Serialized Novel | Spring, A Sonata for Two #9 《Conclusion》

This work is an entry for #CreativeAward2024.

《Click here for Chapter 1》

《Previous Chapter》

The final school day ended.

When I returned to the house in Ogigayatsu, suitcases were lined up in the entrance, and the housekeeper greeted me.
"Your luggage has already been packed here, young lady. It will be lonely, but please do contact us when you return."
"Yes, thank you for everything until now. I will definitely keep in touch."
My mother, who had hurried down the stairs, noticed my presence.
"We are heading to the airport in an hour. You should get ready quickly, too."
"Yes, Mother."
Saying that, my mother quickly left for the back of the hallway. I stared at her back.

Even though I was about to go to Vienna, no emotions welled up inside me.
It felt as if a gaping hole had opened in my heart.
My classmates had cried and said goodbye when I left, but I felt no sadness at all.
Because my emotions and tears had already been exhausted by this morning.
This morning, Mana confessed her feelings to me. She had finished writing the novel in time before I transferred. I was happy, thinking she must have written it with all her heart.
As I read it, a character named Luna who was somewhat similar to me appeared, and I read while empathizing with her. Gradually, I began to feel that the relationship between Luna and Tsukushi was just like me and Mana...
Along the way, I realized Mana's feelings for me.

...Actually, I had vaguely realized it for a while.

I thought that since I wasn't loved by my mother, I wouldn't be liked by anyone.
After realizing that my mother had no interest in me, I worked hard at piano to try and get her attention. I kept entering competitions I disliked, and I endured strict lessons without playing on weekends.
Even when someone said they liked me after seeing that, I felt it wasn't genuine affection for me. I thought that everyone at school only saw the superficial me, too.
At the end of the first year, a senior gave me a key, and I played the piano alone in the preparation room.
For the first time, I felt freedom. Even though I was in such a small room, I felt as if I had been released into a vast world. I realized that I didn't actually hate the piano I had been forcing myself to play.
Rather, I liked music more than before.
How comfortable it is to be in a place where no one knows me.
I like being alone. That's what I thought.
But after meeting Mana, I gradually began to change.

"That song from earlier was so beautiful, it was like this cherry blossom tree."
"...Amazing. You even compose music. As expected, Tsukishiro-san, you are an amazing person."
"I really love that song."

Mana was very sensitive and understood the music I created.
She said she liked the music I created just as I am.
For the first time, I felt like someone had acknowledged 'me'.

I started to enjoy going to school to see Mana.
Because I was a loner, I thought Mana, who was liked by her friends, was wonderful.
Wanting to become closer, I invited someone into the music preparation room for the first time.
As we spent time together, she changed into a 'special person' to me.
I felt like Mana had the same feelings as me.
But I wanted to confirm if Mana's feelings were real, and I feel like I was always doing things to test her.

After returning to the country, my mother's behavior was different than usual.
She said she wanted to 'see my performance.'
I was surprised because she had never said such a thing before.
Perhaps, I hoped, my mother was starting to take an interest in me.
But when I was actually watched by my mother, my fingers froze like stone and wouldn't move.
I couldn't perform as usual due to nervousness and impatience. I was too scared to look at my mother's face.
With a sigh, my mother said this:
"...Fine. I will assign you a teacher of my choosing, so work harder on your practice."
Saying that, she asked an acquaintance of hers to give me lessons on the weekends.
But I broke the promise myself.
What I felt when I was struck was that although my mother is always as calm as a lull, there are actually huge, stormy emotions swirling inside her. It was the first time I learned she was that kind of person.
Maybe I really hurt her.
Thinking that, I felt very sorry.
But when my mother said she was 'taking me to Vienna,' the first thing I thought of was Mana.
I thought, I don't want to be separated from Mana.
But I was afraid of being abandoned by my mother if I defied her any further.
So, I couldn't say I didn't want to go.
When Mana confessed to me, I was happy, but at the same time, I thought she was amazing for having the courage.
Seeing Mana trying to be honest with her feelings, I wondered about myself.

I cannot be as strong as Mana.
Do I, such a pathetic person, have the right to be by Mana's side?

The car entered the highway, carrying my mother and me toward the international airport.
From the car window, the twilight cityscape passed by at an incredible speed.
I learned that the time spent with someone is finite.
There were so many more things I wanted to talk about. Even though I realize it now, it is too late.

We arrived at Terminal 2 of the international airport.
Announcements for flights to various countries echoed through the airport, and I truly felt that I was leaving Japan.
"Let's go."
My mother headed toward the check-in counter.
"Yes..."
It was when I started to follow my mother that it happened.

Clink.

The sound of a key hitting the airport floor echoed.
It was the key to the music preparation room. It must have gotten mixed in with my luggage because I packed in a hurry.
It's meaningless for me to have it now...
I should have given it to Mana when we met. If I had done that...
At that moment, the scene of Mana sitting alone in that room looking lonely came to mind.
The image of Mana looking at the schoolyard cherry blossoms alone, visible from there, appeared in my mind.
I couldn't see her expression, but her back looked lonely.
At that moment, I suddenly remembered the ending of the novel Mana wrote.

《After restoring peace to the Spring Kingdom, the tunnel became connected to the world where Tsukushi is. However, if they don't leave the tunnel now, it won't open again for ten years. Luna tries to send Tsukushi off. Tsukushi says she doesn't want to go back. Luna makes a promise with Tsukushi: "You can't stay here forever, Tsukushi, go back to your own world. Let's meet again someday, for sure." Tsukushi goes through the tunnel while crying. When she looks back, the tunnel is already closed, and she can no longer go to the Spring Kingdom. Tsukushi is filled with sadness, but having gained courage from spending time with Luna, she goes to school and becomes able to make friends. Time passes, and ten years later, the adult Tsukushi stands in front of the tunnel. Cherry blossom petals fall onto Tsukushi's face, carried by the spring breeze from inside the tunnel. The End.》

I was startled.
Perhaps Mana might be planning to wait forever.
Even if ten years pass, just like that.
During that time, will Mana be looking at the cherry blossoms all alone?
That can't be, surely someone else will be by her side...

At that moment, my chest tightened painfully.

Oh, I hate that. I want her to wait for me. I don't want her to choose someone else.
It might be selfish, though.

I want to be the one by Mana's side.

"Yukiko? What are you doing? Come here quickly."
My mother noticed me standing still and called out.
"..."
"...Yukiko, hurry."
I was frightened by my mother's voice and pressed down on my trembling hands.
And then, I looked straight at my mother.

"...Mother, ...I can't go."

"...What do you mean?"
"...I want to decide my own way of life."
"..."
My mother looked at me with quietly surprised eyes.
"I didn't want to be hated by you, Mother, so I couldn't say it, but playing the piano has always been painful for me."
"..."
"But I thought I had to follow in your footsteps, or else I'd be left behind, and I was always anxious. So, I kept at it thinking I had to work hard, but it gradually became unbearable..."
My mother listened in silence. I don't know what she was thinking as she listened.
"This year, I got a key from a senior... a key to the music preparation room, and I started playing there in secret. Because no one was watching, I felt so relieved, and for the first time, I realized that piano is fun. So, I was composing and playing music freely as I liked."
"..."
My mother had an expression as if she were thinking something. I continued to speak.
"The time I spend playing freely in the music preparation room is important. There is someone who says they like my music. The time I spend with that person is very important to me right now... so..."

"I understand."

“...Eh?”
Did I mishear her? Did my mother really just say she understood?
My mother continued without changing her expression.
“I felt guilty for leaving you all alone. That’s why I thought I would stay by your side and take care of you this time. But that’s just my own selfishness, isn’t it?”
“...Eh?”
I didn’t understand what she meant. Because, my mother was...
“Don’t you not care about me at all...?”
“...You said something like that the other day, too, but that’s not true, is it? You are my daughter, after all.”
“...But, I saw it... In an interview, you said, ‘I love the piano more than my family or anything else. I can only take an interest in the piano’...”
“...So that’s it.”
My mother sighed deeply, as if she finally understood.
“So that’s what you were worried about.”
“Of course I’d worry... even Father...”
Hearing about my father, my mother wore a slightly lonely expression.
“...It must be my fault. I couldn’t spend much time with the two of you... But you know, that interview was different. I didn’t say that. I think I said, ‘For now, I want to focus on the piano more than time with my family.’”

No way... then does that mean I’ve been misunderstanding everything all this time...?

“Articles, you know... I think most of them are just lies. They always end up exaggerating things to grab attention. That’s why I tried not to pay much mind to them. But you and Yukiko weren’t like that, were you...”
No way...
“But, you hit me the other day...”
I remembered the pain in my cheek and covered it with my hand.
“I’m sorry about that... When you said to me, ‘You don’t care about me anyway, do you?’, I was shocked. I was sad that even though I love you so much, it hadn’t reached you. But I realized that I hadn’t been conveying my feelings at all. That’s why I thought I had to keep you by my side after all, but...”
“...”

Did she say she loves me? Me?

“Since you were a child, you were always considerate of your parents and never spoke your own feelings. But before I knew it, Yukiko had grown up, too.”
My mother approached me and placed her hand on my head. Such a warm hand...

“I love you, it’s the truth.”

At that moment, I felt large tears overflowing onto my cheeks.
I cried out loud, burying my face in my mother’s chest.
My mother hugged me gently.
I felt my world filling with light.

My mother wiped away my tears and smiled slightly.
“Besides...”
“...?”
“The piano in the preparation room is still there, isn’t it?”
“Eh...”
I looked at my mother, blankly.
“I was the one who fixed that piano.”
“Eh... no way...”
The first pianist... could it really have been my mother...?
“That piano was a favorite of mine, and just like you, when lessons were tough, I would go to the music room and play the songs I liked, however I wanted.”
“...So Mother feels that way too.”
“Of course. Everyone has tough times.”
“...So that’s how it was.”
I was able to feel a little closer to my mother.
My mother wasn’t perfect from the start either.
“It was an antique, so it was in bad shape, and at one point it was put away in the preparation room. That frustrated me, so I snuck in and fixed the piano. I thought it wouldn’t be fun if that was all, so I came up with the idea of making this preparation room a secret hideout for pianists. Hoping it would help the underclassmen who love music... I never thought it would still be going on today.”
I looked at the key I was holding in my hand.
This key had been passed down from my mother’s generation to mine.
“Hehe.”
“What’s so funny?”
My mother looks at me, puzzled.
“No, nothing...”

After all, my mother and I are connected through the piano no matter what.

A month had passed since Yukiko left.
Since then, I felt like there was a gaping hole in my heart, and I found myself spacing out more often.
How could I ever fill this hole...?
Spring passed, the rainy season arrived, and for a while, gloomy days continued.
In the midst of that, the day for the literary contest results arrived.
I had told Chikage, Yama-chan, and Himeko that I had been writing a novel all this time.
All three of them were excited, asking to see it, but I was too embarrassed to let them read it.
We all went to see the bulletin board where the results were posted.
To my surprise, my novel had won an honorable mention.
“No way...”
At first, I doubted my eyes, but my name was definitely written there.
We all looked at each other.
“Awesome!!”
We high-fived, and Yama-chan and the others were happy for me too.
I was truly glad I had worked hard.
Below the bulletin board, in the section for the work critique, a single comment from Yui Yugawa-sensei was added.

《While the overall technique is still immature, the author’s strong feelings cast a single bright light over the entire story, and it resonated deeply in my heart. I’d like to have such a wonderful romance myself.》

I was so happy that I couldn’t help but grin.
I savored the joy of winning, bit by bit.
But...
Ah, I wish Yukiko were here too...
I couldn’t help but think that.

No, Yukiko is working hard in Vienna right now, too.
If I’m the only one who stays down, Yukiko will worry about me.

That’s right, I’ll write my next work soon.
If I immerse myself in creation, I’m sure I won’t have to think about Yukiko.

“I’m off.”
The rain that had been falling until this morning had stopped, and the puddles that had formed here and there on the way to school were sparkling. I headed to school, jumping over them.

The classroom in the early morning for the first time in a while.
From outside the window, I could hear the chirping of cicadas that were a bit early.
I opened my notebook and started thinking about what to do, and just then.

I heard the sound of a piano.

The gorgeous sound of spring was coming from outside the window.
I looked up, thinking, ‘No way,’ and looked from the window toward the music preparation room.
The window was open, and I could see someone’s shadow.

I hurried out of the classroom, skipped several steps down the stairs with enough momentum to fall, ran through the empty hallway, and headed toward the music preparation room where the piano music continued to echo.

I opened the door.
There, indeed, was Yukiko, playing the piano happily.
“Yukiko!”
At my voice, Yukiko stopped her hands from playing.
“Why...”
Yukiko looked at me and opened her mouth.
“...Were you surprised?”
There was Yukiko, smiling mischievously just like always.

I let out a big breath, as if all the tension had left me at once.
“Of course I’d be surprised...”
Yukiko laughed, “Fufufu,” happily.
“So, what’s going on?”
Yukiko said with gentle eyes.
“...My mother changed her mind.”
“Your mother’s?”
“On the day of my departure a month ago, I threw a tantrum. I said that the time I spend in this room is precious, and that the time I spend with Mana is more important than anything.”
“...”
...Did she just say that the time she spends with me is important?
“When I said that, my mother said, ‘Do as you like.’”
“...”
“Mana.”
Yukiko walked up to me and said.

“I love you too.”

“...”

Before I could answer, Yukiko kissed me.

Yukiko's soft lips touch mine.
Time flows, feeling like an instant and yet an eternity.
Wrapped in Yukiko's gentle scent, I felt dizzy and ready to collapse.
"Are you okay?"
Yukiko catches me by the waist.
"Y-yeah..."
With Yukiko's beautiful face so close, I felt even dizzier.
"I'm sorry for making you wait..."
Yukiko smiles, looking a little apologetic.
"No... wait, that's right!"
I regained my composure and said, almost snapping at her.
"You didn't contact me for a whole month...! If you were here, you should have told me...! Do you have any idea how much I..."
I stopped there and let out a long sigh.
It was probably just one of Yukiko's playful tricks anyway.
"Hehe, I'm sorry. That's not it."
"Huh?"
Yukiko takes my hand and leads me to the piano.
Sitting down in front of the piano, Yukiko points to the sheet music placed there.
"I've been working on this piece until yesterday."
"Eh..."
I couldn't help but look deflated.
"A piece...? Don't tell me you spent a whole month writing this?"
"That's right. ...Mana, you wrote a novel for me, didn't you? I was so happy, so I decided I would do my best to write a piece for you, too."
A piece... for me. She had been working on it all this time...
"Yukiko..."
"Mana."
Yukiko gently took my hand and had me sit in the chair next to her.

"Let's go see the cherry blossoms together again next year."

Saying that, Yukiko began to gently play the keys with her beautiful fingertips.
As if to drown out the sounds of early summer, the spring melody Yukiko created grew large and spread through my heart like warm light.

The title of this piece is "Spring, A Sonata for Two".

《The End》