Noelle: Welcome back everyone!

Karen: Onee-san, why are you so excited? It's been almost a year.

Noelle: But we're back. And we want to thank RavenBloom-san for helping RSBCS-san in polishing this chapter.

Karen: Right. Well, RSBCS-san doesn't own Mermaid Melody or any of us. We belong to our original creators. This story is just his idea.

Noelle: Here we go!


Chapter 30:

Wings Unfurl, Healing Song

The alarm went off on the nightstand, so Tsubasa groggily turned it off before rising. He got into the shower to start, had a small meal at his small table situated in the corner of his apartment, before heading out to work. As he locked up, he heard a drunken man lumbering up. The doctor nimbly slipped by the drunkard, dodging as the other man swung the jug of sake still in his hand, and headed for work at the hospital.

The sun was only just beginning to rise as he walked along the sea wall. He took deep breaths of the salty air as he walked. "Another day," he muttered as if with regret. "I wonder what rumors they'll come up with this time." He noticed a surfer on the waves this morning. By the orange-brown hair he saw, he assumed it was the East Surfing Champion. He never caught the name — didn't care for it. He just knew the guy was famous. It wasn't something he needed to know for his profession. He carried on his way as the sun cast an orange glow on the sea. At this, Tsubasa paused to gaze out to the horizon.

He remembered how his mother once told him about how they were connected to the sea. When he asked why, she never extrapolated on the matter. She just told him they were tied to it. She even claimed that he would find something important about it someday.

It was just some fairy tale, but Tsubasa held some small belief that the answers to those questions as a child would come forth as he passed along the sea wall. Even if there were faster routes to work, he preferred this one for that reason.

But, as always, he found nothing. Just more disappointment and a waste of time. He resumed his trek, ready for more trouble.


Once at the hospital, Tsubasa made his rounds. And like always, some of the nurses and other doctors began to talk about him behind his back.

"Look at him. It's like he doesn't care."

"Why would someone be a doctor if they didn't show empathy for their patients?"

"He's so callous. He should stay in the labs."

It was all the same. But it hardly mattered. Even pretending to care about patients didn't help him. Especially those where there was nothing they could do. No point in getting people's expectations lifted only to crush them when they were incapable of providing aid. Plus, if he was already uncaring, he could leave those people without feeling guilty or regretful.

He was about to pass a room when he thought he saw something. Looking into a room, he found the girl Noelle sitting by the patient known as Daichi. Normally, Tsubasa wouldn't have interrupted his rounds to look in like this. It was behavior he prided himself on in his role. But ever since he was first brought in, along with that bizarre attack, the girl caught Tsubasa's interest. There was just some mysterious air about her he could not quite break away from.

He was early in his first bit of rounds, so Tsubasa decided to step in and check on them. He excused himself upon entering, drawing the attention of Noelle.

"Back again, I see," he commented.

"Yes," Noelle responded, looking up from watching Daichi. "I was just hoping to hear how Daichi was, and hoped this would be the day he would wake up."

Coming over to her side, Tsubasa reasoned, "You know, people can be in comas for most, or even all, their lives. If you are waiting for him, you may be waiting a long time."

"That is alright," she told him. "However long I must, I will wait. He is important to me."

Tsubasa commented mentally about how Noelle might be making a bad move wasting away next to her boyfriend, but he never voiced it aloud. It wasn't that he was afraid of stepping on her toes. If anything, perhaps he was more concerned about her perception of him. An odd thought, but it was exclusive to her.

Looking over his vitals and IV, he said, "Heart rate is still strong. He is a fighter. His fluids are steady. Despite being in this coma, he is rather healthy. Maybe he will come back sooner than we think."

"Thank you, Doctor Furawa," Noelle said once he gave his assessment. "I look forward to that day."

Turning to her, he mentioned, "I'll return to check on him again after I finish my rounds."

But then the PA went off. "Paging Doctor Furawa. Paging Doctor Furawa. Please assist the physician in the clinic, room A-11."

He excused himself once more before heading out to attend to whatever asinine mess was happening now.


It turned out the issue he was called to help was a simple diagnosis of a patient coughing too much. Listening to the patient's breathing revealed he had breathed in some sort of smog or smoke and just needed fresh air to help expel it. But as Tsubasa left the room once he finished, the comments and snide remarks returned full force. He had learned to tune them out, since he got it from everyone.

But as he went back on his rounds, Noelle's words of thanks came to mind. He didn't change how he addressed people when he was around her, yet she seemed to thank him for his work. But he shook it off.

She was an outlier and nothing more.

The rest of his shift went by without incident, and he was preparing to leave as the overnight shift was coming in. As he was checking in at the front desk, he heard Noelle's voice behind him. The blue-haired girl was at the visitor's registry when he looked over, thanking the nurses for allowing her to visit. Tsubasa wasn't sure why he was so curious about her, but he couldn't deny she seemed different.

To the clerk he had been talking to, he asked, "That woman. What do we know about her?"

"The one visiting that boy in a coma?" the clerk questioned. She said, "She lives at the hotel on the coast. Pearl Piari. They are most well known for their idol concerts. My friend has raved about them more than once."

"Pearl Piari…" Tsubasa mused. But he moved on from that, taking his leave. He had another early shift tomorrow, so he needed to go home and sleep.

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He walked along his route by the sea wall, trying to think about his medical profession. If he could secure his career as a head of the department, he would have nothing to worry about in the future. He just needed to grow and develop his medical practice to ensure he got the opportunity.

As he was thinking this, passing by some rocks, he thought he heard singing. It drew him from his thoughts out to the sea. But he didn't see who was singing, nor could he say he had ever heard this song before. As he listened more closely, the voice sounded familiar. He tried looking around for whoever was singing this new melody, but there was no one.

When they finished, he wondered, "It can't be… Could the rumors really be true that there are mermaids that hang around this town?" To a man like him, the idea seemed ludicrous. But even so, he hoped it was true. He had too many disappointments in his life and hoped this was one time he wouldn't be let down.

Still, not finding the source, he ended up taking his leave, never having seen the indigo mermaid diving from the rocks that hid her from view.


A few days later was one of Tsubasa's rare days off. He had intended to use it to look over some medical journals related to cardiology. But he just couldn't sit down and focus on the material, so he was now walking around town so he could clear his head. He ended up in the business district, seeing all the different shops and stores everyone was going in and out of. It was all mundane, but Tsubasa needed to soak in the world around him if he was to help decompress.

During his walk as he passed a toy store, he heard a mother and daughter talk about a mermaid doll that was on display. The mention caught Tsubasa's attention, and he watched as the mom agreed to buy it if the girl promised to do her chores when they got home. The little girl cheered as her mother took them inside. She then claimed she wanted to be a mermaid when she grew up, which the mother humored before they disappeared from Tsubasa's gaze. Watching them go inside, Tsubasa let his thoughts wander a little to his own mother and to a similar time. But he quickly pulled out of it.

"Best let them be," he muttered. "She'll learn someday." Though a part of him hoped she never would.

Before he resumed his walk, he heard someone call, "Oh, Doctor Furawa!" Looking to the other side, he spotted Noelle waving over to him. She was accompanied by another girl with dark purple hair that ended in ringlets below her waist. She must have been a friend, but she seemed to have a scowl set on her face.

Deciding to be polite, Tsubasa acknowledged, "Oh, Noelle-san, right?"

And to his chagrin, his response prompted her to come over, Noelle's companion begrudgingly tagging along.

Noting the bags she was carrying, he guessed, "Out shopping, I see."

"Yes. We needed some more food for the concert tonight," Noelle told him.

"Concert?" he asked.

"Yes. The idol concert Pearl Piari holds now and again," she elaborated. "We'll be having a massive crowd tonight, so our head chef wants as much food as we can get to prepare for them."

Tsubasa could understand the logic there. And with Noelle being tasked for this meant she did work at the hotel. It was also efficient, so the head chef could prepare the night's meals as quickly as possible. In addition, with how Noelle described it, it seemed like a popular event. Perhaps he should check out this concert himself.

He asked, "Is there a fee I need to pay or an invite I need?"

This question seemed surprising to Noelle, as she appeared off-guard for such a question. But she replied, "Well, you will need to buy a ticket. And most have been bought up by now." Then she struck on an idea and set one of her bags down to reach into her pocket for something. She then held out a flier to him with the event info and location. "Give this to the front desk," she told him. "You'll get a discount with one of these flyers."

"Onee-san…" the other girl muttered grumpily.

"It'll be fine, Karen," Noelle assured her. "A hardworking doctor needs time to unwind. And Doctor Furawa has been hard at work at the hospital Daichi-kun is at."

The other girl didn't seem to like the idea of him coming to the concert, which seemed odd. But if she was Noelle's sister, maybe she was just trying to protect her. Still, it would be rude to refuse this invite.

Taking the flier, he said, "I will be at the hotel for the concert then."

"Wonderful," Noelle said with a beaming smile. "I hope you enjoy it." With their business concluded, the two girls parted ways from the doctor, though Tsubasa noticed how Noelle's sister seemed to chide her. It seemed strange.

Deciding not to overthink it, he headed for home so he might try to read up on some of his material before going, but he had a hunch he would regret it later.


"I can't understand you sometimes, Onee-san," Karen griped as she, her sister, and the other two mermaid princesses were relaxing in the shared bath. "Why did you invite that doctor to our concert? You have heard what the staff at the hospital say about him. He's trouble."

"Oh Karen, you put too much stock into rumors," Noelle returned sweetly. "Besides, he's always been cordial to me when he checks on Daichi-kun. How can a man like that be so bad?"

"Geez! You'll never learn, will you?" Karen muttered, massaging her temple.

"I think it's sweet she invited such a gentleman," Coco commented, brushing Seira's hair. "With Daichi still in his coma, it might help Noelle learn all the ins and outs before she makes him her Sea Prince."

"C-Coco!" Karen exclaimed. "Don't even joke about that."

"But you know it's true," the Yellow Mermaid Princess pointed out. "We all are finding wonderful people that may one day help us rule the seas. Luchia has Kaito, Rina has Hamasaki-san, and you even have Carrawford-san."

Bringing up Subaru made Karen's cheeks flush red., she refuted, "I-It's not the same. Subaru… Subaru found out my secret, that's all. Nothing more than that."

"That's not what your face says," Coco teased.

"Coco, don't tease Karen anymore," Seira requested. "It's harder for her. Subaru left her once. That pain must still hurt whenever she is near him."

That little revelation made Karen look away, but Noelle thought she sensed pain in her sister. Still, it did make sense. She had feelings for Subaru during the incident with the Eternal Glacier. As she knew with Rina, some wounds took longer to heal.

But, as she let her tail splash a bit in the water, she addressed, "Right now, let's just think about giving our best performance. And hope that Luchia and the others come home victorious with their Sea Princes."

The four then resumed relaxing, prepping themselves for the concert later. And yet, they all wondered about the Sea Princes that might be for them.


Tsubasa arrived at Pearl Piari as the sun was beginning to set. He noticed a large crowd at the entrance as he waited to go in. Seems these concerts were more popular than he realized. Though the crowd seemed more varied than he first thought. He figured something like this would bring only guys, but there were quite a few girls mixed in with them. He took out the flier Noelle gave him, thinking again on why he was doing this.

The line moved pretty quickly, but most everyone had a ticket already. At the front desk, Tsubasa saw a pretty boy with pale blond hair wearing a sailor uniform punching tickets. A young girl with light-aqua hair and similarly colored dress was directing attendees to the venue inside the hotel. They both looked so young.

He eventually made it to the front desk. The boy there then asked, "Ticket?"

He held out the flier, informing, "Noelle-san said I could get a discount with this flier."

The girl then came over, asking, "Are you perhaps Doctor Furawa? The doctor looking after Noelle-sama's friend?"

The honorific seemed strange for the girl to use for someone like Noelle, further confounding Tsubasa. But he replied, "Yes, I am one of the doctors looking after him."

With a bright smile, the girl told him, "Then come right this way. We have a seat for you near the front row." And she led him away, even as he heard the boy grumble something about the girls losing their heads over love. The girl brought him to a table near the stage before she took off to attend to other customers.

The table Tsubasa was sitting at was nice, almost exclusive. He wondered why Noelle had given him such a privilege when she barely knew him. He wasn't alone for long.

Another man with blond hair sat down across from him. "You are a new face," the man greeted. "I am Subaru Carrawford."

Being polite, Tsubasa returned, "Furawa Tsubasa. A visitor for one of my patients invited me here."

"Ah, I see," Subaru returned. Then he told the doctor, "I'm the same. My friend is part of the show herself, and she asked me to attend." To which he added, "But I could tell she hadn't intended to. Her friends must have convinced her to invite me."

"Some friends," the doctor commented grimly.

But Subaru assured, "They mean well. I'm just glad she asked me. After all, she is someone very important to me."

Before Tsubasa could ask more, the crowd applauded as the stage lights went up. Then, appearing on stage, were four girls in idol getups and mics, wearing colors of purple, indigo, yellow, and orange, with the last one looking younger than the others. Many in the crowd were going crazy, as he figured, but he wasn't as indifferent about it as he thought he would be. If anything, something about these girls made him curious.

"Hello everyone," the girl in purple greeted, eliciting a roar from the audience. "Are you ready?"

"We're ready!" The crowd cheered, a little excessively.

"Then it's time for—"

"Pichi Pichi Voice, Live Start!"

And they began their song, "Super Love Songs".

Starlight!

Hikari wo motto asumetara

Kono sekai wa kitto kawatteku

Mukai kaze no naka demo

Kurai umi no soko demo

Kono te wo hanasanaide... zettai!

Yume ga hajimaru Super Live! Hikari to kage no SUTEEJI

Ai wo tsutaete Super Songs!

Yuuki wo kureru... ai no uta

When the girls finished, they called, "Encore wa ika ga?"

And the crowd roared, "Encore! Encore! Encore!"

Tsubasa was startled by everyone urging the girls to do another song. They really were quite popular.

The girls' song then simmered down, changing to "Yume no Sono Saki He".

Moshi mo negai ga kanattara

Sono saki ni nani ga matteru no?

Ima wa ooki na kono YUME ga

Kanau made muchuu dakedo

Tatakau tabia no imi wo toikakeru

Sen no (sen no) hoshi ga (hoshi ga) matataita...

Kitto I'm Just Girl!

YUME dakede wa ikirarenai

Ai sareru yoken wo kudasai

Ima ari no mama no watashi to

"Yume no sono saki he"

The crowd was eating them up as they sang on stage, but Tsubasa was enraptured for another reason. The songs being sung seemed to touch at his heart, affecting parts of him he hadn't expressed in so long. This music, this singing, it reminded him of when he was younger and his mother would sing to him. He felt moved, and he wanted more of it.

Once they finished, the girl in indigo seemed to step forward. "Everyone, I have a new song to sing for you," she told them. "And I hope this touches you differently than our other songs."

As the song took a slower tempo, filled with small chimes and piano, the girl sang a new song. She sang of feeling lost and confused, not knowing where the northern star was hiding behind the clouds. She sang of the chill of the night and the solitude wrapped around her, of fears she would be consumed.

But then she sang of a single light shining through the clouds, lighting her path and leading her home. She sang of the journey to those she loved, of returning to where she belonged, that she wished so much to be with the one.

In her chorus, she sang of her North Star, the guiding light in the sky, how it led her home to where she belonged. She sang of the warmth waiting for her, in the embrace of home, how she yearned so deeply to be home.

As she sang this new song, Tsubasa felt his eyes burn as tears threatened to spill. How could such a song affect him so deeply? He was always the cold-hearted doctor, the aloof physician. He never let emotion rule him. So how could songs like this be drawing out such buried feelings?

He was left to ponder these as the show carried on.

After the show, many guests either went home or returned to their rooms. There was a small after party being held on the terrace overlooking the sea, and Tsubasa was there being treated by Subaru. The two men hung on the wall, looking out to the night sky and the sea reflecting the stars overhead.

"That truly was a beautiful show," Subaru commented to break the ice. "I gotta say, that one song surprised me."

Tsubasa didn't add to the comment. He swirled his drink in his hand, thinking back to how that one song affected him. He still didn't understand it. What had moved him so?

Out of nowhere, he asked, "Carrawford-san, what did you think about that one girl's song? The one in the indigo dress?"

A little caught off-guard by the question, Subaru answered, "I feel like that song was her heartfelt plea. Music and art are ways for people to draw out what lies deep in their hearts, bringing out their deepest desires or greatest wishes. Maybe that song was hers."

"Maybe," Tsubasa murmured. To go home, guided by a beacon of light. He felt he could connect to that plea as well. He didn't entirely understand why, but he felt like it connected to him.

"Facing some troubles?" Subaru asked.

But Tsubasa adopted a steely face, replying, "Not any I will share with a total stranger."

The other man just laughed, assuring, "I did not mean to pry. It just seemed like you were deeply touched by that girl's plea."

The doctor did not deign another response to this. Whatever he was wrestling with, he would tackle in his own time. Downing his drink, he went back inside to return it and go home, sensing the man Subaru watching him as he went in.

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A little later found Tsubasa on the beach further down the coast, looking out to the crashing waves and the deep-blue horizon. His heart was a mess, his mind muddled. He needed closure, or else his work would suffer in the morning.

Then he recalled something his mother told him. An old legend she shared. She told him that if you write a secret in the sand, you could entrust it to a mermaid who would then guard that secret beneath the waves. It was a silly superstition, and yet, he felt compelled to humor his mother now.

Bending down, he began to write in the sand. He wrote close enough to where the rising tide would wash it away. Whether a mermaid would really see it or not didn't matter. The truth was that getting that secret out somewhere meant he could let it go, washed away by the waves.

Once he had finished, he said, "For you, mother," and he made his way home.

Shortly after he left, Noelle popped up near the beach and dragged herself onto the shore. She had seen Tsubasa leave back at the hotel and followed him under the waves, worried about his well-being. Although she still pined for Daichi to come back, Tsubasa was someone she was curious about, especially because he did not act like the rumors claimed he did.

She noticed the writing he left in the sand, and she read,

"If I were to want for anything, it would be to honor my mother. I want my heart to be free, flying on wings. Mermaid-san, if you find this message, give me peace."

"Furawa-san," Noelle muttered. Holding a hand over her heart, she said, "You must be in so much pain, holding everything in." And there she stayed for a while, carving that secret into her heart, praying that one day, Tsubasa's heart would be set free.


Seira: A mermaid ritual? It could rebuild my kingdom?

Luchia: Onee-san, if you do this, Maki-san…

Seira: Alright. Help me rebuild. And let me save Nikora-san.

Luchia: Seira!

Next time on Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Duo

Mermaid Ritual

Luchia: I will miss you, Nikora-san.