What is Love?
Looks like we’re saying bye-bye to this view～♪ That was pretty fun!
……
(That was… fun, huh…)
(Normally, something fun and interesting would be enough to wrap up any experience, but…)
(This time… I did something a little unusual for me…)
The sunset to me is… the end of life.
The one I watched after I saw my “Death Prophecy” was just as beautiful as this one.
Death… prophecy? What do you mean?
Nayuki and the Chief already know this… but it’s been prophesied that I’m going to die at twenty-eight years old.
The prophecy is 100% accurate.
I… have lived my entire life waiting to die.
…!
I’m not really fond of being pitied, and I haven’t shared this with any of the groups I’ve been a part of until now.
…So why’d you tell us?
……
I don’t know. I just felt compelled to say it. Maybe it’s because you thanked me, Chihiro.
Wh…
You mentioned how… you felt love from the audience and it was all because of me, yes? To me, love has always been a foreign concept…
It surprised me a bit that I could even partly influence someone’s feelings.
Love that hasn’t even begun for me won’t end when I die, like Kinari said…
So I decided to give it my best in idol activities with you all, even if only a little bit, so that I can die with some sense of pride.
……
(Is he… being serious about this?)
(Commencing biometric scan… His heart rate is stable. No signs of deception detected.)
(Hmm… So that’s how it is. That’s why he’s so full of deceit?)
(This is where the weak spot in all that annoying optimism is…)
(But the Naked King is still human, after all… I should at least try to break him before he’s dead in the ground.)
(I wasn’t originally planning on telling everyone about my “Death Prophecy”… but they all seemed like they didn’t know how to react.)
(That’s understandable. They’ll probably forget about it eventually. I’m not sure how long I’ll be around myself…)
Cassette tape starts.
Err… I’ll start recording the weekly report now.
We’re baaaack~!
Welcome home. I’ve been wanting to see you again for a while. The hotsprings didn’t burn you at all, did they?
Got any souvenirs~? I’d be happy if you brought back some sake.
Did ya take a lotta pics?
Guuuys…! I watched the video that the Chief sent of your performance!
I-I-I-It was the beeeeest!
This weak little pauper… has ascended and seen the true meaning of life. Thank you for being born into this world…
(It’s been a while since I’ve been around this kind of atmosphere… It genuinely feels like I’ve made it home safe.)
Chief. This is the weekly report you asked for. I’ve recorded it into the cassette tape.
Oh! Th-Thank you so much! This is a huge help!
Haha, why is that? This seems to be making you incredibly happy.
(Because you did it on your own without me having to ask you over and over for it… Raito-san’s as reliable as ever…)
Whew. Now that I’m all unpacked… I’ll listen to the cassette recording Raito-san gave me so that I can report back to Kafka.
Cassette tape starts playing.
“We went to the Hells of Beppu in order to do work as Ambassadors. At first, the work we did was mostly chores…”
(Yup, that’s how it turned out. I started to think we were going to end up doing chores the whole time.)
“We weren’t able to perform at the dining hall, and our rehearsals didn’t seem to be able to come together. However, we had a chance to perform on stage in the end.”
(Thanks to your quick thinking, Raito-san, your practices didn’t go to waste…!)
(Looks like this trip really did end up going well after all. I’m glad we went…)
“Finally, we all went to watch the sunset. After talking to each member of our unit, I was surprised to hear that they all had a special connection to it.”
(Really…? I didn’t know that.)
Raito-san…?
A long time ago, I read something in a book.
“If a mayfly is born at sunrise and dies by sunset, then how could it possibly be aware of the presence of night?”
I’ve always believed my life to be akin to a mayfly’s.
Mayflies die without ever having known the presence of night. Yet, the night still exists.
I will surely die without ever having known love. Because I… cannot love anyone.
Despite it being so… Love still exists, doesn’t it?
All of the members of our unit–even the android, Kinari–will surely grow to love someone, be loved in return, and die. All except me.
It makes me a bit jealous, but I’m also happy for them. I suppose that’s why I told them about my “Death Prophecy”.
Nevertheless, I’m sure everyone will soon forget what I’ve told them.
Even I may not remember what everyone has told me… about death, about love, and finally feeling alive… when the time comes for me to die.
Cassette tape stops.