Chapter 9: The Spring Shadow That Belongs to You

"Why exactly do you have to quit? You owe us a reason, at least." Seeing the atmosphere finally soften, Soyo asked the question everyone was dying to know.

"…I want to study kendo." Sakiko lowered her head, hesitating for a moment. "It is something I must do. It is very important—it concerns… the expectations of my family."

She didn't want to lie to her friends; she would share what she could, but she deliberately omitted the truer answer.

"Kendo? You mean that thing where you go clattering around with bamboo swords?" Taki found this hobby truly bizarre. It wasn't that she had anything against kendo, but Sakiko never struck her as the pugnacious, athletic type.

"It is a sport that consumes a great deal of time. I won't have enough time for CryChic, so I have no choice but to leave," Sakiko said.

"Does your family expect you to study kendo? That is certainly troublesome, but surely it’s not worth sacrificing your time with the band? None of us want to see you go."

Soyo looked around at everyone. Even Taki, who had been so aggressive, chose to remain silent, her actions contradicting her usual sharp tongue. She had wanted to blurt out something biting, but seeing the fragile, hopeful gaze of Tomori Takamatsu, she swallowed her words.

Mutsumi Wakaba said nothing, just sat with her head bowed, clutching her guitar like an outsider.

"If you can't make it for a while, we can wait for you. Why not try negotiating with your family?" Soyo offered her own solution.

"That won't be necessary. It is I who wants to study kendo, not them forcing me. There is only so much time in a day; between the two, I can only choose one," Sakiko said regretfully. "Besides, it doesn't have to be me in the band, does it? I’m just the keyboardist. There are plenty of people at Tsukinomori who play piano. You can find someone else."

"…CryChic without Sakiko… wouldn't be CryChic anymore," Tomori whispered.

Sakiko felt something shatter inside her. Tomori’s voice was so soft, yet her words hit like an artillery blast, aiming straight for her heart. The absolute barrier she had worked so hard to build was breached by a single sentence.

She didn't know what expression to wear. She already felt guilty toward them, and their repeated, gentle attempts to make her stay only made her feel like a more detestable person.

After a long silence, Sakiko let out a long sigh.

"Can I ask you a few questions? Depending on your answers, I might take back what I said. Please, do not lie to me."

"What is this? Some kind of spoiled rich girl’s power trip? Are your decisions just like your words—something you can just swallow back whenever you feel like it?" Taki flared up the moment she heard such an absurd request.

"It’s fine. You don’t have to answer," Sakiko said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Taki’s voice turned icy, edged with an imminent fury. Why had she even shown weakness to someone like this?

"Alright, alright! Now is not the time for this. Let’s just hear what Sakiko has to say, shall we?"

Soyo hurried to mediate before the hard-won atmosphere collapsed again. Since Sakiko said Taki didn’t have to participate, Soyo simply sat in front of Taki, blocking her line of sight to Sakiko to prevent the smoldering fuse from reaching the end and detonating.

"Soyo, Mutsumi, Tomori," Sakiko called their names one by one, as stern as a physical education teacher. "Have any of you encountered anything strange lately? Like seeing demons or monsters, or experiencing unexplainable supernatural events in your daily lives?"

The three exchanged glances. Soyo looked surprised, Tomori’s eyes darted away, and Mutsumi’s expression was sorrowful.

"Why bring this up all of a sudden?" Soyo smiled. It was indeed a question that seemed irrelevant to the current situation.

"To me, this is a very important question." Sakiko sat with her back straight in a formal seiza, using the posture to show she was in earnest.

Soyo’s hands were clasped on her lap, her thumbs rubbing against each other unconsciously. This question was difficult to answer. If she could, she wouldn't want to expose her supernatural abilities, but Sakiko had said this concerned whether she would leave the band, and she didn't want anyone to lie… Perhaps Sakiko knew something?

"Fine. I’ll tell you—I have supernatural abilities," Soyo admitted.

Rather than explain, showing them was more direct. She snapped her fingers, and the empty drum kit suddenly resonated, a crisp sound echoing through the practice room.

Soyo continued to clap in rhythm, and the drums boomed in response to her tempo. Some invisible force descended upon the drumheads, beating in time with her tune.

The scene was eerie, as if a ghost sat before the kit, obeying her commands.

"When did it start? Other than that, have you encountered anything else?" Sakiko continued.

"It started shortly after we formed the band. Other than this, I haven't encountered anything else strange," Soyo said with a smile. "Is this some kind of bad omen? You seem very nervous."

"We’ll discuss it in a moment." Sakiko turned to look at Tomori Takamatsu.

The moment their eyes met, Tomori shivered as if electrocuted. She was a poor liar, and when Sakiko spoke those words, she had already thought of the strange things she had been experiencing lately.

From a very young age, Tomori knew she was different. She didn't understand why everyone laughed when they were happy, and the small objects she found interesting—bugs, stones, feathers—were seen by others as the obsessions of a freak.

That was when Ultraman was popular. Every boy and girl in class loved watching it, and the teacher played it for them, but Tomori didn't like it.

To Tomori, this household name of a Japanese tokusatsu show was a horror film. It told her the truth of the world over and over: the monster would inevitably be killed by the righteous Ultraman, as if by fate.

The recurring dream she had must have been a sign. She didn't know if it was good or bad, and so she didn't know if she should ask for help.

"Little monsters have friends too," Sakiko said suddenly. "Lonely little monsters huddle together in fear. If the righteous Ultraman comes to kill her, then I will help you kill the righteous Ultraman."

Tomori’s eyes widened. She looked up and saw Sakiko’s faintly glowing golden pupils.

They should have been cold and noble, like the giant dragon from her dreams descending through the clouds, but Sakiko’s golden eyes rippled with warmth, soft as water, so gentle that she felt an urge to embrace her.

Yes, how could she have forgotten? There was still one person in this world who was her friend. Even if she truly were a monster, Sakiko would open her arms and tell her, *I am your monster friend, I want to become human with you.*

It was because of those words that she was able to write "Haruhikage," the song that belonged to CryChic, singing of a loneliness that belonged only to her.

"I’ve been having nightmares lately," Tomori whispered, bowing her head.

"What kind of nightmares?"

"A… dragon. It’s always watching me from between the clouds. Only its head appears, its body hidden behind the thick cloud layer. I can only see a vague, massive shadow."

Sakiko frowned slightly. She wasn't sure if this was a sign of a lineage awakening. It wasn't what she had seen; perhaps everyone’s lineage activated differently?

If only she had talked more with Ruri Kazama back then. Her knowledge of the Dragon Clan was still too limited.

"And you, Mutsumi? Have you encountered anything unusual?" Sakiko looked at Mutsumi Wakaba.

Mutsumi shook her head, her long, pale green hair swaying like silk around her.

"Nothing at all."

Nothing at all? Sakiko didn't believe it, and she certainly wouldn't have misidentified it.

Even though it had appeared for only a split second, those brilliant golden pupils were not something Mutsumi should have possessed. Only when a lineage was activated and one’s spirit was focused would such a bewitching and resplendent color appear.

Sakiko didn't know why Mutsumi would lie to her. They were childhood friends; they should have been able to tell each other anything.

*Perhaps I should talk to her in private?*

"I take back what I said about quitting the band," Sakiko decided, having assessed the situation.

Things weren't as bad as she had imagined. These were just signs of lineage awakening. They hadn't even set one foot into the world of the Dragon Clan yet—everything was still salvageable.

Innocent smiles, beautiful times, songs that belonged only to them—CryChic was her most precious treasure. Whether it was Dead Servants, Odin, or anything else with dragon blood that wanted to do something to the members of CryChic, she would kill them on the path to their arrival!

Burning dragon blood boiled in her body. Sakiko closed her eyes and took a deep breath, the only way to prevent her golden eyes from igniting.

"But I will still be away from CryChic for a while. I need time to settle my own affairs. If you find it difficult to practice as four, you can find a new member to join. I won't mind."

"What’s the difference between this and being a ghost member? Doesn't it just mean you’re still leaving?" Taki said coldly.

"Believe what you will."

Sakiko was accustomed to Taki’s pressure. Since she had chosen to ensure they could live peaceful lives, she had to bear the sin herself. Being misunderstood was a consequence of her own actions. If this could keep everyone away from that terrifying world, then it was worth it.

"Soyo, don't use your supernatural abilities casually from now on. Everyone, don't just hop on a train to some desolate place. When traveling, it is best to take the train and move with the crowd. When you come to the practice room, tell me when you will arrive."

"What exactly is going on? You’ve been acting so strange since you got here. Sakiko, do you know something?" Soyo couldn't help but feel nervous; the way Sakiko spoke sounded like she was delivering a final testament.

Sakiko shook her head. "I have never asked for anything. At least, for the sake of the time we spent in the band together, remember my words and see that you follow them. If you encounter any other supernatural phenomena, please, you must tell me."

She stood up and bowed deeply, her long twin-tails nearly touching the floor.

"Please!"

The gesture caught everyone by surprise. Everyone could feel that Sakiko had changed significantly since coming here. She no longer smiled as much, was always so serious, and spoke things that were unpleasant or incomprehensible.

But everyone could feel that intangible presence—as if a heavy responsibility was pressing down on her shoulders alone. She was walking forward carrying a massive mountain, and even if she were gasping for air, she would only clench her teeth and keep climbing.

Taki had never been particularly fond of Sakiko, and felt even more inferior after witnessing her songwriting talent.

Yet, at this moment, she felt that Sakiko was very far away—not because of talent or anything like that, but in a way she could never catch up to in her entire life.

*Is this what a real young lady is like? Always so proud, as if born to be the sun, willing to shed her warm light on everyone without reservation to give them happiness?*

No one could answer Sakiko’s plea, not even Soyo, who was usually good at easing the tension. She had a vague feeling that what Sakiko was carrying had already exceeded what she could bear.

"Sakiko… are you happy?"

The one who broke the silence was Tomori, with such an unprompted question.

Sakiko’s eyes twitched slightly. She looked at Tomori, and Tomori looked back. They stared at each other for a long time; there was so much to say, yet so much that could not be uttered.

Her time had frozen in that Maybach on a rainy night, with Irish folk songs playing on the stereo. Since then, everyone who loved her most had bid farewell to this world, leaving her to wander alone.

*Why show your pain to others? Some pain is meant to be endured alone. What is worth sharing should always be things that make everyone happy.* Sakiko, having already lost too much, never wanted to taste that loneliness again.

However, her stubbornness could not hold until the end. Soyo walked over and gently brushed her messy bangs into place. This silent tenderness was devastating; like a stone thrown into a lake, ripples suddenly spread out, gentle and powerless.

"As long as you are all happy, that is my happiness."

Under Soyo’s worried gaze, Mutsumi’s lowered eyes, and Taki’s silent stare, Sakiko dropped these words and turned to leave. She walked unsteadily, like a doll whose spring was about to run out.

"I will definitely remember your words! Whatever you say, I will do it for you to see! CryChic will always be here waiting for you!"

Sakiko’s footsteps faltered for a moment, then she started walking again. Her long hair rose and fell, and the door closed softly behind her.

It was as if someone was singing in her ears. Yes, in this practice room, on the stage of the live house, someone had written what they wanted to say into a song and was singing it for her.

*The world illuminated, the precious person blooming,*
*The spring when I learned of warmth,*
*I will shed tears for myself and for you…*

From this day forward, I will hold the sword, clad in gold, and fight for your happiness.