Requiem - Lux aeterna Chapter 8

[shivalries]

Season: Winter

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[Café]

Leo: Anyway, what’re you loafing around here for? Shouldn’t you be deciding what to do for Requiem?

Both Naru and Rittsu have already planned everything out for their three performances; they’re just polishing up the last few things now.

I mean, we could manage somehow even if you gave us your plans on the same day as the performance, but it’d be a big help to have them in advance.

Tsukasa: I-I know that. My ideas just weren’t quite taking shape, so I thought I’d have an intake of sugar to get my mind working smoothly again.

The parfaits here are the best~! Sweetness is the true source of power! ♪

Leo: Uh, I have no clue what you’re talking about. But it’s great to hear you’re so eager. ♪

Sorry to interrupt, then. …But ah, before I make my swift exit, lemme just check one little thing with you.

Tsukasa: Hm? Check…what?

Leo: …Suo~. What are you gonna do about your future?

Tsukasa: Future? Er…?

Leo: You really need every little thing explained to you, huh? Alright, well~ I went and asked Tenshi and—

Tsukasa: Tenshi? An angel…? Have you finally started to hallucinate, Leader?

Leo: Angels and aliens exist, y’know~ the universe out there is huge! Wahaha! ☆

…But yeah. I heard your old man said something like “Should I die, I’ll be entrusting everything to you”?

Tsukasa: Huh? How did you know?

Leo: Geez, so he really did say that to you… That’s gotta be tough.

The things parents say hold a lot of weight, don’t they? Our folks have a lot more experience in life than we do, after all.

Kids have their own thoughts about stuff, but the things adults say always sound like they’re more correct.

Tsukasa: Fufu. You sound as if you’re speaking from experience, Leader.

Leo: Well, yeah, I am. Back when I was a shut-in, my future was all Dad and I ever talked about.

But now that I’ve decided what I’m gonna do after high school, he understands that I’m actually taking everything seriously. So these days, we’ve been talking about lighter stuff like fishing and plastic models, too.

Tsukasa: …Then what about you, Leader? What are your future plans? Will you truly quit idol work?

Leo: Mm~ I don’t think it’d be fair if I answered that right now. And besides, it wouldn’t be any fun! I reserve my right to remain silent~

And more importantly – I’m talking about you right now, Tsukasa Suou.

Tsukasa: ……

Leo: What do you wanna do with your life? What kind of adult will you become? What sort of future will you write for yourself?

Tell me, Tsukasa Suou… I won’t go spreading it around, okay?

Tsukasa: …Why…do you want to know?

Leo: I just feel like I really need to make sure of it.

I love you like my own family, but we’re not parent and child, nor brothers connected by blood.

I can’t force you to do anything, and I don’t even have the right to barge in on what you wanna do with your life. But yet, by holding Requiem, I’m pushing you into a choice.

It’s like I’m holding myself hostage over your future… It really isn’t fair to you.

And that’s kinda…you know, really uncool of me? Or really shameless, I guess.

No matter what your intentions for the future are, you don’t want me to quit being an idol, right…

Or at least, you want our Knights to continue on. Those might be the reasons why you’re betting everything on achieving victory in Requiem.

If you win, you’ll be the King. I’m planning to appoint the winner as the next leader of Knights, with a proper coronation ceremony and everything.

For some reason, none of you juniors are even trying to take the crown, but…

In the end, Yumenosaki’s rules state that every unit must have a leader, so we gotta choose someone.

At least, that’s if we want our Knights to keep going. And I think whoever manages to win that final victory in Requiem would be a great fit for the role.

Victory will be decided by the audience’s votes. This means that the very people who’ve loved and supported us…will be the ones to choose our new ruler.

Wahaha, democracy adds a nice modern touch to it, right~?

But then, if you end up winning and becoming King, then I know you’d be too serious about your role to quit idol work even if you wanted to.

You have a huge sense of responsibility, after all. You probably wouldn’t be able to decide, “I don’t want this!” and toss away the crown like I did.

Your plans for the future are supposed to stretch wide and free before you, but in this case, they’d be restricted. Your path would be blocked. I don’t want to end up trapping you in a cage, if I can help it.

I want you to be able to choose your own future, on your own terms.

Sure, It’s a wonderful thing to live for other people’s sake. But you know, I tried to do that once and was only crushed under all the pressure.

Then, I even started to resent the person I loved the most in the whole world.

And, you know…that’s the worst thing you can do. If someone’s gotta fall apart, then you should just go shatter to pieces on your own.

It’s all over once you start hurting the ones you love. People like that don’t deserve to be born into this world.

And I…was once like that. Someone completely unforgivable.

Tsukasa: ……

Leo: But I won’t let it ever happen again, and I don’t want you to turn into anything like that either… That’s just my ego talking, though.

Tsukasa: …No. That is probably…love.

Leo: You think so? You sure you’re not just spouting random stuff with a straight face? Cut it out~ I’m gullible enough to believe almost anything, you know?

But anyway! So, when your old man said he’d leave everything to you, how’d you feel about it?

If you’re thinking that in the future, continuing idol work as you are now might end up being a burden or an obstacle—

Then stop. No one would blame you – we can’t balance every single thing at once.

If you know you’d just end up doing a half-assed job trying to take on everything, then set some priorities and see at least one thing through to the end.

You can quit idol work and take care of your parents. No one would criticize you for choosing a life like that.

And if anyone does try to criticize you, I’ll kick their ass.

I’d also let you be honorably discharged from my band of knights with one last, splendid live to commemorate.

So, no matter how the Requiem results turn out, I’ll make sure you can step away without any problems.

That’s the least I can do as your king. Honestly, I think it’d be a pretty big waste if you stopped being an idol, but well, in the end, it’s all up to you.

Life is full of goodbyes. But even then, I’d never forget you, and I’ll always love you.

Tsukasa: …Why?

I just don’t understand why you seem to like me so much. Aren’t I always picking on you, always too bold and brash…isn’t it unpleasant for you?

Leo: Mnn~ really? Maybe it is! But you know, I’m pretty darn good at falling in love with people! Wahahaha☆

I just like you! Who needs a reason?

On that day…when I spread my arms wide and told you to kill me, it went right over your head! Instead, you started with a self-introduction—

It was so funny and so precious, I was fascinated! And since then, I never got tired of watching you, not once! How could I ever hate someone like that?

Tsukasa Suou, sweet child of Knights – I’m so glad I met you.

I’d been slowly rotting in the depths of darkness, but, unable to disappear completely, I came back in shame instead…and somehow, life rewarded me for it. Wahaha! ☆

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