“Hmm...?”
I slowly opened my heavy eyelids.
It seems I had fallen asleep at some point. My head was resting against the back of an unfamiliar sofa.
The heated discussion within the band amane had continued until midnight. The last time I had checked the clock, it was definitely around 3:00 AM.
I wonder what time it is now? I strained my eyes in the dark room.
“...Ichikawa?”
“Good morning, Konuma-kun.”
There was Ichikawa, leaning her head against the back of the sofa just like me, looking my way. I felt the presence of a sweet smile.
“Yeah, good morning...”
“Your voice is raspy.”
She pointed that out, but since she was speaking in a whispering voice herself, it made my eardrums feel ticklish. I cleared my throat to fix it.
“...So, what are you doing, Ichikawa?”
“Hmm, maybe ‘imprinting’?”
“Imprinting...?”
Was I the one half-asleep, or was it Ichikawa? Either way, I didn't understand what she was saying.
“Oh, you don't know it? It’s that thing where a bird thinks the first thing it sees when it’s born is its parent.”
Ichikawa explained clearly in a beautiful voice that seemed to soak into my brain. Apparently, her head was already working fine.
“No, I know that... but what about it?”
“I thought that even if everything up until yesterday was gone, even if today was the very first day, you might think of me as special if I was the first person you saw when you woke up.”
“Huh...?”
Is it just because my brain isn't working yet? It’s as nonsensical as ever.
“Ahaha, sorry. It’s nothing. I was just acting a little spoiled.”
“Is that so...?”
Her way of being 'spoiled' was so far out of left field that I didn't get it at all...
“You slept well, didn't you?”
“Yeah... Sorry, I just drifted off... even though we were talking about important band stuff.”
Changing the subject, I lowered my head slightly and apologized.
“No, Konuma-kun, you didn't sleep the night before last because you were talking to Yuri, and you were making songs until late last night too, right? It’s only natural that you’re tired.”
“No, that’s the same for everyone... By the way, where are Sako and Azuma?”
I looked around the dark room.
...They didn't see that exchange just now, did they?
“Ahaha, it’s fine, it’s fine. They’re getting ready right now.”
“For what?”
“Ready to go home. And you see, Yuri said she wants to see the sunrise at Inokashira Park on the way back.”
“Sunrise at Inokashira Park...? Is it a famous thing?”
I quietly pulled out my smartphone.
“Hey, Konuma.”
Just then, I heard Azuma’s voice; she seemed to have finished her preparations and come over.
“You were just about to do an image search, weren't you? That’s seriously inelegant.”
Can she read my expression even in a dark room...? Is it because of the smartphone light? Come to think of it, why is the room dark? I think the lights were on when we were talking...
“Takuto, you just woke up. Here, your jacket.”
“Ah, thanks...”
...Well, whatever.
I took the clothes from Sako, who had come with Azuma, and threw them on as I stood up.
Ichikawa stood up along with me.
“Well then, shall we go?”
The four of us walked side-by-side through the park.
“Haa— haa—”
Ichikawa was exhaling happily for some reason.
“What are you doing?”
“Look, my breath is white.”
Ichikawa exhaled 'haa—' once more and pointed it out.
“It is...”
I thought the gesture was subtly cute, but since it was morning and Azuma and Sako were there, I looked away for the time being.
Whether she knew what I was thinking or not, Ichikawa continued to blow out white breaths with a smile.
“It’s almost time for the sunrise. Hey Yurisuke, which way is east?”
Sako, looking at her smartphone screen, asked Azuma.
“It’s not like I’m particularly knowledgeable about geography...”
“Even though you have a last name that sounds like ‘East’ (Azuma).”
“What’s that, because I’m Azuma...? Now that you say it like that, I feel like I have to answer...”
To Azuma, who started thinking 'hmmm,' I pointed with my finger as we walked.
“The sun rises from the east, so isn't it around there where it’s starting to get bright?”
“No, that is the east... Hmm?”
Just as she said that and we stepped onto the bridge over the pond, at that very moment.
Looking in the direction I was pointing, we all gasped in unison.
“Oh...”, “Wow...!”, “Whoa”, “Amazing...”
There was a large, red sun reflecting off the water's surface.
Stopping on the bridge, the four of us looked up at it.
It was a sunrise so beautiful that I couldn't possibly describe it with my vocabulary.
I wondered how Azuma would express it, and when I looked to my side, she was murmuring something softly.
“It’s incredible... If the dawn comes from the east, then next is... yeah, I see.”
And then, she smiled. The droplets gathered in her eyes reflected the sunrise and shone slightly.
“Hey, everyone.”
“Hmm?”
“I thought of a title for the new song. What do you think it is?”
“Why is it a quiz?”
At Azuma’s sudden declaration, Ichikawa retorted with a laugh.
“The hint is, ‘Song of XX.’”
“You mean following ‘My Song’ and ‘Your Song’?”
“Well, something like that.”
Azuma nodded with a smile at Sako's question.
Do I have the right to answer too?
Well, I might as well try.
“Song of amane.”
When I gave it a shot,
“That’s... well, for Konuma, it’s surprisingly well done, or maybe just beginner’s luck. I feel like it could actually work in a roundabout way, but...”
I got a reaction that I couldn't tell was positive or exasperated.
“Hmm... since Yurisuke made it... ‘Song of Me’ (Atashi no Uta)?”
“Eh, we all made it together. So... ‘Song of Everyone’?”
Next, Sako and Ichikawa gave their respective answers.
“No, both are wrong. The closest one is Sakohasu’s ‘Song of Me.’ Because I am Azuma (East).”
What does that mean...?
“Eh, really? Even though we all made it together.”
Ichikawa puffed out her cheeks slightly as if sulking.
“Ahaha, I’m talking about how it sounds. You see, I thought that after Before Dawn and Daybreak, this is what comes. So,”
With a smile that was fleeting, lonely, but exceptionally cool, Azuma said,
“This song is ‘Song of Tomorrow’ (Ashita no Uta).”
*
‘Song of Tomorrow’
If yesterday didn't exist, and today was the first day
Would we have chosen the same tomorrow?
Maybe, like the Earth doing a somersault
The scenery might have shifted fatally, just by a few millimeters.
The answer sheet that should have been a perfect score
Before I knew it, a blank space appeared on the back
For the first time, I don't know the words to fill it
I won't say “tell me,” though.
I can't let yesterday disappear
I can't afford to cry today
Because this is the path I chose myself.
So
Even if everything until yesterday was pitch black
Let’s choose the first step together today
Because tomorrow belongs to us.
If I didn't know you
Or these feelings
It would have been nothing at all
But I want to be with you the most
It can't be helped, right? Because it’s near something precious.
The answer sheet that should have been a perfect score
Before I knew it, a blank space appeared on the back
For the first time, I don't know the words to fill it.
But
It might be a mistake, but let’s make a sound.
One point is just a tiny speck
But two make a line
Three create a plane
And four made a square blank space.
So
Look, open your ‘Mouth’ wide
The words you sing don't have to be the right answer
Because that, too, belongs to us.
The days from now on belong to us.
*