Once upon a time, in a certain place, there lived a lovely girl named Rosetta.
Rosetta loved her mama very much. Because it made Mama happy, she often sang along with Mama’s violin.
One day, Mama noticed her daughter's talent and said:
"Those who truly love and are loved by music will one day be visited by the Angel of Music."
So Rosetta began to dream of becoming a songstress at Bar Masquerade, where her Mama worked.
However, one day Mama left with a man and never returned.
Even so, Rosetta never cried. So Mama wouldn’t worry, and so that she could return anytime she wanted.
She continued dreaming of the day she’d become a songstress, the day the Angel of Music would visit her.
By the age of 15, Rosetta was working as a waitress at Bar Masquerade.
With her beautiful and charming looks and a sweet, slightly peculiar voice, Rosetta had all the talent needed to be loved by the Angel of Music.
Naturally, the men at the bar fell for her charms and began to gather around her.
Then one day, the opportunity came suddenly. The reigning songstress, Lillian, announced that she would choose her successor at the next party.
Only one person can become the songstress of midnight, gracing the stage's finale.
But Lillian had promised her dear friend, Rosetta’s mama, that one day Rosetta would be made a songstress.
Ah, at last, my dream is coming true!
Rosetta reserved Mama’s favorite seat, Box No. 5, and eagerly awaited that moment.
Lillian’s party was packed. All seats were taken, except Box No. 5.
Still, Rosetta believed. She believed that she, the one meant to be loved by the Angel of Music, would be chosen.
"The next songstress is… you, Alicia."
It was Alicia, Rosetta’s former best friend, who stood on stage.
Rosetta wasn’t even allowed to step onto the stage.
Lillian had broken her promise to Mama. What a cruel betrayal.
But more than anything, what Rosetta couldn’t forgive… was Alicia.
That girl who always arrived later but got ahead, taking only the sweetest parts for herself.
The tragic heroine was always, always Alicia.
So, she invited one of her male admirers to her room and threw herself into his arms.
"Hey, I have a favor… will you do something for me?"
The next day, Alicia’s locker was trashed. Her costume was slashed.
Rosetta had realized how to use her god-given beauty.
If she seduced a man and gave him a 'treat', he’d do anything for her.
How simple men are.
Rosetta hated men, the kind who stole her mama away. She couldn’t even remember his face anymore. All of them were just meaningless extras.
Still, she kept tempting men, again and again, until Alicia’s spirit would break.
And in the lonely silence of her room afterward, she vomited, over and over again.
No matter what she did, Alicia’s resolve never wavered.
"I made a promise too."
Alicia said firmly. So Rosetta decided to steal that promise as well.
She approached the bar staff Lewis with her usual cute voice. He was Alicia’s emotional anchor.
When he gave her a half-hearted response, Rosetta pushed him down and touched him with practiced hands.
"…I didn’t want to believe it, but it really was you."
Lewis pushed Rosetta away and left.
It was the first time a man had ever rejected her. And in that moment-
Rosetta made up her mind.
It was no longer a promise. It was a curse.
But to Rosetta, it had become the only reason to live.
To fulfill her dream with Mama.
Even if she had to kill her former best friend to do it.
Rosetta is truly a beautiful flower.
But she could never be the best.
Because beside her always bloomed another flower, more beautiful, more perfect, named Alicia.
Rosetta called all her admirers and said sweetly:
"At Alicia’s debut performance… I want you to kill her."
The men were stunned by this sudden, gruesome request.
"Just loosen the support chain for the stage lights. You can do that, right?"`
"Please? I can only count on you guys…"
“But Rosetta, weren’t you and Alicia childhood friends?”
"I said KILL HER, didn’t I!!"
Rosetta screamed, not with a cute voice, but a voice like a demon.
The men, overwhelmed, started to flee one after another.
They’d only been enchanted by the surface, by her image. To them, this was not the Rosetta they thought they knew.
The bullets Rosetta had stuffed herself with had all been fired. She had nothing left.
Mama wasn’t coming back. Now that she was grown, Rosetta knew that.
Why was I trying so hard in the first place…?
Rosetta no longer cared about living.
And that’s when she heard it.
From the wall, a strange voice.
"I’ll grant your revenge."
Startled, she looked, but no one was there. Still, Rosetta knew instantly.
Ah, at last… at last, it had appeared-
The Angel of Music she’d longed for.
On the day of Alicia’s debut performance, the Angel of Music prepared everything for Rosetta’s revenge.
The stage light would fall and accidentally crush her. It was a flawless plan.
From the wings, Rosetta watched Alicia, now going by the name Chelsea, bloom onstage as the new songstress.
She trembled, biting her nails, waiting for the tragedy to begin.
I hate you. I hate men. I hate everything. I hate, hate, hate!
…But the one she hated most…
Was herself.
Ugly and unable to love anyone.
Alicia bowed onstage and spoke with a gentle voice.
"This final song is a memory I share with a dear friend."
It was the song Rosetta and Alicia had promised to sing together, long ago.
When Rosetta was withering from being abandoned by her mother, it was Alicia who gave her the first drop of kindness.
Deep down, Rosetta had wanted to love Alicia too.
She just didn’t know how to love, only how to be loved.
Alicia wasn’t just keeping her promise to Lewis.
She was trying to keep the one she made to me too.*
Just then, a heavy metallic sound rang across the stage.
The lighting rig came crashing down.
Screams erupted. Alicia stood frozen in place.
And in the moment the pillar struck the ground, shielding Alicia with her own body-
A part of the pillar had pierced her, shredding her beautiful left leg.
Even so, Rosetta didn’t shed a single tear.
Instead, she tried to stand.
"Don’t worry, Mama… it doesn’t hurt at all…"
She looked toward the empty Box No. 5.
"Mama’s watching, so I can’t cry… not over something like this!"
Everyone was struck speechless by her determination.
But the one who held her close, was her friend Alicia.
As if gently teaching Rosetta how to love.
And from Rosetta’s eyes, the emotion she had held back for so long finally spilled out, one drop, then a flood.
She cried out for the first time, like a newborn baby. As if washing everything away.
While Rosetta was receiving treatment, the suspected culprit was being interrogated.
When asked about accomplices, he confessed easily.
"There was no accomplice. I was the only one."
The one who finally spoke…
Was Sven, a new technical staff member who had just joined the bar.
※ Please note: Some translations may not be fully accurate as I’m not fluent in Japanese. Interpretations are done to the best of my understanding!
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