he was busy with soccer practice. Ultimately, Kaori accepted Kousei as her "substitute" for the afternoon.
The audience began to suspect something. Despite her cheerful facade, the way Kaori looked at Kousei when he wasn't looking was different. It wasn't the look of someone who had just met a stranger; it was the look of someone who had been watching from afar for a very long time.
The story reached its next emotional peak: The Second Preliminary Round.
Kaori had "shamelessly" begged and bullied Kousei into being her piano accompanist. Before the competition, Kousei was vibrating with anxiety, nearly fainting in the wings.
"We can definitely do it!" Kaori said, leaning close to him. "Mozart is telling us from above: 'Embark on the journey!' Don't be afraid of being seen as strange. Let's go out there and make fools of ourselves to our heart's content!"
"Let's do it together!"
Under the golden spotlights, Kaori stood on stage in a flowing white dress, her golden hair held back by delicate clips. She looked stunning, a beacon of light in the darkened hall.
The performance began. Initially, Kousei played smoothly, his fingers finding the keys. But midway through, the "Ghost of his Mother" returned. The sound of the piano began to sink, becoming muffled and silent to his ears. He froze, his hands hovering over the keys as the music died.
But then, Kaori stopped playing too. She lowered her violin and simply waited. She turned her head and gave Kousei a look of such unwavering encouragement that it pierced through his trauma.
Kousei took a deep breath. He began to play again, but this time, he wasn't playing for the score or for his mother's ghost. He was playing for the girl standing in front of him. The sound of the piano transformed, it was no longer a mechanical repetition, but a roar of freedom.
The theater was moved to tears by the resonance of the duet. It was a masterpiece of "Healing" art.
BANG.
An accident happened. Just as the final note echoed in the hall, Kaori's violin slipped from her hand. Her body buckled, and she collapsed onto the stage floor.
Starlight Management VIP Lounge.
Maya West, Della Rose, Tiffany, Cecilia, and Natalie G. were all huddled together. Binge-watching Director Leo's new work had become a mandatory "traditional culture" at the agency.
"So sweet! I didn't expect Leo's campus romance to be this addictive!" Della Rose squealed, her eyes sparkling. She was completely smitten by the "Friend A" dynamic.
"Indeed... I want to fall in love again," Maya West added, a rare "smile" appearing on her face.
"Oh? Feeling itchy, Maya?" Tiffany teased.
"Who's itchy?!" Maya glared, immediately reaching out to tickle Tiffany's stomach until she begged for mercy. "But seriously, this is so different from Leo's usual 'Hellraiser' style. It's so pure."
"I'm just waiting for the final confession," Natalie G. said expectantly. "It's going to be the sweetest ending ever!"
But then, the screen showed Kaori fainting. The music turned dissonant and cold.
The room went dead silent. The "Smiles" vanished in a split second, replaced by looks of pure, horrified bewilderment.
"Good lord..." Maya whispered, her producer-brain sounding a silent alarm. "This doesn't feel like healing. This feels like... a hidden knife."
The "April Lie" was starting to unravel, and the audience had no idea that Leo Vance was about to break their hearts into a million pieces.
Plz Drop Some Power Stones.
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