As Kamijou Mutsuki's performance came to an end, it was followed by thunderous applause and a crowd of fans surrounding him.
After all, his popularity here had already been unmatched. And now, with the halo of a miracle added on top, it was easy to imagine what kind of reaction it would cause.
In the end, it was Sakiko Togawa who charged into the crowd and rescued him.
"Saki-chan, could you be a little gentler?"
Facing Sakiko's rather rough handling, Kamijou Mutsuki couldn't help but say this.
With his current physical condition, after just finishing that violin performance, both of his hands were still weak and numb.
"And now you know it hurts?"
After they got into the car, the girl finally let go of him, crossing her arms as she looked at him.
"What you did just now was way too reckless!"
"If you had failed, do you know what the consequences would have been?"
No matter how Sakiko thought about what had just happened, the only conclusion she could reach was that it had been a miracle.
But something like that still felt, even now, almost like a dream.
If the miracle hadn't occurred, Kamijou Mutsuki's professional career would probably have truly ended.
All that risk—for something so trivial?
That was simply far too willful.
"I was just showing my real level. What consequences could there be?"
Kamijou Mutsuki clenched his fist slightly, feeling the weak state of his body.
The condition he had reached on stage earlier was clearly not something permanent.
As soon as that feeling faded, he returned to his original state, completely exposed again.
Moreover, maintaining that state seemed to require his emotions as fuel.
Right now, when he thought about the violin, he couldn't ignite even the slightest passion in his heart.
But it didn't matter much.
Ever since recovering the memories of his previous life, that kind of passion had mostly disappeared anyway.
The current him wasn't playing the violin because of so-called passion anymore.
As for the problem with his hands, Kamijou Mutsuki believed the system would eventually give him a tool he was satisfied with.
"..."
However, his casual words caused Sakiko Togawa to fall silent.
After all, if something was a miracle, it naturally couldn't be replicated.
What Kamijou Mutsuki had just done wasn't merely betting his professional future—he had also publicly torn open his own scars.
Why would he go that far?
Was it really just to persuade her?
That was a bit too…
"Kamijou, what you did just now… was it really only for—"
The girl's tone was filled with dissatisfaction at how little the boy seemed to care about his own life and future.
Yet she didn't notice the faint blush spreading across her cheeks.
"Of course it was for you, Sakiko-sensei."
Kamijou Mutsuki's answer made the redness on her face deepen slightly.
"After all, if something happened to you, my Mutsumi would lose her best friend."
"…You really care about Mutsumi."
Kamijou Mutsuki noticed the girl's expression had become somewhat stiff, and even her words sounded a little gritted through her teeth.
At that moment, for some reason, Sakiko felt a strange trace of envy toward her childhood friend.
"So in your eyes… everything I've done until now was wrong?"
The girl suddenly lowered her head, as if all the strength had drained from her body.
Kamijou Mutsuki's actions had certainly been shocking, but when she thought about his purpose, Sakiko felt something almost ironic.
"My pride… my self-respect… those are wrong too?"
"But aside from those things, what do I even have left now?"
Leaving the Togawa family had cost her the comfortable life she once had, along with her identity as a young lady.
Then her father, now far away in Australia, sent her to Kamijou Mutsuki and with that, she lost her last remaining family member.
Even though that "family member" had been the root of her tragedy, someone who only clung to her and drained her dry.
Because of the changes in her family, she had also cut ties with her former friends.
And in the end, even the person who was like the other half of her soul looked at her that way.
Other than worthless pride and self-respect… what did she actually have left?
She already had nothing.
"Saki-chan, you're not someone who has nothing."
As if seeing straight through her thoughts, Kamijou Mutsuki reached out and took her hand.
As she felt his movement, the somewhat emo Sakiko instantly blushed again.
Hey—what are you doing?
Suddenly getting all handsy like that… are we even that close?
This guy isn't about to say…
Some cliché line like "You still have me," right?
Did he really think something that corny would move her?
"…You still have Soyo Nagasaki, you know."
And just like that, Kamijou Mutsuki's next words made the blush on Sakiko's face vanish instantly.
"…Then I'd rather have nothing at all!"
Wouldn't saying something like that hurt her way too much?
"Whether it's pride or self-respect, neither of those are mistakes."
Kamijou Mutsuki released Sakiko's hand.
"They're a person's shining points… their charm."
You're saying it in such an otaku way that I don't even understand.
"But if they make the people who care about you sad… can that really be called the right thing?"
"..."
Sakiko couldn't answer.
"No one has ever pitied you or looked down on you."
"They just wanted to care about you. You're the one who keeps fighting with yourself."
"Oh, right."
Kamijou Mutsuki suddenly seemed to remember something.
"Come to think of it, your debts are all on me now, and my useless second brother also entrusted you to my care."
"In a certain sense, that means you belong to me now. You don't have the right to refuse my orders."
"So…"
Under the girl's gaze, Kamijou Mutsuki continued: "From now on, you're not allowed to rudely reject their kindness. At the very least, learn to trust and accept other people."
"You're not allowed to distance yourself from your old friends—especially Tomori Takamatsu. Otherwise, be careful or Taki Shiina might beat you up."
"You're also not allowed to give my Mutsumi dirty looks anymore. Think carefully about why even your soul's other half treats you that way."
"As a maid, you also have to wear lace suspenders normally, or white pantyhose—"
Wait a second.
Did something weird just slip into that list?
Sakiko sensed something was off, but before she could say anything, Kamijou Mutsuki had already concluded: "…Anyway, those are my orders!"
Like anyone would listen to orders like that!
…Well, fine. She'd listen to a few of them, at least.
Looking at the scenery flashing past outside the car window, Sakiko suddenly felt a little dazed.
Too many things had happened today.
Thinking back on it now, even those extremely lethal lyrics from Mutsumi earlier didn't seem like that big of a deal anymore.
While the girl was sorting through her thoughts, she suddenly felt a slight weight settle on her shoulder.
What is he trying to do now?
Having her thoughts interrupted, Sakiko frowned and turned her head, about to speak—
Only to notice Kamijou Mutsuki, leaning against her shoulder with his eyes already closed.
He… fell asleep?
Thinking about it carefully, Mutsuki had first stood in the rain with her, then performed a miraculous violin performance far beyond his limits, and after getting into the car he still had to comfort her.
Feeling tired now was only natural.
Although she had seen him like this before, this was the first time Sakiko realized.
When this guy was asleep, he actually looked pretty agreeable.
.......................