The story of a little girl who cried

“ Why? ” Ren asked, his voice hoarse, as he pressed a silk handkerchief against his split lip to stop the bleeding. “ Why did you do it? You could have blackmailed me, or you could have told him the truth and scored points with our parents. ”

Akira didn't say anything for a few seconds, just walked beside him, staring at the endless hallway, the sound of her heels marking a hypnotic rhythm. Then, without looking at him, she began to speak. “ Once upon a time, there was a girl. ” she said softly. " A pathetic girl who always cried. She was weak. She was afraid of her own shadow and the weight of her surname. She hid in the corners of parties so that no one would see her tears. "

Ren looked at him, confused. " What did this have to do with what had just happened?"

“ Until one day. ” Akira continued, “ he met a boy. A strange, cold boy, but one who wasn't afraid of his tears. He encouraged him. Not with sweet words, but with logic. He taught him to move forward. He taught him to become strong. "

The story was short, almost like a fable. Ren looked at her, completely lost. He had no idea what she was talking about or who those children were. “ I don't understand what you're getting at. ” Ren murmured.

Akira stopped and finally looked him in the eye. “ I followed you, Ren. ” Ren tensed at her words. “ I saw you from the second floor balcony when you ran away. " she confessed. " At first, I was going to ignore it. I thought you were an idiot risking your inheritance. But... curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to know what made you rebellious. I wanted to know what made you unique and different from your father. "

Akira took a step toward him. “So I followed you. To that abandoned house.” Ren felt a chill in his stomach. She had found out. “At first I thought you were involved in something dirty. Drugs, gambling, a criminal gang... But I felt relieved, and surprised, when I saw you with instruments.” Akira's expression softened. 

“ But... when I saw you playing and singing in that place. ” his voice trembled slightly, “ I finally understood... I understood what made you different. I understood why you long for freedom so much. ” Akira slowly lowered his gaze. “ Listening to you... was one of the greatest pleasures life has given me. ”

Ren was speechless. He expected some mockery or blackmail from her. But far from being angry or worried, he felt even more confused by the situation. No one in his world, except ECLIPSE, had ever validated his music. And now, the woman he despised was telling him that his voice was a pleasure.

“ You... saved me. ” Ren said awkwardly as Akira regained his composure and smoothed out his coat. “ You owe me a favor. A big one. And make sure it doesn't happen too often. I won't always be able to rescue you from Ryōma-san's wrath. I have my limits. ”

Ren just nodded, processing the information. “ Could it be that she's also trapped in the same situation as me? ”

Akira accompanied Ren to his bedroom door, like a royal guard escorting a valuable prisoner. “Rest, Ren. Tomorrow will be another hectic day. ”, “Thank you. ” he said.

When Ren entered and collapsed onto his bed, physical and emotional exhaustion hit him. His lip throbbed. But his mind was not focused on the pain. It was on that story. The girl who cried. The boy who made her strong.

The story began to spin around in his mind. He felt a strange sensation. Like a song you have in your head but can't remember the name of. He felt like he had heard that story before. Or perhaps, that he had lived it. But he didn't know where, or with whom. His memory files had been corrupted for several years.

And before she knew it, trying to chase that ghostly memory, she had fallen asleep, thinking about that story Akira had given her.