Chapter 13 With Everyone's Support
An's POV

Sometime Later

I awoke up one morning when I heard knocking at my bedroom door.

"Can I come in, An", I heard my dad ask.

"Yeah", I replied. "Come in."

With this, I sat up in my bed as my dad walked into my room.

"Good morning, An", he greeted.

Then, he sat on the edge of my bed before kissing my forehead.

"Happy birthday, honey", he greeted.

"Thanks, dad", I said.

Then, I noticed he was holding a box in his hand.

"Is that for me", I asked.

"Yes", my dad replied, before handing me the box. "I'll leave you alone to open it."

With that, my dad got up and left my room.

After he did, I noticed that a letter had been taped to the box.

I pulled the letter off before opening it, and when I did…I instantly recognized the handwriting.

Happy birthday, An!

I don't know how old you'll be when you receive this gift. All I know is that, when you do get it, I'll no longer be around.

I'm so sorry for not telling you the truth, An. It's just…I know how badly this news is going to affect you. You may not want to admit it, but you're actually quite the crybaby, An.

But, if you're reading this letter, it means that you've grown past that, and that you've become the strong woman I always knew you'd someday grow into.

I may not be there to see your future, An, but I truly believe that you'll be able to go further than I ever did.

Good luck in whatever you're trying to achieve, An. I know you can do it!

Love,
Nagi

By the time I was done reading the letter, my cheeks had been stained with tears.

I then opened the box, and pulled out a gold necklace…with a sunflower pendant.

…

With a bouquet of sunflowers in hand, I walked through the cemetery with the rest of my group.

Once we reached a specific grave, I placed the bouquet in front of it.

"Hey there, Nagi-San", I greeted. "There's some people here that I want you to meet. These are my amazing teammates, Akito; Toya; and of course…the bestest partner ever, Kohane!"

After I said this, Kohane walked closer to the grave.

"It's very nice to meet you, Nagi-San", she greeted. "I…um…I wanted to thank you. It seems that you helped An-Chan grow into the person she is today, and…I wouldn't be who I am today without her! So, thank you so much, Nagi-San!"

"Kohane", I said.

"And if it wasn't for that, then we would've never formed Vivid BAD SQUAD", Toya added. "Do, thank from me as well, Nagi-San."

"Toya", I said.

Then, Akito kneeled down in front of the grave.

"Nagi-San", he started. "You should be proud of An. She's become an amazing singer. Our team wouldn't be the same without her."

"Akito", I said.

Then, tears started forming in my eyes…and a smile came to my face.

Afterwards, I went closer to the grave and kneeled down in front of it.

"You don't need to worry about me, Nagi-San", I reassured. "I'm going to be okay, because I've got the bestest team in the whole wide world with me!"

…

We were now at Weekend Garage, and many people on Vivid Street had gathered to celebrate my birthday with me.

"Everyone", my dad started. "The birthday girl would like to say a few words."

"Thanks, Dad", I said, before clearing my throat. "You know, when I first found out that everyone knew about Nagi-San except me, I was really angry. But then, I realized that, the reason why so many people kept that secret…is because they didn't want to see me be sad."

After I said this, a smile came to my face.

"Everyone", I started. "Thank you so much for always looking out for me! To show my gratitude, my group and I are going to perform a song for you all! Here we go! Machi!"

With that, my group sang for everyone.

As we performed, I looked at my teammates, my dad, and everyone on Vivid Street, and I smiled.

(No matter how much pain I'm in, as long I have everyone's support…I'll always be able to keep going forward!)