I am the emotional sustenance of your deceased

"I did something stupid again, Shiina Ritsuki, Shiina Ritsuki, why are you always so stupid?"

Fruits and tea were served on the table. The cute cat cup was for herself, while Chitose used a black crow-shaped ceramic cup.

Chitose took a sip of her tea and prepared to begin playing.

For a family like theirs that is not very wealthy, it would be more reasonable to use an electronic piano. However, it appears to be a Casio brand, which shows that Chitose Noshiro's parents have done their best to create a reasonable atmosphere for her within their means.

At this time Li Xi became anxious again.

She even wondered if the cause of death of Qiansui's parents was similar to her own...

"I'm starting now."

The sound of the piano continued to ring out, and Qiansui's playing seemed quite impatient.

Li Xi didn't know whether Chitose was too excited to show him her song, or whether she wanted to say, "Li Xi, you don't have to regret when I play."

The music was melodious and lingering. The light in the room became abundant after the curtains were opened. Li Xi walked to Qiansui's side and watched the slender fingers sometimes hitting and sometimes kissing the keys.

This song gives her the feeling of calmly facing loss and regret, and the listener will unconsciously fall into the emotion that the performer hopes to convey.

The music continued, and a picture appeared in front of Lixi's eyes.

The music awakened Lixi's memory of a winter morning. She saw herself curled up at the desk, covered with a small blanket and a pillow between her legs, reading a book.

The sunlight slipped through the window onto her desk. Lixi knew that the main color of the world outside a few steps away was cold, but she was warm.

The melodious melody gradually came to an end, and Li Xi realized that Qiansui had stopped looking at the piano keys at some point.

She looked at him with a smile, and Li Xi didn't dare to look directly into her eyes.

[You must have been very embarrassed just now.]

But it was so beautiful that Lixi couldn't help but recall all the good things in the past.

Good memories will heal her heart along with time.

When the sound of the piano faded into the air, Qiansui, who had specially put on a hearing aid for Lixi, took it off and put it away.

Chitose Noshiro stood up and turned around in front of Riki, the hem of her skirt dancing with it. Finally, she spoke, looking like a little girl showing off her grades to her parents.

"Does it sound good..."

Li Xi nodded, and after pondering for a long time, he finally figured out what sign language words he could use to communicate with Chitose:

What is its name?

"Name? I... don't know. Does Li Xi have any recommendations..."

[Should I do it? Then... A Broken Heart Heals with Time.]

Li Xi also hopes that she and time can serve as medicine to heal Qiansui.

Ch202. Every performance is burning

"Time heals a broken heart?"

When Chitose pronounced the word "broken", the pronunciation was very strange. At first, Li Xi thought that the other party was saying "Baiqi".

But it’s not impossible to play the kissing game with Xiaosui while eating a Pocky stick, ahem.

Qiansui's eyes rolled around, and finally seemed to have thought of something interesting. Lixi actually saw a hint of a devilish smile on his face.

"It doesn't feel as good as... Li Xi's Song. After all, it was written for Li Xi."

“Eh!?!?”

[No, no, I'm so sorry, this is the only thing that won't work!]

Li Xi always felt that she was being teased by Chitose... No, she found that Chitose was always teasing her subtly, like a cat teaser waving a cat toy around...

But she had no proof.

Perhaps because he was tired from talking so much in one breath, Chitose picked up the sketchbook beside him and began to write:

"Then, time will heal a broken heart. I really like the name Li Xi came up with. It's so beautiful, as expected of Li Xi... I like it. I fell in love with your song title at first sight."

So he was teasing me after all! Too bad, Xiao Sui!

Li Xi leaned against the windowsill, but his hand touched something.

I turned my head and saw that it was a grass nest similar to a bird's nest.

【Hey, Xiaosui, what is this? 】

After studying day and night, Lixi's sign language skills have improved by leaps and bounds... The value of this one-week intensive training is self-evident!

[This is the crows' new home. There are so many crows near my home. Every time I see a few new friends, I make a few bird nests and hang them on the trees.]

Pointing to a tree in the courtyard that was not very tall but had lush branches and leaves, Li Xi found that there were indeed many bird nests on it.

【Xiao Sui really likes crows.】

[Yes, they are the ones who keep me company most of the time. Crows are very cute.]

A smaller crow happened to fly by, making a coquettish sound of "woo woo woo", but soon disappeared into the shadow of the tree.

The moment it passed by the sun, Li Xi saw its colorful wings.

So beautiful…

Just as beautiful as Xiaosui.

Li Xi looked at the tree, then at Qiansui, his eyes almost too busy to keep track.

[Why are you always looking at me? Hey! Do you like me that much?]

Qiansui was very happy after Lixi learned basic sign language. She finally didn't have to type or write by hand all the time.

Although the handwritten letter is still necessary, after all, Li Xi can take it out and read it again and again after his death, which will increase his regret index.

But it’s nice to use sign language to communicate and take a break from work every now and then.

Chitose Noshiro used Riki's shoulder as the starting point, circled around and came in front of Riki. She sat by the window and hooked her hands around Riki's shoulders.

Looking at Li Xi from this angle allows him to see his most beautiful side.

But Qiansui thinks she is the most beautiful no matter which angle she is viewed from!

【I…】

Li Xi kept swallowing and tried his best to turn his head away but he couldn't do it.

"Lixi is the first friend who came to my house to listen to my performance... Did you like it? I've been learning for over ten years, and this is the first time I've written a song for a friend. I want Lixi's honest feedback..."

That being said... I can't give any negative reviews at all.

After the performance, Qiansui repeatedly asked Lixi whether she liked the song. Lixi liked it very much, and she swore that she would answer seriously every time.

I really like the song by [the artist], it's awesome...but I'm curious about one thing.

There was a question that Lixi was most curious about and had always wanted to ask.

"What?"

【Why does Xiaosui like piano so much? 】

At this point, Li Xi found herself at a loss for words, so she quickly picked up the sketchbook Chitose had been using and continued:

Doesn't Xiao Sui feel lonely? Young people his age would obviously choose to spend their youth in a more relaxed way... Why would Sui choose a hobby that's so unfriendly to him?

Li Xi really wanted to know.

After all, all her current connections with Chitose are connected through music. It can be said that without Chitose's music, they would not have been able to meet.

At the same time, Li Xi couldn't imagine Chitose's daily life... being imprisoned in a silent prison day after day. Even writing is much easier than playing the piano.

Why did Chitose choose to take such a complicated path?

"Whoa?"

Chitose was startled by this question and made a crow cry.

She swore this question was definitely not what she expected.

But it's not a big problem.

She had an absolutely perfect answer waiting for Lixi.

"Because... I don't know how to put it... Every time I play, I feel like I'm still alive. Burning with all my might at the piano is different from the incomplete burning I experience watching a performance from the audience... What I love most is music."

There was a gleam in Noshiro Chitose's eyes.

"Do you know that feeling, Li Xi? That dazzling crimson glow that emanates for just a moment during a performance... That's what I've been pursuing."

The intermittent words were so powerful that Li Xi never imagined that he would get such an answer.

"Burning?"

After repeatedly chewing on the words Chitose said, Li Xi was touched by Chitose's words for the first time outside of music.

But despite this, Shiina Riki still couldn't understand what this burning meant.

She couldn't understand what kind of experience would make a hearing-impaired person resolutely choose to continue playing the piano. Even though she couldn't hear her own piano clearly with hearing aids, she would imagine and recall the piano sound in her mind just for this feeling...

[Xiao Sui, I'm very curious. Can you take me to experience this feeling?]

Not really that curious.

But Shiina Riki feels that if she wants to be a lifelong friend of Chitose, she needs to understand and comprehend Chitose's feelings.

She wanted to get to know Chitose better.

"Really?"

Acting surprised and delighted, Qiansui's hands flitted around Li Xi's waist.

[Really, I've discovered that my interest in music is growing stronger and stronger. Xiao Sui, let's play music together this time. I think I'm ready.]

Compared to the previous time when he learned music because of his sister, Lixi had other purposes this time.

When she held Chitose in her arms, she realized that a sense of accomplishment wasn't really that important anymore. It was fine if she had it, but it didn't matter if she didn't.

Carefully feeling the sound of Chitose Noshiro's breathing next to her ear, Li Xi understood what she wanted.

"This kind of friendship is what I, Shiina Riki, should enjoy..."

This is the youth worth remembering for her.

...... ...... ......

Ch203. Then take on her fate

Chitose was smiling all day, and when Li Xi saw the corners of Chitose's lips turned up, he also started smiling.

She felt that Chitose was smiling because she was very happy, and Riki was someone who could be happy for others’ happiness… This made Riki feel even better.

But in addition to the joy, there are countless things reminding Lixi that things are far from as optimistic as she thought.

The twisted musical score, the dark flock of crows and the scar on Qiansui's hand flashed before his eyes. Those things seemed to imply that the beauty in his arms had hidden a dark side deep in her heart that he had not yet explored.

Where Chitose Noshiro couldn't see, Shiina Riki clenched his hands tightly.

"Lixi..."

"Ok?"

"Want to see something exciting?"

Chitose blew hot air into Lixi's ear, her tone frivolous and full of infinite temptation.

"what?"

He couldn't help but think of it, and Shiina Riki imagined endless scenes.

What exactly are these so-called excitements?

It shouldn’t be what I think.

What Li Xi didn't notice was that Chitose's tone of voice was normal when he spoke just now, except that there was less distortion in his pronunciation than usual.

But even if she found out, she wouldn't think anything of it.

With every breath Lixi took, her rhythm was completely controlled by Qiansui.