My Lie, Your Ring, This Rose| Kamukoma

🥀 Chapter 63 🥀

Capture or free? Capture. In the back of my mind, there was a miniature turquoise box. The box's outside was basic, being merely just painted the colour turquoise. The colour was pretty but on the sides of the box, the paint had peeled off. It was also fairly dusty, enough to make one sneeze. This gave the box an old attire for it was in an unfashionable manner. On the front of the box, was a keyhole. However, one could not remember where they put the key and did not want to spend a tedious amount of time looking for it. Luckily and thankfully, the box was already open so no key was necessary at all. The turquoise box had one sole purpose, which was to show off the ballerina inside it. This particular box was indeed a musical jewellery box but it was not exactly used for jewellery and instead for music. When opening the box, it would always made a piquing noise. It was as if it did not want to get opened in the first place and detested the fact that after so many years, it was finally being opened. At first, the empty box didn't do anything. The ballerina stood there in the centre in a fourth position. This was one of the basic positions in ballet. The old and rusty cogs now sensed that the box was open and began to twirl the ballerina. Music also started to play, however, the soft tinkering of the piano was quite broken to say the least. The song would stop and then carry on before stopping again and carrying on even louder. The noise was not music, but a curse to the ears. However, despite the spoilt music, the ballerina kept twirling. Her dress twirled with her as she went in circles like a carousel. The pretty ballerina that longed for someone to watch her dance would do anything to capture the spotlight. To relive this moment over and over again and feel the same happiness repeatedly. She truly would do anything to see one's smile as they watched her move gracefully, twirling. However, all good moments come to an end and no matter how much the ballerina hoped that she could twirl forever, she came to a stop and the music faded away. Despite her not being able to twist anymore and the cogs that helped her function were paused, she could think back to this moment and at least that gave her a smile. Free. To free a memory after creating it, was forgetting the joy and love one experienced within it. To forget that feeling along with a memory was melancholy itself. The ballerina didn't want to forget these memories of dancing even though her days of fame were long gone because thinking back on them still made her happy. Content moments come to an end, but that does not make those memories sad. Why would you free all of your memories, when you could project them in your mind and smile even though they're over? I think in these moments, I would appreciate it if time went slower. Memories fade throughout time as years past and even though us angels and demons aren't getting older, we still forget things. The little things like how the air started to turn brisk around us. The smaller things such as me forgetting to drink my coffee because I've been talking way too much. The minuscule things such as how the ceramic and gold coffee pot is tilted at such an angle on the table. These are the things you can only see when you pause and actually look around you for once. However, you cannot put life on a pause button whenever you wish and fun moments come to an end. The fact that I can't relive a moment makes me melancholy and before I know it the time has fluttered away like a kite being dragged by the clouds. It truly was upsetting and that's why I'm trying to absorb every single detail around me. So that when years have passed, I can close my eyes and remember this moment to its precise detail. I cleared my throat and glanced back to Izuru. Time had slipped my mind these past two hours and surely enough Kirumi would start the next competition. I frowned and contemplated my options. As much as I would love to miss that one as well, I would hate to lose points. I understand that spending time with Izuru would be more enjoyable than a competition but I cannot fall behind. With Aoi's competition, there are only two more left. Makoto's and Ibuki's competitions. I'm not sure as to which one will be commencing after the swimming competition but that does not particularly matter. What does matter though, is that I have to gain as many points as I can to get through the last two contests. After this, the second part of the competition will commence. This part was when Izuru would get closer to us contestants. Well, the remaining contestants at least. Though the more that I think about it, I'm not too sure how the second part will work. I assume that Kirumi knows and that she will probably tell us. I shook my head and looked back to Izuru. Since I have made up my mind about going to the next competition, I should enjoy this time with him while it lasts.
"The second part of the competition will start soon. Are you excited about it?" I questioned him with a curious look. Izuru had not mentioned much about his future plans once there were only a selected few contestants left. I'm pretty sure it was five last time I checked. Izuru shook his head.
"I am thinking of diminishing the second part of the competition," Izuru started. I paused and blinked a couple of times, taking in what he had just bluntly told me. I scratched the back of my neck and hummed. I mean, it was Izuru's competition so he could do as he wished but I didn't even account that he would do this.
"Why?" I replied back, raising an eyebrow. There must be a reason for this, after all there are reasons for everything. I'm not dramatically shocked about it but I am surprised. Izuru tilted his head to the side.
"It is not needed," he briefly explained. I gave him a distorted face. Not needed? That just makes me have more questions. Though if I were to mark down the possibilities, would it be rash to say that he has already chosen a suitor? I took a sip of my coffee, that had gone cold and was no longer flavoursome.
"Have you already chosen someone then?" I spoke up once I had taken a sip. For some reason, my words felt uncertain on my tongue and my heart was thumping rather loudly. Though, that was probably because I was anxious about the answer I was going to receive. Izuru glanced away.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I have," he stated. My eyes widened and my anxiousness started to mix into nervous excitement. The type of feeling when you were waiting for something to happen in your favour and you keep on hoping and wishing that it would happen.
"Who did you choose?" I exclaimed, sounding louder than I should as my words echoed throughout the balcony area. I covered my mouth and gave a quiet and uneasy laugh, my hand muffling it as I did so. I really didn't mean to be so loud. I shouldn't have let my excitement get to my voice. Izuru merely chuckled at my enthusiasm. He hummed and he opened his mouth to say something when there was a small knock on the door. I mentally frowned but kept a light smile on my face. Izuru glanced from me and then to the door. He decided that whatever he was about to say could wait and walked over to the door instead. He pulled out an obsidian key and unlocked it softly. The inside walls of the palace slowly came into my vision as well as my friend, Kirumi. I kept on a smile as I waved to her from my seat. I can always ask Izuru later what he was about to say, it's not a big deal. I really did want to hear his answer though as to who he has chosen. I gulped. Though if Kirumi is here, then that must mean that the next competition was starting soon. The smile that I had so marvellously kept up turned into a frown. Kirumi bowed slightly before glancing up at me and then at Izuru. She cleared her throat and straightened the gloves on her hands for they were falling off.
"Hello, Izuru and Nagito. I am glad to see that Nagito is in a better shape now, especially since he was sick this morning," Kirumi began, obviously knowing that it was a lie to begin with. Izuru gave her a stoic expression, clearly not caring at the fact that she knew it was a lie. I gave her an apologetic smile, feeling slightly guilty but Kirumi was my friend and I knew that she would understand why we lied.
"I'm afraid to inform you that Makoto's competition will be starting now," she started again and then stopped. She looked at the table and the coffee cups with a blank expression before sprouting a smile.
"However, Makoto's competition will be quite easy and not so time consuming. I suggest that both of you attend it so that you can carry on your conversations with ease," Kirumi carried on in a thoughtful matter. Izuru looked rather displeased at the fact Kirumi was here. His frown was duller than rusty copper and the small glint of annoyance in his eyes seemed to be brighter than fluorescence. Izuru tilted his head to me and then sighed, realising that going to the competition was inevitable. He sighed once more and nodded.
"We shall be there," he mumbled silently. Kirumi simply bowed and replied no more, her movements quick and in a rush. She exited the balcony, shutting the door behind her in a hurried manner. I hummed, so it was Makoto's competition next then. Since his talent was the same as mine, I truly do wonder what we will be doing. Kiibo didn't tell me about what my own competition consisted of. Though, he seemed rather adamant not to remember what happened in my competition either. It was quite bizarre if I do say so myself. My chair slid smoothly away from the table as my feet carefully brung myself to stand up. I felt as if I never wanted to leave the table and that doing so would prevent me from ever being here again. I sighed and folded my arms, feet reluctantly heading towards the grand doors. I looked towards Izuru, who was still holding on to the obsidian key. I guess leaving here can't be helped, I shouldn't be so miserable about it either. After all, we only have two competitions left. Only two.