A dark-haired woman with slightly tanned skin, dressed in the uniform of a Family employee, was singing softly. Her eyes were somewhat lifeless. Even though her voice was beautiful, it carried no emotion whatsoever.
Her emotions were deeply suppressed, nearly reaching the breaking point, and her mental state had already deteriorated severely.
When the song ended and the woman came back to her senses, she suddenly heard crisp applause beside her.
Like a startled rabbit, she nearly jumped. Turning around in panic, she saw an unfamiliar gray-haired man applauding her. She immediately bowed and stammered, "I-I'm sorry, sir. I... I disturbed you."
"No, I was the one who disturbed you. You have a wonderful voice, and your singing technique is excellent. If you became a singer, I would definitely buy one of your albums."
"Thank you. Thank you for the compliment, sir. However, I don't intend to become a singer. I'm only an ordinary employee. I'm sorry, but my break is almost over, and I need to return to work."
With that, the woman lowered her head and hurried away.
Caelus watched her leave. He could sense that her mental state had already reached its limit. If this continued, it would not be long before she completely broke down.
Was Caelus trying to save her?
No. He was simply acting out of curiosity, wanting to know what had happened to this woman whose heart was filled with regret, suppression, and resentment.
However, judging by her condition, she probably could not communicate normally. If this had been the real world, Caelus would have needed to use a few minor methods to make her open up. But this was Penacony, a world of dreams forged from memoria.
Caelus arrived at the luxury store where she worked. The woman stood at the entrance, wearing a practiced smile that appeared friendly but contained no genuine emotion. There was no light in her eyes. She looked numb and mechanical.
A book opened and began flipping through its pages while a pink quill traced lines through the air. Caelus's domain of memoria spread throughout the surroundings.
Then, a sealed door appeared before him.
The door was wrapped in rusty chains. Although it appeared fragile, an ordinary person would have no way to open this heart. They would need to find objects capable of stirring memories of the past, forming keys of memoria with which to unlock it.
But that was only true for ordinary people.
Using the pink quill in his hand, Caelus drew the image of a key. He unlocked the chains, pushed open the door, and stepped inside.
"Cocona, you are extremely talented, and you work very hard. In the future, you will definitely become a renowned singer."
In the classroom, the teacher could not help but praise her student.
Although the young girl felt a little shy, she straightened her back beneath the envious gazes of her classmates.
After all, her teacher was telling the truth, and she firmly believed that she could become an excellent singer.
"Cocona, you must cherish your talent. Don't wait until the future, only to find yourself left with nothing but regret. Dreams are heavy things. If they cannot be realized, the pain caused by a shattered dream is more than most people can endure."
"...I understand, Teacher."
As graduation approached, a friend looked at Cocona beside her and sighed.
"If only I had talent like yours. Unlike me, even hoping for a secure, well-paying job feels like a fantasy. If everything goes smoothly, you'll definitely become a famous singer someday."
"Do you think so? I haven't decided yet."
"Once you become a big star, I'll be able to brag that I have a celebrity friend! Just imagine how impressive that would be! I remember you started trying to compose your own music before. How is it going? Have you finished it?"
"No. I've only just begun. It isn't ready yet, and I haven't even chosen a title."
"All right, then why don't you give me an autograph now? Once you become a big star, it might sell for a fortune someday!"
"Huh?"
...
"You want to become a singer?! Cocona, how can you entertain such unrealistic fantasies? Look at yourself! You're not particularly attractive, and your voice is only average. What makes you think you can become a singer?! In this vast galaxy, countless people are prettier than you and have better voices. Countless people can sing better and possess more talent than you. What makes you believe you can become a singer?!"
"Even if you become a singer, can you guarantee that you'll remain famous? Can you guarantee that you'll receive enough attention? Otherwise, how will you earn any money? You've already graduated! You're an adult now, not a child. You can't keep acting willfully. Stop thinking about such unrealistic things! You need to keep your feet on the ground!"
"Your mother and father are doing this for your own good. We called in many favors to secure this job for you at the luxury store. The salary is excellent. If you work hard and become the store manager, your future income will be enough to make many people envious. Once that happens, you can pursue your dreams if you still want to! The internet is so advanced now. You can become an online singer. Isn't that the same thing..."
Cocona accepted her parents' arrangement.
Thanks to her beautiful voice and patient attitude toward customers, Cocona quickly earned widespread praise. However, the other clerks resented her, isolating her, mocking her, and laughing at her behind her back.
Later, Cocona discovered problems with the quality of the store's products and attempted to have the manager address them. Instead, she was told that the products themselves did not matter. As long as the brand was famous enough and the story surrounding it was compelling, there would always be plenty of people willing to pay.
From that moment onward, Cocona sealed away her once sincere and kind self, allowing herself to become just like everyone else.
Then she met a young man named Pound.
Their feelings for one another gradually deepened, and they eventually decided to flee Penacony, a place that appeared beautiful but was even crueler than reality.
The young man was a spheroid racer. Winning a single race would earn him a large sum of money, enough for the two of them to make a fresh start after leaving Penacony.
Encouraged by their love, Cocona also completed the song she had once abandoned and named it "Envision a Rose Forthcoming."
Before their departure, Pound had already purchased two tickets. He told Cocona to prepare all the documents they would need to leave, so they could depart together as soon as he returned.
Unfortunately, the young man did not win the race. He missed victory by the narrowest of margins and finished as the runner-up. Before the race, hoping to secure enough money for their fresh start, he had borrowed a substantial sum from the Family and bet everything on himself becoming the champion.
He failed to win the championship, and then he disappeared.
From that moment onward, all color completely vanished from Cocona's eyes. She abandoned her dreams and her future, living each day in a numb and dazed state.
The repetitive days and overwhelming emptiness gradually consumed everything. Perhaps before long, once her mind completely collapsed, she would choose to give up on herself.
Caelus stepped out of her mental world and looked at the numb Cocona standing before the store.
He saw the shadow of an old friend within her.
'Omacido, if you hadn't met me back then, would you have ended up like this?'
As Caelus spoke, a notebook suddenly appeared in his hand.
The notebook recorded the life of a great adventurer from another universe.
"Hello, Ms. Cocona. Would you like to hear a story? A story about someone who resented their current life and abandoned everything to pursue their dream."
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)