The Audience Keeps Growing, and Rest Slips Away
"So... Luna. Basically, there are 12 notes. And the distance between two notes is called an interval."
I kept explaining, drawing an imaginary keyboard on the floor with my finger.
I'd definitely planned to take a nice, refreshing bath and slip into bed feeling great, so why was I giving a music theory lecture to a grand mage in the dead of night?
"A distance of one step between notes is a half step, and two steps is a whole step. Got it up to here?"
No sooner had I finished than Luna shot her hand up like she'd been waiting for it.
"Question! Why exactly 12? Wouldn't a nice round number like 10 be more efficient? Is there some special reason it had to be 12~?"
"W-well... it settled that way after finding harmonies that sounded good together... It's complicated to explain? Originally, it was divided in fifths...? Notes... No, actually, there was a system with 31 divisions too, but nowadays the 12-tone scale is more..."
"31?! You can distinguish that many waveforms? Wouldn't the interference be insane? How does the resonance work on a physical level?"
As I desperately dredged up dusty knowledge from the corners of my brain, Luna's eyes sparkled with excitement.
Oh crap!!!!
Mentioning exceptions or advanced topics to a curiosity-driven grand mage was like digging my own grave.
I wanted to smack my past self from my previous life, who'd skimmed through harmony studies.
If I'd known this would happen, I wouldn't have dozed off during cram school—I'd have crammed in one more fact!
The lecture was turning into a mountain before my eyes.
"Intervals come in perfect, major, minor, augmented, and diminished... And if you add or subtract a half step, the name changes—for example, a major interval drops to minor if you lower it by a half step, and vice versa..."
"Hold on, what if you augment it another half step~? Doesn't it hit some critical point? Like how sound could deliver physical impact, magic-style~?"
"What are you talking about?! It's not a critical point—it's just called double augmented. Intervals are just distances and qualities between notes; boosting the physical volume handles the power... You're veering off topic! Please don't tie this to magic—listen to it as music!"
Luna propped her chin on her hand at every answer, pondering deeply before firing off another question.
From chord structures to overtones, her intellectual barrage shook every last bit of knowledge from my head, leaving my soul parched in real time.
"So these chords are basically overlapping specific frequencies, right~? Comparing that to mana interference phenomena..."
How much time had passed? My mouth was bone-dry, and my brain was grinding to a halt.
"Luna...? Um, look over there..."
With no energy left even to answer, I pointed a trembling finger at the window.
Luna turned her head, and there it was—pitch-black night had already fallen.
"Whoops, it's night already? Your explanations were so fun, I lost track of time~."
Only then did Luna set down the guitar and stop with the questions.
But her head was clearly buzzing with new hypotheses.
"Hey, Lia, from what you just explained... If music ultimately manipulates emotions, isn't the structure identical to mental magic~? Tune the waveforms right, and you could use it like wide-area brainwashing..."
"What are you planning to do?! Please don't apply magic to music! It'll cause accidents!"
I bolted over in sheer panic and practically snatched the guitar away from her.
One wrong move, and she'd blanket the whole mansion in depression magic.
"Playing dirty... Fine~, I'll research it on my own later."
"Don't do that dangerous research later either..."
I let out a deep sigh as I watched Luna pout in disappointment.
She acts just like a curious kitten on the verge of knocking something over—not a grand mage at all.
"Alright, now it's really free time. Do whatever~."
"...For real?"
My one remaining option was already decided.
I didn't even wait for a reply before staggering toward my bedroom.
Slipping into the fluffy covers with my freshly bathed, fluffy-clean body brought a wave of pure bliss nothing else could match.
Please let tomorrow be quiet.
Clutching that simple wish, I plunged into deep sleep.
......
The next morning, the sun was already high when I opened my eyes.
My body was fluffy from the bath, but my mind—having survived yesterday's hellish harmony interrogation—was still a tattered rag.
I shambled downstairs to the living room like a zombie.
Luna was already up, sipping tea leisurely at the table.
"Our music teacher finally woke up~? Your face looks half-dead~."
"Whose fault is that...? Today, I'm seriously not lifting a finger. No guitar either."
"Ehh~? That's mean~."
I grabbed some piping-hot, magically fresh bread from the kitchen, shoved it in my mouth, and slumped at the table.
It was so well-made, even if I slammed it down yelling 'Take this, fist of fury!!!', it'd just bounce right back.
Today, no matter what, I'd melt into the bed and relax.
I was mid-sip of milk, steeling my resolve, when—
Ding—dong—.
'Delivery? Wait, no—what delivery? This world doesn't even have doorbells.'
Curiosity piqued, I asked Luna right away.
"Luna, what's that sound?"
"Mm. It's the detection alert on the mansion's barrier. Wonder who it is~?"
Luna peered out the window.
Unable to hold back, I poked my head next to hers—and froze solid.
The forest path by the mansion gate was packed with people.
"Is it true that amazing musician lives here?"
"I can't forget that sound from before! Other music just feels ordinary now—I can't listen to it anymore!"
"Please play once more! I beg you!"
Their desperate cries carried over the fence into the yard.
I nearly dropped the bread from my mouth.
"How did they even find this place?!"
"No one can breach the barrier, so we can just ignore them..."
Luna added, chin in hand.
"But won't it get annoying when you're out alone later?"
"You've got that perception-blocking spell on me. I'll just use that!"
Luna shook her head.
"I have to cast it myself. And magic has this chronic issue—it's hard to maintain if the caster's too far from the target. That's why we usually seal it into a magic tool."
"Then just give me a perception-blocking magic tool. Don't you have everything in your warehouse?"
"Hm, I never needed one, so the mansion doesn't have any~."
I stared at her in disbelief.
"You said you had everything in the world—what do you have, then?"
"Things magic can't solve~? Like accident-prone musicians like you."
I clutched my neck at her shameless reply.
As I seriously considered never leaving the mansion again, Luna tossed out a casual fix.
"No need to agonize that much~? Just perform once a day in the plaza, and problem solved. No one would trek out here then~."
I pondered her suggestion.
My original goal since coming to this world was spreading my music, after all.
I hadn't expected this level of hype, but scheduling regular shows might beat maintaining mystery until a tent city sprouted at our gate.
"...Okay. That might be better."
I steeled myself and headed to the entrance.
The moment I opened the gate, cheers exploded at the sight of me, rattling my eardrums.
"Um... excuse me..."
"She came out! It's the musician!"
"Please play! Just one more time!"
A cacophony of voices drowned out anything I tried to say.
Then—
Luna, standing behind me, casually released some mana.
Whoosh—.
The air grew heavy, pressing down on the crowd's shoulders—gently but firmly.
Pure pressure, no killing intent.
The noisy throng fell silent in unison, like they'd rehearsed it.
Whoa... that's some serious charisma.
She seems like a ditzy cat usually, but in moments like this, she's every inch the grand mage.
Impressed by her presence, I cleared my throat.
"Everyone, please calm down. From now on, I'll perform once a week..."
Before I could finish, their faces twisted in visible despair.
Like I'd told them meals were once a week. I flinched.
"Uh... then, every three days...?"
Still lukewarm reaction.
Ultimately, swept up in their momentum, I surrendered without thinking.
"...Fine! Once a day! I'll play in the plaza every single day! Happy now?"
"Waaaaaaaaah!"
The capital nearly shook with the roar of cheers.
I gave an awkward smile to the jubilant crowd, but inside, I was weeping tears of blood.
Forget peaceful rest—I'd become the capital's official performer, punching in daily.
My fluffy-clean body felt heavy all over again.