Bad News or Good News

For the first time in forever, Nami felt like she had true freedom of thought. No shame or guilt kept her from holding a perspective that didn’t align with society and its standards. She didn’t care, because now she knew she wasn’t the only one who doubted the system they lived in.

And it was all thanks to Atsushi.

After their first meeting, she would have never expected to have a positive opinion of him. To be fair, he hadn’t given her a good first impression, so how could she have known he was so accepting and open-minded beneath the fake politeness and the smug look he so often wore?

As she opened the apartment door with the card key she had struggled to find in the depths of her handbag just moments ago, she kept replaying the day’s events in her mind. The whole underground bar felt like a dream. Nami still struggled to accept it as part of her reality. But real or not, she now felt the urge to finish her melody—the one she’d been stuck on for so—

“Where have you been?” Tsukasa’s voice suddenly jolted her out of her dream-like state. “You didn’t say you’d be late, and you didn’t answer my calls either.”

The apartment was dark, with only one lamp in the living room casting a dim light that set an uncertain mood between them.

“You called?”

Nami knew she sounded foolish asking, but it was all she could stutter out, feeling as if she’d been caught in some wrongdoing.

But she hadn’t done anything wrong, had she?

“I’m sorry. I was just so focused on my work. I should have checked my phone.”

“Is that also why you’re not wearing your Soullet?”

Nami had never heard such an accusatory tone from her lover, and the worst part was that she couldn’t even blame him. If she were in his place, she’d be angry and frustrated too. Oddly, it made her feel good; as crazy as it sounded, his reaction felt natural, as if it were okay for him to be upset with her. Still, she needed to explain the absence of the bracelet on her wrist.

“Yes and no. I had to take it off to go somewhere to find inspiration.”

It was a vague explanation, but she doubted the whole story would make sense to him. Tsukasa wasn’t like Atsushi; he wouldn’t fully understand her fascination with the Soullet-less environment.

“I—huh?” The confusion was evident on his face, but unable to form another question, he set it aside and continued, “I just… I don’t want us to…”

Argue.

Nami knew that’s what he wanted to say, but the word couldn’t quite leave his mouth. After all, they were soulmates. Soulmates don’t argue. The Soullet system repeated this mantra endlessly. It was frustrating, and the brown-haired woman was starting to get annoyed. It was absurd. Being angry at someone for not being angry at her—it was ridiculous. People might call her insane, but she didn’t care. She valued the authenticity of feelings over hiding true emotions out of cowardice.

“You know you have every right to be mad at me, right?” she began, hoping he’d understand. “I was being selfish and careless.”

Tsukasa seemed torn, as though he were glad she understood the issue but also hesitant to show any distrust or discomfort.

“No, I—I’m not mad; I was just… worried. And I guess I was anxious to tell you the news, so it probably made me overreact.”

Nami sighed tiredly. If Tsukasa still wanted to pretend everything was perfect, so be it. It was late, and she didn’t have the energy to challenge him.

“What news?”

He stepped back to lean on the back of the couch.

“I mentioned before that the producers were talking about changing the project’s setting. They decided it would be best to film part of the movie abroad. In Italy, specifically, and… they think that as the soundtrack composer, I should go too, to draw inspiration from the environment.”

“That’s amazing!” Nami cheered. “You’re so lucky! I don’t understand why it made you so anxious. This is great news!”

“Yeah, well…” He scratched the back of his head, a habit whenever he felt nervous. “The flight is tomorrow.”

“A bit short notice, but you still have time to pack for the trip.”

“And it will last three months.”

“Oh.”

Now she understood the issue. If it had been a week-long trip, it wouldn’t have been anything new for them to be apart. But they’d never been separated for this long—not even before they were confirmed as soulmates.

“I… I still think it’s too good an opportunity to pass up, so you should go.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes! I know time zones are tough, but we’ll still be able to stay in touch. Of course, I’ll miss you, and it’ll be lonely living alone for a few months, but Aya and Erika will come by to keep me company,” she said with a genuine smile. “I don’t want you to miss out on this adventure.”

“What about your concert, though?” Tsukasa stepped forward and placed his hands on her arms, gently caressing them. “I’ve never missed one of your concerts. And the Soulmate Festival—I was really hoping to spend our first official one together as soulmates.”

“That’s exactly why,” she said, hugging him gently and resting her head on his chest. “So far, you’ve been at all my concerts, even that one time when you had a high fever. It’s okay if you miss one. It’s not my last. I’ll ask Atsushi if we can broadcast it online, so maybe you won’t miss it entirely.”

“It won’t be the same…”

“I know. And I know next year’s Soulmate Festival won’t be quite the same either when we could have celebrated our first official one this year, but it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. This movie project will make you happy, right?”

“Yeah, it will.”

“Then it would make me sad if you missed this opportunity. I couldn’t stand seeing you regret it.”

“You’re too good for me.”

Nami looked up at him.

“Lately, I feel like it’s the other way around. I’m sorry again for today.”

“It’s alright. Everything’s okay now.”

For now.