First POV
Luckily, after taking the medicine and resting for a day, I was feeling as good as new. Haruka and Tomo bombarded me when they saw me the next day, happy that I was feeling good again. And hey, it was just in time for when we were about to head out for the summer camp. I was really excited. I'd get to see the ocean and do some swimming, but I also had to keep the whole partner thing in the back of my head. When we arrived at the island, all of us stood in front of the cottages that we'd be staying in as Ringo and Ryuya appeared in front of us, with Ryuya wearing a tropical shirt and some shorts, and Ringo wearing a yellow sundress with sunglasses and a sun hat.
"Now remember, the purpose of this summer camp is make a decision on the pairs for the graduation audition between the composer and idol course kids. This is the perfect chance to determine who your perfect partner will be," Ryuya explained with a smile.
Ringo smiled as well as he began talking.
"Everyone, make sure you interact with each other so you can seek out an appealing pair that will work for you. I pray that you all find your perfect match."
As I stood there listening, everyone around me began muttering on who they wanted to choose as their partner.
"Who are you going to choose?"
"I was thinking Jinguji."
"What?! No way! Don't you think he'll choose that (L/N) girl?"
I turned a little pink after I heard my name being said, but I didn't let it get to me. I found where Haruka was standing, and walked over to her with my bag and a smile. As soon as she and I caught up with each other, Tomo came over and jumped on us.
"You guys, I've decided!" She announced in excitement.
Haruka and I both looked at her in shock. That was quick.
"Already?"
"Lucky..."
She giggled at us and turned toward the crowd.
"Yeah, it's Yajima, the one I worked with on that last assignment. He makes some really fantastic tunes," she explained to us.
As she mentioned his name, a boy with glasses popped out of the crowd and began waving at us, with Tomo waving back. I smiled, happy that she had found her partner already. Which led me to start thinking, did Haruka have someone in mind? She hadn't really been talking about who she had wanted as her partner. She looked to Tomo with a smile.
"I'm happy for you, Tomo," she beamed.
"Hey, have you two decided?" She asked us.
I looked down in a comical gloom while Haruka smiled sheepishly as she rubbed my shoulder.
"Not yet..." we both muttered.
Tomo laughed at our actions as she looked to us again.
"Well, if you two don't decide soon, the person you want will be snatched away by someone else. Hey, Yajima! Let's meet up later!" Tomo called out to him as she dragged Haruka with her.
I giggled at my two goofy friends. As they walked off, I turned around and caught sight of Ichinose standing a little ways away from me. As soon as I saw him, my mind went back to what had happened between him and Haruka.
Flashback
"I think, it's the same for me," I heard Haruka begin.
"The same?"
"Um... For me, I wasn't able to play the piano all of a sudden. Even though I should've been able to, my fingers froze, and it was like my heart was froze as well. So, I think maybe, the same thing is happening to you, Ichinose," she explained.
Well, it wasn't exactly the same, but she was right when she said that she could understand just a little. I could too, with my whole parents thing and all.
"It's okay though, I'm sure you be able to sing. I too-"
"That's enough," Ichinose snapped slightly.
That got Haruka to stay silent and made me perk up. He had never really snapped at anyone before. He was wearing a cold glare on his face as he walked towards Haruka.
"I can't take any more of you saying that you understand me. You and I are nothing alike. Now, excuse me," he told her coldly as he walked off, leaving Haruka standing there, stunned.
I stayed hidden as he walked away and back to the academy.
Flashback End
I caught myself looking at him as I recalled the memory from yesterday. I wanted to talk to him, I really did. But, with the whole situation that had happened, I just didn't know how to approach him, or even what to say. He must've caught me staring out the corner of his eye, because he turned to look at me after that. I blushed when I realized he was looking at me, and averted my eyes quickly.
"(Y/N)! What are you doing?! Get over here!" Tomo called over to me while waving.
I turned to her voice, smiled, and made my way over to meet Yajima as well. As we talked amongst ourselves, I saw what looked like a big bird dancing. Then, the headmaster appeared under the bird, which was actually a hat, and was dancing around with torches.
"HAHAHA! Welcome to this island, loved by the Goddess of Music, Muse! If you feel the touch of a mysterious wind," he began as he grabbed Ringo's wrist.
I laughed a little as the headmaster raised Ringo's arm in the air as he continued to laugh while Ringo looked uncomfortable.
"Inspiration will come bubbling up! Let's go!" He yelled as he took off the hat and revealed a loincloth.
The headmaster then began running towards a dock.
"Enjoy~ This legendary island!"
And with that, he disappeared into the sea as the the students began to disperse. I took out a piece of paper with the information of where my cottage was located.
"Hey, I'll meet you guys a little later, okay?" I told Haruka and Tomo as I began walking off while waving at them.
I heard an 'okay, see you' from them as I began walking in the direction that I thought the cottage was located. I had my eyes on my paper, so I didn't even see that there was someone in front of me until I bumped into them, stumbling backwards as I felt an arm around my waist.
"My Lady, you really should be more careful and watch where you're going. Though, I don't mind bumping into you like this," a flirty voice that could only belong to one person said to me.
I looked up and saw Ren smiling at me. I blushed and stepped back a little bit.
"O-Oh, Ren. Sorry about that, I was just looking for my cottage so I could go put my stuff away," I told him.
He looked down at the piece of paper in my hand as I showed him the cottage number, cottage number 8. I looked back up at him, and saw that his eyes went a little wide, like he was confused or something.
"Something wrong?" I asked him.
"Well, not that I consider it wrong, but cottage 8 is the one Hijirikawa and I are in," he revealed to me.
I think it took me a second to process the words he had just said. When I did, I put my hands on the side of my head and began freaking out.
"What?!? T-T-That can't be right!" I yelled as I turned red.
But then again, the headmaster did give me two roommates back at the school that were guys. Ren raised one of his eyebrows as I calmed down. I was scared I offended him, so I began waving my hand frantically.
"I-I-I didn't mean to offend you or anything. It's just, well, this isn't the first time that this has happened," I told him as I apologized.
Ren began snickering a little bit with the back of his hand covering his mouth a little bit. But I could still see the smile on his face. I began to turn even more red.
"Little Kitten, you are just too cute sometimes. Anyway, what did you mean when you said this had happened before?" He asked me after he stopped snickering.
I was still red when I heard him call me 'cute', but when he asked me that question, he sounded a little irritated. I thought he knew who my roommates were, but I guess he didn't. I rubbed the nape of my neck a little bit as I explained the situation to him.
"Well, back at the academy, Headmaster put me in with Otoya and Ichinose as my roommates. Trust me, I tried to see if I could change, but he wouldn't allow it. So I know he'd say the same thing if we went to him now. But, that shouldn't dampen my spirit. You guys are my friends anyways, so that's a plus," I told him as I gave him a closed eyed smile.
After that little explanation, Ren took my hand and began leading me to where their cottage was. I kept telling myself there was nothing to worry about, since I had met Ren and Hijirikawa a few times when we were kids, but the part I was nervous about was that Ren was the biggest flirt in the whole school. But, I don't think he'd do anything. As we walked, I felt him intertwine his fingers with mine. I blushed, but didn't say anything and fiddled with my necklace a little bit.
"That's a beautiful piece of jewelry you have on there, my lady. Where'd you get it?" Ren asked suddenly.
I snapped out of my daze and wrapped my hand around it, and then showed it to Ren.
"Oh, I made it a while ago, but I've never worn it. I found an iris on my desk one morning, so I put one of the petals in it," I explained.
I had put some product in the necklace to make sure the petal didn't wilt or anything. Ren looked at it and smiled once again as we continued on until we finally made it to cottage 8. It had a good view of the ocean, and I have to say, it was a really nice cottage. I opened the door, and walked inside, seeing Hijirikawa sitting by the window, but he turned towards me when he heard me walk in. I don't think he was expecting to see me.
"(L/N), what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be going to your cottage?" He asked me.
I sweat-dropped, but laughed a little bit. He looked beyond confused.
"Well.... this is my cottage," I told him.
After explaining the situation to him, Hijirikawa completely understood, and told me to let him know if I felt uncomfortable at all. With that out of the way, my next concern was where everyone was going to sleep. There were two beds in the room, so one person was going to have to sleep on the floor since there wasn't a couch in the room.
"I can sleep on the floor," I offered right away.
Unfortunately, the odds were stacked against me.
"My Lady, you are not sleeping on the floor."
"For once, I actually agree with him. I can sleep on the floor. I wouldn't want you to get back problems because of it," Hijirikawa told me.
I puffed my cheeks out in a little pout, which received a small snicker from Ren. I looked around the room until I spotted the open closet. I set my (f/c) bag with (favorite design) on the bed and walked over to the closet. I was able to spot some extra blankets on the one of the shelves. There was one problem, they were on the highest shelf, and let's just say, I'm not the tallest person. I got on my tippy toes, but my fingers barely brushed the blankets. I was about to jump up, when I felt two arms wrap around my waist and lift me into the air. I had a feeling I knew who it was, but I grabbed the blankets as Ren set me down on the ground. I turned around, with pink on my face.
"Thank you," I told him quietly.
Hijirikawa didn't look too impressed by Ren's actions, but Ren ignored his glare.
"Anytime, Little Kitten," he winked.
With the pink still coating my face, I took the blankets, and laid them on the ground, making something that resembled a futon. When I was done, I stood up and looked to Hijirikawa.
"There, it's not the best. But it beats sleeping on the bare floor completely. And, your back won't be sore in the morning," I told him.
He stood there shocked for a second, and that was when his face turned a bit red. Ren stood there with a soft smile on his face.
"She's still that kind angel from years ago, isn't she, Hijirikawa?" Ren asked the blue haired boy.
Hijirikawa snapped out of his small daze, and covered his face a little bit with his hand.
"Y-Yes, thank you very much, (L/N). I appreciate your kindness," he thanked as he gave me a small bow.
I began waving my hands a little bit, trying to get him to stop.
"No, please don't bow. You're my friend, of course I'd do it," I smiled.
Hijirikawa stood back up, and gave me a small smile as well. After that was dealt with, I went into the bathroom and changed into my swimsuit, which was two piece. It consisted of the top being black with purple and blue flowers and a black bottom with the same design, also showcasing my birthmark on my rib cage. I also had a sarong to go around my waist when I was walking around.
I put my hair in a side, fishtail braid before smiling at myself in the mirror. I was so excited, I hadn't been swimming, or even to the beach, in a long time. I opened the door, walked out of the bathroom and went to grab my things before I left.
"*Whistles* Wow, Little Kitten. You look like a model in an outfit like that."
"Jinguji, leave her alone."
I blushed hard when I heard Ren's words, but muttered a small 'thank you'. But, before I could leave, Ren stopped me quick. I turned towards him, and saw that he had a dark magenta hibiscus flower in his hand. He was getting really close to me, so I began to stiffen a little. I could hear that Hijirikawa was getting uncomfortable with how close he was getting to me as well.
"Jinguji-"
"Relax, I'm not gonna do anything. Would you mind holding still, My Lady?" He asked me softly and kindly.
I nodded with pink still visible on my cheeks. I felt him move my hair behind my right ear a little bit, and then placed the flower in its place.
"There, that adds more to your beauty. Now go have some fun, Little Kitten. I'll see you later," he winked.
I smiled at both of them and nodded.
"Yep, I'll see you both later."
And with that, I sent a quick text to Haruka and Tomo as I headed down to the beach, excited to feel the salt water on my skin. I finally made it down to an area away from the cottages, and I had to just stand there for a minute. I had to admire the aqua blue sea water, the way the light bounced off of it, causing a beautiful glitter. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore. Nothing was better than this. As I stood there in silence, I heard someone calling my voice off in the distance.
"(Y/N)!"
I turned in the direction that I heard the call, and saw Otoya running in my direction. I smiled and waved.
"Hi, Otoya!" I called to him as he finally got close enough to where he didn't need to run anymore.
He caught his breath real quick before he spoke.
"I was looking for you," he told me.
I raised one of my eyebrows as I walked over to him.
Third POV
Ittoki was taken back. (Y/N) looked absolutely stunning in her beach attire. He felt the heat and blood rushing to his cheeks as she approached him.
"You were looking for me?" He heard her kind voice ask.
Ittoki snapped out of his daze, and remembered the main reason why he needed to find her in the first place.
"Uh, there's something I really wanted to talk to you about," he started.
But he trailed off slightly as he kept looking at the girl. The way her hair was braided, how her attire fit her perfectly, and how the flower brought out the beauty in her face. It was all beautiful to Ittoki, but he saw his friend tilt her head, waiting for him to continue. He closed his eyes and looked down, still with the blush on his cheeks.
"It's.. hard for me to say, but... let me start over," he told her while trying to find the right words.
"Of course, take your time," she smiled.
Ittoki opened his eyes again, and then looked straight at (Y/N).
"I love... the music.. the music that you make. How do I put this? Your music is kind, warm, and is full of emotion. I feel that it's you, (Y/N). I... wanna sing songs that you make, and since you're taking the idol course, I want to sing with you, too," he confessed.
While the red head did love the music that (Y/N) made, and how her voice sounded like that of an angel, it wasn't the exact words that he wanted to say. But, because of the rule at the academy, he wouldn't be able to say it. Seeing that (Y/N) was a bit surprised by his sudden speech, he still had one thing to tell her. But he remembered that he had to go somewhere, so he ran off, but not before turning around and sending the shocked girl a big smile.
"I'm gonna write your name down as my 'hoped partner', (Y/N). That's what I wanted to tell you. I'll see you later, okay?" He called out as he disappeared from her sight.
(Y/N) couldn't say anything in the moment. She didn't think Ittoki felt that way about her, causing her to turn red when she recalled his words. If she had to be honest, it almost sounded like a love confession. Once that thought hit her head, she shook her head immediately.
'No, that can't be possible. Besides, romance isn't allowed anyway,' she thought to herself.
With that little thought out of her head, although she would consider the fact that Ittoki wanted to be her partner, she found a little spot to set her stuff down. As she put on a little sunscreen, she felt two hands cover her eyes.
"Guess who?" The familiar voice told her.
She smirked while giggling a little bit. She knew exactly who it was.
"I know it's you, Syo," she giggled as he took his hands off of her eyes while laughing.
"Yep, you got me. You going swimming?" He asked her, while getting a full body look at his best friend.
Before, like with Ittoki, he thought she looked absolutely stunning. Syo found himself turning a little red as he heard her answer him.
"Yeah! Did you want to come with me?" She asked.
As he snapped out of his daze, Syo knew this would be the perfect opportunity to spend some quality time with the girl without the interruption of his taller best friend.
"Race you to the water!"
(Y/N) watched as Syo began running to the end of a dock that was set up by the water. She smiled, and took her sarong off before running after Syo.
"Wait up, Syo!"
The two of them ended up tying before they stopped at the end of the dock before jumping into the cool ocean water. They both resurfaced, catching a breath from their jump. The water was crystal clear, and there were schools of small tropical fish swimming by them. (Y/N) was in heaven, and Syo could tell she was really enjoying herself. To him, just seeing her smile was enough to make him be happy as well.
Since (Y/N) was an animal lover, she dove down in the water to get a better look at the creatures that were happily swimming around them. Syo stayed above the surface, but he wanted to have a little fun. So, without her knowing, Syo dove down behind her, slowly put his hand out, and began tickling her on the rib cage. (Y/N) was very ticklish, so she jumped and let out a burst of air when she felt fingers tickling her. With having run out of air, she surfaced and began laughing. But then she smirked, wanting to get her strawberry blonde friend back. She waited for him to surface before she splashed him with the water around her. It certainly surprised him, but that sparked a splashing war between the two.
"Admit defeat, (Y/N)!" Syo yelled as he splashed her again in the face.
"Never!" She yelled as she did the same.
With their arms becoming tired, Syo and (Y/N) called a truce. As they laughed at themselves, Syo noticed something on the (h/c) haired girl's left shoulder blade and traveling down to her elbow.
"(Y/N), what's that?" He asked as he pointed to her left arm.
The girl looked down at her arm, and noticed the brown marking on her skin forming a manta ray. When she noticed it, excitement fill her body.
"Oh wow! I'm getting another one. Another one of my weird birth marks!" She exclaimed as she and Syo swam to shore.
Once they got there, Syo took a picture of her shoulder blade to show her that there were also three turtles attached to the manta ray part of the marking. It wasn't as dark as her other ones, which is probably why she never noticed it. But she was excited to see another one forming anyway. Syo had to admit, her markings fit her really well, plus he thought they made her look a little badass. As they dried themselves off, Syo received a text from Shinomiya. Knowing that Shinomiya would come looking for the petite boy if he wasn't there right away, Syo told (Y/N) he'd see her later while running back in the direction of the cottages. (Y/N) told him the same while waving to him.
Back at the resort area of the island, Ringo, Hyuga, and Shining were all relaxing on the beach chairs with Hyuga getting a tan in the sun, and the other teachers in the shade of the large umbrella by them. Off to the side, Ren sat reading a magazine with the flock of girls surrounding him.
"Hey, hey, Ren. Who are you going to choose?"
"Yeah, do you have someone in mind?"
As the girls began asking the golden haired boy who he had wanted as his partner, he looked down and smirked.
"Hmm, who should it be?" He asked in a seducing voice.
That made the girls begin to squeal as they began saying it should be themselves that should be his partner. However, Ren's smirk disappeared since he knew the person who would be perfect as his partner, and was simply flirting with the other girls as he normally would. In a different area of the resort, Syo finally made his way to Shinomiya, who he saw relaxing with a tropical drink. As he made his way over to his tall friend, Syo couldn't believe that the whole island belonged to just one person.
"This whole island belongs to the headmaster? Seriously?!" He asked himself as he sat down across from Shinomiya.
Shinomiya looked relaxed, since he too was enjoying the peacefulness of the island.
"It certainly is paradise on Earth, isn't it?" He asked Syo as he took a drink from his smoothie.
Syo looked back to the water, wishing he could've spent more time with (Y/N). But, his mind went to the whole purpose of the summer camp as he turned to Shinomiya.
"By the way, Natsuki. Have you decided on a partner yet?" He asked.
Shinomiya didn't answer right away. Instead, he kept his eyes closed and kept a serious expression on his face.
"How about you, Syo?"
His sudden question threw Syo off guard. Of course, Syo knew who he wanted as his partner, but he didn't want to reveal it to anyone yet.
"I.. uh..."
"Huh? Is it a girl?" Shinomiya asked since he noticed Syo's hesitation.
Syo turned to glare at his friend.
"W-What the hell? I asked you first."
Shinomiya looked off in the distance to the ocean as he thought for a second. He too, didn't want to reveal who he wanted as his partner, so he tried to think of something to say.
"Well, recently, there's someone who I've been charmed by. Someone, who already accepts all of me," he said.
Syo had no idea who he was talking about, but he could tell that the taller blonde was quite fond of this person that he spoke of. Hopefully, he wasn't talking about her.
Timeskip
With the sun setting on the beautiful island, everyone was beginning to make their way back to the cottages to call it a night. (Y/N) had gone over to see Tomo and Haruka before she headed back to the cottage. Ren took that opportunity to take a quick shower before the said girl came back. Hijirikawa was standing by the window, gazing out towards the sea. Once he heard Ren come out of the shower, the blue haired boy took the opportunity to ask the flirt something as Ren walked out of the bathroom while drying his hair.
"Jinguji, who are you going to pick?" He asked.
As Ren dried his hair, he looked down and smirked.
"I'm going with my heart. Although, I do have someone I want to pursue. How about you?" he asked his childhood friend.
Hijirikawa narrowed his eyes slightly as he listened to the flirt's response. But, he decided to make it known that he too, had chosen a partner, although, he had a feeling he and Ren may have been talking about the same person.
"I've decided in my head. I intend to tell her sooner or later," the reserved boy admitted.
Once Ren heard the word 'her', he narrowed his eyes at his rival. While he thought Hijirikawa could've been talking about someone else, Ren had never heard Hijirikawa talk so highly of a girl before. And he knew that the reserved boy could only be talking about one girl.
'You're a fool if you think I'll let you have her, Hijirikawa,' he thought to himself.
The two stood there in silence, but before long, they both heard the door to their room open. (Y/N) walked in with a smile on her face, but when her eyes laid on Ren, she realized, that he was only wearing a towel around his waist. That was when the boys saw her turn red. Really red.
"AHH! I'm sorry I'll let you change!" She yelled quickly as she slammed the door, leaving her outside of the room.
Hijirikawa sent Ren a look as he snickered a little bit.
"I'd better get changed. Don't want to keep the fair lady waiting all night," Ren told his rival as he went to change in the bathroom.
First POV
After that whole fiasco with Ren, which I wanted to forget, we all settled down for the evening. As I laid on the bed closest to the balcony, I found myself unable to sleep. It wasn't because I was uncomfortable or anything, but I had a lot on my mind. I still had Ichinose on my mind, plus there was the fact that Otoya wanted to be my graduation partner, even though I still had no idea who I wanted as my partner. I quietly got up from my bed, and walked out onto the balcony. As I looked out to the sea, I heard a familiar little noise.
"Meow~"
Thinking I might've been hearing things, I looked over, and saw a familiar pair of emerald green eyes. I smiled after I saw the full figure of Kuppuru sitting there with his cute little cat smile.
"Kuppuru! What are you doing here? Did you hitch a ride with someone?" I asked the little feline as I picked him up and hugged him gently.
He responded by kissing my nose. I giggled since it tickled my nose.
"Hehe, that tickles. Your eyes kind of reflect what I'm feeling right now in my heart. I just can't get Ichinose out of my head... I wish there was something I could do for him," I told Kuppuru as he listened.
After I told him what I was feeling, Kuppuru proceeded to jump out of my arms and run off into the forest. But he stopped, like he wanted me to follow him. As I walked toward him, he ran off deeper into the forest.
"Kuppuru, wait up!" I called as I ran into the forest.
Luckily, there was a trail for me to follow, but I couldn't see Kuppuru anywhere. I stopped to catch my breath, and to call out to the black cat again.
"Kuppuru, where'd you go?!" I called as I continued to run through the forest.
After running for a few more minutes, I came upon a clearing. When I walked into the clearing, I was amazed by the sight before me. I had to stop and stand there for a minute. It looked like an ancient ruin. I slowly walked further into the ruins, admiring the art and sculptures that I saw on the walls of what I thought was the remains of a palace.
"This place is beautiful.." I breathed quietly.
As I stopped in front of one bush that had some small flowers on it, I saw the fireflies beginning to glow around me. One landed on my nose, but as it flew off, I followed it. And when I turned around, I saw a boy with dark hair, tan skin, and wearing a short sleeved emerald green robe that matched his eyes. He looked to be a little younger than me, and he was giving me a kind smile.
"I've been waiting for you, (Y/N), my princess," he told me.
I blushed at his little nickname he had called me.
'Princess?'
After he said that, the mysterious boy began walking towards me.
"My name is Cecil, the Prince of Agnapolis, a country far west of here," he introduced as he stopped in front of me.
I looked up to him in surprise, since he was a bit taller than me.
"You're from another country? But, how did you get here? And how do you know my name?" I began asking.
How on earth did this boy know me? I've never even seen him before, but I didn't want to be rude. He gave me another princely smile before he grabbed my hand gently.
"Because, my dear princess, I've met you many times before. You were the one that saved me from my injury, and for that I am forever grateful," he told me as he got down on his knee while putting his hand on his chest.
I blushed at his actions, but then I realized something. The only thing that I've seen injured was... Wait, was he....?
"You're... Kuppuru? The cat that I.. Ugh!"
I made the noise as my face exploded in a shade of red. I heard him snicker a little bit as he stood up, but kept my hand in his.
"Yes, I'm the cat you've hugged and taken care of. You have a truly beautiful and kind heart, (Y/N). You were the only one who heard my calls, but I was hoping to see you again," he told me as he planted a loving kiss on the back of my hand.
That's when I turned even more red. I had to put my hand on my cheek to try and hide it, but there was no way I could. The redness and heat traveled to my ears.
"O-Oh, I see. I'm glad I could help you. But, I don't want you getting hurt any more okay? Promise me?" I told him suddenly as I held out my pinky to him.
Cecil seemed to be taken back a little bit. I got scared that I had offended him. I began waving my hands around in front of me.
"Ah! I-I'm sorry, that wasn't meant to offend you!" I began saying, only to hear him laugh a little as I stopped and looked at him.
"My princess, you are simply too adorable. I completely understand, I promise you that I will try to not injure myself anymore," he said with a smile as he held his pinky out to me.
I smiled back at him, and intertwined my pinky with his, sealing our promise. After that, he pulled me towards him as we looked into each other's eyes. I blushed once again as he kept the same, charming smile on his face.
"Even though we have met before, in the past, now the present, I'm sure we will see each other in the near future as well, (Y/N). I want to show you my heart, and give you a beautiful dream."
When he said that, the fireflies began to gather around us. It was like a magical mist, and I looked around at them before turning back to Cecil.
🎶tsukikage no Sea watatte oide
🎶sono te ni ima ai ga mezameru kara
As he sang, he pulled me to his chest, as he looked into my eyes. They were so full of love and passion. And I have to say, his voice is beautiful.
🎶towa wo utau shiosai no koe
zutto ANATA sagashi tsudzuketeta
meguri au unmei wo daite
kono sekaijuu kara ai no uta wo atsume
sono kokoro sono yume e tsugeyou
WATASHI wa tada ANATA no tame
umareta "mamoribito" to
madoromi no Veil matou hanayome
kioku no sora hane wo kazashi ikou
haruka mirai mata deau darou
owari no nai yume ga tsutau kara
ikusen no bara yori mo saite
ikuman no hoshi no uta yori kirameite
utsukushii ANATA e to chikaou
hidamari no you shinjitsu wo sotto
terashi tsudzukute yuku to
haha naru ginga e to toumei na fune ukabe 🎶tabi he deyou
It was like Cecil's song transported him and I flying through the sky, admiring the sights below us. I saw him looking at me out the of the corner of my eye, so I turned to look back at him. He simply kept gazing into my eyes as we were transported back to the ruins.
🎶meguri au unmei wo daite
kono sekaijuu kara ai no uta wo atsume
sono kokoro sono yume e tsugeyou
WATASHI wa tada ANATA no tame
🎶umareta "mamoribito" to
I opened my eyes, and let of a sigh of awe. That song was absolutely beautiful. As I stood there, I saw him look down at my necklace.
"I see you kept the gift I left for you," he told me as I place my hand on the petal pendant.
"Yes, I loved it. Irises are my favorite," I smiled up at him.
He let out a small sigh.
"Good, I was worried you wouldn't like it," he admitted.
Did my opinion really matter that much to him? I would've loved whatever he had gotten for me, even though he didn't need to. I looked back up at him.
"Cecil, I have to ask. Who...who are you?" I asked.
I was curious, it seemed like there was more to him than what I had first thought. I wanted to know why he knew so much, but in a polite and friendly way. I think he knew what I meant, as he led me over to a wall that had beautiful sculptures engraved into them.
"Long ago, my clan was washed to shore on this land. Beautiful flowers..." he trailed off as he picked a small, pink and white flower from the bush.
"From the trunk of one tree, life is given, making flowers bloom in splendor," Cecil explained as he placed the small flower in my hand as he continued on.
"Muse, the guardian deity who guided us, speaks thus. The days of doubt will continue. But they exist to challenge you, to spin out something rich and beautiful. In the course of time, what you create will bring about a miracle," he told me.
What I create, will bring about a miracle? What did he mean by that? Guess I really didn't know how to ask that, and I felt my eyes getting really heavy. Before I felt my eyes close, I felt Cecil put his hand on my cheek, and planting a small kiss on my forehead.
"May Muse bless you with divine protection..... I will see you soon, my dear (Y/N)," I heard his voice fade as I closed my eyes completely.
The next thing I knew, I felt the soft sheets underneath me as I opened my eyes. I was back in the cottage, laying in my bed. I saw that Ren and Hijirikawa were still sleeping in their beds, moving occasionally.
"Was that just a dream..?" I asked myself as I sat up in bed.
While rubbing my eyes, I felt something in my hand. I looked down, and saw the same flower that Cecil had given to me in the dream. I smiled a little bit, knowing that, maybe a part of it wasn't a dream. Seeing that I was wide awake now, I decided to take a walk on the shore. When I made my way down to the shore, I saw a figure walking away from me a little bit. As I got a bit closer, I saw that it was Ichinose. I began running after him a little bit. Now may be my only chance of getting to talk to him about everything, and to clear things up.
"Ichinose!" I called out to him as he stopped where he was and turned around.
I finally caught up to him, and put my hands on my knees to catch my breath. I finally stood up and looked at him.
"Um... Uh...." I started, not really knowing how to start off.
"I've been thinking about you," he started.
I immediately perked up when he said that.
"Ever since we first met, I've hurt you and Nanami. That day, when we met in the dorms, the day of the songwriting results. Because I couldn't sing right, that doesn't justify snapping at you like I did," he told me.
I shook my head immediately.
"I was the one who was eavesdropping, so it was my fault for overhearing what you were talking about. And, the last time you and Haruka talked, I was there too, and I'm sorry for that," I admitted as I bowed slightly.
"I knew you were there, so please don't apologize. I'm guessing it was because you were worried. I was just angry with myself, unsatisfied that I didn't know whether I was Tokiya or Hayato," he explained to me.
He sounded really genuine. I was never mad that he had gotten angry at me before. I knew I was in the wrong for listening to something that I shouldn't have. And I wanted to tell him the truth on how much he's done for me personally.
"I want you to know something. Your music, your songs, they've not only helped Haruka, but have showed me how powerful music can be. Your singing saved her when I couldn't, and I couldn't be more grateful. And you know, whether you sing as Tokiya or Hayato, that honestly doesn't matter to me. It shouldn't matter who you are when it comes to music, at least that's what I think," I told him as I felt small tears come to my eyes.
I saw him look up at me with a bit of shock in his eyes. I want him to have hope again for his singing, and I was willing to do everything I could to help him do it.
"You really are a kind person. Soon after I debuted, I lost my aim, and then, I was hospitalized after an accident..."
And then, he went on to tell me about how when he was in the hospital, he met a group of kids singing Amazing Grace, and how him singing then, was the best feeling in the world for him. It was emotional, so I was crying at this point. When he was done, I saw small tears in his eyes as well.
"I'd do anything to sing. Songs, they're all I have-"
"Then sing!"
My sudden burst caused him to look at me, surprised that I had raised my voice. But it wasn't in anger. I continued to let the tears fall as I let everything out.
"I want to hear you sing. And I'm not speaking for Haruka this time. I'm speaking for myself when I say, I love your songs. I love your singing. I want you to find that hope again, and to keep singing. Please, if not for me, then do it for Haruka.." I finished as I closed my eyes to wipe my tears.
I was little embarrassed to be full on crying in front of him, but he needed to hear what I had to say. I wanted him to keep fighting, and to not succumb to the feelings of him not being able to sing.
"I will... I'll try to start again. One more time, from the beginning. I'll sing," I heard Ichinose say as I opened my eyes.
I looked up at him, and saw him standing there with hope flickering in his eyes. I smiled, even with the tears still falling from my eyes.
"Ichinose..."
"Call me 'Tokiya'," he said suddenly.
I gave him a surprised look.
"B-But-"
"Please, it's the least I can do for now. For all of the kindness you've shown me," he told me.
I looked at him for a second, before I finally agreed.
"Alright, then call me '(Y/N)'. It's only fair."
And with that, I saw him smile at me with soft eyes. I blushed a little bit, but I didn't care. Finally, finally, Tokiya and I were on good terms, and it was like a new friendship was beginning between us.
After that, I had to make my way back to the cottages, and the sun was up fully by the time I saw the cottages. When I got up there, I saw Ren leaning against the railing while holding a light pink and white hibiscus. He must've heard me walking since he turned around as soon as I got up there.
"Well, morning, Little Kitten. You know, this island air told me something," he said as he began walking toward me.
"Oh? And what's that?" I asked with genuine curiosity.
When he finally made his way up to me, Ren got really close to my face with the flower as well.
"It told me, that the person who is to make music with me, Ren Jinguji, is (Y/N) (L/N). You," he winked.
I had no words, no words whatsoever. I had no idea, what was to come after we returned home.