Double Planet Episode 7

Double Planet
Episode 7: "A Challenge from Yota Kanda"
Satoru Aono (Furuta Jun & Kanda Yota / Radio Shonan personalities)

"I'm the hero. I'm good at this. If you think like that, you'll find courage."
Don't give up! You'll win no matter what!! With pride!!
Not just win, but win in style! And with dignity!!
Don't give up! You'll win no matter what! Be proud!!
"Let the miraculous words bloom in full glory."

I had never experienced such intense concentration for two and a half minutes in my life.
I heard "Kiseki no Kotoba" (Words of Miracles) on the radio show "Love & Music ".
The lyrics I wrote were put to music by Mr. Kanda and turned into a song.

It felt somehow unreal, as if it wasn't happening to me at all.
No, no, no!
Normal judgment awakens me.
These are lyrics I wrote. This is the moment my lyrics became music.
That realization finally hit me when the radio broadcast ended and I was lying alone in bed.

Along with the joy, I have to acknowledge this feeling that has surged up inside me.
The melody of "Kiseki no Kotoba" flowing into my mind, along with Kanda's voice, made me feel frustrated.

I sent an email to the radio station, not expecting much, asking him to compose a song for me. I never imagined that Mr. Kanda would readily agree. For a while, I was on cloud nine. If you ask me what I did during the two months that followed, the answer is nothing. I didn't try composing again, nor did I write new lyrics. For two months, I just sat there, waiting for Mr. Kanda. Like a loyal dog. No, like a dog with its fangs removed.

Saying that I was distracted by high school life returning to normal is just an excuse. I had halted my valuable progress in personal growth.
The lyrics flow in along with the melody.

"I'm the hero. I'm good at this. If you think like that, you'll find courage."
Don't give up! You'll win no matter what!! With pride!!
Not just win, but win in style! And with dignity!!
Don't give up! You'll win no matter what! Be proud!!
"Let the miraculous words bloom in full glory."

I don't think music is about winning or losing. It's not about winning or losing, but right now I feel like I've lost. I lost to Kanda's vitality, and I lost to myself. It was a crushing defeat.
It was an embarrassing way to lose, and not a dignified one at all.
It's almost ironic, but every word pierces me right now.

I can't afford to lose.
I want to win.
I want to beat both Kanda-san and myself.
We can't move forward unless we win.

That's what I honestly thought.

But what should I do...?

I remembered something.
Last month, Kanda-san mentioned on the radio that she wanted to provide music for a play written by a high school girl who is involved in theater.

I think the title was... 'The Puzzle of the Sky'? 'The Sky and... Puzzle'. That's right, 'The Sky and Puzzle'.

Apparently, Kanda-san was so inspired by the title that she declared she would write the lyrics and even compose the music. While I was impressed by her incredible vitality, I still felt like it was someone else's problem. But now, I can't be someone else's problem anymore. I don't want to be outdone by Kanda-san's vitality.

This might be a challenge from Yota Kanda, directed at me.
This time, I want to compose my own music. Unless I do that, I'll never truly flourish.

Once I made that decision, I couldn't sit still.
Where should I even begin?
It's the lyrics. I have to start by writing the lyrics.
Kanda-san said that she got the idea for the lyrics just from the title "Sky and Puzzle," but I don't have the ability to make such a leap right now. If I don't have the ability, then I have no choice but to ask.
What kind of story is "The Sky and the Puzzle"?

picture?
Wait a minute.
Asking... to whom?
To the author?

We'll just have to ask the girl who wrote that story.
I considered sending an email to the radio station and asking the girl indirectly, but then I realized that Kanda would find out about the whole exchange, so I quickly dismissed the idea.
I want to finish composing the music without Kanda finding out, and surprise him.

It seems the only option is to contact the child directly.

Realistically speaking, it feels like we're trying to jump over a very high hurdle.
I'm not bragging, but I don't have the communication skills to have a frank conversation with a girl. In fact, I'm rather bad at it. But before all that, I first need to get to her.

First, I tried searching for the phrase "sky and puzzle" on Twitter.
I want it to catch on to something.
I looked at the search results with a sense of hopeful anticipation.
Scroll slowly.

My fingers stopped moving.
The words written on the profile are instantly imprinted on the retina.

[ RUKA ] "Kanagawa Prefecture. High school sophomore girl. Drama club member. I wrote 'The Sky and the Puzzle'."

You're kidding, right?
All the words listed in the profile match.
This must be the child.
Social media is amazing.

RUKA . Luca. Mr. Luca. Now that I think about it, I do remember that being his name.
Despite feeling nervous, I decided to try sending a message via direct message.
 

"Hello Luca. I apologize for this sudden message. I'm not a suspicious person at all. I'm a high school student attending a high school in Kanagawa Prefecture. I'm a second-year male. I'm not suspicious. Really, I'm not suspicious. Please, I beg you, read to the end. I learned that you're involved in theater from the radio program 'Love & Music ,' which I always listen to. Kanda-san mentioned it, and I'm very interested in a play you wrote called 'Sky and Puzzle.' If you don't mind, could you tell me more about the play? Thank you for reading to the end. Aono Satoru."

"to be continued"

 
*You can view back issues here .