harleyscars Page 47
Page 47
She didn't mention the name, but everyone knew who she was referring to.
That abruptly ended relationship was already an open secret within the industry.
The reporters in the audience frantically pressed their shutters, capturing the moment.
Mai Sakurajima's words propelled her popularity to new heights. People admired her honesty and loved her beauty tinged with sadness; she became a unique symbol of this era.
……
Her life seemed to have finally embarked on the perfect path that her mother had planned for her.
However, fate's jokes always happen when people least expect them.
To prepare for her next film, Mai needs to play an investigative journalist.
To do this, she needed to consult a large amount of past news materials.
One afternoon, she was browsing through social news archives from a neighboring city from a year ago in the company's database.
Her fingertips traced across a stack of old newspapers when her gaze was suddenly drawn to an inconspicuous text message.
One person dies after truck goes out of control late at night; victim's identity remains a mystery.
Neighboring city.
a year ago.
She remembered that date more clearly than her own birthday.
That was the day after he left.
Mai's breath hitched; she tried to convince herself otherwise, but her gaze wouldn't leave her.
The report was short, occupying only a corner of the social section, and was vague in its content. It only stated that the accident occurred on a remote national highway, the deceased was a young man, and he had no items on him that could identify him. The police initially determined it to be an accident.
A blurry photo was attached.
Mai couldn't tell clearly, but a strong intuition told her that it was him.
She felt a chill rise from her tailbone and instantly spread throughout her body.
"Do not……"
She suddenly stood up, grabbed the newspaper, and stumbled out of the archives.
The staff coming and going in the company saw her looking distraught and cast surprised glances at her. Some wanted to go up and ask her something, but were deterred by the aura of unapproachability emanating from her.
She took the elevator all the way to the president's office and pushed the door open without knocking.
Kazuko Sakurajima was working on some documents when she heard the noise. She looked up and saw her daughter looking like she was about to break. Her pupils contracted sharply.
When her gaze fell on the crumpled newspaper in her daughter's hand, she instantly understood everything.
"You already knew, didn't you?"
Kazuko Sakurajima opened her mouth, but suddenly couldn't utter a single word of the speech she had prepared for a year.
Finally, she managed to squeeze out a single word from deep in her throat.
"Yes."
"Why?" Mai asked.
I'm afraid you... won't be able to handle it.
"Can't bear it?" Mai repeated these four words, the light in her eyes gradually dimming.
"So, you're just going to let me live like a fool in a false hope? Let me think he's just an irresponsible bastard?"
What exactly did she do all year?
She used the inspiration from this "loss" to win the crown of her career.
At the awards ceremony, in front of the whole world, she thanked that "bastard who taught her how to feel."
By then, he had long since turned into ashes, placed in some forgotten corner.
How cruel and ironic this is.
Seeing her daughter's pained expression, Kazuko Sakurajima stood up, wanting to hug her and comfort her as she had done a year ago.
"Mai, I'm sorry..."
"Don't touch me." Mai took a step back, avoiding her hand.
She didn't break down in tears like last time because she knew her mother loved her.
It was this heavy and clumsy love that led her to make such a foolish decision.
She couldn't blame a mother who foresaw her drowning and chose to hide the sea.
However, she could no longer accept this love with the same peace of mind as before.
"I... want to be alone for a while." Mai Sakurajima turned around and walked away with slightly unsteady steps.
"Where are you going?" Kazuko Sakurajima asked hurriedly.
Mai didn't turn around. She stopped at the doorway and said softly, "Go somewhere... where you can find the key."
After saying that, she opened the door and went out.
In the empty office, only Kazuko Sakurajima remained.
She slowly sat back down in her chair, looking at the newspaper on the table, the words already blurred and illegible. She covered her face, her shoulders trembling violently.
……
……
On the train bound for Kamakura, Mai Sakurajima leaned against the window, watching the scenery rush by. The last time she rode this train, the chattering boy sat next to her.
She took out the letter she had treasured for a year from her bag.
The edges of the letter were already a little frayed, and she could recite the words on it almost perfectly.
What game ends, what actor gets into character...
"What a... complete idiot." Mai muttered to herself, her eyes welling up with tears.
She carefully folded the letter and put it back in her bag.
There was a pet carrier next to her, where Yukino was curled up quietly, only occasionally letting out a soft whimper.
She thought that Yukino must miss him too.
The tram arrives.
She got off the tram carrying her pet carrier.
She had no specific destination; she simply wandered aimlessly, guided only by her memory.
The park, the snack shop, the elementary school... and that old house.
She didn't go in; she just stood outside the courtyard gate, quietly looking inside.
The weeds in the yard had grown taller, and the ivy was almost swallowing the entire wall; everything indicated that no one had been here for a long time.
This place, once a sacred site for her emotional rebirth, has now become her grave where she buries her love.
She stayed there for a long time, until the last ray of the setting sun disappeared below the horizon.
"Meow~"
Inside the pet carrier, Yukino let out an uneasy cry, as if sensing the emotions emanating from her owner.
Mai Sakurajima snapped out of her daze and gently stroked Yukino's head.
"It's alright, Yukino," she said softly. "Let's... go see the sea."
……
Mai Sakurajima took off her shoes and walked barefoot on the beach.
Yukino jumped out of her pet carrier, sniffed the salty, fishy smell in the air warily, and then strode gracefully around the area, her tail held high like a queen surveying her territory.
Mai looked at the little guy and a smile appeared on her lips.
She walked to the beach and let the seawater wash over her ankles.
“Itsuka Yuto,” she whispered the name.
"You... big liar." She sniffed. "You said you were just leaving and that I shouldn't forgive you. But you did it this way, leaving me with no chance to even hate you."
"Do you know that I won the Academy Award for Best Actress?" she said, as if reporting an achievement.
“On stage, I even said bad things about you, calling you a jerk. Everyone in the audience laughed, and the reporters took tons of pictures. It was all on the front page the next day. They all said I was honest, and that my scarred beauty was touching…”
She chuckled self-deprecatingly: "Look, even in death, you're still contributing to my cause. Shouldn't I... pay you a reward?"
The waves surged up and then receded.
“My mom… she apologized to me, and we’re much better off now. She cooks for me and watches movies with me. It seems like she… has finally learned to be a normal mother.”
"And Yukino, she's grown a lot and gotten fatter. She's still as aloof as ever, but now she lets me hold her, even though she always looks reluctant."
She talked on and on, recounting the little things that happened in her life after he left.
Things she thought she would never tell anyone, she could now so easily pour out to this vast ocean.
"Everything... seems to be getting better, except for you."
Her voice lowered.
"Everyone thought I had moved on and cheered for my rebirth. Only I knew that a part of me, along with you, died forever on that day."
"Itsukawa Yuuto..."
She called his name again, and this time, tears finally broke free, streaming down her cheeks and dripping into the seawater at her feet, disappearing instantly.
"I miss you so much."
She crouched down, buried her face in her knees, and her shoulders trembled.
Yukino seemed to sense something, and ran to her side with small steps, gently rubbing her arm with her fluffy head, making a series of "purring" sounds.
After an unknown amount of time, Mai finally raised her head, her eyes, washed with tears, shining brightly in the moonlight.
She knew it was time for this farewell to end.
With his death, he taught her one last lesson: how to face true loss.
He opened the door to her heart, and then with his own life, he left the key forever in her hands.
Mai Sakurajima stood up, took one last look at the sea, and slowly bowed to the darkness.
Goodbye, my lighthouse keeper.
She turned around and walked back the way she came, with Yukino following behind her. The figures of the two, one human and one cat, gradually disappeared into the distance.
The sea breeze tousled her long hair, and carried away her last whispers.
Thank you. And... I love you.
[Simulated World: Emotionless Idols and Unrequited Lovers (Completed)]
……
……
[ps: 22,000 words updated today]
[I...I'm not going to make it...My eyes are glazed over, my eyelids are drooping, my limbs are weak, and my mind is blank...I'll fix the typos tomorrow.]
[After the simulation ends, it will be time for the daily life volume, which will deepen the relationships between the characters through various small events, and we'll also write about the protagonist's career path. I anticipate that the progress will be relatively slow, so I have no objection if anyone wants to let the book wait and see (I'm probably the first author to tell readers that they can let the book wait and see)].
See you all tomorrow, I'm going to bed now...
Volume 1: Chapter 60: The Divine Power of Tiger Balm
[Simulated World: Emotionless Idols and Unrequited Lovers (Completed by Yueyi Eryi Sanwu Qi Zhou Liushan (Part Two))]
[Simulation time: 64 days]
[Overall Rating: A+ (You successfully experienced a sweet romance, achieving your initial goal. You not only helped Mai Sakurajima rediscover her emotions but also propelled her further in her acting career, making her a shining star in the entertainment industry.)]
[Rewards are being drawn...]