Chapter 11 Ex-Girlfriend, Goes Crazy

Ex-Girlfriend, Goes Crazy

Another ordinary day was about to begin, just like any other school morning.

I entered the classroom and sat at my desk. Plugging in my earphones, I began brainstorming new song ideas in my notebook. Lately, I’ve been so busy that I’ve found myself thinking about new songs even at school.

As I composed melodies and lyrics in my head, I felt an unusual gaze directed at me. The entire atmosphere was clearly different from usual.

The class was unusually noisy, and it seemed like everyone was talking about something.

What on earth was going on? While I was trying to figure it out, Takahashi-kun (高橋), one of my classmates, appeared in front of me. Holding up his phone, he said,

“Amagi, is this for real? Is it true that you’re the one who writes songs for Luminous Stars?”

On the phone screen was a headline that read, [The Mystery Behind Luminous Stars’ Hit Songs Revealed: It’s Actually a High Schooler!?]. My photo accompanied the article, which included details from an interview. Since I’d never revealed my music work to anyone outside my family, this was the first time my classmates were hearing about it.

I’ve been active under the name “AMAGI.” After initially uploading the songs I made myself to the internet, I caught the eye of my current music director and producer, which led to me starting to write songs. And since the PV (Promotional Video) for that song exceeded tens of millions of views, I’ve been in charge of a few other songs as well.

Come to think of it, I was interviewed before, so I guess that article must have been published.

“I’m a huge fan of LumiStar! Actually, I always carry their CDs for sharing with people. Could you sign one for me?”

Takahashi-kun said, laying a CD on the desk.

It was the first song I ever made.

“Sure, I guess… I feel kind of embarrassed, though.”

I decided to sign the cover of the CD.

Despite this, the commotion in the classroom showed no signs of settling down.

“Aren’t the boys being really noisy?”

It seemed that Chiharu had also noticed the change.

I made eye contact with her for a moment, but I quickly looked away.

Our romantic relationship had already ended.

“Hey, look! Amagi-kun is trending in an online article.”

One of her friends spoke to Chiharu, showing her an image on their phone.

“The mystery behind the creator of Luminous Stars’ hit songs—it’s actually a high school student…”

“Chiharu’s boyfriend is seriously amazing! If you knew about this, you should’ve told us sooner~.”

As they continued chatting, Chiharu’s expression froze.

Noticing her reaction, one of her friends said,

“What’s wrong, Chiharu?”

“I wasn’t told anything…”

“Huh?”

The moment I overheard that conversation, I had a bad feeling.

As Chiharu had just mentioned, I had never talked about my music activities before.

As expected, Chiharu stood up and walked toward my seat.

Oh no… Should I run away? As I was thinking this, she was already standing right in front of me.

“Souta…”

“W-What’s wrong?”

As I asked Chiharu while looking at her, I noticed her shoulders trembling.

“Why… Why did you hide this from me!?”

Chiharu’s voice echoed through the classroom. Her voice seemed filled with betrayal and anger. The noise in the classroom instantly died down.

Honestly, I didn’t understand why she was so angry, but I remained calm.

I decided to try to have a constructive conversation.

“It’s not like I was deliberately hiding it. I just didn’t find the right timing to tell you.”

“That’s not an answer. That’s…!”

“I had a confidentiality agreement. When I was offered the job, I had to agree to keep my identity a secret. The only people who knew were my parents and my sister. …Anyway, if you’re upset that I didn’t tell you, I apologize.”

After I said that, Chiharu replied in a small voice,

“…This makes me look like an idiot, doesn’t it?”

After muttering that, Chiharu left the classroom.

I didn’t understand the true meaning of her last words, but was this the right thing to do?

I had the option to follow her, but I didn’t.

I wasn’t Chiharu’s boyfriend anymore.

In just a short moment, our relationship had changed.