Commence

~~~✨~~~

I spent a good part of the night tossing and turning in bed, trapped between anguish, frustration, curiosity, and a strange joy. A cocktail of emotions I had rarely felt in my life.

"I can't... I can't sing..."

I kicked at the mattress while hugging my pillow, my companion in reflection.

I couldn't stop thinking about Lucio, his words, and the way he disappeared after saying them. But, more than anything, my mind kept going back to my mother.

"You have a very beautiful voice, Aurora."

That impulse that made me admit I could sing... I was sure it came from her. I sighed deeply and fixed my gaze on the ceiling, as if the answer to everything might be there.

"Mom... is it really you?"

And maybe, after all, thinking that way wasn’t a mistake, just like singing with Lucio wouldn’t be one either.

I inhaled. Exhaled. And once more, I entrusted myself to her.

"Alright. I know what I have to do," I murmured before closing my eyes with determination.

~~~🎼~~~

"Give me that lyric."

Lucio looked up, surprised. I had just barged into the music room without even announcing myself. He had a cup of coffee in his hand, pulled from who knows where, and an expression of bewilderment, as if he'd just seen a ghost.

"Really?" he asked, with a half-smile.

"You didn’t expect me to come back?"

"Honestly, no. And certainly not this early. Do you know it’s nine in the morning? Weren’t you living nearby, Aurora? What time did you wake up?"

"Believe me, I hate this hour. Ever since the Announcement Day, I used to go to sleep around now. But I couldn’t wait any longer. I felt terrible yesterday... and I wanted to change things."

Lucio nodded slowly, a smirk of pride spreading across his face.

"I see. So, you fell under the spell of Lucio Chiaro..." he teased, raising an eyebrow.

I huffed in annoyance and crossed my arms.

"Do you have the lyrics or not?"

Lucio rolled his eyes playfully after realizing his remark didn’t amuse me. He placed his cup on the piano and pulled a folded piece of paper from his jacket pocket. Without another word, he handed it to me.

"Freshly printed for you, Miss Kurozumi."

Once again, his elegant, flirtatious words softened my stern expression, as if they were the key to unlocking my bad mood.

"Shut up, show-off."

I took the paper with both hands and began reading it attentively. The title of the song stood at the top, along with his artist name: LC_TheEcho.

"Ashes and Stardust?" My eyes narrowed before looking back at Lucio. "Wait a second, you said something like that yesterday when you left me alone."

"Oh, maybe," his smug smile returned. "They're... magnificent words."

"No kidding. That’s also the title of another song."

"Mm, no. Magnificent is how your sky-colored eyes look."

Another compliment, hitting me like a giant wave against a tiny boat. What’s with this guy? This time, however, I just clicked my tongue playfully and kept reading.

"Oh..."

My 'magnificent' eyes were drawn to every single word, pulling me into a world where emotions floated between carefully woven verses. It was a melancholic song, but not a defeated one—tinged with longing and a farewell that felt all too real.

I could almost hear the melody in my head as I read, each syllable slowly fitting into the song I had heard the night before.

"Well?" Lucio asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Did you write this?" I looked up at him.

Lucio nodded.

"It's really beautiful," I declared. "Did you write it thinking about someone?"

For an instant, something flickered in his eyes, but instead of answering, he picked up his guitar and began playing the melody from the previous night again.

"Listen to how it sounds, so you can start figuring out how to sing it," he said, cutting off my thoughts before I could press further.

I felt odd about it, but I decided not to push. Yesterday was still too fresh. So instead, I focused on following the lyrics along with the rhythm of the song.

Those notes from his guitar sent shivers down my spine once more, as if every nerve in my body had been waiting to hear such a wonderful sound again.

Despite that, now I had a new mission: to figure out how to sing it so the vocals matched the guitar. Since Lucio couldn’t sing it himself and there was no other reference, it was a challenging task—but not impossible.

"Do you think you can sing it?" Lucio asked when he finished playing.

"I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t," I assured him.

He smirked.

"Good. Let’s see what you’re made of, then."

~~~🎙️~~~

The chords began once more, vibrating in the air with a warmth almost palpable. The first notes slid in gently, like a whisper in the ear, before gaining strength as the melody progressed. Lucio’s guitar spoke on its own, telling a story even before words entered the scene.

I closed my eyes.

But now there was something more. The powerful voice of Aurora Kurozumi, the flower that was blooming once again.

—Midnight hum, city lights grow dim...

"Stop."

...excuse me?

"Huh? What happened?" I looked at Lucio, who had already stopped playing.

"Uh..." He cleared his throat, trying to make his fading voice sound at least a little louder. "You’re singing dim too close to grow. You need to leave more space. Like... Midnight hum, city lights grow—dim—."

I had never heard anyone sing like a deflating sack of potatoes, but hey, you learn something new every day.

"Got it," I winked confidently.

We started again, and this time, I tried to emphasize the rhythm correctly.

—Midnight hum, city lights grow dim...

"Stop."

...

"Yes?"

"Mmm..." Lucio thought for a moment. "Maybe a lower tone? I feel like it doesn’t match the lyrics well."

"Uh... sure," I flashed my best smile.

A smile that was about to disappear.

~~~🎤~~~

"Stop!"

"Stop!"

"Stop!"

Amane, please strike me right now.

A dark irony crossed my mind after hearing that word at least fifty times, but honestly, I felt the desire. Lucio had interrupted my singing so many times that, after hours of practice, we had barely made it to the chorus—let alone the entire song.

I ended up panting, quickly looking for a chair to rest my weight and catch my breath. I drank some water from a bottle I always carried in my bag, waiting for the guitarist’s next instructions.

"Mmm... yeah, we still have a long way to go," he said, somewhere between disappointment and deep concentration as he tuned his guitar. After a moment, he looked up at me. "I’d say we stop here for today. Want to come back tomorrow?"

My eyes met his. Something inside screamed, don't come back, this is exhausting, but this was what I wanted. As frustrating as it was, I wanted to keep discovering this mysterious musician... and his songs.

"Sure. Same time tomorrow," I gave a small bow from my seat. "And sorry for today, but I promise I’ll be able to sing it."

"Don’t worry," he smiled, a tenderness peeking through his post-practice exhaustion. Then, after a brief hesitation, he asked, "Think you’ll have it ready by Wednesday?"

My brow furrowed immediately. It was Sunday, which left us with very little time.

"Why Wednesday?"

Lucio’s eyes seemed to shine even brighter at my question, his hands gripping the guitar with renewed energy. It was as if any trace of exhaustion had vanished, like a drowsy puppy perking up at the sight of its owner holding a ball.

"I was thinking of playing in the Umeda district. It’s one of the few places where people still pass through frequently. I figured it’d be a great opportunity."

"U-Umeda? Live? Singing live?" I stammered, feeling the blood drain from my face.

"Yeah. It could be what we need to start walking the path to fame," Lucio responded casually, as if he were suggesting we go buy some bread instead of throwing me in front of a crowd of strangers. "Besides, we can’t just keep making videos if no one is watching."

"I-I see…" I murmured, trying to process it.

When did I go from singing in my bedroom to this?

My chest felt like a cage where all my insecurities were crashing against each other at once. The idea of standing in front of real people, with eyes judging me, with the possibility of messing up, singing off-key, or—worse—having no one listen at all… it was terrifying.

Don’t think. Don’t hesitate. Just say no.

"So?" Lucio looked at me expectantly, full of excitement at the thought of performing in public. The same excitement she used to have in her eyes.

Say no, say no, say no!

"Uh… Uh… Sure," I managed to say.

AAAAAAAAA.