I_LOVE_RICE+
patreon
Chapter 259. One Sip of Soup, Buff Maxed Out!
🕑 Added 2025-04-03 10:08:07 +0000 UTC(TL Music Recommendation: "Gintama Opening 13 - Sakuramitsutsuki (Guitar Cover)")
...
Letting the emotionally-numb Satou Matsuzaka experience a flood of feelings—
This was Minami's sudden inspiration.
Unlike the simulation version of himself—
The real Minami Shouji had tools: Romantic Writing, the Regrets of Life Guitar, and Shouji Hitori(Happiness) Cooking, among others.
Helping Satou Matsuzaka feel real regretful sorrow, joyful happiness, romantic love…
For others, that might be difficult.
But for Minami, it was perfectly doable.
No reason to hesitate.
As Satou's pink eyes dropped to the lyrics—
Minami gently placed his fingers on the strings of the Regrets of Life Guitar.
…
From a young age, Satou Matsuzaka had never been interested in songs or music.
She couldn't feel love, joy, or sorrow—
So naturally, she had no emotional connection to singers on stage or their passionate, grieving lyrics.
At most, she could acknowledge that a melody or a line was pleasant to the ear.
Reading Minami's lyrics now, she felt the same.
Aside from curiosity, she felt nothing else.
The only reason she was even reading this—was because Minami had written it.
That's all.
Holding the lyric sheet, Satou Matsuzaka's pink eyes scanned the first page.
The song title was simple, formed from a few clean, sharp Japanese characters—
"Hollow Syndrome"…?
Satou blinked at the name.
She knew what it meant.
A term in psychology used to describe emotional emptiness—young people unable to feel emotions—a new label for a mental condition.
Because this word closely resembled her own symptoms—
She'd actually researched it online in the past.
And now… it appeared on Minami's lyric sheet.
She tilted her head slightly, not dwelling on the title's meaning, and continued reading.
The opening lines immediately met her eyes—
"I dwell in shadows."
"Unable to feel the sun's warmth, even though I know it's there."
It was as if someone was whispering their story softly beside her.
Unable to feel the sun…
Naturally, they couldn't feel its warmth.
The words were calm, simple, and unadorned—
But they stirred the still, stagnant waters of Satou's heart.
At the same time—
A deep, low, mournful sound of a guitar filled her ears.
The tone was so heavy, so burdened with pain, yet still calm and steady.
Just like… her heart—quiet, lifeless, like a pool of dead water.
Satou Matsuzaka instinctively pressed her hand to her chest.
Her eyes moved down the page—
And then she realized, with some surprise—
What Minami had written… wasn't just lyrics.
Rather than calling it typical lyrics, it was more like a story in the form of a song.
This kind of narrative-style lyricism wasn't uncommon in Japan.
The main character of the song's story was a girl with long, pink hair.
A pink-haired girl who, by nature, was deeply insensitive to the emotions of others.
She couldn't feel what others felt.
Nor could she understand the ways people expressed emotions.
Despite her beauty and calm demeanor making her the center of attention in any crowd—
None of it mattered to her.
Because she had never been able to sense the affection or sorrow of others.
Just like in the lyrics—
"I dwell in shadows."
"The pink-haired girl wears a long dress."
"Shoes in hand."
"Dancing in a world without feelings."
The words were simple. Calm.
And yet—for the first time ever—Satou Matsuzaka felt a strange flutter in her heart while reading lyrics.
The steady rhythm of the guitar filled her ears.
And with its sound, the story gently unfolded.
Unable to feel her own emotions. Unable to feel her own existence.
The pink-haired girl wandered through the world.
Until one day—
In the midst of spring, she met someone she loved.
A young man with black hair.
Just one glance—and she fell for him at first sight...
For reasons unknown, Minami's words—
Felt like they carried a strange kind of magic.
As Satou read line by line—
She felt as if the pink-haired girl was right in front of her, dancing through the lyrics.
The protagonist smiled softly and peacefully at the black-haired youth, trying her best to convey—
That she loved him.
Just like the lyrics said—
"I watch him, refusing to look away."
"I watch him, unwilling to look away."
The pink-haired girl.
The black-haired boy.
These two figures—
With the unceasing guitar melody weaving around them—
Began to feel real.
Like they stepped out of the song, fully formed.
Satou Matsuzaka suddenly felt an odd sensation.
As if these characters truly existed—the pink-haired girl, the black-haired youth.
But the girl didn't know how to express her feelings.
For the first time, Satou Matsuzaka—who had never felt sorrow—
Suddenly felt heartbreaking.
She didn't want to see that girl—trapped in a world without emotion—unable to reach her true love.
But just as she feared—
Unable to express her love.
Unable to convey the deep, heavy, mountain-like, ocean-deep emotion within her—
The girl was seen as nothing more than a close friend by the young man.
Their meeting brought joy.
Their stalled relationship brought sorrow.
Satou Matsuzaka had never imagined that she could feel this way—
To be so moved, so swayed by a fictional story.
At the start, she had been completely indifferent.
Her initial indifference—was completely gone.
But none of that mattered anymore.
Satou Matsuzaka's fingers turned the page.
She wanted to see how the story ended.
At the same time—
The calm, steady guitar in her ears suddenly surged, rising sharply in pitch.
It felt like two hands reached into her chest, grabbing her heart and refusing to let go.
And those lyrics, previously gentle and composed—
Now exploded with all the emotion that had been building.
Satou could almost hear it.
The pink-haired girl stood before her, practically screaming these words in a raw, desperate monologue:
"I stand in the shadows!"
"Dancing in a world without emotions!"
The pink-haired girl leapt and spun, dancing right in front of Satou Matsuzaka.
"I stand in the shadows!"
"I'm not a hollow monster!"
"Dancing in a world without emotions!"
"I am a hollow monster!"
"But my love is heavier than the summer mountains."
"And more brilliant than the early spring sakura."
Brilliant mountain cherry blossoms bloomed.
It was the scene of the girl's first meeting with the black-haired youth.
"But I'm just a hollow monster!"
"I can't express the feelings inside me!"
Her voice, once calm, now echoed like a howl.
She wanted to express her emotions.
She didn't want to be a hollow creature anymore.
She didn't want to just stand there, watching the one she loved interact with others.
She wanted to be a part of that world.
To express the love she'd never spoken aloud.
Just as the lyrics continued:
"The one I love… is you!"
"Brighter than early spring blossoms!"
"Heavier than the summer mountains!"
"But I'm just a hollow monster!"
"I can't express the feelings inside me!"
Buzz—!
The guitar's artificial feedback hit her ears like a shockwave.
Satou Matsuzaka felt like her heart was being ripped apart by the sound.
But she could only sit there in silence.
Staring at the lyrics.
Lyrics that shattered her heart.
Love…
What even is love?
She didn't know.
Satou closed her eyes tightly.
Then—
What is this… storm of emotions swirling inside me?
This bitterness, impossible to forget…
Her hand clenched over her chest.
So confusing. So uncertain. So painful—and yet… so sweet.
What was this feeling…?
"…What is this…?" she murmured unconsciously.
Her pink eyes slowly opened—
And the world before her was blurred.
Without realizing it—
Tears had spilled from her eyes.
Why was she crying?
Satou Matsuzaka desperately wanted to collect herself.
But the tears, now flowing, wouldn't stop.
It was just a normal, fictional story.
So why was she heartbroken enough to cry?
She didn't understand her own reaction.
Emotionally detached as she was, she couldn't grasp how people cry, overwhelmed by affection for something they love.
Her tears kept falling.
And just then—
A gentle sensation touched her head.
And at the same time, Minami's warm voice sounded beside her.
"Strange, isn't it? Human emotions."
"..." Satou Matsuzaka instinctively looked up.
Just in time to see Minami's hand resting on her head, gently stroking her hair.
"Human emotions…?" she echoed, confused, staring at him.
"That's right."
Minami nodded without hesitation, speaking with a sigh of admiration:
"People feel genuine regret after reading a great book, they cry during emotional scenes in films, and sometimes, just a simple line in a song hits them so deeply, it brings them to tears. That—right there—is one of the ways humans express emotion."
He paused, then continued:
"In other words, Satou-san, the reason you're feeling sadness, regret, sorrow right now—it's because your heart resonated emotionally with the work. And that emotion took form through tears."
That was Minami's explanation.
"Is… that so?"
Tears still streaming down her cheeks, Satou felt the complexity of her emotions shift and swirl within her.
It was the first time in her life that she'd experienced something so complicated, so layered.
It was new—fascinating.
She couldn't help but speak up: "But… Minami-senpai's work… it feels completely different from ordinary stories."
"Huh? Different how?"
"It felt like… there was some kind of magic in the words. And… I don't know why, but around a third of the way through, I could hear guitar music in my ears."
Satou, face soaked in tears, looked completely puzzled.
In response, Minami gave a small cough and looked away.
There was no way he was going to tell her that while she was lost in the world of the lyrics, he'd taken out the 'Regrets of Life' Guitar and played a full set directly into her soul.
'Minami's Romantic Writing Technique' plus the 'Regrets of Life' Guitar—
Forget Satou Matsuzaka.
Even a comatose patient would leap out of bed, sobbing from the sheer emotional riff.
But of course, he couldn't say that.
So he gave a few harmless coughs and said, "You probably just got really immersed in it. I mean, I didn't even bring a guitar with me."
"...That's true."
Satou blinked through her tears, giving Minami a once-over.
He only had a standard student shoulder bag—no guitar case in sight.
Looked like she really had gotten too caught up in his work—maybe even had a hallucination.
"How was it? A good song, right?" Minami asked with a smile.
"Yes, it was a truly wonderful piece."
Without hesitation, Satou solemnly handed the lyric sheet back to Minami, speaking in a serious, heartfelt tone: "I'm looking forward to your performance, Minami-senpai."
"Alright."
Minami nodded, taking the lyrics, then glanced at her again.
As expected of Satou Matsuzaka—a girl who had lacked emotions since childhood.
If it had been Kessoku Band, the others would've been so overwhelmed by his combo attack, they'd be speechless, drowning in the sea of romance and life's regrets.
But her? Just a few minutes later, she seemed to have mostly composed herself.
Though tears still welled up in her eyes—
At this rate, in three or four more minutes, she'd likely return to her usual calm, composed self.
However—
"That just won't do," Minami muttered internally.
He had put in some effort.
He wanted this emotionally detached girl to really experience human feelings.
And now it was just going to end like this?
No way—not happening!
So, with a flicker of resolve, Minami Shouji, face perfectly composed, handed over a bowl of steaming oyster soup he'd just cooked in the Matsuzaka family kitchen.
"By the way, I borrowed your kitchen earlier and made a bit of warm soup. If you don't mind, have some to settle your stomach."
"Ah… I'm sorry, Minami-senpai."
Satou Matsuzaka, her tears mostly dried, instinctively accepted the creamy, oil-flecked bowl of soup, apologizing as she did.
She was the host, after all.
And yet Minami had been the one taking care of things in the kitchen…
By any measure, that made her a pretty lousy host.
With that on her mind—
Her expression, which she'd just managed to compose, softened as she brought the bowl close and took a gentle sip.
Then—
Just as she'd gotten her emotions under control—
Satou Matsuzaka's expression collapsed all over again.
In that instant—
She drowned in a sea of bliss.
Completely helpless against it.
