Chapter 211: Eden: That’s right! It’s me!

"Are you there?"

Eden's teasing voice came over the terminal communication.

"Not yet"

Nozomi also responded in a similar tone.

"...Are you there?"

"Not yet"

"...Are you there?"

"Not yet~"

"If you don't come soon you'll be late!"

"No, how could that be?"

Nozomi spoke in a light tone.

"Don't worry, I'll be there on time. Prepare for your performance... or are you too nervous and need comfort?"

"I'm just worried that someone is going to stand me up, and then that would lower my opinion of someone."

Eden said with a hint of dissatisfaction.

"Don't worry, it won't happen."

Nozomi said so.

"Prepare your song well, or I will use this to laugh at you for the rest of your life."

"Isn't a lifetime too much?"

"Hmm... three years then?"

"…Then I'm going to be angry"

"Instead of getting angry with me here, why don't you prepare yourself? Otherwise, Miss Eden, who calls herself 'Gold' and means 'Gold will always shine,' will be in tatters."

"Snort…"

"Okay, okay, don't be angry... I'm already here, okay?"

"Well, then... see you later."

"Why? Are you coming to the auditorium to meet me?"

"No, you just need to look at me on the stage."

Eden said confidently.

"Don't get carried away then, okay?"

"I'm sorry, although it may seem a bit boastful..."

Nozomi thought about it carefully, then said with a smile.

"But I think the girls I know are pretty."

Thinking back a bit, the ones who are relatively familiar with Nozomi include Vill-V, Mobius, and Blanca. They are all beautiful women, and their figures... ahem.

In addition, Klein and Yin also have a good relationship with him, and they are also beautiful in their own way.

As for Sakura, he doesn't need to say more... She is a semi-special attack player towards Nozomi, and the inexplicable feeling in his heart is incomparable to anything else.

"If you want to make me obsessed, use your singing. This is the only common language between us."

Nozomi said with a smile.

"…Yeah, that's right."

Eden was silent for a moment before responding with a smile.

"This is the only language we can communicate with."

She seemed happy, very happy.

"Then... please listen carefully."

Eden said so.

"This is my first song after I stepped onto the stage. It is dedicated to the world, to everyone I know, and most importantly, to you...."

"At that time, I hope you can give your most genuine reaction, Nozomi."

"Whether it's praise, applause, or belittlement and abuse."

"I will gladly accept any of them."

"um."

Nozomi responded softly.

"Then... I look forward to it." x2

They both hung up the call at the same time.

Nozomi found a seat and sat down, while Eden was adjusting her mood and breathing behind the scenes.

All the answers will be revealed the moment she takes the stage and the moment she sings.

…

...

It's about to go on stage...

Eden clenched her palms slightly to ease her tension.

If she fails this time, she might not be able to continue her career as a singer - Eden is well aware of this.

'But... I will succeed' Eden firmly believed this.

As the announcer finished speaking, Eden walked slowly onto the stage, listened to the sporadic applause, slowly walked to the center of the stage, and stood still.

Turning gracefully and looking at the not-so-large audience, Eden seemed to be attracted by something and saw the person almost at first sight.

That person... even though they have never met, has become close to her just through communication and music, and they are almost close friends... no, he has already become her close friend.

——————

[Entry: The Twin Stars of the Times (Color), has taken effect]

[The favorability between you and her has greatly increased!]

[It becomes easier for you and her to understand each other!]

[You have gained the ability to activate the "Song of the Century" to a certain extent!]

——————

And he was looking at her with a smile, his eyes full of expectation, and his applause was full of encouragement.

'Nozomi... what a nice name. He is just like his name, like the stars in the night sky, shining and eye-catching.'

'Especially those strange three-color eyes, which are really attractive... The expectation contained in them makes people smile.'

'In that case...'

The corners of Eden's mouth curled up into a gentle and confident smile.

'I should also respond to this expectation.'

Bow politely and gracefully, and then... the accompaniment starts, and you listen to the singing that sounds like the sound of nature above the clouds.

Hmm~

From the first line of the lyrics, the entire venue fell silent. Almost everyone was in a daze. Then someone reacted and asked the people around them if the person in front of them was a famous singer. During the whole process, people spoke very softly, for fear that their voices would affect Eden on the stage.

However, that would not happen, because Eden's thoughts at the moment were completely immersed in her own singing, and her emotions were all dissolved in the singing, leaving her no time to care about anything else.

She just wanted to show the best of herself and make her [first song] close to perfection.

The others immediately realized something and quickly opened their terminals to start recording Eden singing... They planned to ask the Internet for help to see who this person with the beautiful singing voice was.

As for Nozomi, he listened quietly with a smile on his face, without any unnecessary movements - this is the quality that a good listener should have.

When the song ended and there was a brief silence, thunderous applause rang out throughout the place. The applause replaced the crowd and filled the slightly empty venue.

Eden slowly raised her slightly drooped eyelids and looked at the audience, or rather, at Nozomi in the audience.

Seeing his joyful smile and watching him clapping, Eden laughed happily.

Then, she bowed gracefully and slowly left the stage.

At the same time, the people who had previously recorded Eden's singing also posted the videos online one after another. It didn't take long for these videos to attract the attention of many people.

But at this moment, Eden didn't care about those things, because... she was going to catch the bag.

…

...

"Ms. Eden, congratulations, your performance tonight was a great success... We will have a dinner party later to help you with your meals. Are you free?"

The organizer of the performance politely congratulated Eden and also extended an invitation. He could feel that making friends with Eden at this moment would definitely bring him huge benefits in the future.

He could almost see a rising star in the music industry! He had to seize the opportunity to get closer to her!

"I'm sorry, I have a date tonight."

Eden said this politely, glancing at Nozomi who was waiting not far away and motioning to him.

"Oh... I see. I am sorry for being so abrupt. Well... I wish you all a good night."

He understood, and with a slight smile, he greeted Nozomi who was not far away. When he saw Nozomi return the greeting, he nodded, sent blessings to Eden and Nozomi, then said goodbye politely and left quietly.

And then... Eden came to Nozomi, looked at each other, and then they laughed together.

"Nice to meet you, Nozomi/Eden." x2

As if they had made an appointment, the two of them bowed to each other using opera etiquette and spoke softly at the same time.

"Nice to meet you." x2

"…Haha~" x2

The two were amazed at the wonderful understanding between each other and then laughed together.

"But I caught you, Nozomi? Now you have been caught by your fans offline, right?"

"There's really nothing I can do about it. Now that things have come to this, I can only think of a way to shut you up, Eden."

Faced with Eden's half-joking words, Nozomi pretended to be distressed and thought about it.

"So... dinner, okay?"

"It's not enough. What I need is songs."

"Yeah... OK."

Nozomi nodded, bowed slightly to Eden, saluted, and extended his hand to her.

"Then, beautiful lady, would you be so kind as to have dinner with me to make up for my late watch?"

"Haha... You're kind of funny when you act so pretentiously, right?"

Eden smiled, then gently placed her hand in his palm and squeezed it to show her agreement. She waited until he stood up before pulling her hand back.

"Then... I'll choose the location for dinner?"

"It's natural."

"Hehe, be careful not to be out-eaten by me, okay?"

"It's okay, you should have money with you... right?"

"I'm really sorry. I told my family when I came out that I didn't want them to help me, so apart from the usual living expenses, I don't have any extra money, okay?"

"...in other words?"

"In other words, if we don't have enough money to pay, we can only stay in the restaurant and wash dishes to pay off the debt~"

"That's really bad~"

"Haha..." x2

The two of them walked forward while joking with each other.

The distance between the two people slowly narrowed without them noticing, as if they were not meeting for the first time, but were good friends who had been together for a long time.

It maintains the necessary sense of propriety, yet at the same time shows intimacy everywhere... It really feels amazing.

…

...

In a fancy restaurant...

"Well... although you can choose the place, this place is a bit expensive..."

Nozomi looked at the amount to be paid on the bill and said helplessly.

"But fortunately, it is still within my acceptable range... Fortunately, the food here is worthy of their high prices, otherwise, I would have given it a bad review."

"Please rest assured, my vision is trustworthy... This place is famous for its foie gras and wine. If you taste it carefully, you will definitely enjoy it."

Eden slowly shook the wine glass in her hand, watching the magnificent wine reveal strange colors under the dim light.

"For example, this bottle of wine made from 'Purple Helen' has a very nice aftertaste and a more delicate taste..."

"I first tasted this wine under the guidance of my seniors in college, and I've loved it ever since... Would you like some?"

"No, I don't drink."

Nozomi shook his head and refused with a smile.

"You should drink less, too. Um... Logically, I should advise you not to drink at this moment, but considering your successful performance today... I will make an exception for you."

"Ah, I forgot you were in medical school for a while... and you seem to be very serious about health issues..."

Eden suddenly realized.

"Indeed, so... you can only drink three quarters at most today."

"Well, that's very good. Thank you for your tolerance and kindness."

Eden drank the wine in the glass in one gulp. Her face turned slightly red almost instantly. Her voice became frivolous and full of a strange, psychedelic feeling, and her eyes grew a bit hazy.

Eden didn't seem to handle alcohol very well. She was half drunk after just one small glass of wine, but she still poured more into her glass.

"You should pay a little more attention to your image..."

Nozomi glanced around and noticed a table of young people nearby who seemed to be taking pictures in this direction. He warned them with his eyes, and after receiving their slightly apologetic gestures, he withdrew his gaze.

At the same time, Nozomi also noticed a middle-aged couple sitting at a table not far away. They seemed to be looking over here from time to time... but fortunately, they didn't take any further action.

"Your singing is spreading all over the Internet now, right? A lot of people are discussing your performance... Well... It seems that you have succeeded."

"Yeah~ As I said, I did it~"

Eden took another sip of the wine. The slightly tipsy feeling it brought her made her addicted. Hmm... is this not a good thing to do?

It was obviously just the first time she was with Nozomi... Isn't it a bad idea to have dinner with someone of the opposite sex for the first time? And drinking alcohol... It always feels like something only a bad girl would do...

Eden tilted her head, swirling her wine glass while thinking about random things.

"Are you just reacting now?"

At this moment, Nozomi seemed to know what she was thinking. He supported his face with one hand and said with a helpless expression.

"And you are so bold to choose a restaurant like this..."

Nozomi glanced around. The atmosphere in the restaurant seemed very quiet. Every customer controlled the volume of their voices, so it didn't feel too noisy. Under the dim lighting, the surrounding atmosphere seemed somewhat... ambiguous.

"If I were a bad person, you would be in trouble now, Eden."

Nozomi said this casually, then glanced at the couple not far away, noticing that they seemed to have cast their gaze over here again...

"Um... no~"

Eden's voice had become a little drunk.

"Nozomi, you're not that kind of person, are you?"

"It's the first time we met, and you dare to say that..."

"But we've communicated many times, haven't we?"

Eden raised her glass to signal, and when she saw Nozomi also raise his glass, she smiled even more happily, drank the wine in her glass, and then reached out to pour another glass.

"Eden, no"

Nozomi reached out and took the bottle away in advance while warning with a smile.

"It's already three quarters done."

"Hmmm... Okay~"

Eden did not insist. Instead, she put down her wine glass, propped up her face with her hands, and looked at him with her blurry golden eyes.

"Then you still owe me a song before I can forgive you, Nozomi~"

"Prove to me a little bit that you haven't given up on music?"

"Okay, okay…"

Nozomi nodded helplessly, adjusted his cuffs slightly, moved his fingers, and adjusted his breathing. After confirming that there was no problem, he turned his head and looked out the window.

"Well... this is a perfect time~"

"What?"

"Nothing, I just lamented the rain this morning. Although it slowed down my journey a bit, it also cleansed the sky, allowing the stars to appear at night..."

"I see~"

Eden smiled knowingly.

"So this is why you were almost late~"

"I'm not late, am I?"

"Yes, yes, yes~"

"Okay, then... as a response to the previous song."

Nozomi stood up with a smile, and Eden's eyes also raised, following his body movement, watching him bow to her.

"Give this song to the world, to the people who know me, to the stars that are shining at this moment, and to you and me at this moment."

"Well, I'm looking forward to it."

Eden nodded, watched him leave, watched him discuss with the service staff, watched him sit in front of the performance piano, and place his slender hands on the black and white keys.

At this moment, everyone in the restaurant subconsciously turned their gazes to look at Nozomi...

His performance of saluting Eden just now had already aroused everyone's curiosity. Many young people present had already known Eden through the Internet, so they were quite surprised. They looked at Nozomi with a little expectation, turned on their recording devices, and planned to record his performance.

They really wanted to know what kind of music the person who could have dinner with Eden would perform in the end.

Will it be as amazing as Eden, or will it be mediocre, or... terrible?

At the same time, the couple sitting not far from Eden also turned their eyes to Nozomi who was preparing to play, with a hint of scrutiny in their looks.

But... Nozomi couldn't sense any of this, or rather, he didn't care.

His fingertips moved lightly, pressing the piano keys, allowing the melody to flow like water; his lips and teeth moved slightly, and his mouth opened gently, allowing the song to pass like the wind.

Gentle, soft, and mild, like hazy drizzle falling from the sky, like stars twinkling in the clear night.

Immersing his thoughts in the melody, dissolving his emotions in the singing, and expressing everything he wanted to say through songs... this is what he and Eden often do.

At this time, Eden quietly took back the bottle, poured herself some wine, and drank it slowly.

Her vision was blurry, but she didn't care. She just immersed her thoughts in his songs, trying to carefully experience the thoughts and emotions he wanted to convey... This was something she and Nozomi often did.

But in the past, they were far apart and could only rely on communication to do this.

And now, they can do it in front of each other.

'it's great to meet you...'

Eden narrowed her eyes and drank the last bit of wine in her glass. When she put down the glass, Nozomi's melody happened to stop.

Then, just like a replica of Eden's performance, after a brief silence, thunderous applause rang out.

The originally quiet atmosphere was completely covered, but no one noticed anything wrong. Even the waiter and the supervisor who rushed over after hearing the news were applauding his performance.

Even... the middle-aged couple at the table who were looking at each other with a slightly scrutinizing look, the husband hesitated for a moment and then clapped gently, while the wife smiled and clapped along with others, while rolling her eyes at her husband, seeming a little helpless with his attitude.

Then, Nozomi politely and gracefully bowed to everyone and slowly returned to Eden's side.

But the first thing he said when he sat down was...

"Eden, you drank secretly, didn't you?"

"Hmmm? I'm sorry~"

Eden raised her head, put away the terminal that had just sent the message, and spoke in a slightly confused tone.

"But who can blame Nozomi for such a beautiful performance? It would be a wonderful thing to enjoy it with good wine~"

"Ah... you are so disobedient."

Nozomi pinched his eyebrows helplessly.

"If there is a reason, I would at least take care of your health..."

"What's the matter~ Do you want to take over my daily life?"

Eden smiled and asked in a drunken tone... She seemed drunk?

However, her words seemed to be heard by the couple next to her, so much so that they stopped when they were about to leave.

"That kind of thing is not possible right now, at least not with my current status. I'm not your personal doctor."

Nozomi helplessly called the waiter over and asked them to pack up the wine bottles that still had some wine left.

"I just hope you can pay attention to the situation... Now is not the time to get drunk."

"It's okay~ I'm not drunk yet~"

"Ah yes, yes, that's what drunk people say."

Nozomi looked at the middle-aged couple who suddenly stopped and then suddenly started moving. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly. Finally, he could only get up helplessly and help the slightly drunk Eden up.

"But you should have asked your relatives to pick you up, right? Otherwise, I wouldn't dare to send you away randomly, okay? If not, I'll let you stay here. There's a hotel upstairs for rest."

"Ah... Girls won't like you if you're too quick-witted, Nozomi... But my parents will be here to pick me up soon~ Take me downstairs~"

Eden moved a little closer, but Nozomi used his fingers to hold her back, keeping a distance from her to prevent her from getting too close.

"...Don't stick to me, the smell of alcohol is a bit strong."

"Hehe~ Is Nozomi angry? Even your tone of voice has changed?"

"Yes, I'm angry, so don't stick to me. If I can find a good excuse, I will scold you."

"That's too much~ You were so nice before, but now you've turned hostile~ That's too much~"

"Because I'm targeting something different... Okay, how long will it take for your parents to arrive?"

"Hmmm... over there~ the one with the ■■■■■ license plate~"

"Okay... you take this bottle of wine back with you. After all, I don't drink... Don't drink it after you go back, okay? Have a good rest. I'll send you a message to remind you tomorrow morning. If you don't reply, I'll assume you drank secretly and are hungover."

"Hmmm? Then what? What are you going to do?"

"Nothing, I can just postpone posting my songs. It's been a while since I last updated, so I don't mind a little more time."

"That's really too much…"

The corners of Eden's mouth twitched... and then she walked up to the car, knocked on the passenger window, and looked at the person inside.

"Mom, I'm here~"

No one responded, only the slight sound of the car lock being unlocked was heard.

Nozomi understood, greeted politely, opened the back seat, helped Eden sit in, and then put the wrapped bottle of wine in Eden's arms.

"Well, see you next time~"

"Well, see you next time."

After a simple goodbye, Nozomi closed the car door and looked at the time.

"Hmmm... just in time, I can almost catch up..."

He turned around and rushed to where he had stored his luggage... he had to catch a flight.

...

...

"Okay honey, no need to pretend to be drunk anymore."

The woman sitting in the passenger seat turned around and said to Eden with a smile.

"I didn't, Mom."

Eden blinked. Although her eyes were a little drunk, her words were clear, without the sweetness that she had just felt when talking to Nozomi.

"I am indeed drunk~"

"Ah... you kid..."

Eden's mother sighed helplessly.

"Drinking in front of the opposite sex you met for the first time, and pretending to be drunk... I don't know if you are too brave to do such a thing. What if we were not here?"

"It's okay. Nozomi is a very nice person, right? Mom and Dad can tell from his singing, right?"

Eden blinked and said with a slight smile.

"And... Nozomi actually sensed it, didn't he? I wasn't drunk~ And Mom and Dad's disguise was so poor that he found out right away~"

"Especially Dad, his scrutiny was so severe~ Even I could feel it~"

"But I just can't help it!"

Eden's father, who was sitting in the driver's seat, said with gritted teeth.

"A brat who wanted to kidnap my daughter right after we met... I was very polite by not going up to him and causing trouble, okay?"

"And you, Eden, are so brave. To be honest, if that brat hadn't been a bit polite and had a good personality, you would have been eaten up long ago... Was all our previous efforts to educate you in vain?"

"How come, Dad?"

Eden blinked and smiled.

"It's because of him that I do this~"

"If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't do this to anyone else~"

"Alright, alright, dear, stop talking...your dad is going to be mad at you."

"Haha~"

Eden smiled softly, leaning to one side and leaning against the car window.

She raised her eyes slightly and looked at the night sky.

The sky was clear, without a trace of dark clouds, as if God had blessed it and the rain early in the morning had cleared away all the clouds, just to show everyone the starry night.

"Today's starry sky... is very beautiful..."

Eden's eyes were blurry as she mumbled.

In a trance, she seemed to be able to see a pair of extremely shining "double stars" in the sky, which made people envious and nostalgic.

'Great...' Eden thought.

'It's so wonderful to be able to see all this…'

'Everything is so perfect, everything is so lucky.'

'Being able to know you in the beginning and to meet you now is really... great.'

Eden slowly closed her eyes and fell asleep due to the alcohol and the comfortable temperature in the car.