when i heard those familiar opening bars, and that single snare hit, everything came back to me. it felt like i was away in an empty room alone and witnessing a drop cloth fly away, revealing furniture and paintings and old memories i thought i'd lost forever. nobody sang the melody, but i could hear a faint chorus of voices in the background. the lyrics changed colors on the screen. i read every single word.
"wouldn't it be nice if we were older
then we wouldn't have to wait so long...
you know it's gonna make it that much better
when we can say goodnight and stay together"
i watched the words come and go. i couldn't even blink. i felt unbelievably sad. my throat quivered. i placed my palm against my chest. i knew that me and Naruse were still alive and everything, but the people we were back then, back when he sang to me, were gone forever. it hurt so bad i thought my heart was going to pop.