(Part 5)

The striking, heart touching rhythm going around. The middleschoolers wondered surprised. "It as if… their souls are one," Xavier thought.

Aaron turned around to face the highschoolers who enjoyed the atmosphere. "You still know how to play it together, I am surprised." he asked.

"This is the first song we made together, how can we forget." Isa replied.

"You all made this song together?!" Ezekiel asked amazed.

"Yeah." Evan recalled. "Rauf was so angry when they were wasting time on singing. They got a handful of scolding, right?" he glanced at Rauf.

Rauf, who was staring at the boys, blinked ever so lightly. "It's been long hasn't it…?" he just asked in a light whisper.

"Indeed, 6 years have passed in the blink of an eye." Haruf agreed.

"The heart which can never be read~ carrying a thousand burdens we struggle~," Elias sang, knocking on the wooden floor to make rhythmic sounds.

"The air heavy, the path unclear~ the feeling of helplessness, a scene painted in monochrome~," Kazuna added next.

"Nonetheless, we are still at the same point." Rauf uttered softly, his expression softening yet appearing slightly blue at the same time.

Kenzo looked at him sternly.

"Yet, the flowers will bloom and the spring will return~ this never ending downpour will eventually change to comfort~" Alan continued, spinning his chair around. Will leaping around him playfully.

"And from here I'll sing you this song~" Aaron smiled, his finger changing the sound in a blink of seconds as if engraved in the deepest his memories.

"I can't help but envy them." Helios whispered.

"Why?" Feng asked, clapping his hands.

"That's because… no matter how much they fight each other or us, aren't we sitting here altogether in the end?" Helios said, "Whether they are good or bad, harsh or kind, idiots or just naïve. I can't read them at all."

"I agree." Seraph concurred, "I don't know what to think of them despite all that happened in the previous match."

"Sigh~ it's all just so confusing." Heber added.

"They are all so confusing." Ryan stressed.

The last stanza approaching the highschoolers sang,

"You, who are a gem in a millions, are my light, my constellation of stars~'

'You, who embrace destiny, believe that the best awaits you in the end~'

'You, who are innocent, I'll indefinitely protect your smile~'

'You, who are unknown, I'll find you when you need me the most~'

'Oh! You, who will create the future, Welcome to the new world~!'"

"Ah~ Ah~ a~~" Aaron sang, his grateful gleam visible "Ah~ Ah~ a~~" A few pluck of his guitar strings and so ended his song.

The middleschoolers immediately clapped. "That was great!" Adam remarked.

"Yeah, truly mesmerizing." Xavier expressed.

"You really live up to your voice, Sir Leon Herve." Poseidon clapped.

"Thank you, haha," Aaron chuckled, turning to Alan and giving his hand for a high-five.

"See? I knew they'll like it." Orion grinned proudly.

Nagi rolled his eyes.

"Wait? Was it planned?" Gabriel raised his brow suspicious.

Tapping his microphone, Aaron set his guitar aside and propped one leg atop the other, reclining against the backrest of his seat. Lifting the microphone, he began, "You see… the reason I sang this song today had a special meaning."

All of them listened to him attentive.

"First of all it's for you juniors who won both of their matches with relentless hard work despite being new to PSL and secondly, it serves as a tribute to the moment we're sharing now, where all of us, since the day we first met, are finally gathered together. Not a single one of us is absent," Aaron continued.

Alan listened to him with awe.

"Three years ago, I penned this song with all the high schoolers here when I was going through a rough patch. I made a mistake and was facing serious consequences. Times were tough, and I struggled to move forward. That's why I titled it 'Welcome to the New World', I forgave myself and moved on," Aaron shared, his voice tinged with a hint of sorrow.

Poseidon exchanged a glance with Ezekiel, who had uttered a similar sentiment before.

"What I'm trying to convey is that each of us here is dealing with different challenges, facing unique situations. Despite that, we strive to give our best in every aspect. We may goof off, take things lightly, and even be overly proud at times, but in the eyes of the world, we're still just kids," Aaron continued.

"In the future, my young friends, we'll undoubtedly have disagreements and make countless mistakes. Our aspirations and emotions may not align, and we'll likely blame each other for many things. However, there will come a day when we'll part ways and go our separate paths. So, whenever we find ourselves in conflict or pointing fingers, I urge you to recall this moment. I hope it's a memory you won't regret," he earnestly implored the boys.

Kenzo, Helios, Seraph, Xavier, and Gabriel stared at him, astonished.

"The time we'll spend living is long, but the time we'll spend together is fleeting," Aaron emphasized, pressing his index and middle fingers together. "So why not make the most of this time and forgive each other when we reflect on it?"

Rauf and Alan exchanged a lighthearted smile, touched by his words.

"Honestly, we are so kind~ our seniors never once did something like this." Elias boosted with a sigh. "Yet, we still talk to them, call them and meet them. Not that they were nice, they were the absolute worst but despite them being the worst the reason we are standing here now is all because of them." he reflected.

The middle schoolers sat in silence, processing their thoughts.

"You guys are really... really confusing," Azazel voiced his confusion.

"One moment you treat us like nothing, and the next like we're everything. We don't understand," Xavier added, perplexed.

Kazuna closed his eyes in contemplation, while Nagi adjusted his glasses.

"Then don't try to understand everything. Just try to grasp the meaning behind our words," Evan suggested. The middle schoolers pondered over their words.

As the sky turned grey, Rauf withdrew his hand from the window, feeling the drizzle of raindrops. Standing up, he stepped outside, feeling the chilly breeze tousle his hair.

"What's up, Rauf?" Zachariah inquired.

"It's starting to drizzle again. We should head back," Rauf suggested.

"Oh no, really? And we don't even have umbrellas," Senri remarked, packing his belongings.

"Come on, everyone, we don't want to catch a cold, do we?" Haruf urged, rising to his feet. The middle schoolers shook their heads, indicating a unanimous 'no,' and began preparing to leave.

"But I wanted to stay a little longer," Aigou pouted, flanked by Azazel, Heber, and Adam.

"Yeah, I was also enjoying it here." Haris and Lou Wang agreed.

"Wait a moment, I think I might have some umbrellas upstairs," Aaron volunteered.

"I'll help you," Ezekiel offered, following him.

Before long, the downpour began.

"Oh dear, this is not good," Elias remarked, trying to navigate through the fog.

"It was sunny just a moment ago," Noah observed.

"Rauf, why are you getting wet out there? Hurry up and come inside before you catch a cold," Isa called out, concerned.

Alan chuckled, "Leave him be. He loves rain. It won't make him sick."

"But it's starting to get freezing cold," Orion shuddered, rubbing his arms. Glancing at Poseidon, who looked slightly pale, Orion asked, "Are you okay?"

Poseidon nodded, "Yeah, just a little worried."

"Don't worry, we're all here. We'll make it back to the hotel safely," Ren assured, dabbing his back.

"Everyone, put on your jerseys and pull down your caps. Make sure to cover up as much as possible," Nagi advised, "Except for Rauf, who's already soaked."

"Hehe," Alan chuckled, stepping out into the rain, "Take care of Will."

"Huh? Are you going out too now?" Ren asked in surprise, soon grabbing the rabbit who was about to follow Alan.

"Brother," Alan called with a smile, joining him. His long hairs getting wetter as more rain fell.

"Do you want to catch a cold?" Rauf asked him suddenly.

Alan raised an eyebrow, "Says the one who thinks he's immune to sickness."

"Tch," Rauf rolled his eyes, turning around and pushing Alan back into the studio.

"What?" Alan asked, confused.

"Enough playing in the rain," Rauf insisted.

"Huh? I didn't even come out for a minute!" Alan protested as the two bantered.

"Hehe, how amusing," Isa chuckled, watching them.

Seraph observed the two with wonder.

"I want to go out too," Adam tugged at Seraph's shirt eagerly.

"Absolutely… not," Seraph responded affectionately.

"Huh? Why not?" Adam pouted in frustration.

"Because we don't want to end up babysitting you when you're lying in bed with a cold," Cassiel pointed out firmly.

"Hehe," Helios and Kenzo laughed.

Annoyed, Adam pushed Kenzo outside. "Hey! What are you doing?!" Kenzo protested, his hair getting wet.

"Bleh!" Adam teased, running off.

"Haha," the boys laughed together.