[Earth Gacha: The Story of Hikari Hoshino] Episode 2, Part 2 📖 ~Glitching from the Initial Settings~ What is the Logic of the Silver-Eyed Salvation?

"I can't rely on anyone"—in this unfair world, you and I met.
I will keep singing until those tears turn into paradise. Because a wounded heart will surely become a prism. Because it will start to emit a light that is yours alone.

🕊️Seeking a Perch

Ray dedicated a "Perch's Anthem" to Hikari,
and he continued to listen to Hikari's words as she spoke of her thoughts in a halting manner.

"What should I do after I graduate high school? I don't even have to graduate, right..."

"Hmm...?"

"Sometimes I think about leavingmy uncle's houseright now. But if I did that, people might thinkI was kicked out", and I don't want to leave like that..."

"Hikari, do you really want to leave your current house?"

"Well, I can't really do that, can I?" Hikari smiled.
"It's also true that there are times when I feel happy just having a house to return to every day..."

"School and home, independence and happiness, your future blueprint is..."

Ray made his fingertips dance over the strings as if calculating Hikari's birth date, converting those numbers into a sequence of sounds.

"YourSun signis Scorpio, your outward-facing will... an independent 'E'. Adding tension to that route is your
Moon sign, Pisces. It carries the resonance of 'G'."

He mixed a poignant open string sound into a powerful E major chord and began to play an Em9 arpeggio.

"Maybe it's okay for Hikari to rely on people more, or to lean on them... Your light is of the highest intensity, a violet light. Inside it, I saw a delicate shadow that even wishes to be absorbed by someone else's personality... Analysis complete."

Ray hugged his Telecaster tightly and closed his silver eyes.
"Alright, let's accept Hikari-chan's current feelings... I'm going into serious mode with Telecaster chord divination."

He plucked the strings as if in prayer.
"From E to Gm7, Cm7... A 'wanting to rely on someone but unable to' minor seventh. It's something Hikari has surely been holding back for a long time... no, it's an unknown part of you."

Along with the lingering resonance of the trembling strings, he spun his words.

"From F to B... The possibility of 'being able to smile a little more tomorrow' lands on B-flat... In other words, it feels like 'it's okay because there's someone I can rely on'... How is it?"

"..." To Hikari, who remained silent and looked up at him, Ray said again,

"It feels like, 'In the waves that visit like a cycle, now is a time of change. You don't have to decide anything, and surely everyone can be happy together.'"

"...ButI'm different from everyone else."
Hikari looked down and spat out the words a bit roughly.
"For a long, long time, onlywaves of misfortunehave come to me."

"It's okay," Ray replied without a moment's hesitation.
"I'll ride the waves with you. Whatever kind of waves Hikari-chan has."

🎵♩Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down
(Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay myself down)

Ray immediately played the strings and sang, but Hikari just kept her mouth shut and looked down.

"Hikari, as I said before, it's okay for you to rely on people more. You can be angry that you're still feeling troubled right now; let out yourtrue feelings. That's what it means to rely on someone."

"Father... I want to see Mother too, let me see them..."
Hikari was sulking, half-crying as she threw out an impossible request.

Ray lowered the volume on his Telecaster slightly, ran his fingertips gracefully over the strings, and let a resonant E-minor arpeggio, Hikari's favorite, ring out.

🧙‍♂️Ray: Revealing the "Logic of Light"

“A losing draw in life, a gacha—that’s what you call it, right? ...It’s not that simple. This place called Earth is riddled with bugs right from the initial settings... It’s no one’s fault; a bug is a design issue. That’s why errors are inevitable for everyone here. For everyone, without mercy. The gacha isn't a sign of unfairness, it’s actually a sign of fairness and equality.”

“It’s all just painful and sad... I’ve had enough of it...” Large tears overflowed from Hikari’s eyes.

Changing the chord from G to C, Ray caught Hikari in his gaze with his silver eyes. Distortion was added, and a sweet, bittersweet sound spread throughout the room.

“No one can escape pain. But it’s a fixed amount. The laws of nature are set. It won’t last forever.”

“But I’m already covered in wounds!” Hikari’s cheeks were like Niagara Falls.

“Wounds are medals...that’s the truth.” Ray leaned into Hikari’s sobbing and gently plucked a B-flat arpeggio.

“Because there are wounds, light refracts, and only then does it emit its own unique color. It’s the same as a prism creating a rainbow. Ever since Newton dyed the rainbow in seven colors—people have been chasing their own colors.”

Now, Newton! Hikari couldn't help but sharpen her hearing once again.

“An unblemished glass has no color... What kind of color you will shine with, Hikari, is still yet to come.”

“...So, what should I do?” Hikari sobbed, though she appreciated that he had stopped her tears.

“Let’s wait for the next wave together. Together with this Ray-chan.” He narrowed his silver eyes and enveloped Hikari in a smile.
“I’ll be right there, one centimeter from your right shoulder, anytime, anywhere.”

“What do you mean by one centimeter?” Hikari stared at him, bewildered.

“It means I’m watching over you by your side...”

“...Ray-chan,” Hikari whispered, her hand overlapping with the hand Ray used to hold the neck of the guitar.

Ray felt his heart tremble slightly—Hikari was touching his fingertips, too. Was she thinking of him playing the strings every day...? But, he couldn't get personally involved with her.

Even so, he couldn't leave Hikari feeling unstable right now—Ray made up his mind.

“Hikari-chan, do you want to try a quick hug, just once? He gently set the Telecaster aside and awkwardly spread his arms.

“...Yeah.” Immediately, Hikari wrapped her arms around his back and buried her face in his right shoulder.
Ray’s arms also wrapped gently around her back, applying a soft pressure.

Oh, how warm it was—it was different from the warmth of the mother she lost in her childhood, and different from the broad back of the father who used to protect her.
The strength of a man transmitted through her thin blouse—the sensation of her chest aching, the sweet intoxication, might have been spurred on by the scent of herbs.

The final sediment that had accumulated in Hikari’s heart melted away into hot tears.

Ray continued to wait patiently for her to regain her composure, occasionally patting Hikari’s back lightly or slowly stroking her hair.

Before long, Hikari flutters her long eyelashes and lets out a raspy voice.
"Thank you..."
Here, there is no need for a mask of smiles... It is a place where you can have someone understand the things you couldn't tell anyone else.

You are allowed to feel at ease, and even to be spoiled.
"Hikari-chan," he calls me like a small child—Ray, my Ray.
-chan...

"…Because your tears will surely turn into paradise."
Ray whispered in a low voice near her ear, as if in prayer.

It was like his own personal vow to help her overcome the long night that was about to begin.

Next time: [Episode 3] Part 1 No Family, No Friends, No Love: A Portrait of a 17-Year-Old's Loneliness "I Don't Need Love" ~The Lonely Melody and the Girl of the Sun~

🌎Previous: [Episode 2] Part 1

🌏First Episode

Ending PENICILLIN "99th Night"

Source: YouTube [Official] PENICILLIN "99th Night"

🎵Song Commentary

What kind of voice is Ray's sweet voice? Doesn't it sound like HAKUEI?
That is the reason for this song selection.

At the end of the story, Ray whispered "A vow to turn it into paradise".
The title of this song, "99th Night," seems to symbolize the place where a lonely soul waiting for dawn finally arrives.
The Charm of PENICILLIN: The charm of the band that took the 90s visual kei scene by storm lies in the "poison" and "glamour" hidden within their catchy melodies.
The addictive sound that you can't forget once you've heard it resonates with the tone of the Telecaster that Ray plays.

The music video, which condenses an aesthetic worldview, is a must-see!
The contrast between light and shadow, and the overwhelming visuals of the members, instantly invite the viewer into the extraordinary.
The one-and-only HAKUEI, the technical and passionate guitarist Chisato, the flashy GISHO who supports the bottom end, and O-JIRO who keeps a tight rhythm.
It is established by the miraculous balance of these four people♡

Have a more dramatic moment while listening to this song!
The moment the distance between their hearts closes should be etched into your heart more vividly and dramatically.

Ray's original image is a gray hoodie & green short coat, which overlaps with the philosopher type "Snufkin" from Moominvalley.

This time, I'm trying out a rock visual kei Ray☆彡
Which Ray do you like better? Please let me know secretly in the comments or by hitting the like button💕

🎁 A gift from the author

A video of a treasure box that brings good luck when watched, just for you...
Thank you for your support! I sincerely wish for your good fortune.

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#Fandom
#SelfEsteem
#HAKUEI
#Novel
#SerializedNovel
#PENICILLIN
#The99thNight
#MusicAndNovel
#VisualKei