Chapter 96: Nozomi/Hope... What a good word

"Hmm... the hospital ceiling..."

Nozomi opened his eyes dazedly, looking at the pure white ceiling. The smell of disinfectant from the hospital lingered on his nose. Nozomi quickly understood where he was.

"It seems that your brain is not burned out, which is quite good, [Record Player]."

"Ah, Brother Li."

Hearing the voice of someone familiar, Nozomi hurriedly tried to prop himself up with his hands but was quickly stopped by the pain in his hands.

"It hurts!"

"You know it hurts, but you're still holding on?"

Li said this with some annoyance, then stepped forward and lifted Nozomi up with a somewhat rough movement that would not hurt him, and then let him sit on the bed.

"Thank you, Brother Li~"

" Don't you see what you have become? You still can laugh?!"

Li pointed at the scars on Nozomi's body, especially the gauze on his face and the bandages on his hands, and started to verbally criticize Nozomi.

"Look at your face, what have you ruined?! Huh? And your hands, look at your hands, don't you feel the pain? Huh? And you're still smiling... If you were bullied, tell us. If someone is mad at you, tell us. Don't act like you're the only one there, hiding in a corner, feeling wronged and silent. Why are you pretending to be an ostrich?!"

"If someone scolds you, do you scold back? If someone targets you, do you fight back? If you can't beat them, don't you call for help? I have nothing to do anyway, and if you come back and say a few words to me, will it kill you or something? You think you are so capable just to endure it all by yourself, right?!"

"Look at what you've done to yourself now. Where's your piano? You don't want to practice anymore? Where's your song? You don't want to sing anymore? You still have a competition, what? You're not going?!"

"You don't know that if you keep doing this, you will definitely ruin your body and your hands. From now on, you will never be able to play your piano or sing again. Go to hell!"

"…You still laughing?!"

Seeing that Nozomi was still smiling after he had finished speaking, and even became happier and happier, Li was a little worried that this kid had a fever and damaged his brain.

"…Your fever has subsided, so why are you still so confused? And you're still grinning like an idiot."

Li reached out and touched Nozomi's forehead in disbelief, but the silly child came closer to him foolishly, which made Li a little scared.

"No, Brother Li... I'm just very happy."

Nozomi was still smiling, happier than ever.

"Because now I can truly feel that you care about me and that I am loved by you... so I am really... very happy."

"Don't talk about love and romance. It's disgusting, understand?"

"I'm really sorry~"

Nozomi tilted his head and spoke in a light and somewhat naughty tone.

"But I... am really happy. At least this proves that what I insisted on and what I chose were not wrong."

"......"

"Brother Li, I'm sorry for making you worry again... I smelled cigarettes on you, and it was very strong... Was it because you were too worried that you smoked? And... you probably didn't sleep all night, there are more bloodshot eyes, aren't there?"

"Who do you think is responsible for all this, you stinky [record player]."

"I'm sorry... Can I sing a song for you, Brother Li? You can choose any song you want. Just consider it my apology~"

"...I want you to play the piano, can you do it now?"

"Sure~ But you have to wait a little longer... I learned a technique called [Acapella] that allows me to simulate the parts of musical instruments with my voice, but I'm not very proficient at it yet, so I have to wait a little longer..."

"I just let you play with your hands!"

Hearing Nozomi's tone, which had never changed and was almost always cheerful, Li couldn't help it after all and shouted loudly, but then he realized that this was a hospital and quickly lowered his voice.

"What's wrong with you, huh? What's wrong with you, you record player? Aren't you angry? Why are you still smiling like that? Why are you still chatting with me happily here? Why are you still making jokes here? Huh? Do you know what happened to you?"

"Look at the wounds on your body! Look at your own hands! Don't you love music the most? Don't you like playing the piano the most? Look at it! Look at yourself! How can you play it now? Tell me?"

"It will be fine..."

"Don't interrupt me!"

Hearing Nozomi's aggrieved rebuttal, Li felt annoyed.

"What's wrong with you?! Are you resisting?! Are you punching people? The school can fire you or something? Isn't it just a school-wide criticism? Isn't it just self-criticism? Don't you know how to do it?!"

"I see you running around all day, you look pretty healthy, you're not skinny, I envy your muscular body, you look good and you're not as bulky as us, and you have a delicate face like a girl, how did you end up like this?"

"You were so excited when you were helping people, and you worked all day without complaining about being tired, but what happened? Look at you! They called and came to cause trouble for you, but you just fell to the ground and got beaten. What are you doing?!"

"You're still laughing there?!!!"

Li felt like his head was about to explode, and he even wanted to use a standard combo on the stupid record player in front of him.

"Because... I'm really happy to be cared for by others... Brother Li."

Nozomi smiled, a smile full of happiness.

"......"

This one sentence made Li speechless. The reproach that was about to come out of his mouth seemed so powerless in the face of this sentence that Li even forgot to refute.

"Brother Li, I'll sing a song for you, okay? Just consider it as an apology~"

Nozomi smiled and spoke again, and without waiting for Li's response, he raised his hands on his own, ignoring the bandages still wrapped around his hands, and ignoring the constant pain. He just slightly tightened his fingertips and held the non-existent violin and bow in the air, his eyelids slightly lowered, with a bit of pride and confidence, and then... he slowly pulled the non-existent bow and hummed a moving melody.

Hmmm~

The voice was very soft, and occasionally a slight tremor that was out of tune could be heard. It was obvious that he was still in pain, but... he was still persisting, humming a light and cheerful tune to himself, as if he wanted to share with Li the joy in his heart that came from being cared for.

Li remained silent and did not interrupt him, because he knew that this was what Nozomi insisted on, and he must use this song to repay Li's concern for him. If he was not allowed to continue, he would continue to make trouble, and in the end he might even get angry with him... So just let him be.

"Okay, the rest will be dealt with after you get better."

When the music was over, Li spoke quickly, allowing him to break free from the world of music.

"Okay~ It's a deal~"

Nozomi no longer insisted and just agreed with a smile.

"Brother Li, don't smoke so much in the future. Yin won't like you... I still have a lollipop in my pocket... Ah, the nurse should have put it in the drawer, go look for it, and if you're greedy, you can take it and put it in your mouth."

"Alright, alright, I know you're thoughtful, stop thinking about my affairs, think about your own."

Li said this with some helplessness and annoyance, and pulled out the drawer of the bedside table. Sure enough, he found a few lollipops in it. He picked up one at random, unwrapped it, and put it in his mouth to relieve his craving for cigarettes that came back due to his irritability.

"I'll pay for your medical expenses and hospitalization fees first... Wait, don't say anything yet, I didn't say I'd waive them for you."

Not long after Li opened his mouth, he raised his hand to interrupt Nozomi's words and continued.

"Use the money you save now to buy me your cello. When you get better, go and earn money for me. The job I introduced to you doesn't count. You can go to the street to perform with your cello. We'll split the money 90-10, 90-10 and you 10-10. This money can be considered as your repayment to me, okay?"

"...Okay, thank you, Brother Li~"

"Tsk... your record player is really hard to deal with..."

Li curled his lips and was about to get up and leave... he had other things to do.

"Okay, take a rest and recover. Later..."

"Nozomi?!"

Before Li could finish his words, a panicked shout came from the door. The voice was unique and recognizable - it was Eden.

"Eden? Good afternoon~"

Nozomi poked his head out and greeted the person happily when he saw her. Then she asked with some concern.

"It's still class time, right? Eden, are you okay?"

"You're still talking about your lessons at this Time?"

Li curled his lips and said with some regret.

"I... I heard from the teacher that you were in the hospital, so I asked for leave... wait, your hand?!"

Eden quickly noticed Nozomi's bandaged hands. Her pupils shrank slightly. She took two steps at a time and came to Nozomi's bedside. The panic in her words could not be concealed at all.

She knew very well how important a pair of healthy and flexible hands was to people studying art, and that their importance was basically the same as that of a doctor's hands.

But now…

"It's okay~ It's just a minor injury, it will be fine after resting for a while~"

Nozomi comforted the somewhat flustered and anxious Eden, and waved gently to Li.

"......"

Li, who originally wanted to leave quietly to leave space for the two, was speechless. He could only curl his lips and leave a sentence "I won't bother you, I'm leaving first", then left quickly.

"But in the subsequent matches... who was that guy just now?"

"Brother Li is my friend. He is a language expert. He can speak many languages. I have learned a lot from him. Although he looks a little scary, he is a very nice person... Ah, as for the competition, I may have to ask you and the teacher to help me withdraw from the competition. I am afraid I can't catch up now."

"But..."

"Okay, Eden, I'm fine~"

Nozomi smiled and deliberately moved his hands in front of Eden... But Eden clearly saw a hint of patience flashing in his eyes from time to time, and his brows occasionally frowned slightly, and it was obvious that his hands were still in pain.

"Don't move, just... don't move, rest well."

Eden didn't care about anything else and quickly reached out to press his hand down. Her slender and smooth hand gently pressed on the bandaged hand, and Eden couldn't help but feel heartbroken.

Because she suddenly remembered what Nozomi had said to her before - "Our experiences and encounters with each other have meant that it is difficult for us to understand each other's current situation."

Yes... She really didn't expect, and couldn't understand, that Nozomi would be in such a... terrible situation.

Although she vaguely sensed that other students were rejecting Nozomi and guessed that Nozomi might have been targeted and bullied by other students, she never expected... that it would be so serious.

Because she had never experienced such a thing! She could never imagine that a classmate who was so friendly in front of her would do such a thing to another person "like her", to Nozomi!

She also understood why Nozomi said that she was too dazzling, so dazzling that even Nozomi was envious... because they were clearly doing the same thing and were similar to each other in many ways, but the feedback they received, in the end, was completely different.

"I'm sorry... Nozomi... I'm sorry, I... I didn't expect you to be... in this state."

Eden didn't know what to say, let alone how to comfort Nozomi... because she could vaguely guess that Nozomi's current state... might be related to her.

Any apology, any verbal apology, seems so pale and powerless in the face of facts full of pain and scars.

"Don't say that, Eden."

The bandaged hand moved quietly and gently covered Eden's beautiful jade-like hands. The hand hidden underneath also gently turned over. With a few small movements, Nozomi held Eden's hands in return.

"Rather, I should be the one to apologize... I'm so sorry for making you worry~ I won't do that next time~"

His voice was soft and gentle, yet with a hint of playfulness, like a small and harmless fishhook, gently pulling Eden's depressed heart upwards a little.

"Can..."

"Shh—"

Nozomi gently stopped Eden from saying the next thing, and his strange, beautiful three-color pupils met Eden's dazzling golden eyes.

Eden was stunned for a moment. She suddenly noticed that... the golden part of Nozomi's pupils seemed to... be slightly enlarged?. It looked like the stars in the night sky had become brighter.

But before Eden could ask, Nozomi closed one eye, showed a mischievous expression, and said.

"Okay~ Eden, let's try another way of communicating~"

He said so.

"Music and singing are the only things we have in common that will never change. For us, this is also a simpler and more direct way of communication, isn't it?"

Familiar words, this time, came out of his mouth.

"Then... let's sing ~ Eden ~"

"Just like we usually do, let's use this to communicate~"

After saying that, Nozomi narrowed his eyes, raised the corners of his mouth slightly, and didn't care at all about the scars on his body. He exuded a happy mood and hummed softly.

Eden looked at Nozomi at this moment, a little dazed. She... suddenly felt that Nozomi at this moment was so "dazzling", just like his eyes, like the stars in the night sky. Even if the surroundings were full of malice, even if his body was covered with scars, he could still laugh and sing happily with her.

Even though Nozomi's body was covered with scars and even though there was gauze on his face, Eden felt that Nozomi at this moment was very... [beautiful].

Like a faint candlelight in the darkness, like the twinkling stars in the night, like... his name.

Hope... what a good word.

Then, the corners of Eden's mouth slowly lifted up, forming a smile, and then he nodded and responded.

"...yes."

Nozomi smiled, and his smile became more and more cheerful and happier, and even the mood in his singing became a little higher.

Eden straightened her spine, coughed twice, adjusted her breathing, and then softly hummed her own part. The two people's singing was like the meeting of streams, blending smoothly into each other, outlining a beautiful melody, depicting their common fantasy.

......

.........

"...The eldest daughter of [Hida Koro], Elga... right?"

Outside the ward, Li, holding a lollipop in his mouth, glanced at Elga, who was standing there in a daze, looking a little dazed.

"How could this happen... How could this happen?"

She became a little dazed, looking at the two people inside through the small gap in the door. Her eyes stayed on Nozomi's bandaged hands. Elga seemed a little dazed.

She just stood at the door, dazed. She didn't knock, and she didn't even dare to knock... She even quickly dodged before Nozomi and Eden noticed anything and huddled on a chair in the corridor, her whole body trembling slightly, at a loss as to what to do.

"No... I didn't think this would happen... This shouldn't happen... How could it turn out like this..."

"Hey, you."

"Alas--"

Li kicked Elga's leg, which scared her again... but fortunately it still attracted her attention.

"You did it, didn't you?"

Li narrowed his eyes and stared at her, a dangerous aura gradually emanating from his body. Combined with his tall stature and ferocious face... his intimidating power was self-evident.

"That situation with our record player... was caused by you, right?"

"No... no, it's not me... I didn't mean to do this. How could I possibly do this? I never thought it would be like this..."

Elga looked a little flustered and confused. Obviously... she didn't expect that this "targeting" would cause Nozomi's hands to be injured, and even... miss the competition.

She didn't think like this, why would she do this? She just... wanted to attract Nozomi's attention a little bit, just wanted Nozomi to pay a little attention to her... How could she do this to Nozomi?

Squeak——

It was the slight sound of a door opening, but in Elga's ears, it was like a thunderclap. The panic and guilt in her heart intertwined with each other, and finally... forced her body to move.

She... ran away.

She didn't dare to face Nozomi and didn't know how to apologize... Any apology seemed extremely pale in the face of the painful reality.

She... escaped.

Feeling sorry for Nozomi and blaming herself, she ran away in a hurry... She was afraid of hearing even worse news.

For example... Nozomi's hands suffered some hidden injuries, which affected his future performances... If that were the case, then she could be said to have indirectly... no, directly ruined Nozomi's future path.

She was... scared.

It was not until this horrifying fact was placed before her that she clearly realized what she had done before.

She could only run away, feeling endless guilt and apology.

"…Tsk, it seems this girl is not the main problem."

Li looked at Elga who ran away quickly and curled his lips... The sound of the door opening just now did not come from Nozomi's ward at all, but from another ward. It was just that Elga was too nervous and scared herself away.

But... Li also realized that this girl should not be the "main problem".

"Hmph... Never mind."

But Li didn't care about it. After all... he would find out. He would find those who caused trouble for his [record player].

Li bit the candy in his mouth into pieces and spit the plastic stick into the trash can. While chewing the candy in his mouth, he showed a dangerous and angry smile.

"If you break someone else's things, you have to pay for it... you little bastards."