C. G. C.
It all started with this chord.
Amane Ichikawa took a deep breath and struck the guitar, a sound that brought the four of them all the way here.
Each of them had been saved by this song, clashed over it, drifted apart, stumbled, and stood back up again.
And then, they reached that classroom filled with the atmosphere of that sunset-colored day.
“Konuma-kun, can you give me just one of your songs?”
“I mean, if everyone finds out I've been writing poems, they'll definitely make fun of me...”
“...Takuto, can I hear your song?”
“I want you to let me hear amane's songs with amane's voice.”
And so, we became a band.
* * *
『Watashi no Uta』
Hey, is there even one thing that only I can do?
In the corner of the classroom, sitting in silence, I’m just a well-behaved girl.
Hey, is there even one person who is irreplaceable?
I might never get to know my person of destiny living in a distant town.
Since I have nothing, I have no confidence.
Since I have no confidence, I have no courage.
I remain unable to say something like, “Stay by my side.”
While walking to avoid pain and wounds,
Before I knew it, I had distanced myself from the things I held dear.
That's surely because, deep down, I truly wanted to be there.
It’s full of painful things, and things I can't reach,
And there are days when I want to throw it all away,
But maybe one day, I'll meet someone who will say “I'm glad you're here”
To this one-in-seven-billion person who can't become anybody.
Hey, is there even one thing that only I can do?
The truth is, I’m sure that didn't even matter at all.
* * *
“I’m so happy... having my song sung like that... If it reached someone’s heart like that, then I’m truly glad I wrote it...”
“This song is my favorite song in the whole world.”
* * *
If there is something that was born
Because I stood here, because I breathed,
Because I laughed, because I cried, because I sang,
I don't care how small that thing is.
Like a medal, like a badge of pride,
I will live while holding it high with the best smile I have.
* * *
“Hey, Konuma-kun. I love my own song.”
* * *
This is, Watashi no Uta.
* * *
Amane raised her right hand high, and the song ended.
There was no time to get sentimental.
Riding on the resonance of the C chord, I gathered momentum and shouted the 4-count.
“One, two, three, four!”