Chapter 8: Lost Melody (1)

Lost Melody (1)

(I want to tell Mizuki I love him)

Sora was in my room, pretending to watch a movie about a lonely woman whose loved ones commit suicide every time she turns one year older. She was thinking about this, glancing my way, then thought.

(But it's kind of embarrassing... I've never told anyone I love them. It'd be weird to suddenly say it, right...?)

At least it's not as weird as the movies we watch now.

"Mizuki, is there anything you would like me to say to you?" she asked in a soft voice.　

"Yes, there is."

"For example?" It seemed like she was trying hard to act like she wasn't particularly interested, but inside her mind she was thinking in an unexpected direction (Mizuki is thinking the same thing? I'm happy... Hmm? Maybe it's something sexy to say...? What on earth am I being made to say? That would be embarrassing in itself... But if I did say it, it would be even more intense...). A blush slowly began to spread across Sora's cheeks.

I'll try to subvert expectations. "Maybe it'll be, 'I promise I'll finish all my spicy food from now on.'"

"..." Her eyes pierce me as if to say, "No, that's not it, there must be more." However, it seems she is unable to honestly say, "I love you."

As if to show Sora how to do it, the actress on TV said, "I love you. A world without you has no value. I can't live without you. I love you. I really love you. So..."

"..." When we're alone, Sora quickly turns red. (I want him to 'hug' me tight.)

It seems that's what she wants, so I call out, "Come here."

Suddenly, a phone rang. It was Sora's.

However, Sora doesn't seem interested in checking her phone, as she approaches me, who is facing the opposite direction, and hugs me.

'That's not right. You should look at me first before you start doing it.' I think to myself, this is the kind of silly thing a smartphone would say if it had a heart and a mouth.

•

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My sister is in an all-girls band in Tokyo, and about a year and a half ago she was innocently happy that she had signed with the indie label she had always dreamed of.

Their musical careers seem to be going well, and they always happily talk about their live shows and the TV shows they've appeared on.

However, looking at her through my smartphone, her face today looks dull. "What do you think, Shiori-chan?"　

"That's true..."　

According to my sister, there have been some strange phenomena happening at the live music venue recently. During the after-party time known as "Pub Time" after the concert, she says she hears a sound that sounds like someone scratching on a chalkboard.

"I'm not sure, but maybe it's a ghost?" I say with a laugh, "It's summer after all."

"I thought so too," she said, distorting her face in disgust.

"But it just makes a sound, right?" There's no need to be so scared.

"Seriously! Just think of it as one thing!" My sister has a gentle appearance that would suit a kindergarten teacher more than a band lead singer, so even when she's angry she has no impact at all.

"You know, Nee-san," I said, full of complaints in my heart, but she is just still not scary at all.

"There's a lovey-dovey couple in my class who are incredibly sensitive to spirits. Shall we ask them about it?" I'm also sensitive, but I think they're probably even more so.

"Is that okay?" My sister's expression changed completely. "Thanks. Shiori-chan, you're so kind."

Maybe she wasn't actually angry in the first place. Her smile made me think so.

"So," my sister said, shifting to a calmer voice. "What kind of people are they? This lovey-dovey couple?"

"A super beautiful, dependent woman and a dry, baby-faced man."

"...They seem like they have strong personalities."

Perhaps they are.　

•　

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•

"Sorry, I didn't notice." About an hour and a half after I'd sent the RINE LINE message, Sora replied. "What's you mean consultation?"

Without mentioning the rather unreliable excuse, I asked, "Sora and Minamoto are quite sensitive to spirits, right? It's something to do with ghosts, so can we talk right now?"

"Yes, we can."

So I called. "Hey, what's up?" I heard a voice in a hoarse tone, completely different from what I'd expected from her appearance.

"Well..." I explained what was happening around my sister. After I'd finished, I asked for her opinion, "What do you think we should do to stop the noise?"

"I'm not sure. Can I ask Mizuki?"

"Please do."

"Okay."

──Apparently, there's some kind of strange poltergeist-like noise at the live house. Hmm. How do you make it go away? It depends on the cause, so I can't give a general answer. Really? Yeah, I can't say for sure until I see for myself.

I could hear the two of them clearly, so I don't know how far apart they were talking.

"He said he won't know until he is there," Sora said.

"I heard everything. What position are you in now?"

"W-What position? Just a normal position..." She trailed off nicely.

"It's really hot today, isn't it?"

"Huh? So what?"

"Isn't it hot with you pressed together?"

"There's air conditioning and we're not wearing any clothes, so it's just right..." Sora stopped talking, realizing something.

"Sora, you are the kind that people refer to as ponchiki, right?"

"..."

•　

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Later, when I told Sakura about my sister in the rest area of the city library, she casually said, "Well, let's all go and have fun in Tokyo." She made the same expression I'd had when I'd said, "Let's stop by a fast food restaurant on the way home." "It's summer vacation, so wouldn't that be perfect?"

Now that she mentioned it, I suppose that's true. I'd love to see my sister again, and I'd love to see their live performance, so it might actually be perfect.

"I'd love to," Sora agreed, finishing off her strawberry milk. "But where are we staying?"

"I think we could probably stay at my sister's apartment..." I looked at Sora.

"What's going on?" Despite having consumed a ton of sugar, Sora's mind didn't seem to be working very well.

On the other hand, Sakura, who was taking a sip of unsweetened straight tea, didn't seem to be thinking the same. "You're wondering what Minamoto would say, right?"

"That's right," I nodded.

"Yeah, you're right. Even if he did come, he might not want to stay the only man in a place full of women." Or rather, "I don't want him to!" Sora added with the dignity of a true wife.

Sakura gave a nasty grin. "Why don't Sora and Minamoto stay at a hotel?"

Without any hesitation, Sora praises Sakura, saying, "That's a great idea."

Seeing her like that, I remembered something. "Now that I think of it, you ignored my RINE the other day and went off to do 'it' with Minamoto, right?"

"Oh~" Sakura responds, and Sora's face changes color as she says, "Eh?"

"What is Minamoto like? Is he good?" I can't really imagine that absent-minded Minamoto having sex. That's why I'm curious.

Sakura must have felt the same way. Her eyes were shining brighter than when she was studying. "Please tell us a little about your favorite sexual position," she asked, pointing imaginary microphone towards Sora.

However, she only blushed and said, "Shut up, anything's fine," with no intention of telling us anything.

"Sora seems like the type who loves the position where she can stick close with her guy." To me, the equation <Sora = clingy> has become a truth.

"I really understand that," Sakura replied, then played the role of a nuisance gossip reporter, asking, "And what about Minamoto?"

"Huh," her voice sounded troubled. However, perhaps realizing she couldn't escape, she confessed, "...he seems to like position where we can see each other face well."

"Anyone would say the same to you," Sakura seemed taken aback. The tension had disappeared from her voice. "Do you have any other interesting stories?"

"You're the one who want to hear it!" Sora said in exasperation. However, she responded to Sakura's expectations by saying, "I don't know about the others so it might be different, but I think Mizuki is probably good."

"Oh!" Sakura said, her interest revived.　

"Oh," of course I'm interested too.

"What do you mean?" asked Sakura.

Sora fidgets further, "...It's like he knows everything I'm thinking, and he does a lot of the things I want him to do without me having to say anything."

"Amazing"

"That's crazy"

Although the words may be different, Sakura and I are sure that we share the same feelings.

While we are astonished by this unexpected side of Minamoto, Sora seems to be somewhat smug.

It suddenly occurred to me. Maybe everything up to this point had been planned and hinted at...?

I look up at Sora. Her head seems empty. It must be my imagination after all. There's no way this kid would plan something like that.

"Be careful not to get lost in Tokyo," I found myself saying without realizing it.

"I'm not a kid anymore, you know."

Is that true?

•

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We were at Tokyo Station, waiting for my sister to come pick us up.

As planned, the four of us going to Tokyo will be me, Sakura, Sora, and Minamoto.

Sora appeared wearing large sunglasses. Apparently she was wearing them because she found the stares annoying in crowded places. The thought of asking if she was a celebrity crossed my mind, but she was good-looking enough that no one would suspect anything if she said she worked as a model and gravure idol, so I honestly came to accept that being beautiful must be tough.

However, it seems that sunglasses alone are not enough to hide her true self, and even now, people who spot her in the crowd at Tokyo Station are glancing at her. It's men and women alike, which is what makes it so scary.

The next thing they see is Minamoto, standing there at a distance they can recognize at a glance. Annoying emotions are flying towards him, but Minamoto seems unfazed, with his usual blank expression.

"Minamoto, are you used to dating beautiful women?" I asked him.

Minamoto glanced up at Sora for a moment and dismissively denied it, saying, "I'm not used to it."　

"But you're a playboy who's good at sex," I tease.

"I'm not good at it, and I'm not a playboy."

"Hmm."　

•　

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The first thing my sister said was, "Shiori-chan, it's been a while," followed by, "Girls this cute really exist!" when looking at Sora.

First, we headed to her apartment in my sister's car -- a minivan that can seat up to seven people. After dropping off our luggage and taking a short rest, we headed to the live house in question. 

"What do you usually listen to, Ayane-san?" Sakura asked my sister, who was in the driver's seat. "Is it Western music, as expected?"

"That's true for Shiori-chan," my sister laughs. "But I like Japanese rock."

"Oh, so you like cool stuff," Sakura replied safely.

"I don't look like it, do I? People often say I like slower songs."

"I can't deny that," Sakura sighed amusedly, and then turned to Sora, who was sitting next to her, saying, "You used to sing rock songs too, right?"

"Eh?" Sora, who wasn't particularly interested in singing, probably hadn't intended to join in the conversation. She was taken by surprise and let out a surprised voice. "Me?"

"Yes," Sakura nodded, then said the name of the song, "You were singing Fake Laughter."

"I sang, but..." Sora's words overlapped with my sister's, "Oho~."

"Sora's singing voice is cute too," Sakura said. "That's not fair, is it?"

"Wow, I'd love to hear it," my sister chimed in. "It would make Onee-chan so happy if you sang a little." Since when had this person become Sora's sister?

"Eh," Sora uttered, not only closing her vocal cords but also clenching her throat. "It's not good enough for a professional to hear."

"You don't need to worry about that. But if you really don't want to, you can just sing one verse." My sister was much more pushy than she looked. "Okay! Let's go then."

"Yeah!"

"Yey!"

Sakura and I blocked her each escape route with our same mindset.　

"One verse? Huh?" Sora was confused. "I'm singing? Seriously? And an acappella?"　

At this point, Minamoto, who had been silent up until then, said, "I want to hear it too."

"..." She suddenly became quiet, and then said bluntly, "I understand. Well then."

"Ahaha," my sister laughed.　

•　

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The live house in question is in Kichijoji.

We go down the stairs to the basement. There are a lot of advertising flyers plastered on the walls, but it's so cluttered that I don't feel like looking at them.

We come across a door with the word "regret" written on it. The girls opens it without any hesitation.

As we enter, a man working at the front desk on the right – his nameplate read "Shizuka Kentaro" – turns his head towards us. "Ah! Fumino-san, come in," he says cheerfully.　

"Yes, good work," replied the older sister, then looked at Sora and Minamoto and said, "I've brought some help."

"Usu" "Good evening"

"Oh, he is cute," Shizuka-san said, looking at Minamoto. "Is he from Kichijoji?"　

"!?" Sora was stunned and alert.

However, Minamoto remains calm. "I'm from the countryside in Tohoku."　

"Seriously?" Shizuka-san was also surprised, though not as surprised as Sora. "Thank you for coming all the way from so far away."　

"Can I take a look right away?" Minamoto asked, looking at the door at the entrance to the hall.　

There is no live performance today, so there are no band members or audiences.　

"Of course," Shizuka-san replied immediately.

•　

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She was on the stage.

Even though she is there, her outlines are vague and difficult to recognize. Her faces are particularly blurred, as if she is pixelated. The voice is female, so I can just about make out her gender, but other than that, I can't make out much.

She is definitely a ghost. It seems that no one but Sora, Minamoto, and I can sense her, but she certainly exists - the "sound like scratching on a blackboard" that my sister spoke of sounds like a gentle singing voice to us psychically sensitive people. In other words, the poltergeist's true identity was her song.

She said she could barely remember her name, her age, where she lived, or her loved ones.

But she want to see the person she love. She want to hear his voice one more time.

That's what she was thinking when she sang - apparently, when she sang, she felt like her lover would come to see her, so she sang in all sorts of places. And so, it seems that today she happened to be at "regret.　

"Ugh..." Sora's eyes were watering. Is it because Sora is weak that she is gripping the hem of Gen's T-shirt so tightly? Or is it because of the depth of her love?

"Ah, stop crying," the ghost tells Sora, "Your beautiful eyes will swell up."

Sora wiped away her tears with Gen's T-shirt and answered, ignoring the annoyed look on her boyfriend's face, "Well, uh, it's too sad to not be able to remember the person you love." Minamoto was on guard, telling her not to blow her nose on his shirt.　

"Thanks," the ghost smiled. I couldn't see her face, but I was sure she was.　

"Mizuki," Sora said, crumpling Minamoto's T-shirt even more. "Please do something about it," she said, sniffling, "It just pitiful." His T-shirt looked pretty pitiful as well.　

"..." Minamoto didn't answer right away, but after a short pause, he said, "Okay. I'll try," and combed Sora's slightly messy hair. 

"Hey, hey," someone said, poking me on the back. I turned around to see Sakura asking uncomfortably, "What should I do...?" 

I don't know the answer either.　

•　

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A few minutes later, Sora apologized for losing it all and declared that she had recovered, so I suggested we organize the information.

After listening to her in detail, I learned that, "When she was alive, she was in a band with her boyfriend," "The band probably had a mixed-gender vocal lineup," "The cause of death was cancer," "She only remembers singing one of their original songs (this is the one she sang)," and "The title of that original song is unknown." But on the flip side, that means that this is all we know. Would it be possible to find her boyfriend with just this little bit of information?

First, I tried searching for the lyrics of ghost's song, but I couldn't find anything that looked like it. Even an app that searches for songs by melody didn't work. This means that either she wasn't a professional or she hadn't released it yet.

Next, I searched for "band," "cancer," and "woman," but this was also a blank.

"Do you have any idea?" I asked my sister.

"That's not the case," she said, turning to Shizuka-san. "What about you, Kentaro?"　

"Hmm, I don't remember either," he muttered, even though he's been in the industry for nearly 20 years.

"Maybe we weren't very popular," the ghost said in an emotionless voice.

"But you're quite good at singing," I add, though I think when I see my sister and realizing that it's not an easy world where you can get by on just that.　

"Hey Mizuki," Sora said. "Just do that for me."

As we wondered what that meant with question marks on our faces, Minamoto immediately guessed what she was talking about, seemingly mocking her, and replied, "Sure," then, in the ghost's exact voice, asked, "What are you going to do?"

"No way...!" from Sakura.

"Are you good at other things besides sex?" from me.

"Wow, you have great vocal control," from my sister.

"Your voice is so cute!" from Shizuka-san

"Hehe," Sora smugly laughing, and Sakura and I immediately got to work, replying, "Are you bragging about your boyfriend?" "Yeah, yeah, good for you, huh!"

"N-no, that's not true," Sora protested, saying she wasn't bragging about her boyfriend or anything, so she was being stupid. She then made an excuse and a suggestion at the same time, saying, "I thought that if we uploaded a video of Mizuki singing in this voice on social media and said, 'If anyone used to be in a band with me, please contact me,' maybe we would get a direct message from her boyfriend." She added, "I don't brag or anything." There's no end to it, but no matter how you look at this, in the end she is just bragging.

"Sorry, but I can't copy her singing ability or singing style." Minamoto interrupted her idea.

"Oh really..." Sora looked gloomy.

"If you have such a flexible voice, surely you're good at singing too?" My sister suggested, but Minamoto denied it, saying, "My singing is average. I'm just an average amateur." However, he continued, "More importantly," he continued, "If there's someone here whose soul is compatible with her, we could have them possessed by her, and then have the possessed person to take the lead in singing, and I think we could make a reasonably good quality video."

So someone is going to lend the ghost their body so that everyone can hear her sing, and maybe her boyfriend will notice her.

"Sounds fun! I want to try it!" The ghost is enthusiastic.

"That's nice. I don't mind this kind of vibe," Shizuka-san joins in.　

"White Headache will also cooperate," my sister said, apparently intending to get the band members to act. 

"It's impossible unless there's someone with a soul suitable for possession," Minamoto says to the enthusiastic group of adults, particularly looking the only adult male in the group.

"I know," replies Shizuka-san, who doesn't seem to know much about ghosts. "But there's a possibility, right? Let's give it a try."

"I'm not stopping you," Minamoto says calmly, "I just don't want you to get your hopes up."

"Do you know how to possess someone?" he asks the ghost.

"I don't know!" I can't see her face, but her cheerful voice brings to mind a smile like a refreshing blue sky.

Is this okay?　

•　

•　

"I wonder?" Sora asks, possessed by the ghost. Perhaps Sora is asking the question at the same time, or perhaps the ghost is asking it.

Minamoto explains that for a powerless spirit to possess a living person, soul compatibility is important. Apparently, the success rate is generally higher for people of the same gender and age.

That said, Sora was the only one among us who successfully possessed.

The ghost muttered something that was both understandable and incomprehensible: "What's with this body... It feels like I'm driving a rear-wheel drive supercar on a snowy road." She then played the keyboard at the live house and sang.

The melody is a little different from what's popular these days. But it doesn't feel particularly old-fashioned. The tempo is neither fast nor slow, giving it a typical J-pop feel.

The voice itself is Sora's, but that doesn't diminish the song's appeal, and her singing technique exceeds the professional standard.

It's a sad, tender song. The first verse has them thinking back to a young, selfish love that ended, the second verse has them realizing that their feelings of longing still smolder, and then in the last chorus they reunite and confess their feelings. Such is the clichéd story.

To be honest, it's not my cup of tea. I don't think I'd enjoy listening to it.

But it's definitely a great song.

It's all the more frustrating. This song isn't made to be sung by one person. What we just heard is the version in which Sora sings alone, with all the male parts also performed by women.　

"I think it's good," says Minamoto.　

"Yeah," Shizuka-san agreed. "It does feel a little strange, but I don't think anyone would think it's an amateur song."　

"What should we do? Do we need a guitar or a bass?" My sister seemed to be planning to call in her band members if necessary.

"Thanks," the ghost smiled, "but it's okay," she continued, playing with the keyboard. Her fingers danced smoothly, and the melody we had just heard echoed once again through the quiet live music venue. "This is enough," she said, placing her fingers on her throat. "But let me practice a bit more. There are still some parts that I'm a bit scared of," she continued.　

"Okay. Then you can use the soundproof room in my house. I have all the instruments I need. It's small, though," my sister said with a laugh.　

"Really?! Thank you!" the ghost exclaimed happily.

"Where should we shoot?" Shizuka-san asked my sister.

"If we're going to do it, I don't want to compromise, so let's rent a studio. I'll pay for it."

Almost at the same time that my sister said something so generous, there was a vague sound. Minamoto took out his smartphone, so it must have been a notification from his phone. After confirming it, Minamoto spoke up, "There's something that's bothering me, so I'll go off on my own."

"Eh! Why?!" Sora cried out in a voice that sounded almost like grief. This couldn't have been the result of the ghost's possession. The way her facial expressions moved and the way she spoke were exactly like her usual self.

"...Maybe to check the answer."

Sora's voice saying "Ehhh?" permeated the live house.

•

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•　

"Are you going out alone, Mizuki?"

"No, I'll get a friend in Tokyo to accompany me."

"Woman?"

"Man"

"Where's the evidence?"

"Even if you say evidence..."

"Then send me a photo of you together."

"Okay."

"How long will it take for you to come back?"

"At the earliest, I think it'll be three days. But if things don't go well, it might take a little longer."

"Will it take that long?"

"Probably."

"...You have to do RINE regularly, you understand?."

"I know."

"You think it's a pain, don't you?"

"A little. But I don't mind."

"...Yeah."

That was the conversation that took place between the lovey-dovey couple three days ago.

And then, last night, we used the account of my sister's band, White Headache, where they had been uploading their own songs for some time, to post a video of Ghost singing. My sister had talked to the band members about it, saying that it would give us a better start.

I thought that if Sora was in the thumbnail, that would be enough to make it appealing, but Sora refused, saying, "I don't want my face to be shown. That's absolutely out of the question."

So the video ended up not showing her face. However, because she has a good figure, even just showing her from the neck down seems to have attracted a fair amount of viewers, and the number of views for the video is steadily increasing.

The description of the video reads, "If you know this song, please send me a DM," and we are currently waiting for a DM from Ghost's boyfriend or someone who knows the ghost.

"Nothing like that's coming." Sora, who had been glaring at my sister's computer, turned her chair around to face me. "Maybe I was too naive."

We are in my sister's room.

I tried to comfort her by saying, "There's only so much you can do, so it's neither sweet nor bitter," but Sora just replied with a difficult look on her face, "I guess so," and gave a dislike to the comment about the size of her breasts.

My sister and Shizuka-san asked people in the music industry in Tokyo about a mixed-gender vocal band whose female vocalist had died of cancer, but apparently everyone just shook their heads and said they had no idea.

We are in quite a bit of trouble.

It's only been about 15 hours since the video was posted, so we should be patient and wait, but that's not the case.

I looked over at the ghost standing by the window, gazing at the cloudless blue sky. Noticing me, she turned to me with a blank look on her face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

She seems less present than she was three days ago, which means there's not much time left.

According to Minamoto, the recent poltergeist incidents were the result of her panic at realizing her disappearance and strengthening her spiritual power, and she had known this would happen from the beginning. However, even so, it didn't feel very good.

Suddenly, she began to sway. "Can I ask one more selfish request before I die?"

"Yeah? What is it?" Sora replied. Her innerwear was faintly visible through her white T-shirt.

"I want to perform a live before I disappear." Her outline wavered hesitantly.

"O-okay..." came the half-hearted reply.

With a few exceptions, Sora dislikes being praised for her appearance.

That said, it wouldn't be such a big deal if it was a medium-sized or smaller live music venue. "Why not just sing wearing a mask? One of those you see in operas where they only cover the top half," the ghost said, making a ring with her fingers and placing it over her eyes.

"Ah, well then..." Is Sora surprisingly weak to pressure?

"Maybe Minamoto will fall in love with you all over again," I suggest, without any basis. "When he sees you singing on stage, a different Sora, he might compliment you and say you're 'cute' or 'cool'. No, he'll definitely compliment you a lot!" I say, pretending to know what's going on. "He'll love you more than ever, no doubt about it."

The ghost nods, "yes, yes." We think alike, huh.

"..." A pink hue emerges against Sora's fresh-snow-white face. "Well, well, even if we leave Mizuki out of the picture, I'd be happy to do it as long as I wear masks."

"Ahhh, Sora, you're so easy."

"..."