"I knew my physical condition wasn't very optimistic."
On the massive screens of the UCLA lecture halls and in millions of living rooms, the scene shifted to a soft, ethereal glow. Chloe Summers' voice as Kaori Miyazono began the final monologue of the series.
"One night, I was in the hospital waiting room. I saw my mom and dad crying. That's when I knew... my time was running out."
A red ribbon floated across the screen in slow motion. The camera showed Kaori untying her hair, letting it flow free as she began to run forward into a field of light.
"I started running. I didn't want to have any regrets after I went to Heaven. So I ran as I pleased. I put on the contact lenses I was too scared to wear. I stopped worrying about my weight and ate an entire cake. I ignored the rigid musical scores and played exactly the way I felt."
"And then... I told a lie."
"Kaori Miyazono likes Watari. That was the lie."
"It was an expedient lie... a lie that brought someone special before me. Kousei Arima... it brought you to me."
The scene returned to their first meeting under the cherry blossoms. The audience saw Kaori turn to look at Kousei, a single tear sliding from her eye. The viewers finally understood why she had cried at that moment! It was the "Belated Boomerang", the realization that she had finally reached the boy she had admired for twelve years, knowing she had so little time left.
The "knife" pierced the audience's hearts. From the beginning of the monologue, the sound of sobbing in the UCLA lecture halls had been constant.
"Please apologize to Watari for me," the letter continued. "But he'll probably forget me quickly, won't he? He's an interesting friend, but I think I prefer someone more... devoted."
"Also, please apologize to Tsubaki. I'm just a fleeting passerby in your lives, and I didn't want to leave any trouble behind. I couldn't ask her to set us up directly... after all, Tsubaki likes you the most, Kousei. Everyone knew. The only ones who didn't know were you... and Tsubaki herself."
"After I tricked you with that lie," Kaori's voice chuckled softly, "I found you were different from what I imagined. You're more gloomy, more stubborn... and a persistent pervert."
On the screen, Kousei (Leo Vance) sat on the school rooftop, reading the letter. A small, pained smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"But your voice was deeper than I imagined. More masculine. And just as gentle. Jumping into the river from the bridge... wasn't it cool and comfortable? Sneaking a peek at the full moon in the music room, it looked as beautiful as a steamed bun, didn't it? When we raced the train, I really thought we could win. Under the stars, singing 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' together... wasn't it fun?"
"The unforgettable scenery is all just trivial little things, isn't it strange?"
"No, it's not," Kousei replied in his heart.
"How about you, Kousei?" Kaori's voice grew soft, almost transparent. "Did I live in anyone's heart?"
"Yes, you did."
"Did I live in your heart?"
"You came in without even taking off your shoes."
UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.
The moment that line was delivered, the final defenses of the audience were shattered. It didn't matter how hard-hearted they were; the room was a sea of broken spirits.
"'You came in without taking off your shoes'?! DAMN IT! Leo Vance, be a human being for once!" Chloe Vance wailed, tears pouring out like a bursting dam.
"Your brother is a monster!" Ava sobbed, her face red and her eyes swollen. "This script... these lines... they're not meant for healing, they're meant for murder!"
Thousands of students across the campus were experiencing the same "Post-Episode Trauma." In the male dormitories, usually filled with the sounds of gaming and shouting, there was only a heavy, collective weeping.
"My Kaori!" one student shouted toward the ceiling. "Don't die! Bastard screenwriter, I'll never forgive you! Wuwuwu!"
The monologue reached its final climax.
"Even for a moment... did you ever think of me?"
On the screen, under a dream-like cherry blossom tree, Kousei and Kaori met one last time in his inner world. They smiled at each other, the vibrant colors of April surrounding them.
"If I forget, I'll definitely turn into a monster," Kousei said.
"You're not allowed to reset with one click!" Kaori teased.
"How could I?"
"Don't forget me."
"I won't. We made a promise."
Kaori looked at him, her image beginning to dissolve into petals. "Sure enough... I'm glad I chose you. Can you hear me? Kousei Arima... I like you!"
"I LIKE YOU!"
"I LIKE YOU!"
The girl smiled like a flower, expressing a decade of love in a single, vanishing moment. "I'm sorry for the caneles I didn't finish. I'm sorry for always hitting you. I'm sorry I was always willful. I'm sorry... for everything."
The screen faded to reality. Kousei stood at the intersection where they had met, looking at the empty street.
"You really are good at talking to yourself," he murmured. "I'm the one who should be thanking you."
He pulled a small item from the envelope.
[P.S.: I've put my treasure in too. If you don't need it, tear it up.]
It was a framed picture, a photo of Kaori and Kousei when they were children, at that first recital. It was the only photo of them together.
Tsubaki walked up to Kousei, kicking his shin with her usual fiery energy. "Don't think you can live alone, Kousei Arima! I'll cling to you forever! Like a ghost! Be prepared!"
Kousei felt a sourness in his nose. He suppressed the urge to cry and offered a genuine smile.
"Soon, spring will arrive."
"The spring where I met you... is coming."
A train flashed past the intersection. A black cat sat nearby, watching the tracks. The camera floated toward the sky, where the remaining cherry blossoms were dancing in the wind.
"The spring without you... is coming."
The screen went black. The "Healing" was complete. And Leo Vance had officially broken the heart of the world.
Plz Drop Some Power Stones.
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