THINGS were getting a lot confusing. At least, iyon ang naiisip ni Seiichi. Sa dinami-rami ba naman kasi ng mga nangyari sa maghapong iyon, hindi siya sigurado kung alin sa mga iyon ang totoo o likha lamang ng kanyang isipan. But at the same time, he thought that he'd rather think of everything that had happened as a figment of his imagination.
Pero sa totoo lang, masakit pa ring isipin iyon. Damn it! Seiichi was already looking for a certain proof since that attack two years ago. Wala siya sa pinangyarihan ng mga pagpatay na iyon. But just hearing some testimonies and stories with regards to it made him know the pain that the survivors had surely felt. At ang hindi nalalaman ng karamihan, the pain he felt despite not being in the scene of events was something that he had somehow hid from the rest of the world.
That pain had something to do with losing not just his best friend who treated him with no prejudice with regards to his race, but also the sweet young girl who could play a beautiful but melancholic melody using her flute. At ang babaeng iyon ay nagkataong talaga namang napakahalaga sa kanya.
Sa pagkakaalala na naman ni Seiichi sa babaeng nakita niyang kamukha ni Kourin Shinomiya sa park na iyon, hindi niya alam kung ano ang dapat niyang isipin. All this time, had he been right? Did the attack at the Shinomiya mansion still holds a mystery as to the fate of the Shinomiya princess? May ilan na ring nagsasabing baliw siya sa ginagawang pag-assume sa isang milagro. Pero sa simula pa lang na mabalitaan niya ang tungkol sa pag-atake, alam na niyang may mali sa mga pangyayari. And yet there was no denying that the event had truly brought him so much pain.
All Seiichi could ever ask since that day was for a miracle to happen. Maybe that way, the pain he had felt for the past two years would vanish somehow.
Sa pagkakakita ni Seiichi sa babaeng iyon sa park ― na nagkataon pa talagang kamukha ng babaeng nagngangalang Kourin Shinomiya, lalong lumala ang pagdagsa ng mga tanong sa isipan niya. At lalo ring umigting ang kagustuhan niyang hanapan ng sagot ang mga iyon.
Whatever it takes...
"I need to find out the truth. And this time, I can't afford to have another dead end."
xxxxxx
FOR THE 17-year-old Seiichi, watching a sakura tree in full bloom had never felt so great. It told a lot ― at least to him. That certain sakura tree he was looking at for some moments now was standing in front of one of the biggest mansions in Japan.
Apparently, ang mansion na iyon ang tirahan ng kanyang kaibigan. Unusual para sa kanya na magkaroon ng kaibigang Hapones pero naging posible iyon dahil sa naging pagbisita niya sa Japan sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon. Ang lolo niya ang malapit sa pamilya ni Hitoshi Shinomiya at iyon din ang unang pagkakataon na makikilala niya ang isa sa mga prestihiyosong pamilya sa Japan.
Matapos pagmasdan ni Seiichi ang malagong sakura tree at magdesisyon siyang pumasok na sa loob ng mansion, he halted to a stop when he noticed someone sitting underneath the other side of that tree with her back facing him. Which was weird since he never saw her there earlier. Along with that, he could hear a soulful but quite haunting melody.
From what Seiichi could tell, she was a young girl about 11-12 years old. The one thing he noticed immediately about her was her jet black hair. The wind was blowing at the time, and so her hair swayed along. The streaks of light passing through the sakura tree created an effect on her hair as it shone, making them sparkle in some way. She had pale skin color which gave emphasis to her rosy pink cheeks.
Apparently, napansin ni Seiichi na tila abala ito habang nakaupo sa ilalim ng sakura tree. Isa siguro iyon sa dahilan kung bakit hindi nito nararamdaman na may nagmamasid dito. Pero okay na rin siguro iyon sa kanya. Despite her innocent looks, it also appeared that she was a girl with a strong will. In a way, he could feel it even from her position.
Sa wakas ay napansin na rin ni Seiichi ang pinagkakaabalahan ng batang babaeng iyon. So she was playing a flute which was the source of the melody he heard. He didn't know if she had noticed him or just a mere coincidence that she raised her head as she finished playing the flute and turned around, finally facing him.
But that single instance somehow made everything around Seiichi felt different. She was just looking at him with those innocent eyes. But he didn't know why those eyes actually froze him to his spot. Because of that, he couldn't even stop looking at her. Now he finally saw her face ― her unique and regal beauty which had been emphasized even more.
"Sorry I didn't notice you there," sabi ng babae kay Seiichi nang may ngiti.
And to be honest, he couldn't figure out what to say to that... other than ―
"The song you played just now..." Urgh! Paano ba isasatinig ni Seiichi ang gusto niyang sabihin? Damn it! He was a perfect example of someone who was tongue-tied.
But as Seiichi tried to gather his scattered thoughts, he couldn't help noticing how the girl eventually smiled ― one that (inwardly) caught his breath. Seryoso lang, kailangan na niyang alisin ang 'sangkaterbang agiw na namumuo na naman sa utak niya. It was just a smile, for heaven's sake!
"Ah, that was actually my mother's favorite song. Though as I learned how to play it, I came to add a few notes and modified the song a little bit. But I never realized that someone was listening to it." And the girl let out a chuckle. "Did you like it, by the way?"
Ilang sandali rin bago napatango si Seiichi sa kawalan na rin niya ng lakas ng loob na isatinig ang anumang nais niyang sabihin. Ano ba 'tong nangyayari sa kanya?
"I see you finally met my sister, Seiichi-kun."
Napalingon si Seiichi sa pinagmulan ng tinig na iyon. He smiled at the sight of the person approaching them. Pero bago pa niya mapigilan ang kanyang sarili, napakunot siya ng noo nang tuluyang rumehistro sa isipan niya ang sinabi ng taong iyon.
"Sister?" Instinctively, Seiichi looked behind him and ended up facing the girl playing the flute a while back. "You mean... she's your sister?" Urgh! He should've seen the resemblances from the start.
But to think isang Shinomiya ang kausap niya... Then that means this girl was actually ― "A princess..."
"Seiichi-kun, meet my little sister who is also the princess of the Shinomiya family, Kourin Shinomiya," sabi ni Hitoshi Shinomiya sa kanya nang may ngiti. "Kourin-chan, this is my best friend Seiichi Yasuhara. He had just arrived here today together with his grandfather."
Nakita ni Seiichi na tumayo mula sa pagkakaupo sa damuhan si Kourin at lumapit sa kanya. At bago pa siya makahuma, inilahad ng dalagita ang kamay nito sa kanya pagkatapos nitong mag-bow.
Even the way she bows spoke of elegance and regal disposition. Parang si Hitoshi rin.
"It's nice to meet you, Yasuhara-san," Kourin said in Japanese, but it was still something that Seiichi understood. After all, half-Japanese pa rin naman siya.
The moment their hands had touched as Seiichi took hers, alam niya na tuluyang magbabago ang buhay niya. At mukhang alam din iyon ni Hitoshi sa paraan na rin ng pagkakangiti nito sa kanya.
Could it be that Hitoshi already knew?
xxxxxx
Agad na napamulagat si Seiichi at napabalikwas din siya ng bangon. Hindi niya alam kung bakit ang bilis ng tibok ng puso niya, samantalang napanaginipan lang naman niya ang isang bahagi ng nakaraan niya na talagang napakahalaga sa kanya.
Dahil ba nakita niya ang babaeng iyon sa park? Ang babaeng kamukha pa talaga ni Kourin Shinomiya?
Napatingin si Seiichi sa labas ng bintana niya. It looked like he didn't close the curtains. Kaya naman kitang-kita niya ang madilim pang kalangitan. Kunsabagay, pagkatingin niya sa kanyang alarm clock ay napansin niya na mag-aalas-kuwatro pa lang ng madaling araw. Pero panigurado na hindi na siya makakatulog ulit kahit pilitin niya. For sure, he would end up having a weird dream once again.
And that dream was something that surely didn't even have anything to do with the memories he still kept from five years ago. They were even longer than that ― at least he could tell as much.
"No use contemplating on something that will make me end up crazy again," Seiichi mumbled as he got out of the bed. Agad siyang nagsuot ng jogging pants at sweater. He finished it up with a pair of sneakers. As soon as he was done changing, agad na siyang umalis ng bahay.
Plano niyang mag-jogging at magtungo sa park. For one thing, he wanted to do that to take his chance.
Maybe... Just maybe, Seiichi would be able to see that girl again.
At least, he wished he could…
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