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

The Step-Brother I Never Knew (SPOILERS)

CAUTION: SPOILERS REGARDING THE END OF THE STORY.

This is a little essay that I wrote from the POV of Kousei's stepbrother, Hayato Minamida.

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It seems like yesterday that we were talking about you, Kousei Arima. You were the stepbrother I never knew. Yes, I had heard of you, 20 years ago. You were one of the brightest young pianists in all of Japan, and maybe the world. Just watching you made me enthralled. Your piano playing.... won the hearts of many people around the world. But then, a dark truth came out. You were fettered to your mother, the stepmother I also never knew. She was just cruel to you. It broke my heart. Once she was gone, your whole world was still in monochrome.

Then, one day, things brightened for you again. This blond girl, who plays the violin.... she tried to win your heart. But you said no. You were still stuck in your own little bubble. It took some convincing, but you won over her heart as well. Your whole world was changing. But all of a sudden, you became an amputee. Your left foot.... gone in instant. Your head got damaged. But you weren't going to let that get you down. You weren't going to give up on changing yourself for the better. People loved you. Deep inside, even with that robotic style of piano playing you had, you knew that people loved you. This blond violinist really made you happy. She was happy, too.

But it is also sad how a few accidents can take away all the things you've worked for over the years. When you hit your head two more times and eventually became paralyzed..... it was like the whole world around you was not only in monochrome again but fading away; turning into pitch black.

And then, that tragic September day. You ended your life because you were just unable to do much, and you felt depressed and unloved; you were at the end of your rope. It felt like your mother was the root of all your problems..... which broke our hearts.

But let me tell you this, my dear stepbrother: You WERE loved. You were loved in Japan. You were loved in South Korea. You were loved in America. You were loved in Canada. You were loved the WHOLE WORLD OVER!

And on that early fall day, two weeks after your life ended, the whole world gathered to celebrate you. You would have been so happy to have been there. You would have been moved to tears over the display of love that all young musicians, not just in Japan, but from all corners of the world, gave on that day.

As for that blond violinist? She also was at the end of her rope. She wanted to end your life, like you. Thankfully, her friends stopped her, and she found a new friend. One that was equally as shocked over your death. They said to each other, "We can heal together." And they did.

Now, 20 years later, the blond violinist you left behind? I'm now married to her. And even though so much time has passed, the love for you STILL lives on. We even have a son. And myself, my stepfather, and even you, the stepbrother I never met, still have a very deep love for you. Love really does live on. We love you forever and ever, Kousei Arima.

-Hayato Minamida