Never Ours to Keep - No Tomorrow for Us -

''Never Ours to Keep -No Tomorrow for Us-''is not a love song.
There is no affection, no kindness toward the other person here.
All that exists is a story written for the sake of loving myself.
The other is nothing more than a character placed on my stage.

It was I who said ''I love you.''
But he was the one who meant it.
At that moment, in my world, everything was already over.
His emotions mean nothing to my story.
Everything moves for me, and everything disappears for me.

At first glance, the lyrics may seem to describe the ambiguity of adult love.
In truth, they are far more ruthless.
Tenderness, lingering attachment, even guilt-
all are performances staged only to protect and justify myself.
"It's always me who ends it."
This is not a lamentation.
It is a declaration of control,
a statement that the ending of the story has always belonged to me.

The sound is urban and mechanical.
The drum machine keeps time with a cold face,
the synth bass stirs a damp heat with indifference,
the guitar and electric piano fill the emptiness,
and the saxophone cuts through sharply,
exposing truths that cannot be concealed.
The groove is stripped down-hi-fi, minimal.
What remains is not the other, but the undeniable presence of myself.

This music paints the scene of a solitary drive on the Shuto Expressway at night.
An empty lane, a steady speed, city lights that never stop flowing.
There is no need for passengers.
That scenery, that story, belongs to me alone.

The artwork, too, portrays strength in facing reality, not fantasy.
An unyielding gaze, a provocative attitude, a posture of composure.
Not to give love to someone else,
but to shine for myself.
What appears there is none other than me, living my own story.