Chapter 31: Can You Hear The Music

Seulbi took a breath. "Alright, Akira-kun. I have to go back to Korea tonight because of a family matter. But, I'll always be ready to receive your answer, whenever you're truly sure."

Without hesitation, Seulbi stood on her tiptoes and kissed me in front of the many people walking by the station. "Sayonara, Akira-kun. We will meet again. I'll be waiting for you, no matter what," Seulbi said, then left.

A week had passed, and I was still filled with a restless feeling. What was this feeling? I still didn't understand.

In my room, I sat hunched over my study desk. Yui came in and saw me. "Did you get a stomachache from eating too much Valentine's chocolate, brother?" she asked, jumping on my bed. "Next time, I'll eat the chocolates from other people first so you don't get a stomachache like this."

I just stayed silent, then picked up my phone. I sent a message to Reina.

Akira: Reina-san, lately I've been feeling very restless because of something. Can you help me?

Reina: Of course. Come to my lab room.

The next day, after class, I visited Reina's lab room. She checked my entire body, from my pulse to my blood pressure, but there were no strange medical results.

"It seems you're just restless, Akira-kun. Did something happen? Was my chocolate too sweet last time?" she asked.

"It's not that, Reina," I said. "I have one question for you."

I looked at her directly. "Have you ever been in love?"

Reina was silent for a moment. "Of course, I have. In high school. But I turned him down because he only approached me because I was from a rich family and I was pretty." Her voice was flat, but I could sense the sadness beneath it.

We continued talking until finally, as we left the lab, a loud whistle blew.

WHEEET!

A woman with short, light brown hair and bright black eyes stood in front of us.

"You two, what are you doing together during class time?" she asked, her tone firm. "You're getting a ticket!"

The woman pointed at me. "And you! Just from your face, you look like a pervert who's pretending to be sick just to get close to Reina-san, right?"

"Wait, you misunderstood!" I said, panicking. "I came here for a consultation, didn't I, Reina-san?" I gave her a look to signal.

Reina just looked at me, then replied. "He's right, I asked him to come. He did something to me... until I couldn't refuse..."

"YOU BASTARD!" the woman yelled, her face turning crimson. "How dare you do something like that to a woman! I'll give you a yellow card and this ticket!"

"Calm down, Minase-kun," Reina said, giving a small smile. "I was just joking. He's right, he was just consulting with me."

"Good grief, Reina-san! You should have said so from the start! You made me misunderstand!" The woman named Minase glared at me. "Alright, I'll let you off this time. Don't ever do anything like this again, you hear me!"

She pointed a finger at me, then left.

The next day, Minase kept following me. She accused me of being a "karbitan" who liked to get close to rich women. She followed me all day, but found nothing suspicious. She finally gave up for the day.

In the evening, as I was walking through the station, a beautiful piano melody suddenly filled the air. The music felt so beautiful, and every note was like a whisper that calmed my restless heart. The melody made me feel alive and excited again. I smiled, forgetting my problems for a moment.

I looked for the source of the sound, and in the middle of the station, I saw a woman playing the piano. Her long hair was beautifully undone, and she was wearing a neat and proper dress. The aura of a graceful woman emanated from her.

I, feeling moved, approached the woman. "Excuse me..."

Minase was surprised to see me. "Huh? Akira-kun, why are you here?"

"You know me?" I asked, confused, as I had no idea who this woman was.

"No! I mean, I must have mistaken you for someone else. Sorry!" she said, flustered. "Did you enjoy my music?"

"Yes," I replied, with a sincere smile. "I enjoyed it so much. It's so beautiful. It even made me feel excited to read a book again."

Minase was silent for a moment. Her face turned red. She never expected me to be so kind. "It turns out, Akira-kun isn't what I thought he was..." she thought to herself, her eyes welling up. "He's a good person, full of smiles!"

"Well, I'll be going now," I said, then got on the train. It was only then that Minase realized that I wasn't as perverted and flirtatious as she had thought.