"Love is the only sane and satisfactory answer to the problem of human existence."
— Erich Seligmann Fromm —
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Fortunately, there was a bank inside the campus, so I was able to withdraw enough cash to buy the guitar. My account balance was actually higher than I expected.
To be honest, I wanted to buy an electric guitar, but right now, I'm basically unemployed in this world. In a place where bands don't even exist, I can't exactly make a living as a session musician either. Buying an electric guitar in this situation? That would be no different from choosing to live on the streets.
'But what can I even do with just one acoustic guitar...'
An acoustic guitar's sound is too thin to carry the energy of a band. Furthermore, in a world devoid of the very concept of a band, it would be nearly impossible to recruit members until I actually gain some level of fame.
'Then I guess busking is the only answer...'
Historically, the greatest musicians were born in the streets. And this place is a wasteland where popular music utilizing instruments is non-existent. In that case, I should show the people here what real music actually is.
Music that sings of [sincerity], not [lies].
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Busking is essentially a small stage built on the pavement. What is the first thing an artist must decide when preparing a stage? It's the setlist. A band's performance must have a sense of continuity from start to finish. That's why the setlist—determining which songs to play before the performance even begins—is the crowning glory of any show.
'But this is Japan... and the only instrument I have at my disposal is this acoustic guitar...'
Songs with Japanese lyrics that can honestly express deep emotions through a guitar... These were quite difficult constraints for me. In my past life, I was a rock fanatic who devoured anything under the genre's umbrella, but I didn't listen to much J-Pop. Even when I did, it was strictly band music. I wasn't very familiar with songs that could fill the entire soundscape with just an acoustic guitar.
'Should I translate Western songs into Japanese and sing them...?'
After giving it some thought, I realized that wasn't a great choice either. Music reflects the environment and the spirit of the era in which it was created. Lyrics, in particular, lose their meaning if they aren't kept in their original form. If I tried to adapt Western songs into Japanese, the music would likely end up as a half-baked mess that was neither here nor there.
'In this case, I shouldn't worry about a narrative arc with a beginning, middle, and end. I should just build the stage around a single concept. That'll make it easier for the audience to get immersed.'
In the end, I decided to settle on one theme and sing songs that shared the same resonance. While such a setlist can be monotonous since the songs are similar, it has the advantage of having a clear emotional line, making it easier for the audience to fall into the artist's world. It's also effective for delivering a specific message.
Closing my thoughts, I set the guitar case down on the street with a heavy thud and began to take out the instrument. An artist holding a guitar. I bet you guys have never seen anything like this before, have you?
There is a small girl wearing a hat on the street. With deep purple hair and black stars embedded in her eyes, she looks like someone who has let go of reality.
As she wandered aimlessly through the streets as she usually did, she spotted a strange boy. A boy holding a guitar, singing his heart out with raw, honest emotion.
To her, it was incomprehensible. Speaking one's true feelings so openly to a group of strangers! For her, someone who even forced herself to [lie] with a smile, it was something she simply couldn't fathom. But is it true that people are drawn to their opposites? She stopped her tracks for a moment and began to listen to the song.
She thought to herself as she listened to the boy's voice. She wanted to hear more of his music.
She didn't know why.
She just wanted to keep listening.
And so, the girl began to focus on the song.
She remembered.
The Mama who tormented her before ultimately abandoning her.
In truth, Mama was her enemy. But when even that Mama disappeared and she was left alone in the world with nothing, she fell into a state of despair.
Even so, she had to live.
Because dying like this was too terrifying, and it felt too unfair.
So she entered the orphanage and lived her life wearing a [fake smile].
Still, she lived without knowing the reason why she had to keep going.
Since she had never received affection or love from anyone—only the emotions of hatred and disgust transmitted by her mother—she considered herself an empty vessel with nothing inside.
The bonds between people are easily broken.
Even if that bond is between family.
Her Papa had never existed since the day she was born, having abandoned her from the start.
And her Mama had left her behind and gone to prison.
She thought of herself as a hollow person.
Bright on the outside, but inside, she was empty, cold, and rotting away from neglected wounds.
The girl couldn't understand the song.
Nor could she understand the boy singing it.
However, she found herself wanting to know.
What exactly is this love that the boy speaks of?
Could love truly fill her emptiness?
And could that boy, who sings of love with such sincerity, teach her what it is? It was nothing more than a simple curiosity.