Concept: World - Chapter 3: The Concert (2)

As they had apparently arranged beforehand, Yinbing and Ethel entered the venue first, planning to meet up with Oenone inside.

They made their way straight toward the stage...

and all the way to the front row.

"They actually managed to get front-row seats?"

Ethel had never followed idols before, but even he knew those had to be the hardest tickets to obtain.

How the two of them had managed to secure three at once remained a complete mystery.

"Yinbing! Over here~~"

Oenone's tall figure stood out easily above the crowd as she waved.

Each carrying half of the luggage, Ethel and Yinbing squeezed through the sea of people before finally reaching her.

"You two took forever."

"Don't tell me you actually made it to the later rounds?"

"Later rounds?"

Yinbing practically beamed.

"We won!"

"What?!"

"No way!"

Oenone's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Ethel made it all the way to the end!"

"I'm so glad we brought him with us!"

"So unfair..."

"I got eliminated in the very first round..."

Yinbing excitedly recounted everything that had happened.

Watching her so genuinely happy over something she'd wanted for so long...

filled Ethel with quiet satisfaction.

And yet...

something felt unsettling.

For some reason...

he had heard where the correct choice was.

...I'll keep that to myself for now.

He silently made up his mind not to tell Yinbing.

Watching her cheerful back somehow filled an emptiness deep within him.

He had never truly had friends before.

His entire life had been spent living beneath the shadow of his past.

For the first time...

there was someone he could genuinely call a friend.

The feeling was entirely new.

Warm...

A little painful...

Unfamiliar...

Yet strangely comforting.

Without realizing it...

a smile appeared on his face.

"Thank you, Ethel."

"Really..."

"Thank you so much."

Yinbing turned around and thanked him once more.

By then, the lights around the venue had begun to dim.

Within her pale gray eyes...

Ethel could still see a brilliant sparkle.

She flashed him one last radiant smile before turning her attention back toward the stage.

The previously empty platform suddenly stirred.

Accompanied by the sound of turning gears...

a lone figure slowly rose from beneath the floor.

Emerald-green hair fell gently over her shoulders.

Wearing silver hair ornaments, Kotoha emerged from the darkness.

A microphone rested in her left hand.

She took one deep breath.

"WOOOOAH——!"

A soaring high note split the night sky.

The powerful opening instantly ignited the audience.

Screams erupted from every direction...

only to fade almost immediately.

At the same time...

Kotoha's sustained note softened...

and slowly disappeared.

Then...

she opened her eyes.

Twin emeralds shone beneath the stage lights.

The fool within the darkness opens their eyes,8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu9SuVuUyrJ
The beast of spoken souls breaks free from its chains with a roar.

The spotlights burst to life.

Every beam converged upon Kotoha alone.

Her overwhelming stage presence...

and unwavering confidence...

sent the entire front row into a frenzy.

Oenone and Yinbing were, naturally, among the loudest.

For Ethel, seeing Kotoha perform in person for the very first time was equally breathtaking.

Though this song bore no resemblance to Mist Bell...

its raw, soul-deep cries reached directly into every listener's heart.

Each note resonated against memories buried deep within them.

...Across the open plains, beastly claws race onward,8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQOAigzmAYS
Breathing freedom without restraint...

Her voice possessed an astonishing power.

Something about it made one's very soul tremble.

Completely absorbed...

Ethel couldn't take his eyes off the stage.

The entire scene etched itself permanently into his memory.

The fool and the beast,8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNIOABb74G1
Palm meeting claw.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNlK43fI3gX
"Let's go home."

The opening number came to an end.

Thunderous applause and cheers shook the venue.

Both Oenone and Yinbing clapped with all their strength.

Although Ethel had spent the entire afternoon working like a pack mule...

at that moment...

he genuinely felt coming here had been worth it.

Kotoha followed with four more songs in rapid succession.

Her musical style was astonishingly versatile.

One moment she was singing an energetic, playful tune...

the next, a heartfelt love song overflowing with sincerity.

It was the perfect beginning to the concert.

"Good evening, everyone!"

"I'm Kotoha!"

During the short intermission, she greeted the audience with a bright smile.

Yinbing immediately began jumping excitedly, waving both arms in hopes of catching Kotoha's attention.

Standing beside her, Oenone held Yinbing down with one hand to stop her from actually climbing onto the stage...

while enthusiastically waving with the other.

"Thank you all for coming from near and far!"

"Tonight..."

"Let's make this an unforgettable night!"

"And now..."

"I'd like to sing a brand-new song."

"It's here!"

Yinbing whispered excitedly to Ethel.

"The new song segment!"

"It's a tradition every year."

"Last year's opening song was brand new too."

"It was called Chains of the Wordspirit."

"I wonder what this year's will be."

"This one..."

Kotoha smiled softly.

"...is a little heavier."

"I wrote it for a dear friend."

"She's no longer with us."

"But I think she'd be happy knowing this song could be heard here tonight."

"This song is called..."

"Hand."

A gentle...

almost ethereal ballad.

The only accompaniment was a solitary piano.

Simple.

Yet devastating.

It told the story of two childhood friends.

They did everything together.

Walking to school hand in hand.

Sharing meals.

Singing.

Watching movies.

Every memory belonged to both of them.

Until one day...

an accident took one of them away.

Whenever the one left behind returned to the places they had once shared...

the pain became unbearable.

Looking down at an empty palm...

all that remained was endless grief.

But as time slowly passed...

acceptance quietly took root.

Once more...

they lowered their gaze toward that empty hand.

This time...

they closed it gently into a fist.

As though they were once again holding their best friend's hand.

Believing...

that somewhere else...

their friend was watching over them...

living through the life they themselves never had the chance to finish.

The song never exploded into dramatic crescendos.

It simply unfolded at a steady, gentle pace.

Yet Kotoha's voice tugged relentlessly at every heart in the audience.

Tears flowed freely throughout the venue.

Hearing quiet sobs nearby, Ethel glanced to his left.

Yinbing's face was already streaked with tears.

That was the power of Kotoha's singing.

It could move people that deeply.

As the final note of Hand faded away...

from his seat in the front row...

Ethel thought he saw Kotoha quietly brush a single tear from the corner of her eye.

"...That must have been her closest friend."

During the concert's intermission, Kotoha quickly changed outfits before returning to the stage.

She now wore a light white dress.

Her hair had been tied back into a ponytail.

According to tradition...

the raffle took place during intermission.

Kotoha chatted cheerfully with the audience while drawing the winning numbers.

Ethel had assumed Yinbing would be hoping to win.

Instead...

she smiled and shook her head.

"You already helped me win the poster."

"I hope someone else gets the prize."

"Wanting everything for myself would just be selfish."

"Don't say that so casually!"

Oenone protested.

"I haven't won anything!"

"Come on, pray for me!"

Unlike Yinbing, Oenone clutched her ticket tightly, staring at the printed number with hopeful anticipation.

Even after checking Ethel's and Yinbing's tickets...

Lady Luck still refused to smile upon her.

As the final prize found its owner...

a brief look of disappointment crossed her face.

Fortunately...

it didn't last long.

The moment Kotoha announced the second half of the concert...

Oenone immediately returned to full energy.

Apparently, she intended to pour every ounce of frustration from losing the raffle into cheering.

Compared to the first half...

her enthusiasm afterward became even more intense.

More than ten additional songs later...

the concert finally approached its finale.

White mist slowly spread across the stage.

Bathed in pale light...

Kotoha's figure briefly vanished from sight.

When she appeared once more...

a red line and a white line now stretched from the corners of her eyes.

Projected ripples shimmered across the floor.

A distant clock bell echoed through the background.

Combined with the white dress she had changed into after intermission...

everyone instantly understood.

The final song of the evening—

the one countless fans had been waiting for—

was about to begin.

"I present to you..."

"Mist Bell."

ns216.73.216.95da2

Reading Theme:

Font Size:

Line Spacing:

Paragraph Spacing:

Load the next issue automatically