Seventh Heaven - Chapter 3

[argoflower]

The Second Movement

Mr. Adolf was a foreign music critic and is apparently a well-known “Nanamegi Nanakuma stan” within his community. Apparently he attended all the auctions for his final work in order to buy all of the sheet music parts.

“Of course, it was impossible to buy everything though.”

I asked a question to Mr. Adolf as he let out a bitter laugh.

“My great un…why did Nanakuma break his sheet music into parts?”

I thought that since he was a known Nanakuma fan, I might be able to get an understanding of my great uncle’s feelings. That was the question on my mind since the beginning: Why did he separate the sheet music into parts? 

I thought that there surely must’ve been some meaning to it.

He donated all of his inheritance to charity, so he probably wasn’t in any financial trouble.

But…

“I don’t know that much.”

…unfortunately, it seems like Mr. Adolf didn’t know much about the situation either.

It can’t be helped, so I should probably give up here. As I was thinking that–

“Nanaki, why do you want this sheet music? The reason why I paid a large sum of money to get this precious treasure is because I love the songs that Nanakuma creates.”

“...”

“Up until now, many enthusiasts have contacted me hoping to get a copy of this sheet music. However, none of them caught my eye. I have no intention of giving this up to a mere Nanakuma enthusiast.”

“...I am…”

I stared directly into the bear’s eyes that suddenly became sharper.

“I am the nephew of Nanamegi Nanakuma, and just like him, I also make music.”

My first negotiation with an adult would begin here.

“Ohhhhhh Jesus Christ!! My God!!” 

“Huh?”

I was about to start speaking again, but he suddenly started gripping his head and began to move around as if he were struggling against something, so I stepped back. 

“Bless the Nanamegi family…! The breath of God!!” 

“Mr. Adolf?”

I wondered what was wrong with him. Maybe he was going through something right now. Or was it because of me? Did I say something weird?

Mr. Adolf, who seemed to be finished writhing around in what looked like agony for a while, turned to face me with wide eyes.

“You should’ve said something important like that sooner! This means that you’re that up and coming anonymous artist, unlove…!” 

“Wh…”

Why did he know that? And how did he make that connection?!

Mr. Adolf explained everything to me step by step, as I was still confused and didn’t understand. 

He loved Nanakuma so much that he was aware of all the activities of the Nanamegi family. He knew about almost all the activities and achievements of everyone in the family that was involved with music. Around the same time when he listened to a song by the anonymous artist, unlove, he felt a strong Nanakuma feeling.

It wasn’t a mere imitation of Nanakuma’s style, the core of their sense of music was very similar to his. He always thought the true identity of unlove must be someone from the Nanamegi family who inherited the same talent as him. The Nanamegi family must’ve had a secret child who hadn’t shown their face to the public yet.

“And that’s you, Nanaki.”

“Um…”

“You don’t have to worry, I won’t reveal your identity to the public. It’s a great honor to meet you.”

After a respectful bow, Mr. Adolf spoke with a bright smile on his face.

“I’d be happy to give you the sheet music.”

A few days later, a CD-ROM that had the sheet music data arrived at my house.

This was at Mr. Adolf’s request. He wanted to give it to me in the original state it was in when it was put up for auction, not over the cloud. The ROM was paired with a handwritten letter.

I carefully peeled back the old-fashioned wax seal and read what was inside.

“...”

The truth– he didn’t mention it at all during the negotiations.

Mr. Adolf was currently suffering from a serious illness and only had a few years left to live. He was considering what would happen after his death, initially thinking about donating the sheet music data with historical value to an art gallery or a museum. However, if there was someone out there who was carrying on Nanakuma’s legacy and wasn’t just a fan, he said he would’ve loved to give it to them if they wanted it.

He thought since I was his relative with clear talent, there was no reason to refuse.

“...I’ll definitely write a song that surpasses this one before you’re gone.”

Remembering Mr. Adolf’s bear face, I quietly made a decision. I made this promise to the slightly emotional but kind critic who recognized my talent and sensibility. I prayed that the rest of his life would be a happy one and finally checked the sheet music data.

I am sand

Your voice disappears into the waves / I am swept away

If you could pick up the pieces

In this ambiguously vast ocean

While thinking of you / I am torn apart

“...”

I felt myself being overwhelmed by a strange, indescribable feeling.

It seemed like my great uncle was deeply in love. But it was a love that would never come true.

Because this was definitely not a sweet love song.

These words weren’t conveying a simple longing for someone.

“...I get it, great uncle.”

Being in love is really painful.

It feels like your body is getting torn apart, like you’re going crazy. 
 

 

 

---

Novel Chapters: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5