Until You Shine Like Deneb ch11: Ambivalence

The freedom I desire...
is not worth letting the lives right in front of me be extinguished!

...The back of the drawer.

That tale my master once taught me.

When you want to grab a box at the back of a packed drawer,

rushing to reach without taking out the things in front of it is difficult.

The important part of carrying things smoothly is to have a process.
In other words, do things in order.

First, you steadily clear the tasks laid in front of you.
Keep doing that, and you'll soon reach the dream you desire.

That's what I believe.

That's why... I always thought I'd reach it if I take things one at a time.
I've even played the lead role at Cycnus countless times.

And yet that girl...

is shoving my box back into the drawer
as if to say "you're too slow".

It ticks me off!

Master...!

Master... I didn't get picked for the lead role. I'm so frustrated...! And after all the guidance you gave me too...

I see... You'll be fine, Rion-chan. I'm sure you'll get it next time.
Your frustration is a sturdy and sharp weapon. As long as you have it, you can go even higher.

Master... Thank you.
That's right.

Next time for sure...!

No... Not "next time".

♪Let me tell you about my past
In the town I lived in, I was charged for a crime I didn't commit and received an injury on my shoulder
Right now, right in front of me...
♪I became lonely and lost my reason to live
♪That's when... you appeared, Shiara... It gave me a purpose
I won't let this unprecidented maiden get the better of me!
Yes.
That's why...

I will protect

you
them

I,
my Nahane will survive.

p8
♪This is my purpose

Such beautiful harmony...!
Those long tones are crazy!

Everyone's so amazing...!
I've never seen acting with as much devotion as this before.

I'm certain Atori is drawing out their deepest emotions.

Rion-san isn't missing a beat.
I can tell how much effort she's putting in.

That's all the more why the difference is so evident.

Atori...
Even with all the head shaking,
spinning,
bending
and leaping,
never mind just not missing a beat...
Where's the next person?
The injured are all this way

p10

I can hear her lines clear as day.

I'm here
Shiara is here!!

That's why her neverending emotions keep pulling people in.

I managed to protect... the people, right...? Thank goodness.

The people in the audience must be thinking
that she was acting badly at the start on purpose.

p11

...I'm the worst.

Happiness.
Agitation.
Gloominess.
Arrogance.
Impatience.
Joy.
All these feelings are going on a rampage inside my heart.

That's
because I've come to realise
that Atori

p12

is so useless without me
to the point where she can't even stand on stage.

p13

Ah, my word!
Her body's wounds aren't healing!

Just the body isn't enough... we need to heal the wound in her heart.
In which case...

♪With these lips, I give to you overflowing warmth
♪and this first miracle
Please...

p14

...Nahane?
Ah, Shiara...!

...Looks like things didn't go to plan after all.

Tsuki...? What are you...

Those explosions just now were all my doing
to make the maiden use up all her power

p15

I came to thise kingdom two years ago...
I am the Witch of the Moon... who came to this enemy nation and waited for the Easter festival to steal the Shiara's power.
This charm... or rather,
this cursed item has been secretly robbing the maiden of her power!

My dear sister is really into it... The climax is where she really shows her stuff.

You protected the people, Shiara,
so now I shall protect you.
Fufu
With that pathetic dagger?

p16

!!

What!? It deflected!?
This power isn't yours alone!
It's the maiden's...

Witch of the Moon...

Prepare yourself!!

p17

Nahane!
This performance confirms it.

Are you okay...?
That's my line!

The more people who watch her, the more Atori shines.

The more people watch her, the more she grows.

...But only as I'm at her side.
In other words...

p18

I'm the very shackle
that's hindering her dream.

What do I do?

p19

Eh...? It's gotten dark...?
This is where it's supposed to get bright and the music kicks in...

...Hey, Nahane?

p20

I don't need a charm anymore
as long as I'm with you.

She's ad-libbing...!

Then I'd better return the favor...!
Yes... Let's go together, Shiara!

I love you...

p21

...I see.
So that's the type Atori-san is.

I'm really sorry!

p22

The light and sound equipment temporarily stopped working right at the very end...!
The spotlight went back on right away, though...
It's fine. We managed it somehow...
In fact, I think it even enhanced today's performance.

The stuff at the start and the end surprised me, but~... I guess it was a huge success?
Whaddaya mean you guess?
So it's a big success then?

...Anything the audience walks away satisfied from is a success, I suppose.

p23

Raika!

Good work today.
You were amazing.

The moment you caught my eye, Raika, my body started moving on its own.

I see... I knew it...
?

...I didn't want Atori to go far away from me,

p24

and Atori
seems to have felt the same way.

We'll eventually eat away at each other someday.

Raika?

I'm astonished at how worthless I am,
to the point I even used a miracle out of guilt.

p25

I want Atori to spread her wings...
I know that I have to undo her shackles.
But

when I look at the smile of the one who made me this way,

I just go "eh, it doesn't matter"
and put it off.

p26

Up until now,
Let's do our best tomorrow too.
and from now on too,

this premontion that you'll keep throwing me for a loop

just won't stop.

Warning