Chapter 21: The Promise Under the Starry Sky?
Kano first felt how large the city he had lived in since childhood truly was.
The places he walked through were so familiar, yet so strange.
Because in the past, he had always been with her.
But now, there was no trace of her by his side.
Unbeknownst to him, the city had already been shrouded in dark clouds.
The rain began to fall in a light drizzle.
Kano did not know where he was headed; he just had a voice in his heart telling him not to stop.
If he slowed down any further, she would disappear from his life forever.
He had actively wanted to create distance between them, yet now he was terrified by her absence.
Kano hated this part of himself deeply.
The indoor shoes he hadn’t had time to change into were already dirty from the asphalt.
The soaked uniform clung to his skin, wrapping him in moisture.
The cold rain was continuously drawing warmth from his body.
After a night without sleep, his body felt incredibly exhausted.
He was relying solely on willpower to sustain his frail body.
—Where could you be, Nagisa?
Kano searched everywhere he could think of where Nagisa might be.
Whether it was the convenience store they went to after school, the family restaurant they visited on weekends, or…
Nothing.
There wasn’t any place.
Nowhere at all.
A terrifying thought gradually surfaced in Kano’s mind.
—Maybe Nagisa has already disappeared…
“…”
Kano’s vision blurred from the rain.
His legs gradually lost feeling, and his steps became unsteady.
—Nagisa, I really want to see you again.
—No matter what the cost…
Dingling~
A dreamy sound of bells brushed past Kano’s ears.
Suddenly, he felt as though the scenery before him was shrouded in mist.
But in the blink of an eye, the thick fog dissipated like an illusion.
When Kano regained his senses, he found himself standing in front of a park.
This was the park he often came to play with Nagisa when they were children.
It had been a long time since the two of them had come here.
The park’s facilities had been renovated several years ago and looked completely different, making it difficult to recognize the original appearance.
Yet, the figure of the girl stood as it once did, facing away from him, standing by the swing.
Her long black hair was wet from the rain.
Her delicate and slender frame seemed fragile.
Kano felt his legs regain strength and took a step toward the girl.
“—Nagisa!!!”
…..
…..
Nagisa loved rainy days.
Because people tended to stay indoors.
The rain curtain invisibly separated the inside from the outside, creating two different realms.
A natural stage was formed.
Nagisa looked up and saw the snow-white figure of Garuda returning gracefully from the air.
He was a fantasy creature that commanded the power of storms.
To him, summoning wind and rain was as easy as breathing.
This was the stage effect Nagisa pursued!
The boy and girl, gradually distancing themselves due to the curse of evil spirits.
Once they realized they could not live without each other.
With longing for the girl in his heart, the boy stood before her one last time before she disappeared.
The boy, unwilling to escape any longer, and the girl, who left out of fear of hurting him.
In the rainy night, they expressed their feelings for one another.
At the moment of dismantling the barriers between them, the rain stopped, and they made a new promise under the starry night sky.
What a wonderful script! What an exquisite show effect!
“—Nagisa!!!”
Kano’s voice came from behind.
Nagisa quickly adjusted her emotions and facial muscles, donning a lonely and sad expression, with tears welling in her eyes as she turned around.
Upon seeing Kano, a momentary joy flashed across her face, but she quickly stepped back, fearing she might hurt him.
Using her acting skills from when she was dubbed a “child star prodigy,” Nagisa precisely controlled every action and expression.
She tried to convey the inner turmoil of a girl seeing her crush after vanishing.
—If I cry alone.
—Will you stay by my side?
“Kano… why are you here—” Nagisa’s voice trembled.
“No, Kano, you can’t come over…”
“I won’t.” Kano’s direction was straight and unwavering.
“No! If you stay by my side, you’ll be cursed by the evil spirits…”
“Then it doesn’t matter.”
“That’s impossible!!!” Nagisa lowered her head, fists clenched as she shouted.
“Do you… hate me being by your side?”
“How could I hate you?” Nagisa revealed such an expression, but since she had to play a gentle and kind character, afraid of hurting the protagonist, her answer here was:
“Y-yes! I absolutely hate you, Kano! So—”
“You’re lying.” Kano interrupted Nagisa.
Huh? Kano, are you so assertive now?
“You’re the one lying!” Nagisa couldn’t show that she was easily persuaded.
“You clearly wanted to distance yourself from me before!!!”
Hearing this, Kano couldn’t help but halt his steps.
Yes, although Nagisa usually appeared quite naïve and carefree.
Wasn’t she also a delicate girl at heart?
She certainly could sense his repeated desire to escape from her side.
Once, he was such a fool, time and again hurting Nagisa.
Yet even so, she would repeatedly strive to stay by his side.
And he had betrayed her efforts.
“Because I’m a fool…” Kano took another step toward Nagisa.
“I only keep hurting you, Nagisa—”
“It’s all my fault that you stayed by my side…”
“Kano…”
Kano had reached in front of Nagisa, gripping her shoulders with determination as if he wouldn’t let her escape from him again.
His light yellow eyes met Nagisa’s sparkling ones.
At that moment, Nagisa’s heart was already shouting—
“Kano, just say something random, and then I can act all moved and fall into your arms, and then the BGM fades out, and the personal ending dedicated to me, the heroine, begins!!!”
Does it matter what Kano says now? It no longer mattered!
What was important was that on this rainy night, he found his girl before everything else.
He was willing to do anything to stay by that girl’s side and stop her from disappearing; that was enough!
Though, if he were to witness her mysteriously disappearing right before his eyes, feeling the touch of the girl he cared about fading from his hands, who knows, it might awaken his special abilities.
But… it wasn’t time yet~
We still need to create more and more happy memories together~
Until the point of no return arrives.
Come on, Kano—
“If it weren’t for me! Nagisa right now—might already be performing as a renowned evil spirit on the world stage!”
“Ah? Huh! Hmm…?”
What should have been a touching moment had suddenly collapsed.
It seemed something with a different vibe had intruded.
W-When did this happen? Is this what’s important here!?
Kano, do you care that much about this?
Even so, couldn’t you phrase it differently? Something like a superstar would be fine!
Isn’t it a bit negative to throw in “evil spirit” at this moment?
This scene, rather than a touching revelation of feelings on a rainy night between a boy and a girl.
It felt more like a neurotic boyfriend comforting his neurotic girlfriend.
The next step should be hand in hand, taken to a mental hospital.
Indeed, the character I once “envied for being an evil spirit” was a huge misstep.
What should I do? Should I pretend to be really moved by Kano’s persuasion?
But wouldn’t that just solidify my character as someone who wants to become an evil spirit?
At that moment, the rain coincidentally stopped.
The clouds shrouding the city dispersed at a visible speed.
Hey! Garuda, don’t do that? Why are you enhancing the atmosphere at this time?
Oh no, what should I say now?
As the clouds cleared, a sky full of stars appeared.
The brilliant starlight fell upon both Nagisa and Kano.
Umm, umm, Kano? Can you give me a stepping stone? I beg you…
Nagisa’s face was flushed with shyness, teary-eyed.
But this time it wasn’t acting.
I’m sorry, let me retract my previous statement; the protagonist’s lines here are really important!!!
What a rare good atmosphere! All ruined!
