I am the emotional sustenance of your deceased

As the sound of the music faded, only its memory remained. Li Xi's memory of yesterday's music was like the ivy struggling to survive on the outer wall.

【Want to hear it? Really?】

【real. 】

Chitose bent down and lay on the piano, glancing at Lixi with a playful look.

She moved her hands, but realized that Lixi's sign language was not very professional and her vocabulary was not sufficient, so she could only write down what she wanted to express on the sketch paper.

"Well, after school today, can you take me out to play again? I really like having someone to accompany me."

Huh? Is that all you ask?

Li Xi nodded subconsciously.

When she realized what she had agreed to, Chitose immediately began playing the piano, as if she was afraid that Li Xi would regret it.

"So cute..." Li Xi's mouth corners rose slightly.

Just by standing there, she once again experienced the feeling of being swept away by the torrent of music.

She really likes Chitose's music.

Although she didn't know whether it was the other party's original song, Shiina Riki could not deny that she did feel something hidden in every song of Chitose.

[I seem to feel myself in the song of 1999.]

……

That afternoon they went to Kagurazaka and enjoyed the aroma of food in the soba shops on the street.

This actually has Lixi's selfish motives. One of her favorite foods is buckwheat noodles, but she has rarely experienced eating buckwheat noodles with her friends since she was a child.

Li Xi really wanted to have a meal with Chitose once, and he himself didn't know why.

"I'm...full."

Chitose finished with a shaky remark, then clasped his hands together and bowed to the food.

【Is it tasty? 】

This is a sign language that Li Xi just looked up on the Internet and learned.

[It's delicious. Thank you Lixi for the treat.]

[We are a fair trade, there is no treat. After all, Xiao Sui also invited me to listen to music.]

I have to sigh that Chitose Noshiro really loves the piano.

Today, Shiina Riki found out that during every lunch break when no one in the club was around, Chitose would sneak over and play the piano for a while.

Once Chitose starts playing, she often can't stop. Today was no exception. She barely managed to pull Chitose away after ten minutes of class.

Chitose Noshiro is the most musically talented girl that Tatsuki Shiina has ever seen. Even her sister Maki Shiina... may not be able to compare to her.

【After dinner, I'll take you home, okay?】

Li Xi swore that he was definitely not asking for Chitose's address! Absolutely not!

"Huh? Will it? That's really troublesome."

【Not at all.】

That’s all we have to say about sign language. Li Xi has already tried everything she knows. If you say anything more, she will be confused.

Taking the girl's soft little hand, Li Xi dragged the reluctant Chitose to take a taxi. Chitose kept muttering "It's too expensive".

How else could Li Xi explain it?

[As I've said, I usually have a lot of pocket money, and I don't really have a penny-pinching hobby, so I have quite a bit of savings. You don't have to mind it being so much.]

In the back seat of the taxi, Li Xi organized the content of the text message and chose to send it, but in fact this action did not have much significance. After all, Chitose was leaning on her shoulder watching her typing.

Qiansui reached out and typed something on Lixi's phone:

【Miscellaneous fish.】

"Huh? I'm not some trash..."

Really, don’t do whatever you want just because you can’t hear. That’s despicable.

While Chitose was typing, Li Xi saw the wound on the other's wrist again.

Those wounds have long since healed, but countless scars remain.

Should I ask these questions?

Li Xi thought.

However, these wounds look like they've been there for a while, so as long as they're not fresh...

After a few more traffic lights, Chitose arrived at her doorstep. Riki stood on the street and watched her best friend walk home.

Before leaving, Qiansui made some simple sign language:

【Would you like to come in and sit down? 】

Okay, I really want to visit your house.

嗏

[Forget it, I'm going home first.]

They had known each other for too short a time, and Li Xi was afraid that he would show an overly enthusiastic side and scare Chitose.

She swore that if she went to Chitose's house, she would definitely ask without thinking, "Can I stay at your house?"

She really likes Noshiro Chitose as a friend.

"Well! Lixi...see you tomorrow!"

[See you tomorrow, I'll be waiting for you in the piano room at noon.]

……

From then on, Lixi spent every noon in the wind band club.

She felt that she and Chitose, two non-company employees, were probably the most people coming here.

On Wednesday, Li Xi took Chitose to Yanaka Ginza in Taito Ward. The narrow streets were lined with Showa-style grocery stores, dumpling shops and galleries. Chitose had a lot of fun. During the magic hour, they also saw the romantic scene of the sunset stairs.

I went to Ueno Park to see the cherry blossoms on Thursday. If I didn’t go early, I would have to wait until next year to see them.

From Monday to Thursday, for four whole days after school, Li Xi and Chitose would go around the city to play.

It was not until Friday noon that Lixi asked a question he had always wanted to know.

[Xiao Sui, do you like going out and playing? ]

Chitose, whose fingertips were slowly dancing on the piano keys, paused and began to use sign language.

"That's because traveling gives me countless inspirations. Besides, Lixi... I really like hanging out with Lixi. Lixi is my only friend."

Such heavy words, but surprisingly reassuring.

Noshiro Chitose continued:

"So, come over to my house after school today? I've never had anyone over here before. Do you want to listen to my new song? It's for you."

"Eh?"

"Written to... me?"

Ch201. Time heals a broken heart

"A new song for me? Huh?"

While walking towards Chitose's house holding her hand, Lixi kept thinking about the phrase "a new song written for you".

She hadn't reacted at first at noon, but on the way to the classroom, Li Xi, who finally realized it, couldn't help but start pondering the charm of it.

Chitose has never liked talking, but sometimes in order to make it easier for Lixi to understand, she would express her meaning not only through sign language but also through words.

When Qiansui told me the news at noon, his mouth opened and closed like a little goldfish, repeating Lixi's name.

【Ah... She's really cute. 】

The hands were small and soft, but surprisingly strong.

It is these hands that have played countless moving pieces of music.

She even wrote a song for me... This is the first time someone outside my family has given me a gift, and it's such a meaningful gift...

Li Xi was daydreaming the whole way while being dragged by Chitose. From the school gate to the tram stop, from the intersection to near Sui's house, the curve of his mouth never lowered at all.

It's a wonderful feeling, really...

"We're here!"

Chitose made a low sound, a weak call that seemed to be blown away by the wind.

"Hey, Xiao Sui, are you wearing your hearing aids?"

Wearing a hearing aid in the ear is engraved with conch and pirate ship patterns, which has a unique beauty.

Li Xi noticed that Chitose didn't wear it very often, but out of consideration for her privacy, she didn't ask about it.

"Well... because, I..." Chitose paused slightly while narrating, as if trying to adapt to speaking.

"My hearing loss is quite severe, so wearing them is often useless... The effect is very poor, and wearing them for too long will cause further damage... So, unless it's extremely important, I... rarely wear them."

This is a lie, but it is mostly true.

Chitose blinked her lovely eyes, turned her head silently and fumbled in her pocket for the key.

What can I say? The features given by the system are indeed useful. The [Zhao Xiong] that can only be activated once in a lifetime is so powerful that it almost caused the simulation to end early.

"However," Qiansui's voice was still not loud, but Lixi didn't dare to miss it at all.

The moment the door was opened, Qiansui's words came one after another.

"Because I have to play the piano for Li Xi today, I thought I'd bring it with me."

Tilting his head, Qiansui moved aside to make room for Lixi.

She made a gesture of invitation and stood at the door to welcome Shiina Riki to her little home.

Even though her voice was still a little distorted, Li Xi didn't find it strange at all.

She found that she liked Chitose's voice more and more... Or maybe it was because she liked Chitose more and more.

【Because of me? 】

Once again, Lixi felt that he was favored by the whole world.

[Is it because of me Shiina Riki...?]

……

The room was pitch black.

Qiansui ran around the room with a blushing face, pulling open all the curtains.

She bowed several times in front of Li Xi in a very embarrassed manner, mumbling, "Ah, I'm usually alone, so... I don't often open the curtains."

Li Xi was led to the sofa and sat down. She subconsciously looked at the electronic organ in the middle of the living room:

"Where are Xiaosui's parents? Are they busy working outside?"

Chitose Noshiro didn't react at first. It seemed that her hearing loss was indeed serious to a certain extent. Li Xi felt bad.

But what made Li Xi feel as if his heart was being stabbed by a knife was yet to come.

When Noshiro Chitose finally realized what Shiina Riki had said, she was silent for a moment before she said lightly:

“He passed away…”

"!!!"

Damn me.

"Sorry, I don't know that, I..."

"It's okay, don't worry about it."

Li Xi knew that Qiansui was afraid that his voice would be too strange so he kept speaking in a very calm and slow tone, but this gave Li Xi the feeling that his heart was being pierced by a small needle.