Upon the canvas woven from flames and the tide of memories, the old man looked extremely excited. He spared no praise, giving Kokona's singing the highest evaluation.
"Thank you very much for your guidance, Teacher!" Kokona looked a little shy. "I never imagined that such beautiful singing could come out of my own voice..."
"Don't thank me. You should thank your own talent and hard work instead." The teacher smiled. "If you want to become a singer chosen from ten thousand... you'll need to find better teachers and undergo even harder training."
"The competition in this industry is extremely cruel. Only a handful of people ever get to stand beneath the spotlight and enjoy the applause."
The teacher's words were full of hope and expectation for Kokona, but the young girl before him was not yet ready.
"I... haven't thought that far ahead. Right now, I just like singing."
The teacher shook his head with a smile. All of his hopes for the student before him became like sunshine, filling every line on his face.
"You're still not ready? I understand... but one day, you'll have to make a choice.
"When I was your age, I missed many precious opportunities... Listen to your teacher's advice, Kokona. Treasure your talent. Don't make a decision you'll regret."
"Teacher..."
"Having a dream is an even crueler thing. Once you can't attain it, the pain of seeing that dream shattered may completely destroy a person."
"Keep moving forward, child... don't look back. You belong on a broader, more beautiful stage."
Kokona's eyes lit up. Something burned within the young girl's eyes.
"I... I understand, Teacher! I'll definitely work hard."
"This is our last lesson, Kokona. I'll teach you everything I know... I'll hold nothing back."
This was the earliest memory.
"Oh ho, she's an artistic girl." Master Tail said. "Let's keep going."
The group continued onward and saw Kokona sitting in front of a piano, playing a melody. It seemed she had come up with a good idea...
Further ahead came the time after graduation.
It was already graduation season, and a friend asked Kokona whether she had decided what she wanted to do in the future.
Her friend only hoped to live a peaceful life, but she had great expectations for Kokona. Just as her friend had hoped, Kokona wanted to pursue a career related to music.
The seed of a dream is always planted when you least expect it. When others are still lost, you've already decided on your goal. That means the sprout has already broken through the soil.
The road to pursuing a dream requires a strong heart, so don't worry that there may be no path ahead. Your determination will always carve one out.
Continuing onward, what appeared in the memories this time was Kokona's parents.
The relationship between her parents in her memories wasn't harmonious. After exchanging only a few words, they would begin bickering, speaking to her in a cold tone that was almost full of complaints.
The development of events did not go beyond what Nero and the others had expected. After Kokona expressed what was in her heart, what she received was a stream of harsh words.
Her parents spoke in disappointed voices, pressing the decaying world they saw through their own spiritless and passionless outlook onto Kokona.
While seeming to ask about Kokona's thoughts out of concern, they dismissed them as worthless and mocked her with sarcastic remarks.
Older people always see the world and life's choices differently from younger people. Their experience may be useful to some extent, but a world that has already turned gray can never truly blend with the colorful world filled with hope and longing.
So, pursuing a dream requires an unwavering heart.
Kokona failed.
Under pressure from her parents, she wasn't able to study music. Instead, she was arranged to work at a luxury goods store in the Golden Hour.
She couldn't even decide how to spend her own salary.
The four of them heard Kokona's sigh. It was the helpless obedience and silent resistance buried deep in her heart.
"Of course, Mom and Dad... no matter what you say or do... it's all for my own good."
The four silently watched Kokona's memories. Faced with this scene, each of them had mixed feelings.
Some of them had long since lost all contact with their parents. Others had, at the very least, once been children who were dearly loved and cared for at home.
But the memories were not over yet.
The four remained silent as they continued following the phantom of Kokona ahead.