His Lie in April - 四月の彼の嘘 (Shigatsu no Kare no Uso) (COMPLETE)

"Will I Fall or Fly?"

As Kousei got into his blue suit for his performance (even though he had some difficulty putting his trousers on as he had to detach his prosthetic foot to put them on right, and then reattach his foot correctly), some thoughts were going through his mind as he was scheduled to perform. This is my big chance! All the weeks of preparation and practice..... all come down to this! The missing left foot is in the past! I won't get my real foot back again, but this will have to do! Your mother, the way she beat you up like that and shackled you... that is in the past as well. But.... will I fall or fly? You've been away for two years. You are back now. Remember, you've been telling yourself for weeks you're a new Kousei! Now, get out there, stop beating yourself up about the past AND PROVE THAT YOU'RE A NEW MAN!

As Kousei walked up to the piano bench as he was scheduled to perform, he stretched out his hands, and unlimbered. He played Étude in E minor, Op. 25, No. 5 by Frédéric Chopin.

At first, he played well. But midway through he song, his playing faltered. Was this the old Kousei that was automatic but couldn't hear his own playing? He halted playing momentarily. He tried to suppress his thoughts of his mother, as he firmly focused on building a bridge towards a brighter future. Words like Your accomplishments mean nothing unless you come in first! The piano is you. If you touch it gently, it will smile. If you touch it with force, it will become enraged. You make mistakes like that because you're drowning in your own emotions! But Kousei pressed on. He wasn't going to let his mother's words bother him, or even the accident from a week earlier, or even any more hell that would come his way. He was determined! He kept playing and played smoothly. As he continued, he fantasized him being with Kaori on stage. Kousei..... the future belongs to you. You are the master of your own ship now! Be a good captain..... the waters are no longer rough.... You have my support! You can do it! She told him in this fantasy. Even though it seemed like at times he couldn't hear his own playing, for the first time in a long time.... He could actually hear his playing. And it was sounding quite lovely. Kousei now had a major boost of confidence, that he was no longer the mechanical, automatic Kousei of old who couldn't hear his playing. Overcoming this bout of PTSD was tough, but the loss of his left foot was NOT going to be an obstacle for him, either. He pressed on.

From the audience, Kaori, Tsubaki and Watari realized something. He was actually happy for once. Kaori was amazed by this development. He's.... happy? He's feeling good for once? My goodness, just when I thought he'd lost all hope after losing his left foot, he's doing remarkably well! I knew he was going to pull through! Her optimism was well-placed, as were Tsubaki and Watari's. This is a new Kousei! He's feeling optimistic..... hard to believe this was a guy who, a few weeks ago, was a guy who was hopeless after getting run over by a car! thought Tsubaki. Watari thought The guy has a great future ahead! And he looks great

A few minutes later, Kousei's performance ended. He was greeted with thunderous applause. Kousei closed his eyes, smiled, and took it all in. Now that it was all said and done, Kousei felt pretty happy. He bowed down, smiled, and left the stage, humming happily to himself I'm a new Kousei, I'm a new Kousei.....

As Kousei left, the PA announcer said "We will now take a 20 minute intermission for judging." As Kousei changed out of his suit and into his more casual NO LIFE IS ENOUGH shirt, Emi and Takeshi looked on happily, knowing that despite what happened to him over the past month, they knew that he would have a bright future ahead, and NOTHING would stand in his way.

"Kousei is happy for once. I'm amazed by this. Just a few weeks ago, he was lost, but he seems to have found his way back." Takeshi expressed. Emi said "You know what? I no longer hate or envy the guy. I actually have a newfound fondness for him."
Just as Kousei left the dressing room and into the Towa Hall lobby, he could hear the voice of one his friends calling him. "Kousei? Is that you?" she called out. Kousei responded with "Hiroko?"