Chapter 131: Eden, the sky... is clearing up~

"Hello, can I ask you a few questions?"

"Hmm? Sure, but... please don't ask too many questions. I still have things to do..."

"Okay, so...how are you feeling about the situation?"

"...It's terrible. The fire destroyed a lot of people...including my relatives and my family...Also, your question is a bit rude."

"Sorry, this is just our job... I hope you can understand."

"Oh... never mind, just ask."

"Thank you for your understanding... Then, are you still willing to participate in concerts, operas, music, and other entertainment activities?"

"Ha... I'm not interested anymore, and I don't have any spare money. It's good enough to be alive now. Why would I be interested in paying attention to those things? And now those things are gone, right?"

"There are some, such as Miss Eden."

"Eden? That big star? I remember she hasn't appeared on TV for a long time? Ah... Come to think of it, I rarely see her singing recently, which is a bit of a pity."

"So...if it was her, would you go?"

"No, I said, I don't have the time anymore... But if she can go back on stage, I think I'll be very happy, right? It's probably that kind of feeling, 'The world is not that bad yet'... something like that?"

"Then...what about the other one? That Nozomi."

"Nozomi, I hope... haha... I remember he didn't have any concerts. From the beginning, he just played on the street and uploaded videos."

"Yes, that's it. He relied on this method alone to achieve a status similar to that of Miss Eden. Together with Miss Eden, they are called the 'Twin Stars' of our time..."

"Ha, you guys really have a lot of free time... But if I were to run into him by chance, I'd still listen to him a little."

"Why? Are there any differences between the two?"

"...I'm not sure either. I just listen to his songs, and I feel more relaxed. Although they don't have the gorgeous feeling of Eden,... I always feel my mood gets better when listening to his songs as if there is hope for the future... Haha, it seems that his name is not wrong. Maybe he is really a 'hope' in some ways."

"And he only plays on the street. If I come across him and I have some time, I will still listen to him for a while. After all, it's only for one song... It's no big deal to stop for a while, just like accepting an interview with you guys."

"I see... I understand. Thank you very much for your cooperation."

"Well, it's time for me to go... No matter what, everyone should work hard and survive in this increasingly bad environment."

"I hope you do the same."

......

.........

"Eden, look, everyone is looking forward to your comeback and continuing to sing..."

Standing on the street with Eden, watching the interview playing on the TV in the window, Nozomi shook his head, and his white hair like waves rose gently. The rain falling from the edge of the umbrella passed through his hair without getting it wet at all.

"If that's the case, they are actually looking forward to meeting you even more... Nozomi."

Eden said softly.

"Just like he said, you are indeed [Hope] in some ways...Your name is really good, isn't it?"

"Yeah, that's a really good word~ I like this name very much... But Eden is also a good name, right? The beautiful and wonderful Garden of Eden in the legend is such a desirable place~"

"…Yeah, that's right."

Eden wanted to say that the legendary [Garden of Eden] did not exist, but in reality, [hope] did exist... But in the end, Eden swallowed the words, just nodded slightly, and responded with a smile.

"...Eden, let's keep walking. It's been a while since we had a date like this, so I should really enjoy it~"

"Dating...ha...if other people knew about this, they would probably give me some interesting looks, right?"

"They will probably be very pleased, right? Hehehe... For example, Mr. Gunns~ Ah, I haven't seen them for a long time. They have been working so hard to take care of the company recently. I must thank them~"

"Yes, we have to thank them..."

"…Eden, can we continue walking?"

"um."

Eden did not refuse but just nodded slightly.

The two of them walked side by side under the umbrella, slowly walking in the rain.

The two of them did not put on any makeup or change their clothes. They just wore beautiful clothes, maintaining their original appearance, and walked in the rain.

Pedestrians hurried past on the road, and many people recognized them and showed surprise on their faces, but no one showed joy or even ecstasy like before, and came up to ask for autographs or photos... People were just slightly surprised and hurried away.

"......"

Eden took in everyone's attitude and pursed her lips.

Yes... everyone now has their own things to do. In order to survive in this devastated world, people no longer admire her like before... her songs, her brilliance, no longer shine in everyone's eyes.

The haze called Honkai shrouded everyone's heart, and even... obscured their eyes.

Eden's eyelids drooped slightly, and her golden eyes looked even dimmer.

"...Eden, are you sad?"

"No... not really."

"But recently, you are even unwilling to sing with me and communicate with me through singing..."

"......"

"Are you afraid that I will hear your sadness? Or... are you worried that it will affect my song?"

"..."

Eden subconsciously held Nozomi's arm tightly.

"I just don't know what I should do or what I can do..."

"As long as Eden continues to be herself~"

"But... everything is different from before."

Eden said this as she looked at the drizzling rain in front of her and the gloomy sky.

"Under the pressure of survival, people no longer pay attention to me... My glory has faded, and my era has passed..."

"If that's the case, then why not let it shine again?"

Nozomi said this, speaking the truth as it should be.

Of course, Eden knew that if the glory faded, she could just shine again. If she encountered setbacks, she could just pick herself up again... But, it's not that easy...

Maybe she could become a "companion star" beside Nozomi, reflecting his brilliance. That would be fine... but... she couldn't seem to do it.

At this moment, she was not even qualified to stand beside Nozomi. As an ordinary person, she was undoubtedly a burden to Nozomi, who often had to go to the battlefield... This made her particularly sad and uneasy.

The "double stars" that once accompanied each other, illuminated each other and followed each other... are about to disappear. One of the "stars" becomes dim and gradually falls behind the "star" that is still shining. she can only stand behind him, gazing at his dazzling light, while she... is immersed in the lightless night.

"sigh..."

Eden's gaze stayed on the rain in front of her, and she sighed unconsciously, lamenting that she was just an ordinary mortal. The so-called "star", from beginning to end... was only Nozomi.

"Eden?"

Nozomi's face squeezed into Eden's sight, and his gentle voice flowed into her ears through the sound of rain.

"do you like the rain now?"

"Um?"

"do you like the rain to fall now?"

Nozomi asked this somewhat strange question again.

"...If it's now, as expected, I still can't like it."

Eden said slowly.

"Everyone is too tired, too hard-working. Under the disaster called Honkai, everyone is tense, worrying whether they can survive today, whether Honkai will find them today, whether tomorrow will come as usual, or... be destroyed by Honkai."

Eden said this while looking at the sky filled with rain clouds with no sunlight shining through.

"...Yeah, it's like not knowing when the rain will stop, like not knowing whether what will appear after the rain is a rainbow, sunshine, or... the sky that has been shrouded in darkness."

Nozomi nodded and looked at the rain in front of him.

"Rain clouds obscured the sky, and the rain blocked people's sight, making it difficult to see the road ahead. The water on the ground also hindered everyone's pace. The humid air rushed into the nose, making the already anxious heart even more anxious... Rainy days are really terrible."

Nozomi sighed in this and then stopped with Eden... It was not because they encountered any problems, but they came to a square - this is a place to commemorate those who died in the fire.

Here you can see scattered people who come to mourn. They stop here and wander beside the only monument, their eyelids slightly drooped, sadness flowing from their eyes, falling on the ground with the rain, accumulating and piling up. The gloomy and cold weather adds some power to this emotion, weighing on everyone's hearts and making it difficult to breathe.

He stretched his hand out from under the umbrella, and the rain gently fell on his fingertips, gathered in the palm of his hand, and then quietly slipped away from between his fingers, leaving only a little sadness, sad that they thought the rain was bad.

Then he laughed again, gently, like the wind.

"But I still like rainy days, okay?"

After saying that, he walked briskly, left the shelter of the umbrella, came to Eden, opened his arms, and bathed in the rain.

Tick-tock——

The raindrops hitting his body brought him a feeling of joy. He was happy that he liked the rain and was willing to accept it.

The child who endured the dryness and was bullied by the flames...finally reunited with [Water].

However, he seemed unwilling to accept [water].

"Nozomi?"

"Hush... Eden, if you don't want to sing, just listen to my voice for a while."

He placed his fingers lightly on his lips, and amid the sound of rain, Nozomi's soft voice passed through the rain curtain and reached her ears.

In a trance, the raindrops falling around seemed to become rhythmic, and the blowing cold wind seemed to have a melody, like played keys, like plucked strings.

"This is a piece of music that I have prepared for you a long time ago. Now... let me take this opportunity to play it for you~"

Nozomi smiled, letting the rain wet his hair and soak his clothes. His eyelids drooped, and his fingertips moved lightly, tapping on the air. Then a melody belonging to the piano quietly emerged, gently covering up the sound of the rain.

?!

Eden widened her eyes, her gaze fixed on Nozomi, not wanting to move away at all. Her thoughts followed his music, and she was immersed in his tune.

The gestures changed and transformed into the action of plucking the strings. The sound of the cello rang out, adding a brilliant melody to the rain-like piano sound, slowly covering up other sounds... At this moment, everything around seemed no longer important, all the sounds around seemed to have been lost, leaving only his songs and his music.

The breeze at this moment seemed to be dyed with a color, a light blue color, surrounding him, but slowly, as the sound of the cello took over the dominant tone, a light golden glow gradually appeared on his body, staining the breeze and the music, turning them into tangible golden notes.

All the past events seemed to be spread out before her eyes. Past memories and the beauty that she once possessed seemed to be coated with a layer of soft gold at this moment. It was as beautiful as a painting, and Eden could not help but indulge in it.

Gold, that is a gold as gorgeous as dusk, flowing in the air like a stream, beside him, outlining the shape of a musical instrument in his hands... Slowly pulling the bow, letting the high-pitched sound ring out, making it long and melodious, the golden notes also carry the breeze, flowing high in the air, and drifting away into the distance.

"Hmm? What's that sound?!"

The soldiers who were still fighting the Honkai beasts in the area with rich Honkai energy also heard this music. Looking at the Honkai beasts in front of them that were gradually becoming calm, they suddenly knew who was playing it.

Nozomi... It was his song, but where did the sound come from? And shouldn't he be on vacation now?

Just as the frontline soldiers were surprised, the "Fire Moth" seemed even more anxious... because they detected a slight amount of Honkai energy, which, based on the wavelength, should belong to Nozomi, and the coverage area... is the entire Australia!

" report the situation. What's the situation with Nozomi?"

Mei called Sakura directly, hoping to get an answer from her.

"…Dr. Mei, you really should come and take a look at the scene."

Sakura's voice sounded a little dazed, and her words were filled with surprise and admiration that was difficult to conceal.

"The sky is clearing up...it's really... beautiful."

"What?"

"It's clearing up, Dr. Mei."

Sakura spoke softly, looking at Nozomi who was immersed in the performance not far away. She did not move her eyes away, nor did she want to move her eyes away.

Nozomi smiled, a smile full of joy... he liked rainy days, he liked the rain. Even in such a depressing environment, even on such a gloomy rainy day, Nozomi still liked it.

Because he believed that the rain would eventually pass and the sky would eventually clear up, and then brilliant light would fall and sweep away the previous haze.

Just like... right now.

With the change of hand gestures, the illusory golden cello in his hand quietly changed into the appearance of a violin. The original dusk-like sound with a hint of sadness was replaced by a lighter sound, like the morning light, full of... [hope].

The golden sunlight passed through the rain clouds and fell on Nozomi's body. At first, it was golden spots, then it turned into a complete beam of light, illuminating his body, and finally more and more light fell, bringing warmth and reassuring light.

The rain clouds that obscured the sky gradually dissipated, and the rain curtain that blocked the view gradually faded, leaving only scattered raindrops.

The light from the setting sun was not blinding, only giving people a faint sense of security, but Eden's gaze only stayed on him in front of her and never moved away.

His music had come to an end, leaving only the faint sound of the piano, like a few raindrops.

Eden had let go of the umbrella at some point, but her body was not wet at all. All she could hear was the sound of raindrops getting fewer and fewer around her.

Tick-tock——

The last drop of rain fell and happened to land on the back of Eden's left hand. It slid down gently and slowly and finally stayed briefly on her middle finger. It separated silently and left a ring-shaped mark on her knuckles, which was cool and had a distinct feeling.

Eden seemed to sense something, looked down at the palm of her hand, feeling the coolness left by the rain, then raised her head and fixed her gaze on him again.

At this moment, he had already withdrawn his hands, and the music he had played had also ended.

"This song is called 'Golden Hour'. I wrote it, especially for you. I hope you like it, Eden."

Nozomi's footsteps moved lightly, and he seemed so happy. His hair was lifted up with his movements, and the white hair tips rose and fell like waves, splashing out little transparent water droplets.

"Besides..."

Gently raising his head, feeling the soft light, Nozomi gave Eden a bright smile and spoke softly.

"Eden, look, the sky... is clearing up~"