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Chapter 93: The Rain Leaves Traces, Yet the Road Feels Vast
🕑 Added 2025-08-17 15:00:13 +0000 UTC“If it were me, I’d try to step in and do something about it.”
The rain continued to patter steadily outside.
Though it was still morning, dark clouds crowded the sky, casting a gloomy shadow over the room.
The glow of the phone screen lit up Aoki’s face as he stared at the message.
His thoughts were a tangled mess.
He’d expected all sorts of responses from Hikigaya Hachiman—maybe a dismissive brush-off, maybe a warning to mind his own business, or even no reply at all.
But this? This, he didn’t see coming.
Most of the time, when people ask for advice, they already have the answer buried in their hearts.
Aoki wasn’t sure what kind of reply he was hoping for when he sent the message: “What would you do if it were you?”
But seeing Hachiman’s response now… it threw him off.
What kind of person was he, really?
If you’d asked him a few months ago to list his flaws, he probably couldn’t have answered.
But now, after being reborn, after living alone in Tokyo, after meeting the girls in the band and starting to care about Kessoku Band...
Now he had some idea.
He was too self-centered.
Always thinking he knew best.
He’d often impose his decisions on others without meaning to.
He never used to notice those things about himself.
But now, a little at a time, he was starting to reflect—starting to realize he had a problem.
And that personality? It had cost him.
More than once.
Which is why now, even with Hachiman’s honest reply, Aoki found himself hesitating.
If he intervened without permission, tried to fix something that wasn’t his to fix... and messed it up again... what then?
But if he did nothing?
His mind flashed back to last night, around 11 PM. Kita Ikuyo, lying on a hospital bed, her voice barely above a whisper:
"I know I shouldn’t feel sorry for myself, but I do, just a little."
"This is my issue. It has nothing to do with the band."
"I’ve kind of gotten used to living like this..."
And then finally—"Because you believe in me, Aoki-senpai."
...
Caught between two equally bad outcomes, how do you even begin to choose?
If he barged in and things went wrong, it might only deepen her mother’s disapproval of the band.
It could even push Kita to leave Kessoku Band entirely.
But if he stayed out of it... the image of Kita’s exhaustion, her unsteady fingers on the guitar, the shadows under her eyes—he couldn’t forget.
The more he thought about it, the more restless he felt.
He tried to shake the thoughts off and looked out the window.
Avoidance wouldn’t solve anything—but at least it would give him some peace.
The rain kept falling, soft but steady.
Occasionally, droplets hit the leaves with a sharp pat, causing the branches to tremble.
Then, his phone buzzed again.
Aoki glanced back down.
It wasn’t a message from Hachiman or anyone on LINE. Just a Twitter notification.
Probably trending news or a recommended post.
Even without tapping it open, the preview on his screen was enough to read:
———————————————————————
“Suki-san, once hailed a genius, may have made her worst decision yet by choosing Kessoku Band for their ‘Fireworks’ collaboration.
Some are calling the lead vocalist the weakest link.
A famous music critic says: ‘Thinking you can take the stage without hard work is just child’s play.’ Did Yuusuke Niijima make a huge mistake this time?!”
———————————————————————
Clickbait. Maybe a hit piece from some shady online tabloid. Or maybe just someone riding the wave of controversy.
Staring at the push notification, Aoki fell silent.
No—avoiding the problem won’t bring peace. And it sure as hell won’t fix anything.
He turned off the screen and stood up, gaze steady.
When you make a choice, you have to be ready to lose something.
He exhaled slowly.
He had already considered his personality before.
The conclusion he came to was simple.
Call him stubborn, call him selfish—he didn’t care.
He would do whatever it took to fix a problem. And if something went wrong... he’d take responsibility for it, no matter the cost.
You can’t think your way out of everything. Sometimes, hesitation is more dangerous than impulsiveness.
And right now, he had more than enough reasons to act:
He wouldn’t let anyone drag down Kessoku Band.
He wouldn’t let Kita’s effort be erased with one careless remark from some “famous critic.”
He didn’t want to second-guess himself.
And above all...
Kita’s soft voice.
Her fevered face leaning against his back.
The way her eyes shimmered with unshed tears when she looked at him.
Aoki couldn’t ignore any of it.
So—
———————————————————————
September 5th.
The rain had stopped. The air was cooler now.
The storm had only lasted a day, but it was enough to scrub the city clean.
The morning sky was startlingly clear, and the crisp air made breathing feel easier.
Aoki woke up early—around 5 AM. He got ready quickly, even though the sun hadn’t fully risen.
He stepped outside, locked the door behind him, dropped off the trash, and headed for his usual running route.
As he jogged, he let his thoughts drift back to the decision he made yesterday.
Like Hikigaya said—he was going to intervene.
Whether it was about Kessoku Band, the rumors online, Kita Ikuyo’s family, or the internal conflict she was facing—he was going to step in.
Yeah, he was the kind of guy who acted on his own.
He knew that wasn’t always a good thing, but right now, he didn’t care about changing that.
Some choices require hesitation.
But some don’t.
Even if the road ahead was pitch-black, even if he ran straight into a wall and came out bloodied and broken...
Well, it wasn’t like he was a stranger to walking in the dark.
And his eyesight was pretty damn good.
His feet hit the pavement a little harder now, more determined.
Somewhere in the far corner of Shibuya, on a road still slick with the remnants of yesterday’s rain...
The path looked wide open.
