Lonely Rock for the Blind

Page 172

Yamada Ryo grabbed Nekayashiki Haru's left hand.

"I watched you pinch it out."

"Yeah…"

"I still see you shaking."

"Ah."

"Did you hear anything?!"

Click! ! !

Yamada Ryo crushed the lollipop in his mouth and then spat it out.

"What...did you hear?"

"...It's so blurry that I can't see your colors clearly."

“No one played it wrong! Everyone played it right! Why do you still hear those…”

Yamada Ryo suddenly said excitedly, and Nekayashiki Haru interrupted.

"Why did you run away?"

"?!"

Golden eyes widened.

Click…click…

She broke the candy into smaller pieces.

“Don’t answer questions with questions…”

"You answered me first, why did you run away?"

The breath accumulated in the chest suddenly stopped, and a feeling of suffocation suddenly made Yamada Ryo open his mouth.

“…I…was just…bored…”

"Everyone played correctly? Everyone's in great shape?"

"It's different... I can feel it."

"... "

Nekoyashiki Haru nodded.

"I can hear it, too."

"Have Yudai and Nijixia realized that you're distancing yourself from them?"

"Maybe."

Nekoyashiki Haru nodded.

"Maybe that's why all I hear are blurs of colors..."

"What should we do next?"

Yamada Ryo asked again.

"I said I don't know."

“…Think about it again?”

"I've been thinking about it, and I'm still thinking about it."

Nekoyashiki Haru lowered his head.

"To refuse outright would hurt them."

"... "

"There's no good way to politely refuse, so how about I confess that I like mature women?"

"... "

"Is there any other solution? If not, I can look for a rental girlfriend. Maybe that would work?"

"... "

Nekoyashiki Haru raised his head.

"Ahh...it's all my fault."

"...?"

Yamada Ryo suddenly looked at Nekoyashiki Haru.

"Your...fault?"

"Isn't it? Isn't it my fault that Nijixia and Yudai fell in love with me?"

“…No…No, no…”

Yamada Ryo grabbed Nekaya Shiki's clothes.

"it's not your fault!"

"Whose is that? Yudai's? Hongxia's?"

“No… and no…”

Nekayashiki Haru placed his hand gently on Yamada Ryo's head.

"Is that yours?"

"I…"

Yamada Ryo's voice suddenly became silent.

"…Ugh…"

Nekoyashiki Haru sighed.

"Do you think it's your own fault?"

"... "

"Do you think that because you told me this, the atmosphere in the team is close to collapse?"

"... "

"So you think it's all your fault?"

Nekayashiki Haru's hand slid down from Yamada Ryo's head.

"Liang, you unexpectedly think a lot..."

"!!!"

Snapped!

Yamada Ryo grabbed Nekayashiki Haru by the collar.

"I didn't think much of it!"

"... "

"If I hadn't told you this... If I had just let this happen naturally, the situation wouldn't have gotten this bad..."

"How bad has the situation gotten? Isn't everyone fine..."

"Are you worried?!"

Yamada Ryo yelled, then gently pushed Nekayashiki Haru away.

"I don't know what to do. I think about it day and night. Listening to that blurry color, I must be taking the blame on myself and feeling guilty, right?!"

Yamada Ryo raised his head, and there was a flicker of light in the corners of his golden eyes.

"Is that so?! Nekoyashiki Haru!"

"... "

Nekoyashiki Haru was silent.

"If...if I hadn't told you...if..."

"Tell me I'm not wrong."

Nekoyashiki Haru said calmly.

"some…"

Yamada Ryo sat down against the railing.

"I escaped."

"... "

"Because I don't know how to deal with it, I've left the problem to you alone. I think you can handle it. I think Hongxia will solve it with her cheerfulness, and I think Kita can be understanding."

"But today I know. That music, that lifeless music...that means this thing won't be easy."

Yamada Ryo's breathing was heavy.

“…I’m scared.”

"afraid of what?"

“I’m afraid that because I say this, the band will disappear.”

"You really care about the band..."

"I care about you guys!"

Yamada Ryo stood up and looked at Nekoyashiki Haru with golden eyes.

"I still want to continue walking with you..."

"I still want to maintain my daily life with you guys, I still want to continue laughing and joking with you guys, I don't want this kind of life to end..."

"I've already lost a band and a place to stay, and now I don't want to lose anymore."

"But when I tell you that, the band..."

"Yamada Ryo."

Nekoyashiki Haru interrupted Yamada Ryo.

Then he took off his sunglasses.

The boy opened his eyes.

In the still twilight night, there was a faint orange-yellow hue.

The purple eyes were full of cracks, like glass marbles shattered on the ground.

"!"

Yamada Ryo opened his eyes wide.

"They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. Can you see anything?"

"…I…"