Hello again! Once again, we come in on a music class - not an elective one this time, though.
Solo tests always make me nervous, but they can be fun, too. I sang well today! We have physics next, right?
“… huh?”
As most of the class filters out, we spot someone lingering.
“What’s wrong, Sakuya?”
“What… do you think of the arts, miss Thielle?”
“The arts…?”
Where did that come from?
“Surely one such as yourself has an opinion of some kind. What do you think of the arts?”
“Umm, well… I’m not really sure it’s something I could put into words just like that.”
“Dostoyevsky once said that an artist is a man who turns his ear inwards, and writes down with zeal what he hears. … such a common idea.”
He looks angst-ridden. I wonder if something happened…?
If it did, he has no more to say. With a shrug, we move on.
Roughly three weeks later, the school day is winding to a close.
“Hmm…?”
I can hear somebirdie playing the piano in the music room at the end of the hall. Who…?
We can go and have a look, or leave them be. We didn’t get where we are by not being nosy, though.
I recognize him. It’s…
“Sakuya…?”
“How long have you been there? Were you spying on me? How unpleasant.”
“No! I just came over here. It sounded beautiful… I never knew you could play! I’m amazed you can practice and still study enough to get such good grades, Sakuya.”
“Of course. A noble must be versed in all fields! Thought I doubt one such as you can understand the art.”
“It sounded wonderful.”
“… hmph.”
Sakuya seems rather unimpressed with the compliment.
“Oh! I’m distracting you. Sorry! I’ll go now, so don’t mind me.”
“… Thielle.”
“Huh?”
“What do you love?”
“… why this all of a sudden?”
“Tell me.”
Put on the spot, the protagonist fetches her best answer.
“Hmm… udon, I guess.”
“Udon? Truly?”
“Yup! I eat it every day.”
And if that’s not love, then what is?
“I see… I see. Thank you.”
Sakuya’s expression doesn’t change, but he turns away, ending the conversation.
”?
Okay… bye, Sakuya.”
And so I left him sitting deep in thought. What was that all about?
Philosophising is a popular pastime of the upper class, after all.
Oh, I got a letter. In a fancy envelope! Who’s it from…?
“We are holding a Christmas party at the Le Bel mansion on the twenty-fourth of this month. You are invited. Be honored.
—Sakuya Le Bel Shirogane”
Yaaay! I got a heartwarming invitation! My family’s Buddhist, so I hadn’t had anything planned… I might as well go, right?
We can choose to go or to stay home. Of course, we’ll attend anything Sakuya invites us to!
“Hohoho! What do you think, Thielle? Normally a commoner such as yourself would never set foot in here.”
“I-it’s amazing, Sakuya…!”
This whole thing is far removed from my own uncultured, stone-age lifestyle. I feel a little nervous!
“Do you have a party like this every year?”
“Every year? Don’t be foolish! We have one every month. Creating a habitat for social discourse is a noble’s duty, after all.”
“That seems a little tiresome…”
“Are you feeling overwhelmed already? Poor, foolish commo—”
Sakuya is cut off by a loud-mouthed interlocutor.
“Cooo!!!”
That’s…
“Oko, you dog! Why are you here!? I never invited you!”
“Coooo!”
(Okosan sensed a feast, and came in through the window! But there is no pudding!)
“I wouldn’t give any to you even if I did have some! Confound you, you genetic throwback!”
Okosan’s going to go berserk, at this rate.
We can stop him, or let him have at it. It would be unbecoming to let Okosan ruin this fine party.
“Okosan! Inside voice!”
With her superior simian strength, the protagonist takes Okosan by the wing and scoops him up.
“Well done, Thielle! Now throw him outside!”
Okosan is ungracefully ejected out the door in a flurry of feathers.
“Coooo…!”
“I am grateful to you, Thielle. Now we can have our party in peace.”
“No need to thank me!”
“I would hire you as a bodyguard if ever you so desired.”
“Umm…”
The protagonist doesn’t know what to make of that offer, but smiles and waves it off to enjoy the rest of the party.
The new year rolls around, but the weather is far too dismal to visit the shrine. Before long, third term has arrived.
When Legumentine’s arrives, we purchase the expensive racing blend for Sakuya.
“Sakuya!”
“This will only take a minute! I have something for you. Here!”
Sakuya seems confused as we hand the beans over.
“What are these?”
“It’s a pricey blend of beans! I know you like expensive things.”
“That is not what I meant. Why are you giving me beans?”
“It’s Legumentine’s!”
“And what is that?”
What planet are you from, anyway!?
We already established this. France!
“It’s a holiday where girls are supposed to give beans to the boys they like.”
“Wh… what…!?”
“Don’t look so disturbed, geez! I gave you those. Will you accept them, Sakuya?”
“Hrrm… These beans seem somewhat cheap for their illustrious recipient but… Since you ask it, I will not refuse them.”
“Really? Yaaay!”
“… what did you mean by ‘like’?”
”?”
“I am asking what you meant by ‘the boys they like’.”
“Umm… exactly what I said! No matter what I’m doing or where I am, your beautiful plumage always comes to mind, Sakuya.”
“Umm.”
Sakuya looks almost nervously bashful.
“Anyway, here! I hope we can continue to get along.”
“… indeed.”
He glances at the beans, and then at me, and then wordlessly leaves. I’m glad he liked them! He did like them, right?
It’s so hard to read Sakuya, sometimes.
A bit over a week later, we find the protagonist at home.
I’m starting to think I should build a wall, or maybe dig myself a new bedroom. With this kind of weather, some birds are even collapsing in the street… Hey, wait… Isn’t that one Sakuya!?
Not far from the protagonist’s cave, a weak-looking Sakuya is dragging himself down the road.
“S-Sakuya? What’s wrong!?”
“D… don’t ask for the details… Just carry me to your miserable abode, I beg of you!”
Wandering around and collapsing in the street at this time of night doesn’t seem like customary practice for an aristocrat. What’s happened, Sakuya? Don’t tell me your family has fallen from high society…?
Dutifully, the protagonist helps her friend back to the relative shelter of her home.
“What happened?”
“I shall not say.”
“Eeeeh? What were you doing wandering around in the wilderness, then?”
“I was not wandering. I was on my way here! Be honored.”
Oh, so this isn’t a coincidence, after all.
“Did you want something from me, then?”
“No. Don’t flatter yourself.”
“Eeeeeeeeh?”
Tsundere to the end.
“Umm… should we call your family, or something?”
“No!”
”!?”
He looks really angry!
“Listen… don’t… you dare… Don’t you dare call my house.”
“Sakuya, did you… run away from home…?”
“That sounds bad. No, I simply left of my own volition.”
Umm…
“Isn’t that the same thing…?”
“……”
Yup.
Got ‘em.
“What happened, Sakuya?”
“… Thielle. Do you remember when we talked in the music room, at school? Last fall.”
“Yes. What about it?”
“Do you remember what I asked you then?”
If the protagonist’s memory was spotty, we might suggest he had asked what we wanted to do in the future. But no, he asked us something else.
“You asked me what I loved.”
“That’s right. And you… gave a simple, honest answer right away. And that…”
“That…?”
“That made me jealous.”
Did I mishear? That’s the last thing I’d have expected from him, of all people.
“I don’t understand, Sakuya. Why?”
“I… I’m one of the few, of the pure bloodline. I am ranked higher than any of my siblings. I have been slated to become the next family head since birth. There is no reason I shouldn’t be. But…”
“You don’t want to take your father’s place…?”
“H-how did you know that!?”
The protagonist’s seen this movie before.
“It’s obvious… it’s written all over your face.”
“I… love music. But my father does not approve. When I was young, I owned a number of instruments. But he had them all thrown away. Art is not our realm. The joy of creation is the domain of peasants.”
“Our role is to be patrons and promoters of the artists we admire—not to be artists ourselves. A noble who sows his own wheat is a fool.”
“That’s not true! I think anyone who can play music should be encouraged, no matter who their parents are.”
“That is because you think with a peasant’s values. My world is different from yours!”
“I’m not talking about what peasants think, I’m talking about what I think! What about you, Sakuya? What do you think?”
Sakuya looks frustrated by this concept.
“What do… I think? You speak in riddles. I carry the name of Le Bel. To play at applying my own standards and ideas to the world would be a disgrace.”
“But didn’t you just say you left the mansion of your own accord? Isn’t that applying your own idea to the world?”
“Hrrm…”
“You’ve contradicted yourself. What do you want to do in life, Sakuya?”
“I must succeed my father as the next family head.”
“No, geez! That’s not what I meant! What if you could forget about the Le Bel family and do anything in the world? What would you do, then?”
More than confused, Sakuya seems offended at the suggestion.
“Forget about the Le Bel family? What mockery is this!?”
“We’re speaking hypothetically, dummy!”
“If I could do anything in the world…? I would… continue studying music. I would like to see how far I could go, as a musician.”
He sounds uncharacteristically modest. I was half expecting him to give some rambling speech about how he would unite the world and become king, or something…
“You love music, don’t you? If I could hear you play the piano again, I would be very happy, Sakuya. I think you’ve answered your own question.”
“Answered my own question? Don’t be ridiculous. This is a mere fantasy. It has no connection to reality.”
“Have you told your father that you want to continue studying music?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. How could I lower myself so?”
“So, you haven’t even asked him about it… You wouldn’t be lowering yourself, Sakuya. Are you ashamed to love music?”
“Hrrm…”
Clearly, this is less of an open-and-shut question than the protagonist assumed.
“You should ask him. It’s worth a try, right?”
“…… … perhaps you are right. I suppose I never would have thought of that, if I hadn’t talked to you…”
“You were confused about what you wanted, Sakuya. I just gave you a little push.”
“Thielle.”
“Yes?”
“I’m going to speak with him when I return. If he refuses, would… Would you carry my fallen body to safety one more time?”
“Are you planning to run away for real, next time?”
“… if it comes to that.”
“I will follow you anywhere you need to go, Sakuya. You will always have a safe place here, okay?”
“I shall return to you. Thank you… Thielle.”
I don’t know if his father will accept him, or if he really will run away. But, I know he will come back to me. And I pray that our future will be a happy one!
Fade to black. This might have been the end of that story, but since we have invested in our charisma, we have earned the epilogue.
“Silence! … the hall of your fathers has many lumps and sharp rocks, Thielle…”
“Geez, what are you complaining about? I even got you some straw!”
Which is to say, I did the best I could for a freeloader!
“Here, I made breakfast. Your first concert is today, so you need to get ready!”
“… hrrm.”
He didn’t complain about the food! That’s an improvement.
“Umm, by the way…”
“What is it?”
“Have you contacted Yuuya?”
“… you must be joking.”
I thought so.
While it seems some time has passed and things have changed, some things are as stubborn as ever.
“I have his address. Should I tell him… about you?”
“We need not worry him. I have no intention of asking favors of him.”
“I didn’t mean…”
“Anyway, let it be. Things are fine as they are.”
I guess he’s still a little chilly about Yuuya. Maybe it’s still too early…
“Let us go, Thielle.”
“Okay!”
The camera fades out again, but there’s one last touch to this route yet. We see a letter for the protagonist.
To Tera
Salutations! I trust you are well. A little bird told me you’ve been taking care of Sakuya. He’s a pain, but I know you’ll be able to handle him just fine.
I have something to tell him. Something very important. Something I’ve been meaning to tell him his entire life. Since you’re… Well, I guess I’m still a little unsure, myself. If he ever says he wants to see me, I’ll think it over.
When that time comes, let me know, okay? I’ll keep in touch. Adieu!
—Sakazaki Yuuya
And finally, the credits roll.
As always, thank you for joining me on another route of this wonderful game. A poll is here, and we will resume shortly. Your patience and persistence through this whole ridiculous endeavour are greatly appreciated. Until next time, everybirdie!