The Three

~~~🛰️~~~

—Whaaaat’s uuup? —he greeted enthusiastically, leaning too close to the camera lens, making the image blur for a moment.

I widened my eyes when Lucio suddenly appeared on the screen.

A shiver ran down my spine.

It was him, no doubt, but… different.

He looked younger, more carefree. His face was less mature, yet his features stood out perfectly. His hair was less messy, and his smile…

His smile was radiant. Not the sly, defiant smirk he usually wore now, but a real one, one full of life.

—Get off there, idiot! —A hand entered the frame and playfully pushed him back.

Lucio laughed, regaining his balance, while another boy stepped into view—a dark blonde with shaved sides and a slightly tousled top. His expression was sharp, with one eyebrow raised and a confident grin.

—Nah, let him be, Rei. This is how the audience remembers us, —the newcomer said, nudging Lucio with his elbow.

—Yeah, yeah, because that’s definitely what makes us stand out, —Rei replied with a sarcastic tone. His black hair fell in neat layers around his face, streaked with silver strands, and his serene eyes contrasted with the energy of the other two.

—Exactly! Charisma is important! —Lucio crossed his arms and nodded dramatically—. Welcome, everyone! Today’s the day. Tonight, Super Pony is going to shake this festival to its core!

—If Kaito doesn’t blow up an amp before we start, —Rei added with a faint smile.

—Hey, that was one time! And technically, it wasn’t my fault! —Kaito protested, clearly offended, before shrugging—. Besides, it was an unexpected special effect, wasn’t it?

Lucio burst out laughing and threw an arm around Kaito’s shoulders.

—What my dear bandmate means is that we’re going all out. This will be our best concert yet. So, if you’re watching this in the future… remember that Super Pony was here first. And you’d better have been here, because this party is going to be legen—

Two parallel lines appeared on the screen, signaling that the video had been paused after someone pressed the button on the player.

I blinked several times, still caught in the image of Lucio smiling so brightly, before realizing that the real Lucio was now awake, standing in the doorway with a frown and his arms crossed.

—You really can’t resist snooping, can you? —His voice was rough, full of irritation—. Where did you get that?

I flinched, dropping the disc case still in my hands, almost as if it burned.

—S-Sorry! My phone fell, and I picked it up from under the bed.

Lucio narrowed his eyes.

—A phone isn’t shaped like a disc, last I checked.

—Discs don’t belong on the floor either, Lucio.

He tilted his head, considering for a moment before shrugging.

—Fair point.

Silence stretched between us, broken only by the faint hum of the television.

I took a deep breath and gathered my courage.

—That was your band? Super Pony?

My words seemed to make him hesitate. For an instant, his features softened, but it was so brief I almost thought I imagined it.

—Yeah. —He sighed, walking toward me and taking the disc carefully—. We had a few talks during recess, and before we knew it, we were making music together. We played at local events, small festivals… we were never a huge success, but we did well enough to keep trying.

He sat on the bed, turning the disc over in his hands. Then, he looked at the screen and began pointing at the frozen figures, starting with the dark blonde.

—Kaito was the wildest, always the first to suggest crazy ideas. —He moved his finger to the black-haired one—. Rei, on the other hand, was the calm one, the one who kept us in check. And me… well, I was a mix of both, but mostly, I was the leader.

I stayed silent, letting him continue.

—We sang together, wrote together. We dreamed of making it big. We were inseparable.

His finger pressed against the disc case, gripping it tighter with his other hand.

—… Let’s just say… things started to fall apart. And I hammered in the last nail in the coffin.

My lips parted in surprise at his words, but at the same time, my mind had made a connection I hadn’t seen before.

—I reach for the stars, once again, but they slip through my hands,

Lucio tensed, lifting his gaze immediately. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes held something between disbelief and vulnerability.

I continued, almost in a whisper.

—Like the ashes we were, like the dust in the sand of time…

Silence filled the room for a few seconds.

—Ashes & Stardust… you wrote it about them.

Lucio let out a dry laugh, void of humor.

—Yeah. You’ve got a sharp nose, Miyakojima flower.

Our eyes met in the dim light of the room. I said nothing, and neither did he. But in that stillness, in that shared look, I felt something indescribable… as if, for just a moment, the walls he had built had cracked enough for me to glimpse what lay beyond.

—Do you miss them? —I asked softly.

Lucio lowered his gaze. His expression was hard to read, but his voice, when he finally responded, was low, weary… broken.

—Yeah. But there’s not much I can do about it. Some things are better left in the past.

Each word landed on me like an unbearable weight.

How could he say that with such resignation? With so much sadness disguised as indifference?

He stood up, turned off the television, and walked toward the door.

—You should sleep, Aurora. We need to be awake to welcome this Akira.

And with that, he returned to his makeshift bed among the chairs, closing his eyes.

I, on the other hand, remained staring into the darkness of the room, feeling a tight knot in my chest.

It was strange. I barely knew him, and yet, I felt like I could see beyond his carefree attitude and sharp sarcasm. I could see the weight he carried on his shoulders, the sadness he tried to hide.

And it hurt.

I couldn’t help but want to help him.