Unintentionally, a rhythm completely different from the track in her earphones drifted into Maki's mind.
"Because that distant star shines so brightly in my eyes."
"My trembling body rises, chasing after that light."
"Gazing into the shattered mirror, at the self I once was..."
Such gentle lyrics, yet why did they carry an ineffable, lingering sorrow?
No, that wasn't it.
Lifting a hand to remove her earphones, Maki turned around, her thoughts thoroughly stirred by Miyahito's soft singing. Her right hand rested lightly on the back of the chair.
Her gaze naturally fell on Miyahito in the living room, gently strumming his guitar and singing.
Time seemed to stretch on.
"Even if the only one who knows this pain... is me." As the final lyric left Miyahito's lips,
"Miyani-sensei, what's the name of this song?"
"This song?"
Miyahito looked up, meeting Maki's complicated expression, then glanced down at his guitar. A smile of quiet pride and nostalgia unconsciously touched his lips.
"M87."
"M87?"
"Yeah. A song about dreams, and about a hero who came from the M78 Nebula."
He casually set the guitar on the sofa, leaning back against a soft cushion.
Standing up, Miyahito raised his arms and stretched long and hard.
"This song could—"
"No, Maki-nee."
Guessing exactly what his manager was about to say, Miyahito shook his head. Wearing an unyielding, gentle smile, he spoke firmly. "I won't be using this song commercially."
"Why?" Maki asked, bewildered.
"Miyani-sensei, it's an exceptional track. Even if it's fan-oriented, that doesn't detract from its quality in the slightest."
"Besides, I recently heard that Hara Productions is planning a new tokusatsu series."
"Your M87 perfectly fits their requirements for a theme song. If we just submit the demo—"
Seeing Miyahito wave a hand to stop her, Maki, despite having more to say, fell silent.
"Maki-nee, I've decided. I don't want to commercialize this song."
As he spoke, he pulled out his phone.
Logging into his Twitter, his fingers scrolled quickly until he found what he was looking for.
He turned the screen toward Maki. "Look."
It displayed a single tweet, containing just one sentence.
"Hello everyone, I'm Miyani. I hope my music can bring happiness to all who listen. Thank you, everyone. Thank you, beautiful world."
Watching Maki fall silent after reading it, Miyahito smiled. He put his phone away and slowly walked over to her.
Leaning his back against the kitchen counter, he turned his head to the thoughtful manager. "This has always been my belief."
"No matter how much or how little, music should always convey the beauty of the world to those who listen, don't you think?"
"As long as the music I recreate can help someone, I'm already happy."
"And, of course, if that happiness comes with a little extra cash in my pocket, I'm even happier!"
A deeply moving sentiment, completely ruined by that last, hilariously mercenary sentence.
Give me my tears back, you jerk! Maki internally raged.
"Hey, hey."
Feeling the pressure from her manager's slightly terrifying glare, Miyahito awkwardly rubbed the back of his head and spoke softly. "So, sorry, Maki-nee."
"I've already decided. Once I finish M87, I'll upload it to my channel for free. That's it."
"Alright, alright."
Maki sighed, realizing no amount of persuasion would change his mind. But the thought of such a great song being given away for free left her deeply unsatisfied.
So she muttered, half-resentful, half-reluctant, "I'm just a lowly manager anyway. A nobody like me probably shouldn't voice opinions on Miyani-sensei's work..."
Hearing her grumbling, Miyahito couldn't help but laugh helplessly. Good lord, am I fifteen, or are you fifteen? Act your age, twenty-six-year-old manager!
"Hmm? Miyani-sensei, it feels like you're saying something incredibly rude right now."
"Nope. Didn't say a word."
"Really?"
"Of course it's true, Manager-san."
....
"Well, I'll head back to the agency then!"
"Yeah, take care on the way."
After seeing Maki out, the apartment returned to its quiet solitude.
Looks like I'll need to hire someone to renovate this room.
Rubbing his chin, Miyahito stood outside what should be the guest bedroom on the second floor, contemplating the empty space.
The two-story detached house featured three rooms, two living areas, and two bathrooms. After securing his sleeping quarters, he still needed a dedicated music studio for recording and composing.
As for studying or working, he didn't really need a separate room for that.
After all, he was living alone, so he'd likely spend most of his time downstairs.
If not for the occasional desire to enjoy staying in bed, he probably wouldn't even need a dedicated bedroom.
"Sigh. Guess I have to go out."
After a moment of thought, he scratched his head in annoyance.
"I hate going outside. I just want to stay home all day."
Grumbling to himself, he reluctantly headed downstairs.
Grabbing his keys, phone, and wallet, and slipping on his shoes, he left the house with great reluctance.
So bright.
Shielding his eyes slightly, Miyahito tilted his head up to look at the sun.
He let out a helpless sigh.
Can't be helped. Comes with the territory of being a musician, I guess.
Just as he was mentally mapping out the nearest music shop and turned to head that way...
Huh. That's rare.
Catching sight of a girl standing at the door of the cheap apartment next door, seemingly about to head out, Miyahito thought.
Girls with such sharp, intense eyes are pretty uncommon. Probably a middle schooler?
Silver hair... Ah, what a shame. If she had red eyes, that'd be perfect.
To his slight surprise, the silver-haired girl, who he thought looked quite intense, actually gave him an unexpected nod.
Responding to her polite greeting, Miyahito instinctively smiled and nodded back.
And then.
Without exchanging another word, the two simply went their separate ways after their brief acknowledgment.
Real life isn't some anime.
There aren't that many "magical encounters." Besides, this was just...
...a friendly greeting between two strangers.
"Well, at least one side is a cheap apartment, and the other's a parking lot."
Pulling out his phone and checking the navigation as he headed toward the music store, Aragaki Miyahito muttered quietly to himself.
"It's so nice not having to bring gifts to visit the neighbors."
30 Power Stone = Bonus Chapter
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