The Last Note of a Finished Song

Lyra and I locked eyes for just a second. Her face still frozen in surprise, her cheeks lifted all the way up.

"Yuta!" And then Lyra immediately leapt toward me, wrapping her arms tightly around me from behind. Her head bumped against my chest.

"Easy, easy!" I said, laughing. I held her just as tightly.

We had missed each other terribly.

And on this day—

On the beach of this coastal town, beneath the setting sun,

We met again.

Lyra began to cry in my arms.

"It’s okay," I said with a smile. I knew this wasn’t a bad kind of crying, because I could see her smiling face peeking through her hair.

"But how did you—" She lifted her head to look at me. Her green eyes stared into mine like they were screaming.

"That’s a long story," I said, gently touching her face.

I had missed her so deeply. So much that I was nearly about to lose control and hug her even more tightly.

And of course... Something a bit silly happened, too.

As if I hadn't just sprinted all the way here, my heart suddenly couldn't handle the strain. After speaking, I found it hard to stay on my feet. Letting go of Lyra, I flopped backward. My back landed hard in the sand.

"Yuta! A-Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just… ran a little too much…" I was gasping for air, looking up at the sky. Purple, orange, blue skies, and pink clouds. 

It was all beautiful.

"How far did you run?"

"About... from the bus stop to here."

"That far?!?" Lyra looked at me in shock, then dropped to her knees, stroking my hair as she gazed down at me.

"What could I do? Just the thought of you being nearby—I couldn’t resist." I smiled as I said it, but lying down did help. I think I overdid it a bit.

"You idiot, you know that, right?" Lyra laughed.

Then she looked at me again. I couldn’t quite read her expression.

"But I think… that’s exactly the kind of idiocy I love."

And at that moment…

While the sunset watched over us, the beach carried us, and the breeze made us feel the season of summer,

Lyra kissed me again.

I suppose I still had a shy side when it came to things like this.

What we didn’t realize was…

Right beside us, our manager was standing, watching us.

"Lyra—" I barely had time to speak before Lyra kissed me again. My eyes shifted in panic to the manager’s gaze.

But the manager… was staring at us, expressionless.

I slowly pushed Lyra away by her shoulders.

"Yuta…" Lyra looked at me with those eyes, and I was trying hard not to laugh. I gently turned her head in the direction of the manager.

With her eyes closed and brows furrowed, the manager spoke with a forced smile.

"Lyra, what do you think you’re doing, sweetheart?"

"I-I-I-I-I... I mean…"

It was only then that I realized—I had no idea how long she’d been standing there. I closed my eyes and accepted my fate.

I guess we were both toast...

45 – 2

As we both apologized to the manager for behaving like that in a public space, I began to realize she wasn’t as angry as we feared.

She turned to us, dangling car keys in her hand, and said, “There are groceries at the house. Cook something and eat.”

When Lyra asked, “What about you?” the manager shot back sharply, “I’m not staying somewhere overnight when I don’t know what’s going to happen. Have fun, you two.” Then she sighed deeply and added, “Also, kid—your name’s Yuta, right?”

“Yes.” I was scared of what she might say.

“She’s in your hands. If you treat her like she’s your whole world, I’ll be satisfied.”

“I will,” I said. The manager turned away and started walking off, waving as she left.

Once she left in a hurry, we were alone again. Let’s admit it—we were incredibly embarrassed. To be honest, I had originally planned to return that evening. I hadn’t intended to stay.

That meant my train ticket would go to waste.
But honestly? I couldn’t care less.

After the manager left, Lyra stood up again and took my hand.

“What is it?” I asked, surprised.

“Come on, let’s play in the water!” Lyra said cheerfully, pulling off her sandals and rolling up her pants, tugging me along like nothing had just happened.

“But wasn’t she mad at us for acting like that in a public space?” I asked.

“I don’t care! This is a private beach anyway. Just for us.” Lyra spoke while walking ahead, still pulling me by the hand. “Besides, deep down… I was hoping you’d come.”

“Did you expect me to?”

“Hehehe, who knows… I was just thinking we could spend some time alone.”

This girl…

A private beach, too…?

Wow…

How much more was there to learn about my girlfriend?

Was it okay for me to be walking behind her like this, seeing her so happy?

Was it okay to be by her side?

Even though those dark thoughts kept swirling in my mind…

Enough. I had to let go of this part of me.

I think it was time to release those thoughts, too. 

Because I no longer had anything, I had something to protect now. Someone was standing right in front of me, sharing the same feelings with me.

Taking a step forward, I scooped Lyra up by her legs.

“Y-Yuta, what are you doing—whoa!” Lyra gasped in surprise but then let out a small shriek as I carried her and ran straight into the ocean.

“Didn’t you say let’s play in the water?” I shouted, laughing.

Still wearing our clothes, we jumped into the water together. Splashing each other and laughing, we played in the ocean until the sun disappeared and evening fell.

Later, shivering because we hadn’t brought towels, we made our way back to the house, teasing each other the whole way.

After I finished showering, I started cooking before Lyra got out of her shower.

When she saw me, she looked surprised—and very happy.

“I thought we were going to cook together?” she said in a mock pout, furrowing her brows.

“Well, how about helping me with the rest?” I asked.

That night, we cooked together while dancing to music, then ate our meal on the balcony, talking about how I ended up here, sharing stories from her concert, watching fireflies, and listening to crickets.

There was a beautiful terrace on the upper floor of the house. We lay there without a care, talking until we fell asleep under the stars.

Each time I learned something new about Lyra,

Each time I saw a side of her I hadn’t seen before,

I realized just how captivating she truly was.

That day—
Without a doubt, it was the best day of my life.
And it was because I got to spend it with the most beautiful person in my life.

And that was how the day ended. The next morning, we started preparing to go back.

We hadn’t wanted to return, but we had to.

By the time we rode the bus to the train station, I could feel that summer break was nearing its end.

Exactly one year ago, Lyra and I first met around this time.

We’d talked for the first time, and without even realizing it, I had pointed out things she needed to improve as a singer.

Now, on the same train, side by side, holding hands, we were heading home.

“Noa sent a message,” Lyra said curiously.

“What did she say?”

“Oh—my sister, Ray, and Yasu are waiting for us at the station,” she said, surprised.

“What? Did they know? I didn’t tell anyone,” I said in a panic.

“Noa might’ve told them.” Lyra smiled a little.

We weren’t bothered at all. On the contrary, it made us happy.

After we got off the train, wearing hats, our eyes scanned the crowd.

“I found them!” Lyra pointed with her hand.

Noa was holding Lyra’s little sister’s hand, both smiling and waving at us.

Yasu had his arm slung over Ray’s shoulder, the two of them making signs with smiles on their faces.

I smiled. It was a feeling full of peace and happiness.

I gently reached out and took Lyra’s free hand. I held it tightly. She turned to me, and we both smiled.

As we stepped into a new chapter of our lives with the people we loved, I felt like I had become someone new.

Even in life’s most ordinary moments, I had come to see how important things could be.

I had come to see how important it is to be aware of those things.

Maybe it was luck, maybe it was fate—I don’t know. But it didn’t matter anymore.

The only thing that mattered—

Was the person I’d become,

And the people who were with me.

Lyra had changed, too.

She had become more outspoken, stronger.

I could now feel the love in her eyes clearly.

She was a girl who had grown up without love, but never one who couldn’t stand on her own feet.

She was strong, and I deeply respected that.

I needed to be just as strong.

Maybe it was a blessing that my life had been normal, but my thoughts… were more than that.

From now on, I wouldn’t hesitate to say I’m glad to have the people by my side.

To that special person, I’d say, “I’m so glad I met you.”

That’s how it was.

That was my story.

A story where I, the only one who knew her true identity,

Met a famous singer,

Grew, learned, and found love again.

And perhaps I managed all this not just by listening and understanding,

But by learning from it all and growing.

And this was my final melody—

One, I would be proud to carry forward and reflect on those around me.

No more soft chords and loud hearts — the chords now run deep, and the hearts, though once loud, have found their quiet in being heard.

--FIN--