Girl Band, Gravity Capture

Page 80

"If I still can't see her when school starts... then I'll have to go to the Toyokawa family's house to take a look."

"Sorry to trouble you."

He would never simply wait passively. Since Xiangzi had lost contact, he should take the initiative to find her.

Yuan Xudou, who had asked a girl who liked him to help find another girl, couldn't help but feel a little guilty in his usually calm voice.

Nagasaki Motoyo shook her head slightly, grasped his wrist, and placed it against her chest.

...It's so cold.

Perhaps because it had been placed on the cold metal railing for too long, the hand that used to be gentle and kind, always conveying warmth that reached the depths of the heart, now seemed to have cooled down, exuding a stiff coldness from the depths of its body.

...However, ignoring Xu Dou's chill, which had already reached a point of pain...what was even colder was probably his heart.

Thinking about it this way, it felt as if my heart was aching.

Nagasaki Motoyo gripped the boy's cold fingers tightly, trying to convey the warmth of her palm.

"It's okay... I've always been on Xu Dou's side, okay?"

"Just let me know if there's anything you need me to do."

Feeling the boy's pulse and body temperature slowly return to normal, she finally felt a little relieved and showed a gentle, comforting smile.

"Besides, Xiangzi-chan is also my friend. Going to see her is exactly what I should do, right?"

"...Thank you, Su Shi."

He pulled the girl into his arms.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Yuan Xudou's request was of no use.

It wasn't because Nagasaki Motoyo couldn't find Toyokawa Shoko in the Moon Forest, but because the girl had re-established contact with him before the start of the school year.

"I'll be coming to rehearsal today."

Instead of posting it in the band's public group, I sent him a private message.

He neither responded to previous inquiries about her condition nor explained why he had gone missing; he simply sent this incoherent message, which sounded like a notification.

...Perhaps she wanted to explain it to everyone in person.

In any case, it's a good thing that we've reconnected.

Things should get better if we can communicate properly—at least, that's what Motoyo Nagasaki thinks.

She comforted Yuan Xudou, whose brows and eyes still held a hint of melancholy for some reason, and the boy temporarily suppressed the lingering indescribable feelings in his heart, revealing a slightly relaxed expression.

He chose not to trust his intuition.

Even if that never went wrong.

After sending the message to the other girls that they would be meeting at RiNG this afternoon, the two of them quickly got ready and boarded the train to their practice location.

After they arrived, the rest of the group arrived one after another, earlier than the usual agreed time.

"Is Xiangzi alright?"

The first one to rush over was Shiina Tatsuki, who went up to Minamoto Koto and asked if he knew anything about Toyokawa Shoko's recent situation, as he was closest to her.

The boy, with his eyes slightly closed, simply shook his head gently.

"Xiangzi will come today."

Unable to get a definite answer and not wanting to press further, Shiina Tatsuki gritted her teeth, frowned, and returned to her seat.

Following closely behind, the second to arrive was Takamatsu Akari. The girl, who was carrying her notebook, happened to witness Shiina Tatsuki and Minamoto Koto's negotiation, so she didn't ask any questions like she did, and quietly sat down on the floor in front of the instruments.

Then came Wakaba Mutsumi, who sat down silently on the side with his guitar in his arms.

The practice room, which should have been bustling and harmonious, was now shrouded in an unbearable silence. Yuan Xudou, who usually lightened the mood at times like these, stood silently to the side, like a cold statue.

Everyone is waiting, waiting for the person who built this band with their own hands and then suddenly disappeared without a word.

...Until the agreed time passed, Toyokawa Shoko, who always arrived early, still did not appear.

No one left. The only one who changed his position was the boy who slowly walked to the window.

He gazed out the window, which was covered in dark clouds.

…It’s raining.

Unannounced by the weather forecast, a curtain of water covered everything in sight, pouring down from the dark, heavy clouds.

The same dark world was projected into his dark, lifeless eyes, and the rumbling rain swallowed everything in the world.

He had already come to a realization.

He was already certain.

The uneasy feeling was no longer just a premonition, but had almost become a stubborn fact.

So, Yuan Xudou closed his eyes and stopped looking.

"Xiangzi! You're all soaking wet..."

After the door was pushed open, Nagasaki Motoyo gasped in surprise from behind.

...coming.

Yuan Xudou, who was holding onto the window frame, did not turn around immediately.

Standing at the doorway, soaked to the bone by the rain, her once neatly combed sky-blue hair was now matted together, and her clothes were also drenched. With a dim gaze and disheveled appearance, Toyokawa Shoko gritted her teeth, ignoring the questioning looks from the others, and stared into the room at the only dejected figure who wasn't looking at her.

Guilt and sadness flashed in his eyes, but were buried by cold indifference.

Her noble, approachable, and gentle demeanor had completely vanished. Biting her lower lip tightly, she uttered a declaration of severance in a tone completely unfamiliar to everyone.

"Today, I'm here to talk about something."

"I want to quit [CryCHIC]".

Chapter 114 Under the Overturning Rain (Part 2)

"I want to quit [CryCHIC]".

"..."

Nagasaki Motoyo, who was hesitating whether to hand her a towel, froze on the spot.

Knowing the outcome all along, Wakaba Mutsu silently closed her eyes.

Takamatsu, his pupils unfocused, stared at her blankly, as if she were a stranger.

"Huh?! What nonsense are you spouting...!"

Startled for a moment, Shiina Ritsuki then stood up in a rage, his crimson eyes overflowing with undisguised fury.

"Everyone is waiting for you..."

The heavy steps that were trying to quickly walk towards Toyokawa Shoko stopped at the same time as the angry questioning.

Because it was a familiar yet strange voice, completely at odds with that peaceful tone, a cold and hard voice that felt like falling into an icy pool, piercing through the seemingly frozen air.

"why?"

The oppressive atmosphere was like ice crystals spreading across the water, faintly emitting a teeth-grinding cracking sound.

The other girls held their breath and stared in astonishment at the window from which the sound came.

There, Yuan Xudou finally turned around, his face expressionless, as calm as a still, lifeless lake.

He walked step by step toward Toyokawa Shoko, and finally stopped in front of her.

Staring blankly at him, Toyokawa Shoko did not, like the others, merely notice the almost cruel indifference on his face.

She saw the cracks spreading inch by inch in those deep, dark pupils.

Because of his deep understanding... the moment the girl announced her departure from the band, Gen Xudou understood that it was not a slip of the tongue due to emotional excitement, but a resolute decision to cut ties completely.

...It's really ugly.

Although they clearly anticipated this situation, they always turned their gaze away from the reality before truly facing it.

...It turns out that "Yuan Xudou" is also a fool who can deceive himself.

A self-deprecating thought flashed through his mind for a moment, but he immediately suppressed it. He wasn't angry at Toyokawa Shoko's inexplicable decision; all he wanted to know was what made her do something that would hurt everyone, even if it meant denying the band and family she had started.

Then, pull Toyokawa Shoko out of her self-pitying escapism. This person is clearly pretending to be someone else, and is filled with sadness that is completely contrary to the indifference she shows to others.

Even though he clearly sensed her deliberate concealment, Yuan Xudou did not have the same accommodating intentions as usual.

Since you've already stubbornly done something that hurt someone's feelings, don't blame others for not taking care of your self-esteem.

The gentle, conciliatory space disappeared, leading to an irreconcilable conflict. The sharp edge of youth pierced through the tenderness of tolerance.

He stared intently at the girl whose expression was gradually wavering, and then spoke again.

"why?"

"I……"

Toyokawa Shoko thought she was ready to face everyone.

By using cold words to shrug off all concern and questioning, and portraying herself as the very person she once hated—a disobedient, stubborn traitor—she could refuse all possible help and avoid involving others in her problems.

By hurting others, you can prevent... prevent them from getting closer to their misfortune.

...Just seeing myself in this ridiculous and pathetic state should be enough to get rid of it...!

The clothes were soaked through with rain, and the dripping water droplets had formed a cold puddle beneath them.

The heartless words that had been brewing for so long were stuck in his throat when he saw Yuan Xudou's gloomy expression, which was suppressing his disappointment and frustration and trying hard to maintain a calm demeanor. He couldn't utter them no matter what.

Even eye contact was no longer an option. Toyokawa Shoko lowered her head, using her now faded blue hair to conceal her eyes, which were on the verge of breaking and overflowing with soft, watery light.

'...It can be done with anyone...except Xu Dou...'

She instinctively gripped her left wrist tightly with her right hand and took a step back.

...I can't stay in the band anymore, you can clearly feel it...

So, please don't...!

No matter how much he resisted in his heart, he couldn't stop Yuan Xudou from taking the next step forward.

The two, locked in a stalemate, walked out of the practice room step by step.

"wait--!"

"Where are you going?!"

Behind them came the bewildered voices of the girls who had finally caught their breath from the heavy atmosphere, but they ignored them.

Ultimately, under Genjiro's relentless pressure, Toyokawa Shoko was now just one step away from RiNG's doorstep.

The chaotic, torrential rain seemed to be pounding on an already broken heart, and the air was unbearably damp. Fortunately, because of the downpour, there were very few customers in the store, and no one gathered to watch this farce.

After a brief moment of stunned silence, the other girls chased after them, not daring to approach the two who were clearly not in a normal state. They could only gaze at them worriedly from a distance.

A bitter taste rose in her mouth, and Toyokawa Shoko gritted her teeth and cried out softly.

"That's enough...! Stop it now...!"

—It's so insincere that it's laughable.

It was as if she didn't know how to resist his approach, so she just rambled on and on, trying to distance herself from him.

“I’ve got it.” He replied indifferently.

The anger that had finally been stirred up, which couldn't even be resolved smoothly with the decision to abandon the past, was dispelled by a single sentence. Toyokawa Shoko's throat bobbed, and she let out a painful sob.

“Xu Dou…”

With a trembling voice, she called out his name for the first time since they met.

Just uttering that word caused the weakness I had so painstakingly suppressed to creep back into my heart.

"I...can't..."