000 Two days had passed since Grave's lecture.
001 Yesterday Fal informed me that I could meet with Lise today.
002 I'd heard about the fact that she had a part-time job, but I never had the opportunity to ask her for the details.
003 As it happened, whenever Fal wasn't taking lessons at the institute, she was working at a trattoria called Copert - the same place I went to with Asino once.
004 And now, I was about to head toward that very trattoria.
005 I had proposed to meet at a quiet place instead, but Fal quickly turned that down, explaining that our voices would be drowned out by the crowd anyway.
006 Furthermore, Fal happened to be working today, and she apparently didn't get much time off.
007 She'd proposed meeting on Sunday as well, but in the end, she granted my wish of wanting to see Lise as soon as possible.
008 I wanted to commend her for her attentiveness.
009 ---In any case, I was able to spend time with Lise for the hour or so that Fal was able to take off past the peak hours of lunch time, which was around two.
010 I considered talking to her when we were alone at one point.
011 But it was doubtful Lise would be able to speak frankly, so things would probably go smoother if Fal was there.
012 [Chris]
013 "I'm off."
014 [Phorni]
015 "Okay, be careful!"
016 I'd told Phorni what I had been doing, to an extent.
017 I kind of had to, since she kept nagging me about how I wasn't myself lately.
018 There was no room for doubt that I had brought Lise into this situation.
019 I at least wanted to apologize to her for that, regardless if she became my partner or not.
020 And, if at all possible, I wanted to solve the problems that were haunting her.
021 [Phorni]
022 "C'mon, don't make such a gloomy face!"
023 [Chris]
024 "... Thanks."
025 [Phorni]
026 "If all goes well, I guess that settles the partner deal."
027 [Chris]
028 "This isn't about that."
029 Phorni's bright words managed to cheer me up a bit.
030 The clock indicated it was still some time until two.
031 Getting to the trattoria only took a few minutes on foot, but since I didn't want to be late, I hastily scurried outside.
032 I managed to reach my destination in under five minutes.
033 Peeping at the clock inside through the window, I noted that I was five minutes early.
034 Fal should already be inside, so the wait was for Lise to arrive.
035 We had agreed to rendezvous inside, but I wanted to say a few things to Lise in private first.
036 [Lise]
037 "... Umm."
038 As I surveyed the interior once more, I heard a voice behind me.
039 I promptly turned around.
040 [Chris]
041 "... Morning, Lise."
042 [Lise]
043 "G-Good morning."
044 As expected, Lise had calmed down quite a bit.
045 It had already been four days since then, after all.
046 [Chris]
047 "... I wanted to let you know one thing."
048 [Lise]
049 "Huh?"
050 [Chris]
051 "I'm truly sorry for what happened. I don't think telling you I was ignorant of your situation is much of an excuse... so all I can do is apologize. Sorry."
052 [Lise]
053 "P-Please, raise your head. That... was all my fault."
054 [Chris]
055 "... But it could've been prevented had I talked to you beforehand, or if I hadn't been so forceful..."
056 [Lise]
057 "... No. Like I said, that was..."
058 Lise became all flustered again, as usual.
059 ... I didn't want to make her say these things to me.
060 It seemed best to go inside and meet Fal for now, as we both needed to calm down.
061 [Chris]
062 "... Lise, let's go inside."
063 [Lise]
064 "Y... Yes."
065 [Chris]
066 "Oh... One more thing."
067 [Lise]
068 "..."
069 [Chris]
070 "I'm glad I got to see you again."
071 It was quiet inside, undoubtedly due to it being past peak hours.
072 Be that as it may, over half the seats were still taken, so it was still noisy.
073 It didn't seem necessary to be watchful of our surroundings, just like Fal said.
074 From a cursory glance, it didn't seem like there were any students of the institute here either.
075 [Fal]
076 "Ah, this way please."
077 Fal, wearing plain clothes, called out to us, her break apparently having already started.
078 Fal and Lise sat down at one end of a table for four, leaving me to sit opposite from them.
079 [Fal]
080 "Want something to drink?"
081 Fal suggested, trying to break the ice.
082 [Lise]
083 "... No thanks."
084 [Chris]
085 "... Me neither."
086 [Fal]
087 "... I see. Then I suppose I'll order something for myself."
088 She rolled her eyes at me and laughed weakly.
089 She ordered a cup of coffee, then gently pushed two glasses of water that were already on the table toward us.
090 [Fal]
091 "Chris, we're here to talk about Lise's situation today, right?"
092 [Chris]
093 "... Yes."
094 [Lise]
095 "..."
096 [Fal]
097 "Then I suppose I'll start,"
098 Fal said to no one in particular, and continued,
099 [Fal]
100 "All I know is that I have seen Lise in that state a number of times before."
101 [Fal]
102 "I have asked Lise to talk to me about it each and every time, but she would never comply."
103 [Lise]
104 "... I-I'm sorry."
105 [Fal]
106 "But you know, I want to help you. So whatever you can tell me might be the first step toward a solution."
107 [Lise]
108 "..."
109 Fal looked me in the eyes.
110 [Chris]
111 "... I want to know as well,"
112 I said, as though inheriting Fal's words.
113 This wasn't the time to be reiterating apologies.
114 Even so...
115 [Chris]
116 "But I also feel you don't have to tell us right now if you don't want to."
117 [Chris]
118 "You can tell us whenever you're ready for it."
119 Simply talking about it might not be enough to solve this issue.
120 Of course, there was a chance that it might,
121 but it sure didn't seem like that to me.
122 I could still vividly recall the cold stares of the students as they left the cenacolo.
123 But what could I do about it?
124 What could I do...
125 [Chris]
126 "Of course, if you do tell us, I will---"
127 I quickly glanced at Fal, who gave me a nod in response.
128 [Chris]
129 "Fal and I will do anything in our ability to help you."
130 [Lise]
131 "..."
132 Lise was listening with her head hung low.
133 What was causing people to act that way toward her?
134 I really wanted to know.
135 If we knew, we might be able to better the situation.
136 For instance, if Lise was doing something to cause this, all she had to do was change.
137 But I couldn't fathom that Lise could have had something to do with it.
138 So that left the people around her to be at fault.
139 Yet even if we interrogated Lise by force, there was nothing we could do about that - if anything, she would only end up hurt again.
140 On the other hand, it might take a load off of her shoulders if she told us.
141 We could share the pain.
142 But that wouldn't have meaning until Lise was willing to share it.
143 And---
144 [Chris]
145 "Also... I hope we can continue to practice together at the old school building."
146 [Lise]
147 "... Huh?"
148 [Chris]
149 "It's a lot of fun performing ensembles with you."
150 She needed a place to escape to.
151 I've seen her sing blissfully countless of times,
152 but it was just too sad for her to be singing all by herself, in complete solitude.
153 Which was why I wished from the bottom of my heart that I could continue to play with Lise.
154 [Lise]
155 "... But Chris-senpai, you..."
156 [Chris]
157 "Yes?"
158 [Lise]
159 "There is no way you could have time for that."
160 [Chris]
161 "... You have a point."
162 [Lise]
163 "So please, do not worry about me. Excuse me."
164 Lise was being uncharacteristically straight-forward.
165 She quietly started for the exit.
166 [Chris]
167 "Lise!"
168 [Lise]
169 "... Excuse me."
170 She stopped in her tracks for an instant, but then continued to walk to the door without looking back.
171 Just when I wanted to get up and follow her, Fal silently grasped my hand,
172 and shook her head with a pained look.
173 [Fal]
174 "Chris, I think it's best to leave her be for now..."
175 [Chris]
176 "... Why?"
177 [Fal]
178 "'You shouldn't tell us now if you don't want to'... Weren't those your words?"
179 [Chris]
180 "... But this wasn't about that."
181 [Fal]
182 "I think it's all the same for her. I also understand why you said that. You felt she needed time, didn't you?"
183 [Chris]
184 "..."
185 [Fal]
186 "Then I think we should give her that time now and leave her be."
187 [Chris]
188 "... Perhaps."
189 I slumped back into my chair, feeling a bit more calm.
190 [Fal]
191 "... How about some water?"
192 I abode by her words and took a sip from my glass.
193 Cold water ran through my throat, cooling my body.
194 Having calmed down, I decided to continue talking.
195 [Chris]
196 "... Sorry about what I said. It might have been for the best to have her come clean right here."
197 [Fal]
198 "Don't be. If what you said was what you really felt, then you did the right thing."
199 [Chris]
200 "... Lise almost looked frightened to me. So I..."
201 [Fal]
202 "Like I said, it's fine. Anyway - let's continue our conversation."
203 [Chris]
204 "... Huh?"
205 [Fal]
206 "I know a few reasons why the others students ignore Lise. I've looked into it before."
207 [Chris]
208 "But earlier, you said..."
209 [Fal]
210 "I lied. Just like you, I presume. You really wanted to hear it directly from her, didn't you?"
211 [Chris]
212 "... Well..."
213 [Fal]
214 "She's spent a lot of time with you lately, so I thought it'd be different if you were with us this time... but apparently, she doesn't want to talk just yet."
215 [Chris]
216 "... I see. We're on the same line of thought."
217 [Fal]
218 "I suppose."
219 [Chris]
220 "So... What do you know?"
221 [Fal]
222 "Are you sure you want to hear this from me? Didn't you want to hear it directly from her?"
223 [Chris]
224 "I... guess so."
225 [Fal]
226 "Just ask Lise about this when she feels ready to talk about it."
227 [Chris]
228 "Got it. I will, but seeing as you know the reason..."
229 [Fal]
230 "... Yeah, I'm sorry. I can't do anything about it."
231 [Chris]
232 "..."
233 [Fal]
234 "It's not like they do anything to her. They just leave the room like that."
235 [Fal]
236 "I've heard other things as well, like how no one wants to team up with her during class."
237 [Chris]
238 "... Why not?"
239 Fal just shook her head at my query.
240 [Fal]
241 "Anyway, I really do want to do something about this as well. That's why I called you out here today."
242 [Chris]
243 "... Thanks."
244 [Fal]
245 "Same to you. ... But Lise was quite right when she said this wasn't the time for you to be preoccupied with these things."
246 [Chris]
247 "... The partner issue, huh."
248 [Fal]
249 "Right. What are you planning to do, Chris?"
250 [Chris]
251 "I haven't planned anything yet. I wanted to partner with Lise if I could, but..."
252 [Fal]
253 "... Just like I thought."
254 [Chris]
255 "But I can't exactly ask her with the current state of affairs, huh."
256 While I tried to make it sound like a joke, that was exactly how it was.
257 [Fal]
258 "... But you really should make a plan soon."
259 She sounded almost like Torta or Ms. Cordell.
260 [Chris]
261 "I guess."
262 [Fal]
263 "What are you going to do? I don't mean about your partner... I mean about Lise."
264 [Chris]
265 "I'm thinking of frequenting the old school building again for now."
266 [Fal]
267 "I figured you'd say that."
268 [Chris]
269 "... Huh?"
270 [Fal]
271 "But..."
272 Fal straightened her face, then continued in a serious tone.
273 [Fal]
274 "What about your girlfriend?"
275 [Chris]
276 "... What?"
277 ---Why did Fal know about Ari?
278 Although... that wasn't the issue at hand here.
279 Fal was definitely right.
280 I did have the feeling I had been overly preoccupied with Lise.
281 Even if I was the cause for Lise's grief, if I let myself get too involved, I would almost inevitably cause grief to Arietta as well.
282 And I realized just how absorbed I've been in this ordeal, if I even had thoughts like that running through my head.
283 [Fal]
284 "Furthermore, there are some nasty rumors floating around about her."
285 [Chris]
286 "..."
287 [Fal]
288 "Though I don't believe them, I also find it hard to believe they began circulating for no reason at all."
289 [Chris]
290 "... What kind of rumors?"
291 I drove my thoughts about Arietta to the corner of my mind for now, and finally managed to reply.
292 [Fal]
293 "... I can't say that out loud, I'm sorry.But as I said before, they are all things that blacken her reputation."
294 [Chris]
295 "I see, but what about it?"
296 [Fal]
297 "Do you still insist on going to the old school building in spite of that? Also, there is something she's been hiding from you."
298 [Chris]
299 "... What is she hiding? Well, I suppose you can't tell me that, either."
300 [Fal]
301 "... Yeah."
302 [Chris]
303 "This has gotten kind of complicated. What are you trying to say, Fal?"
304 [Fal]
305 "Frankly speaking, I think it's in your best interest to step down from this affair."
306 [Chris]
307 "... Why?"
308 [Fal]
309 "Like I said before, you don't have the time to get sidetracked."
310 [Chris]
311 "'Sidetracked'?"
312 [Fal]
313 "I'm sorry. But still..."
314 [Chris]
315 "Then what about Lise?"
316 [Fal]
317 "I will figure something out. I'm going solo for the graduation recital anyway, so I can freely assign time to practice whenever I want."
318 [Fal]
319 "Of course, it might be kind of nice to have you as a partner as well..."
320 [Chris]
321 "..."
322 [Fal]
323 "Sorry. I suppose this isn't the time to be joking around. Besides... that's not the only thing there is, there's also the rumors... and also..."
324 Fal began faltering.
325 [Chris]
326 "So what is she hiding from me? Something important?"
327 [Fal]
328 "Yes. Well, actually, it might not be that big of a deal to you. But it would probably discourage any other person from continuing."
329 [Chris]
330 "..."
331 [Fal]
332 "---And there's your girlfriend as well."
333 [Chris]
334 "... Yeah."
335 [Fal]
336 "I will ask you again. Do you still wish to get involved with Lise?"
337 Yes
338 No
339 [Chris]
340 "... Yes."
341 [Fal]
342 "..."
343 I answered in all seriousness.
344 I did have Arietta.
345 But... I could distinctly picture Lise's figure in my head, singing happily.
346 Perhaps I'd only thought she had a beautiful voice at first.
347 My initial motive had been trivial - I just wanted to perform an ensemble with her.
348 But now, I was already deeply involved with her.
349 And through that involvement, I'd ended up hurting her.
350 I couldn't possibly abandon her now.
351 [Fal]
352 "... I see. Then I don't have anything more to say."
353 [Chris]
354 "... Sorry."
355 [Fal]
356 "About what?"
357 [Chris]
358 "After all the advice you've given me, I still..."
359 [Fal]
360 "Don't worry about it. I only meant to test you a bit. ... I suppose I can trust you to take care of Lise for me now."
361 [Chris]
362 "What do you mean?"
363 [Fal]
364 "I've always been worried about her, but since I'm also graduating I couldn't dedicate much time to it. But if you're that concerned about her, I suppose there's no need for me to act."
365 [Chris]
366 "..."
367 [Fal]
368 "But I'll try to help you in whatever way I can."
369 [Chris]
370 "... Okay. I'll see if I can meet her at the old building for now. We can decide what to do after I talk to her. But I won't abandon her."
371 [Fal]
372 "Okay."
373 Fal suddenly shot her eyes toward the clock.
374 [Fal]
375 "It's time already. My break was only thirty minutes, so I have to get back soon. See you later, Chris."
376 [Chris]
377 "Wait."
378 I nonchalantly fetched the bill from Fal's hand which she was about to take with her to the staff area.
379 [Chris]
380 "Don't worry about this. ... Then again, it was only one cup of coffee."
381 [Fal]
382 "*2Agiggle*2A Then why don't you have some lunch here?"
383 [Chris]
384 "Sounds good. We occupied a table for nearly thirty minutes, so it'd be kinda discourteous not to,"
385 I casually answered, flapping the bill around.
386 [Fal]
387 "Yeah. Oh... By the way, can I give you one last piece of advice?"
388 [Chris]
389 "Sure. What is it?"
390 [Fal]
391 "Don't be too trusting of people."
392 [Chris]
393 "Lise... isn't that kind of person."
394 [Fal]
395 "Perhaps not. Even I have one or two things I'm hiding as well, after all. Well, see you later."
396 Fal jokingly wrapped up the conversation.
397 [Chris]
398 "... Thanks a lot."
399 Fal shook her head with a smile, then disappeared to the back of the establishment.
400 ---Lise probably wouldn't come tomorrow.
401 But she might on Monday.
402 I wouldn't be pressing her to talk, like I had today.
403 We would only perform our ensemble, and she would sing her favorite song...
404 That was all I could do for her right now.
405 But I would be there for her if Lise ever decided to talk to me.
406 [Phorni]
407 "..."
408 I had wanted some time to think.
409 Phorni was sitting at her reserved seat and didn't speak, apparently able to gauge the atmosphere.
410 I appreciated her thoughtfulness.
411 I could talk to her whenever I needed to, but I had nothing to say as long as my thoughts were in chaos.
412 Lise's refusal to speak. The matters Fal couldn't talk about.
413 And my feelings toward Ari and Lise.
414 I didn't expect to find an answer to these questions anytime soon.
415 [Chris]
416 "Sorry, but I'm going to sleep now."
417 I dropped my body on my bed without waiting for Phorni's reply.
418 She had to tell me up front some time.
419 That was part of the reason I continued to see Lise.
420 Even if getting an answer meant that someone would get hurt.
421 bl05
422 [Chris]
423 "..."
424 Fal might have been right.
425 If I got any more involved, I would soon come to a point of no return.
426 That same sense of apprehension I felt with Torta, I now felt with Lise.
427 [Fal]
428 "I see. You made the right choice. I will do anything in my ability to help her."
429 [Chris]
430 "... Sorry."
431 [Fal]
432 "Oh, no. I just gave you some advice as a friend. Trust me when I say it will be in your best interest to heed it."
433 [Chris]
434 "... Thanks."
435 [Fal]
436 "No need for that. Oh... But another thing."
437 [Chris]
438 "Huh?"
439 [Fal]
440 "I'm looking forward to working with you by the time we are both professionals."
441 [Chris]
442 "Me, a professional? ... I doubt I'll ever get that far."
443 [Fal]
444 "Really? I'm sure you can do it. Anyway, I'm looking forward to work with you then."
445 Her casual tone made it hard to tell whether she was serious or not.
446 Fal suddenly shot her eyes toward the clock.
447 [Fal]
448 "It's time already. My break was only thirty minutes, so I have to get back soon. See you later, Chris."
449 [Chris]
450 "Wait."
451 I nonchalantly fetched the bill from Fal's hand which she was about to take with her to the staff area.
452 [Chris]
453 "Don't worry about this. ... Then again, it was only one cup of coffee."
454 [Fal]
455 "*2Agiggle*2A Then why don't you have some lunch here?"
456 [Chris]
457 "Sounds good. We occupied a table for nearly thirty minutes, so it'd be kinda discourteous not to,"
458 I casually answered, flapping the bill around.
459 [Fal]
460 "Okay then. See you later."
461 [Chris]
462 "Oh... Can I ask you one last thing?"
463 [Fal]
464 "Yes?"
465 [Chris]
466 "You mentioned my girlfriend earlier... How did you know?"
467 [Fal]
468 "Isn't she always with you? Tortinita, was her name? Despite being both vocalists, we're in different classes, so I've never really talked to her, though."
469 ... So she was talking about Torta.
470 But I had to thank her for reminding me anyway.
471 I had no choice but to leave Lise in her care.
472 I didn't want to hurt Ari.
473 [Fal]
474 "I'm really going now."
475 [Chris]
476 "... Thanks a lot."
477 Fal shook her head with a smile, then disappeared to the back of the establishment.
478 I decided to stop thinking about Lise from now on, and went home.
479 bl05