Tokyo: The evil god doesn't want to be the top star

Chapter 27: Parting and Reunion

"This room... my patinated tea set... my random inspiration notes... my unfinished books... my tea leaves sorted by their best-ever dates... it's a mess, everything is a mess..."

Scanning the neatly organized yet extremely unfamiliar rooms one by one, Yoshihiro Kishimoto's pupils trembled, and he muttered to himself, petrified on the spot.

"Well, I'm very sorry. I didn't know that this room couldn't be cleaned. I saw that the door was not locked, so I just..."

Seeing the clue, Xia Fan scratched his head apologetically and reflected honestly.

He has been working as a helper in his family's restaurant since he was young, and later he often worked part-time. In his spare time, he also likes to watch "speed bumps for men" videos such as cleaning dirt and refurbishing old things. Cleaning is one of his "little hobbies" to relieve stress.

I joined the composition department today and started cleaning from my own workstation, but I didn't expect to get too immersed in it and ended up cleaning all the way to the studio area.

When he found this unlocked studio full of dust and mess, he felt like he had found a treasure and did a "deep clean" with excessive force. Only then did he realize that this was impolite.

"Asshole, apologies are useful, what do we need the police for..."

“What you cleaned away was not the dust in the room, but my precious inspiration and memories!”

Yoshihiro Kishimoto's body was shaking, and his hair and beard were moving without wind, like a human bomb that could explode at any time.

"Master Kishimoto, it's all because of Xia Fan. He acted on his own initiative on his first day at work!"

"Although I did ask him to clean up, it was just a casual remark and I didn't take it seriously. Most importantly, I blame him for not mentioning that he was the 'descended person' who wrote 'Sakura'..."

The truth was revealed, the boss ran away, and Yamazaki Hiroshi's mind was in a mess.

He explained in a nonsensical manner, just wanting to throw the blame away based on his "survival instinct in the workplace".

"Wait, that's..."

The angry Yoshihiro Kishimoto suddenly noticed that after the clutter on the desk was tidied away, a white vertical photo frame was put back in place.

The clean photo shows a woman wearing a kimono, with a dignified face and a smiling expression.

"Aiko."

The world in front of Yoshihiro Kishimoto's eyes suddenly became hazy with tears, and his hands trembled weakly...

The blooming Fuji Weeping Cherry tree just fell to the ground.

"I still remember the approximate location of the things. If possible, let me restore them and forgive my sins, okay?"

Xia Fan reacted very quickly, snatched the precious bonsai in mid-air and handed it back to Yoshihiro Kishimoto.

"Aiko... Sakura... I'm sorry, I lost my composure earlier."

Gazing at the cherry blossoms that had been lost and found again, Yoshihiro Kishimoto took a deep breath and calmed down.

"You are... By the way, Yamazaki just said that you are the one who wrote "Sakura", the one who 'descended to the earth'?"

Ignoring Section Chief Yamazaki's noisy accusations, he looked up and faced the young man in front of him.

"Although it has nothing to do with cleaning, it is true that I wrote Sakura."

Xia Fan nodded respectfully.

"Is this God's will?"

His eyes, as deep as the sea of ​​stars, made Yoshihiro Kishimoto subconsciously feel close to him.

"You two, sit down and have a cup of tea first."

Yoshihiro Kishimoto took the bonsai and walked into the room.

……

The kettle on the tea table was gurgling with white smoke, adding a touch of warm fireworks to the cold studio. "In fact, as early as ten years ago, I had been brewing a final work and then announced my 'retirement'."

"But, ever since my beloved son passed away five years ago, I have lost all my inspiration due to excessive grief, and can only hang out in the fireworks place every day to numb the pain and loneliness in my heart. In the past few years, although I have written a lot of songs, they are only mediocre works, far from the standard of "final works". "

"My whole life, Aizi has taken care of my life, including cleaning up the studio. So after she passed away, I never had the courage to tidy up this room, and I didn't want anyone else to touch it."

Put the matcha powder into a bowl, add boiling water, pick up the tea whisk, and stir slowly and forcefully.

"Yesterday, my old friend Keizo Horie recommended a new song to me called "Sakura". When I first listened to it, I suddenly clearly recalled the scene when I said goodbye to my son under the cherry tree before going abroad to study when I was young..."

“The enthusiastic market response to Sakura was a wake-up call. I have been so high and mighty for so long that I have forgotten my original intention when I composed my first song, and have also strayed away from those simple, rustic and beautiful things.”

Xia Fan and Yamazaki sat on both sides, watching the green tea foam up little by little and listening quietly.

"Later, I asked around and found out that this song, 'Sakura', was actually written by a newcomer named 'Xia Fan', and it just happened to fill in the gap of the song that Dong Ye kid asked me to write. And today, it just so happened that you accidentally tidied up the studio that I had been afraid to start."

"I think this must be the spirit of my beloved son in heaven, reminding me through you not to indulge myself in the grief of separation and fail her expectations of me."

"I am old, and next is the era of young people. I am very optimistic about your talent."

Yoshihiro Kishimoto smiled and handed the first bowl of brewed tea to Xia Fan.

"Thank you... If your wife were still alive, she would be very happy to know that Master Kishimoto had figured out all this."

Xia Fan took the tea bowl with both hands, turned it 90 degrees clockwise, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Yes, I have decided. I must cheer up! After separation, we will meet again. No matter how many years are left in my life, I will continue to move forward seriously."

"Until the last day, I will meet her in the underworld with my head held high, carrying that 'final work'. Just like what you sang in your song 'Sakura'..."

Yoshihiro Kishimoto picked up a guitar from the side and strummed the chords.

"I have been waiting for the day when I can meet you again."

"On the road where the cherry blossoms are dancing, I wave to you and call out your name."

Yoshihiro Kishimoto's weathered and deep voice echoed in the studio, giving "Sakura" a different flavor.

"Because no matter how painful it was, you always smiled like that."

"It makes me feel that no matter what setbacks I encounter, I can continue to work hard..."

The breeze, carrying the sound of song, caresses the weeping cherry trees of Fuji, scattering pink petals onto the white photo frame nearby, highlighting the smile of the person in the painting.

……

"Although Mr. Kishimoto was so busy singing that he forgot to make tea for me, it's great that the knot he had been holding for so many years has finally been untied."

After leaving Yoshihiro Kishimoto's studio, Section Chief Yamazaki sighed.

"Music really has the power to transcend language, transcend national boundaries and age, and touch people's hearts with emotion..."

“Maybe one day, I can write a song like this on my own?”

Xia Fan, who was standing next to him, also had a look of emotion on his face.

When he was diagnosed with brain cancer, he still insisted on studying and chose to enter the Department of Music of Tokyo University of the Arts. Naturally, he had a great passion for music creation and dreamed that one day he would be able to create beautiful works.

"You kid..."

Remembering something, Yamazaki looked at Xia Fan with complicated eyes.

(End of this chapter)