Chapter 0160: A Miracle Happens
Kaori looked at Hayashi in surprise, stammering, "P-play? B-but I don't have my vio—ah!"
Before her, Hayashi raised a violin case with a smile. "If it's a violin, I have one right here."
"Th-that's…"
Kaori was about to say, "Isn't that my case?" when she remembered that the person before her was a "mysterious being" capable of conversing with her in her spectral state. If so, conjuring her violin out of thin air wasn't so strange after all.
Hayashi regarded her gently and repeated, "May I?"
"I understand."
Kaori reached out and took the case from Hayashi, placing it on the ground with tender reverence. Softly, she murmured, "This might be the last time I ever touch you…"
She lifted the violin from its case, settled it expertly against her shoulder, pressed her chin to the chinrest, and rested the bow on the strings before slowly closing her eyes.
3, 2, 1…
Counting the beats silently in her heart, Kaori began to play. The soul-stirring music flowed from her violin, lulling even the fiery Ho-Oh perched atop Hayashi's head—though it was hard to imagine the word "serene" applying to it—into closing its eyes in peace.
Even Hayashi, who had no artistic talent to speak of and couldn't carry a tune in "The Girl Next Door," felt as though his soul had been cleansed. He closed his eyes with exaggerated solemnity and listened quietly to the girl's final performance in this world—at least, that was how she saw it.
"Haah… haah…"
Minutes later, Kaori lowered the violin, breathing lightly. A flush of excitement colored her cheeks—her playing had just ascended to a new level.
'But… I suppose I won't get to play anymore, will I?'
As this realization sank in, the excitement faded from her face. Silently biting her lip, she carefully returned the violin to its case, fastened it shut, and held it out to Hayashi.
"I don't know if you're a god or truly a demon contending with the divine for souls," Kaori said, echoing Hayashi's earlier mysterious introduction, "but thank you. For letting me play it one last time."
"No, it's I who should thank you," Hayashi replied, smiling at the girl before him—radiant as cherry blossoms, resilient as plum blossoms. "For allowing me to enjoy such beautiful music."
"I still have a long way to go," Kaori said, lowering her head bashfully before quickly lifting it again with pride. "But that piece was my absolute best!"
"Is this the pinnacle?" Ho-Oh flapped its wings above Hayashi's head before landing in front of Kaori Miyazono. Instinctively, she extended her hands as a platform for the "divine bird" to perch upon. "Are you satisfied with your current level?"
"Well..." Kaori wore a somewhat bitter expression as she replied helplessly, "Does it even matter anymore? Because... I can never play the violin again."
"Not necessarily." Hayashi's mind went blank as he began spouting nonsense. "Do you know why I'm snatching souls from that old bird God? It's all because the Heaven and Hell Centennial Music Competition is coming up! Last time, the old geezer sent Igor and made us lose face in Hell. So now I'm preparing early to—"
"HYAH—"
Just as Kaori's expression was turning horrified, Ho-Oh struck Hayashi's abdomen with a Brave Bird attack, sending him flying backward. He crashed to the ground with a thud, lying motionless like a corpse.
Kaori gasped, "Is... is he okay?!"
"Don't mind him." Ho-Oh landed back on Kaori's palm with a dark expression, exasperated. "Ignore his nonsense. There's no such music competition—"
"R-right..."
Hayashi climbed back up, rubbing his stomach with a pained grin. "Don't put too much pressure on yourself..."
'So it actually exists!?'
"HYAH!" Ho-Oh transformed into light and charged at Hayashi again, scolding, "Can't you save the nonsense for later?! You're about to confuse this poor girl to death, you know?!"
"Gotcha—"
This time, Hayashi easily caught Ho-Oh's Brave Bird attack. With a smooth motion, he redirected the force before chuckling. "I just thought the mood was too serious, so I couldn't help cracking a joke. Don't take it to heart—"
Kaori was now sweating bullets, completely lost—what on earth was going on?
"You've completely baffled her. How are we supposed to continue now?"
"Ah, let's just get to the point."
Hayashi cheerfully leaned closer to Kaori. "Miss Miyazono, I have good news and bad news for you. Which would you like to hear first?"
"Uh..."
After a moment's hesitation, Kaori replied, "I think... the bad news first!"
Hearing the bad news first meant the good news could lift her spirits afterward. But if she heard the good news first, the bad news would just ruin the mood!
"The bad news is—you really are dead." Hayashi pointed beside them, where an operating table and Kaori's "corpse" materialized in the blank white space. Strangely, however, the surgical incisions that should have been on her body had completely vanished.
Hearing this, Kaori gave a wry smile. "Ahaha... that really is bad news. So, what's the good news?"
"The good news is—" Hayashi exchanged a glance with Ho-Oh before smiling warmly at Kaori. "The good news is... your music moved us. So we've decided to give you a second chance at life."
"A second life... Huh? A second life!?"
Kaori, still immersed in the "death declaration," first subconsciously repeated the words. But when she realized what Hayashi was saying, her eyes widened instantly as she looked up at Hayashi and Ho-Oh.
"This is our little secret—" Hayashi closed one eye and placed a finger over his lips, whispering to Miyazono, "Don't tell anyone else, okay—"
'Even if I did, no one would believe me anyway, right?'
Kaori twitched the corner of her mouth, feeling as if she were in a dream. Wait—a dream?
Under the puzzled "?" expressions of Hayashi and Ho-Oh, Kaori pinched her own cheek hard and pulled outward, then lowered her head dejectedly. "It doesn't hurt... So it really is a dream—"
"..."
With a complicated expression, Hayashi said, "Um, Miss Miyazono, just a thought—could it be, purely hypothetically, that souls don't feel pain?"
"..."
Realizing she had made a huge blunder, Miyazono's face flushed red. She scratched the back of her head sheepishly and muttered, "Well, it's just... this is all too unbelievable. Coming back to life and all..."
"Because you are a lucky one, watched over by the gods—" Ho-Oh gazed at the girl with gentle eyes. "This is a miracle in this world, meant for you alone."
"A miracle..."
Kaori murmured.
"Well then—"
Hayashi hovered his hand above Kaori's body and smiled softly. "Miss Miyazono Kaori, if we ever have the fortune of meeting again, would you and your beloved play a song for us?"
"Huh?"
Before Kaori could respond, a blinding white light erupted from Hayashi's body. Instinctively, she raised her hands to shield her eyes.
Five or six seconds later, when the light faded, Kaori lowered her hands and found herself standing in a pitch-black tunnel. Without thinking, she began running toward the light at the end.
Closer... closer...
...
...
"Beep—beep—beep—"
The rhythmic beeping echoed softly in the silent operating room. The doctor, lost in self-blame and frustration, jerked his head up in surprise and turned toward the heart monitor—on the screen, the line representing Kaori's heartbeat pulsed with vigorous life.
"A miracle... has happened..."
The doctor looked at Kaori on the operating table and saw that her eyes were now open, filled with confusion and shock as she glanced around, as if unable to believe what was happening.
"I... I'm..."
She struggled to sit up, and the doctor, watching her movements, widened his eyes in astonishment. "Miss Miyazono, your body..."
"My body..."
Miyazono looked down at her hands, clenching them lightly once, then again, then with more force, and finally with all her strength.
"...seems to have recovered."
What awaited Kaori next would likely be a thorough medical examination and reports heralding her as a "miracle."
...
...
"Satisfied now?"
Hayashi strolled through the commercial street of the Your Lie in April world, casually buying a portion of fried chicken before addressing Ho-Oh perched atop his head.
"Completely satisfied! Absolutely fulfilled!"
Ho-Oh exhaled contentedly, chirping happily: "It feels like all the darkness in my heart vanished instantly—whoo! Menma survived, Kaori survived too—could anything be more blissful?"
"Actually, yes." Hayashi raised his fried chicken with utmost seriousness. "For instance, buying a combo of honey mustard and extra-spicy fried chicken when passing by a shop."
Ho-Oh stared blankly before lowering her head. "Are you doing this on purpose? You skipped yakisoba, croquettes, grilled sausages, takoyaki—just had to pick fried chicken?"
"Fried chicken brings happiness, don't you get it?" Hayashi popped a sauce-drenched piece into his mouth, squinting blissfully. "Ahh, this sensation is utterly addictive."
"Pah! What happiness? You're definitely messing with me!"
"You're so annoying!"
"Stop yapping and give me a piece!"
Hmph, mere Ho-Oh!